F-a-n-a-t-i-c For Him

The Summer Camp Hangover...

2008-09-14T01:07:00.000-07:00

...Okay, so this blog is definitely one of the longest ones I have everrr written. Its taken me about a week so I hope that you would read it slowly, digest it, and enjoy it!

There is a phenomenon, that happens all over the world when it comes to church summer camps.... that I like to call the "Summer Camp Hangover."

Basically, here is what happens: Student (lets say his name is Joe) (lets also say he is in highschool) goes to church or youth group every Sunday, hears a message, feels kinda convicted, then leaves, goes home, and pretty much forgets what he learned. Now, summer comes and Joe signs up for the highschool summer camp. Finally the day comes! He hangs out after the Sunday morning service, anxiously waiting for the bus to arrive, finally, the bus arrives...5 hours late. Joe is tired, maybe a bit grumpy, very hungry as the bus arrives at the camp way behind schedule. He immediately forgets his moods and pains as he steps off the bus into one of the most excited crowds he has every seen. People screaming and cheering, welcoming Joe and the rest of the highschool group to the camp! After things settle down, a little bit, there is worship, and then it’s off to bed. For the next week, Joe is at this camp, and everyday there is devotions, sermon, worship, small groups, more worship, and other activities. As the week goes on, Joe starts to feel this thing. This emotion. But he can't really describe it. It causes him to sing his heart out in worship, to clap his hands on every song, even though no clapping is needed. It causes him to read his Bible with more passion and with a new perspective, he starts thinking about how he can apply the sermons to his life, he gets real in small groups and opens up to share his heart with his fellow team members. Joe feels close to God. He feels the joy and satisfaction of being in God's word, and worshipping Him on a daily basis. As the week ends Joe feels changed, he feels like a different person. He gets back on the bus and starts to head home. He has a new attitude, and a new perspective. After a long ride home, he finally goes to sleep, in his own bed after a week of being at camp. The next day is Sunday. For once, Joe is actually excited about going to church! He sings with his whole heart during worship. He lingers on every word of the sermon. He takes tedious notes. He loves the fellowship afterward with the other highschool students. He leaves with the thought, “wow, I’ve never enjoyed church so much!” Joe is on a high. A spiritual high that was the product of the week in God’s word, the week of worship, the week of devotions, the week of small groups. There is just one problem; no matter what the circumstances, a high, can only last so long…. Within two weeks, Joe has lost all that excitement and fervor he had. Church has become just another thing he has to do. He no longer worships whole-heartedly, he no long takes such detailed notes of the sermon, and in fact he can even be seen texting during the sermon. He has gone back to his apathetic approach to church and to God. At first, his life seemed radically changed, then that change began to blend with his old habits, which eventually overpowered that change.

Now, what changed!? What could have possibly happened to make a highschool student go from apathetic, to excited and acting completely differently, back to the apathetic attitude a few weeks later. Why do people find so much joy and energy up at camp, and then come home to find out that nothing really changed?

Well, think about Revival (If you didn’t catch it, that was the analogy of the story)… What happened up there that was different from most people’s normal everyday normal routines? *(Now, don’t get me wrong here, I know there is a solid core that stands firm in the ebbs and tides of True North excitement. I am most definitely not talking about everyone here, but I am addressing a large group of those who were up at Revival)*

Answer: EVERYTHING! There were devotions every morning – causing everyone to get into the WORD DAILY. There was worship every morning and every night – causing everyone to adopt a LIFESTYLE OF WORSHIP. There was a sermon preached every night – causing everyone to examine themselves and think about how they could APPLY IT TO THEIR LIVES. If you think about it, if you were to extract the extra activities up at Revival 08, what would be the final result? Think of this equation: Revival 08 – boats – games – free time = Orange County Highschoolers saturated with as much Bible Studying, Biblical Teaching, and Whole Heated Worship they possibly could have handled. Now wait a minute! Am I really saying that the reason a lot of people have lost our fire and excitement from Revival is because they aren’t doing those things? YES! EXACTLY! So here’s the deal, if you are missing that fire and utter joy and excitement from Revival you need to:

1) Get into God’s word daily. Hit up Scripture of the Day at “http://www.compasschurch.org/blogs/sotd/”

2) Be thinking on a consistent pattern of how you can worship God and give Him the glory. Not just with songs of praise, but with the way you live your life.

3) Listen to sermons with the intention of application. Be thinking during the sermon of how you can implement it into your life. And then afterwards discuss it with someone who will keep you accountable.

