Sunday, June 27, 2010

One Love Skate Outreach 5 Questions

     We've been using five questions to interview people and compiling the results. As I've been working on publishing some tracts and cards for OLSO over the last few days, I wrote some Biblical answers to the questions we ask when we go talk to people. This is still a work in progress, and I want all the help we can get from godly counselors who are skilled at communicating Biblical truth. This blog will take you under four minutes to read straight through, and we'd like to know whether you think these answers are Biblical and concise. Please send us your responses and feedback. Ask God to teach you about Him as you read. Be a Berean (Acts 17:11).

What comes to your mind when you think of One Love?
     One Love is a popular concept. Bob Marley sang: “One Love, One Heart, Let's get together and feel all right.” Love is extremely important to people of all ages.
     True love means sharing vital information. If a tsunami was coming and you were on the beach, the most loving thing someone could do for you would not be to make sure you were happy and comfortable at the beach; the loving action is to inform you that you need to get to higher ground.
     The Bible teaches that God has shared vital information with the world because of His love for us (2 Timothy 3:16).

What’s the Purpose of Life?
     Unfortunately, many people do not know why they are alive. However, God tells us in the Bible that God made man in His image (Genesis 1:26-27).  Therefore, the purpose of life is to please God, our perfect Creator (1 Corinthians 10:31). Everything we do should please God our Creator and make Him famous (Colossians 3:17). 

Who is God?
     Although different people have various ideas about God, God has described who He is in the pages of His Word, the Bible. He is one God made up of three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17, Ephesians 4:4-6). God is very different from people, and He is totally perfect (Isaiah 6:3).  

What do you believe will happen to you when you die?
    Each of us will die one day. Although many people presume that a loving God should let everyone go to heaven, God is perfect and cannot let evil go unpunished because He is just.
     Each of us has individually broken God’s established standard of righteousness: No person has kept the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). No person has ever loved others perfectly as Jesus commanded (Matthew 22:36-37). Although God’s commands are provided in love to protect us and point us to true life—for example, no one wants to be lied to, cheated on, stolen from, etc.—we have all sinned by breaking God’s commands and we have all fallen short of God’s perfect standard (Romans 3:23). Therefore, when we die we deserve to be separated from God forever (Isaiah 53:5, Romans 3:10). Because God is just and we have broken the Law, we deserve the punishment for our transgressions, which is eternal death (Romans 6:23).

Who is Jesus Christ? 
      About 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ walked this earth. C.S. Lewis suggested that Jesus Christ had to be either: the Lord God, a liar, or a crazy person because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God (John 14:6).
     1 John 4:9 says: “This is how God showed His LOVE among us: He sent His ONE and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” Because of God’s awesome love, He sent Jesus to live a perfect life that no one of us could have lived, and Jesus died on the cross and resurrected taking believers’ sin on Himself (Isaiah 53:6, 1 Peter 2:24). Jesus Christ is God’s Son, and if we put our faith in Jesus by repenting of our sins and receiving Him as our Savior and the Lord of our life we will live forever with God (John 3:16, Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8-10).

     If you actively believe this vital information, the Holy Spirit has opened your eyes to this truth, and God will restore your relationship with Him. Put your faith and trust in Jesus as your Savior, and regularly repent of the wrong things you do. Let God transform your life through the Bible as you no longer live like the world and give every part of your life to God experiencing His ONE LOVE (Romans 12:1-2).

For more resources to help you experience the ONE LOVE visit: www.oneloveskateoutreach.com


 Keep praying for One Love Skate Outreach and all that this ministry entails. Lord willing, tomorrow morning we will having some tracts and stickers made. Pray for the process. Also, if you can make a tract or if you have made one in the past, please e-mail it to us because we are looking for some solid tracts for the website. Rep Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:20).

In Him (Gal 2:20),
Josh

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Enjoy the Ride Challenge, Josh's Gospel Presentation, and Summer Prayer Requests

What's up everyone?
     I hope you're doing well as you read this. This summer's already off to a busy start with church events and summer camps. Nicole and I will be traveling in July, and I hope to get some OLSO interviews with people in different states. Thanks for reading this blog and staying updated with One Love Skate Outreach. This blog includes: Enjoy the Ride Challenge, Josh's Gospel Presentation, and Summer Prayer Requests.

Enjoy the Ride Challenge

     Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach a message at PBC called "Enjoy the Ride" from Philippians 4:4-7. The sermon and handout is available under the Resources section of www.oneloveskateoutreach.com if you want to check it out.

     This week, I got to practice what I preached last Sunday morning.
I've been getting to Enjoy the Ride.
To me, one of the most exciting weeks of the year is our big MCBA Youth Camp in Keanae that is taking place right now. When we arrived Monday afternoon with our youth group, we all had a great time. However, that night I started to feel really sick. I went to sleep at 8p.m. and slept until 7a.m. on Tuesday. Then, I woke up and took medicine and went back to bed until 12p.m. I was so bummed!!!
     I drove myself to the Dr. and found out I had a fever and a throat infection and had to come home and rest. So I've been home since Tuesday afternoon taking anti-biotics and trying to get better while my wife, our youth group, a bunch of Maui youth, and a bunch of my friends are at beautiful Camp Keanae for a fun, energetic week of worshiping God at camp. Philippians 4:4-"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" I'm reminded that His ways are not my ways (Isa 55), and that He doesn't need me to accomplish His will (Acts 17:25).
Enjoy the Ride!

Josh's Gospel Presentation

     As I was stuck at home after leaving youth camp with a fever and throat infection this week, I decided to finally record a gospel presentation for OLSO. I've been encouraging a lot of other Christians to put their testimony/gospel presentation up on the internet because it's a great way to obey God's command to preach the Word (2 Tim 4:2). Naomi Kaneshiro has been reminding me to put my own presentation up, and here it is:
Hope you're encouraged by this. Some other gospel presentations are compiled under the resources section of OLSO if you want to check them out. I encourage you to share one of these presentations with someone who don't know Jesus as their Savior, as it can be a great conversation starter. Better yet, record your own to share and then send us a link!

Summer Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying for all the follow up after Unashamed Camp Moluhia and MCBA Camp Keanae as a lot of teens gave their lives to God and expressed a desire to live their lives solely for Him.

     Pray for Go Skateboarding Day Skatepark Tour sponsored by 180 Skate shop on June 21. Pray for Chris Akahoshi as he leads it.

     Be in prayer for Entrusted With The Gospel coming up June 22-23 on Maui and June 25-26 on Oahu. Here's a promo video for Entrusted that Nick Tanaka made:
      Also, please be praying for the mission team from Crucified Ministries that is scheduled to come to Maui for OLSO around July 14-25. We're praying that while they are here we'll be able to work on some of the ramps at Keopuolani skatepark, record gospel interviews, and hang out with a lot of skaters here on Maui to share the gospel and our lives as well (1 Thess 2:8).

Thanks for supporting OLSO with your prayers and for taking the time to read our blog. We're always encouraged to hear feedback from you guys. Pray for revival, and Rep the King!

In Him (Gal 2:20),
Josh