Dec 2, 2018 - Manitou Lake Bible Camp

Good morning. It's a privilege for us to be here. I'm here with my family Leslie and her for kids drew Aiden Jocelyn and Isaac. And this is the end of the last Church visit every doing this fall. So it's extra special one driving here this morning did not feel very much like summer Ministry, but it was good. And I know the tension for the drive is starting to melt away.

We're grateful to be here. We're grateful to be a part of which we consider ourselves part of your church by extension and we get to visit a couple times a year and it's just so good to have brothers and sisters all across this area. Who have one goal in mind and that is what we just saying about the light of Jesus the gospel making sure that our communities have the opportunity here that we exist as a camp for one reason. That's to make disciples your account program now that sounds kind of high and lofty, but really it's as simple as this we're here. Hopefully tell as many as possible of what Jesus that he loves them, and he has a plan to deal with the same problem. Especially feel like campus is a very effective way of reaching into homes that otherwise wouldn't be reached. This is been another great season, and you guys were part of that now we're here for a couple reasons this morning wanted to say, thank you. Another having to give you just a bit of a report or an update on what's Happening and I have a short thought from scripture as well to hopefully encourage s this morning. I'm so this was a great season are steam this past year. Does anyone know what it was? That was at Camp. That's Brave. I see Isaac. What was Isaac?

The Amazing Grace and we have fun making up our themes every summer the theme is is PEX strategically because we want a campers to go home remembering the gospel maybe from your T-shirt or the games that we played on but it was from Ephesians 2 8 & 9 The Amazing Grace and that we were privileged please to have many many kids come through the camp every kid that came through camp this year heard the good news of the Gospel there was over 800 kids in the summer that heard the gospel of almost 1,200 people throughout the whole year that were to her programs representing about 80 different communities in this community. There was around a hundred kids that came from Wainwright. This is a very relevant thing to Wainwright to you guys here and I don't think there's a hundred kids in the building here this morning. So that means there's others out there and many of them are not in church yet. Are hoping our goal is that we would be able to introduce them to Jesus and that the follow-up to that would be that they could connect with a local church like this one cuz discipleship has I laughed as I go list doesn't happen in a week account. Whenever our privileges play my favorite part of the job is working with her summer team in the staff the young man and woman teams that come out and serve. No, I don't know if you've there some in the many more than I know. What if you go to Camp? It's not an easy job is not just going to the lake to play with play some games and have some fun. It's hard work. It's sacrificial and that that applies to everyone do the volunteers that come to work in the kitchen those that come to help us that maintain the grounds that come to serve. The campers has Cavaliers in La teas. And it's my grade privileged every year see young men and women who say yes. I'm going to go there and I'm going to give up my time. I'm going to choose this instead of maybe a better-paying job and I'm going to give to the Lord by serving his kids. This year we had a great team. I had a bit of a tough start to summer this year. I got shingles, which I didn't think you could get when you're as young as I am actually told the doctor to think again, but he's news pretty convinced. So it took a little bit after the first month or so of Cam but we had such a great team that they the count didn't hardly notice. I don't think and it's a testament to me that every year we start out with his group of young eager men and women that are are ready to go and every year we get to see them grow and mature and their understanding of who they are as as Believers it what their gifts are any and we seen many make significant life decisions about that where that got taken them after their time at camp and we pray for these guys and we work hard to stay in contact down and Wanda scrap Network have the doing discipleship and follow-up have been doing A great job this year of of online Bible study group and I keep it in contact with a number of the staff and it's been cool to see some of the ongoing growth.

Like I said working with the staff team is one of my highlights, but there's a lot of a lot more than the night that goes on at camp this time of year. You might be wondering what are you do the rest of the year? We've been working pretty hard actually this fall. We've had a full schedule a weekend bookings all the way up until about 2 weeks ago. The board has been working hard at looking at the Future No, I don't know if you guys got the message last fall about this time or not, but we were hurting in the finance department as a as a Ministry and we were asking for help. We had some bills overdue and we were We were really brought to her knees which is where we need to be. The board Matt about this time last year to come up with a plan and they did they did work out some some new Financial policy in that in that plan was about a three-year goal to set aside a bit of a reserve. We don't borrow money as a Ministry. So we thought we would set aside a small reserve fund just to help us buffer the the highs and lows of income as a as a Ministry that relies on donations. In the start of December last year the board decided to approve that policy and we thought it came in the next three years we when I get there and within a month. Answer that 3 year plan. Just amazing engrave is great confidence actually to say, okay Lord You're just waiting for us to get on our knees and ask and now we're in a position as a count board looking to what's next. Where is it? Taking us in the board of medical times. This fall one day was spent doing some Vision planning and there's actually five areas that they identified in right now as we speak there's action plans being drawn up to address these five different areas. I can I give you a lot of detail yet cuz the details in progress, but it's exciting progress. And it sucks. I don't know if that excites your hunt excites me and I'm to see how it got to do in there. The weather details lot of moving Parts, but you might be wondering what is it all for? What's at stake? I think you all know. What's at stake his life and death. There was a young girl who stopped me at talk one day this summer at the account / think she was probably 11:10 or 11 years old, and she said I need to come see you in your office now as a camp director. There are only a few things that really get me excited or worried that these days and not that's one of them when a camper says I need to come to your office and she said to tell you what happened to me. Oh boy. We've had a wreck or something serious is going on and those stories and I'll just create up or those thoughts create kind of a pit in my stomach. And I thought well what what is she going to share? Anyways, I tried to put on a brave face. I said sure come up to my office at supper which was the next the next thing on the schedule that I would be in my office for and she showed up in my office with a cabin later and sat down and said I need to tell you what happened to me this week.

