Nuggets or Strips?

Enjoy this footage from within the office of Matt Snellings as we discuss the important, ongoing discussion of which is better, nuggets or strips?

In the House - Come As You Are

Matt started the night off by telling an old story of meeting his then girlfriend's family and eating dinner. They were at a table full of lots of food. His girlfriend's sister was stuffing her face with all the food she could. And right in the middle of a nice, polite conversation, the little sister just busted out the loudest burp one has ever heard!!! Everyone looks like her expecting her to say something along the lines of "excuse me", but instead she says "that felt good". She definitely felt right at home and was being herself! Just like this little sister, we want you to feel like you can be yourself when you through the doors at Vibe!

In John 6:37, we see that Jesus will never drive anyone away. So why would drive anyone away if Jesus didn't!?! All throughout the Bible, we see that there were all kinds of people that hung out with Jesus. Jesus didn't pick and choose with his friends; He accepted everyone as they were!

While Jesus accepts everyone, not everyone accepts Jesus. Jesus tells us a story in the Bible (Matthew 22:1-14) where a man put on a huge party, a celebration! He had a feast ready, but all of those he invited rejected the invitation. So he made a change of plans and sent his servants out to the streets to invite people to his party!

Can you imagine how he must of felt when they rejected him? Imagine you have a great feast like a wedding. You had tons of food. Normally, there are leftovers at parties, but what if no one even showed up! Talk about a lot of leftovers!

Are you rejecting the invitation God has given you? Is God calling you to a relationship but are you too busy? You put it off because you don't have time. Maybe you are angry at the messenger? Who are they to try to control your life?

God opened this invitation to EVERYONE! good or bad. It's for you. God is inviting you to join Him in eternal life (Romans 6:23). Jesus accepts you already, will you accept Him?

At our church, we have an open door policy. Like Jesus, we accept everyone. It doesn't matter how much money you have, where you were born, whether you've ever been to church before! What a great privilege to be a part of a church like that! But being a part doesn't mean just going to the church, you too have to accept whoever walks through the doors of the church as they are. Remember this is not just your church, it's God's church! So make sure you take some time to look at yourself and think about how you treat people inside and outside of the church. Don't be like the older brother in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15). He was angry and bitter when the lost son returned home; he couldn't even join in the celebration!

I personally want to invite you to come to church as you are! Don't fake being a Christian or say the things that you think people want to hear. Come As You Are! There is a great quote by Nash, L.L. that states as "A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints." What does that mean for you? You don't have to clean up your mess before you come to church. You'll never come at all if you wait for that. Church is where you bring the real you! It doesn't matter how bad you think the real you is. Jesus talked and hung out with all kinds of "messy" people, tax collectors (people who stole money), murderers, thiefs, "sinners". (Matthew 9:10)

While we want you to come as you are, we do not want you to stay the same! Next week, we will talk about being transformed!

~Ash

Vibe Intern

The Gospel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ12Ry-hD6I


If you didn't quite understand what was going on in this video above, let me fill you in a little bit. A lady called in on 911 to report that she didn't get her cheeseburger! It's crazy to think that someone would call 911 so that for getting the wrong burger, but that's exactly what happened.


There are so many different rules and laws that we have to abide by. I'm sure you can think of your five least favorite ones right now. whether it's curfew, cleaning, school rules, etc. Rules have always existed. You can read about many laws that existed at one point of time that you may have never heard of. Some laws you may have heard because they were passed through the years. So often we think of religion as the same way, we think of the Bible as a big rule book we have to live by and religion as something passed down to us from our parents.


Matt talked about how that religion can be turned into something more meaningful, a personal relationship with Jesus. To start the night, he asked two questions:


1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how sure are you that you are going to heaven?


2. If you were standing before God at the gates of heaven and He asked you why should you go through, what would you say?


