During this GODencounters we’re exploring this theme of grace.  Thursday night we opened with Genesis and sought to answer the question of why we need grace in the first place.  Friday night we explored Romans 7 and addressed the issue of the Law (aka the 10 Commandments) as it pertains to grace.  Sabbath AM we will explore three sections of scripture to further focus our attention on this most incredible topic. 

I’d love to hear what grace means to you.  Or maybe you have a story to illustrate grace.

Grace and peace be unto you!

Matthew
Arlington, TX

What is your relationship like with yourself?  The other day I was thinking about what I truly value in life.  It really all came down to people… nothing more than people.  BUT… it dawned on me that if I don’t value myself, second only to my value of Jesus, then I am of not able to truly value others the way that I should.  Let’s take my relationship with my wife Susan.  In order for me to truly love her, I cannot treat her the way that she deserves to be treated unless I truly value myself.  The question needs to be addressed, “What do you mean by valuing yourself.” What I mean is loving yourself.  Do you truly love yourself.  Are you proud of the decisions that you’re making.  Are there habits in your life that you’ve been desiring to work on, but keep putting off?  Are there things around the house that you should be doing instead of watching TV?  Do you value yourself enough to exercise, eat a health meal (or at least a healthy portion), take up a new hobby, read a book, attend a conference?  You are made in the image of God.  God is into creating and life.  Go create life as an image bearer of God.  Really value yourself.  What is holding you back.  You’re your greatest asset.

Once you truly begin to value yourself you’re able to love as Jesus loves.  After all, wasn’t it He that taught, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:27-29).  So as a reminder, on my top Greatest Values list is Jesus.  I value (love) Jesus more than anything else in this world.  Secondly I truly value myself.  In some respects its weird to hear me say that, but it’s true.  And I’m learning to become more and more comfortable with that as the days go on.  But now that I have that alignment, I am able to truly and genuinely value and love others.  Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve turned a new leaf.  I simply reached a point where I was too frustrated with life to keep allowing it to live me like it was (phrased intentionally in that order).  We are designed to live life and all too often life lives us.  I’ve always loved my wife but now I am driven to show her that I love her.  This may sound crazy, but one of the things that I have fallen in love doing is folding my wifes clothes.  (NOTE: I’ve never known another man to share this out-loud.) In 8 years of marriage I’VE NEVER FOLDED MY WIFES CLOTHES… but something lately has changed.  I don’t do it all the time, but occasionally when my wife is in a rush, she’ll dump a fresh, clean pile of clothes on the dresser or on the bed and dash off to work.  Several of those times I simply took the time to fold each garment that was in the pile.  As I did, the weirdest thing happened.  I felt so absolutely in love with my wife.  (Someone put me at ease and tell me whether or not I’m the only one.  But before you respond, if you’ve never folded your wifes clothes, try it.) I love Jesus, I love myself and I love my wife Susan.

So this brings us to the third, but actually the most vital topic that we’ll be discussing this weekend.  The topic is a relationship with Jesus.  I mean when you think about it… really think about it… what a crazy notion.  How in the world does a person have a relationship with someone who is invisible?  Is that even possible?  Can you have a relationship with someone you can’t hear?  I actually believe that you can hear the Living God and that you can experience the invisible on a very tangible level. 

I’m excited to join those who’ll be headed up to Pine Springs Ranch this weekend.  I am trusting and praying that it’ll truly be a mountain top experience.

Colossians 1:27

In Him,

Matthew

Here is his message:
_______________________

Hey matty!
Im after some help and fingers crossed you can sort me out…
im trying to get into a daily devotion routine with my girlfriend to keep us both focused on God… any suggestions?? Cheers brother God bless
_______________________

Here’s my response: 

So I know that this may be a bit of a minor point, but lately I’ve become more convinced that God isn’t looking for us to have a devotional life, but rather a life of devotion. It is important to remember that the Bible didn’t come into mass production until the 1400’s. And even then it was very limited in its distribution. That said, the idea of having a “devotional life” (i.e. a specific time in the Bible each day) would’ve been a complete foreign concept to the early church (and the church for the first 1500+ years!).

