Camp Principles for Church Members, Part 2

Camp Principles for Church Members. You may remember that. I covered two points the last time we got together. I have five more to cover today. I believe I will be able to cover five more, because these five are not as long as those first two. You may remember we talked about the fact that the United Church of God has done one thing very, very well since we began, and that is run camps. We've been very, very successful. In fact, I've heard a number of camp managers basically rave at how well our camps are run. They just are impressed with the kids and their attitudes and the structure that we have at camp. I know Mr. Yates at Pinecrest. I've had a number of conversations with him, and he has told us that we're basically a model camp for all the camps that come there. They come basically year-round to that camp. He sees lots of different camps, different types of camps, the way they're run. He has sincerely been impressed with our camps and the way things have gone. We have done a number of things very well at camp. I thought I would analyze, to some degree, some of the principles that we use at camp and apply those to us as church members and as church congregations. Are we applying the same principles in our own lives and in this congregation that we apply at the camps? Can we extrapolate some of the principles that are used so effectively at camp and use them here? Last time we talked about the first point, which was to focus on the whole team, not the self or just part of the team. We really stress that at camp. It's not about an individual, it's not about the camp director, it's not about just an individual camper or staff member, it's about the entire team, the whole team. I encourage all of us to look at the church in the same way.

We have to have a broader perspective when we consider the church. Christ is the head of the church. There's only one true church, and it does consist of those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them. God is ultimately the judge of that, obviously. We're a part of a small congregation here in Tulsa. We are responsible how we conduct ourselves and how we are considered in the whole of the United Church of God. Now, this is where God has placed us. This is where God placed you or led you to come. This is where you are. Ask yourself, why are you here? And are you a vital member of the United Church of God? Are you committed to making things go well among this congregation? Yes, there are choices out there. Let's face it, this is the modern world. The Church of God has been fractured to some degree. God is not the author of confusion, but undoubtedly Satan is still quite powerful and has had some impact, and human nature has had some impact. So it can be confusing to some degree. But I think if we're honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we're not the only people who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them.

There are other people on earth who have God's Spirit. So we have to look beyond just this small congregation, but we are responsible for where we're at, primarily. And we want to be the best we can be in the United Church of God. We want to be the most pleasing that we can be to God.

And in some ways, it would be nice to be a model organization of the Church of God.

How do we conduct ourselves? Do we put God first in our lives? Is He most important to us?

We need to have a whole team concept. Everyone in this room is a part of the body of Christ, collectively, but also here locally. You're a Tulsa congregation. And what are we going to do? What are we going to look like 10 years from now? What is this congregation going to look like? I mean, frankly, when I started here 17 years ago, I look around and it looks a lot different. I see some new faces, I see some same faces, and I see a lot of faces not here. And I have to ask why is this? Why? I mean, only you can answer the questions in your own life, and only those who have been here in the past and are no longer here. We all have to answer to God for the choices and the decisions that we make. So I think it is important, however, to realize that we are a part of a group here. And what kind of group are we going to be? What kind of a member are you going to be? And if you'll focus on the whole team and look at everyone as a part of the team, and not just the self or a faction of the group, this is one clique that I really identify with, so I spend all my time with them. You know, I only go out to eat with 10 people because they're the only people I really like here. I mean, hopefully that isn't how we reason or how we think. Hopefully we look at one another as a member of the body of Christ, and specifically right here in Tulsa. So we want to be friends with everyone. We want to help edify one another. So that was the first point, and you can see why I got bogged down on the first two points. That was the first one, and the second one is liken to it. Realize that each person has a unique and special contribution to make for the overall good of the team, or the overall good of the church organization. Everyone does. I mean, every person in here is important. Every person has value. Every person can get on their knees and pray. You know, every person can say an encouraging word to somebody here and help them through a trial. I mean, there are so many things that we can do positively for one another, and that we should appreciate each other. And we should never want to leave each other, but we should want to get closer together and become stronger with the bond of love holding us together. So that was the second point. Realize that each member of the body has a special role to play on the team. And at Camp, you know, we try to see the good in every camper. We try to see where that camper can contribute in that particular dorm, where they happen to be, how they can be a plus on the team. And I firmly believe that everyone here has certain talents and abilities that God has given you that you can share to edify the body of Christ, to make the Tulsa congregation a stronger, more spiritually vibrant congregation. Now let's go on to a third principle that we also use at Camp, and that is we encourage and support one another at all times. Now that is something that we try to drum into the minds of all of our staff and also the children, is that we encourage and support one another at all times. Now we try to build people up, not tear them down. Camp is all about in inclusiveness. It's including people.

