Tuesday's Details
When 5:30 a.m. rolled around Tuesday, the campers. . . were sound asleep. Very little peeping happened while the counselors prayed for campers, pastors, and staff. They rolled out of bed in time to tidy up and come in for breakfast. Mrs. Perkins had fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, and baked oatmeal. Baked oatmeal? Imagine an oatmeal cookie or cobbler that you’re allowed to eat for breakfast--it rocked!
Pastor Roseland began Bible class with a review regarding separation from idols and and the exhortation to walk in the manner worthy of our calling. He challenged the campers to memorize 1 Thes. 1:9-10. He continued this line of thought by bringing to our attention the difference between destiny and purpose for the believer. At the point of faith alone in Christ alone, that individual’s eternal destiny is heaven. On earth, he has a calling to perform good works out of gratitude for our so great salvation. And, the only way we can walk and work is to obey God.
Psalm 1 says,
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.4 The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
What perfect encouragement and explanation for what separation from the world looks like for the believer. The believer not of this world does not let evil people influence his thinking which leads to his speech and deeds. The believer does not make for himself the way of life or path that the fool or unbeliever does. His words do not ridicule the truth or the the commands of God. Walk. Stand. Sit. Where are we? What is the path our decisions put us on? Remembering that the tradition, originally, was for the teacher to sit before the student, from whom are we learning? By whom are we choosing to be influenced? And, as bearers of the image of God, those who should be spreading the gospel of Christ and light in the world, what influence do we exert on those around us?
Col. 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Applying the scriptures to life begins with thinking Biblically about life. Idol elimination requires a fixed focus on God through His word where He reveals Himself. Pastor Roseland mentioned three areas for idol manufacture: personal relationships, foundational principles, and priorities. We cannot allow people--the ones we love, the ones we want to love us, the ones we struggle with, to get in the way of our focus on the Lord. All of our choices regarding right and wrong derive from our system of foundational principles regarding right and wrong. Therefore, standards or decision making principles that violate God’s word will guide our choices to be those that are disobedient to Him. Finally, priorities are the things you care enough about to delegate time towards and accomplish well. If our obligation to our Creator and Savior does not demand time in the day to learn of Him, to pray to Him, and to serve Him, then whatever we chose to spend our time and energy toward became our idol distracting us from God who loves us. Finally, when we’re not choosing to obey God in our decisions, to listen and to learn from the teachers of His word, and to influence others in righteousness, we aren’t walking in the manner of our calling. We aren’t working for Him. But we are still called. And among many places in scripture, including Psalm 1, God blesses when we answer the call. . .and walk in a manner worthy.
Ladies and gentlemen, sandwiches have never been made so fast and more than 50 people buckled into vans than when Pastor Mark Perkins takes Camp Arete campers hiking. Our daily schedule allows for 30 minutes to pack sack lunches--51 young adults with the help of a benevolent kitchen staff, and 15 minutes to assemble and load up to leave the campground. We headed for the trailhead 8 minutes early!! Yay campers!! Yay counselors! Yay Staff! Yay Pastor Perkins!
The Trail Time Bible class continued with the concepts of what is reality and moved into the realities of life. People are fallen and in need of a Savior. Even with the Savior, they don’t stop sinning. Lies antithetical to God’s word pervade pagan thinking and proliferate quickly in darkness. Believers even, must guard their hearts against the evil that breeds in darkness and seeks to blot out the light. Misguided thinking resting on a foundation of lies leads to decisions with dire consequences. On top of what people bring on themselves on a personal level, disasters such as war, persecution, disease, and destruction occur daily. And this is not REAL living. It is reality, but it’s not really living.
Really living involves focus on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. Really living rests on a Hebrews 11:1 definition of faith, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Really living results from learning and obeying God’s word. Really living happens in spite of the circumstance, but resting on the Lord through it. Really living is a life love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Really living involves service to the Lord not to self--and yet there’s so much blessing, so great an inheritance for the servant of God.
After the hike, the campers enjoyed a quick snack, then played Ultimate Frisbee and Variety Volleyball, or made duct tape wallets. Chaplain King spoke with the girls about living the Christian life as godly young women, and Assistant Director Gary Smith spoke with the boys about the challenges they face in the world.
Playing Volleyball
Making T-shirts
Pastor Musser continued Acts 17, making an issue of preparedness in the presentation of the gospel. Paul was always sensitive and polite when he spoke the truth with the Athenians. He was always willing to make sacrifices in life--for his own comfort and preference if it would help his audience receive Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 “For though I am free from all men, i have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, thought not being with the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak so that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men so that i may by all means save some.” Yet, Paul never compromised biblical standards of truth. He didn’t participate in the paganism, but he functioned as Christ’s representative within a pagan culture in a way that gave him legitimate and personal connections to his audience.
God’s grace demonstrates how to do the things He has called us to do, and Paul is our example of this. Paul was always polite and respectful. Proverbs 25:11-13 “Like apples of gold in setting of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.” We are to be volunteers. We are to go where people are. We are to start with general information about God and move toward the specific, always being discerning about which concepts of God and concepts of pagan thinking to speak to. Be particular and wise regarding the issues we engage and be prepared to give an account. Engage in the topics where the audience’s interests lie, but engage where you are best able to give your account. Paul wants to give answers to the people because they need answers, and he is prepared to do so. When he becomes all things to all people, he engages the truth without compromise based on the perspective of his audience. We must prepare and practice imitating his technique.
After Bible class was a robust Capture the Flag game which wore the campers out. They broke up into small groups and made further connections with their highly engaged and deeply caring counselors. When the lights went out, everyone dropped off to sleep, quickly.
