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What if we treated evangelism as an emergency? How would the way we interact with others change? How would our daily lives change? How would we change?
I began pondering this today as I was watching our Child to Camp video that will be shown tomorrow, March 21st at our Child to Camp Celebration at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church at 7 (shameless plug for our event). The song in the video is "Tears of the Saints" by Leeland, which if you haven't heard it I will put a link to it, because the message is life changing. The lyric that really gives me a sense of urgency says, "There are many prodigal sons, on our city streets they run, searching for shelter. There are homes broken down, people's hopes have fallen to the ground, from failures. This is an emergency!"
This idea of lost people's situation being an emergency is an odd but critically important concept to grasp. Romans 10:14 gives us an insight into why people must hear the Gospel from God's children: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" And then in Matthew 9:37, Jesus says,"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."
If you can understand the urgency of evangelism, you have two choices. First, you could simply say, "I don't care." The only other choice is to say, "I am going to do something about this." In an emergency situation there are those who stand and watch, and the heroes who do something. Many times there is nothing special about these "heroes." They are normal people who decide to do something about an urgent need. I ask today that you wold be one of these heroes.
Knowing that people will only believe if told (Romans 10:14), and that there are many who would trust in the Lord but only a few who will tell (Matt. 9:37), how could this change our lives? There are people that would put their faith in the Lord, but there is no one to tell them. What will you do about that? There are people hurting and without hope. What will you do about that? There are people who have lost faith in God and His Church. What will you do about that? There are people dying in our world who have never gotten the chance to hear the Gospel. What will you do about that? I am not asking these questions rhetorically. If you have an idea on how to reach the lost, please post it in the comments and I would love to help in any way I can. As a camp family, let's make a conscious decision to reach the lost and be heroes. This is an emergency. Father, we will lead them home.
I began pondering this today as I was watching our Child to Camp video that will be shown tomorrow, March 21st at our Child to Camp Celebration at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church at 7 (shameless plug for our event). The song in the video is "Tears of the Saints" by Leeland, which if you haven't heard it I will put a link to it, because the message is life changing. The lyric that really gives me a sense of urgency says, "There are many prodigal sons, on our city streets they run, searching for shelter. There are homes broken down, people's hopes have fallen to the ground, from failures. This is an emergency!"
This idea of lost people's situation being an emergency is an odd but critically important concept to grasp. Romans 10:14 gives us an insight into why people must hear the Gospel from God's children: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" And then in Matthew 9:37, Jesus says,"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."
If you can understand the urgency of evangelism, you have two choices. First, you could simply say, "I don't care." The only other choice is to say, "I am going to do something about this." In an emergency situation there are those who stand and watch, and the heroes who do something. Many times there is nothing special about these "heroes." They are normal people who decide to do something about an urgent need. I ask today that you wold be one of these heroes.
Knowing that people will only believe if told (Romans 10:14), and that there are many who would trust in the Lord but only a few who will tell (Matt. 9:37), how could this change our lives? There are people that would put their faith in the Lord, but there is no one to tell them. What will you do about that? There are people hurting and without hope. What will you do about that? There are people who have lost faith in God and His Church. What will you do about that? There are people dying in our world who have never gotten the chance to hear the Gospel. What will you do about that? I am not asking these questions rhetorically. If you have an idea on how to reach the lost, please post it in the comments and I would love to help in any way I can. As a camp family, let's make a conscious decision to reach the lost and be heroes. This is an emergency. Father, we will lead them home.
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In episode three of Carter and Ian vs. the Future, our heroes make friendship agreement to not tell the cyborgs anything. However, Ian breaks their promise and betrays Carter. Carter decides that their friendship is more important than that and decides to forgive Ian.
This is a valuable lesson that we all should consider. Many times in our lives our friends and those around us will do things that will make us sad or angry. As Christians, we are called to forgive. The Bible says in Matthew 18:21-22, "Then Peter came to Jesus and said, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Jesus tells us this to let us know that we should always be forgiving, not matter what our friends, family, or others do.
