Category: Evangelism

Do you have a direction?


Leading a church, a home, and a blog about Jesus should be pretty easy to do. Sometimes..it is, and sometimes these don’t mix very well. Mainly because the “mixer” is out of sync or not plugged into the Source of Wisdom like he should be. The “mixer” of course is me! There are days and nights where things are going along pretty well. Then there are others which are not, for one reason or the other. Sometimes it is because of depression or apathy, sometimes it is because of my own physical pains and other problems which crop up from time to time.

When money is tight or maybe one of us is sick or we have to take the “fur-baby” to the vet’s office, all of these can put a cork in productivity. Life just gets in the way sometimes. There are many other distractions which get in the way, but you get the picture.  This is the time where each one of us needs to seek God’s Wisdom and His provision for our lives. I know it sounds like one of those answers that a pastor would give, but it is the truth! Man’s wisdom doesn’t fit the situation at times and sometimes our way of dealing with a problem, whatever it might be, just isn’t going to cut it.

The only One Who can help in every situation is God. He has the wisdom and the knowledge to help us IF we will seek Him out and listen to the wisdom that He gives to us. Most of the churches today seem to focus on numbers, at least the ministries which you see on television. Big churches and auditoriums, a band and lights…but that is not what Jesus told His disciples to do (they couldn’t since there wasn’t electricity at the time). Jesus said, “Go and make disciples”. That is what a walk with Jesus is and it is what a life with Jesus is supposed to be.

Going to church a couple of times each week and listening to the pastor read a scripture or maybe a chapter, expounding on its meaning for each person there is not the way to make disciples. Leading them through the Bible into an understanding of it and the meaning of it is the function of the pastor and the disciples too. If the pastor is the only one reading and praying about what he reads in order to understand it, then the members of the church are being left behind. They hear what he says in the sermon, but do they really think about it, praying about its meaning for their lives?

I would think that many people don’t even remember which scripture was read by the time they get home from church. If you are to become a disciple of Jesus with the ability to take the scripture with you every day, then you need to read and study it every day. Just attending a service or two each week and then closing the Bible the rest of the time will not write the scripture in your heart. The reason for reading and studying the Bible should be that it is meaningful to your life! It has to be the guiding wisdom of your daily walk with Jesus, otherwise, it is just a book.

RomanRoad2Salvation

Why go to church?


Sometimes you hear this from people, usually young people, who have been brought to church most of their lives. When they get to college age or at least 18, they think that they really don’t need it anymore. The problem is that in college or at a job you will be exposed to other ways of thinking and other philosophies which may not line up with what you were taught in church at a young age. Some of what you will hear in college will be totally opposite and even opposed to the idea of God. So…why should you go to church? Because family is important, especially to God!

Good deedsWhether you have accepted Jesus as your Savior or not, the church is a family. An extended family, but a family nonetheless. Why do I call the church a family? Because we are linked to each other by the blood of Jesus our Savior! Through Him we are adopted into God’s family, we are joint heirs with Christ! The idea of the church being your family isn’t so far-fetched because it is in the Bible, just follow the link above!

Each one of us has a job to do in God’s Kingdom, particularly if you have given your heart to Him and asked Jesus into your life, if you haven’t then you need Him now more than ever! Why do I say it that way? Because we are coming to the end of the age, as Jesus put it, and you don’t really have much time. It may be another five or ten years yet, but when the Tribulation begins it will be even harder for people to become Christians. Not impossible mind you, but much harder because the world will be much more abusive of Christians at that time, to the point of killing them if they don’t take the mark of the antiChrist who will be ruling the world.

Why come to church? Because if you don’t know Jesus already, then you need to get to know Him soon! It is much easier to get to know Jesus among people who already know Him than it is to find out about Him from those who don’t even know Who He is. Don’t waste your life living without Him because eternity only comes to those who know Jesus as their Savior. Others who die without Him will live into eternity…but in anguish and pain because they didn’t know Him in this life.

God has given us all the ability to know Him and be known by Him if we will believe in Him and follow Him in our life. Living through Jesus and with Him in our lives each day is not hard to do, but you have to determine to do so. Even if you are a Christian and believe in Jesus, taking Him with you into the world is something which you have to determine to do, as Jesus said “take up your cross daily and follow Me“.

Do you have Jesus in your heart as your Savior? If you have believed in Him for salvation and asked His forgiveness in your sinful life then you do have Him. But walking in His ways and living by His statutes and teachings is part of the life of a Christian which each of us has to decide to do each day. It doesn’t happen automatically and it isn’t easy to do, yet many people think that they do this every day, even when they don’t. Read God’s Word and find your life and your purpose in Him, then determine to walk in Him and in His strength each day.

