Movements everywhere so that others will…Experience Christ…Embrace the Gospel…Enter into the Mission

Hello 2011-12 SCSU students!  We in Cru want to welcome you!  Here are some places to find us,  if you are looking.  We may end up finding you, as we will be out meeting students.

One easy way to spot us, is to keep your eyes peeled for our BLUE t-shirts with the white logo ‘cru’ like the one at the top left of this web page.

Okay, here’s a run down of some ways to get connected:

• Saturday we’ll be meeting incoming students at the BBQ for Move In Day by Centennial Hall
• Saturday night we’ll be giving out 500 suckers to Freshmen after the convocation
• Monday we’ll be at Garvey for lunch, look for us in our BLUE shirts
• Tuesday night at 5:30pm is our Welcome Back BBQ.  1st year and returning students are all invited!  We’ll be behind the Hill-Case halls, by the Volleyball courts.  Look for the smoke coming from the grill!
• Thursday we’ll be giving out Freeze Pops on the Atwood Mall from 11am-3pm
  Our worship band will be playing from 11am-1pm on the Atwood mall as well!  Listen for the music.
• Thursday night will be our first large group meeting.  We meet in Atwood in the Voyageurs Room-on the 2nd floor
  Meeting time is 7:30pm for this week.  We otherwise start at 9pm
• Saturday night we’ll have a ‘house party’ a few blocks from campus.  Look for a future post about exact location.

Thanks for reading, keep coming back to this page to get updates.  You can also find us on Facebook: Search “SCSU Cru”

We are glad you are here!

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Community is characterized by…

People who are not like each other by the world’s standards
—and—
People who have in common that they are saved by grace

Spontaneity
—and—
Regular attendance

Times of having fun together
—and—
Times of specific prayer, worship, and study

Knowing a smaller group of friends well
—and—
Being welcoming to anyone who wants to join

This will require of me…

•  active availability. That is, I make sure others know I am available, but not in a way that burdens them to constantly hang out with me
• praying for others and being vulnerable so others can pray for me
• coming with something to share to build up instead of exclusively seeking my own pleasure at the expense of the community

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Here is a set of verses that you can pray both for yourself and for others. You can remember them with the acronym I.O.U.S.

Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain! (Psalm 119:36)

Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18)

Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
Unite my heart to fear your name. (Psalm 86:11)

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)

from an article by John Piper “How to Pray for the Pastoral Staff“

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Psalm 95 is an invitation to worship the Lord. The psalm divides in two parts. In the first part, the singers praise God with a rousing statement of his rule. God is maker, king, rock of our salvation, shepherd. These are all reasons to praise him. The second part reads like a warning. It warns the people not to harden their hearts as their forefathers did.

Verse 1 is the beginning of the invitation: “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” In his commentary on Psalm 95, Spurgeon lists out the parts of this invitation:

1. A favourite method of worship—”let us sing”
2. A fitting state of mind for singing—joyful gratitude
3. A fitting subject to excite both gladness and thankfulness—the rock of our salvation

I love this listing because it helps invite me to worship. God is the subject, the thing we  are worshiping. He generates within us both gladness and thankfulness. Verses 1 to 5 continue to describe God, and the vast extent of his rule over earth.

The second invitation begins in verse 6. “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.” If the first invitation was focused on reasons to worship God, the second invitation is focused on how we approach God in worship. Our heart is key in how we approach God. To illustrate how important the heart is, the psalm draws a lesson from the history of Israel. (For this reason, it can be called a historical psalm.) Their “fathers” (ancestors) hardened their hearts (verse 8 ) and went astray in their hearts (verse 10).

The psalm gives hints as to how we can respond to the invitation with the proper attitude in our heart. First, we must come with humility and reverence. “Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.” Second, we must know God’s ways (verse 10). Third, we must hear his voice (verse 7).

Though the psalm does not end on a particularly positive verse, its invitation is clear. Let us come and worship God because he is king and ruler over nature. Let us come and worship God with glad hearts in submission to him.

Scripture quoted from ESV.

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Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

—Matthew 10:29–31 (ESV)

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Why am I a Christian? Why do I believe what God says? Why do I trust in him? Today we are going to examine Psalm 9. This Psalm, written by David, should give us a glimpse of why God is trustworthy.

David begins with a statement of purpose: “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” (verse 1). David expresses his intent to give thanks to God and tell others what God has done. In verses 1–6, David describes how God has acted on behalf of the nation of Israel. In verses 7–12, David turns to praise God for his great and mighty acts. “But the Lord sits enthroned forever,” that is, God will not be affected by any political upheaval here on earth!

The next verse is a precious promise for Christians to hold on to. As Christians, we can join with the ancient people of Israel in praising God and trusting in his promises. David says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (verse 10) Pay close attention to the words: in order to trust in God, we first must know his name.

God’s name is his revealed character. This definition will guide you through the rest of the Psalms to know what God is like. How does God act? Is he nice or is he mean? Imagine you met a new person from Cru and found out they were interested in board games, or another hobby. Suppose you had a friend from your dorm floor who was already interested in board games, and immediately you think you should introduce them. How would you describe your friend to the person you just met? How would you describe God?

The Psalm contains many phrases that we can use to describe God. God is a king … God is a judge … God’s judgments are righteous … God does not  forsake those who seek him.

Reading about God in this Psalm warms my heart to trust in him. “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” Andrew Murray writes,

I must hear the person who gives me the promise: the very tone of his voice gives me courage to believe. I must see him: in the light of his eye and countenance all fear … passes away. The value of the promise depends on the promiser: it is on my knowledge of what the promiser is that faith in the promise depends. (“With Christ in the School of Prayer”, Lesson 12)

Let us together seek this God so we know him better and trust him more!

Scripture quoted from ESV.

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