Ramseur Baptist Youth Group

The Lost Biblical Balance of Human Creativity, Part 1

2012-01-25T15:50:00.005-06:00

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." -I John 5:21

John's last words in his first epistle. Words that sometime seem too archaic for our time and culture. For we know, if we have studied the Bible for any length of time, that the peoples of both the Old and New Testaments dealt with idols made of gold, silver, and other metals. We, in our civilized Western culture of America, don't deal with those. And yet, God has for some reason left that inspired, preserved verse in His Word. At this point, if I was to ask you, what are the idols of today in America? The list would begin with money. A good start. It would continue with things like TV, movie stars, general entertainment and amusement, food perhaps, and maybe even ourselves. And I would agree that these would certainly qualify in many people's lives as idols. But in the next few posts I want to discuss an idol that is so subtle and hidden behind so much heart and sincerity that we don't detect, nor are we concerned with it in most churches. The idol of human creativity. (To Be Continued...)

Making Room for the Nativity

2011-12-08T15:50:00.002-06:00

I woke up this morning and decided to turn on the morning news. Of course Christmas time is upon us, and you know what that means: somebody has been offended at a Nativity scene. You would think the usual topics at Christmas time would only include stories of generosity, giving, and family, but, no, people get upset at a Nativity in someone else's yard. Anger and resentment began to enter my heart, but then I began to realize: someone being offended at a nativity scene in someone's yard is greatly illustrated by a Bible character who we know as the Innkeeper of Bethlehem.

We only find him mentioned in Luke 2:7 "And she (Mary) brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR THEM IN THE INN." Wait, what does that have to do with a nativity scene in someone's yard, you might ask? You see, just like the innkeeper had NO ROOM in his inn, people who are offended at these scenes are not upset because of the scene, but because they have no room for Jesus in their hearts.

May this not allow us, as Christians, to get angry and see them as an enemy to be defeated. But may we instead see them as the lost to be won to Christ. May our hearts, this Christmas season, be full of love and grace towards those who become cynical of our nativity scenes and our worship of Christ. For only these will encourage them as they Make Room for the Nativity...not in their yards, but in their hearts!

What Is the Ultimate Goal for our Teenagers?

2011-10-28T09:33:00.002-05:00

As a youth pastor, this is a question I must ask myself over and over again? Focus can sometimes get placed upon that which is non-essential and forgetting that which is most important. There are a lot of valid and noble goals that we have for our teens in our churches, families, and community: To be drug free. To be alcohol free. To be pure until marriage. To be a faithful and life-long church member. To memorize Scripture. To witness to others at school. To bring friends to youth group. But are any of these the ultimate goal? NO. Our teens need to know that Jesus declared, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me (John 14:6)." If they can leave from under our leadership or parenting and never hear this truth, the ultimate goal for our teenagers is lost. There are too many people satisfied with telling our teens that Jesus is only one of many ways to heaven, but Jesus left no room for this to be true. Narrow-minded thinking? Of course it is, but so is the fact that there is only one TRUE answer on a multiple choice question in school. No matter how much I debated with the teacher, the TRUTH remained that there was only one right answer. Jesus said it Himself in Matthew 7:14, "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." I am determined, by God's grace, to stand unashamed and uncompromising on this truth: that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. And WITH LOVE, proclaim this truth and demonstrate it to all I come in contact with. And I pray, by God's grace and for the sake of our teens and children alike, that you would commit to this as well.

A Friend Closer than a Brother

2011-03-08T12:26:00.003-06:00

Friends. They are so important in the good times and the bad, especially in the teenage years! But how come the number of friends seem to disappear when times of trouble and difficulty come in your life? It seems the number of friends that truly care are much less than those that said they cared!

For example, the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 had many friends when he left home with the money and riches of His Father. But then his money ran out and so did his friends. He went from "Most Popular Student" in the yearbook to friendless in a few short days. In his time of need, he had nowhere to turn for a meal except to the pigs on a nearby farm. Doesn't sound like they were much of a friend to me! Ever felt that way or been there before? Not with the pigs, but the feeling of loneliness.

The Bible gives us good news and tells us of a friend that sticks closer than a brother. His name: God. David said in Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very PRESENT help in trouble." Did you notice the word "present" in the same sentence as "trouble"? No matter what difficulty or how much trouble your life seems to be in, even if all your earthly friends find themselves to busy to help, God is there and always PRESENT!