She said I learned this week. But I'm a sinner. And I learned that God loves me. I learned that she's made a way for me to be forgiven for that sin by what Jesus did on the cross and I've accepted that I became a Christian.

I couldn't believe that I never thought of that. You can come tell me that.

We actually encourage their staff did to tell their campers to come tell us his full-time stuff is director. Is it when this happens cuz he wanted to share in the excitement. I had a gift for her a little bracelet with the the gospel colors the story of the Gospel. I shared that with her. And this was a daughter of someone that I'd grown up with and in elementary school, and I'm pretty sure that there's no other Christian influence in her life. So I'm praying for for this young girl that she will find a place to plug in and start to grow and mature in her face and then she'll come back next summer. I still walking with God is still still growing others many many stories like that but hurt her story actually.

Remind me of something from scripture that I wanted to share this morning. It's Sheridan all of the the three synoptic gospels, but I'm going to read it from Matthew 16 and before

Father I thank you for this Christmas season where we are filled with hope because we remember the scent sending of your son Jesus the beginning. Of the unveiling of your gospel the good news plan. The deal with our sin and to bring us back into communion with you Lord where we created to be. I pray that is open this this passage this morning that you would speak clearly to us and that we would be excited invigorated by it. And focused I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

So I can read the passage at first and we'll go back over. But this is that this is when Jesus was having a discussion with his disciples Matthew. Chapter 16 soaring. I said 13 Matthew chapter 16 verse 13 It says that's when Jesus came to the region of caesarea Phillipi. He asked his disciples. Who do people say the son of man is? They replied some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But what about you he has to do you say I am? Simon Peter answered you are the Messiah. the son of the Living God Jesus replied blessed are you Simon son of Jonah for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood but by my father and have him And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock. I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven or whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven. The powerful little interaction you could miss it if you were skimming through the gospels, but I think it's fairly significant stopping point. Do you remember what it was like to be a teenager young teenager growing up some of that easy cuz you're there right now others. It's more challenging. But I don't. I just want to go back in your mind for a minute and remember that anxiety of trying to figure out who am I? And you might be thinking well, I didn't really have to struggle with that. I knew who I was. We probably didn't ask that question consciously at least not very often, but we asked another ways all the all the way through our growing up years and perhaps still today at times. We asked it in terms of may we tried a new hairstyle? Does this suit me? Is this who I am or maybe we tried a new hobby or sport or something? Cuz this suit who I am is this who I am it's an identity question that everyone needs to ask and it's an important one to answer. Is there an identity is important because it informs us about where do I fit in this community in this world and more importantly, what is my purpose then? We also as we mature so I can think about the identity of those around us as we try to understand them better in grow in a relationships with them. Jesus is asking In this passage a quick question. He was asking what he asked it in a nice way first who do people say that I am even with an easy out. They didn't have to commit really to answer that. He was using them into this question who do people say that I am and they gave some some answers non-committal. It seems like well some say this person other say that person

And then he pins him down he says but what about you? Who do you say that? I am?

And it the other disciples that answered our names but in this passage Peter is named Peter. We know from other interactions and scripture was fairly boiled or or maybe just not to not smart enough to keep his mouth closed. I'm not sure what he always seem to be the one to speak up or knocked out. And he says they're so you are the Messiah. son of the Living God that's commitment. If you put yourself into his shoes, he was living in a time and a place in history where his community had been waiting anticipating longing to see the Messiah that we celebrate at Christmas.

