Camp Thursday Night

CAMP • 6.26.08

Can God Confide In You?

The night started off with students from the choir free time option singing “In Christ Alone”. As the lights dimmed again AT2AP came up and did a drama about the hardships going on all around the world. Ashley played a girl who was concerned with the world around her and everything that was going amiss. Matt played a skeptic that believed the world is full of horrible things and there is nothing anyone can do to it. In contrast Shara described the hope in power of Christ, and how ultimately God will have the final word.

Then a short promo video from Servant Life, the mission part of Student Life was played. Servant Life offers mission opportunities in seven different Countries.  For more information students were directed to go to servantlife.com. The video talked about how we can study the Word day in and day out but if it does not propel us to take the Gospel to the Nations then we’ve missed the point.

Kristian and his band began worship singing “Majesty” and “Lord of All”. Praises echoed as they closed out with “Mighty To Save”. Kristian invited them to do with their hands what they have been talking about with their lips the whole week.

The band continued playing “Mighty to Save” as the Student Life staff took their places around the room with buckets. Students all around the room came forward to worship through giving. Every single cent of the money given tonight will go towards Compassion International, Reach Orphans with Hope, and Servant Life’s mission trips.

Then there was a short video based off of Philippians 2:5-7 that showed students the importance of having the attitude of Christ. A boy was fixing his friends car for absolutely nothing, but simply to serve.

The sermon tonight was based off of Isaiah 54. Neil read the students a recent article from the newspaper entitled “Believers Okay With Many Paths”.  The article talked about how religion is a salad bar where people heap on beliefs that they like. There is a stunning difference between people’s standards and their faith. The Bible talks about how people honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him.

To keep from our hearts being far from Him we need a God sized view of God. So often we use the word awesome to describe our car, food, friends, and at the same time God. He isn’t even on the same playing field as those other things, but we place Him there. We don’t realize that we are talking about the lofty and exalted God. For Jesus to come to earth he gave up some glory. If He came to this earth full of Glory He would have killed everyone. We’ve lost our mind if we think we can take hold of God. We don’t need to get our theology from the lyrics to a song. Think about God as He is and not as you need Him to be.

We also need a Biblical view of sin. Grace teaches us to say no to un-godliness and to live upright. The greatest thing about God is that He transforms us into the kind of people whom sin looses its appeal. Sin is an insult to the sufficiency of God

The reason sin doesn’t bother some of us is that we haven’t seen the King. Sin isn’t a big deal to us until we see the King. Neil told the students that he hopes that there will be a day when they have to tell their friends why they no longer do what they used to do.

God will reveal to you as much as He knows He can trust you with. He is roaming the earth for someone that He can show His heart. Camp is not a feeling we should try to maintain, but something that propels us in forward motion. He left the students challenging them to ask themselves what God can trust them with.

As students reflected on the sermon Kristian and the band sang “ Lord of All” and “Holy Is the Lord God Almighty”. Praises echoed everyone sang ” How Great Thou Art” and “Our God Reigns”. Kristian closed out praying that the Lord would loosen their grip on the things of this world. He told the students that he would continue to pray that the taste they have gotten this week would stay on their lips.