08/06/10 by jfan | Austria, News | 1 Comment »
This is always a difficult argument in my head when talking about those who have become friends of God since it is Him who does the work and Him who judges the heart, but it has been amazing to watch the Lord work in hearts here this week. There is a group of boys from Armenia that were on the verge of getting sent home at the beginning of the week, but since then they have straightened up and been pretty enjoyable. One in particular began asking tons of questions and understood the Gospel for the first time this week. Today he was speaking with us saying that he loved Jesus, he believed He paid for his sins, but that he was unwilling to give his life to him because he feared he would fail, fall back into sin and mess it up. After talking with him for a few minutes, being careful not to force his decision, he sat there in silence just thinking. Then he said to Peter: “I want to give my life to Jesus”. From there we got to watch the Lord call another to Himself.
Another Armenian boy who was here last year was a trouble maker last year, but this year is fantastic and told us he had given his life to Jesus this year after coming to ETC. Every day he has met with a different leader during his quiet time and asked them to: “tell me something about Jesus”.
I don’t know details about this one, but a girl who was having a conversation with Emily either wanted to give her life to Jesus, or already did and was wanting to “re-commit” her life to Him. Again, I’m unsure of the details and I’m far from knowing her heart I do know it was a great conversation whether it was her giving her life to Him, or her learning that nothing can separate her from Him.
These are merely a few of the stories I know about, not to mention to countless that I don’t know. I just wanted to give you a taste of what the Lord is doing here.
J-Fan
08/05/10 by jfan | Austria, DBSM Blog, News | No Comments »
Nothin like a good ‘ol Texas bonfire to bring people together:) When we first started coming we had to bring the marshmallows from the U.S. because they didn’t sell them here… we like to think we’re the reason they now carry them in some stores.
The days are beginning to fly by and the camp is running much smoother as time goes on and the teenagers finally understand they can’t push us around:). Most of our nights are filled with stories of what God is doing, He is moving in so many lives it’s hard to communicate what is going on here. It is amazing to watch Him work, we are all getting to see Him do things not only in the lives of the campers, but in our own lives as well.
Yesterday seemed easier than the previous days and we are energized by the fact that we only have 2 days left with these teenagers and we don’t want to let that time go and not take advantage of it. Pray that we will not miss opportunities because of being tired, mentally drained or spiritually empty. Pray that God would fill our own cups as we pour them out these last few days.
I can’t describe the heaviness of the Gospel here, nor the density of the ministry opportunities. Many teenagers are constantly asking great questions and listening to our challenges. There are teens here that have come to faith at this camp in a previous year, or after that had gone home a previous year, and it is encouraging to see them and be able to be part of the discipleship process in their lives. I wish you could see what we see, it leaves us nothing short of true worship.
04/06/10 by jfan | DBSM Blog | No Comments »
Here ya go!
How Do We Know Jesus Is The Messiah?
Jesus Claimed To Be the Messiah
“I and the Father are one.” Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” -John 10:30-33
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” -John 14:6
Logic Confirms It
Trilemma – Lord, Liar, Lunatic
Prophecy Confirms It
1. He would make a triumphal entry into Jerusalem: Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4,5 – 550 years prior to event
2. His friend would betray him for thirty pieces of silver: Psalm 41:9; 55:12-14; Zechariah 11:12, 13; Matthew 26: 14-16, 21-25 – 1,000 years prior to event
3. He would be forsaken by his disciples: Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31, 56 – 550 years prior to event
4. He would be scourged and spit upon: Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67; 27:26 – 700 years prior to event
5. His price money would be used to buy a potter’s field: Zechariah 11:12, 13; Jeremiah 18:1-4; 19:1-3; Matthew 27:9, 10 – 600 years prior to event
6. He would be crucified between two thieves: Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38, etc. – 700 years prior to event
7. He would be given vinegar to drink: Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34, 48 – 1,000 years prior to event
8. His hands and feet would be pierced: Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; Mark 15:25; John 19:34, 37– 1,000 years prior to event
9. His garments would be parted and gambled for: Psalm 22:18; Luke 34:34; John 19:23ff – 1,000 years prior to event
10. His bones would not be broken (customary in crucifixions): Psalm 23:20; Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; John 19:33-36 – 1,500 years prior to event
11. He would be buried with the rich: Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60 – 700 years prior to event
12. He would be raised from the dead: Psalm 16:10; Matthew 28:2-7 – 1,000 years prior to event
13. He would ascend to heaven: Psalm 24:7-10; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50 – 1,000 years prior to event
How Do You Know You Can Trust the Bible?
Unity of the Message Confirms It
The Bible was written over 1500 years, in 66 books or volumes, by over 40 authors, in 3 languages, on 3 continents, with 1 unified message
Archeology Confirms It
“It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever contradicted a biblical reference.” (Nelson Glueck, Jewish archaeologist)
“Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history.” (William Albright, 4 doctorates, Christian archaeologist and historian)
I take the view that Luke’s history is unsurpassed in regard to its trustworthiness …you may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian’s and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the hardest treatment.” (Sir William Ramsey, Agnostic historian…later becoming a Christian)
Scientific Reliability Confirms It
Isaiah 40:22 (700 B.C.) tells us that the earth is spherical. This was about 2,100 years before science “discovered” the earth was round, through Columbus and Magellan.
Job 26:7 (1,500 + B.C.) tells us that the earth is suspended in space. This was about 3,200 years before Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery in A.D.1687.
