Interested in our Campus Ministry?

LIFE is a campus ministry that is dedicated to restoring New Testament Christianity in the 21st century. Members of our campus ministry are committed to living their lives in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the Bible. We read and strive to abide by the entire Bible and hold it to be inspired and inerrant. We expect every member to be a disciple of Christ as defined in his teachings. The LIFE Campus Ministry was built on the revolutionary but Biblical conviction that every person must first make a decision to become a disciple and then be baptized (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38-42, etc.). The Biblical Greek word for church is “ecclesia,” which means “the called out.” Today we are a ministry that is rapidly growing on campus’ in the Phoenix area. We have been called out from religious mediocrity, spiritual error, atheism and agnosticism–into a meaningful, vibrant relationship with God.

Our ministry reflects the diversity of the city. People of all types of races, ages,and cultures weekly attend our events. These events are true celebrations, for the life of a disciple of Christ is the most joyful one we know.

Jesus taught his disciples to not only make disciples, but also to meet the physical needs of people. Our ministry is dedicated to helping do service projects and contribute to the ASU community. One of Jesus’ final commands to his disciples was to go and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:18-20). As disciples of Christ, our lives are committed to bringing his church to every nation within this generation. In keeping with Biblical examples, we multiply our ministry by sending out small groups of disciples to major campuses, where they then multiply disciples (or Christians Acts 11:26). Since every new member is a committed disciple, these new churches groups grow rapidly and are soon strong enough to send out other groups to plant even churches. Our weekly events include:

LIFE Talk – Informal setting for a Bible discussion that is open to all to participate in no matter what religious or cultural background one may have. These are exciting, powerful, and dynamic groups that meet in different dormitories through out the week. (See events page to view times and places)

Friday Devotional- This is an event for all the small groups that meet during the week to come together and celebrate in worship to God for the miracles throughout the week. If you are a Christian/disciple seeking powerful fellowship come join us in the MU at ASU @ 7:30pm on the second floor.

Extra- Of course we have fun, go bowling, play sports, and party.

If you are interested in participating in one of our events and in turning the world upside down for Christ in the 21st century, please contact us.

Luke Speckman

480-353-8153

luke@phxicc.org

Come Join His UpSideDown Revolution!

UpSideDown Revolution Itinerary (March 28^th- 30^th Tempe, AZ)

 Revolution is in the hearts of every man and woman who would take up the call to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Today we look at the religious world and see mediocracy, hypocracy, and confusion. The planet is screaming out for a revolution…and Jesus is the revolutionary! Jesus calls us to define Christianity and turn the world upside down in this generation. Will you come join His UpSideDown Revolution?  

Friday Evening:

7:30pm-10pm- Devotional/Good News West Hall

Saturday:

8:00am- Quiet Time/Breakfast

9:00am- Morning Devotional @ South Mountain

-         Singing

-         Welcome

-         Lesson: “Jesus the Revolutionary”

-         Go back to Campus/ASU

11:30am- Men’s/Women’s Classes- “Personal Revolution”

-         Anthony Patterson & TBA (LA brother)

-         Kelsey Campbell (AZ)/ Aurora Gonzales (LA)

1:00pm- Lunch/Free Time

            -Volley Ball/ Football @ Rec fields

            - Walk around campus/hang

3:00pm- Meet at fountain to go sharing

5:00pm- Dinner Break

6:00pm- Evening Tent Revival @ ASU

-         Singing

-         Welcome

-         Prayer

-         Main Speech: “Revolutionary War” – Vic Gonzales Jr. (LA) (6:15pm)

-         Fellowship Break (7:00pm)

-         Main Speech: “Restoration vs. Reformation”- Anthony Franklin (Chicago) (7:15-8pm)

Sunday:

            -9:00am- Quiet Time/Breakfast/Get Ready/ Pick up visitor

            -10:00am- Campus Sunday Church @ Hilton

            - Main Speech- “Come Join His UpSideDown Revolution”- Mike Patterson (AZ)

            - Communion Service

Update!

Last week Coltin Rohn was baptized into Christ last week and is an awesome addition to our campus ministry.

