SWOX

To those of you who don't know what Snowbird is:

Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters is a non-denominational Christian youth camp in Andrews, NC for middle and high school students. The staff take Biblical doctrine and present it in a way that all of the students can understand, whether it be through the skits or the teachings of Brody and Big Kahuna or the breakout sessions taught by the various full-time staff. The summer staff or counselors are college-age students who spend 11 weeks out of their summer to spend time with and truly disciple and minister to each student they work with. They are there to answer any questions and to help out and listen to anything burdening a student's heart. If you want more information about Snowbird and its mission, you can visit www.swoutfitters.com

What I learned at SWOX

One thing they really emphasized at Snowbird this year was the importance of the Gospel. They really took the time to break down and explain essentials of the Gospel. First, we need to understand who God is. God is our creator. He made us in His image and because of that we belong to Him. God is holy which means that by His nature, He can not, and will not sin. ("This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." -1 John 1:5) The rules God has put to govern us are a reflection of His nature. When we break those rules, when we sin, we rebel against God personally; we break the heart of God. God is just. He has to and will judge sin according to His standard of right and wrong- which we have already broken. That leads to the sinful condition of man. Adam and Eve sinned, therefore we were born into sin. We have a sinful nature from birth and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from our sinfulness, which is why we need Jesus. Without Jesus, we would be condemned to paying for our sin for eternity in hell. ("For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:23) Jesus came to earth, fully man and still fully God. He earned righteousness for us. If we were just forgiven, we would just mess up again and again. We need the righteousness of Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death to satisfy God's wrath. The resurrection validated everything Jesus said. Death could not hold Jesus. He was victorious over death and sin and hell. Salvation is admitting that we have sinned and deserve hell but accepting the gift of righteousness from Christ. We are to die to ourselves and follow the example of Jesus ("Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." -Matthew 16:24)

The Gospel is of utmost importance. We are called to make our lives all about preaching the Gospel. The Gospel should control us. We should be obsessed with getting the Gospel out rather than worldly garbage. The Gospel will take root in us and change us from the inside out. We to devote our entire lives to the Gospel. Learn how to live our lives solely for the pursuit of the Gospel now so that the things of this world won't dictate the rest of your life. Christ died to free you from that, don't imprison yourself with it. Don't make decisions based on what's going to get you the most money or the most popularity, but rather what's going to get the most people in the face of Jesus. That's what should drive us. We need to waste our lives for the Gospel, that's what the world is going to think you are doing. But in reality, when we devote our lives to anything but the Gospel, that's when we are wasting our lives. The Gospel is the only thing that will last. Everything else is temporary. Everything else will burn. Only that which is eternal will last.