Spring, Stuttgart, and Stress
Things have been going really well over the last few months as I gear up for some major changes in my life. I recently had the privilege of speaking to the youth in Stuttgart, AR for their House Party Weekend (D-Now). The students were fun to hang out with, the leaders sacrificially poured themselves out, and God seemed to be present through every facet of the event. It was such an amazing experience!
It has been increasingly difficult to focus on here and now lately. It feels like senioritis in high school on steroids! I am working on transitioning into the youth minister position at Audubon Park Baptist Church in the Dallas area while preparing for my future marriage, which is just over 2 months away. Between planning for the summer, helping Holly move into her (soon to be our) apartment, registering for classes at DTS, and the general excitement over graduation, it seems the last thing on my mind is homework!
But God has been faithful in all of this. As stressed as things may get from time to time, deadlines are being met, I'm having fun, and doors are opening. God is good and I am so thankful for the opportunities before me. I appreciate everyone's prayers and support more than you'll ever know.
Matt
www.gravityministries.org
The Last Semester Begins
After a month away from all my responsibilities, it was strange to arrive back on campus and hit the ground running so quickly. Like the beginning of any other semester, I have just been in shock with the workload sitting before me. I've been spending much of my time thinking back on my past semesters and realizing this is my final run. It's my last registration, my last time to run through Rush Week with the Chiotes, my last set of roommates, and many other things. After three and a half years, I am coming around the final stretch.
To be honest, given the speed at which things are hitting me, Refuge has been the last thing on my mind. It wasn't until I was driving up to Second Baptist around 8:15 last night that it hit me I was about to preach. I walked into the church as I normally do to meet our prayer team but what I found surprised me. I walked in to find the back stairwell full of other students who were there to pray. I instantly knew it was going to be an amazing night. A rush of excitement hit me and Klayton as we realized God was in the process of doing an amazing work. I am so grateful for the opportunity to lead such an incredible ministry and I thank God for everyone who has sacrificed their time and efforts to make Refuge a possibility.
Amazing things are happening!
P.S. - This week's message is available for download on the website at www.gravityministries.org/audio.htm if you want to check it out!
The Journey to Christmas: The Invasion Begins
It was a busy night in the ancient town of Bethlehem. Due to Caesar’s demand for a census, people from all over are returning to the homes of their ancestors to register. Outside the town, the shepherds are keeping watch over the flocks; continuing in a tradition held even by David, their forefather and most celebrated king. The inn is filled to the brim with visitors seeking safety for the night. More comparable to a saloon, the establishment is crawling with prostitutes, thieves, drunks, and others unfortunate enough to be stuck in the middle. The streets are quieting as those in the community board up for the evening. Few are aware that in the barn behind the inn, the time-splitting event in human history is underway.
Mary and Joseph are one of the many couples traveling to their homeland. Since their lineage dates back to King David, they have travelled to the town. As soon as they arrive, Mary goes into labor. After getting rejected from the inn, they take residence with the animals. In the simplest of towns among the simplest of couples, a child is born and the world is forever changed.
As the events behind the inn unfold, the lowly shepherds are resting and keeping watch when an angel appears. Frightening and awesome in appearance, these lonely outcasts are terrified by this heavenly messenger. With fear striking their hearts, the angel assures them that he comes to bring good news. The rescuer has arrived!
While the shepherds marvel, an entire host of angels appear. They are not singing but proclaiming, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." It is like the battle cry of an army. The King has arrived and victory is imminent!
At the scene of man’s captivity to death, the Creator promised a rescuer. He selected for himself a people who he fought for and delivered from oppression. As their sin mirrored that of Adam and Eve’s, they found themselves in captivity once again. From there, the promise was renewed that a deliverer would arrive. And in a world that celebrates kings, prophets, and warriors, God chose to use the forgotten and outcast to carry out his plan.
On this innocent evening, the armies of light declared war on the principalities of darkness. The Creator has come back for his people. Not only was he born, but he paid the price for our sin through death on the cross. Three days later, he conquered even death! Jesus Christ came to fight for us when we could not fight for ourselves. Paul explains it best.
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2:13-15).”
Merry Christmas.
The Journey to Christmas: A New Cast
One of the most difficult parts about moving off to college was saying goodbye to my old friends. I was born in north Dallas and my family never left. I went to the same church since I was 2 and grew up in the same schools since 1st grade. I met most of my childhood friends in the nursery and I am sure a few of them saw my diaper getting changed. This made the friend-making process in college difficult since I was used to people who knew me my entire life. A new cast developed in my life story with a new setting and culture.
