September 2019 Lamb, Shepherd, King
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September 2019 Lamb, Shepherd, King By Dave Buller, Associate Pastor The Bible uses a variety of ways to speak about God. Recently, I was reading in Revela- tion and came across the following verse: NIV Revelation 7:17 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Lamb. Shepherd. King. Three titles that describe the Almighty. Each one gives us insight into who God is and how He works. Jesus is the “lamb”. He came to serve (Mark 10:45). He gives his life up. He is the blood sacrifice. Men and women throughout time and distance have sinned against God, so there was a penalty that had to be paid. Jesus paid it. He was the only perfect sacrifice, and he was willing to serve in this way. The lamb had to die. Ironically, the lamb is also called a shepherd. Jesus is the shepherd (John 10). He cares for his sheep. There is something profound here about the nature of God that every human being, even the toughest of men and wom- en have a longing for: someone who cares for them. There comes a point in everyone’s life when we need someone to care for us, protect us from the wolves, feed us, lead us to water. This is what a shepherd does. A shepherd cares for the sheep. In Revelation 7:17 above, it mentions that the “Lamb” is at the “center of the throne.” Who sits on the throne? The king. Jesus is called the King of kings. He is the master over all. He leads his followers in a victo- ry parade and promises their ultimate victory over every enemy. The reward for his servants is promised: an eternal paradise. This is what we would expect from the King of all kings. This is what the best of kings would promise, and this is what the best of kings would do. Jesus is a lamb, a shepherd, and a king, and we are called to imitate him. What does this mean for us? I think that these three ideas of lamb, shepherd, and king communicate truths and practical application for eve- ryone who is a follower of Jesus. What I am about to share is part of what makes church so important because the church is God’s chosen instrument to demonstrate these three truths to the world. First, the church is called to be a lamb. It is called to live sacrificially. The church is called to love on and serve those who are a part of it, and those who are without. How does your church serve your community? Sacrificial love and service is exactly what Jesus modeled for us, and it is what he has called us to do as his followers. Second, the church is called to be a shepherd. We care for people. We protect them from dangers and feed and nourish people spiritually. It is the church’s job to teach people how to have a relationship with their Heavenly Father, to build and foster that relationship, to teach the Word of God. Finally, the church is called to be a king. This is the one that most churches miss, and yet I hope to communicate the importance of this. What does a king do? A king recognizes the value of the people. A king “knights” warriors—just like King Arthur and the…that’s right, the Knights of the Round Table. What makes a great king is a great army and great knights. The church is called to empower people to live the abundant life. The church is called to help people walk in victory, to encourage them, and to live in boldness of a great future hope. The devil is the enemy. The church has the victory. The key to all this is that every church needs to embody all three of these things. We need to be shep- herds, lambs, and kings, and all of this under the banner of Jesus Christ. Check out our new college and young adult ministry that seeks to do just this at www.nexthays.com! So get plugged in. Get involved with your church. Search the Scriptures to see if what I have shared is true. Let’s do this together so that his kingdom come, his will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Stand firm! PAGE 2 Youth Ministry News By Dustin Mulkey It’s hard to believe that the summer is over. And what a great one it was! Around a year ago Jeff Neher and I partnered together for a “Next Steps” retreat with my, then, Cimarron stu- dents and his youth from North Oak. I am amazed to see how God has directed my “Next Steps” since then in bringing me here. This year has been one of transition. It is very assuring to know that God is in the transitions and He uses them for His purposes and His glory. What a joy it is to be serving in a church on mission that is passionate about the next generations! To recap the summer, I moved here in June and shortly after had the pleasure of taking stu- dents to Junior High Camp in Quapaw, Oklahoma. The camp was one that our Southern District puts on, and it was amazing. I really enjoyed undistracted time with the some of the middle school students in a camp setting. Several youth were involved with the Foster Care event that our church put on. My favorite part of that event was watching the students serve so selflessly in childcare. As a youth team, we had a couple of opportunities to lead the congregation in wor- ship this summer, which was a joy. We have some very talented students in our church, and it is so good to watch them use their gifts to serve the Lord. Another thing we did this summer was a game night. Students seemed to really enjoy that! There are more of those planned for this school year, too. Because I came to Hays in the middle of the summer, it was hard to put together a busy summer calendar, so I mostly used this time to get ready for the upcoming year. We have had two wonderful volunteer meetings, a parent meeting, and I’ve had the op- portunity to spend quite a bit of time getting to know several students and families in various settings. All of these things make me very excited for the year of ministry that has begun! As we look forward, there are several things I am excited about. This year we will have many opportunities to gather together, serve with one another, and participate in different events and activities. I’m particularly excited for our District Youth Confer- ences. I have the opportunity to serve on our District’s Youth Commission, so it is fun to be part of the planning team for these events. Mostly, though, I am excited to see how God wants to impact this next generation for His Kingdom throughout this year. As a youth ministry, our mission is to Empower Students to be Authentic Followers of Jesus Christ. We do this by encouraging faith firmly rooted in Christ, living in biblical community, empowering families, and having local and global impact. I covet your prayers as we launch into this year. Our focus in this first semester is Growing In Christ – what it truly looks like and how we can do it. Pray that small group leaders would build disciple making relationships with students, and that students would truly experi- ence growth in Christ this year. PAGE 3 Get Up: Turn Your Valley of Achor into a Door of Hope By Karen Rigler – Children’s Ministry Director Joshua Chapter 7 relays the first defeat in the Promised Land for the Israelites. They had just defeated Jericho and were ready to take on the whole land. Their next battle was with the smaller city of Ai. Yet, this battle did not turn out well. In fact, 36 men were killed and all were chased away. Joshua was the leader of Israel at this time. He fell on his face before God, tore his clothes, put dust on his head and sat in utter defeat. Suddenly, the plan to conquer the entire Promised Land looked completely hopeless. God responds to Joshua beginning in verse 10. “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore, the people of Israel cannot stand be- fore their enemies… I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. Get up!” God doesn’t console. He just states the facts of what happened and expected the people to GET UP. The people discovered one man, Achan, did take devoted things. He and his entire fami- ly were taken out of camp and stoned. The Bible says they burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. “And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.” The word Achor means “trouble.” The Valley of Trouble.