“Why are you volunteering at this event?”
We get asked this question at just about every event at which we serve. The short answer is this: Jesus Christ came on this earth as a servant, and we want to serve people as well. Jesus showed love, compassion, hope and joy in all that He did, and we want to do that as well. Jesus has changed our lives, giving us eternal life and abundant life, and we want other people to know Him. To put it simply: we love God, we love people, and we love sports. Go to this link to learn more about having a personal relationship with Jesus: www.thekristo.com.
“Why are you guys having such a great time?”
Our ministry volunteers are often found serving with smiles on their faces and with great attitudes. Like everyone else, our ministry volunteers have tough days, tragedies in life, problems big and small, and other issues, not to mention the challenges they face while serving at events. The difference between our volunteers and many people is this: we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and He has changed our lives! As the Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, old things are passed away, behold all things become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) In other words, knowing Jesus personally will so radically change your life that even on your bad days you can still smile, knowing that He has your life under control. Your old self can become brand new in Christ.
“How can I know that I am going to heaven?”
This question is the most important question a person will ever ask here on earth. The answer is found in Jesus Christ. It is not found in being religious, doing good things, or even just believing facts about God or Jesus. The answer is found in having a personal relationship with Jesus. You can begin a relationship with Jesus right now. Click HERE to find out how.
“Can the Bible help me with this situation I am going through?”
The Bible has answers to deal with every issue you face in life. No problem or decision is too big or too small for God. If you would like to know what the Bible says about a particular situation you are facing, click on this link: www.biblegateway.com.
“How can I be part of the North Country Ministries team?”
You can serve with us through North Country Ministries at any of our events, whether you are an individual or part of a mission team, whether you live in the Adirondacks or anywhere else in the world. You can even serve with us whether you belong to a church or not. To get involved, send us an email or call us to get signed up.
“What kind of training does NCM provide?”
Before all of our ministry events, we provide a time of training. We want you to be prepared for what you will be doing, to learn from those who have served at previous events, and to be able to ask any pertinent questions. The training is usually the day before the event, although sometimes the training comes on the day of the event. There is also more extensive training that NCM provides at various workshops throughout the year. Contact us for more information on these.
How can we do similar ministry events in our area?”
If you served with us at NCM (or even if you didn’t), you can impact your community in similar ways. We would love to help you share Christ’s love wherever you live. If you live in New York, Derek Spain is the contact person who can help you to develop similar ministries through your church or association in your area, so contact him directly at 518-523-2008 or dgspain@msn.com. He is the resort evangelism strategist for the Baptist Convention of New York, serving in the Evangelism Division.
If you live in another state, then he can help to get in touch with the right people to organize, equip and train you to lead these types of ministry events. We can even provide you with training materials, ideas and other helpful information. There is a wonderful national organization known as the Association of Resort & Leisure Ministers to that can help. We are part of this group. Their website is www.arlm.org.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Nicaragua Mission Trip - January 2010
In January 2010, a team of 22 people from 7 different churches in 3 different states traveled to Masaya, Nicaragua to partner with the Primero Iglesia Bautista (PIB) Emanuel of Masaya on various ministry and evangelism projects. We built homes, shared the gospel with people in their homes, ministered to teens and children, and were part of an amazing Youth Crusade. God really moved.
Altogether, there were 206 people who made professions of faith in Jesus Christ! And another 83 people rededicated their lives to Jesus Christ publicly.
On our church Prayer Blog, we posted reports of each day's events. Click here to go the first report, then find the others in the Jan 2010 archives on the Prayer Blog.
One of our team members put together a video to introduce our team members and show a glimpse of our ministries. Click here to watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StyiQjiwLh0. Another video will be coming soon to give an even better picture of our ministry there.
We praise God for His salvation, for our brothers & sisters in Christ in Nicaragua, and for how God is at work around the world. While we were in Nicaragua, we heard about the earthquake in Haiti, but we didn't realize how devastating it was until we returned to the states. The earthquake shows how important it is to tell every person you meet that they need to be prepared to step into eternity, and the only way to heaven is by trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!
Altogether, there were 206 people who made professions of faith in Jesus Christ! And another 83 people rededicated their lives to Jesus Christ publicly.
On our church Prayer Blog, we posted reports of each day's events. Click here to go the first report, then find the others in the Jan 2010 archives on the Prayer Blog.
One of our team members put together a video to introduce our team members and show a glimpse of our ministries. Click here to watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StyiQjiwLh0. Another video will be coming soon to give an even better picture of our ministry there.
We praise God for His salvation, for our brothers & sisters in Christ in Nicaragua, and for how God is at work around the world. While we were in Nicaragua, we heard about the earthquake in Haiti, but we didn't realize how devastating it was until we returned to the states. The earthquake shows how important it is to tell every person you meet that they need to be prepared to step into eternity, and the only way to heaven is by trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Four Things That I Learned From Luke 4:14-15 That I Am Praying For Every Community
The other day I was reading Luke 4, and verses 14 and 15 really jumped out at me in cool ways. They talk about Jesus returning to the Galilee region, not too long after He was victorious over the temptations of the devil.