After thousands of years of kings, deliverers, and prophets guiding the Biblical story, a new cast begins developing. Hundreds of years have passed since God has last spoken and the culture in Israel could not be more volatile. The Persian government has been replaced by the Romans. Jewish religious sects have developed who now oppress the poor and hurting. To make matters worse, influential men are claiming to be the promised deliverer but are instead leading good Jewish men to their own crucifixions as the merciless Roman soldiers exercise zero tolerance. It is a society marked by guilt, pain, and longing for freedom.
As the Jews suffer, the world is getting smaller. Roman roads are the most advanced in history. The Koine-Greek language is serving as a universal means of communication. Shipping lanes, aqueducts, and other amenities are also growing as the Romans continue to advance their unstoppable empire. The people are hungry for freedom and the culture is poised for a new movement.
As the world continues to grow and tear itself apart, a faithful priest named Zachariah enters the Temple to perform the ritual sacrifices. He is not a man of prestige, wealth, or fame. He is simply an obedient man of God. While he is there an angel appears, telling him that his wife will bear a child who will prepare the way for the long-awaited Messiah. Shocked and riddled with doubt, Zachariah protests and is cursed to remain mute until the child’s birth.
Meanwhile, another messenger of God appears. This one is Gabriel. As before with Zachariah, the recipient is not a person of wealth or fame. It is a young Jewish girl in a back-woods town called Nazareth. At around 14-15 years old, this teenage girl named Mary is preparing for her marriage when Gabriel appears. In spite of her virginity, Mary is told she will give birth and his name will be called Jesus. He will be the Son of the Most High, the future King, the rescuer.
While the culture continues to look for their political or militaristic leader in the world-class cities, God is working among the greatest victims of this fallen world. He is working among the faithful and the obedient. They are the same ones forgotten by society and disenfranchised by its self-destructive pursuits. In a time of oppression, pain and sorrow, the message is clear. The armies of light are preparing for their invasion on the principalities of darkness. As promised in Genesis and throughout Israel’s history, a child is on his way. An invasion will soon begin and it will be led by our rescuer.
Read Luke 1 and respond to one or more of the following questions. Also, feel free to add your own insights into the text. The more interaction, the better!
What key differences do you notice between Zachariah and Mary’s reactions to the angels’ messages?
What does Mary’s song tell us about God and his plan for this child?
Why is John’s birth so significant?
www.gravityministries.org
The Journey to Christmas: Rescue is Coming
Quite a bit has taken place since the Journey to Christmas first began. It started in the Garden where Adam and Eve experienced God’s plan in the fullest. Things were perfect until sin entered the picture and the world was thrown off balance. In the moment of mankind’s greatest despair, God promised a deliverer to bring his people back to himself.
God carried out his plan through the descendants of one man – Abraham. Through his descendants, God chose to glorify himself and give this people his presence. At the height of their history, the Israelites learned that God fights for their victory. However, God’s presence left them as it did Adam and Eve when Israel also failed to keep God’s laws and they soon found themselves exiled from the land.
Just as God provided for Adam and Eve, he also delivered the Israelites from their exile and returned them to their own land. However, they soon found that something was still missing. Although back in the Promised Land, they were still under the rule of other kings and kingdoms. Oppression and slavery still marked their existence and God’s presence seemed anything but near. In the midst of their despair, God began speaking through the prophets of a deliverer. One such prophet was Isaiah who had this to say.
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. –Isaiah 9:2-6
Isaiah’s message is loud and clear. Rescue is coming. For those who have been living in darkness, soon there will be light. For those living in the shadows of death, a new day is dawning. Where there has been sorrow, guilt, shame, and pain; soon there will be joy like that of a prosperous year or a decisive victory. Where there has been slavery, oppression, and burdens; soon there will be freedom. Where there has been war, soon there will be peace.
All of this will come to pass through a child. A new Kingdom is coming that will be on his shoulders. What the Israelites still do not realize is that this new King is for all people. The rescue is for anyone living in darkness, oppression, death, pain, or war.
Our God is coming for us. The one to crush the serpent’s head will soon arrive. In the darkest nights, hope is rising!
Read Isaiah 9:2-7 and respond to one or more of the following questions. Also, feel free to add your own insights into the text. The more interaction, the better!
What do Isaiah’s words tell us about Christ?
How do you believe this message would have been received in Israel?
www.gravityministries.org