What this means for you and me today, is not that we shouldn’t read our Bibles regularly, if not daily. What it DOES mean is that God desires that we be in devotion to the Word, Jesus Christ!

All that said, I think that it is great that you and your girlfriend are desiring to dive into the Bible together. A couple of things to consider are:

1 - If you both have SmartPhones, you can use the YouVersion App which has a slew of reading plans to pick from. Right now, one of my accountability partners and myself are reading through the The Essential 100, which for 100 days takes the most crucial 50 teachings of the OT and NT. You can be accountability partners where you’ll receive a weekly report as to what each of you have read. There are multiple plans to choose from, including The Essential Jesus (which would probably be a great place to start!).

2 - You could get a book such as 40 Days by Dennis Smith (it ought to be at your local ABC). Or another book designed for a daily devotional thought.

3 - You could simply pick a book out of the Bible and read a chapter a day (or whatever you decide). The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters so you could read one chapter for each day of the month. Or you could pick on NT book and read a chapter a day and reflect on what you’ve read each day when you guys see each other.

I hope that something here will be of help to you!

Blessings and courage!

HE IS RISEN!

Matthew

Hey Matthew,

I have a class assignment in my Christian Beliefs class from Donny Veverka where we are supposed to interview a pastor, so, naturally, I am e-mailing you! Sometime within the next week, if you have a few spare moments, if you wouldn’t mind answering the following question for me, it would be much appreciated. You do not need to go into a TON of depth and detail unless you do so choose.

Which is more important—orthodoxy or orthopraxy?

-- If you choose orthopraxy, I must rebuttal using James 2:14-19

--If you choose orthodoxy, I must rebuttal using John 3:16-18

--If you choose that they are mutually equal, please inform me of how one maintains balance between the two in one’s daily personal Christian walk.

___________________________

Here’s my response:

I would submit that orthodoxy is far more important than orthopraxy. When you think about it, without proper orthodoxy, accurate orthopraxy would never occur. It is like putting a cart in front of a horse—the cart (you) doesn’t do any pulling of its own, it is all on the horse (Holy Spirit) to move. The only thing the cart is responsible for doing is simply allowing the wheels to turn.

All too often, woven into the “Christian”[2] faith (Adventist or otherwise), is the thought that somehow salvation is dependant upon my ability (orthopraxy) to live by the rules[3]. In contrast, Jesus is found through the Gospel of John, inviting people simply to believe (orthodoxy)[4]. Taking a short pericope[5] out of just the third chapter of John, you find Jesus in a conversation with the astute Pharisee, Nicodemus. Notice how often Jesus uses the word “believe”:

12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:12-17, ESV)

Within these seven verses, Jesus uses the word “believe” seven times! The reason why Jesus was concerned about a persons belief system was because if they actually believed He was the Messiah, He would work the greatest miracle available to a person. Jesus Himself will actually baptize you with His Holy Spirit (John 1:33)! Please do not miss this basic and elementary, yet crucial point. To receive the Holy Spirit is to receive the very Spirit that was abiding in Jesus when He was walking this earth! This is the mystery of the Gospel, the very presence of Jesus abiding in you[6]. When you have proper beliefs (orthodoxy), your behaviors (orthopraxy) will obviously change. But the thought that you have to roll up your sleeves and do your best to appease God is a great misalignment in theology[7]. It is Jesus working His good and perfect will in and through your life. In is Jesus that enables you to join David the Psalmist as well as the Apostle Paul in delighting in the law[8]!

The reason why “faith without works is dead”[9] is because if your faith is in Jesus then He will abide in you[10] and produce much fruit[11]. The fact remains that many “Christians” today are trying to earn their way to heaven through good deeds. Jesus says, “there is no one good but God[12]”.

Which brings up another important point when talking about orthodoxy. Just because someone is considered orthodox, doesn’t mean they’re thinking is right[13]. From my understanding of the life and teachings of Jesus, such things like revival and reformation do not occur if we, in and of ourselves, start acting right and somehow stop sinning. At the center of certain individuals’ orthodoxy is the motto, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”[14] And so they set out to obtain perfection, focused on their behavior (as well as others) while Jesus remains far from their life.

