A Fresh Start Week 3

"...And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:16-18

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:16-18

In Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching what is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. Hundreds of people were seated on a hillside around Him. That day it was hot, humid and the people had been sitting there for hours. Therefore, it is obvious that they were hungry. Even though Jesus was informing them about the kingdom of God, he clearly saw that the people were tired and hungry. Yet, He took that as a perfect opportunity to explain to the crowd how food, material possessions, and earthly matters can create distractions from God. 

Fasting can be extremely difficult. The whole idea of abstaining from food, social media, coffee, or some other material possession that has value for a length of time can take a short-term toll on your body. Yet, the long-term spiritual effects of fasting surpass those immediate short-term discomforts. Consequently, the immediate discomforts of fasting should not misconstrue the purpose of fasting. The purpose of fasting is to refocus oneself on Christ and to eliminate distractions in order to create an avenue of clear communication to God.

Needless to say, as a Six78 ministry we would like to do that specifically during this time. We want Jesus to be the cornerstone of this ministry and for His name to be magnified. He has already begun to move throughout this ministry in a mighty way and we need His guidance and instruction as we take the next steps. Continue to be in prayer for our team as we lead your children and keep camp specifically in your prayers this week. As you fast, remember the purpose of it and that the long-term spiritual effects will be much greater than any discomfort you may be presently facing.

 Prayer Requests:

• Our volunteer Pam Camacho - she has had stage 4 cancer and went in for a biopsy to assess the growth of newly found lumps in her body.  Lets pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding to fill her life & those around her as we lift her up before the throne of our Father! We serve a mighty God & believe that "with God, all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).
• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM) - Everything comes together well and the students have an encounter with God that will last the rest of their lives.
• Scholarship money for camp – We want students to go, but there is a cost involved.  So pray that we have enough money to send all the students that need help financially to go.
•  Pray for Bill Talbert as he teaches Wednesday and Sean Fryer as he teaches this weekend in Six78

Answered Prayers:

•      Extra scholarship money came in to camp!  There was a student we were going to have to say no to, but someone paid for a full scholarship that we were able to bless this student with.  Keep praying that more comes in!
• This past weekend, over 50 students stood up during service asking God to give them faith like David had.

A Fresh Start Week 2

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,..." – Joshua 1:8

Giraffes, deer, cow, and sheep- what do these animals have in common?   These animals belong to a group of mammals that chew their cud. This process, called rumination, involves chewing food, regurgitating, and then chewing it again. Though gross to humans, rumination allows an animal to get the most nutrients out of their food.

The word "meditate" is closely related to ruminate. Meditate means to think about or ponder over and over. In Joshua 1:8, God gives Joshua the formula for success: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,...". In the New Testament, believers are commanded to saturate their lives with God's Word (Col 3:16, 1 Pet 2:2).

So what have you been "chewing" on lately ? Is it the latest movie, Heat game, or celebrity gossip ? Our prayer is that you would use this season to meditate on his Word. In doing so, you will find the favor of the Lord & great success.

Prayer Requests:

• Our volunteer Pam Camacho - she has had stage 4 cancer and went in for a biopsy to assess the growth of newly found lumps in her body.  Lets pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding to fill her life & those around her as we lift her up before the throne of our Father! We serve a mighty God & believe that "with God, all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).
• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM) - Everything comes together well and the students have an encounter with God that will last the rest of their lives.
• Scholarship money for camp – We want students to go, but there is a cost involved.  So pray that we have enough money to send all the students that need help financially to go.
• Vision and direction for Six78 Leadership – We don’t want to be set in our ways, we want to do what God is calling us to do.  Pray we hear and listen to His voice.
•  Pray for Joseph Morgan as he teaches Wednesday and Sean Fryer as he teaches this weekend in Six78

A Fresh Start

“And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights…” – Matthew 4:2

If you fast forward to Matthew 4:12, you will see that right after these forty days and forty nights of fasting, Jesus began His Galilean ministry.  As we enter this next season in Six78, our hope and prayer is to come together as The Church to fast and pray for this ministry, this new season for all incoming 6^th graders, the next year or two for the 7^th and 8^th graders, for summer camp, for various prayer requests from our students and many other things.

So find that small thing, whatever it is, that you can fast from.  Maybe it’s a meal a day, or that morning cup of Starbucks, social media, a certain kind of food, whatever it is, make that sacrifice.  1 Corinthians 9:27 says, “but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”  Fasting is a discipline, but it’s something to better us and strengthen us.

And then, take time to pray for the prayer requests we send each week along with anything else the Lord leads you to pray about.  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7).  We know God wants to bless us abundantly, but we have to do the simple thing in asking our requests.  He WILL answer our prayers!

We are excited for what The Lord will do in Six78 in the future and we already are praising and thanking Him for the good work He will do.  Please partner with us in “A Fresh Start” and be a huge part of what God’s doing here!

Prayer Requests:

• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM) - Everything comes together well and the students have an encounter with God that will last the rest of their lives.
• Scholarship money for camp – We want students to go, but there is a cost involved.  So pray that we have enough money to send all the students that need help financially to go.
• Vision and direction for Six78 Leadership – We don’t want to be set in our ways, we want to do what God is calling us to do.  Pray we hear and listen to His voice.
•  Pray for Sean Fryer as he teaches tonight and Pastor Fidel as he teaches this weekend in Six78

Rejoice!

