Fear God?

I don't blog a lot. I could come up with 100 reasons why but none of them would matter. The reality is that it's just not something that I typically think of doing. But today is different.

This morning I was sitting on my back porch spending time with God. I have been going through the book of Deuteronomy. Today I read Deuteronomy 9 & 10, and while I was reading I was struck with something that shook me pretty hard. I'd like to share that with you.

One of the somewhat unique things about the Old Testament is the idea of "fearing God." Not only is this somewhat unique to the O.T. but as far as I can tell, it is a fairly foreign concept to most Christians as well, myself included. We may have read about it in the bible, heard about it a time or two in church, but as far as I can tell most of us have no real idea what it means or what we should do with it.

In Deuteronomy 9 & 10  Israel is about to claim the land that God promised their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What God is about to do through them should not be understated. Frankly, there is no way on earth that Israel should be able to conquer the nations they are about to conquer. The reality is that these nations are quite formidable (Deut 9:1-3). But, God is going ahead of them and will hand these powerful nations over to them.

All things considered, Israel will certainly be tempted to become proud of what they will accomplish (Deut 8:17-18; 9:6). So what does Moses do to prepare them for that temptation? He recounts all of Israel's disobedience and sin (Deut 9:7-10:11)! He literally reminds them of all that they have done wrong!

This is what struck me so hard. Could you imagine having all of your sin and disobedience recorded and then read aloud for all to hear? The crazy thing is, this is not even the scary part! He then reminds them that God wanted to utterly destroy them and start over with a "better nation (Deut 9:13-14)." God wanted to destroy them because of their sin!

Suddenly, this question came to my mind. "I wonder what it would look like if all of my sins were written out for me to read?"

It was at that moment that I had a greater understanding of Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom..." because it was in that moment that I remembered that "fearing God" is the beginning of truly understanding Grace. Grace is "getting something that I don't deserve." I get Jesus, I get the promise of an eternity with Him, and I get the forgiveness of all my sin. But I deserve judgement. The judgement that I deserve is not unlike the judgement that God reigned down upon the sinful nations that Israel destroyed in Cannan (Deut 9:4).

I wonder if you would take a moment as well to think about what it would be like to have all of your sin written down and laid in front of you to read? How many pages would they fill? How long would it take for you to realize the judgement that you deserve? The feeling that creeps into your heart as you consider these things just might be "the fear of the lord." Take time to let this all sink in.

"And now Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?"

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

The "fear of the Lord" is a beautiful thing. We certainly do not deserve the grace we are given! Maybe we forget that truth sometimes? Maybe, like Israel, we are often tempted to think that we somehow deserve Gods goodness and grace. I am amazed as I consider these things, and I hope you are as well. What a wonderful, amazing, longsuffering, and gracious God we serve. 

May Gods grace fill your heart with joy, and may the awareness of your sin make you grateful to our good, good God!  

I am up, and you are the reason...

It's Midnight on a Friday night, March 1st to be exact. I am awake, wide awake. Why you might ask? Well, if you are a teenager I blame you. Don't worry though, I'm up only because you matter to me.

I am up because at this very moment all I can think of is how much I would like to have you as an audience; I have so many things that I wish I could say to you face to face. Perhaps, it is because I feel like I know you so well; well enough to know that I don't know you, at least not nearly as much as I would like.

I don't know you nearly as well as I would like because you won't let me. You see right now, midnight, friday night, many if not most of you are still up. You might be playing a video game, listening to music, or perhaps looking at a social media site on your phone, iPad, or computer. Maybe you are sitting in your bead sending text's back and forth with friends/a boyfriend/a girlfriend. Maybe you are up simply wishing that you had friends/a boyfriend/a girlfriend to send text's to. If I can be honest it seems that these day's it does not matter which one of those things you are doing. Because whatever you are doing, it is likely accompanied by low self-esteem, feelings of being alone, guilt about something, or all of the above.

For many of you these feelings have lead you to think terrible things about yourself. For others not only have you thought terrible things about yourself, you have also done terrible things to yourself. You know what I am talking about... cutting, other forms of self harm, thoughts of suicide, attempts of suicide.

I am blown away at the number of teenagers who I know have had these thoughts, and/or acted on these actions. I can think of the actual names of MANY of you that I know right now, who have been there or are there right now. The hard part about your names, is that I know them not because you tell me about your pain, low self-esteem, loneliness, and self harm, but because your friends do.

Teenager, can I ask you to do me a favor? I'm talking right now at this very moment, right where you are as you are reading this, would you do me a favor?

