Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them... Jude 1:23 (Living)
Jesus exhorts us to go, and tell others about His saving grace, the free gift of the forgiveness of our sins, and eternal life (a relationship with Him now and a future in Heaven)! As it turns out, we do approach people in different ways. And by observation, I see that different people bring the Gospel to others with different mindsets... and this is okay!
You know, some people like to look at things analytically, and categorize what they see from either the feminine or masculine side of things. Well, here it is for you in the book of Jude. "...by snatching them as from the very flames of hell itself." Here we see the masculine, paternal angle of sharing Jesus and the Gospel with others...
We do it because 1) Jesus told us to! 2) It's our job, it's our responsibility! ...We have to do it! 3) Even though sometimes it may feel awkward - we do it anyway because it must be done! 4) We see certain people as half-way in hell already - they need Jesus ASAP or their life will be ruined and destroyed by their life-style, sin, habits, and bondages!
"...And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them..." Now here's the feminine, maternal angle. We bring others to Jesus because 1) We love them! 2) We have compassion on them and feel for their pain, problems, and lost-ness! 3) Even though they worsen their own situations and run from the truth and God, yet like a mother with her own child, we will give whatever it takes of our time, money, and efforts to assist in their rescue and blessing! 4) We want them to experience all of the goodness of God that we ourselves do!
Whatever your tendency in "evangelism"... as the Apostle Paul inferred in the book of Philippians: It doesn't always matter how you do it, but that it is getting done, is the important thing! Let's all do more of it!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Baptism in January
There is no greater way to enjoy a frigid winter morning then to have a water baptism! Brrrrrrr! Well, we did have it indoors, in a heated "pool"! It was exciting yesterday to see four people baptized. A teen and pre-teen (brothers; Jesus' first disciples were actually several sets of brothers), a mother of three, a man in his mid-forties.
Baptism is about people making a statement! It is not saying, "After some consideration, I have decided to be religious". But, just as water is real, just as getting wet is real... getting dunked under water is not just a thought process... it is something that really, actually happens to you! And so, baptism is saying to everyone, "God has really done something in my life... and I want it to continue"!
Whether it is experiencing Divine deliverance from substance abuse, as one shared yesterday, or knowing that God has been with you and has worked "miracles" in your life, both large and small , or that the Lord Jesus has made Himself known to you, and as a result is very real to you... sharing this with others is what baptism is about!
Baptism is about people making a statement! It is not saying, "After some consideration, I have decided to be religious". But, just as water is real, just as getting wet is real... getting dunked under water is not just a thought process... it is something that really, actually happens to you! And so, baptism is saying to everyone, "God has really done something in my life... and I want it to continue"!
Whether it is experiencing Divine deliverance from substance abuse, as one shared yesterday, or knowing that God has been with you and has worked "miracles" in your life, both large and small , or that the Lord Jesus has made Himself known to you, and as a result is very real to you... sharing this with others is what baptism is about!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Problems Like an Armed Bandit!
We have all heard people say, "What have I done to deserve all these problems and awful circumstances."
Well, we know that sometimes the answer to that can be very complex! Sometimes tragedy and trouble come from a circumstance of "chance". Meaning, those things just happen in this world, and people just stumble into them. From a Biblical perspective, sometimes these things are assaults from the devil. Many times "bad" things happen because people are imperfect and make mistakes. Instead of hitting the brakes, they stomp on the gas! This is just a matter of human error; there is no mystical interpretation to it.
Today in Proverbs 24:30-34, we see yet another possible cause: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. (34) and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. [33-34]
Here we find a spiritual law that we all must be aware of. People find themselves in the midst of overwhelming, devastating, avalanche type problems, and think "where did this come from"?
This lazy man in proverbs thought to himself, "I just want to take a little nap". "Hold on a minute, I just need a little rest". "I'll be there in a while, I just need to take a little break." And he later found out that all the "little" did not simply add up to a small pile of little, but it multiplied exponentially into an overwhelming amount of too much to handle and to deal with - IT PUT HIM "COMPLETELY UNDER!"
This falls into the law of sowing and reaping. What you sow is what you reap, and what you reap comes back multiplied many times! Theoretically speaking, if you sow three tiny apple seeds, you do not reap three apples. You reap three trees of apples that will multiply into hundreds of apples per year - indefinitely. So it would be very strange to us that twenty years down the road a man would look up to the sky and ask, "where did all these apples come from, I only planted three tiny seeds?"
The tricky thing that we witness in today's proverb is, that with spiritual things (good and evil, sin and ungodliness) it doesn't always take the "twenty years" (as with apple trees) to come abruptly into one's life... it can come very, very swiftly... and what is even more complexing is; the person can forget or be cognitively unaware that they ever even sowed the three tiny "apple seeds"!
