“My orders are to fight;
Then if I bleed, or fail,
Or strongly win, what matters it?
God only doth prevail.
The servant craveth naught
Except to serve with might.
I was not told to win or lose–
My orders are to fight.”

Ethelwn Wetherald

1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith.”

This is how the Heidelberg Catechism of 1576 answers that question:

Because I am a member of Christ by faith[1] and thus share in His anointing,[2] so that I may as prophet confess His Name,[3] as priest present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to Him,[4] and as king fight with a free and good conscience against sin and the devil in this life,[5] and hereafter reign with Him eternally over all creatures.[6]

[1] I Cor. 12:12-27. [2] Joel 2:28 (Acts 2:17); I John 2:27. [3] Matt. 10:32; Rom 10:9, 10; Heb. 13:15. [4] Rom. 12:1; I Pet. 2:5, 9. [5] Gal. 5:16, 17; Eph. 6:11; I Tim. 1:18, 19. [6] Matt. 25:34; II Tim. 2:12.

Now that’s an adequate answer!

M Weekend Schedule
Friday April 24
6pm…………………………………………………..Meet at Brett and Jody’s
630pm……………………………………………….Cookout/”Meltedy” Cookies
8pm…………………………………………………..Message 1
9pm…………………………………………………..Elderberry’s
10-12am……………………………………….…….Alien@Church/Message 2

Saturday April 25
10am…………………………….Wake-Up
11am-5pm………………………Lunch/McAffee’s Knobb Hike/Message 3
6-7pm…………………………….Dinner/Fast Food
7pm………………………………Message 4
8pm………………………………Heart Evaluation and Q and A

Sunday April 26
8am………….…Wake-Up
930am…………..M Gathering/Message 5/M Weekend Ends

HOST HOMES
Boys……………………Shaffer’s
Girls…………………….Maxey’s

To Parents of M Weekenders,

Hopefully this is not new news but M Weekend is right around the corner…this weekend, April 24-26. The format and schedule for this weekend will be a little bit different and as always we want to make sure you’re involved. On Friday night, we’ll be starting of the weekend at my house (2229 Wildwood Rd. right across from The Roanoke Valley Church) with a cookout and we want you to come and stay for this time. If you are coming all I need you to do is call me (521-6728) or e mail me (brett@wsbaptist.org) and let me know how many you will be bringing including your Middle School student. Please do this by Thursday April 23rd so we can prepare accordingly.

This year our theme is “The Heart” and we will be teaching on and discussing our hearts, learning what the Bible has to say about them, and how our hearts are to function in God’s government. One of the reasons for this is that I fear that our hearts go unguarded as they pass under the radar of our watchfulness. In Proverbs we’re told to keep our heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life and I’m not so sure we understand what exactly we’re to keep, so we’ll talk about that. Another reason is the worldly way of thinking about our hearts that is propagated at every turn in phrases like, “Follow your heart” etc. The world pulls on our heart strings and then encourages us to follow something that is deceitfully wicked according to God. The results are monstrous when this ensues. A third reason, for this theme is that central to our understanding of salvation is the heart and the miraculous work of the Spirit of God replacing our heart of stone with a heart of flesh. So those are some of the things we’ll be looking at.

Brett

The cross: the Lamb on Calvary’s Mount.
There a bloody flood. A healing fount.

The church: the Lord He did secure.
Hell cannot shake her. She will endure.

Christmas and Easter
Christmas is the celebration of the Warrior arriving on the battlefield.
Easter is the celebration of that Warrior standing over His enemies in victorious triumph!

At Christmas we ooh and ahh at the mystery of the God-man.
At Easter we gasp for air over the mystery of atonement!

If you would like, add a line to this…

One has to wonder. Think for a moment about the time, money, energy, and commitment that we drop into our children’s sports activities. This however is not just a question that the Christian world is asking. Several months ago I read an article in SmartMoney Magazine entitled: “Parents Spare No Expense in Children’s Sports.” (You can read this article on their website, just type in the article name in the search at the top of the page) You know there’s a problem when the world is stepping back and saying, “This is crazy!” But as Christians our concern is not so much what the world thinks as God, and our task is to discern what God thinks about our time, money, energy, and most importantly our worship and who or what it is for.

Some see the playing of sports as an investment in their child’s future to cut college costs in the hopes of their child obtaining a scholarship, and some simply see it as innocent entertainment and activity. However, we need to consider sports and how they are impacting our children’s lives. I believe that the great tragedy of the home today is that fathers and mothers are too busy and all too willing to take their children to anything and go anywhere, but fail to take their children to Calvary. We provide them with stuff, opportunities for worldly success, money, cars, and lands yet all we are doing is providing them with broken cisterns for playhouses. And sports might be the largest and most accepted and expected of these broken cisterns.

