Finish Well

ME

Pastor Ron was my pastor from the time I was 5-10 years old at Hermitage Nazarene Church.

He was a good preacher, funny and likable guy. His daughter dated my brother for a minute, and our families were good friends for years.

Ron moved to Knoxville to Pastor the Nazarene church there.

The church grew, and things looked great.

But he took his eyes off the prize.

After decades or marriage, he cheated on his wife with the church secretary. It ruined his family, the church and his ministry.

He never really recovered from this and died a few years ago.

He didn’t finish well.

*Ray Savage Pic*

Pastor Ray Savage taught one of my first pastoral ordination services in Cookeville, TN.

He pastored Methodist and Nazarene churches for years.

None of them were big churches, but he was faithful and so full of joy and life.

Most importantly, he was a man of godly integrity.

Ray told the story of a crazy lady in one of his churches who had the hots for him. On day, she snuck into his house and tried to set him up for some Netflix and chill, but he caught on to it and brought a few of his church members with him to confront her. She left in a hurry, and he kept his integrity intact.

This guy was just an old country preacher, but he had a big influence on me.

Pastor Ray passed away a few months ago.

Here’s what his son Ed had to say after his passing:

“Dad (Edward Ray Savage) taught me many things, but the greatest was to make the time to listen and love each person with whom your path crossed. He left a legacy of people who listen and love well. And he was well loved by so many in return. Our last adventure was to find the grave of his great(x5) grandfather, who fought with George Washington. Which we did. See you down the road for another adventure soon Dad.”

Ray finished well.

WE

For any of us who come to Christ, it’s a great start.

We feel great with the joy of the Lord, and others are there to congratulate and encourage us.

But when we go out into the world, the devil, other people (and ourselves) try so hard to get in the way of life with Christ.

Spiritual growth may be stunted, and we just kind of live passionless lives with a “Jesus stamp” on them.

May I tell you that’s not how Christians are meant to live?

We are meant to Finish Well.

After this week, I will be almost 500 miles away from you.

So I want you to hear the message I would tell you after leaving this place, before I leave.

Philippians 2:12–13 NIV

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

This isn’t working FOR your salvation… it’s working OUT what Christ has done in you.

God supports the believer, but it is the believer's responsibility to do what he has been called by God to do.

-Oswald Chambers

From the beginning of the Christian movement, being a Christian has always been about action.

Preaching the Gospel, helping the poor, loving enemies.

Not just sitting at a church service a few hours a week.

But learning from that service how to be a better, stronger, more effective Christian through the power of the Holy Spirit, “working out” each day through prayer and the Word, and putting faith into practice by sharing Christ through our words and our lives.

(Paul) seeks the Christian formation of a young community of believers, in light of challenges from both within the church and outside of it.

…he has a larger purpose for the letter. It is the formation of the community into the cruciform image of Christ and their ongoing partnership with Paul in the gospel

-Dean Fleming

Galatians 2:20 NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Paul learned how to work out what God had worked in him until his entire life, body and being was wrapped up in Jesus Christ.

Christ was literally living THROUGH him.

YOU

And that is my prayer for each and every one of you.

That Christ would transform you so radically that He would literally be living through you in such an obvious way that others would be curious about this Jesus.

That you would build each other up in the faith each and every day.

That you would serve well in this local church, finding places where help is needed and stepping up to serve.

That you would get 1,000% behind these amazing adult leaders, your new Lead Pastor and your new Youth Pastor here at Science Hill Nazarene.

Psalm 8:3–4 NIV

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

The beginning and end of your walk of faith is the grace of God.

The keys to finishing your life of faith well is abandoning pride and relying on the grace of God.

Giving every single bit of your life, heart and soul over to Him.

In the New Testament new birth is always spoken of in terms of sanctification, not of salvation; to be saved means that a man receives the gift of eternal life, which is “the gift of God”; sanctification means that his spirit becomes the birthplace of the Son of God.

