What is CSM?
CSM stands for Clutch Student Ministries, a community of teenagers who are growing in their relationship with Christ. We have backgrounds from all different kinds of churches and denominations. We are not concerned with your denominational affiliation. What we are concerned about is that you are growing in your faith in Jesus Christ! Coming to CSM doesn't make you a member of any congregational group. Rock of Grace is our church covering obviously but many of our teens come to our church because their church doesn't currently offer a youth ministry. We'd love to have you join us no matter where you're from! Coming to church and being a Christian doesn't mean you'll all-of-a-sudden, be perfect. God loves and accepts you the way you are, yet once you experience Him and read His Word, you'll do everything you can to please Him and live for Him, seeing that it's the most fulfilling, awesome way to live!
What is prayer?
Prayer is talking to God. Having a relationship with Christ is a lot like other relationships in your life. Although God is unlike any human He's created and He is Holy, He is also simply a Father who wants to talk with you, His child. Take time to talk and listen to God. Tell Him about the concerns you have. Thank Him for the things that are going great. God isn't impressed with the eloquence in your prayers. He is more concerned with authenticity and sincerity. God loves and appreciates spending time with you. He wants to know how your day went and He wants you to feel comfortable coming clean in the areas you've messed up. The only rule to the perfect prayer is sincerity. Talk to God today. God made a way for all of us to talk to Him at anytime because of what Christ did by dying on the cross. Although it helps to talk to others about our struggles with sin or life, you don't need anyone else to communicate with God. This is why God sent Jesus! He wants to know you personally! Talk to Him today!
How do I read the Bible?
The Bible can be a big book and can be pretty intimidating sometimes. A great way to start is to find a version that you can plainly understand. The Message is about the most straight-forward version of the Bible available right now. The New Living Bible is also a really modern version. Pastor Jordan preaches from the NIV Student and the Message Bibles, which you’ll find makes reading the bible very relevant and applicable to life. If you don't have a Bible of your own, you can buy one in our church BOOKSTORE - on the left when you're in the foyer. Reading God's Word is so important to our walk with God. Ever wondered "is that God speaking to me or is that just my head?" We'll, the more you read God's Word, the more you'll know what God says, how He speaks, and what His personality and character are like. Then when you hear something, you'll know whether it lines up with God's Word or not. God wants us to "be ready to give a testimony on every occasion of our faith in Christ" And the best way to do that is to know God's Word. Then we can walk people through salvation and what He's done in our lives. Two more things you should know: 1. Reading the Bible is more about quality than it is about quantity. God would rather have you read one paragraph and really understand it and apply it to your life than have you read 3 chapters, close the book and forget what you read. When you read, stop and ask, 'What would I do in this situation?" or "God, what do You want to say to me here?" God says of His own Word, that it's like a mirror. When we read we can see ourselves for who we really are. And God loves us enough to tell us when we've got bugars on our face! =) 2nd Thing: Although quality and understanding is more important than quantity, it's often important to read a whole chapter at least to understand the context of what's going on. If not, you may mis-interpret or misunderstand what's being said. Ever walk in the middle of a conversation, hear one sentence and think something totally wrong? Yeah, me too. What happened? Because you didn't hear the words spoken previously, you were mislead and you believed something that wasn't true. The same can happen when we just read a verse and apply it without reading the scripture around it to see the context and the whole message. (Be sure to sign up for our CSM Newsletter as it always has good devotions from the Bible. Sign up by on the EVENTS page)
After you get a Bible you can understand, start in a place that parallels your own interest or current experiences. If you love history and stories about kings and warriors and priests and nations-give the Old Testament a shot. Books like 1st & 2nd Samuel, Ruth, Joshua, Exodus, Genesis, and 1st & 2nd Kings have some really great stories about the lives of people who served God many years ago. If you are new in your faith and just want to understand God and salvation, start in the New Testament book of John. If you want to learn about every day keys to faith and Christian living, read the New Testament books of James, Ephesians, Philippians and 1st & 2nd Timothy (towards the back). Revelation is a book of prophecies concerning the end of time, and the return of Christ. The book of Romans spells out God's grace for us. If you aren't sure where in the Bible you can find what you're looking for, a concordance is a type of "Bible Index" and can be found in our bookstore at church and other Christian bookstores (There's one on Elm Road in Warren)
What is worship?
Worship is the way you communicate your love and appreciation to God. We set aside a time in CSM for worship because we realize that it's important for you to connect with the God you serve. This can be done in a million ways. Some people worship God by lifting their hands and singing a song. Some people like to sit quietly and concentrate on what Christ has done in their lives. Some people even like to jump around and dance. Some people kneel. The important thing is that you worship in a way that is comfortable to you. Also, we have many great worship CDs and Christian music for sale in our Resource Center located outside Pastor Jordan’s office. Some of our artists: United Live, Chris Tomlin, Tree 63, Switchfoot, Vineyard, Hillsong, and some of Pastor Jordan's Music. You can hear his music at www.JordanBiel.com or just search his name in your iTunes store.
