sk8 church update for Friday March 6, 2009

Hello!

So many of you received my snail-mail letter giving more details about the progress of 180 sk8 Church. I wonder if that did not motivate a lot of you to be praying for the ministry this Friday night. Why? Because there were events taking place that only God could have orchestrated.  This email update will be a short description of the March 6^th session at our new building.

 

We had lower than average skaters for the evening. It snowed most of the day and it was very cold. This would probably explain why a lot of those kids who walk to sk8 church were not there.

 

I spent some time speaking to one of the guys who takes care of the music for me. I asked Matt if he had ever given his life to the Lord. I did this after he was describing the change in his life since coming to sk8 church. He said that this was all new to him and that it was really important to him.  In response to my question, he indicated that he had never given his heart to the Lord but that this decision was something that he was interested in pursuing. This motivated me to pray for the approaching Bible-talk time. I prayed for the Lord to give me the words to speak. Perhaps I could be used to help Matt make this important decision.

 

Well, I know that God was working in the hearts of these young men. I preached a very simple message drawing upon the lesson from the week before to explain their need to repent and be saved from their sins and to follow Jesus Christ.  Well, I know that most of you know what salvation is all about. I am probably preaching to the choir here. But you've got to realize that most of these boys have never, before sk8 church , had the gospel explained to them. They only know what the world has taught them…that God is a good god and everyone gets to go to heaven because of God's good nature. At sk8 Church they are learning about the God of the Bible and how He killed an animal to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness so they would not have the shame they experienced after disobeying God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They heard for the first time that this was a picture of the death of Christ on the cross to provide covering for OUR sinful hearts because we inherited the sin nature from Adam.

 

The Holy Spirit was really working. When the invitation was given Matt came forward. But he wasn't alone!! There were seven other young men who also came to repent and be saved from sin. I almost told them to sit back down.  I mean, maybe they didn't understand the magnitude of the decision that I was asking them to make.  Oh, me of little faith! God reached down into our little building outside of Belgrade and did a work that only He can do! He was busy working in these young men's hearts by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I got to lead them in a sinner's prayer as they came to have their sins forgiven! Oh, what a glorious experience to see souls blood-bought by Jesus Christ's death on the cross asking him for forgiveness.  He conquered death through the resurrection and now he is bringing victory into these skater's lives!

 

Please pray that I will develop a good Bible-study for the boys so they can be founded in the Word and progress well in their new-found faith.  

 

I appreciate all of you praying for the ministry. It means an awful lot to have you spending time lifting us up in prayer. Remember what Henry Blackaby said in Experiencing God…When you are looking for the work you should be doing, look for where God is working and then join him  (my paraphrase).

 

Go to our blog at http://plgrmprogress.blogspot.com/ for more info.  Or look for my facebook profile.

 

God Bless you all,

In Christ,

Mike Baber

180 sk8 Church