• Check out the latest audio sermon “One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven”

JESUS’ FELLOWSHIP

READ: 1 John 1:5-10. This is a challenging passage on what defines true fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is clear that each one of our personal relationship with God bought by the blood of Christ is what unifies disciples. You may be singing at church with us, eating with us, talking with us, but if you’re not walking in the light, your not truly a part of Jesus’ fellowship. Fellowship is an essential part of being a Christian that we see throughout the scriptures. In fact, the disciples were devoted to fellowship (Acts 2:42). Recently, many brothers have been marked or disfellowshiped by other Christians for disagreements over many issues coming out of our former fellowship. Let is look at what the scriptures say and not be confused by Satan’s schemes:

 Fellowship of Light

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14 

Only those who are walking in the light share true fellowship with God and the church universal since God can have no part of darkness. In fact 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 shows us that in order to have God receive you as a child you must come out from “yoked” relationships in the world. It is exciting to me to be part of a fellowship/ministry that is serious about dealing with sin and confessing our sins to one another (James 5:17; 1 John 1:9). If the Bible commands this, and we have sin everyday should it not be true that we are daily confessing our sins? Some have been confused as to why we have planted a new church in the Phoenix Valley area since there are already groups teaching the truth. It is our conviction that we must be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1).

 

Universal Fellowship

When God looks down on earth to His church, He simply sees those who are in the light, the disciples of Jesus Christ. They are the only ones that compose Jesus’ church. The USD21 Campus Ministry is building Jesus’ church, by building a group of “only disciples” not meaning we are the only disciples in the city, but that every member is called to live as the scriptures teach. There must be a radical call from the pulpit to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in order for God to move in His fellowship. Sadly, many churches in the area have only a few “fired up” or “sold-out” members and the other lukewarm ones bring the church down. In order to be a campus ministry movement that evangelizes the world in this generation, we must be a fellowship of light.

 

 

Opposing Fellowship

Interestingly, many have opposed our efforts and even warned church members to not share fellowship with Christians/disciples in our ministry. Biblically speaking, no man can ever draw the borders of Israel so to speak or lines of fellowship that the Bible doesn’t draw. The church leadership can put out of fellowship un-repented sexual immoral people or divisive people who draw men AWAY from Jesus (1 Cor. 5:2, etc.). Yet, no where do we find an entire fellowship or church being dis-fellowshipped, marked, or disregarded as brothers/sisters. Starting a new church or parting ways is not a sin in the Bible, if viewed as sin it implies that a group believes they are the only disciples in the borders of their church membership. Either I’m a brother or I am not. I want to challenge brothers and sisters who have not been devoted to sharing fellowship with us to repent as we all pray for unity. Scripturally speaking no one is dividing the body of Christ if they are drawing men/women to God. Who is really being divisive if someone warns disciples not to have fellowship with other disciples? Let’s take heed to Acts 5:38-39, “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” The Spirit is clear, if you oppose any movement of God, you are fighting the Lord. Go after fellowship wholeheartedly with any disciple of Jesus from any group, and allow God to work out the issues of opinion as we make every effort to see as many won as possible. Amen.

The Cost of Leadership

The standard of discipleship out of our response to God’s grace is the same for every single person that would come and follow Christ. Yet, it is interesting that it seems an even higher cost was at stake for those who would be selected by Jesus to be leaders in His movement. The twelve walked with Jesus and had a higher cost to pay to lead full-time in the ministry. This past Sunday we started our first ever “Leaders D-Group” which takes place after our evening Bible Talk leaders meeting. Jesus realized that only through a small group could he run his ministry, and took them through a ministry training program that was intense at times. In Luke 9, Jesus sends out the twelve telling them to not take money, bead, or an extra tunic. An extra tunic in the time of Jesus was like their modern-day jacket. The temperature in the desert would get so cold at night. He was essentially saying, you better find an open person to meet and share about the kingdom with or you might freeze to death that night or go hungry! Talk about accountability, but this was the cost and the training method of leadership by Jesus. The evening started off at my place with pizza and sharing. Interestingly, the entire ministry showed up at my apartment wanting to lead in God’s kingdom. It shows the great hearts, yet I realize that in time this number will thin out as I laid out the cost to lead in this ministry as the Bible lays out:

Mark 10:35-45

- The desire to be great is never down played in God’s kingdom, yet Jesus was asking his disciples are you willing to undergo the same sufferings I have undergone in order to lead. Can you drink the cup of death?