The irony of this whole thing is the fact that I played college basketball, which meant that there were several hours, thousands of practices and a lot of energy dumped into that. In high school I played tennis as well so there were two busy seasons of sports in my year. However, and I love my parents for this, I was never allowed to skip or miss church in the name of the god of sports. Though invited to play on AAU Basketball teams that had Sunday games and out of town tournaments, my parents never even considered my participation on those teams…it wasn’t an option. Our commitment as a family was to the Church that Jesus bled and died for and not the team that really needs a contributor, and this had an impact on many of my coaches and teams. Even in high school my coach would let me leave early to go to church on Wednesday nights, and as far as I can remember, there was never anything scheduled on Sundays, and if it was, it was only for a few hours in the afternoon and then I would be back for Discipleship Training and the Sunday evening service.

My parents were committed to Christ first and foremost and even though this didn’t always bear immediate fruit in my life, what I heard and learned in those days was kindling for the fire that the Spirit of God would light in my heart later. It may seem like a simple worship service and you may think that a few hours a week is plenty, but don’t underestimate the deceitfulness of the human heart and the power of the Spirit of God to move, awaken, and change when the Word of God is spoken. The most important voice your children and mine can hear is the voice of their Creator thundering through the faithful preaching of the Word, not the voice of their coach! This is a call to consider and reconsider what sports are doing in the hearts of our children!

Ball Becoming Baal
Jim Elliff has written an article entitled “When Ball Becomes Baal” which pointedly challenges the idolatry of sports. Here is an excerpt: “How does ball become Baal? Answer: When it controls you, and you give it devoted worship. It is around your god that you order your life—and you can almost never say “no” to it.

Like “athlete’s foot” on the hygienically-challenged teenager, sports has taken over more and more of the life of believers. Almost overnight we have awakened to the sad fact that, in many communities, sports has even usurped the hours believers meet on the Lord’s Day. All too often members are saying to church leaders, “We’ll be gone next Sunday because of the soccer tournament.” In turn, leaders are supposed to acquiesce humbly. After all, we can’t afford to appear “legalistic;” everyone knows that the greatest crime a church can commit is to demand something of someone.

You’ll hear, “But the team needs all the players. We can’t let the team down.” It never occurs to them that the church Body is being deprived of a necessary body part, or that God is marginalized and disobeyed. We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, states God in Hebrews 10:25.

Devotion is the operative word. When the team says, “We need you,” we sacrifice to do it. But when it crosses the time allotted to spiritual edification and worship, the Ruler of the universe is often sent to the bench. In the process, we teach our children that devotion to sports is more important than both devotion to God and loyalty to our spiritual family. Have you considered that you may be teaching your kids to worship sports?”

(Read the full article here: http://www.ccwtoday.org/article_view.asp?article_id=29)

So, Are We Worshiping Sports?
Whether we want to admit it or not, he’s right and it’s easy for something that is good, such as sports, to be twisted into an idol. So what about for you and your family? Look at your calendar and see what controls your schedule. Is church one of those things that you order your life around, or is it an option, or something that gets in the way of the tournament? Do you give more money for gear, games, and trips than you do to the Gospel, or Bibles for people who don’t own one, or for the poor, naked, and hungry? Is it easy for you to say “no” to your children or their coaches when the team interferes with the church? The question must be answered: are you worshiping sports?

Trust me, you do not want your child standing before God on that great Day alone, and before the assembled universe with a new bat and not a new heart, with trophies, experiences, and awards and not a robe of righteousness washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, and you definitely do not want the Judge of the Living and the Dead to say to your “little All-Star” “Depart from me, I never knew you!”

For now we need to seriously consider some things and most importantly we need to consider God, and next time we’ll talk about how to make the most of sports for the glory of God.

Charles Spurgeon on Hebrews 11:15 “If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.”

“It is a wonder of wonders that we have not gone back to the world, with its sinful pleasures and its idolatrous customs. When I think of the strength of divine grace, I do not marvel that saints should persevere; but, when I remember the weakness of their nature, it seems a miracle of miracles that there should be one Christian in the world who could maintain his steadfastness for a single hour. It is nothing short of Godhead’s utmost stretch of might that keeps the feet of the saints, and preserves them from going back to their old unregenerate condition.”

Do not underestimate the power of this sinful world and even more so do not underestimate the overriding power of grace!