Why worry?


Good deedsJesus told His disciples not to worry about tomorrow or about things which you have no control over, so why do we do it? During my life I have noticed that we tend to worry about things which are just out of our reach and our control and it seems to be just part of the human condition to do so. Worry serves no real purpose except to spur us on toward attempting to fix different problems.

Occasionally, fretting about something will help us to seek the solution, maybe even give us a bit of insight into an eternal solution for our real problem. What about when your anxiety turns into something which almost feels like you could be a killer? What do you do then? At this point I think we should step back and read in the Psalms for a while, clear your head and your soul of the negative emotion which anxiety can bring on and just meditate on God’s Word.

Why is that important? Because, God’s Word can heal your mind and open your heart to His grace and mercy. That’s why it is important to keep His Word close to you and read it when you are having problems, no matter what the size of the problem! Anxiety and worry are two sides of the same coin and they are both concerned with things which you can’t control. Some of those worrisome thoughts are of a kind which can derail almost any plan.

But, God is faithful to heal your mind and shield you from the enemy if you will keep your part of the equation going. By that I mean reading His Word and meditating on it every day, particularly when things aren’t going the way they should.

God loves each of us and for those who have given their hearts to Jesus, we have access to His strength and His comfort through whatever life may put in our paths. Will it make life easier? No, it will make some things harder to do because Satan and his demons will try to stop you or place things in your pathway to slow you down. When you are a Christian, the world does not like you. Satan hates you because you belong to Jesus now and you may cause other people to become Christians too.

Each of us has a part to play, just as each part of your body does its part to work and run together effectively. Each one of us is capable of doing that in the body of Christ while we are doing His will in our lives. The only way that we can do these things for God’s Kingdom is to allow Him to work through us, every day. No matter where you may work or what you do, do it as if you were doing it for Jesus.

Don’t get discouraged because of bills or your health, just pray about them and give them to Jesus. Let Him work in your life, in your bills and in your health and in His time to bring about His solution for you. Don’t get ahead of Him and don’t try to do it for Him either because, even though that is hard to do, if you do try to do it for Him, your solution will fail because you didn’t let Him do the work.

What is your comfort zone?


Many of us have one and sometimes it extends to the point of making someone else uncomfortable. Is that your comfort zone? Would you extend your own story into someone’s life if they asked you about your life? What if they just wanted to start a conversation? Would you listen to them or would you walk away or make an excuse to get away from them?

VineandBranchesWe are tasked with getting out of our comfort zones each day. Some of us more than others, but at some point we do step out of our “zone” during the day either at work or at the grocery store on an airplane or a bus. We will come into contact with a person who needs to hear something from us and that is where the voice of God speaks up and tells us to talk to that person or this one!

Are you comfortable enough to say something to them? Will you say what God wants to say to them? Regardless of your feelings about talking to people, God has given you a voice to use for Him, so do that. While it is true that many of us are introverts and like to spend the day away from people, some of us don’t have that luxury. God loves you and the person sitting next to you on the plane or the bus. He also loves the drunk who is passed out on the corner and the lady who is pushing an old buggy around with all of her possessions in it.

Will you talk to them? Pray about it and if the chance comes up, don’t hesitate, tell them what Jesus did for you and for them too. It doesn’t take a long, King James prayer, just one like, “Lord, give me the words to say. Amen”, will be sufficient. That is the same prayer that I pray when I begin writing here! Surely you don’t think I have come up with all of this on my own? I am not that good!!

I don’t claim to be a prophet or some Old Testament-type writer, but I do ask that God give the words which He knows are needed and necessary for our world and those who might read them here. Are you comfortable with telling others about your Savior? You should be. Why do I say that? Because I was very shy when I was much younger, and when I began preaching about seven years ago I was still shy. But, for the most part, God has helped me to get over that.

I don’t mean that I would be comfortable preaching before a huge crowd, but I am a lot more comfortable than I used to be.

We are capable of doing more for God’s Kingdom than we realize, if we will let Him use us in this ministry. Sometimes we just have to step outside our own comfort zone in order to be useful in the ministry which He knows that we can do.

Too many distractions


.In the past, almost two decades (just shy by ~2 years), we have seen and are still seeing that distractions like texting, game play (virtual and connected through cell towers), console games and computer games are taking our millennial generation. They are not paying much attention to real life! It is true that some of them are paying attention, but it seems that the majority that get our attention on the news as spoiled brats are exactly that!

