North County Christian School
Investing in Eternity One Student at a Time
Welcome to the NCCS Middle School Chapel Page!
The goal of MS chapel is to foster an environment where students can cultivate a biblical understanding of the nature and character of God and the truth of the Gospel that will lead them into an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. Check out the content below to see our current direction.
General Information:
Chapel day: Every Thursday
Time: 8:40-9:40am
Location: D Building Great-Room
Contact: Dave Kuntz, MS Chaplain/Spiritual Development, Email ; 314.972.6227 x453
Philippians 3:8
“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
What is it about Christ that would lead Paul to this conclusion? Everything? Really Paul? I mean we could definitely identify a lot of things as inferior to Christ,but everything? All inclusive-everything? Nothing is better than walking in relationship with Jesus as your Master and Lord? Surely there has to be something Paul? One thing to remember is that Paul definitely understood what it meant to live a carnal lifestyle. He isn’t speaking as a guy who grew up in the church and was protected from much of the world. If there was a place to brag for living a wild life in the flesh, he could run with the best of them (3:4-6). He’s experienced all of the fleeting pleasures of sin. He knows what the world has to offer and at the end of the day his conclusion is Christ alone is the only satisfaction in life.
OUR DIRECTION FOR 2ND SEMESTER
Jan/Feb - KNOWING CHRIST...IN FREEDOM (A Look @ Life in Christ)
March - KNOWING CHRIST...IN OUR DECISIONS (A Look @ Various Topics)
April - KNOWING CHRIST...IN PURITY (A Look @ Relationships & Sexuality)
May - KNOWING CHRIST...IN WISDOM (A Look @ Social Networking)
...IN FREEDOM
::January/February::
What is freedom? Why is freedom needed? What keeps us from being free? How does one become free?
::November::
The word “faith” is such a common idea in so many circles of life. We use it when talking about our belief in a favorite athlete to make a big play. We use in reference to believing in ourselves to do well on a test in school. We use it as a means of hope when a loved one is facing a medical procedure. Many even use it to describe what religion or faith they are. But what does it mean biblically?
Hebrews 11 is commonly known as the “Faith Chapter” or the “Hall of Faith.” It gives this description of faith:
Heb 11:1, 6
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
From these verses we could potentially define faith in two ways.
1. Faith is hoping for something we cannot physically see.
2. Faith is believing that God exists.
But are these definitions correct? While they might form a good starting place, one cannot truly understand biblical faith without taking these definitions a step further. In fact, the definitions above could be very misleading. To say that faith is “hoping for something we cannot physically” is a good starting place if by “hoping” we mean “confident expectation” rather than “an eager desire for something to happen.” Also, to say that faith is “believing that God exists” would require us to say that the demons have faith. Because according to James 2:19, even the demons believe in God. Faith then must be more than an expression of belief in God’s mere existence. So faith isn’t “believing in God,” but rather “believing God.” Here are a couple definitions that take this a step further.
Definitions of Faith:
- “Faith is believing the word of God and acting upon it no matter how I feel, because God promises a good result.”
- “We trust God for the future based on our faith in what he has accomplished in the past.”
- “To trust God is not an act of unreasonable belief. God demonstrates Himself to be very trustworthy. He gives ample reasons for us to trust Him. He proves that he himself is faithful and worth of our trust” (R.C. Sproul).
- We must establish the truth that faith, ultimately, is a gift from God, so even coming to believe Him, must flow out of God birthing that belief in our hearts…so really it becomes the prayer – “God show me the reality of who you are!!”
- Biblical faith is not blind. It is informed by a God who is faithful and has proven that faithfulness and truthfulness. (See definitions 2 and 3) (Also see 2 Peter 1:16)
- Faith is not a part of the Christian life it is the whole thing!
- Faith has no power in itself. It’s all about the object of your faith - God and His Word.
KNOWING CHRIST
...IN HARD TIMES
(Pressing into Christ when Life is Pressing into You)
::October::
What if I told you that God's desire was for you to lack nothing? That you would have everything that you need in life? But what if I told you it would cost you something. Would you still want it? When we study the Bible as well as life, we see clear evidence that when a person surrenders their life to Jesus, all their problem don't suddenly go away. There is still much pain in life, even for a Christian. Pain in life is clear result of the fact that we live in a broken and fallen world that Christ is in the process of redeeming. Part of the redemption process is suffering. Suffering is a tool that God uses in our lives to conform us more and more into His image which in turn allows us to experience more and more joy (Psalm 16:11). The Bible calls it sanctification.
