I have spent quite a bit of time studying about this topic. My first paid ministry position was as a worship pastor in a medium sized church in Eagle Lake, FL. That was 22 years ago. Since then I have been involved with worship and have been in the middle of some of the “Worship Wars”.
     It is because of the “Wars” that I have decided that worship is a discipline. I used to think that it was just something you did when the song leader told you to. But I have discovered that it is much more than this.
     These “Worship Wars” I referred to are being fought out because people have forgotten that worship is a discipline. Some, one the one side of the debate, are right now saying “Yeah, see, it’s all about discipline and order. Remember, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:40 that “All things must be done properly and in and orderly manner.” And that is true. But it is important to remember the context in which Paul is writing. He is talking about the misuse of speaking in tongues here.
     Now I am not saying that there should not be an order to what is done. But, nothing should be written in stone that can never be changed. The should be room for expression and the moving of the Holy Spirit in your worship time. Now the other side of the war is jumping up and shouting “Right on!” (Sorry, that’s an old expression from the 70’s.)
     The discipline does not come from being immovable in worship nor from not having any structure, but from being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is especially true when we gather together to worship. We want what we like and nothing else can get us to worship.
     This idea of only one type of music or style or place that gets us to worship is also an obstacle to the discipline of worship. As much as it is important for us to worship together and that it be done with one spirit, we need to understand that worship is not a place nor a time. We have a bad habit of referring to Sunday morning in church as our worship service. I hope that it is true that worship goes on there, but this is not the only time for worship.
     In Romans 12:1, Paul tells us to offer our everything to God, which is our reasonable act of worship. Paul is telling us that in everything that we do; going to school, doing chores around the house, shopping, driving, going to church, everything should be an act of worship.
     Worship takes discipline and time to understand. It is sitting in the pew and standing in line for lunch. It is all that we do with the lives that God has given us.
     Take a look at the following scriptures and see what God is telling you about the “Discipline of Worship”:

• Colossians 3:23
• Deuteronomy 6:5
• Psalm 2:11
• Psalm 29:2
• John 4:20-24
• Isaiah 6:1-7
• Revelation chapter 4
• Hebrew 10:23-25

I have to confess, I don't really like the word "submission" very much.  It conjurs up thoughts of the old "door mat" idea.  But God commanded us to "Submit yourself therefore to God, flee the devil and he will flee you."  Submission is seeking God and putting yourself under His protection. 

When you submit to God, He can guide you.  When I think of "Guidance", I see the word "dance".  Doing God's will is a lot like dancing.  When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.  The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.  When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.  One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.  It's as if two become on body, moving beautifully. 

The dance takes surrender, submission and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.  The "G" reminds me of God.  Guidance - God U and I dance.  "God", "U" and "I" "Dance".  Without submission, you can't feel the gentle nudges that God tries to use to guide you.  This week, ask God to guide your steps each day and then ... watch the dance.

This post guest authored by Marie Parker

Solitude.  How many people do you know who use “solitude” in conversation?  The very word sounds foreign to our ears.  In a world where the need for lots of friends and frenzied activity is stressed “the state of being alone” doesn’t sound very normal, let alone appealing.  If we are spending time alone doesn’t that make us look anti social and reclusive? 

As a spiritual discipline, however, solitude is more than just being by oneself.  It means being alone with God – just the two of us.  Have you ever sat down with someone and had an intense, deep conversation about life?  Remember the satisfaction you had knowing that you had really connected with that person?  They had heard and understood you, and you had heard and understood them.  This is what God wants from us.  To meet with us.  To talk with us about life… to connect.  To hear and be heard. To understand and be understood.  This requires getting rid of outside distractions – other people, television, internet, even music. 

Part of solitude is silence.  But in our culture today, silence is almost something to be feared.  Why?  Why are we afraid of silence?  What makes it awkward?  A grade school teacher once told my class that people were only afraid of silence because they felt as though their secrets were about to be revealed.  Could it be that we are trying to distract from our flaws with all of the noise we create in our lives?  If we stay busy enough, look happy enough, or act crazy enough, maybe just maybe people will think that we are normal and not probe too deeply into our lives.  Are we afraid of what we ourselves might see?

We don’t just create distraction with other people, either.  We do it with God, too.  We might give him some time every day – enough to read what he has to say in our lives and maybe offer up some praises and prayer requests, but do we take time to talk about our own lives with him?  Do we talk about where we are spiritually and emotionally? 