This is a valuable lesson that we all should consider. Many times in our lives our friends and those around us will do things that will make us sad or angry. As Christians, we are called to forgive. The Bible says in Matthew 18:21-22, "Then Peter came to Jesus and said, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Jesus tells us this to let us know that we should always be forgiving, not matter what our friends, family, or others do.
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Abraham is one of my favorite characters in scripture. I sometimes think about him as some superhuman who is almost an ethereal creature, or perhaps a man just below the status of Jesus. In other words, unattainable Godliness in human form. However, when I read the accounts of the life of Abraham, I realize he is just a normal man in whom God chooses to do a great work, and he obediently follows. When it comes down to it, Abraham really doesn't do anything all that special. He simply says "Yes" when God asks him to do something. Many times in my life I have found myself trying to figure out what my life is meant for. I spend hours in scripture, prayer, and simple thought about what I am supposed to do with my life. I sometimes get frustrated because I feel that I am willing to serve, yet God doesn't have a direction for me. And then I look at the life of Abraham. Abraham, or Abram, was not called by God until he was 75 years old. We don't really know anything about the time before this in his life. I suppose Abram was probably following the Lord diligently, but God had a bigger calling for him later in his life. God had a purpose for this, because if he and his wife would have been younger, the miracle of the birth of Isaac would not be near as incredible. This helps me understand that God's timing is infinitely better than my timing. More importantly to me, however, is looking at how readily Abraham simply replies "Yes" to the requests of God. Abraham doesn't spend long hours weighing options. He doesn't test the waters before he dives in. He doesn't really even do much that has an effect on a large group of people in his lifetime. He simply says "Yes" when God calls him.I wish I could have the simple faith that Abraham has. Not the kind of faith that asks "How" and "When" and "Why," but the kind of faith that says "Yes."Abraham is nothing special. Actually, when it comes down to it, I probably know more scripture and have studied the Word more than Abraham. Where Abraham excels, however, is in his ability to simply trust God. Sometimes trusting God seems like the worst idea possible. Remove the fact that it is a story from the Bible, but if you heard about someone who was going to sacrifice their child because God told them to, you would assume that person is crazy. Many times following God seems crazy. Most times when you follow God, people around you, even those closest to you (or maybe even your own wife, in Abraham's case), will tell you that you are crazy for doing so. However, if we as Christians can resolve to stop asking "Why" and "When" and "How" and simply say "Yes," we will finally know what it means to live a life of faith.Am I crazy for following God? Possibly. Am I foolish for following God? Hebrews 11 tells me otherwise.Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." If we as Christians can start to live like this, asylums just may become the new Church buildings. So be it.
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In episode two our heroes, Carter and Ian, think they have found a way to go back to the past to clean up their mess. Alan tells them the combination to a safe that contains crystals that the time machine needs to work. However, the guys decide it would be a better idea to just blow up the safe and get the crystals their way. Because they do this, they are captured and delivered into the hands of the dreaded king of the Cyborgs: Cynthia!
In Psalms 3:5-6 the Bible teaches us a lesson about thinking we know better. These verses say, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." These verses tell us that it is always better to follow what God tells us, because he knows everything.
Sometimes we think we know better than God, but God always has the best plan.
In Psalms 3:5-6 the Bible teaches us a lesson about thinking we know better. These verses say, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." These verses tell us that it is always better to follow what God tells us, because he knows everything.
Sometimes we think we know better than God, but God always has the best plan.
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Many times we have heard of the power of prayer. We've heard it from scripture, our pastors, our Sunday School teachers, our grandmothers, and many others. However, sometimes it seems like, to me at least, I am talking into nothingness. However, there are those times in our lives when God miraculously and very obviously answers a prayer, and we are able to firsthand see the power of prayer. We see in Genesis 18 where Abraham seemingly changes God's mind. I don't know if God changes his mind because of what we say or do, but we see that God cared enough about Abraham to listen to what he had to say.
