Why I love this job

Recently I read an email that Ryan, a guy that I disciple, wrote to the guys in the freshman Bible study that he leads. It is an honor to know that God is using me in Ryan’s life to speak truth into these freshman’s lives. The email is lengthy, but it’s worth reading.

Hey Guys,

So here’s the deal. This year I know I’ve talked to a number of you guys about getting plugged into a body of believers and encourage you not to just be a renegade Christian. I thank the Lord for the things that he has been doing in your lives, and want to see that continue! Nevertheless I could not strongly enough urge you to get connected with a body of believers this final quarter of your first year at poly. I know there is so much that comes against you guys. It can seem like everyone else is right in doing whatever they want in living for the next party, the next girl and the best grade… but in the end it falls through, it doesn’t satisfy, it will leave you still hungry.

Furthermore, another lie you face is that Jesus is just some good man, but not really God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ may seem antiquated, bigoted or irrelevant. Your teachers will mock it, media will scorn it, and your friends will likely mock you for it. Evil men came against Jesus and he was despised. He was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Furthermore he tells us that If “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” and “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” All this will be yours for believing Jesus’ claim to be “the way.”

Ultimately you will be spared from death. The problem is that the world has believed the lie. As it is written (1 Jn2:22)  “Who is the liar but k he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is b the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.” People say that Jesus is just a good man, or a prophet or, a good teacher. But what they fail to see is the inherit fallacy of calling him just a “good man.” He himself doesn’t just say he is “a way”, “a truth”, or “a life”… but rather that He is (Jn 14:6) “The Way, The Truth, The Life”and that “no one comes to the Father except through him (me).” As the Jews were questioning him if he is the Messiah they he concludes that (Jn 10:30) “I and the Father are one….33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but w for blasphemy, because you, being a man, x make yourself God.”

Therefore I pose the case to you. Does a good man, a good teacher, claim to be God himself? The emphatic answer no. His claim leaves you with only three options.  Either Christ was a liar — the Devil of Hell, seeking to mankind astray to waste their lives, A lunatic – some deranged man who thought he was God, or Lord – truly God in the flesh.

If he was a liar he would be the biggest fake to roam the face of the earth. It would be hard to reconcile all of his “good deeds” and how he seeming to really care for the lowly in society. Most compelling is the fact that he was willing to die for this. Who is really going to be willing to die for something they know is not true. All he had to do was tell the religious leaders that he is not the Son of God and they would have gladly spared Him. Not only this but 11 of his closest followers (the disciples) would have been killed for a lie. Many were brutally murdered. Peter was killed on a cross upside down while John was reportedly put in a caldron of burning oil. Therefore, not only Jesus, but all these men would have to have believed in the character of Jesus so much that they were willing to die for it. “Would you be willing to die for something you knew was false?”

He could have been a raving lunatic. This however is unlikely in the way that he seems in his sound mind in conduct. Large crowds would gather to hear him speak some nearing 13,000 including women and children. Not only this, the Pharisees were scared of coming against him because of his popularity amongst the common people and the poor. He made his claims in public, and argued often in sound recollection of the Old Testament Jewish scriptures. Jesus’ ministry was public and the great multitudes who saw it did not write him off for wild foolishness or eccentricity. He was respectable enough for crowds to gather and listen to, and for groups of over a hundred disciples to devote themselves to.

Lastly, he could have been exactly who he said he was. The eternally existing Creator of the Universe, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, God in the flesh — the God who loved man so much that he would not leave them in their sinful estate, but instead of putting them to death for their rebellion and sin, demonstrates that his love is never failing, and that his greatness is unmatched, by coming down to the earth to die the excruciating death of scoundrels, nailed to a Roman cross. The Christ who has “laid his life down as a ransom for many.” That whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Therefore, I want to invite you to take seriously what God says. Do not slough it off on the side, don’t put it on the back burner, but consider carefully who Jesus is.

A great way to further consider this question, or a step to take it more seriously is by coming camping with usthis upcoming weekend. We are going to be going to the Eastern Sierras above Bakersfield this Friday, April 9^th – 11^th. We will be joining up with a bunch of other dudes from Campus Crusade and BBQing and Camping for the weekend. The cost is only $10 plus Michael and I will be driving and you can totally come with us. (If you don’t want to pay any money, I think it’s such a great opportunity that I would be happy to pay the $10 for you). We will be bringing out own food to eat, so we can work that out however you’d like. (either people individually bringing their own food, or we can all go to Costco/ the store together and each chip in on food/drinks/snacks). Either way I am planning on bringing an ice chest that we can all use, and there will be two big BBQs going for Lunch and dinner.

For more specifics check outhttp://slocrusade.com/main/ (under “Upcoming Events – Men’s Retreat 2010” on the right side). This is also a great environment to invite those who might be kind of spiritually interested (or even not) to come and camp, fish, hike, spelunk, play capture the flag, and consider who Jesus is and what the Bible is about. Be bold, invite your neighbors and friends!

For those of you who have been coming and haven’t been coming I want to encourage you in the importance ofmeeting together as Christians. We are not meant to do this life on our own, and it is so easy to be hardened by sin and discouraged without other brothers and the word of God. Therefore I strongly encourage you to come this weekend or to join us Monday nights this quarter.

Sincerely,

Ryan

Of other note:

-We will be continuing to meet for small group Bible study on Monday nights this quarter at 8:00pm in Kyle and Jason’s room (give me or Mike a call just before 8 and we can let you in tower 2 if you don’t live there)

-We will be meeting up on campus periodically throughout the quarter on Thursday afternoons to go share the Gospel with others on campus and in Yosemite.

-This upcoming Thursday we are planning on setting up a table in Yosemite to start discussions with others about their spiritual background in hopes of getting to love on them and share the Gospel with them.

-We will also periodically be playing sports (B-ball/ soccer/ ultimate) or going hiking or surfing and would love to hang out some more.

-I would love to grab lunch with you guys and hang out, answer questions/ect. Or just go and do something sweet, and I’m sure Mike would too. Give us a call.

We always talk about spiritual multiplication within CCC b/c we really do believe it’s the way Jesus did discipleship. That means investing in men who will be faithful and teach others how to invest and teach others. Basically it’s exponential growth as opposed to limited growth with addition.

Pray with me that Jesus would be cherished and lifted up in the dorm of Yosemite and that all the mountains would be lowered and valleys raised up so that the glory of the Lord will be plainly seen, and many will come to repentance and eternal life in Christ.

Privileged to be a laborer,

Matt