My senior year in high school I faced quite a few stressful situations in the space of about three months.  It seemed like trial after trial just kept bombarding my life and I didn’t know how to handle it.  It was during these three months that I learned what solitude was and what it could be.  Often I would find myself with my knees pulled up to my chest on my floor just crying out to God, talking about all the things going on in my life with him.  But I wasn’t just talking.  I was also listening.  I was so broken that I knew there was no possible way I could figure any of it out on my own.  And so I learned to listen, in the quiet, by myself.  And it’s a discipline that I still practice, not only when things are going wrong, but a couple of times during the week just to keep a handle on things also.  

If I am supposed to be building my life around Jesus Christ, then it only makes sense inside my head that I spend focused periods of time with him in order to find out what that looks like.  These times of solitude don’t always have to look the same.  Maybe it’s a walk.  Maybe it’s sitting somewhere were we can see the stars.  Maybe it’s sitting in our room with all the lights turned off and the door locked.  Whatever it takes in order to hear God’s voice. 

--This post authored by Jana Peyton

• Do you think we are afraid of silence and solitude?  Why?
• Think of the song, “In the Secret”.  What is the desire of the author?  How does he go about meeting that desire?
• Read Psalm 62:1-2.  How do these verses correspond with the idea of solitude?
• How could you practice solitude in your spiritual life—list at least one concrete change you can make in order to know Christ in a new and better way.

This week we’re going to tackle an area of simplicity that is a struggle for each one of us to live out.  Last week we talked about priorities—making Christ the first and only need in our lives, and letting other things like activities and status fit in around our relationship with Christ.  Today I want to challenge your priorities in the area of material possessions. 

I’m not sure which is harder:  letting God be all we need in our lives (our first priority) or saying “no” to the so-called need for more stuff.  We’re faced every day with tons of messages telling us we need to buy more, have more, even give more (at Christmas time).  We see advertisements that say that our cars should be brand new, our clothing should be up to the latest fashions, that our cell phones should be able to function not only as a phone but also as a camera and computer. 

 I think sometimes about the incredible list of things we think we need.  We need our cell phones and all those pairs of shoes and chapstick and our car and….  The list could go on forever.  In reality, there are three true needs for survival:  food and water, clothing, and shelter.  Of course, to make living a little more pleasant, you could add things like deodorant and soap to your list, and a Bible is a need for your relationship with God.  Still, if you look around your room, how many of your possessions are really a necessity?  We survived without laptops and cellphones for hundreds of years, after all. 

Again, don’t take me to the extreme and assume that I’m expecting you to live like Mother Theresa or some monk with no earthly possessions.  What I do want you to consider is allocation of resources.  Every thing you own was purchased with money, whether yours or your parents’.  And each thing we own need upkeep and maintenance, which means it takes time from our schedule.  And the question is, does the way we use our time and money reflect our desire to make Christ our number one priority? 

I want you to think of the last three purchases you made.  Were they needs or wants?  How do you spend your money?  Do you spend it all on yourself, or do you share with others?  How about your time?  Do you suck up every free moment for yourself, or do you find ways to give of your time for the sake of others?  Do you buy whatever suits your fancy at the time, or do you try to make wise choices so your money will go farther?  I realize that many of you, as high school students, might not have much money to even debate these considerations, but the priorities we begin to set now will last us through our entire life.  So this week, I challenge you to seriously consider these priorities.

• What percent of your income do you think you spend on yourself?  How about saving?  What about God/church/charity?  How do you think this lines up with what it should be?
• How do you spend your time?  What percent of your free time is used for your relaxation or personal enjoyment?  Do you ever donate your time to other people or causes?  What are your motivations for that?
• Consider Matthew 6:19.  Do your financial and time priorities reflect earthly treasures or heavenly treasures?

In November, we’ll be participating in the Operation Christmas Child project, filling shoeboxes with gifts for kids that wouldn’t ordinarily get any.  I would like you to think of an amount of money you could spend on a gift for this project—money that you would ordinarily spend on yourself.  I’m asking you to give up a Big Mac meal or that new pair of shoes so that you can help someone else.  Then, on November 10, I’d like you to be willing to give up some time to help pack shoe boxes at Camp Rock.  It will only take a couple of hours, and the eternal rewards will be great. 

