First Baptist Church
1521 S County Road 75 W
Danville, Indiana 46122
Phone: 317-745-2266
info@firstbaptistdanville.com
Copyright © 2010 First Baptist Church of Danville, Indiana.
For the past few days God and I have been having a dialogue about my plans vs. His plans. Needless to say, He is winning. I am amazed at how many times I do my best to organize, coordinate, and plan my life and yet I forget that it’s not about me. When I got married I began to realize how selfish I am. Then once I had children, I discovered I was REALLY selfish. Lately I am figuring out that I am really selfish in regards to my plans. I am only concerned with how my life affects me with little concern to what God may think and how my actions may impact others.
He has been bringing a couple of verses to mind that I thought I would share:
Prov. 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Prov. 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
1 Tim 6:6 Godliness with contentment is great gain.
I love the fact that God is patient with me. I don’t what you are going through, but can I encourage you to continue to trust on God? His plans are perfect because He is perfect.
David Crowder and Lecrae teamed up on a new song called Shadows and I love the lyrics. Thought I would share the lyrics and a couple thoughts as I know several of our students are in the midst of some shadows right now.
Life is full of light and shadow
Oh. the joy and oh, the sorrow, oh, the sorrow
And yet, will He bring dark to light
And yet, will He bring day from night
When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When all seems lost
When we’re thrown, and we’re tossed
We’ll remember the cost
We’re resting in the shadows of the cross
With every breath I take, with every heart beat,
Sunrise and the moon lights in the dark street
Every glance, every dance, every note of a song
It’s all a gift undeserved that I shouldn’t have known
Every day that I lie, every moment I covet
I’m deserving to die, I’m just earning your judgment
I, without the cross there’s only condemnation
If Jesus wasn’t executed there’s no celebration
So in times that are good, in times that are bad
For any times that I’ve had it all I will be glad
And I will boast in the cross, I boast in my pains
I will boast in the sunshine, boast in his reign (rain)
What’s my life if it’s not praising you
Another dollar in my bank account of vain pursuit, I do
That count my life as any value or precious at all
Let me finish my race, let me answer my call
I’m so thankful for the reminder from the Psalmist that “the Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? the Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? Can I encourage you to rely on God even when he doesn’t seem to be there? I promise you He is. (Rom 8:26-28) We are never promised a life with no “shadows and sorrow” but we are promised that God will always be with us. (Deut 31:6)
It has been said that, “not only do we not pray enough, but we also don’t pray BIG enough”. While we are content to pray for trivial things like sports games, tests (that we didn’t study for), and the hope of a great day God has so much more he wants to do through us. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 3:20 that God is able to immeasurably MORE than all we ask or imagine. I wonder what life would look like if we started to pray BIGGER. Our God, the one who created the universe, and holds all things together is able to do so much more than what we ask for.
I am challenging you to pray for more than just the trivial. Pray for God to do something HUGE. He is a big God and completely capable. I am going to start praying for some BIG things. Will you join me? Comment below on some BIG things we can pray for together.
Tyson
Perry Noble is quoted as saying, “teenagers are NOT the ‘church of tomorrow’ — they matter today and are one of the greatest mission fields in the entire world.” I think he is echoing what Paul told Timothy when he said, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” I am so thankful to get to work with a group of teenagers who are being the church today.
Over the past several months they have stepped up their game in regards to loving people, learning humbly, and setting an example for other believers. A HUGE shout-out goes to their parents who have done such a great job raising them. If you are a high school student I am proud of you. Keep loving each other and inviting your friends. It is so cool to see God working in the lives of these students. If you haven’t paid attention…look out because they are being the church of today.
Tyson
I can only stand the cold and snow for so long and today I may have reached the point where I can bear it no longer. I love the sun, warmth, and carefree summer days. Looking back at the last sentence those are all things that are comfortable. Winter is uncomfortable for me. Unfortunately, I let the weather dictate other areas of my life. Crazy… I know.
Paul encouraged us to to live a life worthy of our calling in Ephesians 4. We are told to be “humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love.” This idea of “bearing” has always intrigued me. The greek translated literally means to “put up with”. We are told to put up with one another in love. Many times being around other people, especially other Christians can be uncomfortable. I was reminded today after reading this passage inasmuch as it depends on me seek unity and love among one another. After all, we might as well learn to get along now since we will spend the rest of eternity together. For now I will do my best to put up with the snow. Thanks for “putting up” with me!
