by Mike Reed, Director of Student Ministries @ MBC Loudoun
I was reading in Acts 16 where Luke writes about Paul and Silas in prison “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
This text brought a lot of conviction to my heart as I saw Paul and Silas sitting in prison with an earthquake opening up the jail cell; it’s Paul and Silas’ opportunity, “we’re free! Praise God!” might be the response out of my mouth. Instead Paul and Silas sat quietly in their prison cell, as the guard, in fear of his life, knew that it would be automatic death if prisoners escaped. Paul and Silas didn’t leave because they saw a bigger reason for being in prison. They weren’t looking at their circumstances; they were much more concerned about the salvation of the guard. As most of you know Paul and Silas go home to the guards family and see him and his entire household saved.
What a story, but what a lesson this is for me. How often I am too busy looking for deliverance in a circumstance that I miss God’s work completely. Do I really believe God has a greater purpose in every sovereign circumstance He brings into my life? Sometimes I can become so obsessed with the freedom from pain that I miss the process that God wants to involve me in.
When God said that “for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purposes” he meant all things, most specifically to those who love him, not just know about him. Let’s press into Jesus this week, so that our spiritual antennas can discern His purposes in our lives through every circumstance he chooses to bring into our life, we may even get to see a saved soul in the midst of it. He is king, He is sovereign over all, He is good, we can trust Him.
Thoughts from our 6-week Bridges small group
For the quarter of a million Muslims who live in the Washington metropolitan area, there is no assurance of salvation. Muslims may try to please God through
emulating Muhammad’s example and by trying to obey the laws in their holy books, but their efforts to win God’s favor through their good deeds outweighing the bad will never succeed in producing the righteousness God requires. By contrast, God offers all peoples including Muslims salvation freely through faith in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God’s Word was not sent just to become a book of laws as Islam claims, but God’s Word became a Savior to take away our sins.
These are some of the truths members of the MBC Loudoun campus were discussing at the first Bridges small group meeting this week. They were encouraged not to ask God if they should share the gospel with their Muslim friends and acquaintances, but to ask God to open doors to share Jesus. Look around Loudoun County and you will see many Muslims who live and work among us. Perhaps the reason God has brought them here is so that we can develop loving relationships with them and hence gain opportunities to share the good news of Jesus. Don’t be afraid to reach out and get to know your Muslim neighbors. Maybe God wants to use you in their lives in “unexpected” ways. The Unexpected Adventure didn’t have to end after you finished Day 42—it can continue every day!
by Lori McClough, Beth Moore Women’s Bible Study Leader @ MBC Loudoun
Have you ever agreed to do something that you did not feel qualified or able to do and it turns out to be the most rewarding and joyful thing you have ever done? This is the feeling that I have as I lead the Beth Moore Women’s Bible Study on Daniel. Studying this incredible book of the Bible is a joy alongside these women. When planning I expected around twenty women would sign up but to my surprise around one-hundred women had the desire to know their Lord and Savior more personally. Tonight as I read over the prayer requests that women wrote, I am aware of the struggles that life brings. God has given so many examples in His Word of how people have gone through similar hard times. I am thankful for these examples. Daniel is no exception. My prayer is that as we go through this study together that we would not only gain knowledge and understanding of our Lord so that we can apply scripture to our daily life but but we will grow as sisters in our church family as we share struggles and praises. We do serve a Sovereign and Mighty God!
by LeAnne Smart, Director of Kid’s Quest @ MBC Loudoun
2010 in Kid’s Quest! Do you know what our children have been learning in January? If you want to know God better, sometimes you need to do more, like:
Read His Book. Can you think of a more foundational, first-step way to get to know Him? Plus, “God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16, NIrV). What better example of the importance of engaging in God’s Word than Jesus as a 12-year-old in the temple? (Which happened to be the Bible story for week 1.)
Remember His words. “By using Scripture, a man of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing” (2 Timothy 3:17, NIrV). Jesus showed us (particularly that time He was tempted in the wilderness) we not only need to (Step 1) read God’s Word, we need to (Step 2) memorize it, internalize it, and take it to heart so that we’ll be ready for whatever comes our way.
