Voltage

How do you speak about others?

How do you treat them?

James 4:11 says, “Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.”

At first I was confused by what this was saying when it said that we criticize and judge God’s law when we criticize and judge others.  I gained a little more insight from the MSG version. “Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it.”

I know it’s not the best way to study the Bible by only checking out another version, but this makes so much sense.  We cause judgment from others to be cast upon God when we don’t get along as Christians and when we don’t live in a life giving manner.  When all we do as Christians is judge those outside of the faith and even those who do believe, no one will ever want to be a part of what “Christ” is.  We are called to make sure we are obeying God’s word ourselves and to be an example to others, not to be their judge.

The next verse says, “God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?”

God is the only one deciding people’s fate.  Who do we think we are to speak judgment into other’s lives. Back to the MSG version it says this, “God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?”

Our words and actions are way more powerful than we think.  Hurtful words have a huge effect on peoples lives.  As we shared this last Tuesday night and had discussion, many expressed how they felt judged in certain areas and how that judgment affected their lifestyles.

Just think if we as believers in Christ only cast judgment we will never see anyone join in believing with us upon Christ. It was the kindness of Christ that led people into living a changed life, not a judgmental attitude.

None of this means that we don’t seek to help others lived repentant lives.  What it means is a change in our hearts.  Do we desire to tell others they need to change because it bothers us? Do we point out others sins because we want to feel better about ourselves?

OR

Do we seek to help others change because we know it is better for them to repent? Do we help others to see their sins (blind spots) so that they can live better lives in Christ?

Consider this week how you can LOVE someone by leading them gently and kindly in the truths of Christ!

This last summer in 2011, we for the first time ever, launched Youth Alpha at the Metzler Ranch skatepark.  Trying to tackle this outreach at the skatepark was a scary and intimidating task for me at first.  But in the end I am so glad we did this and I am really looking forward to doing Youth Alpha again this summer on Monday nights.

As Christians it is very important that we have friends who don’t know Christ.  If our only friends already know Christ I doubt we’ll ever make much of an impact. This last summer we didn’t have any record breaking numbers when it came to attendance or salvations, BUT what we did have was relationships built and trust built.

I remember one night inviting one kid to join in and listen to the Youth Alpha talk and he politely turned me down but then proceeded to invite me to hang out with him and his buddies after my talk was over.  This was so incredible because I was able to build relationships with these kids, and I still am in contact with them today!  Before we can ever have influence in others lives we first need to have relationship built.  It is my friends who have the biggest impact on me and how I live my life.

I am getting more and more excited to build relationships and trust with these skaters this summer. It is through relationships we gain the permission to speak into their lives and it will have more of a positive impact on these skaters instead of cornering them before you even know them and pointing out their sins and telling them they need to change.  Last year after talking with many of these skaters, I learned that they already know they have issues.  It’s not our job to keep rubbing it in their faces.  What we need to do is love these kids unconditionally and explain to them the GOOD NEWS of the GOSPEL.  Romans 2:4 says that God’s kindness is intended to turn us from our sins.  If we never show any kindness to those outside of the church we will never grow and make an impact.

This is why I am excited about Youth Alpha this summer.  I don’t have to know all the answers, although we answer so many great questions through the Youth Alpha Curriculum and that is so awesome!! But I know that the biggest impact I can make is through loving people.  The two greatest commandments is to love God and love people, and everything else hangs on these two.

So join us this summer for Youth Alpha at the skate park.  You don’t have to know all the answers, all you need is to be willing to love people and be willing to discuss questions with people and search for the answers together!!

This last week at Voltage, Pastor Nate shared from James 3 & 4 and he highlighed    to us his key verse for the night, which was James 4:7-8.

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”

In sharing this he asked us 2 questions to reflect on:

#1 How’s your heart? – An organ the size of your fist keeps you alive.