Luke 4:14-15 (HCSB) 14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread throughout the entire vicinity. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, being acclaimed by everyone.
Here are four things that I learned from that Scripture that I am praying for every community. I am praying this for every community that God brings to mind: Lake Placid; communities throughout the Adirondacks; Masaya, Nicaragua; Whistler, British Columbia; Jerusalem, Israel; many, many more.
1. I am praying that the power of the Holy Spirit will be displayed. Notice the first part of verse 14. Jesus was definitely filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit. One of the ways you see the Holy Spirit displayed in Luke 4 is by Jesus overcoming EVERY temptation the devil throws at Him. What if every believer realized that in Christ and because of Christ they can overcome EVERY temptation the devil throws at them? Also, you see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in Jesus' understanding of who He was, and what the Bible says about Him. He then obeyed God and ministered to people through the power of the Holy Spirit. Oh God, let your Holy Spirit be on display in every community!
2. I am praying that the news about Jesus will spread everywhere. Notice the second part of verse 14. You know, when the Holy Spirit begins empowering people to overcome temptations and to minister to others in His power, that good news will spread. And Jesus will become famous. What if that happened in your community? What if you were at the check-out line and you overheard two people you've never met talking about the amazing things Jesus was doing in your community? Believe that it can happen!
3. I am praying that the Bible will be taught to those who will listen. Look at the first part of verse 15. Jesus taught in the synagogues. The people there came expecting to hear the Bible read. As I see it, there are many people all around us who are interested in spiritual things, and they would love to study the Bible. Let's teach it to them. They are hungry for spiritual truth. Let's hold Bible studies not just at churches but also in coffee shops, restaurants, homes, ice skating rinks, wherever people will come to them. I am praying this will happen more and more.
4. I am praying that Jesus will be glorified. In the HCSB version of the Bible, it says in verse 15 that Jesus was acclaimed by the people. The word translated "acclaimed" can also be translated "glorified." Now, some people soonafter they glorified decided that they wanted to change their minds about who He was. But verse 15 is clear (and so are the verses that follow) that there were many who glorified Him. Even though many people reject Jesus as the Messiah, I am praying that God will break through their cold hearts and that they will see who Jesus really is - the one who came to save us from our sins!
If you'd like to hear the audio version of this message, click here: http://www.lpbaptist.org/4thingsilearnedfromluke4.mp3
Luke 4:14-15 (HCSB) 14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread throughout the entire vicinity. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, being acclaimed by everyone.
Here are four things that I learned from that Scripture that I am praying for every community. I am praying this for every community that God brings to mind: Lake Placid; communities throughout the Adirondacks; Masaya, Nicaragua; Whistler, British Columbia; Jerusalem, Israel; many, many more.
1. I am praying that the power of the Holy Spirit will be displayed. Notice the first part of verse 14. Jesus was definitely filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit. One of the ways you see the Holy Spirit displayed in Luke 4 is by Jesus overcoming EVERY temptation the devil throws at Him. What if every believer realized that in Christ and because of Christ they can overcome EVERY temptation the devil throws at them? Also, you see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in Jesus' understanding of who He was, and what the Bible says about Him. He then obeyed God and ministered to people through the power of the Holy Spirit. Oh God, let your Holy Spirit be on display in every community!
2. I am praying that the news about Jesus will spread everywhere. Notice the second part of verse 14. You know, when the Holy Spirit begins empowering people to overcome temptations and to minister to others in His power, that good news will spread. And Jesus will become famous. What if that happened in your community? What if you were at the check-out line and you overheard two people you've never met talking about the amazing things Jesus was doing in your community? Believe that it can happen!
3. I am praying that the Bible will be taught to those who will listen. Look at the first part of verse 15. Jesus taught in the synagogues. The people there came expecting to hear the Bible read. As I see it, there are many people all around us who are interested in spiritual things, and they would love to study the Bible. Let's teach it to them. They are hungry for spiritual truth. Let's hold Bible studies not just at churches but also in coffee shops, restaurants, homes, ice skating rinks, wherever people will come to them. I am praying this will happen more and more.
4. I am praying that Jesus will be glorified. In the HCSB version of the Bible, it says in verse 15 that Jesus was acclaimed by the people. The word translated "acclaimed" can also be translated "glorified." Now, some people soonafter they glorified decided that they wanted to change their minds about who He was. But verse 15 is clear (and so are the verses that follow) that there were many who glorified Him. Even though many people reject Jesus as the Messiah, I am praying that God will break through their cold hearts and that they will see who Jesus really is - the one who came to save us from our sins!
If you'd like to hear the audio version of this message, click here: http://www.lpbaptist.org/4thingsilearnedfromluke4.mp3
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