It's helping them to feel wanted and needed and a part of the of the of the dorm and a part of the overall camp. So it is all about serving one another and setting a proper example for each other. We take it seriously at Camp. We have a week to put these things into practice, and we try to be as focused as we possibly can be during that week. So it is about lifting each other up. It's about edifying one another. It's about encouraging and supporting one another. So let's be there for each other. In Proverbs 16 verse 24, Solomon says, pleasant words are like a honeycomb.

Now, I don't know about you, but I love honey. I like the taste of it. I like to add it to cereal. I added some to yogurt this morning. I had some yogurt, and it's good to add some honey to yogurt. I also had some strawberries in there to help as well. But pleasant words are like a honeycomb. They taste good. They are sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. Pleasant words are sweetness to the soul. They are health to the bones. So should we not spend a lot more of our time being sincere with our praise for one another? We need to be sincere, obviously. I'm not talking about flattering one another or buttering up one another. We're not trying to get anything here.

We just want to be sincere about positive things that we see in each other. That's encouraging. Is there anything wrong with that?

I mean, is there anything wrong with expressing something sincere that you've noticed? I think it's a godly principle to build people up and to edify if you're sincere. Now, if you're not, then don't say a word. Only be sincere in what you would say. But it is a godly principle to encourage one another. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb. Christ said, basically, a profitable servant entered into the kingdom. He calls us profitable. He wants us all to be profitable servants. And so he has a lot of good things to say about God's people. Read the Bible and look for all the encouraging words that Christ has for us.

So we should encourage one another as Christ encourages and supports and edifies and builds up. Christ is the head of the church. Let's follow his example.

In 1 Peter chapter 3, it talks about being of one mind. Christ is the mind that is perfect. We need to be like Christ. We need to strive to have the mind of Christ. Again, Christ is supportive and encouraging. He is very willing to serve and to sacrifice. In 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 8, finally, all of you be of one mind. If you'll notice, in context, he had been talking to the church brethren that were scattered around. He was telling them that they needed to learn to submit to government, that they needed to be submissive people to government, to their masters if they happened to be slaves, because some were even slaves at that time. And some were certainly servants. They were working for others. And he talked about the importance of submitting to them and wives submitting to husbands and husbands treating their wives properly with honor.

And then he goes into verse 8 and he says, finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another. Okay, so that means everybody that's in here should have compassion for each other. This is what Peter is saying to God's people.

Finally, all of you be of one mind, have the mind of Christ, having compassion for one another. In other words, you care for one another, you are compassionate, love each other as brothers. Now, I love my brothers. You know, I have three brothers. I love all three of them. And I wish they were here. I wish I could see them every week. I get to see you a lot more than I see my own brothers. And that's the way it is with a lot of us. So you have become my brothers and my sisters in Christ. You know, I see you more often. I'm glad to see you. I love seeing you. I love all of you. And it's wonderful to be a part of God's Church. And I hope we all feel the same way about that. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tender-hearted. You know, it was really great for me to go to the wedding a couple of weeks ago. I got to see two of my brothers. One of the brothers wasn't there. But, you know, we had some special times. And it was good. And it's good to see you each week. So be tender-hearted to one another and be courteous to each other. Treat each other with respect and courtesy. Not returning evil for evil. So if someone has done you wrong, Christ says, turn the other cheek. He doesn't say return evil for evil. You know, that isn't the way of Jesus Christ. Christ is forgiving. Christ is compassionate. Christ loves you. He loves all of us. So don't return evil for evil or reviling for reviling. Look at the example Christ set in that regard. He was reviled. He was spat upon. He was crucified. And yet he said, Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.

And oftentimes, we don't, other people don't know what they're doing. They're a product of their background to some degree, their environment. I'm not making excuses for them. I'm not saying it's okay to be that way. I'm just saying it's reality. You know, none of us are perfect. We all make, we all sin. We all fall short. So rather than hold a grudge toward people, let's, on the other hand, not revile back. Let's not reciprocate in the same way, but let's show love toward them. And that does take a converted mind, frankly, to really be effective. You have to kick in the conversion factor here when that happens. But on the contrary, blessing, instead of reviling, bless the person. Do something good for the person. Knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil. He's saying there's going to be a blessing for all of us who practice these things that the Bible is all about. Let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. God has called us to righteousness. So we should set that example. Part of that is being encouraging and supportive and lifting each other up and edifying each other. So be of one mind and have compassion, one for another, encourage and build up and support each other at all times. Be there for each other during good times. Rejoice when someone's rejoicing. Mourn when they're mourning. Be there for them. That's scriptural. That's biblical. So actively support and encourage one another. And again, always be sincere in the things that you say to one another. Now, a fourth principle that is also used at camp is be respectful of authority, listen to instruction, and obey the rules. Be respectful of authority, listen to instruction, and obey the rules. I mean, we're pretty heavy on this at camp. Trust me, we don't expect the kids to go out and do whatever they want to do. We have rules at camp, and it's very, very structured. It's very, very structured. You know, they can't wander off, go out into the woods, take a swim whenever they want to. You know, it just doesn't work at camp. You know, they have to learn to follow the rules at camp, or we send them home. I mean, it's that simple. You can't run a camp when you've got a hundred people all doing their own thing. It doesn't work. So there has to be structure. There has to be people who are obedient, people who will listen to instruction, people who will obey the rules.

