Tag: christianity

Scripture Memory Challenge – Week 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical7 Comments

How are you doing with memorizing Scripture? If you are like me, you are probably not doing so well. That is why I am starting a Scripture memory challenge.

About the Challenge

Each week I will post the Scripture I memorized the preceding week. The point will be to encourage you to memorize Scripture, as well as for you to hold me accountable. If I do not post any Scripture to memorize, you will know I did not memorize anything that last week. At which time, I am hoping you will encourage me to keep pressing on.

I am using the Fighter Verses app from Desiring God to help me select and memorize Scripture. They also have a website, which is really good at assisting you in learning the verses. The app allows you to select from five Bible translations. I have chosen the ESV, but you can use any version you like.

I will be working through set 2 in the Fighter Verses app starting with week 1. My goal will be to memorize one to three weeks worth of verses each week in set 2 until I catch up to the current date. After which, I will be memorizing verses from their app and from my personal Scripture reading.

Now that you know about the challenge, let’s get started.

Memory Verses

This last week, while I was at camp, I memorized the Romans Road and John 14:6. I challenge you to do the same.

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Romans Road

3:23 | for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5:8 | but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

10:9-10 | because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

10:13 | For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

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What I Learned at Royal Ambassador’s Camp

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Family, Leadership2 Comments

I spent this last week at Camp Copus with four of our boys from church who are in the Royal Ambassadors Program. I had never been before, so I did not know what to expect, but what I learned was significant. Here are just a few things.

What I Learned at Camp

(1) We need godly men to train boys to be godly men

After attending camp all week. I noticed the heart of the RA program is for godly men to train boys to be godly men. There were many godly men at camp this last week, but more are needed. More are also needed in our churches.

While there are many godly women who participate in church activities, we need godly men who are willing to step up and train the future generation.

In short, we need godly men who are not only following the biblical mandate to train up their own children and grandchildren in the way of the Lord, but we need them to participate in our churches as well (Ephesians 5; Deut. 4:9-14).

(2) Scripture memory should be a regular diet in our churches and families

At camp they made a big push for the campers and counselors (that would be me) to obtain a power band. The way you get your power band is by memorizing and reciting the Romans Road (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10; 10:13).

As I committed these verses to memory and helped my boys do the same, I saw first hand the value and importance of memorizing God’s Word. Not only because it is God’s Word, but because, when you do so, Scripture is always there with you. No matter what situation you are facing, you can quickly recall a verse that could help you. In the case of the Romans Road, you are always able to tell others how they might be saved, since it is the plan of salvation. So may we all be spurred on to regularly memorize Scripture.

(3) You cannot talk about the gospel enough

At every service and every activity that we attended the gospel was presented. Not only was the plan of salvation presented, but how the gospel affects the way we live our everyday lives. You see the gospel is not the ABC’s of the Christian life. It is the A to Z. Everything stems from the gospel. Since this is true, we cannot talk about the gospel enough.

(4) Children can understand deep theological concepts

After a day of hearing different aspects of the gospel, the boys and I gathered each night for a devotional. As I led them in a devotional every night, I soon realized they were really wrestling with deep theological concepts. Even though they did not use these terms, they asked questions about God’s Fairness/Justice, God’s Love, Mercy and Grace, God’s Righteousness, Substitutionary Atonement, Heaven and Hell.

As I fielded their questions, I was both encouraged and shocked that they were thinking on such a deep level. Which leads me to believe we often forget that children can and do understand biblical concepts. As a result, we can go deep with them as long as we find a way to relate the concepts to their world.

(5) Churches need to invest in their children’s theological education

While most churches have a children’s program, these programs offer nothing more than man-centered principles for living a good life. We need to do better. We need to go deeper. We need to understand that our children can and do understand the gospel. They can and do understand theological concepts. They can and do wrestle with the same questions adults have.

As a result, we need to present these concepts to them in ways they can understand and let them wrestle with it. As well as we need to make time to allow our children to ask us tough questions. When they do, we need to have a good response for them. So then, we need not only invest in their education, but ours as well, so we can answer the tough questions. But more importantly, we need not sell our children short.