Getting and EXPECTING the Best

2011-03-01T14:32:00.003-06:00

May we, as parents and youth ministers, not settle for our teens to simply live a good life of morality and religion but expect them to live the best life as life-long servants of Christ. God wants the best for every teenager and so should we! And with His help, may we see it come to pass, not only in their lives, but ours as well!

When It's Alright to Be Discontented

2011-02-15T10:31:00.002-06:00

Now at first this may not sound Biblical but keep reading and you will see what I am getting to. In this day, many teens and adults are discontent (not happy with what they have) with their life, their posessions, their looks, their weight, etc. The list could go on and on and on and on... ok well you get the point. Paul was clear in Philippians 4:11 that "...in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Are you content with the things I mentioned before? Paul states that IN EVERY STATE or SITUATION to be content. Is that you? Or are you known for your complaining and whining until you get the next thing on the list of your wants?

So you should be content in everything in life...except one. Paul continues in Phillippians 4:17 to say, "...I desire fruit that may abound to your account." Paul had a list of wants for the Phillippian church: spiritual fruit/growth. This was the one thing Paul desired, wanted, and did not want the church to be CONTENT without it. He wanted the church to desire to learn MORE about God, have a deeper relationship with God, and see MORE people come to know Christ as their Savior. Are you content with your Christian life or are you like Paul, discontent in the area of your spiritual life and always desiring MORE, MORE, MORE? That's a good place to be.

Expecting Great Things from Teenagers

2011-02-02T09:15:00.003-06:00

I hear it all the time, "I don't know why they do that, I guess they are just being teenagers." Doesn't sound that bad at first except most of the time it is in the context of a stupid and ridiculous action, like driving without a liscense. (No I have never done that myself. LOL) Trust me I did some stupid things as a teen like jumping off a 2 foot hill and tearing my ACL and breaking my knee in 2 places. And that was at Summer Camp!! But teens should never settle for low expectations when it comes to doing great things for God! In the New Testament, Timothy was a young man, probably in his teenage years, when Paul wrote, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (I Timothy 4:12)"

Teens, you can be a great example to those around you for Christ! Don't ever think that you have to wait til' you're an adult or with a family to do great things for Him! People may put low expectations upon you, but God never does! May 2011 be the year that you see souls saved and lives changed due to your example for Christ!!!

I Love to Tell the Story and Read It Too

2011-01-25T09:17:00.002-06:00

I just got done reading a series of books called the Book of Journeys by Linda Settles. These books fall into the category of Christian allegory, which I personally love. If you are familiar with this type of writings you pretty much know how they will end due to the fact that they are fictional stories based upon Biblical truth. But for me, there is just something exciting about reading the Gospel story of Jesus Christ in a different context and, most of the time, a different world. With the popularity of the Narnia Series, this type of writing has gotten much attention.

It's amazing to know that, as the old hymn states, "I Love to Tell the Story" and sometimes I like to read it too. Not only in the Bible but also in a Christian allegory for the story never gets old nor does it ever lose its effectiveness. May I never lose the astounding truth and reality of what Christ did for me on the cross to redeem my sinful soul!

What Are You Pursuing?

2011-01-19T09:06:00.003-06:00

I got the book "Me, Myself, and Bob," written by the creator of Veggie Tales Phil Vischer, for Christmas this past year. It is a biography which tells mostly of how he grew his business from scratch to success and then how he eventually lost the company and all the rights to Veggie Tales due to bankruptcy. Sound encouraging yet? Trust me, it is.
The encouraging part is where Phil tells of the spiritual lessons he learned from his past successes and failures. He wraps them all up with this simple statement: "The impact God has planned for us doesn't occur when we're pursuing impact. It occurs when we're pursuing God."
So I ask what are you pursuing: impact for God or God Himself? It is so easy as Christians to get caught up in numbers and results while losing our focus of the reason for it all, Jesus Christ. Pursue God and the impact will come when the time is right. But never forget, impact doesn't come from you, it comes from God.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." JOHN 15:5

Is God Not Big Enough??

2010-06-10T11:56:00.003-05:00

We all know that God is pretty big and all-powerful (omnipotent;Job 42:2), but when it comes to His Word we seem to forget that He is. For instance, we all understand that the Bible is inspired (meaning, God-breathed) by God (II Tim. 3:16). We believe that God is big enough to inspire every single word of the Bible and yet His power and sovereignty seem to get misplaced in the minds of Christians when it comes to God PRESERVING HIS WORD.