Genesis 13:16 and 15:5 (2,000 B.C.) tell us that the stars are innumerable. In A.D.150 Ptolemy counted them to 1,056 stars in all. Only in the 1980’s have we begun to admit we cannot begin to count them all. This is a span of nearly 4,000 years.
II Samuel 22:16 and Jonah 2:6 (900 B.C. and 760 B.C.) reveal that there are mountains and canyons in the sea. Until the 1800’s it was believed that the oceans were like a fish bowl. This is a gap of 2,700 years.
Genesis 7:11; 8:2 and Proverbs 8:28 (1500 B.C. and 1000 B.C.) mention that there are springs and fountains under the earth and sea. Science discovered this during World War II and the use of submarines. This is a span of nearly 3,500 years.
Psalm 8:8 (1000 B.C) was the revelation that Matthew Maurey, the modern father of oceanography, used to discover there were paths and channels in the sea. This is almost a 3,000 year span.
Ecclesiastes 1:6, 7; Job 26:8; 36:27, 28; 37:16; 38:25-27 and Psalm 135:7 (1500 + B.C.) give us clues to the hydrologic cycle involving precipitation, evaporation, cloud construction, movements of moisture by wind currents, etc. This is a gap of over 3,000 years.
In Hebrews 1:3; 11:1; Colossians 1:7 and Romans 1:20 we see the truth that the invisible holds the visible together. It took modern atomic physics’ discovery of X-rays in A.D. 1895 to confirm what has always been true and was espoused over 1,900 years ago.
There are scores of passages in the Old Testament, particularly the book of Leviticus, which hold rules of health and sanitation in a very precise and descriptive way. The need to cook meat and avoid certain foods such as pork was all laid down 3,350 years ago. (The presence of germs was abundantly clear in the Bible long before it was in science.)
Leviticus 17:11 states that the life of the flesh is in the blood. Up until around A.D. 1900 it was believed that the blood carried disease but not the life of the body. Blood-letting was a common practice until the turn of the century. Even George Washington died from letting too much blood out, trying to rid him of his illness. How sad we did not believe what we were told almost 2,400 years earlier.
Genesis 2:1-3; Psalm 102:24 and Hebrews 4:3, 10 all support and give credence to the first law of thermodynamics, or energy conservation. This was discovered by scientists in A.D.1850.
Psalm 102:26; Romans 8:18-23 and Hebrews 1:10-12 all give consistent testimony to the second law of thermodynamics, or energy deterioration. These passages predate scientific discovery by 2,850-3,300 years.
Historic Reliability Confirms It
In the October 18, 1976 issue of Time magazine, it is mentioned that thousands of documents have been found verifying people, places, and customs heretofore only referred to in the Bible. Even the great, great, great, great grandfather of the patriarch Abraham is mentioned. One archaeologist admitted in this article:
“We always thought of ancestors like Eber as symbolic. Nobody ever regarded them as historic – at least not until these tablets were found.”
Flavius Josephus (37 A.D. ff) has numerous references to Jesus Christ. One such is: “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man … he was the Christ … condemned to the Cross, …And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.” (Antiquities, Xviii. 33)
Cornelius Tacitus (52 A.D. ff), a Roman historian, in referring to Nero’s persecution of Christianity says: “…the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate …: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again …” (Annals, XV. 44)
Other historians such as Lucian, Seutonius, Pliny the Younger, Tertullian, Thallus and documents such as the Jewish Talmud and the Letter of Mara Bar-Serapion, contain reference to Jesus and His Miracles.
The Point:
There is overwhelming evidence that Jesus is the Messiah just as the Bible says He is. If this is true, then you and I have a decision to make. Do we ignore the evidence, or do we embrace the Savior of the World?
02/17/10 by jfan | DBSM Blog | No Comments »
Top 5 myths:
Myth #1: A Real Man is known by his body chiseled out of stone
- Liberating Truth: A Real Wuss needs his body to go before him so people can’t see what’s going on inside of him
- A Real Man: Is known by his heart, daily chiseled by God
“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” -Matt 15:18-19
Myth #2: A Real Man is crazy, unpredictable and rebellious
- Liberating Truth: A real wuss uses crazy, unpredictable and rebellious ways to get out of being responsible and trustworthy
- A Real Man: is responsible, trustworthy and respectful because he knows who he represents
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” -2 Cor 5:20
Myth #3: A Real Man can party hard!
- Liberating Truth: A real wuss parties hard because he needs something to disguise his lack of confidence in himself
- A Real Man: is confident in himself because he has confidence in the Cross
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” -Col 3:3-4
Myth #4: A Real Man is known by the sport that he plays
- Liberating Truth: A real wuss needs a sport to make him known, because he doesn’t even know himself
- A Real Man: is known by the fruit in his life.
“ For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit.” -Luke 6:43-44
Myth #5: A Real Man can get any girl he wants, no matter how he treats them
- Liberating Truth: A real wuss needs any girl he can get and he treats them like dirt to feel like a man
- A Real Man: Needs Jesus and it’s evident to those around him because he treats them like Christ has treated him
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” -2 Cor 5:21
Dudes – STOP BEING THIS GUY!
Girls - DON’T DATE THIS GUY!
Audio of this talk should be up by Wednesday!
Love you guys… see ya soon.
J-Fan
…because we thought for some reason we could no longer find PEACE and SATISFACTION in His.