Will you turn off your phone, iPad, video game, or music? Seriously turn it completely off. Whatever it is that could be a distraction to you, please go a head and shut it all off (the only thing you should have on is the the device you are using to read this post). Turn it off and listen to me, REALLY, listen to me.

God is real.

He is more real than anything you have ever felt, smelled, tasted, heard, or seen here on earth.

When the Bible say's in Philippians 2 that "one day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord..." It is REAL, and it WILL happen.

When Jesus say's in John 6 that those who "eat of his flesh, and drink of his blood will never thirst again." he was serious. He actually CAN supply all of your "real life" needs.

When John say's in John 3 that those "who believe him him will have eternal life." He was serious, and he was NOT talking about some day... he was talking about NOW.

You have a reason to SING, to be happy, to feel good... God IS real, He MADE you, HE LOVES you, and He KNOWS you.

So, give up already!

Give up believing the lies that sex, popularity, good looks, a guy, a girl, drugs, alcohol, or parties can make you happy.

Give up on those things, and trust in Him. Trust in his name, trust in his power, trust in the fact that "HE holds the whole world in his hands."

Trust that He made you for a REASON, a reason that no one else can claim. Because when you do, when you finally give up you will find PEACE.

When you finally trust Him, you will see that Heaven, namely God's Kingdom is all around you and available to you now.

Those who submit to His Kingdom and allow HIM to rule their lives, find that in His Kingdom God heals you, restores you, and teaches you to see yourself the way that He does. Which is something to smile about.

All you have to do, is believe!

Watch Out! 0_o

Dear today's teenagers:

Have you ever read the book of Proverbs? Maybe you have but, have you ever really read it? You know what I am talking about right, the thing you learn in 1st grade, and are tested on until you graduate High School, "reading comprehension?" It is the art of "understanding a text," meaning that you read a text in order to learn or glean something from it, not just to get it done.

Now that you understand what I am asking, I will repeat the question: Have you ever read the book of Proverbs? If you have, you probably noticed its increasingly foreign theme in today's teen world, your world... "Wisdom."

You know me I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE teens, so my sarcasm about the lack of wisdom in teens today is not a dig, but an observation. In fact, many teens today will not disagree with my observation, but laugh about it, crack jokes about it, and then do or say something to proudly display it. The truth is, for many of you reading this, lacking wisdom is fun, almost a goal for your day. I can tell, I read your Facebook posts.

Anyway, back to Proverbs. I was reading Proverbs chapter 13 today and felt compelled to share a few verses with you:

13:3- "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin." 


13:5- "The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace."


13:16- "In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly."


13:21- "Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are reward with good."


It is one thing to act like a fool for a good laugh, but its is another entirely to act like a fool for so long that you actually become one. My dear friends (and you know if I am talking to you), do you not see what you are becoming? Do you not see that you have traded Godly Wisdom in for a few laughs, some popularity, and literally become a FOOL? Don't lie to yourself, you are not happy, your life is a mess!

I pray for you daily, and I BEG for you to open your eyes. Remember your first love, and the joy of living for your KING!

Read those verses I wrote out above, I mean read them. Are you really going to keep this up? Are you really happy being a fool? Was God's mercy, and grace that easy to trade in for what you have now?

Take heed of God's Word. I fear for you if you don't!

Your loving Youth Pastor,

-Mike

Student Ministries: A year in review 2011

As I was planning out my busy week (Student Ministries has an event happening over each of the next 4 weekends) I was reflecting back on 2011, and praising God for what he has done; then I realized most of you would have no idea what he did. So, I wanted to briefly write about it, that way you can praise God with me!

I want to start by sharing our Values (things that make us who we are, and drive what we do):

1.    We believe that presenting the gospel to teenagers in our community is the single most important task of our HS and MS Ministries.

2.    We believe in relevant, clear, and challenging teaching of God’s Word.

3.    We believe that God cares deeply for nonbelievers, no matter what their lifestyle.

4.    We believe in overwhelming power of relationships in seeing our Vision come to fruition.

5.    We believe in the value of prayer as central to the success of our ministry.

6.    We believe in authentic, engaging, and inspiring worship.

7.    We believe in the inspirational quality of excellence. 

8.    We believe that “teen’s don’t care how much you know, till they know how much you care.” Relationships are priceless to this generation.

As you read through each of those you will see that the all of them flow from the heart of #1. “We believe that presenting the gospel to teenagers in our community is the single most important task of our HS and MS Ministries.” Everything we do is based on that truth. It is who we are; it is who God has called us to be. And we are seeing it happen!

2011 in Review:

·      We took over 150 students on four different trips this year, and expect that number to drastically increase this year!

·      Toward the end of the year we averaged seeing almost 60 students per week at our Epic and Ignite midweek events.