There are many different English versions of the Bible that have come out in the last 100 years and the biggest results of these have been: division, confusion, and out-right frustration in the church. Therefore, one must assume that since God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33), that the results of these Bible versions does not please God in any way.

Now, God never said "Thou shalt forever hold the KJV as the Word of God," but the Bible does say that "Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven (Ps. 119:89)" and Jesus even said, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law(Matt. 5:18)." So the question is, has heaven and earth pass? Since I am currently standing on the ground of my office in Paris, TX, I would have to say...no. Therefore, the words of Jesus declares that God's Word has not changed (sounds like preservation to me).

Can we say that the KJV is the only version of the Bible that can lead someone to Christ? Can we say that God can not speak to His children through another version? I would have to say no to both of these BUT I can say that (1)if God is big enough to INSPIRE His word, then He must be big enough to PRESERVE His Word. (2)It can also be said that since God encourages unity in the church and not division and confusion, there must be ONE unifying version. And lastly, (3)it must be said that whatever version you feel is the closest to the Word of God, you are placing a great amount of faith in the translators and publishers of that version.

It all amounts to that one word: Faith. Are you placing your faith in a version that has been around for almost 400 years and is not copyrighted (KJV) or are you placing your faith in a version that has been around for less than a century and copyrighted by some publishing company (Every other modern English translation)?

The choice is up to you, but remember this question, "Is God Not Big Enough?"

The Wonderful Story of Philemon

2010-05-27T14:59:00.002-05:00

I know you're probably thinking the same thing the youth group was thinking this past Wednesday night. How in the world could anything that amazing come out of a book with only 25 verses? Well, I'm glad you asked!

The book of Philemon is written by the Apostle Paul to a slave master named, Philemon, who we are going to call "Phil." Paul is writing on behalf of his new-found friend, Onesimus(who we are going to call Onesi). Now Onesi is a runaway slave of Phil and had stolen some of Phil's posessions when he ran away. So Phil is probably, if he's anything like me, pretty upset with Onesi and during these days could have had him killed with no problem whatsoever.

Then comes in the Apostle Paul stating that Onesi has now become a Christian and a "brother beloved" in the faith. He then continues to intercede on Onesi's behalf and asks Phil to forgive him, and not only forgive him, but to restore him ABOVE his previous position as a slave (vs. 16). Sounding wonderful yet? If not, keep reading.

Let's say Onesi, the slave, represents all of mankind and Phil represents God. Because of what Onesi did (stealing and running away), there is now a breach in their relationship and Onesi DESERVES death. Going back to the analogy, mankind committed sin against God placing an unobtainable distance between us and God. But someone, like Paul, interceded on our behalf...Jesus Christ. And if we accept Him as our Savior, our relationship with God is mended, our sins are forgiven, and we are no longer servants to sin but sons and daughters of God. Isn't that good? Now do you understand why Philemon is a wonderful story? :-)

What would you trade Christ for?

2010-05-21T15:46:00.002-05:00

I don't think any of us would say that we would consciously trade our relationship with Christ for something BUT more people do it than you would think. When is the last time you saw someone who went to church every Sunday and enjoyed every minute of it. Loved church, the Lord, and, maybe, even his youth pastor. :-) But then he starts dating the girl of his dreams who doesn't go to church or he gets a job that allows him to make good money so he begins to work on Sundays.

This happens a lot, with teens and adults alike. Maybe its not a relationship or money that you will trade your relationship with Christ for. Maybe it's entertainment or a hobby, or maybe even popularity. Whatever it is, Satan knows your weakness and it is at that very spot that he is going to try his best to keep you from serving and loving the Lord.

Determine today that no matter what you are going to serve the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. Because the time may come when someone is offering you a trade that is impossible to resist unless you've already made up your mind!

The Word of God is a Fable...Unless You Believe

2010-05-11T14:41:00.005-05:00

Many atheists and humanists of today declare that the Bible is nothing more than a story book in the same category as fairy tales. They place the person of God and His existence in the same room with make-believe personalities such as Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. So, how can Christians and atheists view the same book and the same God and have such differing view points when it comes to these elements? The answer is spiritual blindness.

Jesus taught people numerous times using parables, stories with a deep spiritual truth. Yet, most of the people did not and COULD not understand them. Most of these people were the Pharisees, the religious people of the day who did not believe Jesus was the Son of God. They did not believe anything that Jesus taught and did not understand His words, actions, or intentions during His ministry on earth. Yet, some, like the disciples, believed and grew to understand the deep spiritual teachings of Jesus. So what was the difference?