This week I want to talk about priorities.  I know it’s something we’ve covered before, but tonight we’ll be discussing it in the light of the discipline of Simplicity.  There are two aspects to this discipline, so we’ll be taking two weeks to cover them.  Simplicity is an inward attitude that affects your outward behavior; this week we’ll talk about the inward heart, then next week we’ll discuss the outward result.

The biggest thing about simplicity is that it requires huge trust in God.  We must learn to trust that He is enough for us—that what He provides for us is all that we need.  Our society is one that has taught us that we need to “keep up” with the world in terms of income, possessions, activities, and status.  In order to have a higher status, we need a better iPod, a newer car, the trendiest clothes, a fashionable haircut, a new cell phone—you name it.  But how many of those things do you really need?  You probably learned in second grade the three needs that every person has:  food and water, clothing, and shelter.  If a person has these three things, he can survive.  I’d like to add one more thing to the list:  a relationship with God.  We cannot survive as Christians without Him.  We’ll talk more about needs and wants next week, but for now I want you to consider the priority we place on things that are not really necessary for survival.

We spend countless hours striving to up our status with our peers when, in reality, we should be more worried about our status with God.  Leslie Ludy talks about this in her book “Authentic Beauty”.  She challenges her readers not to try to fit God into your life, but instead to build your life around Him.  When God becomes the priority in your life, you learn to seek Him first—to seek His will first—and material possession or social status pale in comparison to Him.  Not only that, but those things that bring status compete with God for our attention.

I’m sure you’ve all read the email forward about the speaker who brought a large jar to his presentation.  He filled it up with large rocks, and then he asked the audience if anything else would fit.  The audience said no, but then the speaker poured in pebbles, and they fit in the spaces around the rocks.  He then poured sand into the jar, and it filled the spaces between the pebbles.  Everyone thought the jar was as full as it could be, but then the speaker poured in water.  We need to make God the biggest thing in “our jar” and then see what else will fit into our lives, not the other way around.

Leslie Ludy came to this realization in high school, and was so convicted about the way she had been living her life that she made some major changes.  She dropped friendships that were not uplifting to God, and quit going to activities that got in the way of her time with Him.  As she learned to trust that He was all she needed, she stopped seeking romantic involvement and instead waited for Him to bring the right person into her life.  Finally, she chose to finish her education at home so that she could seek Christ first throughout her day.  She took the risk that it might be harder to get into college or meet the perfect guy because she was able to trust that God would provide that for her when it was time.

The discipline of simplicity requires that we place Christ at the center of our life.  We must learn to make Him our highest priority in our lives and not allow other people, activities, and possessions to be in competition with Him.  When we fully trust God, we are content to wait for His timing—and it is that contentedness we will talk about next week. 

There are a couple of points I want to make in closing.  First, I want you to read this and come away with the idea that you should go into hiding or resume a hermit lifestyle.  Jesus has called us to be in the world (but not of it) so that we might reach others for Him.  Also, we are not to live a simple life because of any acclaim we might receive.  This simple attitude of trust is between you and Christ—it is an inward attitude of your heart.  Richard Foster says this:

“The central point for the Discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of his kingdom first and then everything necessary will come in its proper order.  It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Jesus’ insight at this point.  Everything hinges upon maintaining the “first” thing as first.  Nothing must come before the kingdom of God, including the desire for a simple lifestyle….The person who does not seek the kingdom first does not seek it at all.  Worthy as other concerns may be, the moment they become the focus of our efforts they become idolatry.”

• In what area is it hardest for you to trust God:  income, possessions, relationships, status?  Is there a concrete change you could make to place Him as the first priority in this area?
• Read Matthew 6:19 and 21, I Timothy 6:19, and Philippians 4:19.  How do these verses relate to the Discipline of Simplicity and learning to trust God?

What do you think of when I use the term “meditation”?  Do you envision women on yoga mats, ankles crossed, chanting “ommm” over and over again?  I have to tell you, that’s my first thought.  But in the past year I’ve been challenged to meditate, and I’ve come to the conclusion that meditation is the “next step up” from study.  When we study God’s Word, we’re delving deeper into it to learn what He has to say, but when we meditate on it, we spend time conversing with Him.