And how much more should the Church of God be that way? And I'm talking about God's rules. I'm not talking about a bunch of rules that I make up. In fact, you'd probably be hard put to find a lot of rules that Mark Welch is made of, because that's not the way I try to do things. You know, sure, I'm sure there's some rules that I've implemented. I'm not sure what they are myself, but I'm sure there's some. But primarily, this is the book I go by, right here. If you're following this book, you're doing very well. That's what I want to see everyone do. Follow the book.

And obviously, there are times when I have to appoint someone to do something. Usually, they're willing. I'm not normally known for grabbing someone by the throat and making them do things. They're generally willing to serve and to help. And I like that. That's the way I like to work with God's people. I don't want to be an overlord. I don't want to have to do that. And thankfully, it works pretty well, because there's enough servants who are willing to step up and do things. You know, I really don't have to twist a lot of arms. And if you want to be more active, all you've got to do is come and talk to me and let me know. And, you know, I'll find something else for you to do. I'll give you a job to do. So all you've got to do is just speak up.

But this point is to be respectful of authority. Listen to instruction. Obey the rules.

It's not that complicated. In Matthew 12, 25, I'm not going to go there and turn there for sake of time, but it says, every kingdom divided against itself will not stand. That is a principle. If there's a kingdom and it's divided against itself, it's not going to stand. There needs to be unity. And the reason we selected United Church of God for our name is because we understand the importance of being united. So I've always hoped that we would live up to that name and be united. As far as I'm concerned, that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to be united.

I'm trying to be united with the Word of God. Christ is the head of the church. This is the instruction manual. This is where God put me in the body. This is where I plan to stay.

As long as the doctrines are being taught and we're moving in the right direction, this is where I plan to be. So I appreciate all of you who have the same approach. I believe that is a godly, biblical approach. It is a righteous approach. It is a good approach.

So be respectful. Every kingdom divided against itself will not stand. Now, I mean, when people leave us, then we're not so divided, are we? Then we can stand again.

Isn't that the truth? When people become upset or disenchanted, they don't want to be here anymore, when they leave, once again we're united. It's sad it has to be this way, but that is the reality.

We are more united now and we go forward. We're not divided any longer.

Will we stay united? I hope we will. I pray that we will. I believe we should.

In Romans 13, it talks about submitting to government. Romans chapter 13.

Romans chapter 13. Now, I do believe that I do have certain authority as the pastor, but it's only the authority that you are willing to submit to. Because I don't make anyone do anything here. You have to willingly submit to any authority that I have. I try to be a shepherd.

I try to shepherd the flock of God. I try to guide the flock of God. Frankly, I pleaded with people not to leave us. You heard me, some of you. I pleaded with them not to go. I felt it was against the right principles. I felt that we would be far better off if we would just stick together, wait the problems out, let some time go on, and just see how things went.

So, in a way, I was trying to exert some authority. But not everyone recognized any authority on my part. It wasn't hard for them to leave, because they didn't really see me necessarily as their pastor. I don't know. I mean, you analyze some of these things, and you just wonder, how do people look at a minister, a pastor? Now, obviously, I only have authority if you allow me to have it in your life. And if I'm not obeying God, then don't follow me. Don't follow my example. Don't follow me.

If I'm disobeying God, I'm setting a wrong example. And again, I'm not perfect, but hopefully I would admit where I've gone wrong. If you come to me and say, Mark or Mr. Welch, I know you're doing this and I know that's not right, then I honestly will look at that and try my very best to repent of that and change the course I'm going. But it seems to me like there is some authority in the church. You know, is there not some authority here? Again, it's only in the area where you will grant. I mean, you decide who has authority. You make that decision. You make that choice.

Romans 13. Let's go there and consider some principles that are given here. I mean, at camp, obviously, it's pretty obvious who has authority at camp. You know, the camp director has authority. The camp counselors have some authority. They don't have as much as the camp director, but they have some. And basically, kids know that if they mess with the camp counselor, they're probably going to have to see the camp director. You know, if they're not going to be a good camper, it goes up the line and they have to answer to someone.

In Romans 13, it says, Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Now, this is Paul to the church at Rome. He says, For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Now, obviously, he's talking about some decent leadership here, some people that are really trying to serve well, even though they may not be perfect, but they're trying for the overall good of the empire or wherever he… You know, this was back at a time when the Roman Empire was extant. This was to the Romans. He's basically saying that, you know, you need to submit authority to a certain degree here in order to have peace. And for the most part, they're looking out for your good. He says, Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good.

