15 Things I'd Do If I Were a Freshman Again
725. So we got like, 35 minutes
I guess, as long as we knew that we would be here and even before only prayed about it, and we feel like this is where God was leading us. So, I'm really pumped and can't wait for Gulf Coast and to be here every week and hang out with you guys. But I figured recently, actually before that a few things coming up, this semester, carpooling stuff so much. We have enough people
But if you guys will be here on Sunday mornings, I will commit to like, putting time and effort into it and not just having it be like a filler hour where the rest of the church's meetings. So maybe we should do something. So if you guys will be here, at least the weekends when you're in town, I'll commit to doing everything I can to make it good. So we'll talk about prayer in the gospels where Jesus says, whatever you ask, you'll get it. I don't know about you but sometimes I've asked and I haven't gotten it. So I one of those versus mean and so we're going to talk about prayer that God answers and are there certain types of cancer? Is that trying to turn God into a Genie in a Bottle, one of those versus mean and then what is something called Spring training that will tell us more about after Gulf Coast? But I think could be, could be really, really good. So, but I watched or listened to this YouTube video of John Piper talking about,
I think it was like 20 things I would do if I were 20 again. And he only said things that he had already done, it kind of sounded groggy and to kind of tell you a little bit about my life story, which I can go more in depth later. But to tell you here, or in a 15 things, I would do if I were freshmen again, if I were freshmen again, or if I were seeing you again and this was my last semester out, absolutely do it again. And then some more things that that I wish that I would do differently. So I'll pray and then we'll get into it for tonight. And I thank you for this group and everything that they mean, to me already got a thank you for the relationships that have already begun to build. And I just pray that throughout the course of this semester that you would help. I'm everybody here to know that I'm here for them that the wilkersons are here for them. We got that it would just be a level of trust and it would know that I'm here for them and whatever way I can be God, we pray your blessings over Gulf Coast and over the rest of this semester and over tonight. Got it with some a half from my life in the things that I think I've done well in the things that I've done really poorly, pray that you would speak to me, and then, ething else would would fall on deaf ears. Okay, so here we go. Here's my Freshman 15. 15 things I would do if I were a freshman in again, or senior. The first thing I would do is, I would believe the gospel.
I don't know. I really don't know you that. Well, I'm going to talk to some of you and I know where some of your phone. So I don't know how many of you grew up in church or how many of you didn't? I don't know how many of you have given your life to Christ and how many of you may be thinking about it up in church and I kind of always believe the good news about Jesus. But I believe it for other people and not for me.
Was anybody in first service this past week? Okay, I'll tell the story again when I went to my grandfather's house and my grandparents lived out in the country. You would go down this gravel hill and turn right and go into their driveway. I don't never how old I was, but I was old enough that I was just old enough to ride a bike downhill. So he rides the bike down the hill and it looks awesome. I'm like, okay, I'm going to do this. So take my bike to the top of the hill and I start to ride down and all of a sudden, something, you know, geological change. The hill is twice as steep. As opposed to win, my brother, Mason did it and I'm moving like two or three times as fast as he is. Answer my feet start to slip off the pedals. And if that's ever happened to you, you know, it's like when your feet foot off the pedal and those things are fine and you can't put your feet back on and I had my hands on the handlebars but all of a sudden the brakes that were like just right there. Thankfully there was some brakes that weren't on the pills but the brakes for like right there but all of a sudden it was like for me to Easton and there was no way I was going to reach it. And I was like, I still had some sense of control because my hands were on the handlebars, but in reality, whatever. Send WhatsApp control. I had was just an illusion. The petals were spinning was going faster and faster. I lost all control. The Bible says that with a sin, in our lives, every sinful and destructive had it that we have and every sense of rebellion against God were slaves to that. It doesn't matter what kind of what kind of sense of control. We have, you know, we like to think that all these destructive habits, we have in our life relationships ships with ourselves, if we just wanted to end those things we could and we could just reach out and grab the handlebars and pump the brakes. For slaves to our sin.
And life is spinning out of control. Without something else about that.
My granddad passed away a couple years ago around this time, from covid-19 told the story during communion but he was at the bottom of the hill and he knew what would happen. If I kept going, if you go down the hill and you don't turn, right? And go into that driveway, you keep going down the gravel until you get to the front yard. But before you get to the front yard, there's this giant tree in the way he saw something, that was headed straight for this tree, and I couldn't reach the brakes. And my legs are like this.
And he was propped up on his bike, had one foot on the pedal and one foot on the ground, and he did what anybody would do when he reached out and he caught that buy for the kids stayed with his bare hands. And I must have been something in the Bible that cut him up because I can still picture in my mind. It wasn't just bruises, but his forearms were just covered in blood.
