¤¤ ¤¤
00:00:01.03\00:00:11.77
>> It has stood
the test of time --
00:00:11.77\00:00:15.28
God's book, the
Bible, still relevant
00:00:15.28\00:00:20.38
in today's complex
world. "It Is Written" --
00:00:20.38\00:00:26.65
Sharing messages of
hope around the world.
00:00:26.65\00:00:31.46
¤¤ ¤¤
00:00:31.53\00:00:48.78
¤¤
00:00:48.78\00:00:57.39
>> ¤ Fairest Lord Jesus ¤ Ruler
of all nature ¤ O Thou of God
00:00:57.42\00:01:10.63
¤ And man the Son ¤ Thee will
I cherish ¤ Thee will I honor
00:01:10.63\00:01:26.48
¤ Thou art my
glory, joy, and crown ¤ ¤¤
00:01:26.48\00:01:40.00
>> ¤ Fair are the meadows ¤
Fairer still the woodlands ¤
Robed in the blooming garb
00:01:40.00\00:01:55.78
of spring ¤ ¤ Jesus is
fairer ¤ Jesus is purer
00:01:55.78\00:02:10.09
¤ Who makes the
woeful heart to sing ¤ ¤¤
00:02:10.09\00:02:23.77
>> ¤ Beautiful savior ¤
Lord of the nations ¤ Son of God
00:02:23.77\00:02:37.59
¤ And Son of man ¤ Glory
and honor ¤ Praise, adoration
00:02:37.59\00:02:53.17
¤ Now and forever ¤ Forevermore
be Thine ¤ Now and forevermore
00:02:53.17\00:03:11.55
be Thine ¤ ¤¤ ¤¤
00:03:11.55\00:03:33.27
>> What a beautiful song.
00:03:34.74\00:03:36.81
And here we are at Fountainview
Academy with a few students,
00:03:36.85\00:03:39.58
with Miranda and Martessa
and Cambria, and they're
00:03:39.58\00:03:41.98
gonna share with
us what does it mean
00:03:41.98\00:03:43.89
to be a Christian and how
do you become a Christian.
00:03:43.89\00:03:46.25
But I want to talk about
that song, "Fairest Lord Jesus."
00:03:46.25\00:03:48.39
What does it mean to you?
00:03:48.39\00:03:50.29
>> Yeah, well, for me, "Fairest
Lord Jesus" really means a lot
00:03:50.33\00:03:56.77
to me because it's talking about
praising God. And as a
Christian, praising God has been
00:03:56.77\00:04:02.10
the most fulfilling part,
at least so far in my Christian
00:04:02.10\00:04:05.77
walk. And I know that, for me,
recently, I've spent a lot of
00:04:05.77\00:04:11.95
time in nature. And when you
look at nature, nature is God's
second book, and He uses it to
00:04:11.95\00:04:17.35
reveal Himself to us. And
sometimes I'll go outside, and
I'll spend some time
00:04:17.35\00:04:23.19
just reflecting on Him, and I'll
look at the things around me,
like the mountains.
00:04:23.19\00:04:26.90
I'll look up at the mountains,
and I can tell God, "Thank you
00:04:26.90\00:04:31.83
so much. You are an amazing God
whose promises last forever, who
is sturdy and strong
00:04:31.83\00:04:38.04
like a mountain." And for me,
that has given me so much peace
00:04:38.04\00:04:41.78
because when I look at how great
He is, my problems become so
small and so insignificant.
00:04:41.78\00:04:47.32
And that has really changed my
life, is just praising God and
receiving that peace
00:04:47.32\00:04:52.79
that He promises. >>
Praising God is very important.
00:04:52.79\00:04:56.02
1 Thessalonians chapter 5,
verse...I think it's verse 14,
00:04:56.06\00:04:58.89
where He says that we
should rejoice at all times.
00:04:58.89\00:05:02.20
It's good for us. We feel good.
00:05:02.20\00:05:04.30
We enjoy being around people
who are happy and rejoicing.
00:05:04.30\00:05:07.54
And so if God is so good to
us that He takes care of us, you
00:05:07.57\00:05:12.01
know, that's part of being a
Christian. I mean, it's a very
00:05:12.01\00:05:14.64
central part. Jesus said, "I
have come to bring you joy and
that your joy might be full."