This week I want you to take time to listen to God’s voice, reflect upon His works, list His awesome deeds, and ruminate upon His law.  Take a small portion of Scripture (just a verse or two—suggestions at the end of the assignment) and read it over and over again.  Read it in different versions, and then write it out in your own words.  Write it out and put your name in, if applicable.  Try to think of different meanings for the words or phrases, and how they can affect you.  Spend the entire week “chewing” on this piece of Scripture.

I don’t want you to just think about the Scripture, though.  I want you to spend time listening for things God will bring to your mind through it.  Perhaps as you meditate on one of God’s promises, He will show you way that you are not living as though you believe that promise, and you will be able to ask for His help in changing.  Maybe as you meditate on a name for God, you will be reminded of one of His characteristics that you rarely think about. 

Richard J. Foster states in “Celebration of Discipline” that meditation is learning to hear and obey God.  It is through the continual pondering of His Word that we learn what He has to say, but if we do not take action, we have not allowed Him to change us—we have not allowed ourselves to grow closer to Him. 

So often we spend time in God’s Word because we are “supposed” to—almost as if because we’ve done this for Him, God “owes” us and will make all our dreams come true.  And then, as soon as we’ll fulfilled our requirement, we scamper off to the next activity, maybe offering a quick “thanks, God” under our breath as we go.  This week I want you to make God be the activity.  Set aside a period of time where you will be uninterrupted, preferably a few times this week.  And then, with no distractions, get to know your Savior better.

1. Look up the meanings of contemplation and meditation.  Are they the same?  How do they relate to each other?
2. What activities in your life get in the way of concentrated time alone with God?  What are you willing to give up this week so you can spend more time with Him?
3. Some Scripture reference ideas for meditation:

• 2 Corinthians 4:6
• Romans 12:1-2
• Philippians 2:2-5
• Psalm 119 (choose a section after reading the entire chapter)
• Hosea 6:6
• Psalm 62:1-2
• Exodus 15
• I Chronicles 16:8-36

I’ve been thinking about prayer quite a bit over the past couple of weeks.  I’ve pondered the idea of prayer as talking to God in response to what He says in His Word, and mulled over the idea that most of us seem to use prayer as a time to tell Him all of our needs and wants.  I wondered how often we take time during our prayers to listen for His voice.  I thought about what I call “church prayers”—those prayers we offer when lots of people are listening and we want to make a good impression, so we use lots of big words or try to show how very close to God we are by turning neat little phrases and such. 

And I came away from my time of pondering a little discouraged.  I kept thinking, “How many of us are actually connecting with God when we pray?  What if we’re just taking the thoughts we would be having anyway (I hope I don’t fail this test; wow, it’s a pretty day outside; I hope things go well today) and directing them towards God and calling it prayer?”  I had run across a friend’s blog and read an entry where she was describing a sermon her pastor had preached; his main point being that most prayers that are offered don’t reach God because we fail to “put ourselves in the presence of God”.  I kept thinking that if we have to make sure we’re “connected” with God before we pray, then all those arrow prayers that we send up on a given day (short sentence prayers, just thoughts spurred by the situation we happen to be in) weren’t actually going anywhere—they were useless. 

And then someone reminded me of Paul’s exhortation in I Thessalonions to pray without ceasing.  Something connected with putting myself in the presence of God—this thought that I need to be constantly in the presence of God, constantly dialoguing with Him, both listening to His voice and talking to Him.  I know this isn’t a new thought, but it was impressed upon my heart in a new way. 

This week I’d like you to share some thoughts on prayer.  When do you feel that you have reached an attitude of constant prayer?  What situations are more condusive to that continual conversation with God?  What discourages that conversation?  Where do you spend most of your time—growing closer to Him, or struggling to even feel like you’re doing more than just talking to yourself?

I also want you to take a different tack with prayer this week.  Over the course of this summer, I did a lot of praying in the car.  I could “talk out” my prayers, and so I didn’t lose my train of thought, and there were no interruptions.  I also like to journal my prayers—writing requests and answers, thoughts, or even just writing my prayers out word for word.  It seems to help me focus on truly being in God’s presence.  I’d like you to tell us different ways that you pray—through song, writing…whatever it is that you have found to be beneficial, and then experiment with other ways to encounter God, like praying through a Psalm or favorite verse. 

Have you ever stopped to think about the purpose of the discipline of study?  Chances are, you aren’t very familiar with the Spiritual Disciplines, and until you started on this week’s assignment, you might not have listed study as a discipline. 