The tendency is for people to think, "I just sin a little", "I just committed a tiny evil, a tiny wrong, it's done, it's no big deal - life goes on." However, the reality is, that if you don't take those things to God, get them forgiven, washed away by the blood of Jesus, and surgically remove them out of existence through faith, prayer and the Word of God - they can come crashing back into your life, breaking down your door with "guns blazing" just like an "armed bandit"!
Now, the very exciting and good news about this law is this... the seemingly "little things" that we do as we serve God, and love others, these too will get multiplied together exponentially and then suddenly come back into our lives for our salvation, deliverance, and blessing! A little + a Little + a little does not = 3 littles! It equals more like 3 to the hundredth power!!
One example of this is ; if we sow into the Kingdom of God, only a very small 10% of our income, we are promised to receive back into our lives, more than we can possibly contain within our earthly storehouses (Malachi) -- NOT BAD! So just expect these good things to happen to you - just all of a sudden!
Well, we know that sometimes the answer to that can be very complex! Sometimes tragedy and trouble come from a circumstance of "chance". Meaning, those things just happen in this world, and people just stumble into them. From a Biblical perspective, sometimes these things are assaults from the devil. Many times "bad" things happen because people are imperfect and make mistakes. Instead of hitting the brakes, they stomp on the gas! This is just a matter of human error; there is no mystical interpretation to it.
Today in Proverbs 24:30-34, we see yet another possible cause: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. (34) and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. [33-34]
Here we find a spiritual law that we all must be aware of. People find themselves in the midst of overwhelming, devastating, avalanche type problems, and think "where did this come from"?
This lazy man in proverbs thought to himself, "I just want to take a little nap". "Hold on a minute, I just need a little rest". "I'll be there in a while, I just need to take a little break." And he later found out that all the "little" did not simply add up to a small pile of little, but it multiplied exponentially into an overwhelming amount of too much to handle and to deal with - IT PUT HIM "COMPLETELY UNDER!"
This falls into the law of sowing and reaping. What you sow is what you reap, and what you reap comes back multiplied many times! Theoretically speaking, if you sow three tiny apple seeds, you do not reap three apples. You reap three trees of apples that will multiply into hundreds of apples per year - indefinitely. So it would be very strange to us that twenty years down the road a man would look up to the sky and ask, "where did all these apples come from, I only planted three tiny seeds?"
The tricky thing that we witness in today's proverb is, that with spiritual things (good and evil, sin and ungodliness) it doesn't always take the "twenty years" (as with apple trees) to come abruptly into one's life... it can come very, very swiftly... and what is even more complexing is; the person can forget or be cognitively unaware that they ever even sowed the three tiny "apple seeds"!
The tendency is for people to think, "I just sin a little", "I just committed a tiny evil, a tiny wrong, it's done, it's no big deal - life goes on." However, the reality is, that if you don't take those things to God, get them forgiven, washed away by the blood of Jesus, and surgically remove them out of existence through faith, prayer and the Word of God - they can come crashing back into your life, breaking down your door with "guns blazing" just like an "armed bandit"!
Now, the very exciting and good news about this law is this... the seemingly "little things" that we do as we serve God, and love others, these too will get multiplied together exponentially and then suddenly come back into our lives for our salvation, deliverance, and blessing! A little + a Little + a little does not = 3 littles! It equals more like 3 to the hundredth power!!
One example of this is ; if we sow into the Kingdom of God, only a very small 10% of our income, we are promised to receive back into our lives, more than we can possibly contain within our earthly storehouses (Malachi) -- NOT BAD! So just expect these good things to happen to you - just all of a sudden!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
People Don't Accept Me?
I find that many people have this feeling, that - others do not accept them. It's like a haunting! Everywhere they go, others react this way towards them... and they constantly are picking up signs and signals of rejection, or derision.
It's also an inward sense and an unshakable feeling that, "others think they are better than me, and this is the way I feel too, and it is very difficult to escape it... this is emotionally crippling!"
These feelings then develop into reasonings that..."Well, it's because we weren't rich growing up." "...my parents were divorced." "...My skin color." "...I'm from this neighborhood." "I'm from this ethnicity." "I'm not talented at this... or that." And although it is true that people can be cruel and verbally put others down for these reasons...
Some people automatically take the stand that, if around others they "feel uncomfortable" or intimidated, the other person is "looking down" at them. But have you ever considered that it may not be the other person. It may just be the way you feel?
People can become obsessed and driven by these feelings to the point that if everyone, or at least someone, is not constantly telling them that they are accepted (or praising or complementing them), they feel that they are not!