GIFT
Matt told us how his father-in-law recently offered him and his family a free car! How awesome is that!?! What would you do if you got offered a car for free? Often when we are given a gift like that, our first thoughts is like Wow! or Yay! Then immediately, we think why? Are there any strings attached? What do we have to do? We live in a culture where there are so many little, fine prints. There are always restrictions or tricks behind a great deal! That is not how God's gift is!


Romans 6:23 states that God's gift is FREE! not the kind of free that is asking for something in return! So what is this gift you might ask? God sent His Son to die for us so that we can KNOW that we are going to heaven! (Romans 5:8) Talk about love! that is true love, to give up your one and only son for someone else. That's exactly what God did for you! While God is loving, He is also just. Romans 3:23 states what we already know, that we are all sinners! We all miss God's glorious, perfect standards!


SIN
Sin actually means "to miss the mark" or "to miss the target". In fact, in archery this is the word they would yell out when the person shoots the arrow and misses the target. The target we have is God's glorious, perfect standard. So even when we are being good for the most part, we miss the target because we are not perfect! The Bible says that the wages (price) of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The only way to have everlasting life is to be perfect (we already missed the mark, that option is out) or to have someone who is perfect to substitute for us!



JESUS
This is why God sent His Son, for us! Jesus was fully man and fully God! He lived life on earth as we are doing right, except He did not sin! He lived a perfect life. Then he died on cross for us! Romans 3:25 says that we can be made right with God by believing that Jesus did sacrifice His life for us!

FAITH
The way to have a relationship with God is through faith! Faith is a lot like jumping off on the zipline. Have you ever been on the ziplines? What a experience! You climb up a ladder to a platform that is HIGH! Someone clips you onto a rope to keep you safe, but you still have to trust that the rope will hold you when you jump out into the air! Faith is taking that step off of the platform into what you hope will be a fun ride down the zipline! But faith isn't just saying you believe in something. Imagine someone going up onto that platform and saying "Yes, I believe that rope will hold me" and then climbs back down the ladder. You can say that you believe it, but until you trust in Him with your life, you won't experience that personal relationship with Him!
~Ash

New Years!

First off, HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

What a great time to celebrate the blessings God gave us in the year 2009! Also, we get to look ahead to 2010 and make some goals for the new year. Those goals are what we call new year's resolutions. If you just think about it for a couple of minutes, this holiday is actually a weird holiday! It is one of very few holidays that all the countries celebrate on the same day. You can watch fireworks from all over the world, Syndey, Beijing, Paris, etc. We even get a day or two off work. So much celebration for one night/day, and after the celebration is done we start all over. A new year, a fresh start!

Matt led us through a talk about New Year's, and we looked at Leviticus 23. In this chapter, we read about the feasts of the Lord and the Sabbath. These yearly feasts were a remarkable event much like New Year's, but they were not to be observed more than what we call the Lord's day or day of rest. This Sabbath day of feasts was holy and a time meant to glorify God! How often do we think of New Year's as a time that is holy?

This new year, think some changes you would like to make in your life. Think of how you can glorify God with these changes. So as you think of what your new year's resolutions are... whether it's giving more, being more loving, or losing weight.. It can be done for the glory of God.

Acts 20:35, "And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'"

Matthew 5:43-45a, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Happy 2010, a new start!

~Ash

The Conspiracy - Love All

Hey Tribe of Vibe,

It was another great night as Matt ended the Advent series at Vibe. After last week's gingerbread house story, you probably couldn't wait to hear what matt did this time. Yep, bubbles! So often we live in our own little bubble. We live in a culture where our needs are met. Also, our lives are so small when you put it to the world. Just like in any room, one bubble would be really small in comparison to that room. Matt literally made some bubbles while on the stage to show us this. He also showed us how easy it is to pop those bubbles too!