They probably grown maybe even a little bit tired of waiting maybe a little this disillusion that maybe it wouldn't happen. And they're probably had been some false starts on the way. I don't know the history well enough to know but there might have been the others that said well that might be him. But for Peter to go out on a limb and say definitively you are the Messiah the Son of the Living God was a huge. commitment a huge bald statement when he said hear the Messiah he was saying you're the long-awaited Savior deliver the one that's been hope for the one who's been anointed as the interpretation of Messiah.

And then he didn't stop at Messiah. He clarified it by saying the son of the Living God is recognizing the Divinity of Jesus.

Why did why did Jesus ask him this question? Do you think why did Jesus ask him who do people say that? Who do you say that? I am why is that an important thing for Jesus to the tease out of his disciples because recognizing identity is is key.

She goes on after he responds to Peter saying this that you are the Messiah the Son of the Living God in a very interesting way.

He says blessed. Are you Simon son of Jonah for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood but by my father and I will tell you that you are Peter and on this rock. I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. So first of all, he's saying this wasn't something I told you no one in this room told you. God has revealed this to you. God is showing you my true identity.

And then he also says something pretty drastic. He says on this rock and there's a weird play between Peter and rock in the original language. But you're you're the rock is this what he's saying that I'm going to build this build my church on. He wasn't exactly saying that you individually Peter are the one that I'm going to build my church on but he was saying rather the confession that bold-faced that you've just demonstrated and spoken out. That's how the church is going to be built.

So what was that bull confession? We just look back at it for a second that both confession was Peter saying you're the one that we need to be saved. You're the one that we need to be rescued. You're the one that we've hope for was actually a confession or a profession of his own weakness is on need for a savior. That's how the church is going to be built. At the camp we talked about the gospel quite a bit because that's her. That's our mandate. That's our passion. And when we do our staff training we use something called the four irreducible minimums of the Gospel is material from good seed Ministries and it talks about the gospel that summarizes the gospel in four parts. The first part is holy God each of these are almost like stages that you have to get to that you have to accept before you can move on to the next step or stage. But the first step is holy God. We have to recognize that there is a God that he is Holy that he is the creator. We don't get to that step. We're never going to go to step number two.

Once you recognize that God is the god is in that that he is holy God. We naturally look at her own identity in comparison to him in that leaves us the only figure out that we're helpless in our sin that we don't measure up that we that we can't be in his presence because we're not holy like he is so the second step is Help The Sinner, but the third step is where it gets exciting. Once we've accepted that we are sinner who needs a savior we find that there was a sufficient substitute in Jesus. And the fourth and Final Phase or step that you go through is a personal faith the except that you receive it personally individually by by putting your faith in what Jesus is done.

The power that the churches do built on. Is really in weakness. Our weakness are recognition a weakness or recognition that we need a savior. That's what Jesus was pointing out in Peter. That was so essential. It leads us to ask the next the next logical question is are do we want to be a strong vibrant Church?

Do we need to be recognized by our weakness and our need of him? We need childlike Simplicity to our faith that recognizes he is gone, and I'm not.

I struggle with this. I struggle with with relying on God. I like to stand on my own two feet. I like to try to figure out the answer to my own challenges my own problems and I do believe that that becomes a l wedge between me and God.

But if we look back at this passage, and how did Peter come to this understanding this recognition that he needed a savior? Said that it was revealed to him. by his father

we have to assume it's not said directly here, but we have to assume that that Revelation that were computers heart wasn't a work of the Holy Spirit.

We need the Holy Spirit In Our Lives initially to show us the way we need the Holy Spirit Airlines daily to keep us on track.

I don't know about what your experience has been like recently.

But if there's been a if it's been quiet on that front in your life.

The question becomes where is the holy spirit? Why is he not speaking? Why is not pointing to my need of God? Why is he not prompting me there? We can make a couple of places and we're not going to go there today and interest of time but Romans 8 seems to tell us that if we live according to the flesh, we're not going to live according to the spirit. Living according to the spirit is not just about spiritual gifts and doing amazing things for God's kingdom. It's also about staying in right posture before. Our Savior Galatians 5 gives us an even more specific list of things that would quench the work of the spirit are Life's a whole list of sin. All of us will find one or more of those things are probably true. In our lives first Thessalonians 5 gives another list. That that can lead us to ignore the work of the Holy Spirit.

It's a it's a painful truth then to look at these passages and realize what I want to be in that part that right posture that childlike Foster before God underneath the deal with some of this sand in my life. And again, we can't even do that on our own strength. We need God's help with it. But if you want to get to that place, we do need to ask the Lord for help. We need to give up control and say help Lord. You are the Messiah. You're the son of the Living God and that's where we're going to find her strength. That he is sufficient. He's powerful to overcome. And we need to live it out by personal faith.

