Christ & Campus

If a Christian is committed to a life of laboring in the harvest field there is no room for half-hearted pursuit of the mission of God. One doesn’t accidentally proclaim the gospel or make disciples. It takes hard work- laboring to build the relationships, interact with people and actually get to a proclamation of the gospel.

So many never crest that hill. They stay on the consumer side- never moving to the laborer side. They dabble at the mission with words and actions- but they don’t labor.

The book of Acts gives a clearer picture of the life of the laborer.

What is the mission? What is our motivation? When should we live out this mission? How do we live out this mission.

Grab your Bible (we will be reading from the English Standard Version), read over Acts 1, and then join us as we study through Acts chapter by chapter to discover the laborer's life.

WEEK TWO:

JESUS IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR SINNERS TO BE DECLARED NOT GUILTY BEFORE A HOLY GOD

Day 1: Rom. 1:20-32, Rom. 3

Day 2: James 4:1-9

Day 3: Proverbs 14:12, Eph. 2:1-10

Day 4: 1 John 1:8-10

Day 5: Mt. 15:1-20, Galatians 4:1-7

What does this Spirit-empowered witness look like?

They develop the habit of abiding in Christ and listening to the Spirit through prayer, worship and the Word of God. They first seek to find the Spirit working before they move. They ask the Spirit to do His work instead of depending on their own words, skills, or wisdom- everything they hope to see happen is the work of the Spirit. The witness admits their dependence and fruitlessness before God. They humbly ask God to use them and speak through them. If the Spirit says move (from here to there) they move- immediately and without reservation. Finally, they ask God to make Jesus known through them and in spite of their human limitations. Remember, all fruitful witness comes from God- live that, trust that, walk in that. Your only job is to obey the King by speaking.

Dear Friend-

I’ve thought a lot lately about what to pass along to you as a new Christian- about what is most important as we live our faith in Christ out every day.  I guess there is so much to say that it’s tempting to say too much. So, I thought it would be best to start simple.  It is important for you to understand your basic identity as a child of God and what that means for your everyday life.  Your identity, your everyday relationship with God, produces your life—what you do, how you live, what you say and how you serve.  With that in mind I want to encourage you as you are getting started in this journey with Christ.

Sincerely,

Your Friend

One of our first excuses for remaining silent about Jesus is that we are afraid we don’t know enough, or can’t answer the questions of our friends, or will say the wrong thing. Here is the truth: We are not enough. We don’t know enough. We don’t have all the answers. Don't let that discourage you- you can carry out the mission that God has sent you to do even if you feel underprepared in your knowledge. God’s Spirit has it all under control. His job is to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment. That is divine work and we are not God. Don't try to do the Holy Spirit's work. Trust that the Spirit will do His job of convicting and convincing. Your job is to obediently proclaim the Good News of Jesus while depending on the Spirit and His divine work. Don’t let that discourage you, let that drive you to dependence on the Holy Spirit. This isn't a call to inaction- we still need to learn the gospel, prepare to share and study as evangelistic "workers". But, we depend upon the Spirit to work in and through our obedience to convict our hearers and draw them to Jesus. THAT is His job!

Something is missing in our postmodern Christian existence and it hasn’t always been this way. The early Church lived differently and the Church exploded, and the Gospel went out and it crossed continents and oceans and has made it into the farthest corners of the world. It made it here to you, didn’t it?

So what is missing?

Join us on this podcast as we discover what we are missing as followers of Jesus Christ and come to a foundational understanding of the Holy Spirit upon which our pursuit of the missions depends.

Today's podcast looks at the nature of confession in the prayers of the disciple- confessing sin and remembering forgiveness in Christ- as we extend the forgiveness of Jesus to others. Join us as we discover that confessional prayers are less about preparing the lost for our evangelistic efforts and more about preparing our hearts and lives for the Lord’s work in us as disciplemakers.

Where do I begin as I seek to proclaim Jesus in my world? 