The Bible says that the the wages of sin is death. And the results of all of our sin in our slavery, to send this destruction. But that it just the right time. While we were still sinners.
More hands from the handlebars and we thought we had control but we didn't but we are still slaves to sin and Arsenal spinning out of control at just the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
If I could go back and be a college freshman, again, I would believe the gospel.
Sometimes I reflect on that story and I don't really remember everything that happened. Remember parts of it because my parents every told that story. But the one thing that I always remember in my mind, if I ever have to wonder if I was hurt at all and colliding with him, in that bike, I can remember that. I don't because I remember the blood on his arms. Whatever. I wonder whether or not I've been forgiven. Regardless of what the accuser says, I know the truth, because I can look at the cross and see the blood of Jesus.
if you're a college student today, whether this is you're a freshman or you're a super senior or you're taking a second Victory lap or whatever. The best thing you could do, if you haven't, is to give your life to Jesus. I trust in him for your salvation, and if you have done that, then maybe you're like me. And you have this sense that like God wants everybody else, but he doesn't love me. Because I've screwed up one more time than Andrew. And I can understand why God would forgive him, but but you don't understand me.
Number for sitting in a mentor's car, one time talking about this and it's like, I believed it in my head but I couldn't couldn't make its way down here. He said, Dylan God brought the hammer down on himself. So that he doesn't bring it down on you. That was a turning point in my life, where for so long, I wanted other people to believe the gospel because I wanted them to be changed by Jesus. Send you was the best thing in the world. But I didn't believe it for me. Like in that moment, God helped it get from here to here.
2nd Corinthians says that God, made him who had no sin to be sin for us. So that in him, Jesus might become the righteousness of God. If there is nothing else that you get out of it, if there's anything I could do as a college student, again, it would be to believe the gospel. Howard College student again. I would believe the gospel not just for other people, but for me, too. And if I were a campus Minister, that's where my first night to talk to campus ministry, I'll spend 10 or 15 minutes talking about the gospel. Even if I had 14 other things, I wanted to say. Tristan a test. I went to the worst high school ever. It was terrible. It was the number seven, High School in the country and she knows some of the guys that graduated with my brother. They're all nerves everybody at school and I can say that cuz I went there, too, but I just hated it was terrible. It was worse than my Master's Degree. The worst thing you could ever do to us and high school as a senior thinking, this is the dumbest thing ever. And actually, I've used it a lot because I was a Communications major and I will administer. So use calculus on The Daily.
And we still use addition and subtraction.
And I'm no expert but the word on the street is it doesn't really matter how high you go. You still use the basics.
But come to your faith. Don't ever leave behind the simple truths of the Gospel. Ever leave that behind. That while we were still sinners Christ died for the ungodly. So that's number one, number two, if I could go back in and be a college freshman, again I would surround myself with a community of Kingdom Minded friends and I did that, my campus ministry. I surrounded myself with Incredible friends. Are the people that you hang out with the most The Bible says Bad Company. Corrupts good character in the flip side is true. The way, my youth Ministries to say, it grown-up as you are who you hang around and maybe you've heard your dad or somebody's. Dad said that if I did that to Dad saying you are who you hang around but it's so true. If you want to see the direction of your life, then look at the people that you spend your time with. And I think that a large part of the good that came out of my life. And my faith is a college student is because of who I surrounded myself, with people that we're serious, about following Jesus, people that were serious about loving, God were serious about loving people who are serious about going out on campus and making disciples. And my life was far from perfect. When I left College, because it's far from perfect now, but I think a lot of the good that happened came, Because I surround myself with Kingdom Minded friends.
The third thing, if I could go back and be a freshman again, I would commit myself deeply to a local church and I would have loved it as if I really believed that church was the bride of Christ. Now, I think really, it's really easy for Our Generation. And the process of deconstruction so many people are deconstructing their faith to just do all churches, left and right. And to be fair,
We should pretty much expect that because we're all messed up and that's who makes up to his people. But if we're not careful, we can be so caught up in pointing out the things that are wrong in church. That we can say and think and talk about the church as if it's not the bride of Christ. And what had was just sitting there thinking I've been married for two and a half years now and I love Emma to death. I remember thinking I would never talk about her. The weather is so easy for us to talk about churches. Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I thought if I could go back to college I would do what I did. I will commit myself to a local church and I would love it. Like it was the bride of Christ in like a really believe that winter Church call Collegedale and it wasn't perfect.
