Before the Throne of God Above

Just an old hymn I recently fell in love with. Thanks Chase for blessing us at church with this awesome song!

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

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Powerful stuff, yah? Love it.
...oh man, it's already August!

Stoked on the Lord!

This passed week has been awesome. From the BBQ exactly a week ago today to the High School Lunch Time Groups to Classes to Sweet fellowship with my Australian brothers and sisters in Christ ... God is SO GOOD! I got the chance to lead 7 kids to Christ this passed week. There might have been more, but I'm not sure if they were serious or not. I'm just trusting in the fact the the Lord knows those who are His. Please keep them in prayer! And also for Trenton, Matt, and Zac - guys I got to talk to at the BBQ we put on last week. More to come on those guys later. it's just been a huge blessing getting to see the Lord work in just these first few weeks. Makes me wonder what will happen by the end of these 5 months. I've said this before, but if anything, I'm just planting seeds, fearlessly trusting in God to give the increase. I'm growing a lot out here. Truly learning what it means to fully depend on Him for everything. Prayer has been huge! ALong with all the blessing has also come the warfare...the Spiritual kind. Satan hates what we're doing out here. And that's a good thing. I'm honored to be a threat to Satan's kingdom. I'm reminded of the quote - "Does Satan fear or tremble each time you wake up?" - How intense is that?! Not that that should be our goal, but as we submit to the Lord more and more each day, it will naturally happen. The sole fact that we've believed on the Lord Jesus Christ makes Satan go crazy. In your face, Satan! ;)

Trenton - He was so close to accepting Christ last week! Started tearing up and everything once I shared with him about God's love for him. He just couldn't believe that God was able to forgive him of his sins entirely. He admitted to having done some pretty bad stuff to people and I countered that with the example of Saul turned Paul and what God was able to do through his life. He just couldn't grasp it. So please, pray for that guy. He heard the Gospel, just ask that the Holy Spirit continues to draw him closer and closer to Jesus.

Matt - Just a 19 year old kid who dropped out of high school recently. He plans on joining the military soon. He says he's a Christian. But I'd question the fruit. Like Trenton, please just pray that the Holy Spirit would do a work in his life. he's open to talking more and even let me add him on Facebook.

Zac - Another 19 year old who's been saved from physical danger more times than I can remember! I asked him if he ever thought that God had a plan for him - since he hadn't died yet. He wasn't sure. Like Matt, Zac professes to be a Christian. He knew the Gospel. Just a matter of really understanding what exactly it all meant. He also let me add him on Facebook. So please pray, like the the two guys above, that God would speak loud and clear to him and that he'd respond positively. Zac even has a sister who was a missionary! So also pray that his sister would continue to be a witness to her younger brother.

Thanks everyone!

And now, I leave you with a song. Love it.

Dear Mom,

I changed the font size for you. Hopefully this is easier on your eyes.

Love,
Johnny Boy

Think about what you're doing -

in light of the Gospel.

We started classes yesterday with Church History with Dave Shirley. He asked us a question (paraphrased) - "Do your actions help or hinder the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" I thought to myself..and concluded that my life really didn't help the Gospel all too much. Sure, I read my Bible. Sure, I lead praise and worship. Sure, I can teach a Bible Study. But what about the rest of the time? Does my life in it's entirety help in fulfilling the Great Commission? Does my life show consistent evidence that I want to change the fact that people die everyday without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior? Do I really believe that what I believe is really real?

...The answers to these questions needs to be yes.

Similarly, Christian, we're called to imitate Paul as he imitated Christ - [1 Corinthians 11:1]. And Paul was a BEAST when it came to sharing the Gospel! Just pick up your BIble and read the book of Acts and any of his epistles. Paul uses phrases that really puts the average Christian today to shame. I won't quote anything, but as you read for yourself, keep an eye out for what he says his relation is between him and the Gospel. And even more, if we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, it's not really us living anymore. It's Christ living in us - [Galatians 2:20]. We are not our own. We were bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. So let's show fruit of that fact. Let's desire to get the Gospel of Jesus Christ out to the unsaved!