Tyson
I recently made some new friends, Blaise and Cassandra Ginter. They started attending FBD not too long ago. This past year Cassandra went on a mission trip to Sudan. While there she became aware of several pressing issues facing this country. I would encourage you to visit her site http://prayingforpeace.capturedbycassphotography.com/
While there you can sign up to pray for the country and find out more about Sudan. Please take a few minutes to do so.
Thanks to Blaise and Cassandra for keeping us up to date on what is happening there!
I don’t typically just copy and paste from another blog but this one is too good not to. Some great thoughts below on 4 Christian Rap artists that are impacting their world for Christ! Thanks Josh Patterson for a great article.
It is interesting how movements begin. I love looking back and seeing how history unfolds. Opportunities arise for people to step up and call their generation to see things differently, to believe accurately and live passionately. Some movements are short-lived while others have a lasting impact. You have micro-movements of subcultures—smaller cultures within the greater culture. You also see macro movements that can change nations or potentially the world. They are led by imperfect people who oftentimes did not necessarily desire to start a movement. God, in His sovereign plan, weaves people into His story to play roles that bring about His purposes. They are bit players in a bigger drama.
I have been thinking about a specific group of guys for a long time. I have watched their lives and considered the impact they are having. I have wondered how far reaching their scope potentially could be and marveled at how God has orchestrated their lives for such a time as this. I have often thought about how powerful the gospel is to transform and redeem as I have considered their ways. In short, this group has been an encouragement to me in a way that has caught me off guard. This group consists of four front-line artists who simply don’t want to waste their lives: Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee and Sho Baraka.
They are Christian rappers who formed ReachRecords and 116 Clique with a passion to reach this generation with the gospel. It’s not gimmickry. It’s not ego. It’s not hype. They are cultural missionaries who use the medium of rap to share the message of Christ. It’s not unlike a medical missionary using the medium of surgery to win the opportunity to share the message of Christ. They are preachers without a pulpit, teachers without a podium. They are slowly infiltrating the hip-hop culture with turntables and microphones, seizing the opportunity to share the gospel by utilizing their gift as a platform.
I found their calling significant for several reasons. First, they are unashamedly preaching the gospel of Christ. Their music is Christocentric and culturally decipherable. Every song and every lyric points to the Savior in some form or fashion. Every event is a crusade. Every medium is an opportunity to preach.
Second, rap and hip-hop is far reaching in scope. Rap music appeals to the inner-city teenager as much as it does to the upper-middle class yuppie. This style of music draws from a diverse group of people. It is hard to profile; therefore, their reach is wide.
Third, they are African-American role models. The fatherless epidemic has plagued the inner-city and contributes to many of the cycles that continue to bind this segment of society. Here is a group of men being faithful husbands and faithful fathers. Here is a group upholding the worth of marriage and esteeming the role of a father. Here is a group deflecting fame and fortune to show that Christ is better. As they live faithful lives, a generation is watching.
Fourth, they are doctrinally solid. On the whole, the African-American church has been strong in faith but weak in doctrine. These men espouse the need for both. They are not watering down lyrics to make them palatable; instead, their lyrics are rich with sound doctrine that teaches the deep truths of God’s worth. They are Christ-centered, not man-centered. They call a generation to forsake worldly pleasures and seek prosperity in Christ alone.
Fifth and finally, their calling reminds me that mine is no different. We certainly have different mediums and spheres of influence, but I am called to unashamedly preach the gospel of Christ. God has placed me in an arena of influence in which I am to be faithful. I am a role model to the next generation. Even if I impact no one else, I will impact my family. I want my wife to marvel at the love of God because of how I love her. I want my children to see a marriage saturated with grace, godliness and goodness. I want to pass on to my little ones the beautiful reality of the Savior and watch them, by God’s grace, pass it along to their own. I want to see chains broken and new branches of a family tree begin. I desire to see our little home play its part well in the drama of God’s unfolding, redemptive story. I want to teach them the rich and deep truths of Scripture. I want our home to be free in the Lord and bound in His love. Regardless of musical taste, we have a lot more in common through Christ. It is stronger than beats or rhythms. It’s a family called the Church and each member is faithfully playing their part.
I hope this is much bigger than a movement. I hope it’s a revolution, a gospel-centered revolution. Rap it. Preach it. Live it. Don’t waste your life.
jp
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First Baptist Church
1521 S County Road 75 W
Danville, Indiana 46122
Phone: 317-745-2266
info@firstbaptistdanville.com
Copyright © 2010 First Baptist Church of Danville, Indiana.