Mission Trip BIG D

This Spring Break 2010, we will be traveling down to the Dallas Metroplex for a Mission Trip. The trip is sure to open your eyes as a servant & to really help build a bond with your youth group family. Don't miss out on this awesome trip that will hopefully make an impact on your life!

WHO --> 6^th – 12^th grade students actively involved in the NLBC student ministry

WHERE --> Garland, TX & the Dallas Metroplex

WHEN --> March 22^nd – March 26^th / Monday – Friday           

WHAT --> Service Projects at the ROC Mission Building of Freeman Heights Baptist Church in Garland, TX

WHY --> To go & answer the call of servanthood by meeting the needs of ROC Mission Building & local community

HOW MUCH --> With the fund-raiser & youth-fund price match, the target price is à $100 - $125

*Price includes all meals & activities EXCEPT meals/snacks on the trip down & back and any souvenirs/shopping done at venues visited

DEADLINE --> March 7th will be the FINAL deadline. Don't miss out!

JV

Love Christ. Love Others.

The Bible doesn't specifically give us a "section" to follow within the world of love & dating, but it does give us many principles & commands that should influence our world of love & dating. The Bible still gives us the foundation & is very clear on how it is to be done properly. So students, and adults, take note.

First, you have to have the solid foundation of love found ONLY in the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. 1 John 4:9-11 tells us just how much God loves us by sending His one & only son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. The perfect, unconditional love of Jesus. And in receiving that love, we are then called to love others just the same. To love everyone the same way Jesus loves us: unconditional & self-sacrificial. To love others by putting them ahead of us. To put their wants & needs before ours unselfishly. Jesus did it for us & we are called to love others just the same. 

Once we are loving everyone the way Jesus tells & shows us to, then friendship must be the next step. To have the brotherly & friendship love among others. This should only be a natural succession if we are truly loving like Christ, & a solid foundation must be set before progressing. ONLY after this foundation found in the love of Christ & friendship has been established can dating even be an option. 

AFTER the solid foundation, your first thought when approaching dating should be this: he/she is my brother/sister in Christ. Wow. Would that change things? You have to first recognize every boy & girl as your brother & sister in Christ. Especially when dating. Now, within that scope, let's take a look at a couple of other guidelines:

1. You need to date just that - a brother or sister in Christ. As a Christian, you need to date a Christian. Because if we are loving, within our foundation, unselfishly like Christ, then we know that a lost person needs Jesus. No matter how bad we want to be in a relationship with that person, no matter how perfect they are - they don't need you. They need Jesus. Again, let me repeat that. They don't need you. They need Jesus. So if we are loving like Christ, we will give others Jesus before we ever give them a dating relationship. 
2. Your relationship should be a thing of growth. Your significant other should be one that is challenging you spiritually & challenging you to grow more in Christ. If your relationship has made you feel distant or less involved with Christ, then it is not a relationship you need to be in. The most important thing you need to look for in a significant other is Jesus. One that challenges & helps you to grow as a disciples of Jesus Christ.
3. Naturally, if you are growing towards Christ with your significant other, then your relationship should be one that is pure, appropriate & pleasing to God. Sin is always crouching at your door, so if you are giving into a temptation here & there, Satan has you. We have to be extremely careful to protect ourselves by remaining pure in our obedience to Jesus. Basically, don't do anything you wouldn't do in front of your parents. Or how about don't do anything you wouldn't do at church? Do whatever you can to avoid temptation & appearances of evil. Remember, this person is your brother or sister in Christ.

Dating, just like every aspect of our life, should focus on obeying Christ. He should be the main focus of everything we do in this life & dating is no exception. Love Christ. Love others. 

JV

The Great Love Story

February. Valentine's Day. Love.

When it comes to the greatest love story, most of us probably don't think of the story of Hosea first. But it is. And it's meaning makes it so much more. Here we have a man, Hosea, who is bringing the Word of God to the people as a prophet. A respected, upstanding, God-fearing man. Yet, in obedience, Hosea answers God's call to take a prostitute as his wife.

Gomer. Possibly the most unattractive name for a woman. But she was indeed a beautiful bride & she gave Hosea three beautiful children. Then, slowly, Gomer slipped back into her old ways. Started living like she used to, started living her old lifestyle of sin, and eventually left Hosea & her children to pursue her lifestyle of sin as a prostitute. As time went on, Gomer lost her value & worth. So much so that instead of being paid for pleasure, she was being sold as a worthless slave. And in obedience, Hosea goes to the auction, lays everything down for Gomer, and buys her back. Pays the ultimate price not to buy a slave, but to accept her back as his priceless bride.

Sounds a lot like our life. We were meant to have this perfect relationship with God, but instead have turned our back on Him to pursue our own lifestyle of sin. A lifestyle concerned with our own selfishness, and a lifestyle focused on the things of this world & personal happiness. So much so that sin has taken away all our value & worth. We have become slaves to sin & are worthless.

Yet God pays the ultimate price! With His one & only son, God pays our penalty of sin by sending Jesus to die on the cross. To take our sins away & cancel them in Jesus' death so that we no longer live as slaves to sin, but live with Him as His beautiful & priceless bride. We are worth it! God lays it all down for YOU.

And that's the greatest love story ever told. The story of Jesus paying the price with His own life so that we can be free from sin & live in eternal life with Him. To be forgiven & redeemed is LOVE.

JV

To Save a Life - Movie Night

This Friday night we're headed to the movies to see To Save a Life. This is going to be an excellent film & you guys don't want to miss out! Bring your friends, a date, or anybody you want! Just come & bring someone with you.

When: Meet @ NLBC @ 6:00 PM (movie starts at 6:50 PM)
Where: Cinemark Tinseltown in Benton
How Much: $8 - $10



JV