First of all, let's be in prayer. Let's entreat God. Let's pray that He would prepare the hearts of the lost, that He would give us divine appointments with people who need Jesus, that He would give us holy boldness and courage to be able to talk to these people, and lastly, that He would speak loud and clear through us. You see, it's not us doing anything at all, except stepping out faithfully in obedience or obediently stepping out in faith - whichever you prefer. Realistically, He doesn't need us. What?? Really? Yes. He doesn't need us to get His work done. He created everything out of nothing. Catch my drift? That's where God's grace comes in. He doesn't need us, but yet He still chooses to work through us that we might be blessed. How awesome is that?!


Brother and sister in Christ - let's take the Bible simply for what it says and continually be about His business. So, whether you're at the grocery store, at school, at work, at home, or even, God forbid at church (calm down. I'm just messing), let's always have the mindset of getting the Gospel out to people. Share what you've been given to others!

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Please continue to be in prayer for Team Australia - Chase, Joyla, Rach, the Henderson Family (Bryan and Tara), and me, as we take the Gospel out to the people of the Central Coast day in and day out.



Thanks heaps!

Excited for things to get going..

This first week was primarily for us to hang out and get used to living here. Well, I'm hung out and used to living here. Lol. I really want classes to start. Monday we begin! And I'm stoked for the Scripture classes to start up that we'll be getting the opportunity to teach at!

It's been a nice first few days checking out the land and settling in. We found a nice coffeeshop to hang out at. It's called Copaccino! ...located at Copacabana Beach. It's a nice little coffeeshop. Second day going there today. They better get used to us being there! And it's only about a 10-15 minute walk there, not too bad.

First Couple Days

It's crazy how much you can see God's hand in things if you just take the time to look.
...I'll get back to this thought later.


Update:

I left LAX on Sunday night, 7/11 at 10:20pm and arrived in Sydney on Tuesday morning, 7/13 at about 6:15am. So yes, I'm in the future! Haha. It's an interesting thought, but don't think on it too long. The flight was alright. Slept most of the time. The food was weird. I sat next to an old Australian couple who were asleep most of the time too. Got to watch Chariots of Fire, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and almost all of Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief. Almost threw up when we went through turbulence. I get motion sickness easily. Finally landed. Pretty routine. Thank God I got there safely!

I was the first one out of the group to get there. Our instructions were to meet up at the McDonalds as soon as we got through Customs. So, I did that. And waited around for a good half hour before I ran into Bryan Henderson, the campus director over here. We greeted each other with a handshake/hug combo. Guys, you know what I'm talking about. Handshake turns into a thumb grip, and then transitions into a one arm hug kinda deal. Yes. Talked for a little but then decided he should continue looking for the other 3. The next two to show up were Joyla and Rach. And then Chase finally appeared. Walked to the car, packed our gear and then headed off!

It was weird sitting shot gun on the opposite side and then watching traffic flow in the wrong direction. Lol. Got used to to it eventually. As we drove we got to see Sydney, and the Opera House. Cool stuff. Wanna go back there and see the city. Eventually went to Erina Fair, a mall where we got meat pies and sausage rolls! Pretty good! Bryan treated. Then continued our trek to the house. Chase and I live with the Hendersons and the girls live about 15 min away with Bryan's wife's, sister. Our house is out in the bush, but not too far away from civilization. It's so green everywhere and reminds me of the jungle. Haha. No joke! I'll post pictures at the end of this..

We unloaded our stuff, met Bryan's family which include his wife, Tara, and their two daughters, Rafi (2), and Lilica (4), walked to the beach,
and then drove back to the mall to buy some stuff we needed. We luckily have a car to drive around in and I got to drive! We have a red, Ford Laser, and we named it Safari! It's pretty old, but still works. And guess what? It's stick! Praise the Lord! So I still have some trouble backing out of our driveway and I'm still getting used to everything being opposite, but God is gracious and is helping me out with these minor problems. We ended the day with a BBQ! After dinner the girls went to their house and Chase and I unpacked our stuff. Then wen to bed.



Ok, back to the thought: It's crazy how much you can see God's hand in things if you just take the time to look.

1) I was forced to learn to drive stick. And I'm the only one on out team who knows how to drive stick efficiently. Our car here is stick. God knew that this would happen. That in order for us to be able to get around to places, we'd have to have someone on or team that knew how to drive stick. He chose me. He prepared me 3 years ago when I got my first car. He let me learn something to be a blessing to others. And now, I'm teaching Chase to drive stick and Rach is getting better each day! Crazy to see how God works...

