May 14, 2015


Calling generations of all nations to the 
       simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ!


NWBC - Student Conference
17 teens Profess Christ 

Northwest Baptist Convention (NWBC) - Student Conference

       

Each year, hundreds of teenagers from the NWBC gather at Crossroads Community church in Vancouver, WA for the convention's annual student conference. At this year's meeting, Faithful to One led worship in song, dozens of youth pastors and leaders led breakout sessions on Saturday morning, and Mike had the opportunity to preach at the three main sessions. The conference centered around the theme Allegiance.    

 

After the first message on being Remade and Repurposed by the Lord Jesus,

17 students stood to profess their new faith in Christ as Savior and Lord!  

 

The second message focused on recognizing the grace of God in the midst of Rough Water. Joy is grace recognized. Pause for a moment and recognize the statement of God's grace spoken by Jesus to Peter and the disciples while He walked on the water in the midst of the storm on the Sea of Galilee: "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid"(Matt. 14:27). The presence of Jesus in the storm is an act of His grace. Jesus Christ, I AM, is with you! For a generation in the midst of many different scenarios of rough water, this message was an encouragement.  

 

The final message dealt with the challenging reality that, regarding our allegiance to Christ, we are Willing but Weak. Peter and the disciples, just as we often do, ". . . kept saying insistently, 'Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!' And they all were saying the same thing also" (Mark 14:31). We often overestimate our allegiance and underestimate our weakness. Jesus warned Peter and the disciples that they would all stumble and fall away on account of Him. His warning was clear and His instructions specific:   "Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mark 14:38). Willing but weak, so watch and pray! After the third session, approximately 24 students came to the altar, confessing their weakness and making decisions of re-commitment to the Lord in some area of their lives. God's Spirit was at work among us as the conference ended with Mike leading students to gather in small groups across the auditorium to do what Jesus instructed us to do: PRAY!

CBA Youth  Rally - Games

Coulee Baptist Association (CBA) Project    

 

"Reach!" Youth Rally: On May 9th, three churches from CBA brought students to the first of several scheduled youth rallies. There was a total of 50 in attendance: 28 teenagers (about 6 of those were not followers of Christ), 12 adult youth volunteers, worship pastor Luis Cuevas, 5 college leaders from Resonate Church in Ellensburg, WA and 3 lost college students who came with Resonate. The Resonate team did a great job leading students in a number of games that helped teens relax and connect to other students and adults. Luis was used of the Lord as he led us in worship. Mike preached an evangelistic message called God's Rescue Mission (John 8:1-11) which the teens discussed and processed in small groups following the message. The seeds of the Gospel were cast. Pastor Shelby Cade from Emmanuel Baptist in Moses Lake shared that he received "a call from a youth pastor who thanked him for having Mike come out. He [the youth pastor] was not from a Southern Baptist Church, but was impressed with God's hand on Mike and how he was able to connect with the youth." Our next "Reach!" Youth Rally is scheduled for June 13th in Wenatchee, WA.

 

Men of Simplicity: During this trip, Mike also met to cast vision for ministry to men of the Coulee Baptist Association. At the first meeting on Saturday morning, 21 men from 3 churches on the west side of the association met in Wenatchee, WA. At lunch, 6 men on the east side of the association from 2 churches met to discover ministry possibilities. A total 27 men from 5 of the association's twelve churches gathered.

 

Emmanuel Baptist Church: On Mother's Day, Mike preached at Emmanuel Baptist Church, one of the partnering churches in the CBA youth evangelism project. The message examined A Mother's Example for all Christians-Luke 1:38-56; 2:10-20.   The life of Mary (the mother of Jesus) reminds every believer to 1) submit to the Lord, 2) believe in the fulfillment of the word of the Lord, 3) exalt the Lord, and 4) treasure the Lord.   Pastor Shelby Cade, shared, "We had a blessed weekend with Mike at church. One of the members shared with me how he was moved to tears reflecting on the message Mike shared."    Simply Devoted to Christ!  Mike & Debbie

 
CBA Youth Rally - Worship
CBA Youth Rally - Discussion

Emmanuel Baptist
Mother's Day Service

Upcoming Ministry Events
May 26
 Open Door Christian Academy - Troutdale, OR - Preaching at Commencement
May 30-31 North Addison Baptist Church, Spokane, WA -- Simple Evangelism with leadership team
June 13
 Coulee Baptist Association - Reach Youth Rally -- Wenatchee, WA
June 14
 Redeeming Grace -- Soap Lake, WA - Preaching Sunday Morning Worship
Mondays
 Men of Simplicity (MOS)
Simplicity Ministries®
Mike Thibodeaux
P.O. Box 388
Fairview, OR 97024
971-219-6964
www.simplicityministries.org