In Matthew 2:1-3, we took a look at the Magi, also known as the "Three Wise Men". They were indeed wise as they studed stars and much more. Guided by the star, they went to Jerusalem to worship the birth of the King, Jesus! The Magi came ready to worship a king by bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I'm sure they were surprised when they got to Jerusalem because no one was celebrating like they were. So they went to King Herod to see if he knew where this King was. Herod tells them to come back when they find him because he also wants to worship the King. But we know that he truly wants to kill anyone who would dare to threaten his position as king. As God planned, the Magi did not return to Herod after finding and worshipping Jesus. This is why Herod ordered for all young children in Bethlehem to be killed. That's how determined he was to make sure he was the only king around!

Man, what a difference we can see in the kingdoms of Jesus and Herod. It's clear that they were opposite! In Jesus' kingdom, you will find love, grace, eternal life, etc. In Herod's kingdom, you will find fear, death, etc. It's clear that anyone would want to live under Jesus' kingdom, instead of Herod's. Jesus would have taken the time to listen and talk with you! That's how loving He is! Somehow, I just don't picture Herod doing the things Jesus did. What a difference in these two kingdoms!

Now how could we make a difference in the world!?! Especially, when we are the size of a bubble in a large room. It starts with thinking of others more! Get out of that comfortable bubble we live in and think about the needs of others that aren't being met! Don't go and put your life above God's plans! God's most important command is to listen to and love God! (Mark 12:29)

It is such a cool thing that we get to do this together at Vibe. Matt revealed that we have adopted a kid from Ethopia through Compassion. What a great example of loving others! Some more action points from the night is to give and serve! We are rich in so many ways, so share the wealth of hope, time, prayer, etc. Another one is to talk to friends about your faith! What do you love about Jesus most? What difference has He made in you?

Soon you will be opening presents from family and friends, celebrating the birth of Jesus, and many other traditions. Make a new tradition... give Jesus a gift, the gift of love!


Matthew 25:35-40
For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'


Have a great CHRISTmas!
Ash

The Conspiracy - Give More

Hey Tribe of Vibe!

What a great talk last talk! Matt talked to us about the incarnation! How often do we hear that term? Yet incarnation is what we celebrate during the Christmas season! For those wondering what that word even means, it’s a term used for the coming of God’s Son into the world as a human being! It’s crazy to think of such a big, mighty God coming down to earth in form of a baby!

Matt showed us an illustration on stage of what this was like. Ryan, one of the students, was called up on stage and was asked to go inside of a house! One small problem! The house was a gingerbread house that was probably the size of his face. Clearly, Ryan, at his height, could not get inside! It was fun seeing him try as we got to see some gingerbread house smashing! Just like Ryan was trying to get in the house, God had to come down to earth to be with us, except it was possible for Him!

I want to share with you another awesome illustration about God coming down to earth. In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancy learns about incarnation with his fish!

Management of a marine aquarium, I discovered, is no easy task. I had to run a portable chemical laboratory to monitor the nitrate levels and the ammonia content. I pumped in vitamins and antibiotics and sulfa drugs and enough enzymes to make a rock grow. I filtered the water through glass fibers and charcoal, and exposed it to ultraviolet light. You would think, in view of all the energy expended on their behalf, that my fish would at least be grateful. Not so. Every time my shadow loomed above the tank they dove for cover into the nearest shell. They showed me one ‘emotion’ only: fear. Although I opened the lid and dropped in food on a regular schedule, three times a day, they responded to each visit as a sure sign of my designs to torture them. I could not convince them of my true concern.

To my fish I was deity. I was too large for them, my actions too incomprehensible. My acts of mercy they saw as cruelty; my attempts at healing they viewed as destruction. To change their perceptions, I began to see, would require a form of incarnation. I would have to become a fish and ‘speak’ to them in a language they could understand.

As you can see from these illustrations, it’s a big deal that God is Immanuel, God with us! (Isaiah 7:14) It required a lot for Him to be with us. It started with Mary, a virgin, having a Son called Jesus, the Messiah! Although Jesus was born human, we can take comfort that God has always existed. He became flesh as John 1:1 states.

