"I wonder if fun is an attribute of God." Pastor Mark Drsicoll commented recently during a conference of well known pastors.

Well I don't know if fun can be labeled as an attribute of God theologically but I do know that God is OK with fun. Actually, I think that God is a big fan of fun!

I find that often people, within and without the Church, believers and nonbelievers, see God as the divine quencher of FUN. We think "He can't be for fun He has all these RULES" (and He does). We ponder how "I need to submit to Christ's Lordship; being a slave of God isn't fun" (and we DO need to see Christ as LORD). But neither of these realities of redemption require a failure to have fun and be fun.

Consider the wise words of the preacher who wrote the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes.
"Young people, enjoy yourselves while you are young; be happy while you are young. Do whatever your heart desires, whatever you want to do. But remember that God will judge you for everything you do." (Ecclesiastes 11:9 NCV).
Essentially the Holy Spirit inspired a verse that says "Have fun! Have as much fun as you can! But remember that God will hold you accountable for your wrongdoings."

God's rules and our fun are not two mutually exclusive things. In fact, I think they complement each other. I am a youth director at a small church. I spend almost all of my time with God and serving God. But I am having the most fun of my life! How is this possible? Knowing that God is pleased with me, His chosen and redeemed son, and choosing to love my God in return fuels my fun. My redeemed state gives me passion. It supplies me with joy. It drives me to love. And passion, joy, and love are FUN.

Four times in Scripture we read that we, God's people, need to "love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; and Luke 10:27 NASB).
Jesus said that "This is the great and foremost commandment" (Matthew 22:38 NASB). If we love God with all we are we are going to find following His commands easier than ever before.
Love brings joy and fun to obedience. And it frees us to have fun in all else.

I love Yahweh my God for many reasons. Chiefly I love Him because He is MY God and He has chosen me and redeemed me. I also love Him because He is BEAUTIFUL. He is the author of beauty and all beauty I see in life is a mere shadow of His glorious beauty. I take joy and have fun in all things in life knowing that these things show me little glimpses of my Creator.

Brother, sister, nonbeliever, are you having fun in chasing after God? If not, ask Him to change you, in Jesus name.

His blessing be on you!

Joshua Rystedt

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The Everyday Bible : New Century Version (Nashville, TN.: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005).

New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995)._

Empowered Witnessing Until the Kingdom Comes
How many of you are looking forward to Jesus coming back to earth?
Have you ever asked yourself when Jesus is coming back?
Do you think Jesus will come back soon (say, in your lifetime) or a long time from now (after you die, perhaps)?
If Jesus was coming back soon how would that effect your witnessing of Him?
If Jesus was coming back a long time from now how would that effect your witnessing of Him?
Acts 1:6-8 (NASB) "So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.'"
“When the kingdom comes is not our concern. What we do until it comes is: we are to be His witnesses.” (Dockery).
What else do you see in Acts 1:6-8 that has something to do with being a witness?
-     We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses and
-     We know that witnesses are needed everywhere.

Confessing Jesus before Men Because He Provides For Us
Read: Matthew 10:24-33.
What do you think it means to “confess” (NASB) the Son of Man?
“Confess” (NASB; Greek: ὁμολογέω “homologeō”) literally means “(of one mind); to speak the same, to agree” (NASB Dictionaries).
Will all Christians witness? How do you know this? See verses 32-33.
Does this passage offer any comfort to people who witness of Christ? What is it?
 “Disciples were to remember their great value to God the Father, and do His will without fear of men” (Richards and Richards).
Have you ever been afraid to “confess” (NASB) the Son of Man to your peers? When was that?
Next time you have an opportunity to confess Christ what comfort can you rely on (based on Acts 1:6-8 and Matthew 10:24-33)?
-     We have been given the power we need in order to be witnesses and
-     Jesus is providing for us even when men reject us.

Reporting What the Lord Has Done
What does it mean to “share your testimony”?
Read: Mark 5:1-20.
What was this man’s testimony?
Based on this passage what does it mean to share your testimony?
Sharing your testimony is as simple as telling someone what great things Jesus has done for you.
How hard would it be to do THAT with a friend?
Sometimes we get so caught up worrying about whether we are sharing the right verses or using the right illustration when it can be much simpler than that. We have been given the Holy Spirit to help us and God is providing for and protecting us. Often all we need to start with is sharing what God has done for us and then letting the Holy Spirit carry the conversation for us. Try sharing your testimony with a non-believer.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.