Talk to Him. “Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him” (Philippians 4:6, NIrV). To get to know someone and to strengthen your relationship with that person, you have to talk him or her, right? It’s the same way with God. You gotta talk to Him. Week 3, kids learned to better understand Jesus’ answer when one of the disciples asked Him how to pray.
Talk about Him with your friends. “I pray that you will be active in sharing what you believe. Then you will completely understand every good thing we have in Christ” (Philemon 1:6, NIrV). Saying what you believe out loud helps solidify your beliefs. Could this be one reason Jesus asked the disciples, “But who do YOU say I am?” (The story for week 4.)
Make Him more important than anything. “Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve” (Deuteronomy 6:13a, NIrV). This week (week 5) we’ll be taking a look at what Jesus said about “the widow’s mite” and how it helps us to worship the only one we should serve.
These are all priorities and habits — disciplines — that can help us (A) get to know God better and (B) grow stronger. Kids need to understand that they don’t have to wait till they’re older to get to know God; God wants them to start now. He’s ready to help them, every step of the way, NOW. So this January, 252 Basics is designed to help kids see how DISCIPLINE, “which is doing what you need to do now so you can grow stronger”, can help strengthen their relationship with God.
But that’s not all. In addition to helping kids understand and experience discipline as a godly virtue, each week in January will also offer practical experiences in the 5 Faith Skills we think every kid should master:
- Navigate the Bible (survey and locate)
- Personalize Scripture (memorize and apply)
- Dialogue with God (public and private)
- Articulate faith (share and defend)
- Worship with your life (praise and give)
So get your shoes on, lace up, and let’s step it up!
by LeAnne Smart, Director of Kid’s Quest @ MBC Loudoun
Love God; Love People: Preschool/Toddlers in 2010!
This month we are teaching our preschoolers to “Love God with all your heart,” (Matthew 22:37, NIrV). What an important truth to tuck into those tiny hearts. We are to love God with our “everything.” And who better to show us how to do that than Jesus? By sharing how Jesus loved God while here on earth, we show preschoolers how we too can love God with all our hearts. Our preschoolers have heard how Jesus taught us to love God and love others. They have learned how Jesus prayed to God and how He prayed for others. Jesus is our greatest teacher, and we can love God like Jesus did. In Matthew 6, the Bible says that some people asked Jesus how to talk to God. Have you ever thought about how to talk to God? There’s no better person to ask than Jesus! Let’s see what He said.
Jesus told the people that when we talk to God, we should tell God how special He is. (Hold arms up and wiggle fingers.) “God, You are special!”
He also said we should tell God that His way is always best. (Hold arms out and give two thumbs-up.) “God, Your way is always best.” Jesus said that we should ask God for the things we need. God knows what we need, and He is the one who takes care of us. We need food, clothes, and a place to live. We also need people who love us. (Hold arms out and cups hand together.) ‘God, please give me what I need.’
Jesus said we should ask God to forgive us when we do something wrong and then ask God to help us not to do it again. I know I have made wrong choices. How about you? Have you ever made a wrong choice? Maybe you did something that God told you not to do? Me too. Jesus said that God wants us to ask Him to forgive us. He also said we should ask God to help us do the right thing. I want you to give yourself a big hug. We’re hugging ourselves because when God forgives us and helps us do the right thing, He is showing us BIG love. (Hugging yourself) “God, please forgive me and help me do the right thing.”
God, you are special. (Hold arms up and wiggle fingers)
God, your way is always best. (Hold arms out and give two thumbs-up)
God, please give me what I need. (Hold arms out and cups hand together)
God, please forgive me and help me do the right thing.” (Hug yourself)
Prayer is a great way to talk to God. Do you know we can talk to God when we sing too? Sure we can! Singing is a great way to tell God how special (hold arms up and wiggle fingers) we think He is. Preschoolers have been singing “Talk to God”, this month’s worship song on www.amberskyrecords.com
Amen. :)
by Jim Supp, Campus Pastor @ MBC Loudoun
It is hard to believe the Loudoun Campus of MBC launched 2 years ago this week. What a time it has been. We are blessed and amazed at all God has done.