Yet still, even when God shows up in a powerful way in my life through an answered prayer, I continue to forget the importance of it. I feel this is why the children of Israel were constantly turning from God, because God knew I would do the same, yet he still loves me. Many times, even when I am consistently bringing my concerns and thanks to God, I feel as though I don't know what to pray for. God gives us an amazing promise in Romans 8:26-27 concerning this matter: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."Because we know the power of prayer, we need not forget to pray for what is important to us. God wants to hear what we have to say, just as he wanted to hear what Abraham had to say. Therefore, this week let us commit to praying for camp. This week at camp we have a mission team here from Rome, Georgia. They are working on making camp ready for the summer. Sometimes for mission teams such as this, it can be hard to see the bigger picture since they have never been here when campers are here. Pray that they will continue to work hard and be able to see that they are doing the work of the Lord. Also, be praying for the staff and volunteers that are here year round, that we can keep focused on the goal of camp, which is bringing people closer to the Lord. Second, begin praying for our counselors and staff that are here during the summer. Pray that they will be prayerfully considering working at camp, and making sure that camp is where God wants them. Also be praying for their spiritual growth and maturity as they are preparing for the summer. Last, be praying for the campers that are coming this summer. Be praying that God will prepare their hearts for what they need to hear this summer. Also, be praying for Child to Camp, that we will bring in enough funds so that every child who wants to come but cannot afford to will be able to attend. God knows exactly what we need and when we need it, so take heart in knowing that the Spirit is constantly interceding for us to the Father.
Yet still, even when God shows up in a powerful way in my life through an answered prayer, I continue to forget the importance of it. I feel this is why the children of Israel were constantly turning from God, because God knew I would do the same, yet he still loves me. Many times, even when I am consistently bringing my concerns and thanks to God, I feel as though I don't know what to pray for. God gives us an amazing promise in Romans 8:26-27 concerning this matter: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."Because we know the power of prayer, we need not forget to pray for what is important to us. God wants to hear what we have to say, just as he wanted to hear what Abraham had to say. Therefore, this week let us commit to praying for camp. This week at camp we have a mission team here from Rome, Georgia. They are working on making camp ready for the summer. Sometimes for mission teams such as this, it can be hard to see the bigger picture since they have never been here when campers are here. Pray that they will continue to work hard and be able to see that they are doing the work of the Lord. Also, be praying for the staff and volunteers that are here year round, that we can keep focused on the goal of camp, which is bringing people closer to the Lord. Second, begin praying for our counselors and staff that are here during the summer. Pray that they will be prayerfully considering working at camp, and making sure that camp is where God wants them. Also be praying for their spiritual growth and maturity as they are preparing for the summer. Last, be praying for the campers that are coming this summer. Be praying that God will prepare their hearts for what they need to hear this summer. Also, be praying for Child to Camp, that we will bring in enough funds so that every child who wants to come but cannot afford to will be able to attend. God knows exactly what we need and when we need it, so take heart in knowing that the Spirit is constantly interceding for us to the Father.
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In this episode we see Alan give Carter and Ian a specific order to clean the dining hall. However, they decide they don't like cleaning and go as far away from cleaning as they possibly can. When they decide to see what Melvin is working on instead of cleaning, they end up trapped in the FUTURE!
Does anyone remember someone from the Bible who was in this same kind of situation? Hopefully you have heard of a man in the Bible named Jonah. You can read the story of Jonah by turning in your Bible to the Book of Jonah. God gives Jonah a very specific job: to go bring God's Word to the people of Nineveh. However, Jonah doesn't like the people of Nineveh, so he decides to try to go as far away from his problems as he can. When he does this, God sends a huge fish to swallow him up.
Sometimes in our lives God tells us to do something, and sometimes doing what God tells us to do is not fun and we may even dislike it. However, God tells us to do things like this because He knows what is best for us. So if you read in the Bible that God is telling you to honor your parents, even if you don't want to or don't agree with it, we are supposed to follow God's commands because He knows what is best.
This week in school, in your homes, and with your friends, make sure to listen to what God wants to tell you. Sometimes when you pray, God will tell you that He wants you to do something, and it is always in our best interest to obey the call of God.