What is Velocity?
Wednesday nights can be a bit overwhelming and you may not get to know people very well since it's pretty structured. Velocity care group is a great time to meet people your own age that have similar interests and make new friends. Let's face it; one of the biggest setbacks in church today is that people feel like they don't belong or don't know anybody. Velocity is a great time to make some new Christian friends, play games, eat, and chillax. We'll do a discussion on life and God on occasion but most the time, we take that hour and a 1/2 to just get to know each other and have fun! Go to the EVENTS page to see when and where the next Velocity is by clicking here.
Is there anyone I can talk to?
If you have any questions about the topics we've covered here-or any other subject or if you'd like to know more about being saved / becoming a Christian, being filled with the Holy Spirit like Jesus talked about or if you'd simply like more information on CSM, use the Contact Us Page or contact Pastor Jordan at Rock of Grace at 330-924-4431.
Whats your regular church like?
Our Regular Sunday Morning church is called Rock of Grace and we have services at 8:30 and 10:30 every Sunday. The worship is passionate, the music is relevant, the preaching is challenging and the people are really nice! Visit RockofGrace.org for any and all info on Rock of Grace beliefs, service times, ministries, up-coming events, etc.
What's Water Wars?
Water Wars is every Summer during the month of June when we break up the whole group into 4 teams of about 15 people each. It's intense games including water. The winning team either goes to an amusment park or tubing (behind a boat)! Join us! Find out more on the Current Events page.
Are there campus ministires I can go to at my school?
Yes, there are Campus Missionaries (teens from CSM) running Youth Alive clubs - which are designed to connect the Christians at your public school in prayer, Bible study, community and evangelism. Ask about it for your school at CSM this Wed.
What does CSM believe about God and the Bible and life?
In summary, we believe the whole Bible is God's Word for us. We believe everything in the Bible and that God's Word is there to help us realize our need for God, help us come to God through Jesus Christ, God's son, and help us stay connected to God with the help of the Holy Spirit.
In more detail, the 4 primary things we believe are this:
Salvation Through Jesus Christ
Salvation is deliverance from spiritual death and enslavement by sin. God provides salvation for all who believe and accept His free offer of forgiveness. Mankind’s only hope of redemption from the fallen sinful state is through the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son–blood that was shed as Jesus died on the cross. The account of the crucifixion of Jesus is given by four of His disciples. Matthew (chapter 27), Mark (chapter 15), Luke (chapter 23), and John (chapter 19).] (Luke 24:47; John 3:3,16,17; Rom. 8:16; 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8,9; 4:24; Titus 2:11-12; 3:5-7 Visit BibleGateway.com now - an online Bible where you can search and find the scripture you're looking for!
Divine Healing
Divine healing is an important part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement (Jesus dying for our sins), and is the privilege of all believers. In fact, many times, Jesus has and will heal people before they even believe out of compassion for them. (Isa. 53:4,5; Matt. 8:16,17; James 5:14-16) Jesus has given this same power of healing to all who passionately follow Him. Jesus said in John 14:10-12 "Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." God wants not only to save you from sin now and the consequence of hell later, but He wants to empower you now to come along side Him in healing the sick and saving the lost! Visit BibleGateway.com now - an online Bible where you can search and find the scripture you're looking for!
Baptism In The Holy Spirit
All believers can receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and therefore should expect and earnestly seek this promised gift of the Father. We can read in the book of Acts that this was the normal experience of all believers in the early Christian church. With the experience, God gives you the power to follow Christ and make good decisions. He also enables you with specific spiritual gifts so you can have an effective ministry to people. The baptism of Christians in the Holy Spirit is usually accompanied by the initial physical sign of speaking in other tongues (unlearned languages) as the Spirit of God gives you audible expression. This is simply your "heavenly language" - a form of communication between just you and God! The Holy Spirit is given to bring you closer to God and to give you the strength to go into the world and tell them about the truth of Christ! You can read about in in the Bible in Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 2:4; 8:12-17; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7-9; 1 Cor. 12:1-31 We have books and booklets at CSM about the Holy Spirit that you can have FREE. Just ask. Visit BibleGateway.com now - an online Bible where you can search and find the scripture you're looking for! You can also download a message on the Holy Spirit by Pastor Jordan by double-clicking here and another here.
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
For a ll Christians who have already died, their spirit-man is already with God. When Christ comes back to take us to heaven, those who have already died - their bodies will rise from their graves and will meet the Lord in the air and be given new glorified bodies. Christians who have not yet died will be raptured or caught up with them, to be with the Lord. Then Christians of all ages will live and rule with God forever in Heaven. The scriptural truth of the Lord’s soon return is "the blessed hope" and often referred to as "the rapture" Read about it in the Bible in Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Titus 2:13 & many other scriptures Visit BibleGateway.com now - an online Bible where you can search and find the scripture you're looking for!
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