The irony is that when Jesus comes into your life, you can’t help but responding with deep gratitude, thankful for what He has done, what He is doing and what He will continue to do in and through your life. And all the while, sin (self-centeredness) seems to coincide at the core of our beings[15]. If you can identify with this battle, it is a good indication that you’re on the right road.

In her best selling book Steps to Christ, Ellen White addresses this fundamental flaw that is plaguing the orthodoxy of some “Christians” today:

The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan’s delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you.[16]

In other words, the more you receive the Holy Spirit and the more you become like Jesus, the more you’ll recognize your “fleshy” imperfections and shortcomings. This is what concerns me so deeply about people who are self-righteous and judgmental. If Ellen is correct in the above statement (which I believe she is), that would mean that if I was actually close to Jesus I would be so aware of my own shortcomings that it would be difficult for me to judge[17] or condemn anyone else for his or her behavior.

In another location in the same chapter, she writes:

There are… errors against which the children of God—particularly those who have just come to trust in His grace (orthodoxy)—especially need to guard. The first, already dwelt upon, is that of looking to their own works (orthopraxy), trusting to anything they can do, to bring themselves into harmony with God. He who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make us holy.[18]

I’d highly encourage you to read at minimum chapter seven of Steps to Christ (and preferably the entire book). Christ makes us holy from the inside out. If there is anything good and righteous in us, it is the very presence of Jesus, not of my own doing, lest I should boast:

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.[19]

So here’s to Jesus centered orthodoxy, which by its very nature results in Jesus centered orthopraxy!

[1] In my opinion it would have been helpful for Dr. Veverka to provide the working definition that he has in mind when using the words orthodoxy and orthopraxy (a word not commonly used amongst people today). To clarify, I will work under the assumption that in their most basic level orthodoxy means right thinking and orthopraxyis right doing. (And if my definitions are accurate then your rebuttals would need to be reversed… I think.)

[2] The reason why I put the word Christian in quotation marks is because the term doesn’t have a clear definition. To many people the term has a lot of negative connotation because to them all they’ve experienced is “un-Christlike” behavior from “Christians”.

[3] For instance, some people’s belief system has them thinking thoughts like, “if I do this and don’t do that then I’ll go to heaven. Or if I just read my Bible more, pray more, witness more, eat this, don’t eat that, don’t listen to this music, listen to that music, etc.

[4] Observe Jesus’ teachings throughout Gospel of John.

[5] Congruent and consecutive portion of scripture.

[6] Colossians 1:27

[7] The study of God.

[8] Psalm 119:70, Romans 7:22

[9] James 2:17

[10] John 15:4

[11] John 15:2, 5

[12] Mark 10:18

[13] I would argue that all true orthodox theology is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus.

[14] Matthew 5:48

[15] See Romans 7

[16] Due to the various reprints of Steps to Christ, please see this online version. This quote is the third paragraph from the end of this chapter (Chapter 7, The Test of Discipleship), http://www.ellenwhite.info/books/bk-sc-07.htm

[17] Matthew 7:1

[18] (Ibid, Paragraph 9). Note: Italics and underlining are mine, as well as the addition of the words in parentheses.

[19] Ephesians 2:8-10

Tonight kicks of the Power UP Weekend where students from all over the area are coming to the MAA Campus for a weekend to connect with God and one another.  When it comes to my contribution for our sessions together, we’re going to be exploring the theme Belief No Matter What.  Just being honest with you, for the majority of my life faith has not come easy.  There are times where I feel very close to God, but I always seem to have questions and doubts.  So we’re going to start from the beginning in the book of Genesis to level the playing field addressing a very common characteristic that we all seem to struggle with: the battle between our fleshy nature and our spiritual nature.  Quite frankly, the story of Adam and Eve committing whats known as the original sin is why I believe the Bible is the real deal.  While I’m not tempted with fruit from a snake in a tree, I am tempted in other ways and frequently fail.  Thankfully Jesus comes in pursuit and simply asks, “Where are you?” Today, more than ever, Jesus is asking us that same question with the hope that we will connect with Him and learn to trust and believe in Him no matter what! 