There are tons of examples that I'm realizing more and more each day over here. It's great. God is great. Hallelujah!

My Student Epistle

I, present Wesley, a bondslave of the one True King, Jesus Christ, write to you, future Wesley, to encourage you to press on towards godliness and to be conformed more and more into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ – no matter what is going on in the world. God’s grace, mercy, and peace be upon you continually.

First, always be meditating on the solid fact that God loves you. He loves you for who you are and because of who He is. He loved you even before you knew it. He even fashioned you in your mother’s womb, hand-crafting every single detail about you. His thoughts toward you are more numerable than your finite mind can keep track. He is absolutely crazy about you, will relentlessly pursue you, and He will always remain this way.

And guess what? He has a purpose for you. It is revealed to you through His Word. Read it. Devour it. Meditate on it day and night. Hide it in your heart. In it is the key to living life as God intended for you to live it. It will tell you where you are coming short of His glory and tell you how to fix it. It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, able to pierce to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, discerning the thoughts and intentions of your heart. He loves you enough to not leave you the same. Let His Word shape you and mold you, cutting off unneeded junk that you so mindlessly drag around with you. People should be able to tell that there is something different about you because you have spent time with Him in His Word.

For some reason, if you are unsure what you are supposed to be doing, devote yourself to the apostle’s doctrine, prayer, fellowship and eating with fellow believers. These are healthy things to do for Christians so not only do them yourself but encourage others to do the same. Set the example for other believers in your faith, purity, love, conduct, and speech.

Hey, newsflash – you are not all that. You are not that big of a deal. So don’t think too highly of yourself. Leave no room for pride in your life – instead, be in an attitude of humility. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. It is solely by God’s grace that you are who you are and you are able to do anything. God’s grace is sufficient for you. Learn to be content in all things – especially in having a personal relationship with the Creator of Everything. Do not look to anything or anyone to fulfill you, but Christ. He is all you need.

Pray. Pray, pray, pray! If you want to see God move and things happen fo the sake of the Kingdom of God, prayer is an essential. Set aside some time where you can talk to God. Seek His face. And listen to Him. But do not limit your communication with Him to that time slot. Communicate with Him throughout your day. He wants to know how you are doing. He wants to know how you are feeling. He eagerly desires to spend time with you – His child.

Live in victory knowing that Christ is victorious. Extend God’s love to others through the life you live on a daily basis. When life gets hard, remember that you are fighting FROM victory, not for victory because Jesus conquered sin and death and those no longer hold any power over you. Be bold and step out in faith. God’s past faithfulness should spur you on to present obedience. Be strong and very courageous to speak forth God’s Word. Proclaim the Gospel wherever you are and to whomever you find yourself with, for it is the power of God for salvation to all who believe. Be diligent, fight the good fight of faith and be faithful in what the Lord has called you to do for the time being. Live your life prepared and ready for the Lord’s return. Live your life in such a way that it provokes others to Christ. Remember that you have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer you who live, but Christ living in you. And the life you now live, live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you.

Maintain a high view of God. Never stop thinking, admiring, and standing in awe of God. He is worthy to be praised, forever and a day – even if you do not feel like it. He deserves the spot of second to none in your life. It is all about Him. It always was about Him. And it will always be about Him. Do not be fooled into thinking that somehow your life is about you. You were made to worship him. Fulfill God’s reason for making you and submit in worship to Him. Sure, sing songs of praise to Him, but more importantly, make sure your heart is in the right place – worship with the right motives. God does not look at the outward appearance like man does, but instead He looks at the heart. Your heart is what He cares about. Do not try to hide anything because everything is naked and bare before His eyes.

The Lord is faithful. You do not need to worry about that. He is faithful even when we are faithless for He cannot deny Himself. He will never change. Rest in this fact.

Finally, continue to seek Him and have a burning desire to know Him more and more intimately. He is amazing beyond words - incomparable to anything we can think of. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Seek Him. Love Him. Be all about His business. Remember your fellow brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted for His name’s sake. Pray for your leaders – secular and ecclesiastical alike.

Make sure the aim of your charge is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a pure faith.