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Mike Schaffer (left center) Graduates from Chemical Recovery Ministry!

Introduction:
- Joel grew in his relationship with God because he learned to imitate other disciples.
- God placed people in our life for a reason so that we could imitate their spiritual qualities. This lesson highlights four Chicago disciples who Joel strives to imitate:

Anthony Franklin:
1 Thesalonians 1:2-10
- V3 Are you a Christian by faith or by conviction and action?
- V6 Paul had a deep conviction that we need to imitate each other that he called others to immitate him.
- V9 Number one sin in the Bible is idolatry. Disciples, like the disciples in the Thessalonian church, can often fall into idolatry.
- We need to imitate others although they are not perfect and aspects of Jesus that we see in them.

Brittany Parlour:
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 & 12-14
- V10 God delivers you when you are consistent in what you do.
- Are we boasting about our family of God before men and our Father?
- Paul’s heart was to boast about his relationships.

Patrick Boea Jr.
- God calls you to be zealous .
Psalms 18:25-29
- There’s a difference with God attacking the enemy
- Are you doing things with the help of God?
- Do you wait for your enemies to attack you or do you attack first?
Matthew 11:12
- The Bible says that forceful men lay hold of the kingdom of God.
- Is everything inside of you a fire for God?
- Fire gives off a lot of enegry and fruit.
- Naturally we are not what we need to imitate in other other people.

Chris Broom
- We need to love people, in all situations
Psalms 78:70-72
- God saw how David sheparded the animals with love and realized that he could lead his people that way too.
- We need to left up the arms of our people–be a great help to them.
1 Timothy 1:3-7 & 18-20
- V19 We need to realize that we can still fall away from God.
- V20 By following other disciples you stay in the fight by learning what you need to learn.
- If we are not fearing God then we cannot love people
- THERE ARE MEASURES OF LOVE
John 13:33-35
- We are children of God. Follow Jesus’ example–imitate his love.

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Campus Retreat Group Photo

God has rescued us from so much. We are all here today for one reason: the message of the cross. As disciples of Christ, our main motivation in our daily lives should be Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

-Revelation 12:7 We must understand what God has rescued us from. God has already won the war against Satan, “who leads the whole world astray”. All we have to do is persevere and endure to the end.

-1 Corinthians 10:13 God promises that we will have temptations in our Christian lives, but God is faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. We must constantly be alert in our spiritual battles by living in light of the cross and being strong in the face of temptations.

- Matthew 26:31-28:10 The message of the cross is what leads us to the light. Without it, we have no hope.

A. Great Power of the Cross
- 1 Corinthians 1:13-17 Human wisdom takes away the power from the cross of Christ when we try to do the will of God on our own instead of depending on God and using His Word. The cross is what gives us the power to repent from sins and change our lives.

- Ephesians 4:17-24 As Christians, we must no longer live as if we belong to the world. We must be set apart from the world and stay away from the wickedness and sins of the world. God created us to be like Him. He wants us to take on His very being – His righteousness and holiness.

B. Great Triumph of the Cross
- John 7:1-5 Jesus’ brothers encouraged Jesus to go to Judea for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, saying to him, “No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things show yourself to the world” (John 7:4). Jesus knew their hearts and did not go to the feast until after they had left for it. His brothers wanted him to become a public spectacle.

- Colossians 2:13-15 By his death on the cross, we can be made alive in Christ, dead to the penalty of sin and have peace with God. By his sacrifice, Jesus did make a public spectacle as he triumphed over our sins on the cross. Jesus has already overcome our sins, and we can too by accepting our sins and His sacrifice for us.

- 1 John 5:1-5 Our obedience to God by faith is what will allow us to overcome and be victorious over our sins.

-Acts 2: 29-31 David was faithful to God, and God gave him many victories in his life. He saw what was ahead, the cross of Christ, and received eternal life (not abandoned to the grave). In the same way, we must put our faith in the cross of Christ in every aspect of our lives to persevere and be victorious in the end like David.

C. Great Boast of Christ
- Galatians 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Paul’s heart was to boast about the cross of Jesus. We need to have the same heart about the cross. When we share our faith, we must boast about the cross, making sure the people we share with understand it and never forget it.