Jesus said in Matthew 15:14 that those who did not believe or understand were spiritually blind and refused to accept the Light, Jesus Christ. This light was manifested right before them but due to their rejection of Him they COULD NOT believe the teachings of Christ. In the same sense, those who are not believers of Christ cannot understand the teaching of the Word of God. They have no choice but to see it as a fable. Although, they believe themselves to have reached the pinnacle of understanding, the truth is they are spiritually blinded and incapable of understanding or identifying truth even when the Word of God is opened right before their eyes. How sad it must be for the Pharisees of Jesus' day and the intellectual atheists of today to see Truth first hand and not be able to understand. God's Word is truth, God does exist, and we can spiritually understand it as long as you believe. If you don't believe, well, the Bible is perceived as nothing more than a mere fable and storybook.

The "I" Before "U" Syndrome

2010-05-05T16:22:00.002-05:00

The 'I' before 'U' Syndrome is not a disease without a cure nor is it something that is exclusive to the alphabet. It is not something like chicken pox that leaves visible marks on your skin nor is it something that makes you act different than those around you. In fact, when this syndrome comes up in your life it actually will make you a part of the majority and will definitely make you fit in. Unfortunately, this syndrome does not please God and is commonly called SELFISHNESS.

We, as human beings, like to be #1. We like to live for ourselves for the sole purpose of pleasing ourselves. From the very beginning in Heaven, Lucifer (aka Satan) wanted to be as glorious and powerful as God resulting in his dismissal from heaven. The opposite of selfishness is thinking of others first before ourselves also known as submission, servanthood, or humility. This trait of humility was exemplified best by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, when He chose to lower himself to become a son of man (Philippians 2). So today we all have a choice, we can live a life of selfishness like Satan or a life of humility like Christ. When you put it like that, the choice is easy to make but still very hard to live. But try and maybe, just maybe, you will find yourself much happier at the end of the day. :-)

What is the source of true happiness?

2010-05-04T09:47:00.003-05:00

"Happiness" is something we all desire and hope for. Not only for ourselves but for all those we love as well. It has become, in today's society, that we even want those that we don't even know to be happy. Even the Declaration of Independence states that all humans have the legal right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Although this famous document mentions the "pursuit of happiness," it never reveals the source of happiness. So what is the source?

Colossians 1:16 states, "All things were created by him and for him." This verse states that we were created FOR Jesus Christ. Therefore, true happiness cannot be found without fulfilling the purpose of our creation: living FOR Christ. Many people in todays world, as well as in all of history, have tried to find happiness in fame, fortune, power, and success. Some try to find it in things like sex, alcohol, and drugs. But these things only provide the "pleasures of sin for a season (Heb. 11:25)." But true and PERMANENT happiness is found only in fulfilling the reason we were created by God Himself, TO LIVE FOR JESUS CHRIST.

The Redneck Fire-Alarm

2010-04-30T14:10:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't get it: If the corn is popped, a fire is present. Lol. :-)

How to Fit in At Church

2010-04-29T13:45:00.001-05:00

Why does God allow Evil and Suffering in the World?

2010-04-29T13:01:00.006-05:00

Many people, including myself at times, have wondered why God allows evil and suffering in the world? If God is really omnipotent (meaning "all-powerful), couldn't God have made a world that does not include evil and suffering. A perfect world with no war, no pain, no cancer, no mean teachers:-).

The answer is Yes, God could have created such a world and He did. It was called the Garden of Eden and it contained the first two humans...Adam and Eve. But God did not create humans as robots to worship and love Him because they had to. God loved us soooo much, as humans, that He wanted us to choose to love Him. God doesn't need our love but He WANTED our love. Therefore, Adam and Eve, as well as each one of us, have the ability to either love God and have a good relationship with Him or rebel against God and sin against Him. Well, as you know, Adam and Eve made their choice to disobey and sin against God. But as I always say "Each one of us have the choice of our decisions but we cannot choose the consequences of our decisions." And what was the consequence of Adam & Eve's disobedience? Evil, pain, suffering, war, famine, earthquakes, tornados, and any other thing that causes us pain. That's the bad news.

The good news is, God could have killed Adam and Eve right there and ended mankind as we know it. But once again He loved us sooooo much that "He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16)." God really really loves you and that is why we should want a relationship with Him. Not because we have to, but because we GET to. Not because God makes us, but because God LETS us. Think about how much God loves you TODAY!!!