It's a lot of the suits aren't campus ministry went to a different Church which was was fine, but there was just a lot and I got to the point where I would defend the church so much or even not necessarily trying to say that the things that they pointed out one true but just went out so many great things about the church and the people that went there that somebody called me to call Shanelle apologist. I thought that was a great compliment. Because that's the bride of Christ.
And I think it's so easy to get to a point where church, either become something that we criticize or something that we go to for it to be all about us or I go to church to be entertained and worship Saints this way this weekend, man. . Okay, whatever I'm going to move on with my week but churches in about that it's about pouring yourself into community and serving others and being a blessing. So if I could go back, I would still commit myself to a local church and love it. Like, it was the bride of Christ. Your number for out, never go a day without reading the Bible. And this is something that I absolutely did not do your face and your life getting better. But if there is one thing that is closer than anything else, it would be reading the Bible every single day. and, I'm ashamed to admit. How little I read about this past year. That's the one we went into the new year I had to repent of.
Just the psalmist says that God's word is like a hidden treasure man to repent of how rarely I looked at God's word like that and commit to changing that. The first thing I would do differently. If I could go back, I would absolutely. Never go a single day without reading about Number five, I would make confession a spiritual Rhythm and I didn't really, I think confession can be such a beneficial rhythm in your walk. And to be honest, confession really wasn't a rhythm in my life, because, you know, why would I confess sin in my life to somebody else when I wasn't confessing it to prayer and prayer in the first place? I just think I went back at so many points throughout college. Life has been so much better. If I confessed my sins and I didn't do that at least on a regular basis. Eventually I did find a mentor and a close friend that I trusted and we prayed together and that was such a blessing in my life but if I could go back I would make that a regular spiritual Rhythm Of My Life confessing sin with a mentor that I trusted and a close friend that I trusted you for a savior and the grace that God pours out in the middle of that, I would make confession the spiritual Realm. Number 6, kind of clothes for that. I would rely more on personal Holiness and giftedness.
It was really easy for me to get up and speak in front of our campus ministry, your way to Bible study based off the fact that I felt like. I was a good public speaker rather than really having a closer walk with Jesus and I hate that. So if I could go back, I would rely more on personal Holiness cuz I think it's so easy to look. Like you're really serious about your faith. If you just have good morals, there's nothing that can replace having an intimate walk with God. Number 7, I would date and marry as if it were the second, most important decision in my life, and I did that, Because second to deciding to give your life to Jesus. I think the most important decision, you'll probably make in your life, and what God has given me, the gift of singleness, which is a gift is who you're going to give yourself to a marriage since I dated really seriously, I didn't just walk into a relationship with Emma. And when we dated, I was really serious about, considering if I thought that we would spend the rest of our lives together. Uses this metaphor of being equally yoked. Know you hook up to oxygen to you, do they need to walk at the same speed if they're going to till the soil? Well, And so when I read that, you know a lot of times we think okay if you're Christian you should probably marry a Christian. I think that's really true but you can have two oxen and if one is a lot stronger than the other, they're not going to pull evenly. It's important that you're evil. Yo. Can you marry somebody? This is committed to following Jesus as you are. So when me and him a dated, we talked about those things and I really believe that I dated and I'm married somebody with the same kind of spiritual commitment that he had the same kind of beliefs and then even specific convictions, like we want to adopt so badly. Because that's close to the heart of God. And I'm so glad that I am married somebody, that wants to adopt. And so if I could be a freshman and I would date and I would marry as if it was the second, most important decision of my life, because if you do get married, it probably will be Number 8, I would give generously out of my property. I think it's really easy to think. I'm a college student. I'm broke. I don't have any money one day when I have a full-time job. Then I'll give in the truth. Is that the more money you have at least for me, I don't know if I feel like the more money you have the harder it gets to you. If somebody asked one time how much money is enough, they said a little bit more, a little bit more, will always be enough and so if I can go back, I would give more generously out of my property and develop the Habit in my life, because it's something that I didn't do. The closely tied to that number 9. If I could go back and do something different, if I could go back and be a freshman, again, I would position myself for lasting generosity and not just lasting prosperity. So many people come to college, and you ask why she get this major? Well it makes a lot of money. And you do have to pay the bills and and buy groceries and all that. But one thing that I think me and Emma did and I'm proud of is positioning myself to be a generous, not to be prosperous in the long run. And so, when she went to PT school, we were really intentional about living lower. So that we took out his little loans as possible about paying my schooling along the way, cuz sometimes you just have to take out loans. What's that? We have, the faster we can pay it and we're committed to panel for loans fast because if you're going to be in debt for the rest of your life, it can be really hard to be generous with your money. Somebody say when time and it's a challenge that I would give to you and a challenge that me and Emma are hoping to live by. You're going to get jobs, that pay more, and you're going to get promotions. Go ahead and have the mindset of increasing your standard of giving more than your standard of living. If I could be a call soon, again I would position myself, as much as possible to beat you in a race more and prosperous. Okay. Number 10, I wouldn't miss yet mentoring relationships with other believers.