Does anyone remember someone from the Bible who was in this same kind of situation? Hopefully you have heard of a man in the Bible named Jonah. You can read the story of Jonah by turning in your Bible to the Book of Jonah. God gives Jonah a very specific job: to go bring God's Word to the people of Nineveh. However, Jonah doesn't like the people of Nineveh, so he decides to try to go as far away from his problems as he can. When he does this, God sends a huge fish to swallow him up.
Sometimes in our lives God tells us to do something, and sometimes doing what God tells us to do is not fun and we may even dislike it. However, God tells us to do things like this because He knows what is best for us. So if you read in the Bible that God is telling you to honor your parents, even if you don't want to or don't agree with it, we are supposed to follow God's commands because He knows what is best.
This week in school, in your homes, and with your friends, make sure to listen to what God wants to tell you. Sometimes when you pray, God will tell you that He wants you to do something, and it is always in our best interest to obey the call of God.
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CALLING ALL CAMPERS! Starting March 1st and continuing each Friday, Camp Bayoca will be posting a weekly video blog for campers (and campers at heart). Don't miss it!
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At some point in our lives we all run from God.
No matter how much we try to follow Him, we inevitably begin the think that we know better. I've been personally thinking about this a lot recently. As camp begins the process of hiring our new staff and counselors, this is especially heavy on my heart.
God's will is, many times, a difficult puzzle to decipher. We often have many different life decisions and opportunities that arise and we must make the huge decision of what it is that God wants for us. Sometimes, I genuinely believe that God puts these opportunities in our lives and He is happy to let us take the wheel for a bit and make the decision for ourselves (as long as that decision is pleasing to the Lord, of course). However, other times I think God has one specific task or goal that He wants to see accomplished, and He wants us to be the tool that He uses. In the case of Jonah, he was in the latter situation.
Of course we all know the story of Jonah. God has given Jonah a specific task: to bring the word of the Lord to Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians, a nation bent on world domination who had been essentially a constant threat to the Children of Israel. Jonah disobeyed God's very specific orders to go to Nineveh and basically went as far away from the Assyrians as he could to Tarshish. I see myself in Jonah's shoes often, giving God the excuse, "God, I'm still doing ministry. It may not be THAT ministry, but it's ministry all the same."
I say all this to remind all the current or hopeful staff and counselors and those of us who are now working in the "real world" to really pray and listen to God's calling in your life. Before you decide to spend your summer working at Camp, I would ask you to seek God's will in your ministry. You may be at a spot in your life where God is happy with you simply living out the Great Commission in any way you choose. If you are in this category and are thinking of working at Camp, I hope to see you this summer. Others of you may be being specifically called to a certain ministry (all of us are called into the ministry). If you are in this category I would ask you to really pray and seek the Lord's will in your life as well. Do not let Camp become your Tarshish, simply an easy and comfortable place to run to this summer. If you use Camp as a shelter to run to and hide from God's will, you will be (metaphorically, of course) swallowed up by the big fish that is Camp Ba Yo Ca. However, for others of us Camp may be our Nineveh. If God is calling you to work at Camp this summer, but your plans tell you otherwise, I would encourage you to really seek the Lord in this decision. If God has called you to a place, he has your best interest in mind. Things may not always turn out like you want them to, but God will surely take care of you. As we were promised by our Lord in Matthew 6:25-34, "25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Therefore, for every major decision we make in our lives, whether we are considering working at camp this summer or are already past our time at camp and making decisions in the "real world," let us rely on God first and ourselves and others second.
At some point in our lives we all run from God.
Let's make a conscious effort this summer and beyond to run to Him.
No matter how much we try to follow Him, we inevitably begin the think that we know better. I've been personally thinking about this a lot recently. As camp begins the process of hiring our new staff and counselors, this is especially heavy on my heart.
God's will is, many times, a difficult puzzle to decipher. We often have many different life decisions and opportunities that arise and we must make the huge decision of what it is that God wants for us. Sometimes, I genuinely believe that God puts these opportunities in our lives and He is happy to let us take the wheel for a bit and make the decision for ourselves (as long as that decision is pleasing to the Lord, of course). However, other times I think God has one specific task or goal that He wants to see accomplished, and He wants us to be the tool that He uses. In the case of Jonah, he was in the latter situation.