Now. If you are already doing this, and you know who you are :), there is another challenge. We, who have that fire and zeal need to step it up. We need to be so involved in the lives of others that our fire and excitement pours over into their lives! We need to be discipling others and spurring them on to live lives glorifying to God. If we, as leaders, can take it to the next level in our encouraging and involvement with others, I think that we will see a change in the excitement and seriousness level of True North. We first need to make sure God is number one in our lives and then make sure others are doing the same!!!!

Home, Our True Home

2008-08-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends was leaving for a far away place last week (known as college), and after we said our goodbyes and he starts to leave, he turns and says "Dude, hopefully I'll see you at home tomorrow" I had probably the most confused look on my face ever, haha. I said "Huuuhhhh? What do you mean?" He then says, "Where's Home...?" Then it hit me, I was thinking of my physical home here on earth, not of our True Home, that which is in Heaven.

Philipians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

This was one of the themes from Revival 08 for those of you who were there. This verse is telling us to realize that Heaven, not earth, is where we truly belong, our citizenship is there! This got me to thinking that we need to focus more on Heaven and less on the things of this earth that are going to distract us. Earlier in Philipians 3, Paul says that he has lost all things for the sake of Christ.... he goes on to say that he considers the things of this world rubbish compared to knowing Christ and being a disciple and follower of Him! We need to be so excited and amped up about Heaven that it will drive us to store up treasure there instead of on earth.

Matthew 6:19-21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Once, as Christians, we realize that Heaven is our true Home we will change the way we think and view things. We will be more focussed on God and our Eternal Home. We should be so excited about Heaven that everyday we are saying, "MARANATHA! Come O Lord!!!!"

The Potent Power Of Prayer

2008-07-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been a while since I've blogged....

Anyways, For the past few weeks I have been blown away by the insane power of prayer. I have seen things happen before my very eyes that have brought tears of joy and awe. Over the last two or so weeks, I have witnessed adults, high schoolers, jr highers, and elementary school kids lift up prayers and requests, and I have seen them answered in indescribable ways.

Matthew 21:21-22 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

It all started on our mission trip to San Juan. For weeks before we even left on the trip, we had been consistently praying. Praying for open doors to evangelize, for the gospel to be proclaimed, and for our team to make in impact for Christ in the lives of the K-6th grade kids of San Juan Capistrano. As the week progressed and we ran camp compass everyday at creekside park and the sports park, we were wondering if what we were doing was gonna be worthwhile. I mean, we were entertaining little kids, playing fun games, doing songs and hand-motions, and having sugary snacks.... I was starting to think if it was really gonna make as big of an impact as we had hoped. Then on Sunday Morning, the last day of the trip, I was blown away. What I heard brought tears of awe and joy. As we were sitting in the Spanish Compass Bible Church in San Juan, the Pastor gets up and starts talking about letters, emails, and calls he has received from numerous parents of the kids that attended our Camp Compass earlier that week. They were saying how their kids had been rebellious, disrespectful, and disobedient before attending the week long camp. Then they told of how their kids had changed, how they acted differently, how they submitted to their parents, showed them respect, and obeyed them. I was so elated! I knew that it wasn't just our little camp which caused them to act in a different way. I knew it was something way bigger, something only God could do, working through us at this camp, could change lives that drastically. It was only through our prayers that lives had been changed. The power of prayer is truly incredible.

But thats not all....

The next week, was our big Camp Compass at CBC. I was a small group leader for 1st and 2nd grade kids. The camp had around 400 total kids ranging from K-6th grade. There was one section of the camp called "Molecular Missions." It was all about missionary work and they talked about the Mui Family who is currently doing missionary work in China along with a reenactment of the amazing story of Gladys Alward (which I urge you to go read because I cant fit it all in my blog!). But my favorite part was these three clear glass vase/jars that were on the table in the back. Every time one of the kids prayed for the Mui Family throughout the week they got to put a small pebble in the jar. By the end of the week, ALL THREE JARS were FILLED!!! And these were not little jars... Even better, we saw God answer many of those prayers right before our eyes. The main one was that son in the Mui family had been sick for some time before Camp Compass. Many, many of the kids prayed throughout the week that he would be made well again. By midway through the week, our kids ministry director recieved an email that he was healthy again!! Just another answer to the prayers of God's people!