You know, you are who you hang around. And I think if I could go back and do something differently, I would pursue that more intentionally. I think there are a few things that can replace finding somebody that has walked down the road further than you. That can mentor you and your faith. And even if it's nothing other than just hey, can we get together and pray together? Like, if you want to get close to somebody to pray together, And I wish that I've done that more, I did have some people that did that in my life, but especially like my freshman and sophomore year. It was something that was more like half Hazard than intentional. And so, if you don't adopt a student and it's somebody this church or whoever it is, and if she had a mentoring relationship with an older believer, where you can say, what Paul says, Paul said follow my example, as I follow Christ. And so, you're never going to be somebody else's disciple. You cuz you're always going to be a disciple of Jesus, but to the extent that they follow Jesus to be able to say, okay, that's what it looks like to follow. Jesus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 2023. These are very few things that I think can replace that. Number 11, I would share the gospel and invite people to follow Jesus. So after I believe, I used to think that you had to wait for these perfect opportunities. and then one day, you know tregen would say that I'm a great guy and he would say, hey Why are you like that? And I would say it's because of Jesus need to say, oh, how do I follow Jesus? And then I will tell him. And then one day so I haven't read, Romans 10, you know what? Romans 10 says, says, how will they believe if they don't hear? And how would I hear? Unless somebody tells him going to hit me? Most people don't know how to follow Jesus. Somebody's got to tell him. And a lot of times lost people don't realize that they're lost, Jesus looked out on the crowds, and he saw them, and he says that he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. I sent you so many people that are out on campus. And the reason they're not just walking into a church at because I think they don't need Jesus. Until you invite them to hear the good news and share that with them. I think about a friend of mine that came to church with us for months. And one day, is somebody sat down with him and they told him to share the gospel with him about how Jesus said I form. It was about being good enough. Or about anything you can do any set up. I wish I'd known that was the main point of Christianity. I think we are mistaken to think that just because somebody lives in Alabama, that they have a really clear understanding of what Jesus is all about. Some people do, but not everybody does. So I would share the gospel and I would invite people to follow Jesus. You know, if you really believe that somebody was drowning and you're standing on the edge of a boat with a life vest you wouldn't just tell him about how it'd be nice if somebody saved them eventually, you'd throw them eventually, throw it out there. So here you go. So I think eventually I cannot tell you about the most important thing in my life. Make sure the gospel in this, I hate. You know, ask him if they would want to follow Jesus and help you make that decision. I think I got in high school that I missed that chance with I knew I should have done it but I just invited him to church over and over and I was always too scared and we can back. The reason I was too scared was cuz I never asked God to help me. Not be scared. And the Bible says you don't have because you don't ask and I didn't ask. So I never had boldness. And praise God. He ended up coming to Alabama and coming to Faith through a church here.
Number 12, number 12, I would be friend and share the gospel with an international student. The reason that I am seed Chinese New Year as because I did that. So I reached out early today to what's it called, Global Cafe on campus, to do language Partners in such a thing like that. So I got paired with some International students and a friend of mine named Caroline did that too and she got paired with a guy named Nico and so they would talk once a week for an hour but she said he'll probably be really good. If he had a friend that was a guy and they ended up becoming a really good friend of mine and six years ago this weekend at Gulf Coast get away. I got to baptize him in the Gulf of Mexico and it was one of the most special moments of my life. And I start a Bible study for international students and so the next year, my friend Mary Gates, let Emily to Christ. And in the spring semester, my friend Leslie is going to come way to worship for us in about a month-and-a-half one Sunday. He lets out a Christ and then the next couple years we planted a lot more seeds and then became the president of the Chinese Student Association. So I was hosting Chinese New Year with Emma and a couple of Chinese students. And we would say things in English even though there were no Americans in the audience. And then, our Chinese friends would say in Chinese to the hundred people that were there.
And I just don't know where my life would be if I hadn't done that. And I would hate for you guys to miss that privilege.