I want to make a distinction between study and the reading of God’s Word that we normally associate with daily devotions.  If you think about the point of doing daily devotions, it is to grow closer to Christ—by learning about Him.  Often we tackle the idea of devotions by committing to read large chunks of our Bible—striving to read our Bible through in a year or to get in three chapters from the New Testament and a Psalm each day.  I’m not saying that these are errant pursuits, but the point I do want to make is that to really know Christ, as is our goal this year in GLOW, we must do more than merely make a perfunctory reading of the Scriptures each night.  We must study God’s Word in an in depth manner so that we might know Christ. 

If study does not consist of a quick reading of a Proverb each day or a parable of Jesus, then what is it?  Think about how you study for classes.  Your goal is to know the material well enough to pass a test on it.  You don’t just read the assigned section of material, shut the book, and go on your way.  You might read the passage over and over, hoping to ingrain the important facts in your mind, or you might rewrite your lecture notes, or make flashcards.  When you have the material in mind so thoroughly that you can pass a test, then you know it. 

There are four steps presented by Richard Foster in his “Celebration of Discipline”.  They consist of repetition (repeating the important information over and over), concentration (focusing one’s attention on what is being studied, without letting outside distractions interfere), comprehension (understanding the material), and reflection (thinking about, and if possible, applying the information).  It is my goal throughout this fall for you to learn to use these four steps to study God’s Word and learn to truly know Christ.

I would suggest that instead of studying large portions of Scripture, you instead focus on smaller bits.  Perhaps you will choose an epistle of Paul, and study it over the course of a month.  You might read it in its entirety once or twice, and then begin to go in-depth with small portions.  You may choose to search out definitions for unfamiliar terms or cross reference other verses on the same subject.  The point is that you will know the material and what it says about God fully, and you will allow it, even force it, to change your life. 

This week I want you to commit to thirty days of studying God’s Word.  Choose a section of the Bible to spend this time in, and use a notebook to document your findings.  Delve into God’s Word to learn more about Him and how you can become more like him.  Take the time to repeat the information, focus your attention on it, make sure you comprehend it, and reflect on it.  In doing this, you will begin to know Christ in a whole new way.

1. Share with us the Scripture you will be studying this month.  Remember, when you spend 30 days in God’s Word, I will send you a free Camp Rock T-Shirts—students and adults alike!
2. Look up the following verses and describe how they apply to study:

Romans 2:2

Philippians 4:8

Imagine that you are standing at the base of a path that leads to the peak of a mountain.  You can see the peak, but it is partially obscured by trees and mist.  The path is wide and paved, and the slope is easy.  You set off on your journey, excited to reach the summit. 

At first the walk is easy.  You are immediately immersed in the forest and can no longer see the peak of the mountain, except for brief glimpses, but you are enjoying the walk, so you continue.  You know you will reach it eventually. 

The path gradually gets steeper, and the pavement turns to gravel.  The walking is harder, but those glimpses of the peak occur more often, and each view is better than the last.  As the trail narrows, you find yourself climbing over rocks and jumping over a small stream.  Your breath quickens and you feel a trickle of sweat run down your back.  While the “walk” you set out on has turned into a hike, it is all the more enjoyable because of the effort involved, and because you are drawing ever closer to your goal.

Finally, you round a corner and break into a clearing.  There is the summit, just steps away.  Nothing stands between you and your goal, and you launch yourself towards it. 

This year in GLOW the theme is “I want to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10) and I want to introduce you to the Christian disciplines as a method of learning to know Christ in a new way.  I know that often when we hear a list of the disciplines, our response is not a positive one.  We might think that they are too hard, or only for old people, or for those really uptight Christians who follows all of the rules, even when they don’t need to be followed.  But the truth is this:  the disciplines are for everyone, regardless of their age or the quality of their walk with Christ. 

We often think of the disciplines as a legalistic set of rules and practices meant to modulate outward behavior…basically as a way to control our exterior image.  “If I fast, that will make me look like a great Christian,” we might think.  We expect immediate, outward results so that we will have something to show off and be proud of.  However, the truth is so much different.  The Christian disciplines are a path to knowing Christ and becoming more and more like Him.  This is something that will take time, and it is an internal process…something personal. 