- We are able to have the benefits of the Kingdom of God by accepting the message of the cross first. Without the power of the cross in our lives, we cannot enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom.

-John 19:25-30 Jesus gave up his spirit while on the cross. He had been fighting all his life, living for God’s purpose, denying himself, and enduring many hardships up to this point, where he gave up his spirit.

– There was power behind Jesus’ life and death, and the people who followed him all the way to the cross and stayed with him were moved by his death.

-Amos 5:20 The day that Jesus comes back will be a day of darkness. It will be pitch-black, without an ounce of light. Only Jesus will be the light from the sky. Those who have lived their lives for God and helped others make the same decision will not have to fear on this day.

-John 19:38-42 At the burial of Jesus, some of the Pharisees who had opposed him were brought to their faith and pointed to the light by Jesus.

To live in light of the cross, we must constantly allow the power of Jesus’ cross to change our hearts and attitude, remember Jesus’ victory over our sins on it, and boast about the great sacrifice he has done on it for us all.

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Lucy Mejia (3rd from left) Preaches at Campus Women's Day!

- Writers all over the world have written so much about the mysterious idea of love.

- We often ask ourselves the following questions about love:

Will I ever be in love?

Will someone love me back?

Will I love him forever?

Will we always be in love?

Why do people fail at love so much?

Why do some people fear it knowing that it is from above?

- 1 Corinthians 13:8 The Bible tells us that love never fails. We hear about so many love stories that fail, but God’s love is different from the world’s.

- 1 Corinthians 13:4 -7 Love has so many benefits, but we don’t want to make sacrifices. Through the Bible, we can have a love more amazing than we can imagine.

- 1 John 3:16-20 We know what love is by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. God wants us to have the same love for our Christian brothers and sisters. He is greater than our hearts and knows everything. He wants to teach us to be successful at love by loving with actions and in truth.

- 1 John 4:16 God wants us to know His love for us and rely on it. He himself is love. When we live in love, we live in God, and He lives in us.

- 1 John 5:3 We reciprocate God’s love through obedience to Him.

- Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus tells us that the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. If everyone in the world obeys this, everyone will be taken care of.

- Growing up with a distant relationship with her father, Lucy was determined to find love and happiness. She tried to find it in her academic accomplishments, career, and relationships, but she did not find it until she studied the Scriptures and learned about God’s love.

- Mark 10:17-27 The rich, young ruler was religious and knew the law, but he was urgent in asking Jesus how to enter the Kingdom because he did not understand. Jesus looked at the young man with compassion, loved him, and told him the plain truth. He asked him to sell everything he had and give to the poor. The young man was saddened by what Jesus asked because he was enslaved to his lifestyle and did not want to give up his possessions.

- The call to discipleship was too great for the young man for he loved his possessions more than God.

- What will I choose today? Will I be sad to give up everything in my life like the rich, young ruler? Or Will I respond to God in love and obedience?

- World-wide churches, discipling with women, and disciples willing to give up everything to plant churches are living examples of love.

- John 8:1-12 Jesus loved the woman by asking her to repent from her sin of adultery. Repentance is the only requirement for us to be with God and have a personal relationship with Him for eternity. It is the change of heart, mind, and attitude that result in change of actions. God’s perfect, unfailing love is what moves us to repent from sin.

- Loving actually means loving the way God expects us to.

- We will never be happy without knowing the truth about God’s love for us, which can only be found in His Word.

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The Sisters Are Fired-Up at Campus Women's Day!

3 testimonies from 3 sisters that convict you no matter who you are!

Sparkle Leonard:

- Impatience, unkind, rude, and selfish were what Sparkle thought love was before she studied the Bible and became a Christian. She grew up in a religious household but was never convinced that God could be her true love. Even though her parents taught her about Jesus and brought her to church on Sundays, Sparkle grew up with a lot of bitterness towards them because of the abusive way her father treated her mother and her mother treated her and her siblings.

- When she was older, she began to look for love in the wrong places. She thought she would be satisfied by having a decent career and doing the things she loved. At the time, she was dating a guy who was controlling and did not trust her. She thought she loved him and was fine with the way he treated her, but as she stayed with him for four years, she began to lose sight of the true meaning of love.