But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore, you must be subject not only because of wrath, but also for conscience's sake. In other words, you'll reap what you sow, wrath will come down on your head. But that's not the main reason a person should be obedient. The main reason you should be obedient is for conscience's sake. It's the right thing to do. For because of this, you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. So he's talking about the tax collectors. They weren't Christians, but they had a job to do to collect taxes. He wasn't espousing anarchy. He was saying, Render therefore to all their due, taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs and fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Now again, the overall overriding principle is, Obey God rather than man. So when it comes to your religion and your faith, then you need to obey God rather than men. But in the area where it's not really against God's law, but it's man's law, then you should be subject to those laws and strive to be obedient and come under those laws, because there will be blessings for doing so. And if you don't, there will be certain curses that will come upon you. So this is just talking about civil government. How much more should we submit to God's government, to the Church of God, to people who really do genuinely care for your well-being, who aren't trying to cause you problems and exact the uttermost farthing from you, but are trying to be helpers of your joy? How much more should we be respectful of that authority? How much more should we listen to their instruction? How much more should we obey the rules that they talk about? You have to answer that. Christ is the head of the Church. Christ answers to the Father, of course. They are at one. They think very much alike. In fact, they're in perfect unity. They have the same mind. They have the same commandments, and they want us to keep those commandments. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were subject to God's authority. They listened to God's instruction. They obeyed the rules. They set an example for us.

David and the prophets. Now, again, David wasn't perfect, was he? David sinned, and he paid the consequences of those sins. But nevertheless, his heart was good. His heart was good overall, and God looks on the heart. So we have to be able to analyze and judge these things, and judge righteous judgment, and decide who we're going to follow and who we're not going to follow. I know at camp, we have the younger or unmarried staff members. They're referred to as Mr. or Miss First Name, like Mr. Chris or Mr. Anthony. It's a show of respect for the position that they hold at camp. So younger or unmarried staff members do refer to people there, or are referred to as Mr. or Miss First Name, and those who are married as Mr. or Miss Last Name. Now, some of you may think that's a corny rule. That's fine. You know, it's not in the Bible. So I'm not going to stand up here and say it, you know, it has to be done. But I'm saying it works at camp, because if everyone was on a first name basis at camp, it probably wouldn't work as well. You know, there needs to be more structure, especially with teenagers. You know, they need to realize that there is a line of authority that, you know, they need to be subject to their counselors. They need to listen to their counselors. They need to do it for the whole team, for the concept of the entire camp. So that's how we do it at camp. Now, those are teenagers. You're adults. I personally don't have a problem if you call me Mark. Denny Luker said he didn't have a problem if you called him Denny. See, I don't have a problem with that. But I don't have a problem if you want to call me Mr. either. You know, that's up to you. Really, it doesn't matter to me. I don't, you know, I feel like I love you whether you call me Mark or Mr. It doesn't matter. And it's up to you. You know, that's your choice. I mean, if you feel that that's the thing to do, then do it. And if you would prefer calling me by my first name, you know, I'm not going to take any offense to that. And no one nor should anyone else. If your conscience is fine, it's not in the Bible. It doesn't say you have to do that. Paul was never called Mr. that I know of. It wasn't the custom back then. It is a custom today, but it's not God's law. So I hope we can see the difference here. It's, you know, it's not God's law. It's a tradition that we have and that we've had for years. But not everyone thinks it's, you know, that it's necessarily something that has to be adhered to all the time.

And I would have to agree with that. You know, I don't know that, I mean, I call some of the ministers I serve with by their first names and, you know, I don't think they take offense to that. Once they get a bigger position, do I have to start calling by their first name then? I mean, by their Mr. then? It's Melvin until he becomes the chairman of the council. Now it's got to be Mr. Rhodes. You know, I don't really think that's... if you're on a first name basis, fine. You know, it isn't a big issue, but whatever your conscience, let it be your guide, let it guide you, and trust me, I'm not going to take offense either way. So be respectful of authority, listen to instruction, obey the rules. That's important. A fifth principle is to support the weak. You know, whenever you have a hundred and some people together at camp, some people are stronger than others. And they're stronger physically, they may be stronger emotionally, they may be stronger mentally, they may be stronger intellectually. It's just the reality of things. Some people are weaker than others. And some people are weak in some areas, but strong in other areas. And that's true for all of us. We have our strengths and we have our weaknesses, but we need to support the weak.

If someone is weak, let's lift him up, build him up, help him, encourage him, help him to grow as a true Christian, as a person, as a man of God or a woman of God. Let's support the weak. That's biblical. In John 15, 13, it speaks of the love of Christ and how He certainly supported the weak.