00:05:14.64\00:05:18.91
So He wants us to be joyful, and
He wants us to praise Him. So,
00:05:18.91\00:05:23.25
Miranda? >> So, yeah, and
actually, in 2 Chronicles 20,
there's a story that talks
00:05:23.25\00:05:27.79
about the tribe of Judah, and
there were three nations that
00:05:27.79\00:05:32.56
were coming against the tribe of
Judah. And they were afraid, and
they went out to fight
00:05:32.56\00:05:38.83
these three nations, but they
put the choir in front of the
00:05:38.83\00:05:43.61
army, and they were singing
praises to God, and... >> How
00:05:43.61\00:05:47.41
would you like to be in that
choir? [ Laughter ] >> That
would be actually, like,
00:05:47.41\00:05:51.25
terrifying. >> That's true.
>> So, these other guys are
00:05:51.25\00:05:53.88
standing there with swords
coming towards you, and bow and
00:05:53.88\00:05:56.58
arrow, and you're just singing,
and that's all you're doing,
yeah. >> [ Laughing ] Yeah.
00:05:56.58\00:06:01.19
And they were praising God, and
the enemy killed each other, and
so they were completely
00:06:01.19\00:06:07.66
defeated just by praising God.
>> Right. >> So they're praising
00:06:07.66\00:06:12.10
God, and the enemy starts
turning on each other. They
don't have anything
00:06:12.10\00:06:15.27
in their hands. They're
not gonna fight against them.
00:06:15.27\00:06:17.77
They're just praising God, and
God works on their behalf, or
they themselves get
00:06:17.77\00:06:23.14
so freaked out that they start
to fight against each other.
00:06:23.14\00:06:26.85
That's...yeah. >> Powerful.
>> Powerful, yeah. >> There's
00:06:26.85\00:06:29.68
actually a quote that talks
about this story in "Prophets
and Kings" by Ellen G. White.
00:06:29.68\00:06:34.89
It talks about how this... When
they were praising God, it was
like their battle song.
00:06:34.89\00:06:41.83
And it's how they were defeated,
is through that battle song
where they were praising
00:06:41.83\00:06:47.74
and giving thanksgiving to God
before they were even defeated.
00:06:47.74\00:06:52.91
>> Yeah. >> Yeah. >>
So... >> So they were singing
00:06:52.91\00:06:55.01
a battle song. >>
Yeah. >> And God was fighting
00:06:55.01\00:06:57.55
on their behalf. That's
wonderful, yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:06:57.55\00:07:02.05
So, in terms of your Christian
faith, has God fought on your
00:07:02.05\00:07:07.86
behalf? Has God been there for
you and helped you to fight the
00:07:07.86\00:07:12.69
battles of life to be a
Christian? And what has that
meant to you and your personal
00:07:12.69\00:07:18.40
experience? >> So, for me, when
I was younger, I remember having
a great relationship with God,
00:07:18.40\00:07:24.31
and I was involved in church, my
parents were involved in church.
00:07:24.31\00:07:29.14
But as I started getting older
and as middle school started
00:07:29.14\00:07:34.85
coming around and I had trouble
with friendships, my
relationship with God just kind
00:07:34.85\00:07:38.85
of dimmed out, and I had a
couple of experiences that
really made me question,
00:07:38.85\00:07:44.53
like, is God even there for me?
Like, where is He in my life?
And I just kind of put God
00:07:44.53\00:07:51.50
on the back shelf after that,
those experiences, and then I...
A couple years later after that,
00:07:51.50\00:08:01.04
I had a couple of doctors
appointments, and they told me
that I had a mass and it could
00:08:01.04\00:08:08.05
possibly be cancerous. And so
my parents and me, we talked to
00:08:08.05\00:08:15.22
some doctors, and they said the
only option was to undergo
surgery. And that was a really
00:08:15.22\00:08:22.06
terrifying time for me because I
was like, "I don't know
what's..." I had no control over
00:08:22.06\00:08:27.00
my life at that moment. And so
it wasn't until I was actually
00:08:27.00\00:08:32.21
about to go into surgery that I
was like, "God, you have to help
me because I have no control
00:08:32.21\00:08:35.98
over this, and I don't know
what's gonna happen to me." And
00:08:35.98\00:08:41.78
so it wasn't until after the
surgery I found out that I was
cancer-free, and it was amazing
00:08:41.78\00:08:48.49
because God -- even though I
didn't have complete faith in
00:08:48.49\00:08:52.16
God, God still brought me
through that. And then a year
after that, or two, I came here
00:08:52.16\00:08:57.90
to Fountainview, and that was
an amazing experience, and I was
00:08:57.90\00:09:02.87
expecting to get closer to God
after this experience that He
had brought me through.