- Sparkle was filled with hurt, bitterness, and insecurities inside, but she denied them. Psalm 10:4 describes who she was. In her pride, she did not seek God and never even thought about God.

- She began to feel empty about her life. She was becoming more and more envious of others and self-seeking.

- She saw the woman she was becoming and hated it. She wanted to change and began to see her need for God. She prayed to God to help her find Him and lead her to true Christians. God was merciful and led her to women who invited her to church. She studied the Bible with them and saw the true meaning of love in Jesus’ love for us. She made the decision to commit her life to Christ in baptism in October 2009.

- Before finding God, Psalm 116:10-11 describes who she was, “I believed; therefore I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted.’ And in my dismay I said, ‘All men are liars.’” After finding the true definition of love and trust in the Bible, she began to have the heart of David in Psalm 16:1-2, “Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.’”

Eileen Mengis:

- 2 Timothy 3:1-5 describes who she was before finding God and falling in love with Him. She had a form of godliness but denied its power. She grew up attending church on Sundays and was actively involved in her youth group, but she never felt connected with God and other people in the church.

- As she matured, she began to see how prideful, insecure, and hypocritical she was. She felt far from God and began to see that she did not really have a personal relationship with Him. She realized her need for God in her life. She started to study the Bible in her senior year in high school and was baptized after seeing the truth about God’s love.

- Like the seed described in Matthew 13:21 however, Eileen quickly fell away from the faith when trouble and persecution came into her life. She accepted the word of God with joy, but because she was not deeply rooted in God’s love, she gave in to the troubles and persecutions she faced as a new Christian.

- Eileen went back to her old ways. Her heart hardened, and she started living a life consumed with herself again. She did whatever she wanted and faced the consequences.

- After getting herself into a lot of trouble because of her sins, she saw herself farther from God more than ever. She saw how sin’s deceitfulness had hardened her and made her unhappy. She realized she had to come back to God and change.

- Eileen reconnected with the women who studied the Bible with her and got the help she needed to be restored to the Lord. She was grateful for the second chance God had given her to be with Him. Once again, God had shown her that his love was all she needed.

- Isaiah 43:1-4 God proved this Scripture to be true in Eileen’s life. Eileen saw how much God loved her by finding a way for her to back to Him and found true love in Him.

Nikki De Barras:

- Matthew 15:8-9 (The Message)

“These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it.
They act like they’re worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy.” This Scripture describes Nikki’s heart before studying the Bible and finding true love in Jesus.

- Nikki grew up religious, claiming she loved God, but she lived a life of whatever “suited her fancy” and only really came to God for her needs.

- Nikki thought she would find love in people by doing great in everything she did and impressing them. She was always determined to prove herself to others with her academics, social life, and having the perfect boyfriend.

- She used her religiosity and involvement in church to look good to others and feel fulfilled.

- Nikki moved to the United States from the Philippines with her family in 2003, and God worked through this big change in her life to humble her. She had a difficult time adjusting and faced many struggles with her family. She began to have bitterness towards her father as she blamed him for their struggles. She also had a proud heart towards God and other people in her life.

– Nikki saw how lonely she was becoming as her bitterness and pride grew, even when she had the approval of others and got what she wanted. She realized how empty her life was and how much she needed true love.

- She began to pray earnestly for God to lead her to Him and guide her life. God was gracious to her for leading her to women who was willing to teach her God’s Word. These women helped her understand the message of the cross.

- After seeing God’s love for her, Nikki decided that she had to start being completely real with herself and God about her heart. Moved by Jesus’ love, Nikki was baptized into Christ in September 2008 and vowed to live a life of true love for God from then on.

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Who Will Be The Next KINGDOM PREACHER?

This powerful preaching contest, modeled loosely after American Idol, brings all the excitement and drama of the popular Fox network TV competition. Moreover, the participants herein are not just in it to entertain. Rather they preach about eternal life!

Greg: World Evangelism

Michael Jordan, Oprah, Pepsi, have “evangelized” the world.