We are a culture of materialism and instant gratification—we want what we see on TV or on our friends, and we want it now, if not yesterday.  Our success is defined by our possessions and our position, not by our character.  But read this quote by Richard Foster, author of “Celebration of Discipline”:  The purpose of the Disciplines is liberation from the stifling slavery to self interest and fear.  

We are also a culture of “do-it-yourselfers,” meaning that we tend to believe that even if something does need to change in our relationship with Christ, well then, we should be the ones to fix it.  We’ll just do an extra 20 push-ups, I mean devotions each day, like it or not, and we’ll be the best Christian in class by Christmas.  But it is this we must remember:  The needed change within us is God’s work, not ours.

Instead of viewing the disciplines as something we must “get through” to look better, or as something we’ll only be able to do after we fix up our relationship with Christ, we need to realize that they are the tool that will bring us closer to Him and cause us to know Him and be more like Him.

Practice of the disciplines is not simply an exercise in self-control or will power.  Instead, the disciplines are a path that lead us away from sin and towards Christ—the closer we get to Him, the more like Him we become.  We will begin to display outward characteristics of Christ because it is His likeness that we are putting into our hearts.

Return with me to the opening illustration.  Think of the mountain summit as the relationship you would like to have with Christ.  Right now you might be down in the parking lot, gazing up at a misty impression of the end goal, or you might have already set off on the path towards it.  Remember that as you draw nearer to the goal, you will see it more clearly.  You will have to work harder, but that work will be enjoyable, because it is drawing you closer to the goal—the goal of knowing Christ.

1. Look up and define “self control” and “discipline”.  How are the two concepts different?  Are they alike?
2. Read Matthew 12:34 and Galatians 6:8.  How do these verses relate to the Christian disciplines?
3. What discipline do you have the most negative reaction to?  (If you are not familiar with the disciplines, check out some of the following websites for ideas.  We will not cover all of the disciplines during our study of them this fall.)

• http://www.directionjournal.org/article/?502
• http://www.achievebalance.com/twelve/disciplines.htm
• http://www.spirithome.com/spirdisc.html

Dear GLOW Members,

We’ve made it!  We’re at the end of the year, and it’s time to look back and do a little critiquing.  There are a couple of things I need to know from you, and a couple of things I want to share. 

First, I want to thank those of you who have taken the commitment seriously.  I hope that GLOW has made a difference in your Christian walk this year.  Second, I want to apologize for the “slacking” I’ve done this year.  The arrival of Natasha really threw me for a loop in some areas, and I’m afraid GLOW suffered for it.  However, as a result, I’ve been looking at my “mission” or purpose for GLOW, and hoping to refine it a bit for next year—make it more interactive and helpful for you.

What I need to know from you are these two things:

• What did you find as a benefit this year?  Was your mentor helpful for keeping you accountable? 
• What can I change to make it more beneficial?  Did you miss the get-togethers?  How can we improve this for the next group of kids?

Please be brutally honest with me—if you have an idea, I need to hear it, and I promise not to get my feelings hurt. 

Thanks again to all of you—I’ll be praying for you this week and through the summer.

Gwen

This week I thought I’d just share a few “Quick Starters” for witnessing.  I realize that often witnessing is something that happens over time; you discuss your faith and show your faith, and at some point, the person makes a decision for Christ.  But I also know that if you have a simple plan in mind, you won’t be fumbling around your Bible trying to figure out the best plan of action when the time comes.  Also, many of you will be working with children (whether at Camp Rock, a VBS, AWANA, or somewhere else), and these Quick Starters are ideal for sharing the Gospel with them.

Alphabet Gospel

1. A is for ACCEPT—You must accept that you are a sinner.  Romans 3:23 says that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
2. B is for BELIEVE—You must believe that Jesus can forgive your sin.  Acts 16:31 says, “They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.’”
3. C is for CONFESS—You must confess your sins to God and ask forgiveness.  I John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and forgive us for all unrighteousness.”

Romans Road

1. Romans 3:23—“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
2. Romans 5:12—“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”
3. Romans 6:23—“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
4. Romans 5:8—“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
5. Romans 5:18—“Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.”
6. Romans 10:9—“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Questions to Open Discussion

• If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven or hell?
• If you died right now and stood at the entrance to heaven, and God asked, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” what would be your answer?