00:09:02.87\00:09:07.18
And I made tons of friends, and
it was great. And then at the
00:09:07.18\00:09:14.35
end -- towards the end of my
junior year, I made some
mistakes that I regret,
00:09:14.35\00:09:18.99
and God brought me through that.
And at the end, I decided to
recommit my life to Jesus.
00:09:18.99\00:09:25.43
And so I got rebaptized after
that, and that was just, like,
00:09:25.43\00:09:33.34
my testimony. That's just...
Like, I see it as getting closer
00:09:33.34\00:09:38.07
to God, and as like in an
elevator, you're always going
up. And even though I may fall
00:09:38.07\00:09:45.35
and even though I may make
mistakes, Jesus is still there
for me, and I'm always getting
00:09:45.35\00:09:50.39
closer to Him. >> That's a
cool illustration. So, Paul says
00:09:50.39\00:09:54.52
we should be "in Christ." So,
you're saying that getting into
00:09:54.52\00:09:58.73
Christ is like getting into an
elevator. >> Exactly. >> And as
00:09:58.73\00:10:01.60
that elevator door opens up, we
get in. >> Yeah. >> Door closes,
00:10:01.60\00:10:05.20
we start going up, and you fall
down in the elevator. >> Yeah.
00:10:05.20\00:10:08.44
>> Are you still in a
relationship with Jesus? >> Yes.
00:10:08.44\00:10:11.07
>> Yeah, even though you fell
down, you're still going up with
00:10:11.07\00:10:14.31
Christ. >> Yeah. >> And He'll
help you get back up so you can
00:10:14.31\00:10:17.78
stand in that relationship. >>
Yeah, that's so true. >> Yeah,
00:10:17.78\00:10:22.15
so, can you relate to that,
Martessa? >> Oh, yeah, I can
actually relate a lot to your
00:10:22.15\00:10:25.09
story because, for me, I also
started out as a young kid being
pretty committed to God,
00:10:25.09\00:10:31.36
and my family was Christian, and
we went to church every week.
00:10:31.36\00:10:35.76
We had Scripture memorization a
lot, and I felt pretty close to
God at that time in my life.
00:10:35.76\00:10:43.07
But, for me, my faith wasn't my
own at that time. And because it
00:10:43.07\00:10:47.74
wasn't my own, I didn't embrace
it. And as I got older, I
started to follow my own
00:10:47.74\00:10:53.52
desires, and I started to really
feed into the lie that the world
has about instant gratification
00:10:53.52\00:10:58.79
and just taking everything that
I wanted and not really thinking
00:10:58.79\00:11:04.46
about the results. And as I came
to Fountainview, I started to
change and realize this isn't
00:11:04.46\00:11:10.40
the way I wanted to go. And the
problem was, it was really hard
00:11:10.40\00:11:16.64
at that point 'cause I was
struggling with myself and my
habits and everything like that.
00:11:16.64\00:11:20.98
And I remember the turning point
for me. I went to a revival
00:11:20.98\00:11:27.58
seminar, and my family wasn't
able to attend, so I had to
00:11:27.58\00:11:31.92
drive myself there every single
day, And it really changed my
life, but the thing
00:11:31.92\00:11:36.66
that changed my life the most
was actually a quote. And the
one who did the seminar,
00:11:36.66\00:11:41.90
his name is Gary Venden, and
this quote says that, "It's not
about what you do --
00:11:41.90\00:11:49.10
it's about who you know. And who
you know will transform what you
00:11:49.10\00:11:53.81
do." And I had a lot of
struggles with just letting God
work. I tried to do everything
00:11:53.81\00:12:00.12
on my own, and this is when I
realized that knowing God is
what counts, not what I do.
00:12:00.12\00:12:05.52
And that's when I had that peace
that I talked about earlier. >>
00:12:05.52\00:12:10.36
Awesome, awesome. And can you
relate to that? >> Yeah, so,
earlier this year, I went
00:12:10.36\00:12:15.63
through this time where I felt
like God wasn't near, and, you
know, I'd pray to Him, and I
00:12:15.63\00:12:21.47
just felt like my prayers were
being bounced off the walls, and
00:12:21.47\00:12:25.94
I didn't really... I didn't see
Him working in my life, and I
just felt like He wasn't close
00:12:25.94\00:12:31.61
to me. But I believe that God
taught me through that
experience that it's not --
00:12:31.61\00:12:38.69
Faith isn't a feeling.