Blessings to you all and thank you for being apart of this weekend.  I am very appreciative as well to all the staff and volunteers who have spent countless hours pulling this together.  It is my prayer and hope that we will connect with Jesus in a deeper way this weekend.  May He be lifted up!

Courage!

Matthew

Tonight kicks of the Power UP Weekend where students from all over the area are coming to the MAA Campus for a weekend to connect with God and one another.  When it comes to my contribution for our sessions together, we’re going to be exploring the theme Belief No Matter What.  Just being honest with you, for the majority of my life faith has not come easy.  There are times where I feel very close to God, but I always seem to have questions and doubts.  So we’re going to start from the beginning in the book of Genesis to level the playing field addressing a very common characteristic that we all seem to struggle with: the battle between our fleshy nature and our spiritual nature.  Quite frankly, the story of Adam and Eve committing whats known as the original sin is why I believe the Bible is the real deal.  While I’m not tempted with fruit from a snake in a tree, I am tempted in other ways and frequently fail.  Thankfully Jesus comes in pursuit and simply asks, “Where are you?” Today, more than ever, Jesus is asking us that same question with the hope that we will connect with Him and learn to trust and believe in Him no matter what! 

Blessings to you all and thank you for being apart of this weekend.  I am very appreciative as well to all the staff and volunteers who have spent countless hours pulling this together.  It is my prayer and hope that we will connect with Jesus in a deeper way this weekend.  May He be lifted up!

Courage!

Matthew

I want you to stop for a moment, close your eyes, and think about what Christmas means to you. 

Now that your eyes are opened, what images came to mind?  Maybe it was food, friends, presents, shopping, football, lights, relatives or Santa.  Or maybe for you thinking about Christmas conjured up thoughts of the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of the Messiah, suffering in the world, service, selflessness, etc. 

Now stop, close your eyes and consider what Christmas meant to Jesus. 

I am not trying to be a downer on the topic, but I believe that “Christmas” had a completely different meaning to Jesus than what most of us see it as today.  I would submit to you that in the account of the birth of Jesus as it is found in the Gospel of Matthew that there were four significant hardships that Jesus and his family faced:

1 - TURBULENT FAMILY ENVIRONMENT | His parents nearly got a divorce [Matthew 1:18-19].  When Joseph found out that his fiancée Mary was pregnant, he “resolved to divorce her quietly.” Before an angel set him straight there would have been quite a bit of anger from Joseph when he found out that his virgin bride to be was pregnant.  Once they got over this issue, then they end up in an animal feeding trough to give birth to their Son.  Life was not easy for the young family.

2 - TURBULENT POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT | Baby boys were ordered to be killed [Matthew 2:1-18].  King Herod, after hearing that the king of the Jews was born, felt threatened.  As a result “he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under.” Just ask the parents of all of those children what Christmas meant to them.

3 - BABY JESUS IS A POLITICAL REFUGEE | Joseph was instructed to take his family to Egypt [Matthew 2:13].  Shortly after the birth of Jesus an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and says, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” I recently returned from Egypt where I was speaking to refugees from Sudan.  Jesus has more in common with them then they may realize.

4 - FAMILY RELOCATED | Joseph moved the family to Nazareth [Matthew 2:19-23].  An angel appeared to Joseph after King Herod died and instructed the family to move back to Israel.  But when Joseph found out that Herod’s son Archelaus was now reigning over Judea he was afraid to go back to his hometown and ended up moving the family to the small village Nazareth.  One scholar points out that the gold that the wise men brought to Jesus may have been to provide funding for the family to get their feet on the ground.  After all, Joseph would’ve had to purchase new tools for his carpentry shop, not to fail to mention basic life necessities. 

When I reread the account of the birth of my hero, savior and best friend- Jesus, I was struck by the fact that Christmas has completely different connotation to Him then it does to me and most people I know.  Jesus comes from Heaven to become a little baby born into a sinful, corrupt world.  Why?  To restore us and this planet.

My prayer this Christmas Season is that we’ll take some time out to really consider what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.  It seems to me that Satan has seen fit to make sure that Christmas becomes all about a fat man in a red suit that brings you all the presents you want; only to detract from the most amazing gift that has ever come into this planet and into your life: Jesus. 