We read about the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1:18-25. I encourage you to go through this passage one more time; this time think about how this is not just a birth of a child but God coming in the form of man so that we can be with Him! Now that is love!

Main points of the night:

1. God is Not Far Away

2. God cares about me

3. Certain about Heaven

Remember how Immanuel means God with us! God is never far away from us! We know God loves us through his actions! He cared enough about us to come down to earth! What a relief it is to know that you can have eternal life in heaven! (1 John 5:13)

So What!?! (what we can do)

Be Present

Serve

Love

Whenever people we care about are going through tough times, we seem to struggle with what to do. How can you truly comfort people!?! When it comes down to it, they won’t remember what you said; they remember that you were there! Being present is the best gift we can give! There’s no better time than the holidays to serve! There are so many ways to serve, from the Angel Tree to the food bank. Jesus tells us to love even our enemies in Matthew 5: 46-47! Being present, serving, and loving are great ways to respond to God’s love and celebrate this season!

So let’s celebrate!

~Ash

Tough Questions - Does God Care?

The past few weeks have been tough. There have been shootings at Fort Hood where 13 people were killed and about 31 wounded. Shortly after that incident there was an office shooting in Florida where 1 person was killed and 5 people were wounded. The jobless rate in our country is at an all time high and more than likely, a lot of your parents have been affected by that. Swine flu continues to wreak havoc and there seems to be constant unrest in the middle east.

It might raise the question, "Does God Care?" Well we asked that question in a variety of different ways last night. The answer of course is "YES" God cares. As a matter of fact, God cares more than we do. But it doesn't always feel that way. Another way to phrase the question might be "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Last night I asked the question, "Why do good things happen to bad people?" Which I think is a fair question.

There was this guy named Henry Cavanaugh who had serious anger problems, to say the least. One day this ex con decided to mug an elderly lady, so he did. After mugging her, for a whoppin' $28, he hoofed it (that's Texanese for "he ran"). He ducked into a camera shop on a nearby street and was greeted by....cheers! You see Henry was the 1 millionth customer and had won 1million dollars! What tha heck? Are you serious? Instead of getting apprehended by authorities he became a millionaire. Not cool.

The crazy thing is that we are sort of in the same boat with Henry. We often like to lump ourselves in the "good person" category when the Bible has a different view of us. If you take a quick look at Romans 3:10-12, you'll see that man kind isn't really considered "good". BUT we still have a hard question to answer don't we? If God is good, how does He allow suffering?

This really is a tough question because I can't answer why certain things happen. Like I can't explain why a child gets cancer. I can't explain why certain people die way before "their time". What I do know is that God is good. 1 John 1:5 states that God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. There is no trace of evil in God. 1 Peter 3:12 goes so far as to say that He is against anyone who participates in darkness. God hates evil!

So when something bad happens, God is grieved. When a school shooting takes place, God did not make it happen but allowed it because He allows us to make choices for good and for evil. I also know that God warns people who commit acts of evil that they will have to face Him. The example that I gave last night when we were talking about child abuse was from Matthew 18:5-7. Jesus warns His listeners that if anyone misleads one of his little ones, I realize that Jesus was talking about His disciples but it includes children, that it would be better for a millstone to be tied around their neck and thrown into the ocean. A millstone was a huge stone used for grinding grain so that is a pretty strong statement. God takes His children, both old and young, seriously! He loves them and wants the best for them more than we do.

So, that being said, God cares about you! He cares what happens to you! When we go through tough times, God can use the bad stuff to help us grow stronger in Him (Romans 5:3-5). He also promises us that when the waves of suffering hit us and knock us down (Psalm 69:1-3) that He is our anchor (Hebrews 6:19), He alone keeps us from being pushed around by the bad stuff that happens in our life. When we cling to Christ during times of suffering, He is there, even when it doesn't feel like it.

Matt Snellings

Junior High Pastor

Chase Oaks Church

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