1. Self-sacrifice (1 John 3:16; Galatians 6:17; 2 Cor. 4:8-11)

- No cross = no leadership! Scars are the authenticating marks of a faithful disciple who leads. In John 20:20, it was the marks of Jesus that were proof of his leadership.

- Daily self-sacrifice is a must to lead in this ministry. You will bear the marks of sleepless nights, broken-heartedness, persecution, etc. Can you drink this cup?

2. Loneliness

- As you get to the summit, the cold gets colder, the wind stronger, and the burden of responsibilities heavier!

- Since the leader must always be ahead of his followers he lives with loneliness. Moses paid this price on the mountain being misunderstood by his followers. The prophets felt loneliness preaching unpopular messages at times. Everyone fled Paul in 2 Timothy 1:15. Jesus in the garden seeks the support of his disciples during one of the most overwhelming points in his ministry as he awaits the cross, and the disciples sleep on him. Jesus goes to his cross alone. 2 Cor. 1 says God is the God of all comfort, as a leader you will be a lone at times and must get your comfort from God.

3. Fatigue

- Someone once said, “The world is run by tired men.” The demands of leadership will wear you down. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 admonishes us to not lose heart. Outwardly we are wasting away, yet it is with God that the Christian find renewal (Isaiah 40:29-31).

- Jesus felt fatigued (John 4:6; Mark 5:30). It makes you tired physically and also emotionally. Jesus rose early and went to bed late. For me personally, I wake up early to have my time with God and take care of “business” type stuff for the church, by 11:00am I am on campus until 11pm at night working the crowds. Even with this hard work, the ministry has just begun to start moving. Are you willing to pay the price of tiredness?  Mediocracy is a result of never getting tired!

IV. Criticism

- No leader lives a day with out criticism. As a leader you put yourself out front as the main target. I constantly must remind myself that I am here to please God and not men (Galatians 1:10). Many have written horrible things about myself and my ministry on the Internet and I have to remember that I am following Christ the greatest leader of all time who was ultimately killed for what he believed in. Persecution and insult will come from those on the outside.

- Though, even harder is the criticism that comes towards the leader from those with-in the church. 1 Cor. 4:3-4 shows us that Paul didn’t care if he was judged by others, he was clear before God. Sometimes, people will constantly have the leader under a microscope just being critical. In humility we must bite our tongues acknowledge how they feel and move on. Brothers and sisters from the ICOC are perplexed with our motivating vision and need for another congregation and some have been critical. Are you willing to drink this cup and count this cost? God is who we please not men. The leader can’t be a conflict avoid-er or a people pleas-er.

V. Rejection

- “Christ came unto his own, and his own received him not.” There could come a time where a leader is rejected from his church for standing up for the truth. Is this a cost you could bear? I felt many feelings of rejection when I personally stood up for what God’s word said in Wichita, KS and my own family that originally taught me these convictions rejected me. It is a price one may have to pay one day leading.

VI. Pressure & Perplexity

A lot of times we think that the more mature we are in the Lord the easier it is to see God’s will and direction. Quite the opposite is true in fact, the more mature we are in the Lord the more God treats us as adults having to make our own decisions. There is no way to avoid pressure in leading, you are constantly faced with decisions you have to make. Are you in-decisive? 2 Corinthians 11:21-29 describes what Paul endured as a leader. Please read this passage and really pray over what you read. Sleepless nights, danger from false brothers, etc. plus the daily pressure felt from the churches.

VII. Relationships

- Those who are close to the leader must pay the price as well. Imagine the emotional pain Jesus’ family endured as he went to the cross. Whether you are married, have family, boyfriend/girlfriend, the cup spills over to these relationships. That is why it is so important that those who lead seek to date or marry someone who is willing to drink the cup of leadership as well. I myself have experienced failed relationships because of my role in God’s church when the other party wasn’t willing to drink the cup. Not only are you a target, but those close to you.

Hopefully you enjoyed my notes from this lesson I gave to our leaders d-group and will really consider, do I have what it takes to lead in God’s modern-day movement?

Three added to our number

The PICC Campus Ministry welcomes:

Cherise, Marcel, and Sabrina to our family!

“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.”
Jeremiah 23:3