Our theme for camp this year is “Walk the Walk.”  We have been looking at Titus 2 and what Paul says about our walk with Christ.  This is a very challenging passage as it deals with what characteristics  an older man & older woman should possess in their life as a result of knowing Christ.  It exhorts them to teach these things to younger men & women.  Paul then shares the need for us to teach sound doctrine so that it cannot be condemned.  In other words, know what you believe and share it with passion to those around.

Titus 2: 11-12 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age…”  During camp we will be sharing with kids the importance of walking with God each and every day.  We want to help train the next generation to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.

I would encourage you to read Titus 2 and see if these characteristics are a part of your life.  Do you set an example of these qualities?  And if so, do you take the opportunity to teach them to the next generation.  We need Godly men and women, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, & sisters to step up and set the bar high.  Help those younger walk with Christ by teaching a sound doctrine.

More information about Kids Summer Camp….

These words are among the most sacred in all of Scripture. It is quoted three times in the gospel of Matthew and once each in Mark, Luke, Romans, Galatians, and James. It’s called the “royal law of Scripture” and that upon which all of the Scripture hangs or is explained by.

God has called us to live in relationship with Him and with others. But our relationships are not to be like the culture of unbelief around us. Instead, we who know the Lord are to live according to His law and His priority in all things. The world will categorize people according to their worthiness to receive our love. But Jesus will have none of that and instructs us to love even our enemies. So, a life with God makes us different in a very real sense, especially in the areas of relationship. Others have value equal to what we think of ourselves and we must treat them accordingly. This is the royal law—it is the way Jesus treats them…and us.

Leviticus 16 is one of the most important chapters in Leviticus as it deals with the laws concerning the Day of Atonement. God has gone to enormous lengths throughout this book to emphasize the relationship between sin and blood—blood is the covering (atonement) for the sins of man. Man is permitted to live precisely because his sins are covered by the blood an animal that is not permitted to live.

But Leviticus 16 prescribes a day of fasting and contrition for the people of God and Aaron, the High Priest, is commanded to enter the Most Holy Place and sprinkle the blood of a bull and of a goat as a ritual illustrating the mercy of God toward sinners. Then Aaron is then to return to the second goat and place his hands on its head, confessing the sins of the nation. Driving the goat into the wilderness is symbolic of the sins of Israel being removed from her. Israel is “free” from the penalty of those sins because they are both covered by the blood of the first and carried away by the second.

The gospel of Jesus Christ identifies Him as the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. By the sacrifice of Himself, His blood inaugurates a new and eternal covenant of mercy. Instead of an annual sacrifice, Jesus sacrificed Himself once and for all those who would look to Him in faith. The Day of Atonement foreshadows a better covenant and an enduring one. Praise the Lord!

Read Today’s Bible Reading

Some of us who have been around for a few years remember the first campaign… And the second and the third.  Some of us may have had a brief thought pass through our minds like “God, I think I have sacrificed enough.”  When I think about perseverance and finishing strong, two people come to mind.

The first person is my mother.  In 1952 at the age of 33 she contracted polio and was paralyzed from the waist down.  She was in a wheel chair the rest of her life.  I was 5 years old and my brother was 9 days old.  While receiving physical therapy in Warms Springs GA,she accepted Christ as her Savior after being raised in the Catholic tradition.  With the exception of a one day failed attempt to use domestic help, my mother raised 2 children and maintained our household with no outside help (and not very much inside help).  My dad died in 1982.  My mother lived alone for 15 years.  Her motto was “To conquer the difficult will make you strong.”  She persevered to the end.  She finished strong.

The second person is Jesus Christ.  In the garden in Gethsemane, Jesus prayed “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Mt.26:39)  Jesus could have given up, but instead, he persevered to the end.  He finished strong.  He paid the penalty for our sin, though He was sinless.

So, the next time some of us think “Have I got to sacrifice again?”, let’s stop, think and pray.  Then, let’s say “Thank you God that I get to sacrifice again!”

Led by Jared & Karen Johnson

Meets on Wednesdays @ 6:00p.m. in Room C203

If you are not connected to a Life Group, we invite you to visit this group.

All ages are welcome.

For additional information, contact the Education Office at 601-925-6424.

Here is what that would look like:

• You would be assigned one or two college men.

• You would meet once a week for 6 weeks.

• Spiritual mentoring and you could also have an opportunity to teach them what you’re good at. For example hunting, fishing, golf, finances & car repair.

Our ultimate objective is to see males become men, and take up the mantle of honor and leadership that comes with that title. Remember, some of our college guys have had no father in their lives, and the hour or so that you spend with them each week has the potential to impact them for the rest of their life. To sign up contact Wendy Lesley in the Education Office at 601-925-6424.

But one question that is often asked is, “Why all this trouble?”  The answer to that is multifold but the Scripture will give the specific answer in Exodus 28:2, “…for glory and for beauty.”  It seems to me that the beauty is obvious (hundreds of pounds of gold in the tabernacle alone) but glory invites further thinking.  God is indeed glorious beyond measure and how can any physical thing adequately communicate His worth?  Clearly, such items do not fully measure the glory of God but they certainly move us in the right direction.  God is Spirit and does not dwell in created things of any kind, yet we are creatures of a physical world and these physical items and tools communicate powerfully.  God is worthy of our highest thinking, our highest praise and worship, and is glorious beyond anything we have ever seen or heard.  This tent, its furniture, and the robes of priesthood all move us along in thinking the highest possible thoughts about God.  He is glorious!

In the college ministry, Life Groups are the primary way we make disciples. A Life Group is a small group of peers who get together to pray, study the Bible, grow, and live out their faith. This semester our college students are leading sixteen Life Groups on four different college campuses (plus one in London).

Snapshot of a Life Group Leader

Drew Williams, a Mississippi College freshman, is one of these Life Group leaders. Drew grew up as a missionary kid in Indonesia, but coming to MC hasn’t taken him off the mission field.

“I realized in high school that I would live in a lot of different places during my life, and that the whole world is God’s. So wherever I am, I’m on the mission field,” Drew says.

This is Drew’s first semester to lead a Life Group at Morrison Heights. He said of his experience, ”Leading a small group has really helped me grow in a lot of ways since I have to be prepared to teach every week.”

This semester, Drew’s Life Group is studying the book of Romans. The group meets on Mondays at 9:00 p.m.  in the basement of Crestman Hall (MC’s freshmen men’s dorm).

A Vision to Multiply

Multiplication is the way we go about making disciples.

Jesus himself started with a small group of twelve disciples, and they kept the process going. Before long, little groups of Christians were scattered all over the world.

Just two years ago, we had only three student-led Life Groups in the college ministry. Last semester, our students came together with a vision to put a small group in every dorm at Mississippi College and Hinds Community College by 2013. This is when the multiplication began.

This year we’re picking up steam. Two years ago we were averaging 47 people per week in Life Groups. This year we’re averaging 103!

An Aggressive Goal

As long as there are college students who don’t know Christ, we want to keep multiplying. Next semester our goal is to have 32 student led Life Groups.

See the entire list of student-led small groups here.