God showed me that I should not just skim over God’s Word, but actually should dive deep into God’s Word. I also learned that singing a song doesn’t mean anything if you don’t really think and meditate on God’s Word. Another thing I learned was God treats Jesus as He would treat us and treats us as He would treat Jesus. Also God has been telling me that I should not get angry with everyone as fast as I do and God’s Word is not just words they are words of life and death.

Jake Shaffer

God showed a lot of sin in my life. During Eddie’s message he showed me that I think I’m better than a lot of people when I’m not. I really enjoyed Renown and I learned a lot from it. One thing that really got my attention was when Brett said that Jesus did not die for disinterested worshippers. That really made me want to worship Jesus more. Before Renown I didn’t pray like I was supposed to and now I pray before I go to bed and when I wake up. On Sunday Nick was talking about how we will one day be face to face with God. That made me realize that if don’t obey God and if I don’t start then I will be turned away on that day.

Samantha Maxey

God really magnified that it is supposed to be me on the cross and I should suffer for all of my unholy sin. God also showed me that it is sin whenever I do not glorify God in everything I do. Lastly Gretchen taught me the importance of worship and God is ashamed when we/I give him the garbage of half effort.

Coby Reed

This past Sunday night we were talking about normal and crazy Christianity in the faith of Noah and asking ourselves the question, “Are we are crazy in God’s eyes or crazy in the world’s eyes?” I think we all realized that the reality of being a Christian is that we will be crazy in the world’s eyes. This whole idea of normal Christianity before God is something that always attacks the complacency in me in fresh ways. Today I was getting together some messages and I came across the comparison of a Nominal (name-only) Christian and a Disciple and once again I was challenged to the core and I want to share those questions with you as well that you may be freshly challenged…

The Nominal Christian: The nominal Christian does not view their self as nominal but rather as a Christian, thus thinking that what they are is normal. This Christian has adopted the language of disciples and can use it fluently. This Christian is someone who knows the stories of the Bible while missing the application to life and living it out. This Christian comes to church but really doesn’t see the whole point of it and is not devoted. This Christian knows about Jesus and the stories of Jesus and knows the “sinner’s prayer” and has even recited it, but all that accompanied their so-called salvation were some new feelings and maybe even a tear. This Christian lives one way around Disciples and another way around the other “Christians.” This Christian is a chameleon of sorts and can blend in and be perfectly normal among whomever they associate with. This Christian is sometimes moved by spiritual songs in certain religious atmospheres but nothing to this effect has ever happened in isolation. This Christian believes they deserve more from Christ for taking on His name. This Christian has not taken up a cross but rather a crutch and thus uses that crutch when the need arises and things don’t work out to their benefit. This Christian is more concerned about success than service. This Christian loves singing but sees no need in praying. This Christian loves forgiveness and the idea of sins being removed but finds completely following Jesus burdensome. This Christian has divided their Bible unintentionally into sections that make them happy and are easy to follow and into sections that they don’t understand and that don’t fit into their view of Jesus. This Christian’s Jesus, if examined closely, is actually the way they picture themselves.

The Disciple: The Disciple rejects his own good name and bears alone the name of Jesus. The Disciple follows Jesus wherever He goes. The Disciple knows the stories of Scripture and stands in awe of God and trembles at His word. The Disciple sings from the overflow of a redeemed heart and cries for those who do not know his Treasure. The Disciple understands the importance of the church as God’s grand design and is devoted to Christ and His people. The Disciple has probably said the “sinner’s prayer” but more importantly knows himself to be a great sinner and looks at himself and sees a sinner’s heart. The Disciple sticks out in a crowd of unbelievers. The Disciple would rather not be known for who they are but for Whose they are. The Disciple is passionate about Jesus in the company of believer’s but is more than undignified when in isolation. The Disciple cares nothing for his own righteousness but only for that of Jesus Christ. The Disciple gladly bears the cross, but understands that what they bear is nothing to what Jesus bore for them. The Disciple does not view their self as one who is blessing entitled but as one whom had wrath diverted, and there they weep tears of joy. The Disciple does not ramble on and on about how “Christ-like” they are because their actions need no further convincing. The Disciple sees the Bible as the very words of their Lover and Father speaking to them and loves the whole of Scripture. Likewise, the Disciple loves the Lord’s discipline and His comfort; His love and His wrath. The Disciple not only knows the gospel, but lives the gospel. The Disciple’s Jesus, if examined closely, is One who is altogether glorious and of whom they are wholly dependent on in joyful submission and His ways are always higher than theirs. If you ask the Disciple who is Jesus they will rip their heart out and describe the healing that Jesus wrought for them on the cross. The Disciple lives humbly as if Jesus is bleeding on them each and every moment of their life. The Disciple carries the cross with a tear and a smile.