They are distracted from real life and don’t care to study real history and actual English as a language. Too much emphasis on abbreviations and shortcuts from texting is to blame as well as our education system which allows this. What has happened to discipline and character in education and in our children? In my opinion, it began to erode away when prayer and study of the Bible was taken out of the classroom. When prayer was taken out in 1963, the morals and the character of our teachers and their students began a very long slide downhill and it hasn’t stopped yet.

God has not stopped caring for us even though we have pushed Him as far away as we can. Truly, it is time that we got back to learning why the Pilgrims came to America in the first place. It is also time that we studied the Bible, not just as a historical document but as a standard by which our lives should be patterned. Before anyone shouts out that women were not allowed a voice and slavery was deemed as acceptable, I am not saying that any of that should be brought into view. I am speaking of the moral teachings from God’s Word and the lessons learned from the New Testament and Jesus’ disciples. Those are the more important and useful areas that our education system needs today!

For many years, the Bible was the main textbook used in schools until it was pushed aside in the late 1800’s. Although, it did survive as a classroom text into the mid twentieth century, it was finally taken out of the classroom and largely out of family life except for those who attend church occasionally. We need to get back to learning about and knowing God as our Savior and as our Teacher as well!

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Our God is forgiving and loving and willing to come to our aid if we will acknowledge that we have sinned by pushing Him away and repent of that terrible sin, then seek Him out as our God and our Savior, learning to follow Him in all that we do. But, today our world on the Internet and social media and in the news despises Him and His Son, Jesus. Any mention of Jesus will almost get you arrested today and I never thought I would live to see that day come.

Our world, not just everywhere else, but here in America is becoming a dangerous place for people who believe in Jesus. Have you noticed that? You can claim to worship a tree or a fish or a little fat man or even just claim that you are your own god, and everyone seems to be fine with that! But…if you claim to pray to the God of the Bible or believe in Jesus the Christ, our Messiah, then you have crossed the line into dangerous territory. Nobody wants to hear that nonsense! How dare you bring up the name of God or Jesus in public!

It is a shame that it hasn’t been brought up many, many times before! For over fifty years we have been pushing God away and out of our schools and out of public life and display and quite frankly if it doesn’t come to an end then the world itself will. God is a patient Creator, this much is very true. He has allowed us to go farther than the world did in Adam’s day and by Noah’s time, which wasn’t very far apart, God had enough. We have been fortunate that He hasn’t had enough far sooner than now. The only real reason which has kept Him from acting on our stupidity and arrogance was His promise to the Jewish people.

He had promised to bring them back into their land and after nearly two millennia He did exactly that! Then they regained control over Jerusalem in 1967, fifty years ago this year. His promises to them are the reason His patience has lasted so long, so yes we are fortunate indeed.

I pray that anyone reading this will seek Him out, not as a learning experience, but humbly and with a contrite heart. Leave your distractions behind, whatever they may be, and follow Jesus because He is the only Savior of mankind. Anything or anyone else is a fake and a liar.

What do you need?


In truth that is the WRONG QUESTION!! It is not what do you need or how much money do you need, but Who do you need? Is it that hard to understand? It is Jesus the Christ that our world needs! Every country, every individual, NEEDS Jesus in their life! Why do they not know about Him as their Savior? It is because of us.

Americans claim to be Christians but our society and the culture,which every other country sees evidence of in the news, does not show that our country and our people truly are Christians!

It is because of our collective claim of being Christian but it has a faulty proof.

We have come to think or believe that just because we are born into a family which goes to church that we are Christians. Some think that because they have attended church most or all of their lives, they are Christians. Christianity does not come to each of us because of osmosis or proximity. Each of us is called by God through interaction with the Holy Spirit and by faith as well.

The person and nature of Jesus is the One that came to save us and He put His nature as God the Son aside to do this. That is something that we don’t understand because our needs or rather our wants are not centered around being disciples of Jesus, which is what we are actually called to do.

Although, in being disciples we are supposed to be more like Jesus too. What do I mean by that? I mean that we are supposed to tell others about Jesus at work, in Walmart, on the street if the opportunity presents itself. In other words, we are supposed to take Jesus with us and be His witness to every person that we meet. If we don’t know them, then we should get to know them.

I don’t mean to be pushy about it and don’t act like a street preacher yelling at people, but if or when the opportunity arises then tell them what Jesus did for you. God sent Jesus to all people and when Jesus told His disciples to go into all of the world and preach the gospel, He meant ALL OF THE WORLD! Good places and places you might not feel comfortable with, but if you take another believer with you then Jesus is there in the midst of it with you too!

Life places us in places where we are comfortable and uncomfortable, when it does then tell anyone who might listen about your Lord and Savior. If it is at work or school or wherever it might be, then make sure that Jesus is there with you. If you aren’t carrying Him out of the church, then what good is your faith and your Christianity doing in this world?