>> Mm-hmm. >> When you're a
00:12:38.69\00:12:42.69
Christian, you have to hope, and
it's not a feeling that, "Oh, I
feel like God is near.
00:12:42.69\00:12:49.93
I feel like He is
answering my prayers." >> Yeah.
00:12:49.93\00:12:53.17
>> It's more like, just this
hope that you cling to. And I
00:12:53.17\00:12:58.97
realized that God really taught
me through that experience how
to hope. And I also realized
00:12:58.97\00:13:04.71
that that's when He was closest
to me because He was actually
teaching me something.
00:13:04.71\00:13:08.55
>> Mm. >> And so it wasn't
that He was -- He had just
00:13:08.55\00:13:11.92
left me. He was trying
to teach me a lesson in hope
00:13:11.92\00:13:16.12
and trust and faith and not
relying on my feelings. >> Mm.
00:13:16.12\00:13:24.10
Wow. Thank you for sharing that.
And thank you, ladies. We're
gonna have a break,
00:13:24.10\00:13:27.47
and right after that, we're
gonna be back with some guys to
00:13:27.47\00:13:30.67
talk to. Thank you. >> Friends,
thank you for remembering that
00:13:30.67\00:13:35.41
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because of the kindness of
00:13:35.41\00:13:40.05
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00:13:40.08\00:13:44.15
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00:13:51.83\00:13:55.40
or you can visit us
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00:13:55.40\00:14:00.54
>> And we will do everything
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For example, a gift of
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00:14:15.05\00:14:18.52
>> Friends, thank you so
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Our number, again,
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00:14:32.33\00:14:34.77
>> So we're back, and we're with
the guys. We're with Vinnie and
00:14:37.84\00:14:41.78
Josh and Cameron and David, and
they're going to share what it
means to be a Christian
00:14:41.78\00:14:46.61
for them personally. >> But
before we talk to the students,
00:14:46.61\00:14:50.45
just listen to Joshua tell us
about his Christian experience.
00:14:50.45\00:15:04.03
¤¤ ¤¤ >> Jesus says, "Follow
me." It's one of the easiest
00:15:04.03\00:15:15.44
commands in the Bible, one
of the shortest ones -- only two
00:15:15.44\00:15:18.75
words, but it's so hard to obey.
Every time, I try. I try to be
00:15:18.75\00:15:24.49
patient. I try to think good
thoughts, to tell the whole
truth, to do the right things
00:15:24.49\00:15:28.82
that Jesus would do, but
somehow, I always come up short.
I try to keep up with Jesus,
00:15:28.82\00:15:34.86
following Him on His path, but
I always trip on a rock or run
00:15:34.86\00:15:39.20
into a tree or fall off a cliff.
Even when I try my hardest and
use all of my strength,
00:15:39.20\00:15:44.91
I'm useless. Why can't I just do
it right? Am I just worthless?
00:15:44.91\00:15:51.28
I know He has a purpose for me,
but if I can't even follow Him,
how can He show it to me,
00:15:51.28\00:15:56.45
and how can I fulfill it?
Why can't I just do what God
00:15:56.45\00:16:01.99
designed me to do? And if I
can't, why am I here? I'm just
an empty body. But that's why
00:16:01.99\00:16:08.20
Jesus tells me to follow Him,
because when I follow, I'm not
just walking behind Him.
00:16:08.20\00:16:12.97
He's leading. Like a shepherd,
He tenderly guards His sheep,
00:16:12.97\00:16:17.54
going before me to make
sure there's no danger ahead. He
00:16:17.54\00:16:22.61
holds my hand, so when I fall,
He pulls me back up to my feet
so I can keep following.
00:16:22.61\00:16:27.25
If I let go and I try to walk in
my power, I'll still fall, but
00:16:27.25\00:16:30.79
His mighty arm will hold me
up, reminding me to walk in His
00:16:30.79\00:16:35.52
strength. Letting Him lead, I
can follow to fulfill his
purpose for me. >> So Josh,
00:16:35.52\00:16:44.10
you're talking there about some
really deep topics -- I mean,
how you felt inside about Jesus'
00:16:44.10\00:16:49.24
calling to you to follow Him. Do
you want to talk about that? >>
Sure, so, for me, to follow
00:16:49.24\00:16:54.48
Jesus is, of course, the main
part of being Christian, but
it's also the hardest part.
