IMPACT CONFERENCE

We just returned from a fantastic conference - IMPACT - our annual high school conference in Des Moines. It was a great weekend for our group. We had a much larger group than normal which changed some of the feel of the weekend.

Pastor Umar shared his testimony the first night - which was amazing. He was born in Nigeria and raised as a Muslim. On the day he went to kill Christians, God saved Him. His story, both before and after salvation, reads much like the Apostle Paul's in the book of Acts. If you want to hear an abbreviated version of his testimony, you should check out WHO Radio and soon they will have it in their archives. He was on the Steve Deace program yesterday (so check under January 9th, 2007). It's amazing.

Our main speaker, Brad Buser, managed to be a bit offensive - but that was good. He was a missionary for many years in a remote part of Papau New Guinea. I'm going to share some quotes from what he said. Here they are.

If you choose to become a Christian and follow Jesus, it costs EVERYTHING – He wants ALL of you

Christ is not an add-on – he gets it all

Luke 9:23-27
“Deny self” – say no to what I’m all about
“Take up your cross” – people that carried a cross had no future plans – they were dead to their desires, dreams, etc…

Jesus had only one set of requirements – not two; He didn’t say – if you want to be my disciple, do this, but if you just want to make sure you go to heaven, all you have to do is ….. He said – Go into the world and make DISCIPLES

God doesn’t want to be first on our list – He IS the list

He realized he was chasing mirages

What are you doing with what you know? Don’t come and learn more about Jesus until you are using what you already know.

1 Cor 6:19-20
Your body is a temple – you have been bought with a price – you have no right to live out your dreams – but you must live out HIS dream – anything else is sin

People wonder where they are gifted and what makes them happy. No one is gifted in burying their kids in a 3^rd world country. No one is gifted in having malaria or polio.

Soon enough you’ll be in an old folks home – and you’ll have so many regrets, because you didn’t live for Jesus

The Great Commandment - in each of the Gospels and Acts
“Nations” – not speaking of countries, but of people groups – ethnic groups
Jesus did not say – “Therefore, be willing to go” – he said – “Go!”

We can’t give God lines in the sand
God doesn’t need any more nice, well-rounded Christians

We don’t go because they are more important
We don’t go because of us
We go because we have been commanded

John 20:19
God led by example – He sent His son – “As I was sent, so I send you.”
We have no right to put down roots on this earth
The price tag is very high

If Jesus came back into this room today and preached a sermon, it would be the same on he preached at the end – Go into all the world…

Romans 15:19
Location matters – Is it fair that we have the Gospel everywhere (TV, bookstores, many translations, internet), and others have never heard it once? (he asked different age groups this question, and the older the group, the less willing they were to answer the question)

2 Timothy 2:3-4
We are not to get involved in the affairs of this world – rather – we are to please Christ
To follow Christ means to walk away from all the world has to offer – from all my dreams