“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” {Philippians 1:4-6 }
Hello everyone! As most of you know I attended Super Summer Oklahoma week 2 held at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma this past week. Wow, what a great week it was. God spoke some amazing things to me, and I learned so much wisdom so I thought I would share it with you. I pray you can connect with some of this and take it with you and apply it to your life!
The name of the school (group) I was in was called “deuces down”. The theme was motorcyclists. When bikers are riding down the street and they simply want to say hey to another biker they we throw the deuces down symbol which is a peace sign done with your left hand and you put it down by your leg. It is just a friendly way for bikers to say hello to each other. The point of all of this is there are so many different styles, colors, brands, etc. of different bikes and it is the same with people. Each one of us are created so unique, and God created each and everyone of us for a purpose and He calls us all beautiful. So many of us judge each other on looks, personalities, money, social status, etc. We are all created differently but we are all made in the image of our amazing God, and we need to love and be kind to others. Be who God created you to be, and stop judging others
Something that we talked about throughout the whole week and really stood out to me was personal holiness. The simple definition of personal holiness is Christ-like character, it is where the consumption of your life by Christ to the point where your conduct perfectly reflects Christ’s character. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says “because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness in the fear of God.” This verse really spoke to me and how we should pursue holiness and that starts with cleansing ourselves. God created us for holiness, God called us to holiness, and God conforms us to holiness. Fix your hope clearly on Christ and live for eternity. You are going to go through hard trials and situations in your life, but in reality what the world is using against you, God is using toward you.
Sharing the gospel or even just sharing what God has done in my life can be something I can struggle with doing. I feel it can be scary and tough for a lot of us. But, you can make an impact in your community by sharing about our great Father. There is an opportunity to claim Christ in all that you do, and it’s about Jesus and Jesus in you. 1 Corinthians 4:15-16 says “even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual Father. For I became your Father in Christ Jesus when I preached the gospel to you. So I urge you to imitate me.” We need to reflect and imitate Him, because Gods plan for the good news to be spread is done by us. You will make an impact in your community by sharing the gospel and your story with those around you. Love and lead others to Christ!
The speaker asked a question that really stood out to me. Ask this question to yourself: How has Christ welcomed you, and how can you welcome others like He did? Biblical community can be so hard to understand and live out on this Earth. We need to start growing our communities, and that starts with you sharing and being welcoming to others. We have to welcome, encourage, love, comfort, confess, and forgive one another. We need to learn how to be better encouragers and be supports and comforters for each other even when times are tough. As you share in the suffering, you will share in the comfort. Communities need leaders, so step up and be a leader in your community. The lost world is looking for hope and we can be there to help and encourage them. We don’t just go to church to get fed the word of God, we are also there to feed others. The church isn’t the building, the church is the people, so be the church all the time. God prayed for us to have unity, so protect and grow your community.
We plant the seeds around us, and God waters them. Don’t just assume everyone you meet has an experience with God. Share about Him to them, start slow and God will water your seed and it will grow. Romans 3:23-24 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Ask yourself what breaks your heart. We need to ask God to give us the boldness to share, and we need to ask God to give us someone to share the gospel with. The world is so broken, and you can make an impact in someones life. One thing that the speaker said that really hit me was ‘the reason we don’t talk to our friends about God is because we don’t talk to God about our friends.’ Talking to God about your friends, the ones who know Him and the ones who don’t is a good stepping stone and can help give you the confidence to share.
Through my week at super summer I learned so much about our amazing God, and so much wisdom to take back to my church and my community and apply it to my life. We need to be kingdom-minded leaders and step up and lead others to Christ. We all need to share the gospel and share our testimony, because it can be so powerful to those around you! I hope you can take some of this and apply it to your life and go make an impact in your church and community. Thank you for all the love and prayers while I was at super summer, and I pray that God will continue to use me and I pray He will give me the confidence to share more. If you have any questions or ever need to talk even if it’s just a simple prayer request you can always email me – carsyn@savedbygrace179.com
Lots of love, Carsyn!
Saved by Grace 