Follower > Fan

Followers get in the game. Fans sit on the sideline and cheer. Which one are you?

Matthew 16: 24-25 says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

A follower isn't a job for just anyone. It's difficult. In order to be a follower you must be willing to deny yourself, take up a cross, and lose your life. Doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun does it? However, Jesus says when we do this we will actually find our life. Not only will we be able to be with Him forever some day, we will also find satisfaction in who He is.

As I think of the Christmas season many followers come to my mind. When I think of sold out followers I think of people like Matt Chandler who in the midst of cancer said, "To live is Christ and to die is gain". Or Tim Tebow who makes God's name known whether he wins or loses, is bashed or praised, plays or doesn't play. Or the ministry leaders at some of the places we attended, whose name you may never know. These people are in the game.

When I look at the Christmas story in Scripture, there are also many followers. One that I never recognized as a follower before is Mary. Let's think about how crazy this time would be for Mary. She was young and a virgin. All of a sudden an angel appears to her and tells her she is going to get pregnant. From who? The Holy Spirit. Imagine this happening to you today. This is crazy!

I would have been running the other way, but check out what Mary says in Luke 1:38, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

I can't decide which statement is crazier? What the angel said or what Mary said. The implications of this meant that Mary would be divorced, shamed, and given up her dreams of ever marrying again or having children. And yet she says, I trust you God, let's do this.

She denied herself, took up her cross, and followed Christ in the midst of craziness! It ended up being the best decision she could have ever made. God Himself was born of Mary.

Mary was a follower, not a fan.

How can you be a follower this week?

Merry Christmas!

Team Charger Challenge

Wabanna!

This past weekend Team Charger Challenge and other volunteers traveled to Camp Wabanna for their winter retreat. The team filled many roles such as counseling, coordinating activities, kitchen crew, and so on.  We arrived Friday night where we entered right into high energy games in the gym where the kids were having a blast. There was a dance off and all kinds of crazy stuff going on.

Some of the highlights of the weekend included opportunities to be able to build relationships with some of the kids. We went ice skating Saturday afternoon, which was the first time for many. This was a great time not only to let loose and have a blast, but also get to know some of the kids. One of T.J.’s highlights was skating and talking with one of the campers named Austin. For several, this was the first time we hit the ice with a pair of skates. Some of us are still sore!

Later that night we enjoyed time together through fellowship at dinner and chapel. The night ended with a game of capture the leader and time by the fire. Brett told his infamous Sheetz story. You’ll have to ask him about that one!

The chapel speaker ended up getting sick and had to leave the camp so T.J. filled in on late notice. He got the kids excited by playing “Ooga Booga”. He shared his testimony and the importance of being a follower of Christ and not a fan. He shared out of Matthew 16: 24-26 says, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Overall, it was a great weekend of building relationships and having a blast. Directory of Ministry and Coordinating, Tim Ward said, “I am so grateful for an incredible group of volunteers that made the Winter Retreat happen this weekend and made it a huge success! Thank You! You all are awesome.

Find out more about Wabanna: campwabanna.org/

Have a fantastic holiday season!

Team Charger  Challenge

Just Remember…

Ever doubt that God can use you? I don’t just mean the norms and the ins and outs of every day. I mean things bigger than you could think or imagine. This is a nice thought, but sometimes we disqualify ourselves. This can be a result of sin, not measuring up to others, or the influence of others.

If this is you, there is good news. 1 Corinthians 1:27-30 says, “      But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Jesus isn’t looking to use the biggest and the best. In fact, he prefers to use the foolish (in the eyes of the world) and the weak so that His name would be given the most glory. Scripture also says that when we are weak, He is strong. He uses those who are weak and humble before Him.

This isn’t just with us. This is consistent throughout Scripture with who God chose to use.

So here is a little track record for you. Next time you think you can’t be used by God just remember…

Noah was a drunk.
Abraham was too old.
Isaac was a daydreamer.
Jacob was a liar.
Leah was ugly.
Joseph was abused.
Moses had a stuttering problem.
Gideon was afraid.
Sampson was a womanizer.
Rahab was a prostitute.
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young.
David had an affair and was a murderer.
Elijah was suicidal.
Isaiah preached naked.
Jonah ran from God.
Naomi was a widow.
Job went bankrupt.
John the Baptist ate locusts.
Peter denied Christ.
The Disciples fell asleep while praying.
Martha worried about everything.
The Samaritan woman was divorced.
Zacchaeus was too small.

Paul a persecutor of the faith.
Lazarus was dead.

Next time you think God can’t use you, think again. He actually says otherwise.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us."

Team Charger Challenge

Consider It All Joy?

Really?

When you are sick, fail a test, lose a friend or family member, or experience any other type of trial, typically the last thing you want to do is count it as a joy. But that’s what scripture says. Doesn’t scripture seem to say some crazy things at times? For me, this is one of them.

As I’m writing this, I am sick. Yeah, not a whole lot of fun! But the reality is that God allows His people to go through trials because He has a bigger plan in mind. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it a great joy my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”

So the purpose of trials is to produce endurance, maturity, and completion. The purpose of endurance, maturity, and completion is to look more like Christ. The key to this is that we must allow ourselves to consider it all joy. Easy said than done right? The reality is that when a family member is diagnosed with cancer, you lose your job, or even experience a small inconvenience, we have the opportunity to become bitter or get better.

We don’t know why God chooses trials to look more like Him, but He does. Francis Chan helps us out here. In his book, Crazy Love, he says imagine for a second that God is the vastness of an ocean and your mind is a soda can. It would be foolish to say that we understand God fully because we can only scoop so much ocean water into our soda can.  There is so much more ocean out there. There is so much more to God.

So, the next time you go through a trial, it is okay to not understand why you are going through such a thing. But consider it all a joy. At the end of the day, it is for our good and God’s glory.

Enjoy the beginning of the holiday season!

Team Charger Challenge