James 1:2-5
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
2 Cor 1:8-9
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of
1 Peter 1:6-9
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Rom 5:1-8
5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
KNOWING CHRIST...FOR REAL
(Running from Fake Christianity)
::Spiritual emphsis week, September 23-25::
Myths about Christianity…
This is what we call nominal Christianity. Being a Christian really has nothing to do with a name or title. A person can be called a teacher, but do they really teach? A person can have the title of a coach, but do they really coach? A person can be called a student, but if they are not actually teachable, sitting under someone and learning then they really are not a student at all. The same thing could be applied to a Christian. I could be called a Christian, but is my life different? Am I becoming more and more like Christ? Before Christianity received its name, it was called “the Way” (Acts 9:1-2; 18:25-27; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22), which denotes a road or highway traveled, a way of life. It signifies that as a believer, I am in process and that process is called progressive sanctification – growing more and more into the likeness of Jesus. Going to church doesn’t make a person a Christian anymore than going to McDonalds make them a big mac or going to Ultimate Electronics makes them an electronic device.
2. Good behavior helps me gain acceptance from God (as a believer or an unbeliever).
In Philippians 3:8 Paul writes, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.
Many evangelical Christians would say without question that a person is not saved by works (Rom 3:21-24; 4:1-5; 5:1-2), but that their life should be marked by works as evidence to the reality of their regeneration (Phil 2:12-13). However, often times we live out our Christian lives quite contrary to this belief. Let’s explain it by using two statements.
Statement #1: I obey, therefore I’m accepted. This statement carries the assumption that obedience is what produces God’s love and favor in a person’s life. This is similar to a child who has to earn their parents love through their obedience. The moment disobedience is present, the parent ceases to show love for their child, leaving the child broken and even demanding that they earn back their love in a certain way.
Statement #2: I am accepted, therefore I obey. For a believer, this statement carries the assumption that acceptance is already present regardless of how well a person obeys or does not obey. Acceptance is something that is granted on the basis of Christ’s death in paying the price for sin. My love and acceptance of my daughter has nothing to do with her behavior. She will always be my daughter and is loved and accepted by her father regardless of anything she does or fails to do.
Hopefully it’s clear that statement #2 is the correct, biblical statement. And what is amazing about biblical acceptance that is based on Christ alone, is that it frees us up to worship and know God and actually walk in God-honoring obedience. All of this attention on hoping that I’m good enough and trying so hard to please God in the hopes that I will be loved by him, is such a dangerous and shackling way to think. And we must realize that it's the enemies tactic straight from the pit of hell. How freeing it was for me as a child that my parents absolutely loved and accepted me apart from my performance, and that in my moments of poor choices I knew that I could run to them and receive their love and forgiveness. When we truly understand grace, it will push us to obedience, not the opposite.
3. Christianity is simply a moral pursuit.
Biblical Christianity is absolutely about holiness and morality but it is so much more than that. We are not on a pursuit to simply be good moral citizens, but people who are conformed more and more into the image of Christ in pursuit of personal holiness which results in personal joy (Psalm 16). Many believe that the problem with humanity is that we are bad and that the solution is that we need to be good. So they live their life in a pursuit of morality. However, the Bible teaches rather that we are dead and need to be made alive. The last time I checked, it would take an outside force to bring a dead man back to life. There is no volitional choice to say “I don’t want to be dead anymore.” It requires an act of God to resurrect a dead heart to love and affection for Him.
4. Christianity is simply an intellectual pursuit.
The greatest distance between heaven and hell is the distance between your head and your heart. So many people have a great intellectual understanding of who God is. They know their Bibles forwards and backwards, yet on a practical level, on a heart level, they are atheists. It does not affect who they are and the way they live their life. I equate it with having a deep understanding of someone famous, like Michael Jordan. Growing up I loved to watch Michael Jordan play basketball. I could tell you every fact about him, but I’d never met him. I didn’t have a relationship with him. I just knew of him. Many people have only an intellectual understanding of who God is. James 2:19 tells us that even the demons have a proper theology about God. Is the goal to be like the demons? Well we don’t want to entirely throw out intellection. The Bible absolutely teaches the importance of having an informed faith. Having a proper theological understanding must be the starting place, but if it doesn’t penetrate our hearts and then spring us into absolute love and affection for Christ, then we've missed it. John 17:3 say, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” That “know” is the epitome of relationship. It isn’t about a destination or just information, but intimacy with our Savior.
Dave Kuntz, Spiritual Development
email