Do Your Deeds Line Up With Your Creed?

Regardless of your denomination or your doctrinal beliefs, those that follow Christ should all agree on the Apostles Creed.  We can debate over eternal security or infant baptism, but we wouldn't lay our life down for those.  These are the FACTS that Christians have been, are being, and will be martyred for.  Are you willing to lay down your life for these?  Does your life reflect that?

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

He descended into hell.

On the third day He rose again;

He ascended into heaven,

He is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Added To Their Number Daily...

We have been absolutely blown away at the way God has been moving among us lately.  The bus ministry blew their record number out of the water last night.  One of our leaders, Craig Walker, wrote an encouraging email to the bus leaders and I wanted to share it with those who read our stories.  Craig writes : "There were 55 kids on the bus today! That is simply amazing!  What an answer to our prayer.  If anyone ever doubts the power of prayer, these last two weeks have been a perfect example. We had been averaging 28 kids for the past 5 weeks before last week.  Last week, we all asked God to bring 40 kids and we had 42! This week, we prayed for 64 (bus capacity) and we got 55!  Prior to last week we had not been praying for a specific number as a whole.  As soon as we started praying for specific number God showed up and showed off!!!  This happened for two reasons. 1) Our God is FLIPPIN amazing!!!  2) All of your hard work and prayer.  Thank you so much for everything you do and your prayers. None of this would be possible without each and every one of you!  I know it can be trying at times, but you are making a difference for eternity in our community.  I truly believe that God smiles when He looks down on the L.O.T. Project and all of your contributions."  DANG!  This email can be directed towards all of you, that support the L.O.T. Project.  We could not run this ministry without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or without support from people like you!  We want to thank every one of you for your prayers, your time, and your financial contributions.  The fruit that we are seeing within this ministry is strikingly similar to the fruit of the church in Acts 2:42-47.  God has seriously been adding to our numbers daily, and it is our prayer that every person that we work with will be saved.  We stand by 1 Corinthians 15:58, which says, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Obedient To The Call...

This is a guest post from Danielle DiMuzio.  She is an 8th grade girl that attends Fuse*, NewSpring's youth service.  She blessed us with a simple act of obedience.  I hope you enjoy...

For a couple of months I’ve been saving up for an ipod nano, because my last mp3 player was stolen. I don’t get an allowance, and I don’t have a job, so my total savings only amounted up to about $50. I was pretty proud that I hadn’t spent the money on something stupid and was over ¼ of the way to my “prize” – the esteemed ipod. But I hadn’t been giving any money to God, and that fact weighed on me every time “tithing” was mentioned at church. I was able to brush off the guilt by saying that I’d start tithing again once I had the ipod and had money I could “afford” to give up. Anyway, I regularly attend Fuse* at NewSpring on Wednesday nights, and on April 1st, Brad was talking about listening to what God was calling you to do, and then actually doing it. As I was listening, I felt a sort of tugging at my heart, which turned into pulling, which turned into my heart beating faster and faster until I was like, “OK God! I know that’s you, what do you want me to do?” Then the video began to play. (the video was about the L.O.T. project and how it got started.) Instantly, I knew that was what God wanted me to do. I was to give $40 dollars to the L.O.T. project, and the remaining $10 of my savings was to go to the church for “general purposes”. And you know what? I wasn’t even reluctant to give the money. There’s something alluring about doing what God wants you to do, especially when you can see that MAJOR good will come out of it. So that night, when I went home, (I hadn’t brought the money to Fuse* with me), I took out the $50 and set it aside so that I would remember to give it to its rightful place next time I went to church. Unfortunately, doubt started creeping back into my mind during the two weeks between times I was at Fuse*. I started questioning if God had really wanted me to give ALL the money. But God shot down all my arguments, and this past Wednesday, I gave the money to the L.O.T project, and I feel so much better for it. God showed me that His plans are always better than mine, and that if I will just give myself – all of myself – to Him, He can do amazing things through me, or anyone in the same position.

Dr. King Kept It Real...

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most passionate men that has ever lived.  When I read some of the things that he wrote, I am encouraged beyond words.  I was in class this morning and a friend shared this quote, of  Dr. King's, with me.   

"On the one hand we are called to play the good Samaritan on life's roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This guy was known for keepin' it real, even to the point of being jailed, beaten, and eventually killed, just like someone else I know.  I pray that I can live a life of passion/suffering (2 Corinthians 6:3-10) that reflects my love for Christ, as Dr. King and others have done.  

Da Ice Cream Man...

