The Search

CHRISTMAS! The most wonderful time of the year! The time of giving, family & love. But also the time to celebrate the birth of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. And as we celebrate His birth, let's take a look at the men searching for Him nearly 2,000 years ago.

Matthew 2 gives us the story of the magi following the star as they searched for the baby. They tell Herod they were looking for the "king" so they could come & "worship" Him. It was an extremely significant event & an extremely significant search. And all they had to do was follow the star. In fact, they were "overjoyed" at the sight of the star & excited about where God was leading them & what they were going to find. They were on the search.

So this brings me to the question: what about YOU? What are YOU searching for?

Are you searching for the things of this world? Acceptance? Popularity? A boyfriend/girlfriend? Belonging? Love? Too often we get lost searching for the wrong things in this world. Too often we lose focus on our search & get lost. If we were magi, it's safe to say we've lost sight of the star.

And even Isaiah 41 tells us about thirsty people looking for water. Which makes sense, right? But even you who are thirsty & only searching for water, you will not be satisfied. You will not be fulfilled. You will not get a drink. Because you're looking for the wrong thing.

The thing about the wise men was they got where they needed by following God's leading. They trusted what God had revealed to them & trusted in God's star He had provided for direction. They were seeking Him & searching Him. They were looking for God! They weren't trying to get there alone. They didn't use a compass or bust out a prehistoric GPS. They trusted God's leading & sought Him first & foremost.

Matthew 6:33 commands us to "seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." We are commanded to seek God first. Seek Him over ALL things. Seeking & searching for Him should be our top PRIORITY over everything else.

And when we figure out we're called to seek God first & search for Him alone, we also realize God has been waiting for us all along. He has been drawing us back to Him & waiting for us to get there. In the story of the prodigal son, he gets lost & ends up in a "far off country." Some distant land. But when he realizes he's lost, he searches & seeks his way back home. And upon his return, he finds his father waiting. Waiting for him to come home. Waiting to celebrate his return.

So again, what are you searching for? Is seeking God's plan for your life top priority? Are you seeking His will & His word first & foremost?

Or have you lost sight of the star? Have you gotten lost in this world & lost in your sin?

The time is now to come home. The time is now to seek God's leading & come back to Him. He's waiting. Just like Jesus was waiting for the wise men to find Him 2,000 years ago, Jesus is still waiting for you today.

Jesus is the star. He is THE way. He will lead you to the father.

JV

UPdate: Events!

It's critical you guys stay informed so you can continually be involved in New Life Student Ministries & make sure you're not missing out on anything AWESOME. Which is basically everything we do. So, be informed:

1. Chris August & Point of Grace! Tomorrow night. 7 PM. FBC Benton. Doors open at 6 PM & tickets will be $12 at the door or $10 if you swing by & get them early. We won't be providing transportation but we sure will be sitting together! Come worship!
2. Mall & Movie Mayhem! This Saturday will be our new & exciting December event. Meet here at NLBC @ 11:45 AM. Going to see the new Chronicles of Narnia film at 12:10 PM & then off to Little Rock for some Christmas shopping & fellowship at the mall! Bring about $20 for your movie & food. 
3. Spring Break! Because it's Christmas, your next $100 deposit won't be due until Jan 14. That way, Christmas won't be as stressful & won't cost you an arm & a leg. And some of us don't have an arm to lose. 

JV

UPdate: Fund-Raisers!

Do you like low prices? Do you enjoy not paying much to do things & go places with our student ministry?

If this sounds like you, then you'd love fund-raising! This is a great way to ensure things are cheaper for you to be involved so you & your parents can enjoy supporting & attending New Life Student Ministries!

1. Sonic Cards! Sell those puppies for $5 a piece & we'll be banking. Remember, if you steal, you will die. Read Acts. 
2. Child Care! This friday night we'll be hosting children (and some of you) to provide child-care. Parents will drop off theirs kids at the church so they go to Christmas parties, shopping, out on a date, etc. So be here from 6 PM - 10 PM & bring you a sack dinner. 
3. Rubber Bands! Get your very own New Life Student Ministries rubber band. And for the Christmas season, they're on sale for only $1.00. 
4. T-Shirts! The time is now to get our new t-shirt. It's a hot Christmas item & these shirts are straight up slinkin. Only $15 my friends. 

And if you're not too excited by these fund-raisers, just think this will be all of you after we raise some money & lower costs:

JV

Legit

Legit. 2 legit. 2 legit 2 quit.

MC Hammer brought us such a relevant truth in the word legit. It has become a highly popular word used in today's culture & is our standard for something or someone that is real & authentic. When we think of legit, we often think of someone completely real. Completely sold out. 100% authentic.

But when we look at ourselves as Christians, are we legit? Are we for real? Are we authentic? 100% sold out?

Often, we get the wrong idea thinking we're legit. We think we're real because we were raised in a Christian home. Because we have good morals, make good decisions & treat people right. Or maybe because we go to church. And even believe in God & Jesus.

Bu those things don't make us legit. It's WAY more than that. Granted those things are how we should be living & what we should be doing, but to become truly legit, we must truly become LIKE Jesus. Become His disciple.

From the start, we were made to be like Him. Genesis 1:26 tells us we were created in God's image & likeness. And then Ephesians 4 calls us to renew ourselves in becoming like Him once again. So, from the very beginning, we were made to be like Jesus.

And once we realize being legit means becoming like Jesus, we take on the role of becoming His disciple. And being His disciple calls for us to:

1. Live in God's Word. In John 8:31, Jesus tell us we are truly His disciples if we hold to His teaching. We are truly disciples if we follow what He tells us & obey His commands. 1 John 5 tells us that loving God is obeying Him. 
2. Loves Others. Jesus tells us in John 13 that "all men will know you are my disciples if you love one another." Loving each other is huge. Love God. Love others. 
3. Show It. John 15 challenges us to produce fruit in order to show we are disciples of Jesus. It should be completely evident to this world & all people that we belong to Jesus by what's produced in our life. By our words. Actions. The way we live. It must be evident. 