As you develop a gospel-saturated life seek to discover intersections of the gospel of Christ and real life. Most all conversation topics can provide entry points into Gospel conversations. Think of these conversations as a progression from everyday, real life events to the Gospel. Good questions begin this conversational progression. Questions show our friends that we value them and want to hear what they think and feel about life. Questions open doors for deeper communication. Jesus himself consistently asked questions of others. Every question serves as an entryway into deeper Gospel conversations.

REAL CONVERSATION HAPPENS IN REAL RELATIONSHIP. Invest time and emotional resources into your friendships. Share life. Love genuinely. Extend care. This is where life conversations happen. Your friend is a person of value to God.. Ask questions, but be a listener first. Hear them, hear their beliefs, their questions, their hopes and their confusions. Then, by the Spirit, speak.

Join Christ & Campus as we think about observing culture, listening well, asking great questions and boldly proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.

A dependent disciplemaker sits before God in a receiving posture. We come before God with empty hands open to receiving our daily needs from Him. The same posture is applicable to our disciple making efforts and what we desire to see Him provide. We come before God receiving the work He will do instead of coming to Him informing Him of all that we are doing for Him.

Today's podcast takes a look at how we humbly receive all the good things that God gives that pertain to our needs, life, godliness and the mission as we pursue the mission of God. We discover this truth as we continue this series of exploring the model prayer that Jesus uses to guide His followers in their praying.

Join us as we better understand what it means for the Christian to depend upon God as they take the good news of Jesus into a hurting world.

How do your prayers to God begin? 

Perhaps we need to learn to humble ourselves and to empty ourselves before God- confessing our uselessness without Him, praising his greatness, power and might, begging for His agenda to be worked out in us. James 4:6 (ESV) reminds us that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Pride leads us to march into the throne room of the Creator God and King demanding our agenda be realized. Humble dependence leads us to crawl before the King on our faces begging for the King to work and act according to His will and pleasure. 

Are you approaching God in pride or in humility? 

The dependent disciple moves into the presence of God with humble dependence.

Today's podcast takes a look at the humble dependence upon God and His missional agenda that we all need as we pursue the mission of God. We continue this series of exploring the model prayer that Jesus uses to guide His followers in their praying.

Join us as we better understand what it means for the Christian to depend upon God as they take the good news of Jesus into a hurting world.

Many times when we are confronted with the mission of God for His disciples we begin with a self-centered approach to pursuing that mission. We immediately begin to look for what WE can do and what actions WE need to take. We often miss a crucial focus in pursuing the mission of God- the mission is ALL ABOUT GOD!

Today's podcast takes a look at the foundational dependence upon God that we all need as we pursue the mission of God. We begin this series by taking a look at the model prayer that Jesus uses to guide His followers in their praying.

Join us as we better understand what it means for the Christian to depend upon God as they take the good news of Jesus into a hurting world.

BCM believes that each Christian college student should be connected to a local church while in college. This relationship with a local Church is an important part of growing in spiritual maturity as a disciple. BCM wants to see each and every student connected in a growing and vibrant relationship with a local church.

This podcast will help you to hear from many of our local churches, to discover ways to connect to local churches and to find a Church that you can visit soon!

Collegians need to pay attention to three very important things in their church relationships to move them from just attending to connecting:

1. Make real, tangible Commitments to a Biblical Church

2. Serve in the Local Church

3. Open Yourself to Accountability in the Local Church

You can find out more about our local baptist churches at our website:

www.southalabama.edu/bcm

Christ & Campus is focused on hearing and sharing the stories that make us who we are as we explore the intersection of Jesus Christ and the college campus. In today's episode we hear from Abrianna, a student at the University of South Alabama, as she shares how God has worked in her life in 2020.

Find Christ & Campus on Spotify & Anchor.FM. Be sure to follow us to hear more great stories from the intersection of Jesus Christ and the college campus.

Metro Mobile Baptist Campus Ministries exists to worship and serve Jesus Christ as we reach, grow and send collegians for Him. To learn more about Metro Mobile BCM connect with us at southalabama.edu/bcm or follow us on Social Media @MetroMobileBCM.