Over the past few weeks, my outlook on prayer has radically changed. I now know and realize the awesome and potent power that we have when we come with humble yet confident hearts making our requests known to God. One of the main things we need to pray for is changed hearts in the high-schoolers of Orange County. We may have 20,000 students in our surrounding area who are not saved. But if we pray, and I mean PRAY! Then I truly believe that we will see a revival and a change in the lives and hearts of high-school students who are currently living in darkness. Now the only question is..... WHO IS WITH ME!??!?!

The Beat of the Holy Spirit

2008-04-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, for school, I was assigned an audio listening assignment.... basically you listen to a book instead of reading it. So I figured i would get some of it done while I was working out on the life-cycle (one of those bikes that doesn't move) at home. There is just one problem - you are supposed to keep the bikes pedal rpms between 78 and 82.... ideally 80!

So I start the course and began to pedal... listening to this ever interesting book on my ipod ;-) After a few minutes... I realized that my normal "near" 80 pedal rpms was ALL over the place; it was as low as 68 and as high as 92!!! I couldn't figure out what was wrong?!?!?!

Then it hit me. When ever I had ridden the bike before, I had always listened to music with a fast, fun, energizing beat to it. The reader of the audio book had a voice as dry as the desert! I immediately switched from my audio book to a good upbeat song... and BANG! It was seriously instantaneous! I automatically was right at about 80 rpms..... exactly where I needed to be!

This was a perfect reflection of our lives! A lot of times we'll neglect our Bible reading, or skip church, or do something even though you know its wrong. These actions will take us off the straight and narrow road that we need to be on. We got to remember the words of

Psalm 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

and

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The moral of the story is: We need to always remember to put God first in everything we do! And when we remember to put God first, we will be grooving;-) our lives to the Beat of the Holy Spirt! Which will keep you right on track to living a lifestyle pleasing to God!

New Year's Resolution!

2007-12-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

As I listened to the message preached this weekend at True North I was convicted how a lot of Christians really don't give themselves fully to the work of the Lord. We are distracted by so many things in this world that often we forget who we are working for. Christ is placed at the back of our minds and we go through the day thinking of how we can serve ourselves or how we can fulfill our selfish desires. Now I'm not saying that we have to preach and teach and instruct every waking moment we have. We simply have to represent Christ, and give Him the glory in everything we do.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God.

Philippians 1:20-21- I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

We must always exalt Christ in our words, actions, and attitude. Bring God glory in all we do!

Mark 9:41 - I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

To further in encourage us, we are promised rewards for something as small as giving a brother/sister a glass of water in the name of Christ Jesus. We will be rewarded for everything we do to glorify God.

My New Years Resolution (and all you reading this better keep me accountable!!!) is: In 2008, I will devote my next year to serving and glorifying Christ in all I do. I will represent Him in ALL my actions. When there is a need, I plan on helping, solely glorify His name. When someone is struggling, I plan on coming alongside them to help them through their troubles. All for His Glory. When someone new comes into True North, I plan on showing them the love of God living in me so that ultimately God's name may be lifted high and glorified!

I know that this next year, God is going to use our lives as Christians in magnificent ways. May we all be ready to do the work of the Lord and glorify Him 100% of our time on this earth.

The Gift of Thanks

2007-11-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

Here we are this Thanksgiving day

Better give Him thanks in all we say

We’ve been given so much I don’t know where to start

How bout at the center of change, that is the Heart

See God sent His one and only son to die

So that we wouldn’t have to live a lie

With that death Christ paid the price

For the sin in our life that was causing us strife

The price He paid has set us free

So we better praise and thank Him with glee

We gotta let it all out

Tell the world with one big shout

About the great gift that we’ve been given

And ultimately our reservation in a place called Heaven

The gift of eternal life is the greatest of all

So we give Him thanks, as face down, we fall

But there is much more to the story

It makes no difference if you’re a frat or sorority

We all have the hope of spiritual growth

If we follow God’s word with one special oath

Growing closer to God in our walk with Him

So that in the end we can defeat sin

This hope I speak of is more than just an emotion

It is a truly informed, biblical exhortion

Another fact I’m thankful for

Is that scripture stands forevermore

We have proof that the Living Word will never fall

This is backed by the strongest wall

Inspiration means its God breathed

When the devil heard this he probably seethed

Cause he knew he could never defend

And God would finally bring his end

The devil is gonna get thrown into the lake of fire

Cause in the end it will be known that he’s a liar

I’m so thankful for Revival

Where I became a true disciple

The Holy Spirit was working there

You could seriously feel it in the air

A chord was struck in my heart

And that was the spark that gave me a start

A whole new life has begun

Its one purpose is to serve the Son

I’m thankful for my solid friends and fam

With them, life is such a jam

I want to say thanks to all of you

That have impacted my life in more ways than few

Finally, I’m just thankful to be alive

And to bring a smile to one’s face with a “special” hi-five

So much to give thanks for and so little time

But I hope you enjoyed this thankful rhyme

So remember this

And life will be bliss

Give thanks in all things with a ZEST

And this Thanksgiving will be the BEST!