Christ was almighty. Christ never sinned. He was all powerful. So what example did He set?

John 15 verse 13. Let's read verse 9, start up there. He says, As the Father loved me, I also have loved you, abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends, and you are my friends if you do whatever I command you. In other words, if you're obedient, if you will follow the commands that we talked about in the last principle, then Christ looks at you as a friend. On the other hand, if you disdain His Word, if you disdain His instruction, if you refuse to obey Him, He's not going to call you a friend.

He looks at the overall attitude. He is forgiving, so when we're repentant, He's obviously very forgiving. But He says, You're my friends if you do whatever I command you. So Christ said, Greater love has no man than this, that He lay his life down. So that's the example Christ set. He laid His life down for the weak. I mean, in comparison to Christ, are we not all very weak? Obviously, we're very weak. Say yes, you all agree. Yes, we're all very weak in comparison to Jesus Christ. And frankly, we are weak. We shouldn't compare ourselves among ourselves. I know that's the Scripture. So, you know, we shouldn't go around analyzing, Yeah, I think I'm stronger than He is in this way, but He's weak. You know, that's not what I'm saying. But the principle is to support the weak and lift them up and edify them, not tear them down. In fact, we have a no-knock rule at camp. You can't knock a person. If he's got skinny little knees, and he can't run very fast, and he can't kick a ball very far, we're not supposed to concentrate on his weaknesses. We're not supposed to call him a knobbly-weed weakling, or what, nobbly-need weakling, or whatever. You know, we're not supposed to come up with names and call people names and tear people down. Instead, we're supposed to lift them up. You know, if they're not that if they're not that strong in a certain area, put them somewhere where they can be of greater value, where they can feel of more use. You know, that's what we want to do in God's Church. We want to support the weak and help the weak and be there for the weak. So, greater love has no man than this. Lay down your life for your friend. Lay down your life. It doesn't mean you're going to have to be crucified, but lay your life down. I mean, one of the best examples I saw of this principle was my nephew Jeffrey, who was just married in California. I went out to his wedding, and my sister and her husband had an only child. This was Jeffrey. And they keep the Sabbath, they keep the Holy Days. They've done it for years and years and years. No, they're not a part of the United Church of God, but it seems to me they have God's Spirit. You know, they keep the same things I do. They seem to have love in their hearts. You know, they haven't caused me a lot of problems or issues or trials or anything like that. So, they were also baptized in the Church.

But anyway, Jeffrey was interacting with my father. And I think I shared this, perhaps, a few years ago with those of you who were here at the time. And my dad was just not...he's being obnoxious. He was being very, very difficult. I was in Florida. Jeffrey was there. I was trying to help my dad. He was hospitalized for some of the conduct that he had displayed. And so, we were there trying to help him. And Jeffrey was talking about letting him come into his home and stay with him. And Jeffrey was trying to lay down some rules that my dad would have to follow, because he was going to live in his house. And Jeffrey was going to, in essence, try to help take care of him. And it got to the point where Jeffrey basically said to my dad, Do you love me? Will you suffer for me? In other words, will you follow my rules?

Will you humble yourself a little bit here? Will you suffer a little bit for me? I'm trying to help you. I'm your grandson. Will you? My dad said, I won't suffer for anyone.

That was his approach. I don't know that it's changed since I saw him a few months ago. This is what I dealt with my entire life. So he isn't one to put himself out for others. He's selfishly oriented. I don't mean to badmouth my dad here. I'm just speaking facts, speaking the truth. I love my dad. I go see my dad. I try to honor my dad. I respect my dad. I respect my dad. But these are the facts. I was impressed with my cousin Jeffrey.

Do you love me? Will you suffer for me? That's what love is. It's being willing to suffer.

Being willing to put up with a weak. My dad wasn't willing to do that. In this case, Jeffrey wasn't weak. It was my dad showing his weakness and not being willing to go along and to be cooperative. So again, the point I'm trying to make here is, are you willing to suffer for one another? Will you support each other? Let's go to John 21, verse 15. John 21, verse 15.

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?

He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, then feed my lambs. No, feed them. Take care of them. Do something for them. If you really love me, show it. Prove it.

And he said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?

And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, tend my sheep.

Take care of my sheep. And he said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?

And Peter was greed because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him again, feed my sheep, serve my sheep.

I know that there's a... looking back on... I guess the word love here, I was looking in my margin here. I didn't really take the time to look this up earlier, but I think the main point here is that Christ was confronting him and asking him, do you really love me? You know, he just denied him three times. He was trying to get through his thick skull. Do you love me? Then show me by taking care of the sheep, by tending the sheep, by providing the sheep. Do you have agape love for me? True love. Then if you do, then you will suffer for me. You will take care of those who need help. You will help the weak. You'll be there for the poor. You will lift them up.