Resources

Here are a few books and a Scripture memory tool that can help you to begin training your own children:

Identity: Where do you find yours?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Where do you find your identity? That is a great question to ask yourself. If you are like most Americans you probably find your identity in your career, your family, your success, or your possessions, just to name a few things. But these things will fail you.

In Surprised by Oxford, a past professor offers up this crucial advice concerning identity to Carolyn:

“What is important is that my identity doesn’t lie primarily in being a professor, or being a wife, or even in being a mother. Those things will always fall short. Entire careers get swept away at a moment’s notice at the presentation of a pink slip, a vote of the elders, an accusation of a student, a cut in the budget. Marriages face infidelities, for instance, and end up like car wrecks from which people can recover but are never again the same. Children grow up and move far away and forget to write or call – as they should.” She smiled wistfully.

“The point is, if you have your identity in any of these things, it’s surefire disappointment. Anything man-made – or woman-made, for that matter – will and does fail you. Having my identity in Christ first and foremost gives me the courage – yes, the courage – to live my life boldly, purposefully, in everything I do, no matter what that is.”

I believe her professor is right. Jesus Christ is the only One who will never fail us. Everything else this world has to offer will, but Jesus will be there forever. So why find your identity in anything else?

Questions for Reflection

  • Where do you find your identity?
  • Do you realize that everything else will ultimately fail you? Agree or disagree?
  • Are you willing to commit to finding your identity in Jesus instead of in the world?

Recommended Reading

Resources

An Impossible Task Powered by God

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

As Christians, we have been called to an impossible task. Jesus told us that we are to make disciples by going and sharing the gospel with our neighbors and the nations, teaching them all the commandments of God, and baptizing them (Matt. 28:18-20).

Not only are we to do this work because Jesus commanded us to do so, which is a good reason, we are also to spread God’s gospel because we are God’s ambassadors (see my last post: Be an Ambassador). We are the means God uses to bring His message to others.

An Impossible Task

At first thought, this task seems impossible. There are people in our own backyards and around the world, who want nothing to do with Christianity. Whole nations have rejected it. Laws have been passed to punish those who spread it. Friends, family, and co-workers deride us for believing it. And that is just what others are saying. If we honestly examine ourselves, we will find doubt, fear of man, and a desire for our own comfort ripe within.

With so many people, and even ourselves, against us being ambassadors for God, how are we empowered for this mission? Others do not empower us, nor do we empower ourselves. So then, how are we empowered to overcome the obstacles of gospel proclamation and disciple making?

The Holy Spirit Empowers Us

In Matthew 28:20, after Jesus gives the Great Commission, He tells His disciples,

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Then in John 14:15-18, He tells His disciples after He leaves He will ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to them. For He will not leave them as orphans in the world.

In keeping with His earlier promise, before Jesus ascends, He says to His disciples,

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

And indeed the Holy Spirit is sent to them on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). On this day, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus’ disciples, empowering them to be God’s ambassador to the nations.

Likewise, all those who believe in Jesus as their Savior receive the Holy Spirit and are empowered for their God given mission (Rom. 5:5).

Conclusion

So then, God empowers us for the mission He gives us. We do not take up His mission in our own strength. We are to rely on God for strength, wisdom, and courage to carry out His mission. A mission that seems impossible but is not when we rely on God to strengthen us. One way we can rely on the Lord is through prayer. Asking Him to work in us and among those He has called us to reach with the gospel.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you try to do God’s work in your own power?
  2. Can you think of a personal example, or a biblical example, where men tried to act in their own strength to do the work of God?
  3. Would you share a personal example where God has worked through you to reach others with the gospel as you relied on Him to do so?

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Be an Ambassador

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Evangelism3 Comments

Have you ever thought about your purpose in the world? Have you ever thought about what it means to be an ambassador? I am sure many of you have thought about your purpose in the world, but few of you have probably thought about what it means to be an ambassador, let alone if you are an ambassador.

