EPIC...

Hilldale Baptist Fall Student retreat...EPIC!

I've spent the last 3 days with an amazing group of students from Clarksville, Tennessee - the youth group from Hilldale Baptist Church. I have had the great privilege of being their camp pastor for the week. The theme of the week is "Epic".

Students have responded nightly to the presentation of the Gospel and to the challenges of living their lives out on an Epic Mission for God!

An "EPIC" describes the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation. We have shared with these students that Jesus Christ is the ultimate "Epic" story... a story that is larger than this life and farther reaching that what we can see!

My three messages during the evening sessions: 

• Epic TRUTH
• Epic HOPE
• Epic MISSION

Here is a summary of my first message: 

EPIC TRUTH - The Grand Story of Scripture 

"In order to build a biblical-theological framework for understanding God's mission, the church's mission, and the church's mission to the nations, one must first understand the unified biblical narrative, including its four major plot movements--creation, fall, redemption, and restoration." Bruce Ashford's Theology and Practice of Mission.

We explored how there is "A way that seems right unto a man, but the end of that way is death!" Proverbs 14:12

I challenged the students to understand that truth is true whether you believe it or not... or whether you can see it or not. Truth is not verified by your beliefs or your experiences... Truth is true, no matter what!

Just because you don't believe in God...doesn't mean He doesn't exist! My dog doesn't believe in gravity, but he has never (NOT ONCE) floated off our porch!

Just because you've never seen something, doesn't negate its existence! An eskimo may have never seen a surfboard, but that doesn't negate the existence of waves!
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THE EPIC TRUTH of the story of redemption leaves us with no option, but to explore the exclusive claims of Christianity!

So I challenged the students to think about the reality of God and the reliability of the Bible! I used the classic "trilemma". Liar, Lunatic, or Lord... in other words, Jesus was either "MAD", "BAD", or "GOD"!

Two options: 

• Jesus either IS or ISN'T God.
  
  

Supposing that He WAS NOT God...two options:  

• Jesus either KNEW it or He didn't
• If He wasn't God and KNEW it...He was a liar, the architect of a cruel hoax!
• If He wasn't God and DIDN'T know it... He was a lunatic with visions of grandeur!

That leaves us with one remaining option... Jesus Christ is the Eternal, living savior of the world! HE IS LORD! and THAT IS EPIC TRUTH!