Live Second through serving (guest blog post by Kassie Milner)

Kassie Milner

1-17-13

-         Passion: serve/ worship (one of the seven P’s)

-         Live second through serving 

My Testimony:

-         Parents divorced at a very young age
-         Biological father never cared, never wanted me
-         Three older brothers one younger sister
-         God has blessed me with an amazing step dad that has been there for me ever since I was 2, he’s my dad
-         Raised in a Christian home
-         Accepted Jesus into my heart at a very young age, but growing up I still struggled with some things and when I got in to HS I started to backslide and live my life the way I wanted to live it
-         Never got into drugs and alcohol or anything, just wasn’t living for the Lord
-         I was one of those people who acted like a Christian on Sundays and did whatever I wanted outside of church
-         Summer between my Junior and Senior year at church camp got a hold of my life and radically changed me
-         I had the fire and passion to serve God and to do whatever He wanted me to do with my life…I was sold and I told God that I would do whatever He wanted me to do and go wherever He wanted me to go
-         Senior year I was looking into colleges, I wanted to move away from home when I signed my life away…..to a 3 month missions trip called Mission One Elven based off the scripture Joshua 1:11, 6 weeks in Cali for training and 6 weeks in Ethiopia where we spent our time sharing the gospel with tribes who have never heard before
-         When we were in Ethiopia we drove as far as we could South until there was no more road and we couldn’t drive anymore and from there we were helicoptered out into the Borana tribe
-         We lived with them, slept in tents that we brought like we were camping and we only got to shower if it rained, and every day we would walk to surrounding villages and share the gospel with them, telling them bible stories from the creation to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
-         Who has heard the gospel before? EVERYONE right? Can you imagine, living life without knowing what Jesus did for us on the cross?
-         When me and my team went to the Borana tribe that was the first time they had EVER heard the gospel, EVER!!
-         After we told the resurrection story and old man in the tribe asked us, “If you guys have known about these stories for so long, how come this is the first time anyone has ever come to tell us?”
-         Think about it: we come to youth Wednesday nights, church on Sundays and other events that the church puts on and we are comfortable just coming to church, that’s all we do…when there are people out there who have never had the chance to hear the Gospel before because people who have heard, people like us don’t go and share with others the good news of Jesus Christ
**- while I was in Ethiopia I felt a call to student ministry
-         I live in a very small town 3,000, high school 220, graduating class 57, my dad pastors a church of about 75
-         Our student ministry has always struggled, on average there were about 5 kids who would come to youth on a regular basis, me, my brother and sister and our worship leaders sons, every now and then we would bring our friends
-         When I left for my trip 5-8 youth when I got back from my trip 5-8 youth…sad right?
-         I talked to my youth pastor about serving under her and helping her, gave her some ideas that I had, she was so excited she put me in charge of making it all happen and I was preaching every other week
-         Within 3 to 4 weeks our youth group exploded, 5 to 30
-         I don’t take credit for that, it was definitely all God but I had to have that passion to serve and live second for God to use me like that
** a year later our youth group was still growing and going strong when I got call from the director of mission one eleven to come back and be a leader for the next trip and take them into Ethiopia…this time I took one of the young ladies in my youth group that just graduated and my mom…we just got back in December
-         This last trip we went to the Karo tribe and they live along the Omo river so we were able to take showers everyday… with crocodiles and I almost got eaten by one but I’d rather not share that story because I might have nightmares tonight
-         Ya’ll are probably like, “Eww, who does this white girl think she is, coming up in here telling us that she’s been there and done that AND she doesn’t shower for 6 weeks at a time!!”
-         Really, camping and not showering for 6 weeks is the least of my favorite things to do but Jesus was beaten, bruised, spit on, walked through town half naked and died on the cross for me, the least I could do is take time out of my life and go share His love with some people who have never had the chance to hear
-         I’m nothing special, just a normal 19 year old girl, who still goes through life struggling with stuff but I LIVE SECOND because God forgave me when  I was doing my own thing and gave me the chance to live for Him

Matthew 28 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,* baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

• If you put yourself aside, live second with a passion to serve God, you can’t even begin to image the ways that God can use you
• Don’t think that your too young or the things you’ve done in the past are two bad…the bible says that your never to young, God will forgive you and He’ll take you just as you are
• But you have to want it, you have to want to live second…in the end living second is way better than living first

Next level in God

I believe that the "next level" is always a testing time, that God is constantly calling us to it, and the Devil constantly trying to keep us from it.

Test 1. Am I willing to do what God wants?


Genesis 22:1-14 Abraham's Faith Tested “1 Some time later, God tested Abraham's faith. "Abraham!" God called. "Yes," he replied. "Here I am."


We have to be close enough to hear Him.


Illustrate here: things in between God and I. Use chairs, boards, cardboard, anything to show more and more distance between you and God. Add more during the sermon to create effect.


Genesis 22: 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.”

• It’s not always what we want.
• Am I willing to follow at any cost?
• God’s plan is His plan I just have to know it and clearly follow it.
• Abraham showed this by saddling up and loading.

Test 2. Am I being Obedient to God?

• God looks for a willing heart.
• God looks for someone that will respect His assignment.

Test 3. Leave the donkey behind (v-4-5)

4 “On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 "Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the servants. "The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back."

• See the vision in front of you the purpose of God.
• Abraham left the outside influence behind to get alone to worship with his assignment and with his God
• Leave your habits (good or bad) and people that hold you, hinder you, or might stop you from being Gods vessel.

Test 4. Be ready and willing to sacrifice something you love.

“6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "We have the fire and the wood," the boy said, "but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?" 8 "God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham answered. And they both walked on together."

• The fire of God will not fall if there is no sacrifice on the altar.
• You must be willing to give up something to honor God.
• If your sacrifice does not move you it will not move God.

Test 5. Set your own wood (v-9)

“When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.”

• Don’t look for someone else to set your stage. 
• God called you for the job.
• His assignment for your life. You are irreplaceable.
• You’re the best man/woman for the job.

Test 6. Have the ability to change passions in the middle of the road. (V-10-13)

• Again it is imperative that we are close enough to hear His voice to receive clear, concise, and crisp instruction.
• What if Abraham was haphazard about his relationship with God?
• What if he was too busy to hear the VOICE OF GOD?!

“10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.11 At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes," Abraham replied. "Here I am!" 12 "Don't lay a hand on the boy!" the angel said. "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son." 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.”

• God may take you so far one way; then to see if you will go the other way. ( follow the leader)
• God told Abraham to kill him then, God said stop I see your heart.
• To do things Gods way we must be transparent and transitional.

Isaiah 55:9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Test 7. God has a Substitute for everything your willing to give up.

• For every temptation, He has a satisfaction.
• For every trial, He is the solution.
• For every hurt, He has healing.
• For every stormy, raging problem, He has peace.
• For every friend, He is the friend that sticks closer than any brother.
• For every habit, He is your fix.
• For every Isaac, there is a ram.

You and I should pay for our sins , the price is Death, God sent a substitute: JESUS

Pay the price go to the Next Level.