In my last post, What is My Purpose in the World?, I answered the first question by concluding that,

When we image God to others by our actions and our words, we are taking up God’s mission to reach the nations with His gospel. When we take up God’s mission, then and only then are we accomplishing our purpose in God’s story, which means we have found our purpose in this world.

So we know what gives us purpose, namely, imaging God. It is possible for us to image God by reflecting His character and sharing His gospel because we are redeemable.

Why We are Redeemable

We are redeemable because we have been made in God’s image. Since we are made in His image, we are able to understand His actions in Jesus Christ, as well as we are able to understand His Word, which tells us what His actions in Christ mean.

My last statement brings up an important point. Without God’s Word, the Bible, we would not know the importance of Jesus’ actions. God’s Word is then a crucial aspect to our understanding of God’s plan, and it is what we must share with others. As God’s ambassadors, we are to share His Word with our neighbors and the nations.

We are God’s Ambassadors

An ambassador is someone who delivers a message on another’s behalf in their authority. The United States has ambassadors who travel to other countries to conduct business on its behalf. Just like the US has ambassadors, God has ambassadors. Those who are saved by Jesus Christ, who are professing believers, are God’s ambassadors.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 we read:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We who are reconciled by God through Christ are God’s ambassadors. Our job as His ambassadors is to implore (call someone earnestly) to believe in Jesus Christ, so that they will then be reconciled to God and enjoy the salvation we enjoy.

Looking Forward

In my next post, I will discuss our motivation and how we are empowered for this task. For now, let me give you some questions for reflection.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you see God’s Word as crucial for understanding God’s work in the world?
  2. Do you see yourself as God’s ambassador, or do you believe this is left up to the professionals?
  3. What are some ways you can begin acting as God’s ambassador right where you work, play, and live? (Need some ideas? Read: How to Meet the Unchurched.)

Resources

Bill Clem, Disciple: Finding your identity in Jesus, 11-35.

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What is My Purpose in the World?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical4 Comments

What is my purpose in the world? That is a question everyone asks at one point or another in their life. You may be asking this question right now. If so, I invite you to read along.

In my last post, I argued that we are not writing our own story. Rather, we are characters in God’s story. As a result, we need to know where we fit into God’s story. In other words, we need to know our purpose in God’s story, which will then tell us our purpose in the world.

Our Purpose is to Image God

Genesis 1:27 tells us that we are created in God’s image. Here is what the author writes,

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

This means that everyone has been created in God’s image, and it is everyone’s duty to image God to others.

God’s Rescue Mission

Even though it is our duty, everyone cannot image God, because they are corrupt, defiled, and sinful (Rom. 3:23). But it is God’s plan for mankind to image Him by taking up His mission to reach the nations, so He goes on a rescue mission. He send His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross, in order to redeem mankind. All those who repent and believe that Jesus is the Christ, their Savior, will be reconciled to God (Rom. 3:21-26; Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 1:3; 2:23-25; 3:23-24; 4:2, 15; 5:1, 5).

Redemption Leads to Imaging

Those who are redeemed by Jesus Christ are able to shine forth God’s image to their neighbors and the nations. They are able to show others God’s love, grace, mercy, justice, wisdom, etc. As well as, and more importantly, they are able to share with others God’s gospel. The same gospel that saved them from eternal destruction.

Our Purpose is Fulfilled

When we image God to others by our actions and our words, we are taking up God’s mission to reach the nations with His gospel. When we take up God’s mission, then and only then are we accomplishing our purpose in God’s story, which means we have found our purpose in this world.

A Purposeless Life

If our purpose is to image God, and the only way we can image God is by first being reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ, then those who do not believe Jesus is their Savior are living a purposeless life because they are not on mission for God.

Questions For Reflection:

  1. Do you see it as your purpose to image God to your neighbors and the nations?
  2. Do you desire to share God’s gospel with others?
  3. Do you share the gospel?
  4. How are you doing with imaging God through your actions? Do you love others, show grace to others, seek God’s wisdom in your actions, practice justice in your dealings with others?
  5. Do you believe purpose is only achieved when we are on mission for God?

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