We are seeing God move among us. For this we are thankful. This week I wanted to simply share some stories of how God is dwelling among us.

“It is Engage Week in the Permian Basin. Students reaching students with the Gospel message has been life changing. 89 students have begun a relationship with Jesus Christ and we aren’t done yet. 2 more days to go! “

“Ana is a 6th grader at Mascoutah Middle School. Last week she stood up and presented the story of Christ to classmates. Her words were clear and she spoke with boldness! After her presentation, her teacher sponsor, campus coach, and students applauded her and several made sure to encourage her. It is stories like these that give us all hope in the next generation! Students are reaching students! Ana has 6 1/2 more years as a missionary in her school! Praise God for the witness He will have through her!”

“Our club is growing as students take more ownership, pray and serve their school! This month, they had an Easter Egg giveaway with a piece of candy and encouraging verse inside! Their club was also featured on Tribe Talk!”

“Ross, a new campus coach, is leading the students very well! New sports and activities effected numbers, but that doesn’t stop these students preparing and presenting better and better every week!”

“Grateful to report that 15 students gave their life to Christ at New River!! Thank you Jesus!! ‪#‎firstprioritysf‬ ‪#‎9monthmissiontrip‬ ‪#‎churchcampuschrist”

“Served pancakes at Youree Drive Middle School this morning and 9 students received Christ! ‪#‎hopeformyschool‬”

I heard this quote in church this week and I believe that sharing story of life change and student leadership development is the best way to encourage you, whether you are already participating in the First Priority movement or have not jumped in.

“These early Christ-followers did not organize special interest groups or political parties. They never directly opposed Caesar; they didn’t picket or protest or attempt to overthrow the ruling powers. They didn’t publicly denounce or condemn the pagan world. Instead, they challenged the ruling powers by simply being a faithful, alternative presence—obedient to God. Their most distinguishing characteristic was not their ideology or their politics but their love for others. They lived as those who were, once again, living under the rule and reign of God, a sign and foretaste of what it will be fully, when Christ returns.” S. Michael Craven

We are to be known for our love for each other. We want to be known for sharing hope with those who are looking for it. The gospel to the masses is our goal. Thank you for being in that family.

Peace,

Brad Schelling

Rom. 14:10-12, “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.  It is written: ‘“As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.”’  So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

Somehow the word “church” or “Christian” brings up thoughts of judgment and condemnation. I know that most students in our 67,000 middle and high schools have not rejected the message of the gospel; most have never heard it. What someone knows about God, Christianity or Church is what they have picked up from the media. Most think of someone holding up a sign that says “God hates gays” or protesting a military funeral or an abortion clinic, that is not God! God is love. God is not willing that any perish but all to come to know Him. Our job as Christian’s is to love people and share the hope of Christ with them. The job of the Holy Spirit is to convict people of their sin and convert them. We are just asked to be salt and light in a dark world. We live where we live and go to school or work where we work because of one reason, God put you there! Let’s try to quit making everyone behave and let’s let the Holy Spirit work though us because we belong to Christ.

Keep Fishing,

Mark Roberts

The ministry context of First Priority is designed to be a multi-denominational movement of churches that equips Christian students to work together in the middle and high schools and influence their culture with the gospel. That is First Priority. Our desired picture for the United States is to see the hope of Christ in every student. We are doing that by uniting the local body of Christ with a plan of action to influence the school with the gospel. The individual churches send their students to school together as missionaries with networks of adult support. After all, there are more students who identify with Jesus and consider themselves Christian than any other group in the school! Why are they not the most influential? Because they are not united.

Join with us to help unite the these students and help them influence your local middle and high school with the good news of the gospel!

Peace, Brad Schelling

If you are a new Christian you are now a follower of Jesus. If that is the case, not only have you made the greatest decision you will ever make, but the most life changing one as well. In the book of John in the New Testament Jesus tells a man name Nicodemus that he must be born again: spiritually. We can not be physically born again, but we can be born again on the inside by asking Jesus to forgive us of our sin and inviting him to be the Savior and Lord of our life. When we do this God’s Spirit dwells in us and we begin to change from the inside out. The evidence of His presence starts to show immediately; in our mind and heart. (When I say heart I mean totality of my being, who I am when I am alone with my thoughts.) Our physical bodies (what the Bible calls the old flesh) will still sin. However, now the difference is the Spirit of God inside lets me know quickly that it was wrong. The other evidence for me is a peace inside that is always with me. Jesus said He was the Great Shepherd and His sheep hear His voice. The more you and I get to know God the more we will recognize his voice.