Of course we all know the story of Jonah. God has given Jonah a specific task: to bring the word of the Lord to Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians, a nation bent on world domination who had been essentially a constant threat to the Children of Israel. Jonah disobeyed God's very specific orders to go to Nineveh and basically went as far away from the Assyrians as he could to Tarshish. I see myself in Jonah's shoes often, giving God the excuse, "God, I'm still doing ministry. It may not be THAT ministry, but it's ministry all the same."
I say all this to remind all the current or hopeful staff and counselors and those of us who are now working in the "real world" to really pray and listen to God's calling in your life. Before you decide to spend your summer working at Camp, I would ask you to seek God's will in your ministry. You may be at a spot in your life where God is happy with you simply living out the Great Commission in any way you choose. If you are in this category and are thinking of working at Camp, I hope to see you this summer. Others of you may be being specifically called to a certain ministry (all of us are called into the ministry). If you are in this category I would ask you to really pray and seek the Lord's will in your life as well. Do not let Camp become your Tarshish, simply an easy and comfortable place to run to this summer. If you use Camp as a shelter to run to and hide from God's will, you will be (metaphorically, of course) swallowed up by the big fish that is Camp Ba Yo Ca. However, for others of us Camp may be our Nineveh. If God is calling you to work at Camp this summer, but your plans tell you otherwise, I would encourage you to really seek the Lord in this decision. If God has called you to a place, he has your best interest in mind. Things may not always turn out like you want them to, but God will surely take care of you. As we were promised by our Lord in Matthew 6:25-34, "25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Therefore, for every major decision we make in our lives, whether we are considering working at camp this summer or are already past our time at camp and making decisions in the "real world," let us rely on God first and ourselves and others second.
At some point in our lives we all run from God.
Let's make a conscious effort this summer and beyond to run to Him.
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Hello all current and former staff and counselors! We have decided at camp to start a weekly blog every Tuesday to keep the former and current staff and counselors connected through our website. So tune in every Tuesday to find out what new is happening at camp and what God has placed on our hearts. Feel free to comment!
How many of these staff members and counselors can you name? Each of the people pictured above has had a lasting legacy in camp, whether they know it or not. Without Bobby Brown, Caroline Eichhorn would have never been able to save children in three feet of water. Without Leah McRae, Heather Moses wouldn't know where to file binders of paperwork from the past twenty years. Without Charlie Spencer's flowing blonde locks and tan Josh Cobb wouldn't know what to do at camp. Without David McGinley, Jon Davis would have no ground work in how to be the manliest man at camp.
In all seriousness, without the work of all the people who have served at camp through the years, camp would not be what it is today. However, I would venture to guess that most of us can only name around ten people from these pictures at most. These people, who in their time were essential to camp and the ministry that we do, are mostly all but unknown to the current staff and campers. However, the legacy of all those who have worked at camp, whether they were as important to the ministry as Lloyd Powell or simply volunteered their weekend raking leaves, they have all played a part in the ministry of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 13:8 &13
(8)Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. (13) And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
All of the things that we have done through the years will pass away. Many of the memories are already beginning to fade. However, the love that we have shared to children at this great piece of land that God has blessed us with will have eternal consequences.
So as former and current staff/counselors, let us live by these three: faith, hope, and love.
The greatest of these is love.
In all seriousness, without the work of all the people who have served at camp through the years, camp would not be what it is today. However, I would venture to guess that most of us can only name around ten people from these pictures at most. These people, who in their time were essential to camp and the ministry that we do, are mostly all but unknown to the current staff and campers. However, the legacy of all those who have worked at camp, whether they were as important to the ministry as Lloyd Powell or simply volunteered their weekend raking leaves, they have all played a part in the ministry of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 13:8 &13
(8)Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. (13) And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
All of the things that we have done through the years will pass away. Many of the memories are already beginning to fade. However, the love that we have shared to children at this great piece of land that God has blessed us with will have eternal consequences.
So as former and current staff/counselors, let us live by these three: faith, hope, and love.
The greatest of these is love.