That said, don’t let the opportunity pass you by to really consider what Christmas means to you, to Jesus, to this world.  Might it change your approach to this holiday?  May the true meaning of Christmas be restored in you today!

Wishing you and your loved ones (and enemies) every happiness this Holiday Season and blessings in the New Year. Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement in 2010. We look forward to continuing sharing the Good News in the coming year.

All the best to you and your family,

Matthew W. Gamble, DMin
VagaBondservant Int’l
Colossians 1:27

In a unique twist of events my pastor/friend from the Washington Conference, Tom Decker, and his family are now here serving on this campus in a similar capacity as my in-laws did 30 years ago.  Pastor Tom is serving as principal/teacher and his wife, Gladys, is teaching and mentoring the first year teachers and student missionaries.  Their 13 year old daughter, Alexi is here studying, while their son Trei is in his Junior year at Auburn Adventist Academy in Washington. 

While Susan and I were walking the grounds in late March, Tom and his family were traveling but we were able to connect over the phone.  While catching up, he said that he’d love it if it could work out for me to come for a week of prayer.  We started laying plans and thanks to the financial support of people all over the world the vision has become a reality. 

So now, I am sitting updating my blog from the very house that my wife grew up in.  I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I feel to be here.  The students at this school are amazing.  They’re extremely hospitable and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to talk to several of them.  I believe that God is doing an amazing work here on this campus.  I can only hope and trust that Jesus will continue to reveal His good and perfect will, not only during this week of spiritual emphasis, but throughout the course of each life that’s represented.

I am truly in awe of how Jesus moves in our lives.  I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be here.  Next time, I will definitely have Susan with me!

Blessings to you students and faculty of Nile Union Academy.  If you have any questions/comments, I invite you to simply hit the comment button and write away.

Courage to you all!

Matthew
El Gabal El Asfar, Egypt

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic-on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse.”

“You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.  But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher.  He has not left that open to us.  He did not intend to.”

I challenged the people to really take a close look at the life and teachings of Jesus.  He makes some heavy claims and you simply need to decide whether or not you believe.

I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend.  If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to post them here.

Matthew

So tonight we are going to look at various aspects of the Bible, including its origins and some of the prophecies of the Old Testament and how they are fulfilled in the New Testament in the life of Jesus.  As we journey through this series, please feel free to submit your comments and questions here online or you can always text to us.  We are here to be of service and I look forward to getting better acquainted with you through this week.

Blessings to you!

Matthew

Unlike any other speaking appointment I’ve had, this week we are actually going into the public schools, where I am presented motivational style talks based around positive choices, relationships and resilience.  It is an awesome opportunity to speak to these students and I can only hope that the time we spend with them is beneficial to them in their lives. 

Please keep us in prayer this week.  Some mighty things are happening as we are working our way through the Gospel of John in the evenings.  If you’re in the area, please join us.

Salutations from Sydney!

Matthew

A respected pastor and I were having a conversation.  Because I’m involved with young adult ministry, she asked me about her son.  She was worried about his connection to his faith.  She told me she couldn’t understand how someone who’d had such profound encounters with the Holy Spirit could seem to be walking away from his faith.  I told her not to overestimate the ability of young adults today to simply consume and then discard experiences without allowing them to have any effect on their view of the world whatsoever.  She seemed genuinely dumbstruck by my response.  But think about it.  Teenagers watch a horror film at a sleepover to enjoy the fear and suspense of murder without the carnage and cost… A group of guys watches a heavyweight bout to enjoy the thrill of physical combat without the risk of injury or personal cost.  The entertainment age and the horizontal self have led us to divorce what we believe from what we experience, see, and feel.  The elephant in the living room of contemporary Christianity is people’s ability to simply sit in church, to consume the experience the way one would a great sporting event, a thrilling movie, or an exciting theme park ride, and then to dispose of it, totally unchanged at the soul level, as they leave the sanctuary. Sure, they might feel challenged, encouraged, or even moved, but the horizontal self simply “feels” the experience and moves on. ~ page 51

Sayers points out that before the modern era, people in Western civilizations by and large lived in very rural settings where everyone knew each other and family units were still intact over several generations.  The value was placed more on who you are, not what you do.  Whereas today, much value is placed on what you can produce in a short amount of time.  People aren’t concerned as much about your character as much as they are about your performance.  Additionally we move away from our families into larger cities.  As a result we become anonymous by most and can get away with almost anything.  This obviously has huge repercussions as it pertains to our relationship with Jesus. 