I hate for you to miss that. Pretty much. Nothing that anybody can do it. You sign up for language Partners? You sit down with somebody for a week and somebody who's far from home. It did change my life so if I could go be a college student again, I would do that, never 13 hour to learn about God's heart for the world sooner. I knew that was the whole world, but I didn't realize it was in the whole Bible. And then, you know, I knew the Great Commission said go and make disciples of all Nations, but it's the Old Testament is filled with it. And I read it and it was like, it just went over my head, it's all through the Bible, God's heart for the whole world. It was until my senior year. When I took a class called perspectives on the World, Christian Movement that different churches host in a lot of different cities, Tuscaloosa. Is doing it. The spring semester. I think maybe they just do it in the spring semester, so maybe just once a year and it absolutely changed my life. I didn't know what an honor linguistic group, that's less than 2% Christian. Have the highest need for missionaries? And North American churches, seem less than 10% of their missionaries. The places that need it. Most and I wish I would have learned all that sooner.
Yeah, number 14, I would go into vocational Ministry. I wouldn't take back being in campus ministry and I don't know if any of y'all feel like maybe God is calling you to Ministry.
There is a famous missionary one time that said you don't need a special calling to go, you need a special calling to stay. It should just be a given that we go to where people haven't heard about Jesus and we tell him about Jesus. And tied with that, if I could go back, I would be an intern one summer for Pioneer, Bible translators and I just didn't know that they existed until it was too late.
And I would not go throughout College without seriously laying my life before God and thank God. What do you want me to do?
Are almost out of times. Number 15. if I could go back and be a freshman again, I would forget what is behind like Paul said in Philippians 3 and I would strain towards what's ahead At the end of the day, I can't be a college student again. In all these things that I wish I could have done differently, all the regrets that I have. I can't change him, but I don't need to because Play the Jesus and the blood that was shed for me. It's it's been forgiven. And what I can't control, what is what I do with my life for the rest of my life. And if I give Jesus everything that I have, It's a whether you're a senior and you're getting ready to leave or you're a freshman, another all of us come to this room and we have regrets and things that we would have changed about our life and process. Forget what's behind? Everybody that has put their faith in Christ has been forgiven. Forget what is behind and straining toward what is ahead? If I work out soon again, I would forget what is behind and straining towards, what the hell? It was whatever I have left for the rest of my life. Whether it's today or it's decades and Decades of my life, give everything that I have to live for Jesus. Cuz I think if you do that, and what Jesus says in John 10:10, Reese's, the enemy comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it to the fool. I think, if you do that, you'll know what a bunch of life, really is, what life to the full really is. So there's my Freshman 15, 15 things that I would do. If I were a freshman again, for college student, again, things that I would do right now for the rest of my life.
I'm super excited to be here. I'm super excited to to be here every Wednesday night. I'm excited to get into two small groups with you guys and do spring training later and talk about prayer on Sundays and to get lunch together. I want to be here for you guys. I know that y'all know that they're here for, you know, that I'm here for you too. And so whatever I can do for you. You know, it if, if you want somebody to pray with, if you're going through something, if you have questions, whatever it is. Me and Trish are here for you guys. We love you all. And yeah, we love you guys a lot. So and I'll for this group and what's thank you that
even though I'm only a few years from moved from been an undergrad student that I can still speak to some things that I would have done differently or thinks that it would have done the same got more than anything. If nothing else.
To be worn from the things that I wish you would have done differently, God. I just pray that we would hold fast to the truth of the Gospel. Because if there's anything, I could go back and do it, I would, I would ask you to help me believe the gospel. And so I pray that that that that good to use transform us that, at the end of the semester, this campus ministry would look more like Jesus because because if you're working hard, and I know you're going to do great things, I'm looking forward to Gulf Coast and continue to pray that your blessings would be on all that. We ask all this in Jesus name.
Real quick. I sent a couple of details. Yes, he does admit to being here. It'll be really good and we're going to wrestle threesome the things about. Or maybe questions. We don't always ask out loud. That was probably all be really good and then, we'll start small group on January 23rd. So, guys group and girls group, Monday night 7 p.m. 23rd to after golf is not the day we get back for the next week. We'll have group this weekend. If you are not signed up and you're interested, come talk to me. We can still squeeze a couple of people in. So if you go in here that aren't, we'd love to. Have you come with us, will be at the beach Fridays and then we'll leave here. Get there, Friday, come back Monday. If you can drive it and we could use like one more drivers. So somebody is willing to come talk to me. Not, we'll figure it out but I've got Grace wheeler and Taylor Drive. Play me a great weekend. If you have any questions, just let me know. We'll meet here at 3 p.m. on Friday or y'all will be here. I'm going to have one but I'll be here at 3
Yes, I can drive but I have class Monday morning. So
Yeah, it might just mean people might have to sit somewhere for a couple hours, so somebody else can drive. Let us know if you can Sweet.