Help with my friends

What is the value of a true friend? Where there is no amount that you can put on that. We not only like friends but we need them to help us get by. We long to be with people and to have people to turn to when we are in need. Jesus chose twelve men to help him complete his ministry. This motley group of individuals would journey with him towrd calvary. He did not just call them servants but he called them friends. This week we will look at the apostles that Jesus pulled into the circle. A few years ago there was a movie out entitled, "Meet the Parents". In this movie the father of the Bride talks about being in the "circle of trust". If you were outside the "circle of trust" then you were outside the family. Jesus had a circle of trust. He brought in a group of men that he could trust and he then invested everything into them. Who were these guys? They were every day common labors who were willing to say yes to God. They were not religious Sadducee's, law abiding Pharisees, or scribes. They were not seminary students or PhD. certified preachers. They were just ordinary individuals. They were not wealthy or powerful individuals. They were individuals that believed in a cause and they believed in a Savior. They were converted and then they followed their heart. They made there share of mistakes and many times they lacked in faith, were self-centered, and tended to not tap into the power that had been given to them. In knowing all of that maybe God can also use us. We may be normal and ordinary people but God can use us to help further his Kingdom. He may just be saying, "I get by with a little help from my friends".

Youth Sunday

This week is Youth Sunday at Lakeview. I think that we sometimes forget the youth are a very important commodity. If you show me a church without youth and children, I will forecast that the church has a limited number of years left. There are churches closing every year because they lost relevance with the young people. We live in a time when you are more spiritual than ever but few show interest in the local church. This is because we have failed to step up to the plate and ask the youth to serve. We like them to come into church sit, ask no questions and do everything that is asked of them. But this concept has gone a straybecause other organizations said,"come to us, join our cause and we will put you to work". The youth are not the Church of tomorrow, they are the Church of today. Throughout the history of the Bible God has always used young people to complete his will and plan. He used Daniel, Joseph, David, Mary, and the list could go on of the young teenage people he used. So why do we not include our youth as part of the Church? Well this week the youth are going to serve in a mighty way as they lead worship in every aspect. I hope that when you look around your Church that you see youth and Children and if you do not then I hope that you will go out a find some. The youth are not the church of tomorrow but they are the church of today.

Killer Jobs

Would you choose a high risk profession just for money? Many people are willing to risk everything in order to make a lot of money. Here are some of the jobs that come with the threat of losing your life. Timber cutters rank at the top of the list. There is the threat of cutting oneself, the threat of falling from a tree, and the likely possibility that the tree just might fall in the wrong direction. Deep sea fishermen are at second to timber cutters when it comes to high risk of losing your life while at work. There is the risk of drowning as well as capsizing. It is the job of the unknown. There are so many hazards that it has become a show on the Discovery Channel entitled "Deadly Catch". What about a prophet, minister, or missionary? Do these seem like high risk jobs. Well most people would say no but there have been more missionaries killed in the 21st century than any other time in the world. Granted in biblical times a prophet was not in exactly in the top five professions. But things have really not changed. To go through out the world sharing the gospel just might cost you your life. Well maybe the life that the world has told us to grab a hold of. This week we are going to combine to deadly jobs. we are going to combine fishing with being a prophet. Jonah was asked by God to take the word to Nineveh but he embarks on a fishing trip in the opposite directions. Did I mention that combining to killer jobs just might land you in the belly of whale? This week we will investigate how we can have the Killer Job of being a Christian.

Remember Your Baptism

Think back to your most fondest early life memories. Here are just a few ideas to help you out. Remember your first boyfriend or girlfriend? The one that you thought was your only true love. The one that you sat on the phone with for hours talking about nothing. The one that you passed notes to in the hallway between classes. What you may remember about this is not the great times and the puppy love that you shared but the memory of the break up and how bad it hurt. Think about the many long hours of study you put in on a paper or test preparation only to achieve a B- when you thought you deserved an A. You learned from both these kind of memories that life has its own way of teaching us lessons. Sometimes these are hard lessons. Then there are the memories of the events that made us who we are. The memory of graduating from high school and then college. The memory of our first job where we had no idea where to start. Then for those who have been lucky enough to find that life long spouse, we have the memory of that wedding day and maybe even the birth of Children. Yes, we have so many precious memories tucked away in our heart and soul. But what about your baptism, do you remember your baptism? This may depend on which denomination you grew up in. You may have been Baptized or Christened as an infant or you may have been Baptised by believers baptism. This is where asked Jesus into your heart and then followed it by baptism to seal the deal. But either way you can remember your Baptism. You may remember the cold water and the anxieties of the witnesses.
But today during our remember your baptism we are called not to think about our Baptism but to think about the baptism of the Lord and what significance that it had for him and ultimately for us. Jesus was sinless so what was the significance in the baptism. i mean what sins did the Lord have to repent from. This was not a baptism of repentance but a baptism of obedience. It was Christ way of setting an example for us to be obedient. Christ also shows here that he can do nothing without the help of his father. It is at his baptism that God says to his son. I am well pleased with you. Jesus was showing his connects with God. Our baptism whether through infant or believer baptism connects us to the body of Christ and the body of believers. It is our way of saying, I want to be apart of this Kingdom of God.
We also see that baptism not just about the water and forgiveness it is also about the holy spirit. It is the true trinitarian process at work. This week we will all have the opportunity to remember our baptism. But we will also have the opportunity to not only repent of our sins but the opportunity to completely surrender our lives to Jesus once again.