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is in ministry as well as anyone who loves God and desires a deeper walk with Him.  Your time will not be wasted, rather enriched as you read!

Enjoy!

This week I am here in Kellyville, Australia speaking at the

The schedule is:

SABBATH AM - TAKEup: Luke 9:23
SUNDAY - TAKE2: John 21
MONDAY - TAKEhold: Ephesians 1
TUESDAY - TAKE(this)hand: Marraige
WEDNESDAY - TAKEme: Testimony
THURSDAY - TAKEtime: Psalm 46:10
FRIDAY - TAKEoff: Sabbath
SABBATH - TAKEon: Ephesians 6:10-18

If you have any questions or comments along the way, please don’t hesitate to either post a comment here or fire me an email to vagabondservant@gmail.com.  My Australia mobile is 0434 559 682.

Blessings and thank you for joining us when you can!

Courage,

Matthew

A Sustainable Faith Conference is “A conference themed, ‘Justice in the Real World’ - How to be sustainably committed to justice over the long haul and not become overwhelmed or disenchanted.” What I appreciate about being here is that it is full of people who are living their faith by putting it into action.  I have to confess that maybe I am the odd ball out as I don’t feel that I am doing anything for the betterment of underprivileged around me.  For instance one group from Texas shared yesterday how they just returned from Rwanda where they started digging wells to provide free clean water to an entire village. I just spent two months in Uganda and hardly did a thing for people in need aside for look them in the eye and smile and talk to many strangers. 

What I am torn about is that my calling and giftedness seems to be in the area teaching and preaching.  I am fully committed to doing that with all my heart.  At the end of the day, I am hoping to start preaching with action.  As one person said, preach always, but if necessary, use words.

Thank you to all who made the past two days very encouraging, challenging and thought provoking.  BIG UPS to my man Ryan Becker who is a huge asset to this church and the Body of Christ.

Courage on the journey!

Matthew
from the A Sustainable Faith Conference
St. Petersburg, FL

If you are in the area and are interested in attending please contact Pastor Alex by calling (519) 281-9706 or emailing him at pastor_alex7@hotmail.com. 

STORY - Friday 7-9pm
SCRIPTURE - Saturday 10am
STATISTICS - 11:30am
SOLUTION - 2pm
Q&A Panel Discussion - 4pm

I look forward to seeing you all there!

Blessings and courage! 

Matthew

In this day and age, addictions run rampant with everything from external addictions such as drugs, alcohol, video games, and internet to internal addictions that are based in pride and lust.  Jesus says that you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).  What is the prerequisite for knowing the truth?  He simply says that we must abide in the Word.  Jesus is the Word and we can read about Him in the Bible.  As a result, we’re going to be diving deep this week. 

If you’re reading this and you are a student or teacher at MBA, please let me know if you have any questions or comments that you’d like me to address.

As I mentioned today, I don’t know the end from the beginning, but I do know that Jesus will show up in powerful ways.  I am simply stoked to see Him reveal His good and perfect will to us this week.

Blessings to you Monterey Bay Academy!  Thank you for having me here!

Matthew Gamble
From the office of Brain del Valle
(The guy who hit me in the face with a racquetball)

The other day while walking through the slums people looked at me differently. No longer was I hearing the “muzunga” term being belted out, rather people watched in silence as I walked by. It became quite evident quickly that white people don’t walk through these parts of town. I felt convicted to look people in the eye to treat them with the dignity that they deserve as a human being. Deep down inside I wish that they only knew how much I wanted to be their friend; to share life together, to truly get to know one another, to trust one another. Could it be that their needs are the same as mine? I think so…

Judge not.