In Romans 12.1, it talks about how we need to be willing sacrifices.

Romans 12.1, are you a willing sacrifice? Do you think about that? Just how willing of a sacrifice are you? How much are you willing to sacrifice for one another? Sometimes I get brought into disputes among brethren. Numerous times I've been brought into disputes among brethren.

Frankly, if everyone would just be willing to support the weak, then most of these disputes would go away. But usually, there are usually problems on both sides, and neither one is really willing to support the fact that there's some weakness shown on the side of the other person. So they're not willing to really help support each other, overlook each other, overlook the wrongs that they've done. Paul said we're to be a willing sacrifice. He says in verse 1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

It's reasonable because I've called you out of this world. I've chosen you, selected you as a member of the body of Jesus Christ. Christ is the head of the church. Paul recognizes that, and he says it's our reasonable service because Paul was one who was called by Christ as well. Struck down on the road to Damascus, his whole life was changed. He became a willing sacrifice, and he did end up sacrificing his life for those he loved, for God's people. He was faithful to the end. And it is our reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by renewing your mind and putting on the mind of Christ. Christ was a willing sacrifice. He laid his life down, and he submitted to his Father's will. He submitted to his Father's will. He laid his life down for the brethren. So your willingness to sacrifice and suffer for the overall good of the team or the family of God is extremely important. Do you love each other? Are you willing to be patient with one another? Are you willing to put up with each other, put up with one another's weaknesses?

Or are you going to be hard-hearted and unwilling to forgive? It's important that we learn to forgive and that we follow Christ's example. So learn to support the weak. At camp, we try to support the weak. Out on the ropes course, we try to do the best we can to help those who are weak. We have one activity, which is the most popular one on the ropes course, it's the Amazon vine traverse. And there's two trees, there's a cable across these two trees, and there's seven tires that are hanging across the line.

And they have to go across from tire to tire to get to the other end, to get across the Amazon River because it's being patrolled by saber-toothed beavers. And giant, you know, snapping turtles and piranhas, millions and millions of piranhas. So they have to help each other get across. So some of these guys and girls, if they're a little bit overweight or a lot overweight, it is not easy to hang from a rope and get across seven ropes. And you know, these people, even the ones that are in good shape, are exhausted by the time they get across.

Not, you know, we have a lot of casualties, frankly, on the Amazon vine traverse. We do. We have resurrections. They get a second chance. I've even had some go through a third resurrection. But, you know, it's not biblically the same as, you know, what we would think of as a third resurrection. They get another chance. But some of the people go back to help them, you know, some of the campers will take it seriously and they will try to come back and help someone.

I've seen all kinds of things happen out on the Amazon vine traverse. I've seen kids stuck in the middle of the tires trying to get from one to the next rope. Someone has to swing them a rope. They have to help each other. You know, they have to try to work together as a team. And those who are the weakest have the biggest problem getting across. You know, if they're not, if they don't have upper body strength and they have extra weight, then it's going to be hard for them.

And it's even hard for those who are in good shape. So it's the toughest, but it's the most popular event that we have out there. And it's interesting to watch the interaction. Some of the campers, they'll just go wander off when they're done. You know, they'll buzz through it as fast as they can. You know, they're strong. They buzz through it. Then they off getting a drink and messing around, piddling around. Unless the counselor brings them back and says, you know, you're supposed to be here helping and encouraging and supporting.

Otherwise, they're up climbing things and I have to tell them to get off that or get off that or, you know, come back over here. So I've got to keep my eyes out. Others will stay there and help. You know, they will be there to help the guy. So the giant snapping turtle doesn't get him at the very end. Because it's designed, there's a snapping turtle right there. And if they don't swing free on that last rope, there's an eighth rope, and they have to swing on that rope and drop behind the bank of the Amazon River.

Otherwise, the snapping turtle gets them. Well, if they have people there to grab them and pull them to safety, they've saved lives out on the ropes course. Come on! You know, we can save one another's lives if we take it seriously, if we're there to help each other. If we're off wandering off doing our own thing, then we're not going to be there when we need to help each other.

So there are principles here that can be applied in a congregation. Are you going to be one who wanders off, or are you going to be one that's engaged in helping each other get through their trials? All right, let's go on to a sixth point. Be energetic. Be zealous for God and His way.

Now, that's true at camp. We encourage them to be energetic. We encourage them to be zealous for God's way, because that's what camp's all about. It's learning to know God better and to do it God's way. And so we encourage them. And we have the Christian living classes, we have the compass checks, and we have other things to help them be zealous for God's way. And it's geared that way. And thankfully, a lot of teenagers have a lot of energy, naturally. So they're naturally energetic. They like to be at camp. They're chanting at camp. They're going through the camp encouraging one another and being enthusiastic. They come up with skits.