During Renown, God opened my eyes to the end. By end, I mean the end of time, when Christ comes back in full glory, and all will bow. This really stirred me in that I am not doing all that I do in the aspect of His Return. I also realized my position in worship. Before this I didn’t realize that worship was the time win sin’s ghosts savagely war against my soul. Worship always has a lot at stake and I am really sickened at all the “worship” I gave God, which is filthy rags. All in all, Renown was a great experience that left me in awe of God and the depth of my sin.

Sam Shaffer

From Renown my eyes were open to new views of His suffering. I think one of the things I needed to hear most was how a true Christ will never be bored of hearing His Word. Even after hearing this time and time over again God finally opened my eyes to the importance of it. Finally, I think that realizing we are poor in front of God and have nothing to offer Him was really something that I needed to hear and realizing that nothing I do is going to make me acceptable in front of Christ. I think I can truly say after this weekend anyone who missed it missed seeing the hand of God moving in our body.

Julian Higginbotham

At Renown God revealed the depths of my poverty, the heights of His grace, what Christ gained in dying on the cross and the praise required of us to God. He revealed that Jesus didn’t die for uninterested believers. He didn’t come for half-hearted worship. He came so that His perfect life could become ours and our cursed, sin-ridden lives would become His. Because of this, Christ commands our full attention and heart. God also revealed the necessity of orthodoxy and orthopraxy as a means for living a Christ-centered life and truthfully proclaiming the Word of God. Renown really had a huge effect on my life and will continue to do so, especially in my daily living and corporate worship.

Nick Taylor

“This weekend at Impact Weekend I learned a lot more about God. I learned that the most important thing to God is his glory and God puts his glory on display (Psalm 19). God used his glory to build the church we are in now. God’s glory will fill the earth for eternity. Even after we are saved we will still reject God’s glory. The greatest thing we can do is to live for the glory of God. It is great to have an awesome savior like our God that can fix what we mess up.

In the sermon about his glorious grace, I learned about how we need to do everything in his praise. God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. In 1 Timothy 1:12-14 it tells us that we need to thank Jesus Christ because he trust us and gave us a chance to serve him and he gives us strength. I learned that we all spoke against Christ and did all kinds of things to hurt him. God showed us mercy because we did not know what we were doing. We did these things when we did not believe. The last thing is that the grace of our Lord was fully given to us and with that grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

Brandon Hill

“This past weekend has been a great experience for me as I went to Virginia for Impact Weekend. I learned that one day Jesus Christ will come back and everyone that rejected him will be rejected by God and they will tremble in terror. I also learned that we think that we just barely miss the mark when it comes to the glory of Jesus Christ but that is way wrong. I only deserve eternal death in hell and it was because of Jesus that I am not cursed by my sins because He died on the cross for me and for you and it is written that whoever dies upon a cross is cursed. God didn’t do it for the half-hearted people that get bored in church and don’t truly praise Him. He did it for the people who are always in Him and are overwhelmed by His grace. Jesus Christ found that His greatest joy was living for the glory of God and those who find joy in living for the glory of God and humbling themselves will be exalted and if you expect to rise, then pursue with all your might. I also learned that if anyone rejects Him, then we will bow in fear of rejection from Him.”

Todd Hill

“During the last few days, I have really seen and heard many things that have changed my view on almost everything I do. Before I went on this trip, I didn’t even think of relationship with Christ the same as I do now. I wasn’t even very excited to go on the trip. I didn’t see it as really a big deal, but as something that my parents thought was best for me. As the weekend progressed, the people I was around influenced the way I viewed my personal relationship with the Lord. Even all of the new people from Virginia that I met directly impacted my life this weekend. I learned quite a lot during these few short days. One thing I learned that I thought to be very significant was that a church membership is a commitment. A commitment to all of those around you in the church. I never really thought of my membership at Lake Bowen Baptist to really mean much because of the fact I’m only a kid, but after hearing what Eddie Strickland had to say about this subject, I began to rethink how I view most people around me. Pastor Eddie told of how unity is a major point in a church membership. He told us how we shouldn’t get discontent with ourselves, because discontentment leads to many problems, such as division and dividing of the church. I could write pages of the things I learned and I wish everyone in our church could say the same. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip, and my parents for forcing me. Every song, session, and sermon that I sat through this weekend had a huge impact on my entire life. Anyone who wasn’t able to go on this trip missed out on a great chance to hear the amazing work of God.”

Zac Cassidy