While Jesus was on earth, He could have done all sorts of fantastic things.

He could have built buildings that would have made the engineers and architects of the Roman Empire look stupid. He could have opened a university and taught science to the smartest scholars from every nation. He could have conducted the largest Gospel crusade the world had ever seen. He could have healed all the sick people on earth and cleared out every hospital. He could have sent out 12,000 apostles instead of 12 to build His Church. Why did Jesus refrain from doing these and a million other wonderful things that were within His power? The simple answer is this: Jesus knew His missionthe one task for which He came. He stated it very clearly: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Although He was well aware that He would die for the sins of the whole world, He also knew that He needed to accomplish His mission within the tiny nation of Israel. Jesus lived daily to fulfill His mission and never allowed Himself to be distracted by anything or anyone. When His journey came to an end, He simply said to His Father, "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4). And on the cross, He looked at humanity past, present and future and proclaimed, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Jesus was surrounded by distractions just like we are. Right before He began His ministry, the devil attempted to cause Jesus to use His embodied spiritual powers in a selfish way and without the authorization of His Father. Jesus could have indeed turned stones into bread, jumped off the tower and survived, or walked away from the cross, but He refused. Even when the devil used Peter and later the Greeks to try to prevent Him from completing His mission, Jesus still didn't give in to distractions. Instead, He explained why He was keeping His focus: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain [fruit]" (John 12:24). And then in the last few hours of His life, when Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him and all of His disciples ran away, Jesus could have easily given up and said, "It's all been a mistake. They betrayed everything I showed and lived before them. It's not worth it"and walked away from the cross. Thank God He didn't. Paul and Nehemiah also didn't give in to distractions. One of the secrets behind the Apostle Paul's achievements in life was his absolute focus. His statement, "None of these things move me" (Acts 20:24) meant that none of the difficulties, persecutions and problems he faced could persuade him to walk away. Nehemiah had the same determination when he was building the wall of Jerusalem. Although his enemies used every tactic in the book to frighten him into quitting, he kept right on building and answered, "Should such a man as I flee?" (Nehemiah 6:11). Others gave inand forfeited the most incredible possibilities they could have achieved in their lives. Baalam the prophet was handpicked by God. Gehazi was in line to inherit Elisha's mantle and a double portion of his master's ministry. Demas could have possibly been the one to receive the torch from Paul. Yet all three got distracted by the love of this world and money and hence were sidetracked from their mission. We are asked to follow Jesus' example in handling distractions.

Fountain of Youth
FRBC YOUTH GAZETTE #3

Each of us has a mission to fulfill in winning the lost world and building God's kingdom. The writer of Hebrews gives us precise instructions about what we must do to keep our focus: "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross ..." (Hebrews 12:1-2). Christ, our example, is the One who has gone before us in the race. We are not asked to look at the spectators in the arena or at the other runners, but to keep our eyes on Jesus and imitate Him. Jesus Himself said, "Follow Me," because He knew that staying focused would be one of the most difficult things for us to do. I remember well when, during the early days of our ministry, someone offered me all the financial assistance in the world if I would give up my calling and commit myself to advance his cause overseas. The thing that helped me walk away from this distraction was when my wife asked me, "When the journey comes to an end and you look back, what will you answer? If for the sake of money you compromise your calling and your walk with the Lord, how will you explain this to the people who are following you?" My dear brothers and sisters, let us faithfully encourage each other daily to stay focused and to say no to distractions. Dr. K.P. Yohannan, Founder & President of Gospel for Asia

PHOTO COURTESY OF LANA LEVSHIN AND JESSICA VINGERT

will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
JOHN 4:13-14

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THE EXISTENCE OF GOD CAN BE PROVED IN FIVE WAYS
The First Way: Argument from Motion 1. Our senses prove that some things are in motion. 2. Things move when potential motion becomes actual motion. 3. Only an actual motion can convert a potential motion into an actual motion. 4. Nothing can be at once in both actuality and potentiality in the same respect (i.e., if both actual and potential, it is actual in one respect and potential in another). 5. Therefore nothing can move itself. 6. Therefore each thing in motion is moved by something else. 7. The sequence of motion cannot extend ad infinitum. 8. Therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover, put in motion by no other; and this everyone understands to be God. The Second Way: Argument from Efficient Causes 1. We perceive a series of efficient causes of things in the world. 2. Nothing exists prior to itself. 3. Therefore nothing is the efficient cause of itself. 4. If a previous efficient cause does not exist, neither does the thing that results. 5. Therefore if the first thing in a series does not exist, nothing in the series exists. 6. The series of efficient causes cannot extend ad infinitum into the past, for then there would be no things existing now. 7. Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God. The Third Way: Argument from Possibility and Necessity (Reductio argument) 1. We find in nature things that are possible to be and not to be, that come into being and go out of being i.e., contingent beings. 2. Assume that every being is a contingent being. 3. For each contingent being, there is a time it does not exist. 4. Therefore it is impossible for these always to exist. 5. Therefore there could have been a time when no things existed. 6. Therefore at that time there would have been nothing to bring the currently existing contingent beings into existence. 7. Therefore, nothing would be in existence now. 8. We have reached an absurd result from assuming that every being is a contingent being. 9. Therefore not every being is a contingent being. 10.Therefore some being exists of its own necessity, and does not receive its existence from another being, but rather causes them. This all men speak of as God. The Fourth Way: Argument from Gradation of Being There is a gradation to be found in things: some are better or worse than others. Predications of degree require reference to the uttermost case (e.g., a thing is said to be hotter according as it more nearly resembles that which is hottest). The maximum in any genus is the cause of all in that genus. Therefore there must also be something which is to all beings the cause of their being, goodness, and every other perfection; and this we call God.

WHAT DOES WORSHIP MEAN TO YOU?

ANONYMOUS YOUTH REPLIES

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The Fifth Way: Argument from Design 1. We see that natural bodies work toward some goal, and do not do so by chance. 2. Most natural things lack knowledge. 3. But as an arrow reaches its target because it is directed by an archer, what lacks intelligence achieves goals by being directed by something intelligence. 4. Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.

Serving God with all your heart. Singing. Glorifying God from a pure heart and doing everything for his glory. When people see Jesus in me and when we do good things not for the sake of ourselves, but to glorify the Lords name. Saying hallelujah and praising His name. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and lifting my eyes to the heavens. Awareness of Gods greatness in my life. God created me and made everything so that we could praise Him in our daily life. To dedicate time, resources, and anything else to the service of God. Reading the Bible. To give praise to God in some way. To me, worshipping God means exalting Him in my heart and in addition to the state of the heart, in song or other verbal exclamations. Love.

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Note: This is a simplified version by Theodore Gracyk of a selection from the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas.