What is Salvation: In Two Minutes
Aug 24, 2009 Evangelism, Going to Heaven?
Tags: eternity, i'll be honest, is, paul washer, savlation, what, what is
Bloodmoney Trailer
Aug 23, 2009 Abortion, Movies, Videos
We recommended that you watch this in both HQ and Fullscreen. There is no graphic content in the following trailer.
Tags: Abortion, bloodmoney, documentary, trailer, video
First Kiss, Last Kiss…Only Kiss
Aug 18, 2009 Girls, Guys, Honoring God, dating, teens set apart
The following post was written by a user of Teens Set Apart. This post may not necessarily reflect the views of T.S.A.
We live in a society where being first is important. Being first in line, being the first to buy a hot item, being first to watch a hit movie at a midnight screening, being the first to make a record… It’s all about being first. But sad to say, when it comes to love and relationships, we are hoping to find the last person we will love, the last person we will kiss, the last person who has meaning in our hearts. Even during proms, it is the last dance that means the most because the first one is just a “warm up.”
It says a lot about our priorities, doesn’t it? When it comes to being the best, we want to be there in the front, ahead of everybody; but in what matters in life, such as love and relationships, we push it to the last and say it was important because we gave that person the last bit of us. To me “last bit” means leftovers. It’s nothing important it’s just the extras, scraps.
Vanessa Williams’ song “Save the Best for last” is one of my favorites because I like how it sounds but upon a closer look, I decided it wasn’t a song for me. It is about a woman in love with her friend but he is busy with other women…until the last possible moment when he realizes that she is the last person he will love. It is cute if you think about how sometimes we are just made to wait but the wait is worth it. In that sense, I agree in. However, the guy already gave his heart (and most likely his body) to the women before her, leaving only the “last bit” for her. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to have the whole package, not leftovers!
As Teens set Apart, how does this affect us? We should save our firsts for the man or woman who will also be our last. Let’s not throw away our heart, minds and bodies leaving only last bits for the person God made for us. Don’t you think being the first, last and only one in someone’s heart is great? Don’t you think your future husband or wife would be thankful that you saved everything for him or her? It starts today, at this moment. If you’ve already given away your first away, do not despair. We have a God who is faithful and just to forgive us our past mistakes but do not continue to throw away what you have because you will run out eventually with nothing to give to your future spouse.
Treasure your heart, your body, and your mind. They are precious jewels to be valued and cherished, to be given as a gift only to the one who is your first, last, and only.
Tags: apart, dating, honor, kissing, love, romance, set, sex, teens, teens set apart
Whatever
Aug 6, 2009 Honoring God, change, different, teens set apart
The following post was written by a user of Teens Set Apart. This post may not necessarily reflect the views of T.S.A.
Whatever! Whatever you say
Whatever! I will obey.
Whatever! Lord, have your way.
Cause you are my God. Whatever!
Before Rush of Fools, Reilly, and a number of other great artists were out there singing the Gospel, Steven Curtis Chapman was already on it (and still is!), singing about life as a Christian. Ten years ago, he released his album Speechless. One of the (classic) songs on this collection is “Whatever” – all about Steven’s plans vs. God’s plans. It’s about the need to submit to what God has and give up your own desires to answer His call. When I look around in the Church today, I find a lot of teens who are all about plans – plans with friends, with family, with church, with school, with life. And I have to wonder…how about their plans with God?
Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that Christian young people don’t care about God. Many of them do. They go to church a little, they pray a little, they read their Bibles a little. Where’s the plans, though? In Ephesians, the apostle Paul was writing to a church who really didn’t understand much about God’s plans. They were saved. They loved Jesus. They even loved and shared with other Christians. But they didn’t understand that they were not just God’s people. They were a called people. They were marked by the plans of God and it was not their own work, their own idea, but it was in the heart of God from the beginning. That’s why Paul was writing to them. He tells them in Ephesians 1:18-19 that he prays “that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…”
Later on he would go on to tell us what this looks like. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). God had a plan from the beginning to save us when we didn’t deserve it. He had a plan to give us faith in the work of Jesus on the cross and by the power of His resurrection to raise us to a life that never ends. He planned this without getting our take on it. He planned this without seeing how well we would perform. He planned it and He made us to carry out His plans – and those are plans for good works – Gospel-driven things done for His glory and the good of other people.
We don’t always know what those good works are going to be. So, this is where I really appreciate Steven’s song because it’s a continual reminder to me that I need to go to God and submit to Him and say, “God, whatever it is You want me to do is what I want to do. Please help me to do it well so that people will praise You.” The best part is that this isn’t something we can do with our own strength. God has to do it. Those of us who are believers of Christ have received the Holy Spirit and have Him dwelling in our hearts. The Holy Spirit gives us all the power and guidance we need to live and to do the things God has for us. So, we have one charge: lovingly submit to the God who called you, planned you, and has made you to do all the good things He has planned for you and for others.
Tags: apart, called, change, different, Ephesians, Gospel, grace, help, Honoring God, music
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