Have a Great Thanksgiving and God bless!

~Jacob

More than a 3rd period class

2007-11-15T23:58:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, we get so caught up in school, homework, and social activities that we treat our Bible reading as just homework for an average class. We've got our Bible classes, Bible lit, and Bible whatever else. In these classes we are assigned homework which normally consists of reading something out of the Bible.

I was talking to a few people this week and asked them what they were reading in their Bibles.... I got a couple answers that sounded like, "oh, I'm reading through Daniel." "I'm reading through Ezekiel!" Then i would ask, "why did you choose those books." Most of the answers i got had something to do with Bible class homework.

So basically, the reason some people read their Bibles is because of HOMEWORK!!!?????

Now, I'm not saying Bible homework is a bad thing. As we learned at True North United on Wednesday, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus..." Col 3:17

We should continue to do our homework with 100%!!! But let our Bible reading be more than just homework. Don't let is become just a "class" make it something special and different. Let the Bible be the guidebook to our lives, our source of truth, our spiritual food, and most of all, our way to grow closer to God!

~Jacob

The Best Week of My Entire Life!

2007-11-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

ok so i decided to make a blog...... i figured my testimony would be a good place to start.

I had grown up in a Christian home all my life. I had gone to church and Sunday school since i can remember. When i was about 5 or 6 years old, I "asked Jesus into my heart" (where is that in the Bible???!). I was going through life thinking i was a Christian. I was barely mumbling the talk... maybe. But definitely not walking the walk. I had my idols, I put other things in front of Christ and I wasn't a true disciple of Christ. Back in January of 07 out family started going to Compass Bible Church. Within a few months I felt somewhat connected and let myself be talked into going to the high school summer camp by this guy named Curren. The camp was called: Revival 07. I figured it was just gonna be like every other summer camp that i had been to. Full of "Jesus loves you sermons," and just fun and games. I was dead wrong. We get up to camp after a wild bus ride and Pastors Bobby and Lucas are hyping everything up and getting all the kids to cheer and scream. Then Bobby ends with, "Are you guys ready to have the best week of your lives!!????" I start thinking to myself, "yeah right..." I was dead wrong...again. So that night we heard the first sermon from Pastor Mike. It was solid to say the least. Over the next couple days he preached about how just because kids grow up in a Christian home does not mean that they themselves are truly Christians. How kids may not be who they think they are in Christ. By Wednesday night, I felt conviction like I had never felt before. I realized that I hadn't made God MY God. I hadn't put Him first in my life. I hadn't repented of my sins or let go of my idols. I was living in sin and darkness. But that week, God got a hold of my heart. The Holy Spirit was obviously working in my life and it convicted me that I needed to turn my life around and put my Faith in Christ's work on the Cross. On the night of July 25th, 2007, I let go of my idols, I repented of my sins, I told God I wanted Him to be the leader of my life, I relied fully on Jesus' work on the Cross for the penalty for my sins. That night, I was BORN AGAIN! Revival 07 was truly the greatest week in my life.

Since then, my life has radically changed. I have a longing and thirst for God's word. I've started to read my Bible every day. My heart has changed from a selfish one to more of a servants heart. My relationship with my parents is fantastic. I can communicate with them now on a whole new level of respect and reverence.

So on October 21st, 2007, I declared my faith through my public baptism. I was already baptized into the Holy Spirit the moment I was saved in July. This was obeying Christ's command to be baptized as a outward testimony of an inward reality in a Christian's life. I shared my testimony in front of over 200 people and I pray and hope that through it the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of those there who are not saved.

I have one reason for living life now. That reason is to represent Christ in all i do. Whether it is hanging out with friends, to taking a test at school, to playing sports, my purpose in life is to bring glory to the Father in all i do, say, and think, to share the good news of Salvation with boldness, and to seize every opportunity I have to encourage fellow believers and evangelize the non-christians in my life.

Thanks for reading, God bless, and peace out

Jacob