The reason why I don’t want to be too critical is because I found the book helpful and beneficial in my own life and marriage.  You will find practical nuggets throughout the book on how to make your wife fill more loved and for wives, how to make your husband feel respected.  An example of this is where Dr. Eggerichs suggests to husbands to ask their wife, when she starts spilling her guts, to simply respond by asking, “Are you looking for my advice on the matter, or do you want me to just listen?” Unbeknownst to my wife that I had just read this, I tried it out and it completely worked!  That being said, I give the book a 4 out of 5 because the practical insight is priceless!

Remember that Ephesians 5:33 says, “let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Each evening we will be closing with a Question and Answer period, or if you’d like, feel free to post comments/questions here on this site.

Courage to you all!  I look forward to seeing you this week, each night at 7pm and Saturday morning as well.

Matthew
Richland, WA

Open your Bible - Look for a passage in one of the Gospels that you enjoy.  Don’t worry about studying a complete chapter, rather look for a section (aka a pericope).  These are often identified by bold headings contained within the chapters.  Find a story and read it over and over again.  Typically this should just be 5-15 verses of the Bible.  As you read the story, each time try reading it from a different perspective, maybe using your senses (i.e. hear the story, feel the story, taste the story, see the story, smell the story).  I know that it may sound a bit crazy, but try it.  Get into it. 

Rewrite the Story - Take a journal and now rewrite the story in your own words.  Don’t hesitate to use the Bible as a cheat sheet.  Look at it and write it in your own words.

Write a Prayer to God - Now that you’ve spent some time in this story, write a prayer to God based on that story.  What is He telling you?  What is frustrating to you?  What questions to you have?  What insights have you gleaned? etc....

Write a Response from God - Stop and listen to God.  Now that you’ve written a prayer to God, what is He saying back to you?  Write that down.  What do you sense Him telling you based on what you’ve just read.

I must say upon reflection of this amazing week, that I was thrilled to see the diversity of generations represented at each meeting.  The majority of audiences that I speak to these days are young adults (18-40’s).  I cannot begin to tell you how my heart was warmed to have many folks in their later years (how do I say that politely?) come up to me and tell me how much of a blessing the messages were to them personally.  Please know that I am not boasting in my flesh as through my years as an evangelist I have received my fair share of criticism.  While I am sure that the messages, or better the methodology in which I preach, didn’t sit well with everyone, I am deeply appreciative that God used this broken vessel to deliver His message of hope and comfort.

God bless you Pastor Geoff and the Reedy Creek.  He is up to something amazing amongst you all.  It is my hope and prayer that He will see fit to arrange something for 2010!!!!

Until then… May He who began a good work in you, complete it!

In His Service,

Matthew

Today was honestly the highlight for me as we explored Jesus going into the temple and throwing over the tables of the money changers and the pidgin sellers and running them out of the way so that the sick people could come in and receive healing.  I made a call, first for people to take a stand that they were publicly declaring that they wanted to follow the Omega Declaration.  Then I had a specific call for people who hadn’t ever accepted Jesus as their savior to come forward.  While nearly everyone in the room stood, three young men came forward to accept Jesus into their lives!  And that was the icing on the cake for me.  Don’t get me wrong I was stoked hearing from the people that I had a chance to speak to about their journey, but to see these three young guys take a stand was amazing! 

To God be the glory.  It ain’t a game anymore!  This is as real as it gets!

Blessings,

Matthew

This weekend I’ll be in Finland as the keynote speaker at SOUL REBOOT.  This is a weekend event for both people that already love Jesus and people that are seeking deeper meaning in their lives.  If you speak Finnish, the weekend itinerary is laid out below.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or Ansku (the program coordinator) at ansku@sdafin.org.

Blessings to you and I hope to see you in Jyväskylä, Finland this weekend!

Matthew

Lisätiedot: http://soulreboot.adventist.fi

While en route to Big Camp, I knew that the one thing that was going to be talked about in the 18+ tent was Jesus.  As in Jesus period!  We would start Friday evening in Genesis and end 8 days later in Revelation. 