What if we had an ice cream truck, and were able to drive it through the community?  Not only would we be offering ice cream for next to nothing, but we would be able to offer the gospel to everyone that we encountered.  Is it too far fetched to think that people could meet Jesus b/c of the ice cream man?  I guarantee I have someone that could fill this spot, we just need the truck.  Call me crazy, but this could and will work.  Your thoughts...

God Is Always Faithful...And We Are Trying To Be...

What’s up readers? Just wanted to update you on how God has been moving through this ministry. Last night at Fuse*, which is New Spring’s youth ministry, God moved in mighty ways. He really pressed down on me through the worship and the teaching then challenged me in mighty ways. Let me just say thank you to all the staff and volunteers that make it happen each week YOU ARE AWESOME! You are all not only making a difference in youth’s lives but also leaders lives. Now back to my story. We had small group after the worship service and it was great, but something happened at the end of small group as one of our leaders Craig Walker was praying. He was praying about the gauntlet and he said, “God its not if you are going to save people, it’s how many?” That prayer just rocked me to the core. God told me, “Tonight when all the kids get on the bus you are going to share my son and his love with them and I’m going to save souls.” I must say it was overwhelming at first because getting 27 students to be quiet on a bus is hard to do. But shortly after he told me that, it was time! I shared Jesus with those kids and told them about my past and what God has done for me! I told them God loves them no matter what but they need to turn their lives over to him and he is the only way to go John 14:6. I told them it’s not a prayer that saves you, its acknowledging Jesus as lord and truly accepting his gift in your heart and living for him that saves you. Folks I have never heard a bus of normally hyper kids be so quiet! Then God did as promised, he moved through that bus and saved lives. We took 7 kids and led them in a prayer to recieve Jesus. It was overwhelming, to say the least. My spirit was going crazy and my heart was rejoicing as I prayed with them. Hearing them say to Jesus, “Come into my life and take control,” moved me beyond words. Hearing them say, “I confess my sins to you and I need your forgiveness,” brought me to tears. You see that’s why we do what we do, to see LIVES CHANGE. Since then, we have followed up with them and will continue to disciple these students. All I have left to tell yall is that we at The L.O.T. Project are blown away at what God has been doing through this ministry. I ask you all to continue to pray for us as we share Christ with anyone and everyone. We are begging God for more of him and less of ourselves. It’s our prayer to reach our surrounding communities for Jesus and HE CAN DO IT! I Love you all and a special thank you to our bus leaders, you make it happen every week. We are so thankful for everyone's prayers and contribution. Know that God is using all of them to glorify HIS name.

Love you all,
Jason

All In A Day's Work...

First let me say thank you to all who prayed for the LOT project street ministry today. We started the day off feeding biscuits and coffee to dozens of homeless people. Then we had what I like to call, “A Street Side Service.”  I taught out of Romans 8, and it went really well. These men had a lot on their minds and I feel like Jesus provided them with HOPE. I know that we poured the Love of Christ all over these men and they felt God’s presence. We also provided several of them with backpacks full of supplies like soap, toothpaste, deodorant and food; the basic stuff we all use everyday. Shortly after the service, we began the more hardcore part of the day. God has been telling me all week to be bolder and more passionate in my approach while sharing the gospel.  He told me to invade the drug houses with the love of Jesus. So that’s what we did. We shared Christ with addicts, dealers, prostitutes, and anybody else who we came across. We were able to plant a lot of seeds and it was AWESOME. At one point I had a dealer ask me, “Do you know where you are?” I responded with a smile and told him yes, this is where Christ called us to minister. I then went on to tell him that I loved him and I just wanted to serve him. He was shocked, seeing his reaction was mind boggling to me. He opened up and we had an awesome conversation. You see folks these people are trapped in a lifestyle many of them did not ask for. Many of them grew up in a fallen community and had no parents. I believe that’s a bad way to start your life, TRAPPED! I feel like these people want out but many of them don’t have people that love them and pour into them. Many of them have lost HOPE and that’s one of many things Christ Jesus can give them. It’s up to us to show them Jesus and love them like Jesus does. You see that’s what drives this ministry THE PASSION OF JESUS. We want our whole community to feel loved and needed! Jesus can use anyone and everyone no matter your past he has a plan and a purpose for you. Just look at who he used in the Bible, ordinary men and women. I will end this post by saying thank you to all of our supporters and thank you to all of you who pray for us. On this day of ministry we had several people accept Jesus and several needs were met. Finally Praise be to Jesus Christ and his kingdom! God we beg you to continue to work through us and change this community we love you! Amen! Thanks Jason