"A God Thing"

You ever have one of those times when God totally knocks your socks off? I had one of those moments recently. I had been having a tough weekend. (Weekends can be lonely.) Well, needless to say, I was having a "woe is me" time. I had taken my perspective off God and had placed it on myself. Well, without going into a lot of detail, God set me straight. He provided me with encouragement and reminded me why I am here. It was probably the highlight of my time so far. It was one of those times when I had to look back and say, "Only God could have orchestrated that! I am so blessed!"

Being a tourist :)

So, I finally decided to do a little bit of sight seeing. Yesterday, I ventured out on my own to visit the square in C. Budejovice. Though it was sprinkling, I enjoyed my little adventure. I climbed the clock tower and viewed the city from above...absolutely beautiful!

Then, today, Eva and I ventured out to visit the castle in Hluboka. Here's a Czech lesson for you. In Czech, "Hluboka" means "deep." Hluboka possibly derived its name from a deep well that used to be on the property. (I learned this from the English tour I took of the castle.) The weather was cold, but Eva and I had a good time. I really enjoyed spending time with her as well as getting to see another beautiful sight of the Czech Republic.

This is the view of the square in C. Budejovice from the clock tower.

In the middle of the square in C. Budejovice stands this monument. I'm not sure if it represents anything or not. To the right of the picture, you'll see the clock tower I climbed!

This is Eva and I in front of the Hluboka castle.

The Hlubka Castle - absolutely beautiful and quite fascinating!

This is me enjoying the fall weather.

"My Tree"

So, did you ever have that special place you went to as a kid? Sometimes you would go there to be alone; other times you went there to relish a secret. It was that place that was yours. Well, I've got a special tree here. I know; it sounds quite funny. This is the first tree I noticed which had leaves changing. It's also right by the river. I've walked down to the tree several times now. God has used its beauty to remind me He is there. Just as He is changing the tree for this season, so He has a purpose for me for right now. Looking at "my tree" reminds me to not only look to the Lord but to trust Him in this new season. I am thankful for His reminder...even in a tree.

Counting my blessings...

One thing that never fails to amaze me is God's "little" blessings - especially on those days when things aren't going just like we planned. One thing that I have committed to do while I am here is to thank God for at least one blessing every day. Here are some of the blessings I have been counting~

• The Barnes (the missionary family)
• Skype (The program I'm using to stay in contact with friends and family back home).
• Making my very first trip to Tesco (a grocery store) by myself
• Using the Posta (post office) by myself
• Seeing a lady from the Czech church at the grocery store and saying hello
• Getting mail :)
• Enjoying a brisk walk
• Building a relationship with Eva (my Czech friend)
• Learning new things from my Bible study
• Asking for bags in the grocery store and actually getting one!
• Encouragement from family and friends back home
• Being able to remember the way to the store

God has allowed me to find joy in the "little" things, and I am so grateful. I was on skype with Kristi, and we were laughing at how a simple accomplishment, such as grocery shopping by yourself, can be rewarding! I never would have thought about that back home, but now, I am grateful.

I made it!

Well, I made it. I actually had a fairly easy time getting here. All my flights were on time. The actual flights were smooth. I only slept a little bit on the flights, so needless to say, I was pretty tired when I arrived. My luggage all arrived with me. I saw one of God's blessings early. One of my bag had a rip in it, but I got here with all my stuff! The Barnes met me at the airport where we then had a two hour drive to my new home for three months. The Barnes have been great!

I will have to write more about the Czech in a later post, but I wanted to write a bit about life right before I left. Dustin came to spend a few days with me. My parents took us to the circus. The next day we hiked down to see a waterfall! Well, it was more of a "falls" then a waterfall, but it was still fun. Then, on Saturday, we (Dustin, my parents, and I) left for the airport. Some of my wonderful friends surprised me by meeting me at Chili's. Then they saw me off at the airport. Saying goodbye was harder than I thought it was going to be.

I've received a few assignments for my time here, and I'm excited to have something "mine." Please continue to pray! I'll write more when I get the internet hooked up in my apartment.

The Gospel, Part 1

Introduction

On Wednesday nights we have been studying the Gospel. When I tell people that, many of them are a bit confused. Why should a class made up of long time believers need to study the Gospel? Haven’t we heard it enough times? Isn’t it simple enough for a little child to understand? Why would we need to “study” it?

The very fact that we ask this is indicative of our need to take a close look at what Scripture teaches is the Gospel.

Many people today are seeking to improve upon the Gospel, to make it “better” in some way or more “acceptable” or to add to it. In the midst of this madness the Gospel is lost. This is nothing new, the very same thing happened in the days of the New Testament writers. In fact, a significant portion of the New Testament was written in an effort to defend the Gospel from those who were trying to make it something it was not! So, it is a good idea to look through what Jesus had to say, what the Apostles preached in Acts, and what the New Testament letters were guarding the Gospel from.

Last Wednesday night we took a dive into 1 Corinthians 15. There, Paul tells us a great deal about the Gospel, and defines what the Gospel itself is. I will be taking a little time to review what we studied that night while making some observations and commentary on the passage. I will start with verse 1, and you will have to stay tuned for the rest!


The Gospel, Part 1

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand… 1 Corinthians 15.1 (ESV)

We often think of the Gospel as something which is to be preached to unbelievers so that they might be saved. Absolutely true! However, notice in this passage that the Gospel is something which believers are reminded of by Paul. Other translations say that Paul is “declaring” or “making known” this message of the Gospel to the Corinthian believers. Note that Paul writes this section of his letter to the church of Corinth, to believers, and he calls them brothers. They have already received the Gospel. Therefore, while the Gospel is to be preached to those who are without Christ (unbelievers), it is likewise to be preached to those who have already received Him. The Gospel is to be preached to those who are believers in Christ and members of His body, the Church! If we do not have the Gospel, if we do not remember it to keep it ever before us, we will inevitably be crushed by our sins. We will either be oppressed by our sins or we will become legalists, religious rule keepers out to try and make ourselves look good morally so that we can please others and quiet our consciences. The preaching of the Gospel is able to free us as believers from these horrible consequences!

Notice also from this passage that the Gospel is something which is preached. It is not something which can be “lived” so that others may come to know the Gospel because it is not something which can be presented without words. The Gospel is propositional truth. The Gospel is expressed through words regardless of what language or form they are in (spoken, written, signed). Never think that good deeds of any kind are the Gospel itself, they are not. This is not to say that we do not live the Gospel out in our behavior, only that the changes brought about in our lives by the Gospel which other people see should not be confused with the Gospel itself, which is to be preached.

Paul writes that the Corinthian believers received the Gospel. “Growing up in church” is not sufficient. Being sprinkled with water when you are young, or dunked when you are old, or catechized, or confirmed, or any other such work is not sufficient to save you from your sins. According to the Word of God, you must receive the Gospel. Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins in accordance with the Scriptures, was buried and raised from the dead in accordance with the Scriptures, and appeared to many. One must receive this to be saved. It is the Gospel in which we stand.

Much more on this in Part 2!

Grace,
Chris

Packed, but not quite ready...

Well, I'm less than seventy-two hours from heading out. I can hardly believe it. I've spent this week mostly packing, doing last minute shopping, helping out around the house, and getting ready for Dustin to come. I still have a few more things to get from the store and a few things left to pack. Other than that, I'm pretty much ready...or at least I think I am. I've also been getting some last-minute advice from some of my friends who have lived or are currently living overseas. They have been a blessing!

Please continue to keep me in your prayers. I need it. Hopefully the next time, I'll have some pictures to post of the Czech Republic!