Calvary Baptist Church ~ Taylorville, IL

FUEL Student Ministries is devoted to sharing Jesus Christ to teenagers from all walks of life. We do this by offering several different types of ministry opportunities including Small groups, Sunday School, Mid-week service, Retreats (including the Revolve Tour , Summer Camp, Girls Woven Retreat,and Dare2Share).

Special Note:

For the months of July and August Calvary Baptist Adult ministries will not be meeting on Wednesday evenings. Fuel Student Ministries will continue through the summr months and will begin at 6:30.

Also, if you are a member of Calvary Baptist Church, or are considering joining our family, please plan to attend our Sunday evening summer series, Discover Calvary. You will learn about what we believe, what it means to be a member of our church and what is expected of you as a member. Please contact Bob or Shannon or call the church office for dates, times and more information.

Sunday Mornings: 9:00am @the Barn- Sunday mornings we are going through life together in small group format. We will be focusing on setting boundaries to help us get ahead, and closer to God, during the months of June and July.

Wednesday Nights: 7:00-8:00pm @ The Barn- Beginning June 23rd we will begin a series on stewardship called Effective Stewardship. The first Wednesday night of each month during the summer we will be just hanging out and playing a little Ultimate Frisbee. Note: flipflops are NOT effective for this game, learned through personal, and painful experience by several during our first game!

Friday, August 13 th & Saturday, August 14 th - Current River Float Trip (Jr. & Sr. High all students) CANCELLED

The Inception of Salvation

What did you dream about last night? Odds are you probably don't remember, because 90% of your dreams are forgotten within 10 minutes of waking up.

But you did dream about something…4-7 separate times while you slumbered, your mind was incredibly active with symbolism and scenarios that could range from the joyful ability to fly to the deepest forms of terror known to humankind.

Like the guy who dreamed about eating Wheaties and woke up to discover half his pillow was chewed through…ew.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to invade someone else's dream? What if we discovered the technology that would allow us to share the same dream space with other people?

That's the premise behind the movie Inception …and it gets even better than that. This sci-fi thriller poses the idea of a thief being able to enter dreams and steal secrets or plant ideas. Inception is a roller coaster ride of pseudo-reality that will leave you very exhausted and a little bit concerned about the safety of your fantasy sleep land.

Of course if your dreams ever were invaded and something was taken from you, it might give you a window into how God feels. You see, He has a dream that every human being ever born would spend eternity with Him in heaven forever. At first His dream was a reality with Adam and Eve in a perfect Garden, but tragically the ultimate enemy of all humanity deceived them into turning God's dream into a nightmare of sin, death, and an ultimate separation from God through eternity.

But God wasn't through with us humans…not even close. To restore His beautiful vision for a paradise completely full of His beloved creatures, Jesus Christ took human form and died on the Cross, and when He came back from the dead the dream was restored! The message of the gospel is the passport to an eternity in a heaven that contains unimaginable joy and relationship with God and each other.

Ah, but the thief is still ever active, because God's dream is Satan's nightmare. The devil obsesses every second of every day about stealing the salvation message of Jesus Christ from any and all people. Here's the way the Bible describes the spiritual version of Inception :

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

So now here is the most amazing part…you have been invited to jump into God's dream space and fight the efforts of the devil as he attempts to steal the message of the gospel from those who are trapped in a hopeless and doomed spiritual state. Imagine God unleashing this mission directly to you:

“I'm sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I'm sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me” (Acts 26:17).

You can help make God's dream of salvation for His creation a reality, but you have to have the courage and commitment to enter into places you never dared before. The unseen battle rages before you when you are talking to your friends about what Jesus has done for you. At that very moment, Satan is whispering discouraging and deceptive lies intended to blind them from the good news…

But you must remember that the unstoppable and unmatched power of God and the gospel are with you as you ‘present God's offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in Him.'

Can I describe the dream I have for you? From this day forward you wake up to the reality that your friends are truly lost and you take your mission to share the gospel seriously with boldness and unflinching loyalty. Then when your work in this life is done, you will stand before God in dazzling brightness and see a smile on the Savior's face and hear the words ‘well done my good and faithful servant' from His lips.

And then you will hear someone calling your name. At first you can't make out who it is, and then the face you know well becomes clear. It is the friend you took a chance on when you shared the gospel - even when Satan tried to blind their minds and intimidate you into thinking that it's not really that important.

It is important…beyond your wildest dreams in fact. So jump into God's reality and help rescue your friends from the nightmare world of the Deceiver!

One of the ways to stay motivated and consistent in sharing your faith is to remember that there is an unseen battle for souls going on all around you. There is no neutral or meaningless interchange with anyone you meet, because the god of the world is constantly trying to blind everyone from the amazing things the God of the universe is doing.

In the last days, God says,
       I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
    Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
       your young men will see visions,
       your old men will dream dreams ( Acts 2:17 ).

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves ( Colossians 1:13 ).

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 ( 2 Timothy 4:18 ).

Parent Connection:

Guiding Your High School Student in Dating Relationships

Feelings can be so intoxicating they can sometimes keep teens from recognizing warning signs," (Patti Faughn, University of Illinois)

As your child is maturing and getting closer and closer to the age when she is considering dating, take advantage of opportunities to underline the characteristics that are to be valued and admired in others.
Dr. John Van Epp, author of the book "How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk(ette), suggests several questions parents can ask their teens.
1. How well do you know this person?
2. Can you trust this person?
3. Can you rely on this person?
4. How committed are you to this person?
These questions are in ascending order. When you engage your child to discuss any or all of these issues, be certain that you are ready to listen. If you come into the conversation with the goal of putting a stop to a relationship, that will be detected almost immediately and will potentially make your child overly defensive.
If your high schooler became acquainted with the other person at camp or over the internet, that is probably too one-dimensional to accurately claim that this person is known well. It is important to know and observe the other person in several settings and situations. Help your teen realize that it is also beneficial to know the person's family.
Explain that trust is something that is built over time as one person gets to know another. It should not be extended hurriedly or foolishly. Step one, know the person well. Step two, extend trust.
Only after it has been determined that your child knows and can trust this person, will she then be able to rely on him. Step three, reliance.
Finally, after the other questions are honestly answered, your child will be able to determine if a level of commitment is healthy and logical. Step four, some degree of commitment.
When you discuss these questions unemotionally and look for feedback from your high schooler, you will go a long way to help your child determine the appropriate degree of commitment.

For information or questions, please contact Bob or Shannon Brandon @ sbrand1997@gmail.com or call the church office