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!" - Philippians 4:4

"..as a cure for disagreements, the apostle says, 'Rejoice in the Lord always.' People who are very happy, especially those who are very happy in the Lord, are not apt either to give offense or to take offense. Their minds are so sweetly occupied with higher things, that they are not easily distracted by the little troubles which naturally arise among such imperfect creatures as we are. Joy in the Lord is the cure for all discord." - Spurgeon

    I don't think a lot needs to be said about this quote.  I can get so caught up in all the things of "life" and get offended or bothered or angry, etc.  If I truly put all my focus on God, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith," I will be able to rejoice in all circumstances.  I want to be one of those people that others look at and wonder what's different, question why I'm happy all the time.
  
  And it really is that simple.  Rejoice!  We have reason to: "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19).  He is all we need and we can rejoice in that.  So here's my challenge:  Rejoice!

-Sean Fryer

Open Up

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't 

they come from your desires that battle within you?"

James 4:1

     I used to have anger management problems.  I'd get angry, frustrated, upset, mad and then after a while, these emotions overcame me and led to screaming, fighting, throwing stuff, punching whatever I could get my hands on, etc.  I'd get to the point where I literally would use my older brother as a punching bag, and even when he fought back, I couldn't feel any of the pain.  As I grew in my relationship with the LORD, I started to realize I couldn't hold my emotions in like this anymore and I had to start opening up about stuff.

     I like to think I've gotten over that behavior (I haven't beaten up my brother in years, hahaha), but I realized it's not so much the behavior I needed to worry about, it was everything that was going on inside of me.  I've never been good about opening up, about sharing my emotions, being vulnerable, letting people know I'm human.  And even though I don't become a crazed psychopath anymore, I still let this get the best of me.  I sometimes outwardly will snap at people, but it's more of all the stuff going on inwardly.  

   I begin to get angry at a person, something they do or say, or upset with a situation, or whatever it may be.  And I keep it to myself.  Then I start getting prideful inside thinking I'm better than them, that I wouldn't do that, or I know a better way.  It's very easy for me to blame all this on someone else, but what the LORD has been showing me is James 4:1, "what causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?"  I've realized it doesn't matter what other people do or say, any anger or resentment inside of me that leads to this is my fault.  I have to open up to that person, be honest about how I feel and don't allow whatever it is, no matter how big or small, to cause me to sin.

     It's nothing too profound, but I challenge you to think of that person you're upset with, that person you're holding a grudge against.  And then look inside yourself.  What is it in you that is causing these feelings?  You'll be amazed at what God shows you about yourself and how much you can grow and change from this.

-Sean Fryer

The Way Of Cain

"Woe to them!  They have taken the way of Cain..." - Jude 11     

     So this weekend God blessed me with the opportunity to teach in Six78 on the story of Cain and Abel.  It's such a common story that everyone knows, but I felt led to teach it in a different way.  More so focusing on the fact that Cain actually brought something to The Lord, making him better than so many of us who never bring an offering to Him.  And then looking at why his offering was rejected (hint: not because of what it was, but the "why" Cain brought it).  God doesn't care what's in our hands, but what's in our hearts.

     Ok, so what am I trying to say?  Well just this weekend I taught a message on not being spiritually prideful, arrogant, jealous of others, harboring bitterness, etc, etc, etc, yet I found myself today doing the same exact thing I had just said NOT to do.  I started thinking of all the things I don't have, all the stuff we "lack" in Six78, all the great things other ministries have and I felt bitterness and jealousy growing in me.  

   Why do I tell you this?  Well one, to show you that contrary to popular belief (my own belief that is), I'm not perfect.  But two, shortly after this I opened up my email to see our weekly Six78 newsletter and the "God Story of the Week" stating that 35+ students accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior for the first time ever this weekend and I quickly realized how stupid I was.  I was so quick to go the "Way of Cain", harboring all these negative thoughts in my mind and heart, yet God was working in spite of me and all that we "lack".

     God doesn't need "stuff" to get His work done.  He just wants people who are willing and able (Abel?), people that LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE, people who bring something to offer.  I happened to be one of these people this weekend, but quickly went the "way of Cain".  Guard yourself from this, or you could miss out greatly.  His work will be done.  The only question is, will you be a part of it?

- Sean Fryer

Own It

       Do you ever feel like you read the same Bible verse over and over within a few days time?  Or maybe hear several teachings on the same topic?  Or just see a common theme in stuff you see or hear in a short time?  Coincidence?  I think not.  I find when this happens, God is trying to tell me something.

   

        Recently, I've heard many variations of "owning your faith".  I even taught somewhat on this not too long ago.  So of course I tell myself that God is trying to tell me something.  I remember the first time I was forced to learn this lesson.  It was about 6 years ago, when two Jehovah's Witnesses came to my door.  They started questioning me about what I believed and it was then that I realized my knowledge was lacking. I wasn't able "to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).  

        We live in a time where everyone thinks they know everything.  People are a lot more intellectual.  To say "I just know, I just have faith, I have a feeling, etc..." is not enough to explain why we believe what we believe.  We need to KNOW our faith.  We need to ANSWER the tough questions.  How can I believe the Bible is true?  How can I know Jesus is who He claimed to be?  

         My challenge to you: own your faith! It's not your parents' faith, it's not your pastor's faith, it's not your friend's faith. It's yours. Know it, learn it and understand it. "Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

- Sean Fryer