Assignment for the Week

• I’d like you to check out this link this week:  http://www.kidsee.org/resources/gospelpres207.pdf   It’s a pdf document from Kids’ EE (from Evangelism Explosion) that have the entire gospel presentation written out.  Print it out, put it in your Bible, and make it a point to read over the information at least 3 times this week.  Once you feel familiar with it, ask someone (a Christian friend or mentor) if you can try sharing it and one other method with them. 
• Do you know of any other “Quick Starters”?  If so, I’d love to have you share them on the blog, or email them to me, and I’ll post them.
• Can you think of negatives to using "Quick Starters"?  What situations are they appropriate for?  What kind of follow up would be necessary after using a simplified presentation?

I want to talk today about the elements of salvation—what is necessary for a person to gain the relationship with God that we’ve been trying to cultivate in our own lives?  Being a visual person, the wordless book (and its many variations) comes most quickly to mind.  The five colors remind you of each of the five elements that one must understand in order to accept God’s free gift of salvation.

            Black—SIN                 Romans 3:23 tells us that everyone has sinned, has fallen short of God’s purity.

            Red—BLOOD            John 3:16 reminds us that God had such a great love for us that He was willing to give up His only Son, allow that Son to be beaten and killed, just so that we might have the choice, the right to become children of God.  I also think this verse has the complete salvation story in it; if you only have time to share one verse, this would be it.

            White—PURITY         I John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, we will be forgiven.  Instead of seeing our failings, God sees the perfection of Christ, and we are no longer separated from Him.

            Gold—HEAVEN         In John 14, Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them.  When we die, our souls will not cease to exist; rather, we will have new bodies and join Christ in Heaven for eternity.

            Green—GROWTH      We must grow in our relationship with Christ.  Five ways to grow are 1) Prayer; 2) Bible reading; 3) Scripture memorization; 4) Fellowship with other believers; and 5) Telling others about Christ.

I believe that each of these elements must be clearly presented in order for the salvation message to be complete.  If we only tell people about heaven and the great things there, but fail to tell them about the need for growth, we are creating a Christian who will quickly fall away from the Christian walk.  In the same way, if we only talk of sin and our separation from God, we leave the person with a sense of hopelessness.  Concentrating too much on growth might lead the person to believe that works alone will get him to heaven.  We need to present each element.

Those of you who attended Training Camp a year or two ago might remember a video we watched.  In it, the speaker compared life to an airplane ride.  He gave two examples of people who chose to be “saved” and used a parachute as the symbol for salvation.  The first person was told that they needed a parachute and shown how to put it on, but not told much else.  During the plane ride, she found that it was hot and uncomfortable and restricted her movements a bit.  Eventually, she began to wish she had never put the chute on.

The second person was warned of the perils of air travel and given the parachute.  He knew that if the plane were to suddenly burst apart over the ocean, he would be saved from imminent death by the chute.  Even when it became uncomfortable, he was still glad to have it.

Now, how does this translate to witnessing?  If we tell people only of the “benefits” of salvation (heaven, the great fellowship at church, a “better” life) we are misleading them.  When the Christian life gets a little difficult, they’ll wonder what they got themselves into and feel mislead.  However, if, from the beginning, they realize that salvation has rescued them from sin (and the consequence:  hell and separation from God), they will look at their relationship with God in a different light.  They will be thankful for their salvation and eager to share it with others.

• Do you believe that all elements of the gospel message are equally important?
• What do you think of the parachute analogy?  Is the speaker correct in saying that people need to realize that salvation is “rescuing” them, or should we encourage people to become Christians by pushing the “benefits” of the Christian life?
• I heard recently that “second-generation” Christians (those who grew up in Christian homes and were saved at a young age) are more likely to doubt their faith in early adulthood or when trials enter their lives.  Why do you think this is?

When GLOW originated 3 years ago, it was interesting to me to see the progression of the subjects we would study:  Growth, Leadership, Outreach, and Witness.  It seemed to make sense that one must first grow in their relationship with Christ—get the basics down, so to speak.  Once those “basics” were mastered (not that we ever fully master the Christian walk), the person would begin to exhibit leadership traits, and at the same time, learn to show Christ’s love to others through reaching out to others and telling them His message. 

I especially see the qualities of outreach and witness working together.  No one is interested in learning about the reason behind something unless they can clearly see the results.  I realize that many people are saved in evangelism rallies (think Billy Graham) or from on-the-street evangelism, but I think in the long run the longest-lasting and most effective work for Christ is done through one-on-one relationships.

