Campion Church

What does it mean to follow in Jesus' steps? Can we still do that in 2023? This week at our Vacation Bible School we discovered the answer to those questions by reviewing some of the places that our Israel trip visited and applying key lessons about who Jesus is to our lives. After all, Jesus is still the Christ, the water and bread of life, the Savior and King of Kings. But, is He your Christ, your Savior and King? Not surprisingly, fol- lowing in Jesus' steps is directly connected to how we answer those questions. It is our strongest desire that each child and family embraces Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord, and that we extend Christ's invi- tation that is still echoing through time: "Come, follow Me!"

“A general slain in battle is lost to his army, but his death gives no additional strength to the enemy. But when a man of promi- nence joins the opposing force, not only are his services lost, but those to whom he joins himself gain a decided advantage." - Acts of the Apostles, 124

Welcome to Campion Church. Today in the third sermon in our series, Unshackled, we will learn more about how God used Paul, as well as other missionaries to “turn the world upside down.” May his example inspire us to more fully surrender our lives to advance the Gospel as he did.

It was in the town of Antioch that Christians, or the party of Christ, as we were called, first became a force to be reckoned with. But the world did not know, and could never have been prepared, for what would take place. The gospel, the good news of a God who created, engineered, gave, died, resurrected and restored, all because of love, arguably became the strongest earth-shattering reality in all of human history. This gospel, when freed from both ancient, worldly living and legalistic practices, did what otherwise would have been impossible: united the Jews and gentiles under one banner and one mission and empowered an encouraging mentor with his ex-terrorist friend to set ablaze the world with the truth of Christ. If this true gospel of Jesus could do that then, what could it do today if, and when, it is unshack- led from our power hungry, legalistic and licentious tendencies? 

Omari Amili grew up in the Pacific Northwest in homeless shelters, crack houses and foster homes. Due to his upbringing, he wanted to live a life of luxury, so at the age of 16, he started to steal from banks and used the money he stole to live a luxurious life. When he got caught, he was then incarcerated in prison for two years. This took a serious toll on both his mind and body. Before he got out of prison, he was told by everybody around him that there would be nothing for him and that no one would want to interact with him once he got out because of his criminal record. Due to his mental state, he believed all these lies. However, through the grace of God, he got out of prison, went to school and earned four degrees. Nobody deserves to be given a second chance, but God gives people second chances that are not deserved. For example, God famously gave Jonah a second chance when he ran away from God, and David got a second chance after he lied and murdered Uriah. Finally, God gave Paul a second chance after he had killed hundreds of Christians. God is the same now as He was back when David, Jonah and Paul walked the earth. He will still give all of us second chances today, even though we do not deserve it. All we must do is ask and believe that God will do so for 

Campion Church—You are our family. There are no words that have been introduced into the human tongue that communicate the impact on our lives of your life. Together, we have cried and laughed, ran and hiked, worshiped and petitioned, mourned and celebrated, pro- claimed and served. Our congregation and our community will never be the same because we did life together with Jesus.

As a preacher, it has been my humble privilege to stand in the sacred desk each Sabbath, and the sacred desk of the weekday in the office. My prayer has always been to be the “man in the arena” -

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the are- na, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor de- feat.” (Teddy Roosevelt).

My prayer for you—that you would allow God to throw yourself into the arena of being a laborer for the great harvest (Matthew 9:35-38). Nothing. Else. Matters.

Then came last Saturday night. A festivity that, in our hearts, will only be outdone by the long-awaited marriage supper of the Lamb. We have experienced hundreds of Saturday nights together with you— hardly ever being alone at the close of a Sabbath during the last 8.5 years, it was fitting to spend one last one with all of you. Each one of you moved our hearts by being there. We must directly thank those who gave their prolonged time of planning so we all could come to- gether. We must directly thank those who gave their prolonged time of planning so we could come together. Thank you—Christine Baker, Aubrey Nelson, Sarah Schwisow, Vicki Kahler, Lindsay Carlisle, Carey Jordan, Pastor Leandro, Steve Philips and Andrea Orrison. Then there were each of you who shared the pies, the burgers, the treats and the munchies. Let’s do it again, for eternity.

Maranatha.

Got something to say to yourself? The FutureMe app lets you write, schedule and send letters to yourself, friends or family. But here is the catch: You can schedule delivery to be six months or even 10 years in the future (thus the FutureMe title). What would you say to your 10- year future self? What about a letter for your eternity? Could it be that the cross was the future letter of Jesus to Himself? He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free... but He died alone for you and me (Ray Overholt). For the joy that was set before Him... (Hebrews 12:2). For two Sabbaths, I invite you to bow your heart and hear the crucifixion story through the humble devo- tional life of this preacher, recognizing that it was Jesus writing a letter for the future, and even for all eternity. Welcome to Campion.

Welcome to the Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church! Quick question: How did you get here? I don’t mean in the existential or biological way... I mean, literally, how did you end up at this address? Were you looking for a library, got here by accident and decided to stay? Did you leave home this morning, wanting to arrive in Dallas, Texas... but somehow, you’re here? Probably not. Driving or walking, someone decided, “That’s where the church is, and these are the steps I take to get there.” We had a goal. Seems obvious. But the way we live our lives day-to-day is too often, “I guess I’ll just drive ’till I hit something or run out of gas, then look around and see where I am.” We can do better. We can (and should) live with direction and pur- pose. Let’s live Toward the Finish (LTTF). 2 Timothy 4:7.

This Sabbath was Hope Channel Impact Day, presented by Derek Morris, the president of the Hope Channel.

Hope Channel Impact Day presented by Derek Morris, president of the Hope Channel.

On a quest to learn the reasons for success of the world’s fastest distance runners, journalist Adharanand Finn uprooted his wife and three children to live in the high-altitude hamlet of Iten, Kenya. Immersing himself in the highly disciplined training regimen of marathon runners, Adharanand dis- covered some surprising secrets to the competitors’ success. As Christians, the prize we seek is much more significant than winning a 26.2-mile race, for its prize is everlasting. Today, let’s study together about the prize and the steps God would have us take to win it.