·      In large part because of the previous two stats we saw at least 10 HS and MS students give their lives to Jesus this year. We are hoping to see that number skyrocket in 2012!

·      In March we participated in World Vision’s “30 Hour Famine” and as a group the students raised $9,523.83 to combat world poverty!

·      As our teens continue to understand the Gospel of Jesus, we have seen the culture change amongst our all of our students. As such, it seems as if I am meeting a new face every week as our teens continue to bring their friends to our midweek events!

·      Small groups have become our bread and butter. About 90% of our teens are in a small group! These groups allow our student ministry adult staff to develop relationships with our teens and their friends, all while being focused on God’s word and accountability. One CANNOT underestimate the value of these relationships.

It would be easy to read over those bullet points and feel like we did well. But the truth is, and this is not just me saying this, we want more! As a ministry (myself, staff, and students) we feel like God has called us to reach this generation for HIS Kingdom, and that is what we aim to do. So, join us in PRAISING God for what he has done, but also for what He WILL do!

Finally, I would like to ask for you to pray for Student Ministries in 2012. We are focused on reaching more teens this year and will make changes to our yearly events to reflect that. This summer we will also be focusing on taking teens on Mission trips to deepen their faith and trust in God. Many who go will have known Jesus for only a short amount of time.

Living for the Lord and LOVING it…

Mike Szoradi

Compass Church

Student and Children's Ministries Pastor

480.276.5950 (Cell)

623.935.3060 (Office)

Disneyland here we come!

If you have not heard by now Student Ministries will be absent from church this Sunday. No Middle School Students, no High School Students, no classes, nothing. Don’t be sad though it is a good thing, and not just for the parents who get a weekend of peace and quiet! On Friday night at about midnight, 50 staff and students will be loading a charter bus bound for Disneyland, CA.

The trip, as fun as it sounds, is not ONLY about our 12-hour day at Disneyland on Saturday. It is actually more about Sunday morning when we will attend an outreach service designed specifically for teens. “Mike, what does an outreach service for teens look like?" Well, I’m glad you asked, here is a brief description: LOUD music, including some hip-hop and rap, a really funny skit or two, a speaker with enough energy to make Pastor Tim look exhausted, and the amazing, wonderful, and clearly presented Gospel of Jesus. Yeah, it tends to be a bit on the wild side, but THANK GOD for trips like these!

I say ‘THANK GOD’ because out of the 50 people going with us this weekend about 14 of them presumably do not have a relationship with Jesus! AWWWWWEEEEE YEEEEAAAAAHHHH! I said ‘14!’ Can you believe that? If you can’t tell, I am pumped about it. I am pumped for two reasons: 1) the obvious one, because WE ARE TAKING 14 TEENS WHO NEED TO HEAR THE GOSPEL, AND THEY WILL!!!! 2) And because of our HS and MS students here at Compass who rose to the challenge by not looking at this as another fun trip to go on, but as an opportunity to reach their friends for Jesus! AMEN!

Speaking of ‘AMEN,’ would you commit to praying for us this weekend? Actually, if you are crazy enough I would even invite you to come to the church at about 11:45pm on Friday night to pray with us before we leave, but that is only if you are REALLY crazy, right? Anyway, pray for safety, pray for our staff as we attempt to build relationships with new students, and pray for our new students, pray that the Spirit of God would have his way with them!

Pastor Mike

Colossians 1:9-10

God's Love

In the last few days I have been challenged twice with this thought: “Maybe God gave me my children (Lexi and Isaac), so that I would understand his love for me as His child.”

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:2&3

When I picked up by bible and began reading the book of Isaiah today I was immediately struck by these verses, because God spoke of the nation of Israel as his children! My heart began to break as I continued to read about the judgment and punishment Israel would face for turning it’s back on God, as he warned them it would if they did not become “willing and obedient.”

Words cannot express the love that I have for Lexi and Isaac. They are my children. I love playing with them, I love being able to watch them grow and continue to develop personalities, and I love being their dad! As a result of that, every day, I passionately pray that God would draw them to Himself, so that they may know Him the way I do. There is nothing on this earth that I want more than to see my children passionately love God. With that being said, I cannot imagine how God felt seeing his children walk so far away from him, and so deliberately. They were so easily swayed! 

This is all still very fresh on my mind. I am certain that God is not finished teaching me through this perspective. But, I tell you what I have learned. I have learned to understand God’s love for me on a whole new level. My mind cannot fathom having a deeper love than the love that I have for my kids. But, I am a finite and sinful human being, meaning that Gods love for me, as His child is infinitely greater than the love I have for my children; and that, ladies and gentlemen, blows me away!