00:16:54.48\00:16:58.95
'Cause if you've read any of the
Gospels, you'll see that what
Jesus did during His life
00:16:58.95\00:17:04.25
on Earth, where He walked,
His walk wasn't an easy walk. >>
00:17:04.25\00:17:08.39
That's right. >> I like to think
of it as one of our Fountainview
hikes here, 'cause none of our
00:17:08.39\00:17:11.09
Fountainview hikes are easy.
You're always going uphill, and
it's always rugged terrain.
00:17:11.09\00:17:14.36
It's really hard. So, the
hardest part is falling. >>
00:17:14.36\00:17:18.73
Yeah. >> And when you fall...
It's hard to fall, 'cause you
feel like you failed yourself.
00:17:18.73\00:17:23.84
But it's even worse to know that
you failed Jesus, 'cause He's so
00:17:23.84\00:17:27.58
loving and He's so kind and He
cares. He cares about you, and
He wants you to follow.
00:17:27.58\00:17:31.48
And then you fall, and you ask
for forgiveness. Then you fall
00:17:31.48\00:17:34.08
again, and you ask for
forgiveness, and you fall again.
And it's, each time,
00:17:34.08\00:17:36.95
promising, "Yes, Lord, I'll
follow you this time, and I'll
do the right thing."
00:17:36.95\00:17:39.95
But when you fall, it just gets
harder and harder to ask for
00:17:39.95\00:17:42.92
forgiveness 'cause you know
you're letting Him down over and
over again. >> Yeah.
00:17:42.92\00:17:45.66
>> It's almost like it
messes with your pride. >> Yeah.
00:17:45.66\00:17:49.26
>> So you have to release all
your pride. You have to give it
00:17:49.26\00:17:52.03
up to ask forgiveness over and
over. >> Yeah. >> And that's the
00:17:52.03\00:17:55.67
hardest part about being a
Christian. >> I think that's the
biggest thing, right?
00:17:55.67\00:17:58.41
I mean, it's a pride issue, but
it's also an issue of, I realize
00:17:58.41\00:18:05.18
I need a savior. I can't save
myself. I know the right things
to do, but I don't always
00:18:05.18\00:18:10.55
do the right things. >> Exactly.
>> So being a Christian isn't
00:18:10.55\00:18:13.22
just "being good," right?
00:18:13.22\00:18:16.96
It's knowing Jesus,
as He says in John 17:3.
00:18:16.99\00:18:23.37
It says, "To know
God is eternal life,"
00:18:23.37\00:18:25.63
and He wants us to know Him.
00:18:25.63\00:18:27.70
That's not just talking
about time. It's talking about
00:18:27.74\00:18:30.01
a relationship. And so when you
have that relationship with Him,
00:18:30.01\00:18:33.58
you don't want to break that
relationship. And so that is
00:18:33.58\00:18:38.85
very disappointing that we do
fall, but we realize He is our
savior, and He lifts us up,
00:18:38.85\00:18:45.39
yeah. Can you relate to that,
Cameron? >> Yeah, my
Christian... The way I view
00:18:45.39\00:18:52.93
my Christian experience is
a little different, but it's
00:18:52.93\00:18:56.40
different because my entire
life, growing up, I've been in
the Church. You know, you go to
00:18:56.40\00:19:02.17
church. It's kind of like a
tradition thing or kind of like
just, you do what your family
00:19:02.17\00:19:06.68
does. And I've called myself a
Christian my entire life, but
I'm coming to learn now,
00:19:06.68\00:19:14.38
and I'm learning now. It's a
continuous journey, but I'm
learning now especially
00:19:14.38\00:19:18.12
that, for me, being a Christian
is that choice you make every
00:19:18.12\00:19:23.66
single morning and every single
moment when you're faced with a
decision. It's choosing to
00:19:23.66\00:19:29.33
follow Jesus because you're
actually choosing. You're making
00:19:29.33\00:19:32.63
that choice. And what happened
before in my life is, I would
00:19:32.63\00:19:37.47
just do things because my family
did it or because I was told to.
It wasn't a decision of mine.