-Oswald Chambers

My prayer is that Christ will be formed in You completely.

That He will be Your all in all.

If you’re not there yet, BEWARE: I’m going to pray so hard for you until the day you get there.

If you’re already there, I will pray that you continue growing in God’s grace until You see Him face to face.

WE

To our adult leaders:

-Trinity: It has been a pleasure watching you grow from a goofy Middle Schooler at Science Hill School into an incredible woman of God. Our first trip to Mission Nashville with Andy, Taylor, Tommy and Kayla will always be a core memory for me. Thank you for who you are and the way you make people feel at home with you.

-Amy: From the moment you arrived at SHN, you jumped in, served and loved on these kids and my family. You have a servant’s heart that is rare in the life of a church. Thank you for the way you love and serve others. It does NOT go unnoticed by our church and these kids.

-Steph: Thank you for being a voice and ear of kindness and compassion to students, my family and the church. You are creative and look at things differently than most people, and that is such a gift to this church. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend to Kayla over the years, and I pray that friendship grows more and more over the years.

-Dan:

You are a many of many gifts and you use them so well to serve the Kingdom. Thank you for all that you’ve don’t for this church and my family. The greatest surprise of my life was when I came home from camp a few years ago to Kentucky Blue truck. You serve quietly and without ever asking to be recognized, not letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing. I’m so thankful for you brother.

-Josh: You are the calm in the storm in your family and in the children/student ministries. God has given you a brilliant mind in leadership and finances, yet you are always humble and willing to serve at all times. Thank you for all you do at SHN, and for your friendship to me brother. When Kentucky beats Florida in football again this year, I’ll be sure to call and rub it in your face!

-Brad: You and Steph have been at this student ministry thing since well before I got here. It hasn’t always been easy, but you have always been faithful to lead: in our church, local student ministry, on the district and region. You lead with wisdom, a calm spirit, and are unafraid to speak hard things that need to be said. Thank you for the way you lead, but far more importantly for being my brother in Christ.

-Ed and Renee Davis: You two have served so well for so long, selflessly giving of yourselves through exhaustion, frustration, and the crazy stuff youth and worship pastors come up with. More importantly, you make people feel at home in your presence. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness to my family.

To my family:

-Brayden: Thank you for understanding God’s call and being willing to go where He leads our family. You have so many great friends in this group because you’re a great friend to them. I know you will miss seeing them all the time, but I pray they will be your friends for life.

I love you with all my heart buddy.

-Kayla- It’s been a wild ride and it ain’t stopping! Thank you for loving a romantically awkward, forgetful and imperfect man. You have lived the ministry life for your whole life. You see through fakes and frauds and call it like you see it.

You make friends out of nowhere and help shy, awkward people like myself come out of their shells. You care about those who are forgotten, and are willing to help others no matter how busy or crazy your life gets.

You’re the life of the party. You make things fun and interesting.

You love Jesus and your family passionately. Thank you for going on this journey with me and loving me through all my faults (which are many.)

To my students: The ones involved now and others that have come through Fuzion over the last 10 years-

Thank you for every Wednesday night, lock-in, open gym, church van ride, TNT, Breakaway, Camp (even last year’s when I almost lost my mind!), for the time we almost fell off a mountain on the way to an incredible trip to Snowbird, for every small group, Tribes night, First Priority Meeting and heart to heart talk, for inviting your friends to church, I could go on and on… but most importantly: thank you for your tender hearts and passion for Jesus Christ.

Y’all remind the church as a whole that being a Christian can be fun and compassion for others is a must.

It has been an honor and joy to serve as your Youth Pastor, and I pray that God gives you the best Youth Pastor ever that loves you just as you love them.

This is not a goodbye, it’s a “see you later.”

Kayla and I are a text or phone call away, we will be back to visit, and you are always welcome at our place in NC.

*Pray for students*

*Pray for leaders*