I could go on all day talking about the incredible volunteers we have who faithfully serve each week in every area of ministry. What about the powerful kids program we have? Imagine – kids who love to go to church and beg their parents to take them. How about the Rock – teens inviting teens to come to church and watching them begin and eternal relationship with the living God. I couldn’t ask for better teams that provide a warm environment for encountering the Lord. And all the ministries that are beginning to grow for adults – a record number of Beth Moore study attendees at 95, a men’s breakfast about to launch, a study group for those who want to care for Muslims, a marriage mentoring ministry and more. Consider our Access ministry caring for kids with disabilities and their families. And a deaf ministry that has doubled in size in the last month. And how the worship ministry has changed in just a few short weeks with the addition of our new worship leader.
We have so much to be excited about as we begin this new year. I want to encourage you to praise God for all he has done in the life of our congregation so far.
So what is on my heart for this year? Well that is what I wanted to share with you today, and it is really quite simple. As we continue to grow the body here at our campus, I believe our primary goal for this year is to better understand the population of Loudoun County, discern the critical needs and effectively meet specific needs in the name of Jesus for the sake of the Gospel. We have a wonderful congregation – solid in faith, growth, community and service. Now we need to gain clarity on how we can better be the church “out there” where the people who need Jesus exist. I ask that you pray for our leadership and our entire congregation as we seek to engage the world around us for the sake of Christ, and that you would be a part of the movement. I desire that each member would experience the heart of Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:2 when he said, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” May God bless you today.
by Jim Supp, Campus Pastor @ MBC Loudoun
So my unexpected adventure continues. I am currently spending regular time with a couple of young men who are seeking the things of Christ. One is a rather large young man who, with a shaved head and a day’s growth, looks like someone you would NOT want to meet in an alley on a dark night. His quiet man-of-few-words approach to life only intensifies the sense that he could hurt you bad at any moment. And so much to my surprise he has initiated getting together to talk about spiritual things. I had encouraged him in a previous meeting to begin reading the book of John and we could talk about it when we get together. As a result he has been reading the Bible that I gave to him. I am excited to say that he has some very real questions as he begins to read the Bible for the first time in his life. (In spite of the fact that he grew up going to church.) It was an amazing moment for me to see this guy – with the perception that he projects – humbly saying things like “I really don’t understand the whole interaction with Jesus and that lady at the well. What is that all about.” (John 4) I had to smile. What a privilege it is to begin to explain the things of God’s word to someone with an open and eager heart. The fact that he has always seemed like an unlikely candidate points all the more back to God Himself. And so I encourage you to keep and open heart and an open mind for the open door that God may want to provide for you. And remember that it might be in the most unlikely of places. God bless.
by Kyle Cox, Future Leader for The Rock @ MBC Loudoun
Know that feeling when you’re driving and arrive at your destination, then all of sudden you think to yourself…hold the phone, I don’t remember any part of that drive. Did you know there’s actually a technical term for this? “Highway hypnosis” is a mental state in which the person can drive an automobile great distances, responding to external events in the expected manner with no recollection of having consciously done so. I think it especially happens when you take a route that you constantly drive over and over. (Such as your morning commute to work.)
I think a lot of times Christians suffer from this condition when they are studying God’s word, at least I struggle with this sometimes. We crack open our Bible, start reading a passage we’ve heard or read tons of times already and our minds just take over; we shut off and don’t respond to the depth of Scripture. We ask the Lord, “What is there left for me in this passage?” Truth is, Scripture is so deep that every time you come back to a verse it can reveal a new truth to you.
An example of this recently happened to me. During a junior high student bible study I told them we were going to study Luke 2. They responded, “Isn’t that the Christmas passage?” Oddly enough I said the same thing when I first sat and studied it. We all know the story of Christ’s birth; in fact we will probably read Luke’s account when we sit around with family on a certain December morning. However, God revealed some things in that passage that I never focused on before. At the end of the story, after experiencing the miraculous birth of Christ to a virgin mother, verses 18-19 say “All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often.”