They come up with songs and cheers. They chant for one another. And for their dorm, they're being zealous at camp. Now, I would ask all of you to be zealous for God and His way, and for the truth of God, and for this congregation that you're a part of. Be zealous for each other.

In Acts 21, it talks about how they were zealous for God's law. Let's go to Acts 21.

We need to have the same kind of zeal in God's church today. Acts 21 verse 17, And when Paul had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly, when Paul and his company had come. They received him gladly. And on the following day, Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. God was working greatly through Paul, getting the word out to the Gentiles. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. They rejoiced with Paul and with the company. They glorified the Lord, and they said to him, You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law. They are zealous for God's law. They are with the program. They are zealous for the law of God. But they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, nor to walk according to the customs. Now, these were customs of the Jewish people, of the Israelites. Circumcision was a covenant made with Abraham, and it was to show that physical descendancy at that time.

And for the Jews, they were still supposed to be following these customs, but it shows that the Gentiles were not expected to be circumcised. Gentiles didn't need to be circumcised. And then Paul had more understanding and shared that about circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. But what matters is keeping the commandments of God. That's the bottom line for the Jew or the Gentile. But, you know, if you're of the Jewish faith and your identity hasn't been lost and you know who you are, it's a good thing to be circumcised. We had our sons circumcised on the eighth day. A lot of us here in the United States follow that practice. But again, the point here was there was an issue over circumcision. The Gentiles didn't believe that they needed to be circumcised. Paul came to understand that as well. God showed him that that wasn't necessary. And so those things didn't need to be observed. But the law of Moses in terms of the commandments of God. Now, when we talk about God's commandments and there are certain aspects of Moses, there were certain ritual things that went along with Moses and the sacrifices and things like that that have been, you know, Christ is our ultimate sacrifice. There are certain rituals and things, cleansing and things like that, that are no longer necessary to follow. There's also not a temple in which to make these sacrifices presently. And there is a difference between those rituals and things like that and circumcision and the Ten Commandments. They were zealous for these laws of God, these commandments of God that were given on Sinai. And we are zealous for these laws as well, and we should obey and keep those commandments. So they were all zealous for the law. And it goes on to show that there were certain things that they told the Gentiles that they should refrain from.

Sexual immorality, which was rampant among the Gentiles, it was a huge problem.

Things offered to idols and from blood and those things, those were some restrictions. But certainly they were still expected to keep the commandments, to not murder, to not steal, to not lie. All of the commandments, they were still supposed to keep those laws.

So they were zealous for the law of God. It says they were all zealous for the law. And then they wanted Paul to demonstrate that he wasn't against the law. And Paul did that because Paul wasn't against the law. And you can read further how that took place. There was a commotion over all that, but I don't have time to get into that right now. So the point I'm making here is, we should be zealous for the law of God as well. Paul was known for his deal. You can go to Galatians 1.14 and you can see that Paul was certainly well known for the...let's just read it briefly, the one verse here. Galatians 1.14. Paul says, And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the tradition of my fathers.

Of course, he transferred that zeal to Jesus Christ and Christ as his sacrifice and accepting Christ. And Paul continued to be zealous up until his death. He died. He was so zealous, he was willing to die for the truth of God. In Titus 2, verse 14, it says, We are to become a people zealous for good works. We should be zealous for good works. We should be zealous to help one another and to serve. We shouldn't hold back. We should get involved and we should serve. And we should also be zealous for spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 14.12 says that we should be zealous for spiritual gifts. We should try to recognize what gifts we have and then use them for the sake of the body of Christ. So the sixth point again is to be energetic and to be zealous. You know, at camp there's a lot of energetic people there. There's a lot of energy. We feed on that throughout camp. Number seven, leave the world behind and don't look back.

This is the last point. Leave the world behind and don't look back. Remember Lot's wife.

She looked back. She became a pillar of salt. Salterstone. Salt. Gotcha. All right, just testing you. She became a pillar of salt. Now, leave the world behind and don't look back.

We tell the kids, don't bring your cell phones. Don't bring your TVs. Don't bring your DVDs.

You can bring your DVDs, but not your DVDs. No radios. No iPods. No computers. Leave that stuff at home. Leave the world behind. Now, electronics to some degree has become unbelievably what's the right word I'm looking for? It's kind of taken over the world. Electronics. You know, we carry cell phones with us wherever we go. We have them day and night. We can get on the internet with them. We can bring all kinds of things right into our phone. We can carry it with us every day, every minute. We can sleep with it. We can set the alarm and get up with it. You know, we can, you know, probably kiss it now and then. You know, some people seem to get that attached. I don't kiss my phone, by the way. I'm not that attached to it. But, anyway, the point I'm making here, and I know you don't really do that, the point I'm making here is that camp, we tell them to leave that stuff behind. We've got one week. We don't need all these distractions. You know, if we had TVs in every dorm, you know, how would that affect our camp? It would really affect our camps greatly.

