New Song Students OKC New Song Church

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.1 John 2:15-17Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was [a]pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves [b]coverings.8 And they heard the [c]sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [d]cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”Genesis 3:1-10Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”Matthew 4:1-613 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.Romans 7:13-21 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.James 1:14

Philippians 2:3-16“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.”Vision - Help People Know GodMission - Practicing The Way of JesusPursuing the PresenceTransformational DiscipleshipKingdom CommunitySacrificial MissionKingdom Community doesn’t stand alone, and the house doesn’t stand without it!“Between the death of Christ and the Last Day, it is only by a gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians. It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned, the sick, the scattered lonely, the proclaimers of the Gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that visible fellowship is a blessing. They remember, as the Psalmist did, how they “walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!” (Ps. 42:4). - Bonhoeffer
It is how we startedOur triune God created all life to exist in communal order to work toward Kingdom Community.2. It is how we are testedWithout community, we are incapable of Practicing the Way of Jesus.We were created for the life of Jesus to live inside of us.3. It is how we are to be foundCommunity is found where Faith is found, and Faith is found where Community is found.“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:19-25 Faith plus community created endurance.“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:204. It is how we are sustained “The light of the early church illuminated the path of humankind in one short flash. Yet its spirit and witness stayed alive even after its members had been scattered and many of them were murdered. Again and again, through history, similar forms arose a

Acts 1:3-8

SACRIFICIAL MISSION 

52% of Christians who attend church monthly and say their faith is important and agree they have a responsibility to share their beliefs.
Barna Group

73% of Christians belief it was their responsibility to share their faith, but only 52% have actually shared their faith at least once with someone in the last year.
Telling the Gospel

31% of Christians believe they are not called to share their beliefs.
Lifeway Research

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
Matthew 28:18-19 

The degree of sacrifice as well as the kind of sacrifice will vary, depending on context and calling. Some will work in the slums of Africa, others will raise a large family; some will take on a job that pays a low salary, others will make lots of money and give most of it away. There is no absolute rule to follow here, no perfect standard against which to measure both quality and quantity of sacrifice. Comparisons are simply out of the question. Only one truth applies to all: the ultimate sacrifice we make should be the whole of ourselves to God. And then we should simply let life take its course.
Gerald Sittser

If we take the Christian faith seriously, we will probably end up traveling somewhere or loving someone or trying something we would never have imagined at an earlier stage in our lives. It is simply what a life of disciples requires.
Gerald Sittser

Sacrificial Mission: We pursue sacrificial missions by giving, serving, and loving sacrificially in our homes, our Church, our community, and the world.

Serving-focused Missions: overemphasizes meeting the physical needs of others and downplays the power of the Gospel. 
 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it[c] for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
John 12:4-8

Conversion-focused Missions: overemphasizes the moment of salvation rather than inviting people into a life-long devotion to Jesus. This downplays the really physical needs people face and also downplays the importance of discipleship.

15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:15-16

Jesus-focused Missions: sees people created in the image of God and is moved with compassion for the WHOLE person; spirit, soul, body, relationships, world, etc.

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
John 6:1-5
Jesus-focused ministry is moved with compassion based off of the need we see, not what is convenient for us.

Luke mentioned that on this occasion Jesus went out to a deserted place to be alone (Luke 9:10), yet the crowds followed Him there. In spite of this imposition, Jesus still served the multitude with great compassion.
David Guzik

God chose to risk everything in the incarnation; such a risk was costly beyond me

9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 
John 17:9-17 
ANNOUNCE GUYS/GIRLS NIGHT

PACK THE HOUSE / HELP!

We pursue the presence of God, who is a person, and we pursue Him first; above every other action.

TRANSFORMATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP

We pursue transformational discipleship by focusing on spiritual formation and every Christian’s destiny to progressively grow in Christ-likeness.
New Song Church

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.

2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his skin disease.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go, then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his skin disease.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his skin disease? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
2 Kings 5:1-7

Transformational discipleship gets complicated when:
We idolize leaders
3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his skin disease.” 
 
10 I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13

We are all hypocrites in transition. I am not who I want to be, but I am on the journey there, and thankfully I am not whom I used to be.
Erwin McManus

9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, t

“One thing, I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4Pillars of the ChurchThe pillars of our church are PURSUING THE PRESENCE OF GOD, TRANSFORMATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP, KINGDOM COMMUNITY, AND SACRIFICIAL MISSION“At New Song Church, we pursue the presence of God by seeking him first and above all else.”-NSC website
We are to pursue.What we are to pursue is the presence.The what is actually a who, because it is the presence of God. 4. We are to do this first, above every other action/option.“The reason the church is in crisis today is because we have settled for the omnipresence rather than for the manifest presence of God.”- Frank Hartlythere is an aspect of God where he is OMNIPRESENT meaning he is everywhere all at once at all timesthere is a MANIFEST aspect of God’s presence. Manifest means to display or show by one’s acts or appearance; demonstrate.“The presence and the manifestation of the presence are not the same. There can be one without the other. God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifesting when and as we are aware of his presence.”- A.W. TozerPursue means to chase something, run after, seek to attain.“The church has developed a mentality that wants to do nothing, but yet receive everything. We don’t want to make any effort on our part anymore, we just want to sit by and wait for God to hand it to us, drop it into our laps, so to speak.”- Pastor Curt (article on pursing God)“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek his face forevermore.” Psalm 105:4“The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” Psalm 14:2“3He (Zacchaeus) sought to see who Jesus was but could not because of the crowd…4 so he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him…5 And when Jesus…saw him he said ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’” Luke 19:3-5“27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind him in the crowd and touched His garment…32 and He looked around to see her who had done this thing.” Mark 5:27,32“37 When she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisees house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at his feet behind Him weeping and she began to wash His feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with fragrant oil…” Luke 7:37The Hebrew word for presence is parim=face.This implies a close and personal encounter with the Lord as the face reveals the unique identity of a person.“15 If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16For how then will it be known that your people have found grace in your sight, except you go, with us?” Exodus 33:15,16“One thing, I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4“In America, there is a generation that is experiencing more options than any generation in all of history.”-Jesus Culture“And they (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord…” Gen 3:8“Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” Gen 4:16But what defines a true church is to run after (pursue) the presence (manifest/personal encounter) of God as our only hope (first/above all else).“One thing, I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4desire, decide, doWhen we desire to pursue the presence of God we will decide what we

STAND IN AWE

Psalm 33:6-9 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and all their host by the breath of his mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him, for he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

I often feel left out or lonely
I can't do anything right 
My life is not useful 
I do not enjoy my life 

What young people need today is not to stand in awe of something but to stand in awe of SOMEONE. 

AWE: a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.

“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him”

Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for our God is [indeed] a consuming fire.

Bonfire Pic

Being afraid of God and fearing God are two different things.

When I genuinely fear the Lord I fear hurting him. I don’t fear him hurting me.

I have respect and reverence for God, but I am also drawn to his warmth and beauty.

1 We promote awe of God by seeing Him in CREATION 

Romans 1:20 Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made…

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system through which God speaks to us every hour, if we only tune in. - George Washington Carver

Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries. - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Sunset pic

This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.

This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad! 

2 We promote awe of God by Seeing Him in ART

Exodus 31:1-11 The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab…. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”

Art gives us glimpses of the renewed world, It helps us to taste and see that the Lord is good.

3 We promote awe of God by seeing him in JESUS

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

He must increase, but I must decrease. 

Awe Challenge: _Turn off notifications on your phone.
_Create a plan for your screen time.
_Go on awe walks. 
_Read a Psalm. Write a Psalm.  _Enjoy art. 
_Gospel Meditation.