00:19:37.47\00:19:42.51
So I'm coming to discover that I
actually haven't been a
Christian my entire life,
00:19:42.51\00:19:46.65
but it's more so, truthfully,
like, meaningfully being a
00:19:46.65\00:19:53.19
Christian, I've only been, like,
a truthful meaning Christian for
like a year and a half now.
00:19:53.19\00:19:57.96
But it's amazing how after every
decision you make to continue
00:19:57.96\00:20:02.33
following Christ, how He blesses
you and how He continues to lead
00:20:02.33\00:20:05.50
you. >> Yeah. >> And I feel like
in, at least, my own
experience... I haven't
00:20:05.50\00:20:12.04
experienced a lot, like, a lot
to, like... I don't have this
great, like, extremely,
00:20:12.04\00:20:17.21
you know, amazing testimony, but
from what I've already
experienced, the little things,
00:20:17.21\00:20:22.28
I know that God is there, and I
know that He's the only... He is
the only thing that is
00:20:22.28\00:20:28.06
truly solid and that will
last till eternity. >> Mm-hmm.
00:20:28.06\00:20:33.23
>> He's the only thing that's
meaningful. >> Yeah, yeah, and
00:20:33.23\00:20:36.43
so that's the why -- why are you
a Christian. >> Right. >> Yeah,
00:20:36.43\00:20:40.64
because He's given meaning to
your life. >> Mm-hmm. >> Yeah,
and what about how?
00:20:40.64\00:20:45.91
How do we get to know God? Are
there any practical steps that
00:20:45.91\00:20:51.05
we can do? Are there things that
you can think of that... of how
00:20:51.05\00:20:56.35
to be a Christian? What things
would you do to get to know Him?
00:20:56.35\00:21:02.69
>> Well, for me, being at
Fountainview... I know a lot of
times at home what kept me from,
00:21:02.69\00:21:10.17
you know, getting to know God or
really, I guess, pursuing my
walk with Him was distractions.
00:21:10.17\00:21:15.77
And they're prevalent a lot, you
know, in our world today. You
have your phone ringing
00:21:15.77\00:21:20.88
constantly or notifications,
things like that. But being here
00:21:20.88\00:21:26.25
at Fountainview, where it's kind
of... You're surrounded by
nature, and they give you
00:21:26.25\00:21:29.35
many opportunities to go out,
take hikes, and just have that
quiet time in the morning.
00:21:29.35\00:21:35.26
For me, one of the things that
has helped me to get to know God
00:21:35.26\00:21:40.86
was discovering and
understanding the truth, that
getting to know God is not
00:21:40.86\00:21:46.17
always going to be an amazing
feeling. There's a quote that
has profoundly impacted me
00:21:46.17\00:21:51.01
this year, and it was that, "80%
of your life and 80% of your
00:21:51.01\00:21:55.01
spiritual walk is showing up."
And to me, what that means to me
is, you may not feel the
00:21:55.01\00:21:59.68
feelings, but you keep showing
up because you know ultimately
that God is the only thing that
00:21:59.68\00:22:06.69
will give your life meaning,
which goes back to the thing
00:22:06.69\00:22:10.63
that God gives your life
meaning. >> For me, showing up
is reading my Bible.
00:22:10.63\00:22:13.83
>> Mm-hmm. >>
It's praying. >> Right.
00:22:13.83\00:22:16.20
>> And just the outflow of those
is to share that with others,
00:22:16.20\00:22:20.24
yeah. >> Mm-hmm. >> What about
yourself, Vinnie? >> My
experience, I can totally
00:22:20.24\00:22:24.91
relate to Cameron, because
before, I would go to church
'cause it was the tradition
00:22:24.91\00:22:32.91
in our family, right. I would
pray and stuff 'cause my parents
00:22:32.91\00:22:39.79
told me to do it. But I think
you become a Christian when you
00:22:39.79\00:22:44.99
make it your own. I know that
might sound, like, cliché a
little bit, but if you think
00:22:44.99\00:22:49.03
about it, like, when you make
it your own, it's like your own
00:22:49.03\00:22:52.27
decision, right. And you accept
it yourself that you want to
follow Jesus, you want to be
00:22:52.27\00:22:57.67
like Jesus. So, in my
experience, and what I think to
be a Christian would be making
00:22:57.67\00:23:03.45
it your own -- like, deciding
for yourself. >> Yeah, it has to
be your own. It's your own
00:23:03.45\00:23:07.52
personal relationship. Yeah,
excellent. David? >> Personally,
00:23:07.52\00:23:14.09
I know that for me what it means
to be Christian is trusting that
God knows what's best for your
00:23:14.09\00:23:19.09
life and that ultimately He will
make the right decisions for
you. About a year and a half
00:23:19.09\00:23:26.13
ago, I was diagnosed with a
spitzoid melanoma, which is a
type of skin cancer.