We don't need a half-hearted or intellectual kind of agreement with this information when you're wholehearted face. I love working at camper. We have a climbing wall. It's a great illustration of what faith looks like. If you haven't been on a climbing wall, or if you haven't seen one you put a harness on a kid to tie them to a rope. Securely and then you say you're going to go down this wall repelling you going to repel down this wall or in our case. We have a climbing face as well. So they climb up and we actually have this machine. Call an audible a it's a it's a device that is designed to replace of a human Blended a kid like a giant seatbelt when they're done. They can like go when it lets them down. The problem is if you've never climb with an audible a before it doesn't feel that secure when you're on the wall because when you go down it goes down it lets out some slack until you get a first time climbing on the wall that climb to the top and then I realized I got to come down and climbing down where does not very easy, although some choose that instead of letting go We try to coach them through it. We say put your one hand on the on the black part of the lanyard. I'll take your other hand and put on the backlight and if you do it quick enough, they don't think before they do it and then they will let down but the ones under I thought about it a bit more won't let go and they'll be a bit of a battle of a test of faith really do they have faith in that is going to catch them and not allow them to fall and every time that they've let go it's caught them just so you know. Our faith can be that. Sure in God and more that if we let go of control, he's got us we can put her full wade into his promises into his provision. And into his Direction as a camper forced to do that just to practically speaking and how we operate r us as individuals as Camp stuff. We we try to model that that's our prayer for each and every count for each and every staff member that they will learn to live that childlike Faith out day by day. We're still thankful that you guys have been a part of the ministry there cuz it is making a difference. It is making a difference. It's a vital Ministry. I don't think there's very many Ministries that could could clean the kind of Impact the camp is having in Canada right here in Canada. This is our mission field. There's literally thousands and thousands every summer that come to know Jesus Through camping Ministry. To be a part of that is a huge privilege for it to be possible requires churches like yourself to be behind us to be with us because it's it's too big a job to sign to one or two or three directors and hope that it runs its the work of God at the work at the moving across the broader church, and I would love to chat with anyone after the service if you have more specific questions. We will be having a more detailed update come out from the board on that the action plans I was talking about once that's already in the new year. Now. We just really appreciate you guys. Thank you for supporting that I'm going to ask put you on the spot and ask you a question, but I'll give you a minute to think about it before you have to answer. The question is if someone was going to only just remember one thing about Manitou Lake what should it be? The reason I asked that question is because I realized it as I as we look out here, there's two kinds of people. Some people pray for my attitude every day every week all the time. The camp is a Ministry that God put on their heart and it just never it never leaves their they're thinking in their their burden, but for others that's just not the case the they they pray for cam. It's not everyday. It's not they don't necessarily know the names of the Staffing and then not and so so so it's not a guilt trip to any of you. I know that God puts different Ministries on different ones of our hearts for a reason that all the different Ministries get paid for by somebody and so so if we all had the same burden then we just do one thing and that wouldn't be good. So so I You know what? I just know that that's the truth. So for those of us who who don't pray for Camp everyday or every week. We can't remember all the different things. So when we remember to pray if we can just remember one thing could we give people to request that that you put on the top of the list? That's a tough question. I know.

Number one bird and that they were carrying right now is this idea of a follow-up Community now, we can't do we have to follow up people on her stuff, but they can do that follow up. So I guess the Prairie prices for favor with churches across our region and individuals that would that would follow up with these young young girl boys and girls and men and women in the way of mentoring them. So they can grow in their faces when you don't have family to do that with many don't have family to do that with so we need adopted family in The Lord. Of course, you can pray for all the different request in the letters and everything come out if you ask for them, but if you just remember one thing remember to pray for the kids who've been at camp, but now they're home that there would be follow-up that God would find a way to attach to them and disciple them through the year. All right. Let's pray. I'm just before we do I'll just ask the ushers to come forward as we pray.

Lord we thank you for Seth and his family and all the other staff and at the camping and Lord it is it is our pleasure. It is our our blessing to be a part of this ministry to be able to extend ourselves in our church into in that way in a in a greater way with with many children that that come to understand and hear your gospel apart from what we can get into their lives. And so Lord, I do pray that we as a church I also would would be an answer to Seth's request that that we could find those children in Wainwright that have been to cam and find a way to bring them here. Maybe not this building but but in our in our town in our ministry to continue that Journey with Jesus Lord, we pray Frank couragement as a long couple days and it seems far away from the actual Act of Ministry of Camp. Are we pray for the finances in particular? and and and Lord There are as we've heard in as we can easily imagine for the board many decisions that need to be made and we pray for wisdom in those decisions and we pray for the guidance of your Holy Spirit each day. We thank you Lord that we can participate together in your ministry in Jesus name. Amen.