Keep Fishing,

Mark Roberts

1- When you carry the load, it is often associated with words like ‘responsibility’ and ‘dependability’. Whether at home, at work, or in social settings, carrying the load and being the person people look to for answers can be intimidating. Ministry carries with it the notion of being on call 24/7. If not physically, mentally the idea of working at all times can be there. It can wear on you if you do not get reprieve. In foster care, they call it ‘respite’; a weekend or week-long moment for someone else to come in and take care of the kids. Taking on 24/7 responsibility is to much to not get a break from. God knew this in creation. Even in a perfect creation, He set up a sabbath on the seventh day. Jesus knew we needed a break but opened the door for us to take a break as we need when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) Taking a break is not just for the seventh day, but any day. Jesus was busy doing good on the Sabbath, so people asked Him about it. They did not know that His Sabbath was every day before sunrise. This opens the door and helps us to realize that we need to rest in God’s presence at any moment while taking on the 24/7 of ministry. How do we carry the load? We take breaks on purpose.

2- You could become an ant. Ants are amazing! They can carry 50 times their weight. If I were a 210 pound ant, I could carry over 10,000 pounds. But this is not the load I was talking about. Nor is becoming an ant an attainable life goal for any human but Ant Man himself. So let’s move on.

3- Get united. How does a piece of paper lift me, a 210 pound man, and inch off the ground? By working together. This piece of paper alone, I can crumble in my hand.

But, by being strategic and aligning itself (with the help of a designer) with a lot of other pieces of paper, it can hold me up.

How do you carry the load of ministry? Do you play your role? Do you have small group leaders to invest in smaller groups? Do you have go to speakers who can fill in when you need respite? Do you have other church leaders from other churches to help you influence the school with the gospel? You do not do it alone. Each one of those combs in the picture is a piece of paper, going back and forth, glued together in a pattern, to carry the weight. Ministry is the same way. There are to many students looking for the hope of Christ, both inside and outside your church, to try to manage ministry alone. You will crumble under the pressure like a single piece of paper under my weight. If you get together and get united around one purpose and work together, you can lift anything. You can rise above. You can move mountains. You can see the hope of Christ change a generation of students: from suicide to life; from cutting to healing; from bullying to serving; from drinking to filled with the Holy Spirit. Together, we can carry the load.

Peace,

Brad Schelling

Jesus calls all that follow Him to be fishers of men. He then challenged all of His followers with the great commission “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16: 15)

Our calling as a follower of Christ is to preach the good news. The good news that God wants all people to know Him, and have real life. Paul, if you remember, met Christ on his way to Damascus. After his encounter with Jesus, he said he went and started declaring the good news in Damascus that all should turn back to God. I like to think of this as Paul sharing the good news right where God put him. Where has God put you? He saved you, and then left you where you are at to influence the people you are around. Your family, your friends, your school or work place. All the people that you encounter at all these places are searching and looking for life and hope. You might be the only light they see or the only Bible that they ever read. It is you, don’t be disobedient to your calling. Think about the people that God has placed in your life and simply start praying for them. You might be surprised at how God will use you to influence them toward a relationship with Jesus.

Keep Fishing,

Mark Roberts

First Priority has been hosting ‘Coordinator Orientations’ recently to help people interested in the First Priority strategy gain a full understanding of the impact launching a new First Priority movement in their community can be. The concept of FP is simple, but the practical leadership has many aspects surrounding it, from church politics in working together, running faith based ministry inside a school building, and equipping students to share the gospel, to name a few. We recently had a few new leaders gather in Nashville and here is what they had to say:

“One thing that blew me away was how well organized First Priority really is. I’ve been a part of many school ministries, but none that are so organized and set up for growth as First Priority.” Ory from Loxley, AL

“At the Orientation I learned many things, but there were three that really stood out.
First is prayer. Mark expressed to us that a community is changed by prayer. Our heart must first break for our community. Our burden will then be seen and expressed to others. To get people involved with First Priority begins with prayer. People will volunteer and give to what they have prayed about. I made a goal to make my “first priority” with a new youth pastor or church interested, to get them praying. To partner with them in prayer for the school they are interested and let that trickle across to the parents, students and congregation.