It is important that we constantly check our hearts and reflect on what we feed ourselves spiritually. Something as small as our hearts has a huge affect on our lives.  Too often we expect to be better Christians but we never actually feed ourselves spiritually except for maybe once a week. And we wonder why we are torn between good and evil; should I do what’s right or what’s wrong? We say we’re Christians, but does what we say actually reflect that?

How do we fix our hearts?

Ask yourselves this next question:

#2 What are you putting into your life?

What you put in is what you will get out. Choosing to spend time with God every morning is like inviting God to sit down with you and have a conversation.

As you pursue God in worship and prayer, he is going to fill you with wisdom and instructions for how to live your life.

The things that we put in front of us or into our lives are seeds.  Seeds grow and eventually produce fruit.  This is what happens in life. So it is super important to evaluate what those seeds are.

When we take the first steps toward God, He will meet us right where we are and will provide us wisdom and guidance for every step of every day.

Here are some promises to rememeber:

Promise #1 – When we draw near to God, HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO US (James 4:7)

Promise #2 – If you humble yourself before God, HE WILL LIFT YOU UP IN HONOR (James 4:10)

Make it a great week!!! Remember to reach out to any of the adult leaders if you would like prayer for anything.

We love you all! See you next Tuesday as we continue our study on the book of James.

In 2 Kings 2:23 – 24 is a story about some young kids and the prophet Elisha. I’ll let you read the story for yourself.

“Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!”  Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.”

Our words have a huge affect on our lives.  They really do either hold death or life.  Below are the 3 Points I shared on April 10th.

#1 Our tongue DETERMINES our success.  (v. 2)

• What you say affects other people and affects their opinions of you.
•  If you can control your tongue your ability to control other areas of your life are greater.
• If you want to be successful, you need to learn to watch your words.
• Those in leadership are judged more strictly.

#2 Our tongue has big IMPACT. (v.3-6) 

• Police officers say “You have the right to remain silent” for a reason.
• The words you use determine your relationship with someone and you can’t erase the impression people get from you. (Prov. 15:1; 21:23; 13:3; Matt. 12:37)

Your tongue REVEALS who you really are. (v. 7-12)

• How do you react when something negative happens to you? On the opposite side, how do you react when something positive happens to you? What words come out of your mouth?
• It is not what we put in that makes us unclean, but rather what comes out of us – actions, words, etc.

We should examine those situations that cause us to use our tongues in a negative manner because how we react – what we say – show who we truly are. God can change us into more positive people and can help us to use our words to be a better reflection of Him in our lives.

Hint: To help train yourself to not speak negatively, consider wearing a rubber band on your wrist that you can snap when you find yourself being negative or saying negative things.

Challenge: the words we say as Christians, can often determine if someone wants to have anything to do with Jesus.

Have a great week everyone!!!

This Spring Break we are going to the Navajo Reservation down by Shiprock, NM!!! We will be working with Don & Lynn Cartwright, who are missionaries to the Native American people.

Many Waters Mission is a ministry to the American Indians, located on the border of the Navajo Indian Reservation in the San Juan River valley. Don and Lynn Cartwright are missionaries assisted by their family and many others in bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have been working here since 1979 and provide food for the hungry, clothing, building materials, Bibles, and training in the Word of God….

We will also be working with Pastor Herman and his church, Victory Life Church. Victory Life Church is a church that we have adopted and have committed to serve and bless every time we go down to the Navajo Reservation.

For more information see the Navajo Mission Trip Tab above.

Hey everyone,

Last night at Voltage I told you all how to get our new Text Updates. Remember to tell your friends and parents on how to get these updates as well.

All you have to do is text “follow” space “_voltage” to 40404.

After you do this you should receive our last 3 updates.

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” Luke 21:1-4

We have so freely and richly been given the most precious gift of salvation. Because of this we are rich. Let us invest and give of all our resources here on earth, so that we may bring more into God’s eternal kingdom of which we are already a part of!!

How much are you willing to give?