Come Friday afternoon the team was assembling and I heard that a pastor fried of mine (Mark Tipple) was scheduled to get baptized the following Sabbath at Big Camp along with several others who I have seen in leadership roles at previous Big Camps as well as other events I’ve been involved with.  Upon this discovery, I asked everyone around the circle to raise their hand if they had not been baptized.  To my surprise roughly half of the circle of leaders had not be baptized.  Through some inquiry of my own I found that it wasn’t that these people didn’t love Jesus, it was that they were opposed to joining the Seventh-day Adventist Church, not due to theological issues, rather because of some of the wounds the church had inflicted on them or their peers. 

Friday night was an introduction to a man who was fully human and fully God, Jesus.  We ended that night looking at the fact that salvation is found in, and only in Jesus.  I told the crowd right then and there that we were going to be talking about the birth, childhood and baptism of Jesus on Monday night at which time I was going to make an invitation specifically for the people who knew Jesus, were following Jesus, but had never been baptized.  So Friday night, that is what I did.  I made a specific appeal for that group of people who were already studied up and following Him, but hadn’t crossed the line through baptism.  It was simple, not drawn out.  Some 30 people came forward (I’m really bad at numbers). 

Jeff Parker and myself met with the group briefly that night and then invited them back for another meeting the next day.  On Tuesday we confirmed contact information and started work on connecting the pastor to the candidate.  This gave us ample amount of time to clear up any questions and make sure that the person was ready to take the plunge. 

I am sure that your son has told you about Lydia who was baptized on Friday morning.  Then on Sabbath morning there were several baptism going on (I was literally running down the beach to witness them) and that afternoon after church was the same deal.  All in all Jeff tells me that some 35 were baptized that day (I sure some of whom were not in the 18+ tent, but I am under the impression that most of them were).  Then yesterday Jeff wrote me to tell me that another 32 people marked on the appeal card that was given on the last Friday night of Big Camp to be baptized.  When I posted that on my Facebook page, another girl wrote and said make that 33 as she had decided to be baptized as well! 

Simply put, to God be the glory.  He had an agenda for those people in that tent that week.  I would say one of the most moving stories for me personally was Lydia’s journey.  Here is a girl that I’ve seen at every Big Camp and actively involved in leadership.  I don’t know here very well, but enough to hug her when I saw her.  She was one of the people that I pulled aside on the first Friday to try to better understand why she hadn’t been baptized.  That following Friday before Bevan dipped her in the water her sister shared the story how during the week leading up to Big Camp Lydia told her, “Matty Gamble is coming back to Big Camp.  I am going to talk with him about his take on baptism.” Not knowing any of this, the Spirit led me to put her on the spot and ask her why she hadn’t been baptized.  When I heard her sister sharing this testimony, I nearly lost it emotionally as God had literally worked a miracle in front of our eyes and I was completely oblivious to it!  Sabbath October 17, 2009 is one day that I will never forget.  We witnessed mountains moving in the tent that week.  GOD IS GOOD!

It’s all about Jesus!

Matthew

Just a couple of quick updates for where I’ve been/what I’ve been up to over the last few weeks:

1 - For starters, I was down in Trinidad and Tobago to address the issue of pornography.  I want to thank Youth Alive for hosting the event and organizing everything.  It was an absolutely power-packed week as we were on two radio shows, three TV shows, in addition to presenting publicly several times to various audiences.  We are already discussing the possibility of pulling something together for 2010!

2 - The following weekend I was out in Montrose, CO where I was picked up in a 1977 Bronco 4x4 with three other guys.  We headed out for the annual Men’s Advance (as opposed to retreat… because men don’t retreat, we advance!).  What an amazing weekend.  Of the some 50 guys who attended we had everything from seekers to pastors (who may still be seeking).  What an incredible weekend together.  If/when we move to Colorado, you can be rest assured that I will be joining these men as an attended.  It was a powerful weekend as God challenged us to become men after His own heart.

There is more to come, but I am running to catch a flight to Sydney for the annual NNSW Big Camp a few hours north of the city.  Please keep us in prayer as the entire series that I will be presenting seeks to look at Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.  May He be lifted UP!

Courage on the journey!

Matthew from San Francisco.