People sitting around watching TV. You know, it just doesn't go there. Now, I'm not saying you can't watch any TV, because I watch TV. But I'm saying, let's try to get a handle on how much we watch TV, how much time we spend on the Internet, how much time we spend on the computer. Some of us do it for a job, so we're going to spend a lot of time on a computer. But, again, if you do that, then there should be some time when you're not on the computer as well. Because there's more spiritual things. I mean, sometimes you can use... I've got the Bible on my cell phone. I mean, I can use it as a tool to draw me closer to God. I can use e-sword on the computer. So, electronics aren't the problem. You know, it's how we use the electronics. They can be of great benefit to us in so many ways, but we shouldn't allow them to get in the way of our faithfulness to God and to God's people and God's church. The Bible says, come out of the world and be separate from it. So, we really practice that at camp. You know, we tell them you can't do all the things that you normally do. It is very structured. Everything's organized. It keeps them out of a lot of trouble. You know, they have a place to be at all times, and that helps. I mean, we do give them some time where they can just, you know, where they can just mingle and make friends. But that's where... but they're expected to be in a certain area. They can't be down swimming or fishing or doing other things. They're just supposed to be fellowshiping, getting to know each other.

I mean, so there's even guidelines on that. So, it is very structured, and structure is a good thing in our lives. We need structure in our lives. We need to be planners, and some of us aren't very good at planning, but we need to get better at planning. We need to order our lives and structure our lives so that we can be more faithful and obedient. If you don't have a habit of praying, why don't you? It's because you haven't set your mind to it.

You know, you haven't focused on it. You haven't planned it. You know, you got to plan it. You got to plan to do it. If you don't have a habit of Bible study, it's because you haven't planned to do it. You haven't set your mind to do it. You haven't set your heart on it. The other things get in the way. So if you don't fast very often, it's because you haven't put your mind to it. You haven't scheduled it. You haven't planned it. It doesn't happen unless you do. So how structured are you? And are you structuring your life so that you leave the world behind? Are you coming out of Babylon? Or are you allowing yourself to be influenced by the ways of the world and bringing you down instead of lifting you up out of the world? It's pulling you down. We're all guilty of that at times. I know I'm guilty of that at times. And I could do a lot better than I do.

So we all need to ask ourselves, how can I do better? And should I take this more seriously? Should I have a higher priority on seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness instead of some of my other things that I seek?

In Luke 17, it talks about remembering Lot's wife. Let's go there to Luke 17.

Luke 17. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life will preserve it. Those are godly principles that we need to consider. Remember Lot's wife. She looked back, she looked at the world longingly, and she became a pillar of salt. If you try to save your life, your physical life, you're going to lose it. If you put too much emphasis on your life physically, if you're not willing to lay your life down for God's ways and for the brethren, you're going to lose your life. So you have to learn to seek first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness. You have to remember Lot's wife. You have to come out of the world. Otherwise, you're going to lose your life. We're not going to take the time to go to Revelation chapter 18, but that's where it talks about coming out of Babylon, coming out of her, my people.

Who knows how long it will be before Christ returns? You don't know. I don't know. I know some of this drought and this perhaps famine that could come as a result, depending on how long it goes. Regardless, this is a type. What we're going through now is a type of what's going to happen much worse in the future. Now, it may start raining tonight. The weatherman doesn't say so. He says we've got seven days of 105-degree heat, 107, 108, no rain in sight. Now, that doesn't mean it's not going to rain next week, and it very likely may. I hope it does. But that's up to God. One of these days, he's going to withhold the rain, and it's going to get worse, and it's going to get worse, and it's going to get worse.

I don't know when that time will be. You don't either. But I do know that we need to be drawing close to God now and learning to serve Him more faithfully. So, in conclusion, let's go through the seven points in summary. Focus on the whole team, not the self and not just part of the team. Let's all try to stay together. Number two, realize that each person has a unique and special contribution to make for the overall good of the team. Everyone's important. Number three, encourage and support one another at all times. Be there for each other. Number four, be respectful of authority. Listen to instruction. Obey the rules. Number five, support the weak.

Be there for those who are weak, and all of us are weak at times. So, there are times when we need to be supported, and there are times when we need to support others. Number six, be energetic and be zealous for God in His way. And number seven, leave the world behind. Don't look back. Remember Lot's wife. Don't end up like her. Now, these are seven principles that we use at camp. They're important principles that work. I guarantee they'll work in your life. If you'll apply them, they'll work in this church, and we'll become a more effective, more successful body right here in Tulsa. And hopefully around the world, the United Church of God will catch the vision, and God will continue to work with us, and we will be more pleasing to Him. So, again, remember to apply these camp rules, because camp rules are also for God's people.