So why? Why must we be legit? Why is it so necessary to be real & authentic as followers of Jesus? Because we are called to be a light in this dark world we live in. Philippians 2:15 challenges to be authentic "so that you may become blameless & pure, children of God without fault in a crooked & depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." We are called to show & share the light of Christ to this dark & sinful world. 

Nobody wants to follow something fake. Nobody wants to believe in something that's not real. If we're not real as Christians, who will want to follow us to Jesus? How will we lead others to Him if we're not legit ourselves?

Be real. Be authentic. Be legit. 2 legit. 2 legit 2 quit. 

JV

T-Shirt TIME!

It's that time of year...T-SHIRT TIME! The most wonderful time of the year! And we couldn't be more excited here about the way they turned out!

So starting this Sunday, November 21, our latest New Life Student Ministries T-Shirts will be available for only $15! Come pick yours up ASAP & sport it all Thanksgiving break. YOINK!

JV

*About the design: It contains the simple truth that Jesus saves. Jesus gives new life. And within that message is our New Life Student Ministries heartbeat logo symbolizing our passing from death to life within "GIVES" & the truth of Jesus in our church name, "NEW LIFE." Wear this church & be a witness. 

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

In Matthew 16 Jesus asked His disciples a very simple question: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" A simple question, yet one with profound implications.

You see, Jesus wasn't looking for a Sunday school answer. A simple church answer. He was looking for something so much more. Something much deeper. So WHY did Jesus ask that question?

Because it MATTERS. It matters who Jesus is. It matters Jesus is who He says He is. And it matters who we say He is.

Because Jesus wasn't just claiming to be who this world claims Him to be. He wasn't claiming to be a religious leader. A good man. A prophet. He was claiming to be SO MUCH MORE!

He was claiming to be the Messiah! The Redeemer! The Savior of the world! The One who could take away your sin! The One who could give you new & eternal life! He was claiming to be God.

And that changed everything, including Peter's response. Because who Jesus was & who He claimed to be, Peter's response mattered all the more. And because Peter believed who Jesus said He was, it had HUGE life implications.

Taking a look at the calling of the disciples in Matthew 4, you see they literally dropped everything when Jesus said "follow me." They literally dropped what was in their hands, quit their jobs & left their livelihood & everything they had ever known behind. Just like that.

Why? Because it MATTERED. Because Jesus MATTERED.

So what about you? Who do you say Jesus is? Who do you claim Him to be? Who do you claim Jesus to be by the way you live? The way you behave & words you speak?

Whether you realize it or not, you tell this world who you think Jesus is by the way you live. By your actions & the words you speak.

Peter's response to Jesus was, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Is this the answer your life gives? It matters.

JV

Get EXCITED

Welcome to New Life Student Ministries. We're EXCITED you're here & hope you stop by!

JV

Spring Brrr-eak 2011: KEYSTONE, CO!

Yeah buddy! We're going skiing this coming March for Spring Break 2011! Here are the details:

WHO: New Life Student Ministry!

WHAT: 3 days of ripping up some slopes in Colorado!

WHEN: March 20 - March 25

WHERE: Keystone, CO (Evergreen Condos)

WHY: To enjoy God's beautiful creation & amazing fellowship!

HOW MUCH: approximately $325 (subject to change based on fund-raising)

So what you need to do now is sign-up & reserve your spot by giving me a $100 deposit by November 24. Once you've got your deposit in, you can click on the Keystone sticker on your right & sign-up online (or the link below). It will have all the information you need on that website.

http://www.skidaddy.com/newlifebaptist/index.aspx

Get pumped! It's gonna be sick!

JV

Don't Waste Your Life

What comprises a meaningful life? What are some things in your life that provide meaning? What are things in life you find worth living for?

All of us are searching for meaning. Looking for something meaningful in life. Looking to live a life that has purpose & makes a difference.

Ephesians 4:1 urges us to "live a life worthy of the calling you have received." To live a life with purpose. And to live a life within the meaning & call of Christ. To live up to His standard. It's very clear we are called to live a life of difference. And if we live up to the calling we have been given, we will begin to live a meaningful life that reaches for the standard of Jesus.

And the time is now. There is no time to waste. Romans 13:11 tells us "the hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber." It's time to WAKE UP! Wake up & start living. And start living like Jesus. We are challenged to be "imitators of God" in Ephesians 5:1. That doesn't just mean we follow His example; but we ultimately attempt to become like Him. When you imitate a person, you do everything that person does. And we need to wake up & start living a life of purpose that imitates Jesus Christ.

So it's time. Time to begin "making the most of every opportunity" & make the most of our lives (Ephesians 5:16). Because, believe it or not, our lives here on this earth are short. "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14). None of us ever know when our life will end. So it's with that sense of urgency we must not waste our lives.

Living your life for the Lord is not a waste "because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58). It's not wasted. It's not futile. It's eternal.

Jesus gives you meaning. Jesus gives you purpose. Wake up. Live like Jesus. Don't waste your life.

JV

I Am Second

Hey friends! Just wanted to inform you (if you didn't already know) of a great website & resource out there called "I Am Second."

It is a great ministry that essentially provides stories & testimonies of Christians from all different walks of life. From all kinds of situations & perspectives. I encourage you all to check it out at the link below:

http://iamsecond.com/

At the end of every video, the storyteller gives their name & ends with "I am second." And John 3:30 tells us "He must become greater. I must become less."

Are you first in your life? Or is God top priority? Become second.

JV