So what does this mean to you?  I think it’s a reminder that we can’t just make our requisite effort to share the Gospel once a year (or whenever you feel lead to because of a convicting message from your pastor or GLOW leader) and then go back to leading whatever sort of life we deem appropriate.  On the contrary, it is confirmation that we must live our life each day as a witness for God. 

Think again about the theme verses for GLOW:

“You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot e hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

We’ve been sent into the world to show God’s light those who are still sinners; we can’t just surmise those who need Christ will manage to pick up the information they need in the yearly Easter service and random evangelistic tract that might make its way into their hands.

The other side to this coin is the fact that we can’t take the wimpy way out with witnessing.  We can’t say, “Well, I live my life for Christ, and that is witness enough.  If someone wants to know about Him, they can come to me, and I’ll be happy to refer them to my pastor…or tell them myself if I have to.”  We have to be open and ready for the opportunity to pursue a conversation about Christ, to push it if necessary. 

One of Jesus’ last prayer requests (John 17) was for those left in the world.  He did not intend for His disciples to hide behind locked doors; He meant for His disciples to continue His work of building relationships through which He shared His message.  Add that to the overall message of James (you can’t have faith without showing it, and you can’t show faith without having faith), and you’ve got a strong calling to live everyday as an example of Christ, and to be ready to share His message at any opportunity. 

It’s a challenge.  Sharing your faith can be awkward and challenging, and living a Christ-like life every day often ends in failure (because we are sinful creatures who will mess up).  And yet, if we truly love God, and truly love His creation, then we have the obligation to do everything we can to help them have a relationship with Him.  Even as we are growing in our walk with Christ, we need to be learning to share the joys of the relationship, both in our walk and through our talk.

• Which is harder for you:  to show Christ in your daily life, or to verbally tell someone about Him? 
• Why is it so hard for us to approach someone we know and tell them about Jesus’ love? 
• Is it harder to tell them that they are a sinner and need to repent?

Every Tuesday night, Tim and I drive to Sidney to help at the Ark ministry.  It’s a kid’s club-like outreach to low-income kids ranging in age from four to 15.  Tim and I work with those who are 11-15 years old.  The kids who come to the Ark each week often act like they don’t want to be there; they are disrespectful towards the workers and the other kids, and most weeks I come away doubting that they got anything besides a free supper out of the evening.  It’s hard work to do a couple of activities and get a point across to them, and usually we’re not sure if the point was even made.

So why do we keep going to the Ark?  One would think that if it is “unsuccessful” it should be dropped so we can do something more fulfilling, more successful, for God.  But for some reason, God has called us to the Ark for this period in time.  We don’t know why, but we do know that He wants us to be there, and so we are.

And it got me thinking:  what defines successful outreach?  Am I a success for God only if I reach someone with the news of Christ or make a visible difference in their life?  I have decided that my purpose is to do what God has called me to do, in the way He has asked me to do it.  God has called me to serve Him, and I won’t always know the reasons for how my service is required of me.  Perhaps He is using me to encourage the other workers at the Ark, or to plant a seed that will later grow into a relationship with Christ in the heart of one of the kids who attends. 

If there is one thing you gain from our time of learning about Outreach, I hope it is this:  when we serve, we have to serve GOD.  If we serve for ourselves, then our only goal will be to make ourselves look better and our only reward will be that temporary recognition here on earth.  If we serve only for the sake of others, we will find ourselves looking for reciprocation and measuring our efforts against those of the people we serve.  But if we serve Christ, we will be serving for the knowledge that we are doing what He wants us to do and will receive an eternal reward in heaven. 

Last week at the Ark I told the story of Josh McDowell.  For once, the kids listened to the story.  They literally sat on the edges of their seats, their chins in their hands, waiting to hear the outcome of the story.  They asked questions, and knew the answers during the review game.  I don’t know if it will be “business as usual” this week when we go or if they will again be ready to listen, but I do know that it is not my responsibility to ensure that they “get something out of it”—I am just supposed to do my best, show God’s love to them, and plant the seed.  That will be success.

• Do you have to see results for your outreach to be successful?
• It is often discouraging to minister in an “unsuccessful” outreach.  How do you overcome that feeling of failure or discouragement?