Who is God?


The Prayer of Dedication

22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 23He said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 24who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day. 25“Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.’ 26“Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray, be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

27“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! 28“Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; 29 that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 30“Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive. (1 Kings 8:22-30)

God is the only Creator and Redeemer that we have to turn to in life. There is no man or beast or any created thing which can take His place. Anyone who thinks themselves to be “god of their own life” and they believe that God does not exist, then let them tell Him that He doesn’t exist. How do they believe that this will be possible?

Not believing in God doesn’t make Him or His power and majesty of no effect. Neither does it cause Him to allow you to enter into Heaven, since you are determined not to believe in the One Who created you. Atheist’s have determined in our country to get rid of any mention of God or His Word or anything which might be seen as pointing people toward becoming believers. Why?

They do not have anything against any other religion, nor do they keep other religions from telling people about their religion. Why so much hostility toward the Bible and the God mentioned in it? Because they know that this is the truth and the only Truth available to grant salvation to anyone who believes, that is why they don’t want it in schools or police stations or government buildings. If there were scriptures from the Koran or any other religion present in those places, nothing would be said about that.

The reason for this is that the Bible and its wisdom is absolute. There aren’t any flexible decrees in its pages. The world, whether they are religious to one degree or another or not, hates absolute Truth. They can’t dispute it, yet they cannot deny it either. Water is wet, the sun is hot, gravity works very well…all of these things they can “explain” with science. But when a disease is cured for no explainable reason or someone recovers from a horrific accident or comatose state and doctors can’t explain how or why…it makes people nervous.

If you feel any need at all for God in your life, I urge you to seek Him soon. Our time on Earth is coming to an end. The rest of the world doesn’t see this, many have not read the book of Revelation and realized that it is prophecy which is being fulfilled almost on a daily basis. Don’t wait until the Anti-Christ and the World Order takes over and requires an implant or mark on your hand or head to buy food! Seek Jesus and give your life to Him while you can and before the Bible is banned as a hate filled book!

Words and meanings


There are many different ways to say things, particularly in our media driven world today. Although you need to be careful of the things that you say in certain places, whether it is on social media sites or commenting on news sites, even in sending an email. Words once spoken cannot be unspoken or taken back, so the hurt that they cause can be just as devastating as a bomb and the damage can be lingering as well. Pastors and politicians have to consider this as well as teens and young adults. Small children say things which are hurtful at times but they don’t understand why it is hurtful.

All of us should realize that is the reason which God gave us two ears and one mouth and tongue. We should listen twice as much as we speak, but also we should consider (think about) what we will say before we say it, if possible. This is a failing which humanity has had since the beginning of spoken language and it really hasn’t changed much since that time.

The truth which we have access to in God’s Word is also littered with words and phrases which we should take as God’s wisdom and incorporate into our life. Learning about God and about His promises is not enough. Just as learning about history is not enough, we need to retain it so that the mistakes which were made in the past are not repeated in the future. We are given a very unusual task which is to tell others about salvation. Not so much for our life and being but for their eternity.

Telling others about Jesus and the offer of salvation is something which Christians should do just as easily as breathing, yet most of us shy away from it as if it causes us pain. Why is that? If you had something spectacular to happen in your life which didn’t involve religion or Jesus, wouldn’t you shout it out to nearly everyone you know? Some of us wouldn’t, by many would.

As Christians, believers in Jesus and His atonement for us, we have been given the most wonderful gift imaginable…the gift of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life! No amount of money, gold, silver or otherwise precious stones or metal can compare to those gifts which we are recipients of! Although, we can’t produce something tangible to show others if they ask about the reason for our joy in Christ, it still needs to be a conversation starter.

Here is a sampling of Scriptures which detail the path to salvation, I pray that you will consider it and become a child of God soon:

1. We must acknowledge God as the Creator of everything, accepting our humble position in God’s created order and purpose. Romans 1:20-21

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

2. We must realize that we are sinners and that we need forgiveness. None of us are worthy under God’s standards. Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”

3. God gave us the way to be forgiven of our sins. He showed us His love by giving us the potential for life through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

4. If we remain sinners, we will die. However, if we repent of our sins, and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will have eternal life. Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

5. Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you are saved. Romans 10:9-10

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

6. There are no other religious formulas or rituals. Just call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved! Romans 10:13

“For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

7. Determine in your heart to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life today. Romans 11:36

The writer of this letter to the Roman church, Paul, was a persecutor of the faith which the disciples had after Jesus was resurrected. He put some in prison and at other times he stood by while the believers were stoned to death. Until his conversion by Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was known as Saul but afterward he changed his name to Paul and became the greatest missionary of the New Testament church. We should try to follow his example.

