Rooted In Scripture

What is the objective?

to share testimony but be encouraged through it by the use of scripture.

What is there to learn from the testimony?

We have something prepared...

In the theme of surrender...

if you recall through any teachings done by Arnold or Monica or any of the pastor’s that have been up front, surrender is...

Surrender (not caring about what you want but what God wants); starts with pre-deciding.

And what is pre-deciding? Deciding in this moment and then in every moment to choose God and to be root in scripture to know God.

Accomplished by: being rooted in scripture.

What does it mean to be rooted in scripture?

Psalm 1 “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.”

Like a tree that needs water and nutrients to grow strong and prosperous, we need to be rooted in Gods word.

The water is the Word of God, but the flowing water is meditating on it “day and night”. What does this mean? It means that we need to be doing it everyday, and at least twice a day. Why? Because we need to anchor ourselves to God as the first thing that we do and cleanse ourselves before God from the day that dirtied us (sin from choice or not).

Anchor: again, rooting or tying ourselves to the knowledge that God has given us which through his word, which will grant us the ability to discern our thoughts, emotions, and circumstances throughout the day and acting on that discernment through the Holy Spirit, which we call wisdom.

Cleanse: we are inherently sinful, yes. But we need to cleanse from any unclean spirits that may have latched onto us or have lingered around us and are waiting for an opportunity to pounce and pull you down.

As you do this, you begin to have the ability to not only recall scripture but to know its wisdom, to know the knowledge that God intended to reveal to you. And this is what Phil. 4: 8 means, which says:

Verses:

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 4

8 Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.

Why do I bring this Up?

All of us went into our missions trip with a self centered heart and not a scripturally rooted, Jesus loving heart.

Testimony

I started off not wanting to go before the trip even started. I was in SK and I was already so tired from finals and other stuff, plus I only had a week to rest at home before turning around and heading to Albania. So, upon arrival at our mission field, the kids camp, I was already "ugh, I do not want to be here, I should not have come!”

And this is how most of the team felt. But as we were complaining to each other, we started to slow down, observe the Albanian team around us, and realized that they were not there for themselves but to love on the kids in such a Godly way that they do not get at home. So we started catching ourselves and reminding each other that we need to do the same, but change in our hearts started with scripture. When we all quickly turned to prayer to repent for thinking about ourselves and complaining and opened the word of God to receive encouragement, our entire trip changed.

My biggest dwelling was on Matthew 22:34-40.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 22

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”

37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind., 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself., 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

This verse was big on my heart because this is what is looks like to live a life that is for God and not centered on ourselves. When we focus on knowing who God is, that he loves us, and then spreading that love to other people in all that we possibly can and unconditionally so, everything else in life falls into place and it is so much easier to live, because you are not constantly worried about your own ways and tomorrow.

Matthew 6:25–35 even says:

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6

25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

And that is what the entire team and I did: focused on being present in each day, looking for opportunity to love on the Kids, enjoy community with the other leaders, and remain attentive to what we could learn for our own lives.

Now The Team:

So, with that said, and I hope you paid attention and took your notes, because it is relative to the panels’ testimonies, Nic, after the first full day on that Tuesday, you were able to integrate very well into the community and the culture, but at first were hesitant since you had your wife at home alone for the first time and you had to be a room leader without a translator. What did rooting yourself in God’s word look like for you to go from dreading the camp to coming out of it less rejoicing?

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 3

3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:15–17 15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.