Secondly, Brad illustrated through paper tied together that we can do more together than apart. This encouraged me to realize the shared First Priority family across the nation, the support of our leadership, and the importance of connecting local churches. I made a goal to work toward being the middle man who connects churches that may not normally partner in the community to work together over time. I believe if they did they would see the benefit.

Thirdly, Steve spoke to us about being servants to the local church. After he explained that many churches never have outside help and many are struggling, it connected some puzzle pieces for me in my community. I made it a goal and am developing a strategic plan to volunteer in local churches in various ways. It is my goal to make First Priority in my community known for the organization that serves churches.

Overall the training was very effective in my life because it connected dots for me. It also was very encouraging to see the overall and long term plan of FPOA. Finally, it was very helpful to connect with other directors across America who share the vision, mission and heart of First Priority and minister in unique ways.” Joel from Clayton, NC

Whether you are interested in starting First Priority in only 1 school or plant a seed to reach your whole city, the orientation is the place to start. We have a couple of them coming up. The first is May 23-24 in Middlesboro, KY and the second is May 16-17 in Birmingham, AL. Email amy.hall@fpofamerica.com for more information.

Peace,

Brad Schelling

Proverbs 16:32
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

The verse said slow to anger not that you would never get angry. But there is a difference in slow calculated, thought out through and through anger. Sometimes we have to look at situations from a different angle or perspective. Love is in your heart not pride. Pride causes me to get mad early because it usually is affecting me. Living in the Spirit is not me having control but Who do I give control to, me or Jesus?

I need to love God and then I will love others. If I give my heart to the Holy Spirit everyday then I will see things from a different perspective and not be affected by things that make me mad. I do not want to approach things from a selfish angle but from a Godly angle. What does God get mad at? What are the 7 things He hates? Most of them have to do with a prideful spirit. I have come to realize that when someone cuts me off in traffic or I burn with anger against my neighbor it is my problem because I am not looking at it through the eye of Jesus, but myself.

Lord, help me daily to look to You to rule my spirit so that I don’t get angry at the things that are about me. If I do get angry help them be at the things that make you angry.

Keep Fishing,

Mark Roberts

Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” —Mark 10:28

What does it really mean to follow Jesus? Peter and the other disciples really did leave it all. I mean they had professions, family, probably a nice life.  Then all of a sudden they meet Jesus and just surrendered it all. I heard an interesting thing about the word “surrender”. Back in the days of the Old Testament when an army would surrender, this was the way it would happen. The “shield bearers” stood around the armies and carried shields that where 6 foot high and 4 foot wide. They would line up next to each other and push over their shields. This indicated to the other army that they surrender. I think what it means to follow Jesus is to push over my shield. To totally trust that Jesus has my best interest in mind. I do not have to put up walls around my life that keep Jesus out. I want Him in because He loves me more than I love myself.

Keep Fishing,

Mark Roberts

I have been to many leadership conferences in my life and have never been able to put into words as to why the materials always were sitting on a shelf months after getting home and not getting used. When I read these words, they rang true in my heart:
“I find [leadership] conferences to be very exciting on one level, but there is something darker that happens as well. Sometimes they leave me feeling competitive toward other churches and what they are accomplishing. I leave the conference feeling dissatisfied with my own situation – my own staff, my own resources, my own gifts and abilities. My ego gets ramped up to do bigger and better things, and then I go home and drive everyone crazy. Three months later, the conference notebook is on a bookshelf somewhere, and I have returned to life as usual with a vague feeling of uneasiness about my effectiveness as a leader, never quite sure if I am measuring up.” Ruth Haley Barton
This can be the same feeling that initially happens in a church pastor and/or youth pastor network. Everyone shows up, talks about the size of the ministry, the camps from summer, and the amazing new program that the newest youth pastor is building. We all leave that first meeting with slight uneasiness if we really fit.
Let me tell you the difference between FP and a leadership conference. FP happens every day, every week, every month, and every year in the same community with each other. The competition will wear off if you stick it out. The ground will level out among you. You will learn each others imperfections and hopefully get to the place where you complement each other in the community rather than try to one up each other. At first, it may feel like a leadership conference and that you need to go start a club. Yes, the actual ministry at the school is important. But, our work is not transactional, it is transformational. Transformational takes time.

So, keep it up! Work through the initial resistance. Walk with those that are willing and love those who aren’t. The road will level out and the path will be filled with joy that only community can bring.

Peace,

Brad Schelling