God has called us all to go to all people:

Acts 16:9-10: “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

Is it fear that is holding us back?

Jeremiah 1: 7-10: “But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a child.” You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.”

It is God’s plan that we evangelize the world:

Matthew 28: 18-20: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”"

Anna: Loving the Lost

It is a blessing to be a part of God’s plan to make disciples all over the world. This is how we share in our Master’s happiness.

Jesus showed love and compassion to his lost sheep. We need to have the same compassion and love as Jesus.

Matthew 9: 35-38: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

Consider others better than yourself. Think of others first.

Philippians 2: 3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Jeremy: Whole-hearted Evangelism

Am I sold out for God? To what extent would I go for the Lord? Remember, God will not give us more than we can bear.

Hebrews 12: 2-4: “”Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Seek God whole-heartedly. I can do all things through God.

Philippians 4: 12-13: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Tia: Making the Most of Every Opportunity

Everyday you have the opportunity to share your faith. Beg God to meet those who are open.

Colossians 4:2-6: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let you conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Evangelism is a lifestyle; this is what we do everyday. That is the way to evangelize the nations.

2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

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Singles Retreat 2010

When there is something you are excited about, you want to share it. With God it is the same way. He wants to share His Good News with us.

Matthew 25:21 Jesus said: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” God will show us heaven if we are faithful disciples.God is hospitable. He wants to share with us.

Hebrews 11:16 “Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Threfore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” God has planned an awesome eternal life for us.

1 Corinthians 2:9 “However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceive whhat God has prepared for those who love him.’” God is fired up for us.

Fight the Good Fight

Paul preaching at the end of his life knew that God was waiting to share His happiness with Paul. 2Timothy 4:6-8: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Paul was a faithful servant. How do we fight the good fight like Paul?

1 Corinthians 8-9 “The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers: you are God’s fied, God’s building.” We will be rewarded according to how well we labor for the Lord. In fact, we are God’s fellow workers. When we “clock in” to work with God, we have to live up to His expectations.

The way we make a good working relationships with co-workers is to talk with them about our day – good or bad. And if we do not work hard, we get isolated from the other wokers. Holding back creates “weirdness”. We need to work together with the Lord with His same passion. We must work to share in His happiness.

Quiet Time alone is not sufficient. Disciples share with others to share in His happiness. When we don’t work we feel pain, then we seek worldly things to ease the pain. Then we sin, the heart gets hard, and we fall away.

We need to talk about our pain to heal throuh the disciplin and the Word. Don’t let sin take you out!

Philemon 1:6 “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Sharing our faith helps us personally. When things are not where they need to be, we need to share our faith (not just inviting people to church). We need to get them into the Word of God. We share our faith to share in teh Master’s happiness.

Pslam 18:20-24 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept th ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God. All his laws are befrore me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. The Lord has rewarded mhy according to my righteousness, accordin to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.” God rewards our righteousness when we live the righteous life. When life gest tough then it’s easy to get into sine. Don’t get on a spiritual roller coaster! We must rely on God.

John 3:19-21 Jesus said: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Get open about your sin to get into the Light. Need to walk in the light to get rid of sin. When we are nauseous we purge to get rid of the illness; to feel better. It is the same with sin – purge it to feel better. Be a person of openness.

Genesis 4:6-7 “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’”

If you do what is right you will be accepted by God. Be a disciple of courage. Confessing sin builds relationships.

Finish the Race!

1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

Make every effort to win first place for the Lord! Like Paul, run to win the ultimate prize, the Master’s happiness. It’s hard to run a marathon, but winners cannot give up. Make every effort to get the the finish line. Make a commitment to go all the way.

James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, ti gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, give birth to death.” Satan entices, then through our desire we sin. Repent of sin if you don’t want death. Deal with enticement, desire, and sin.

Colossians 1:23 “if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” Keep the faith!

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Be sure that we want to make disciples. Our faith will make it happen! Jesus can’t do miracles if we doubt, if we don;’t have faith.

2 Timothy 4:17-18: “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Paul fought the good fight and God took him home.

1 Corinthinas 13:1-3: “And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” Jesus’ love for us has saved us.

Romans 5:6: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Love saved us from hell.