00:23:26.13\00:23:29.87
And at this point, I was
probably like 15. And it just,
00:23:29.87\00:23:34.48
like... It really struck me hard
because I couldn't understand
why God would allow something
00:23:34.48\00:23:37.58
like this to happen to me,
'cause, you know, I had been a
devout Christian all my life,
00:23:37.58\00:23:42.62
and I just, like... I struggled,
but through it... you know,
through it, later on
00:23:42.62\00:23:46.86
in time, I just, like... God was
able to show me that, yes, this
00:23:46.86\00:23:56.03
was bad, and, you know, it was a
bad thing, but through this, I
could now help other people
00:23:56.03\00:24:02.34
because I could relate to them,
and, like that, I could be a
witness for God, you know.
00:24:02.34\00:24:08.01
And although it might've been
ugly, it actually came out to be
00:24:08.01\00:24:12.48
more of a blessing in the
end. >> Mm-hmm. >> So I think
00:24:12.48\00:24:15.65
trusting that God knows what's
best from the very beginning and
knowing that, yeah,
00:24:15.65\00:24:18.69
He'll have the best plan for
your life. >> Thanks for sharing
00:24:18.69\00:24:22.16
that. We're gonna go to a song
-- "Be Thou My Vision," and the
00:24:22.16\00:24:26.23
guys are gonna be singing
that song. So, let's watch that
00:24:26.23\00:24:36.04
together. ¤¤ ¤¤ >> ¤ Be Thou
my vision ¤ O Lord of my heart
00:24:36.04\00:24:52.52
¤ Naught be all else to me
¤ Save that Thou art ¤ Thou my
00:24:52.52\00:25:08.37
best thought ¤ By day or by
night ¤ Waking or sleeping ¤ Thy
00:25:08.37\00:25:25.62
presence, my light ¤¤ ¤¤ ¤¤
00:25:25.62\00:25:52.95
¤¤ ¤¤ ¤¤
00:25:52.95\00:26:20.31
¤ High King of Heaven ¤ When
victory is won ¤ May I reach
00:26:20.31\00:26:36.29
Heaven's joys ¤ O bright
Heaven's sun ¤ Heart of my own
heart ¤ Whatever befall
00:26:36.29\00:26:52.34
¤ Still be my
vision ¤ O ruler of all ¤¤
00:26:52.34\00:27:10.99
¤¤
00:27:10.99\00:27:17.17
>> Well, that was a beautiful
song. Thank you so much, David,
00:27:20.67\00:27:23.61
for sharing that with us. >> And
thank you very much for sharing
your stories, guys.
00:27:23.61\00:27:28.11
Friends, we have to remember the
words of Jesus because when we
talk about Christianity,
00:27:28.11\00:27:32.58
it's really about Jesus.
00:27:32.58\00:27:34.65
And in John 15:5, He
says, "Apart from Me,
00:27:34.68\00:27:38.69
you can do nothing."
Let's pray to Him right now.
00:27:38.69\00:27:42.46
Let's close our eyes. Father in
Heaven, as we have been sharing
00:27:42.49\00:27:48.36
our experience with You, and You
want each one of us to own that
00:27:48.36\00:27:52.67
experience, to have it as our
own. And we thank You that You
want us to know You
00:27:52.67\00:27:56.30
and that to know You is
eternal life, that this is the
00:27:56.30\00:28:00.38
testimony, the Scriptures say,
that God has given us eternal
life, and this life is in His
00:28:00.38\00:28:06.55
Son. Help us, Lord, to fight
that good fight of faith, that
00:28:06.55\00:28:10.95
we will take hold of eternal
life. In Jesus' name we pray,
00:28:10.95\00:28:16.06
amen. >> Amen. >> So, friends,
thank you for joining us again,
and remember the words of Jesus
00:28:16.06\00:28:19.83
-- "It is written: 'Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceeds from
00:28:19.83\00:28:25.30
the mouth of God.'"
00:28:25.30\00:28:27.54
¤¤ ¤¤
00:28:27.57\00:28:43.75
¤¤ ¤¤
00:28:43.75\00:28:59.83