It’s an easy verse to breeze right over, but there’s a beautiful lesson to be learned. We see Mary treasuring the culmination of God fulfilling His promise to her and using her life for His ultimate goal of saving humanity from sin through Christ. Made me think, how often do we take a timeout to relish the transformative work Christ has done in our lives? Do we treasure it? If we do, how often do we think about it?
Keeping our thoughts centered on what Christ has done for us can only lead to loving God more, loving his people more, and loving to serve Him more. More than anything it’ll bring more joy in your day to day life.
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Luke 12:34
by Kathy Scherrer, Kid’s Quest Parent
The KIDstuff crew delivered another high energy, entertaining segment on Sunday, December 6th. The message this month was not only about Christmas, but it was also about the virtue of the month, which is compassion. The cast presented a rendering of the Gift of the Magi story, however there was a unique twist. In the usual story, there are two characters that deeply desire giving a loved one a very special gift to demonstrate how much love and appreciation is felt for the recipient. In this rendition, there was a third character with the ability to remedy the sacrifice shown between the two main characters.
The girl in this story carried a prized orchid everywhere she went. The boy had a prized collection of comic books, but lacked the very first book in the series. He sold his collection to buy a special lamp for growing plants in the winter, while the girl sold her plant to buy the rare comic book to complete her friend’s collection. The Grandpa, who watched the sacrifice of these two friends for each other, sacrificed his own funds to buy both the orchid and the comic book collection so that the boy and girl could continue to take pleasure in the things that brought them joy.
I liked this twist because I always felt a sense of disappointment for the characters in the original version of the story because they received gifts that could not be fully enjoyed without the items that were sacrificed in the first place. At the end of this play, the Grandpa allowed the friends to demonstrate their love for each other and was able to demonstrate his own love for them as well. We were reminded of the sacrifice God made for us by giving us his one and only Son, as well as Jesus’ sacrifice of being nailed to the cross, all for our redemption.
As a parent, I love moments when our children allow these messages to sink in and they have a chance to grasp how truly blessed we are. Children cannot imagine their parents sacrificing them, and parents most likely struggle with the idea of sacrificing a child for a cause. Yet that is exactly what God did so that He could have ALL of His children back with him in Heaven. The children in the audience were being entertained with the skits, music, and dancing, while the adults were reminded of the deeper message. Just like the KIDstuff tagline says, “Its where kids bring their parents to learn.”
Hello Preschool Friends!
I have so much to share with you this month I’m not even sure where to begin! There are so many things going on here with our preschoolers.
December is of course Christmas time! I love Christmas time. It’s such an amazing season of wonder for children and adults alike. Imagine, God gave us the perfect gift on Christmas day thousands of years ago. This month’s bottom line says, “God gave us Jesus.” What a powerful truth!
We want families to share in this amazing truth so we created a take-home activity that your preschooler can use to continue the learning at home. You can receive the take-home activity from your child’s Small Group Leader. .
God gave us the perfect gift, Jesus, and we can give to others to show our love for Him. “Coats for Kids” drive is this month’s mission project throughout Kid’s Quest. We are collecting gently used coats your child may have outgrown. If you with your child would like to participate in the coat delivery to Good Shepherd Alliance, please contact LeAnne @ leanne.smart@mcleanbible.org.
Even more exciting news! I wanted to let you know “Vision Videos” are available to guide you thru our current month of curriculum. Follow the link below to http://myfirstlook.org the First Look website. Look for the tab next to the video spot that says “vision.” December is currently tab #2 These are great to understand the vision of the “why” behind the lessons for your preschooler.
We now have our Bible stories recorded and available for purchase and download on AmberSky Records in the preschool section. These are the same stories being told in class during Make It True, just tweaked a bit to be appropriate for audio only. These audio Bible stories are designed to be downloaded by parents and listened to in the car. Jump on over to Amber Sky and take a listen.
Our team will be praying for you to have moments filled with wonder as you give preschooler a “first look” at the God who loves them, made them, and wants to be their friend forever.
How do we know God loves us? God gave us JESUS!
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