God does answer prayer!


Time and time again I have heard some people say that “God doesn’t care, He doesn’t answer prayers anymore!”, and with an angry tone they walk away and likely never come back to Bible study or church. Yes, He does answer prayer! He may not answer it the way you want Him to, but He does answer prayer. I have been praying for someone for the past hour or so to have a safe trip and they called and told me they are at their destination, so He does answer prayers!

I know some of you will say that my prayer didn’t count. They were being a good driver so they made it just fine. Maybe so, but I choose to believe that God and His angels had a hand or hands in the outcome of that trip!

Prayers are answered in all sorts of ways. Some are answered when there is a good outcome for a medical test or procedure. Some are answered when a cancer or other disease goes away or can’t be found later and the doctor can’t explain it. God answers your prayers for strength and hope in a time of sorrow and pain. Prayer is answered when a baby is born or when you find your keys that were lost.

God cares about the outcome of your life, every day and if you ask Himnots in your life to be a part of your day in a small way or a big one, He will be! Don’t discount His presence just because you can’t see Him or feel His touch, if you are a Christian or you are thinking about becoming a Christian, He is always nearby. You are never truly alone because HE is EVERYWHERE!

Give God a chance in your life. He can be strength for you, He can answer prayers in positive ways, He can be the friend who sticks closer than a brother, He is your Creator and Savior if you will let Him be.

Games


ArcadegavesIf you know a teenager or have one still hanging out at home, then you know about their fascination with games. Mostly electronic games like the ones played on portable devices, cell phones, game consoles, etc. If you can get one to try a game of Magic the Gathering cards and sit down and play it, then good for you as long as they have their own money to put into this.

I played video games back in the days of arcades, early ’80’s and late ’70’s. Yes, I am old. The thing is, I liked playing those old arcade games because they were challenging even then. You were trying to get as many points as possible in the time allotted for your quarter. Some of us were pretty good, some of us just lost money depending on when game we were playing. Some of the games I played at an arcade in the Metro-Center, I didn’t care how much money I played out…it was FUN!

Why bring up games on a site which normally has posts about Jesus and His love for us? Because, it doesn’t matter if you play games in the real world or if you are playing in a virtual world, He still loves you and He wants you to know about it. Games, for the most part, are not going to point you in the direction of Jesus or the Bible. They show you how to use fictional weapons in fantastic battles or something like that. But…consider the battles that are mentioned in the Bible.

Samson killed a lion with his bare hands and carried of the doors of a walled city on his shoulders. He even killed one thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass! Then there is David when he went to fight Goliath and he did it with five smooth stones from the river. He only needed one to kill Goliath, so I guess the other four would have been for his brothers. So, what is my point in bringing games into a Bible study website? My point is this: if you have to use a game to get someone interested in the Word of God, then do it!

God does have a sense of humor after all. Consider the look on the Philistine’s faces when Goliath fell and that Hebrew boy took his sword and removed his head from his body! Some preachers have said that the other four stones that David was carrying were for Goliath’s brothers…maybe but then again maybe not.

There are too many people in our country and our nation, not just in Mississippi, who don’t know Jesus. This is unacceptable! Why? Because it has been almost two thousand years since Jesus gave the order to go and tell all of creation about the gospel. What happened? It shouldn’t take two thousand years to tell the whole world about the Love of God and salvation through Jesus!!

Everyone should know about Him, but many don’t want to hear the story with their spiritual ears and take Him into their hearts. The Truth of God’s love is offensive to some people and its Truth is too because they can’t refute it and they can’t really ignore it. It is the offense which pushes some people away from the church.

Sometimes, it is because of our hypocrisy as sinners, even though we are forgiven by the blood of Jesus, that many will refuse to even come to church. Being judged by those outside the church is a very hard thing. Just as someone deciding that a game is “bad” or “good” is a judgement of one kind or another, we shouldn’t hold a grudge or some other judgement against a church because of one or two people in a church, but many do this at times.

God holds us as Christians responsible for the knowledge and the Light that we have been given by our study in His Word and in learning about Him. The more we have, the more we are responsible for. Knowing about Jesus and living your life the way He taught us to is how we are to live. If you are doing anything other than this after professing that you know Jesus and you have Him in your heart, then you may want to look in the Bible for proof that you are a Christian.

I pray that I am not standing near the throne of Grace one day and one of my friends or one of those that I preached to is standing there and Jesus says “Depart from Me, I never knew you!”.