We can help people with this! Though, I don't think that it is healthy just to shower someone, in a patronizing way, with praise and complements... yet I think that showing people sincere love, compassion, and friendship can go a long way as salve to their souls! Or, do most people have these feelings?
It's also an inward sense and an unshakable feeling that, "others think they are better than me, and this is the way I feel too, and it is very difficult to escape it... this is emotionally crippling!"
These feelings then develop into reasonings that..."Well, it's because we weren't rich growing up." "...my parents were divorced." "...My skin color." "...I'm from this neighborhood." "I'm from this ethnicity." "I'm not talented at this... or that." And although it is true that people can be cruel and verbally put others down for these reasons...
Some people automatically take the stand that, if around others they "feel uncomfortable" or intimidated, the other person is "looking down" at them. But have you ever considered that it may not be the other person. It may just be the way you feel?
People can become obsessed and driven by these feelings to the point that if everyone, or at least someone, is not constantly telling them that they are accepted (or praising or complementing them), they feel that they are not!
We can help people with this! Though, I don't think that it is healthy just to shower someone, in a patronizing way, with praise and complements... yet I think that showing people sincere love, compassion, and friendship can go a long way as salve to their souls! Or, do most people have these feelings?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Baptism
Wow, it is super exciting talking about Christian Baptism!
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matt 3:11 (NIV)
This picture of being enveloped, surrounded and filled with God, The Holy Spirit, and the Kingdom of God... is the fulfillment that every human being is looking for (realize it or not)!
I really believe the statement discussed Sunday; "If you have truly 'tasted' of God, you want to be filled with Him. If you have truly 'tasted' of the Spirit, you want to be filled with Him. If you have truly 'tasted' of the Kingdom of God, you want to be filled with it!"
I remember when I was baptized many years ago. It was a very exciting time, and event! However, I wish that I had seen this concept (of being filled, enveloped, and immersed in God) at that time - WOW!
This is another thing that I love about walking with Jesus; just as we see in the Bible, He allows us to enjoy these wonderful epics, experiences, and events forever to be remembered and cherished in our own lives!
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matt 3:11 (NIV)
This picture of being enveloped, surrounded and filled with God, The Holy Spirit, and the Kingdom of God... is the fulfillment that every human being is looking for (realize it or not)!
I really believe the statement discussed Sunday; "If you have truly 'tasted' of God, you want to be filled with Him. If you have truly 'tasted' of the Spirit, you want to be filled with Him. If you have truly 'tasted' of the Kingdom of God, you want to be filled with it!"
I remember when I was baptized many years ago. It was a very exciting time, and event! However, I wish that I had seen this concept (of being filled, enveloped, and immersed in God) at that time - WOW!
This is another thing that I love about walking with Jesus; just as we see in the Bible, He allows us to enjoy these wonderful epics, experiences, and events forever to be remembered and cherished in our own lives!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
In Today's Proverb:
"...boasting is looking for trouble." Proverbs 17:19 (Living)
It seems that the love way is for a person to be humble, but to exalt others.
I understand it something distasteful for someone to go around bragging on themselves all the time.
According to the above proverb, one thing it does is, stirs up resentment and envy from others. People look at you differently (in a negative way).
I guess, some people just feel like they are letting others know their own value and worth?
When folks brag... are they thinking to themselves. "I am bragging right now"??
There are others who seem to actually inspire others by building up themselves?
But I wonder if people who constantly brag on themselves are taken seriously by others?
This is the real danger for these folks; do they lose credibility in the eyes of others?
Got any thoughts?
It seems that the love way is for a person to be humble, but to exalt others.
I understand it something distasteful for someone to go around bragging on themselves all the time.
According to the above proverb, one thing it does is, stirs up resentment and envy from others. People look at you differently (in a negative way).
I guess, some people just feel like they are letting others know their own value and worth?
When folks brag... are they thinking to themselves. "I am bragging right now"??
There are others who seem to actually inspire others by building up themselves?
But I wonder if people who constantly brag on themselves are taken seriously by others?
This is the real danger for these folks; do they lose credibility in the eyes of others?
Got any thoughts?
Friday, January 16, 2009
Instruction: It feels good!
Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. Proverbs 16:20 (NIV)
Success in every area of life is gained through the knowledge and wisdom of God!
Many times this wisdom will come through others sharing with us what they have learned and gained = "instruction".
Doesn't it feel awesome to receive instruction from the wisdom gained from others?
Have you seen those who refuse instruction? Here is their logic:
1) I am not aware of what I lack or do not know.
2) I am not aware of what I am "missing" or what I am doing wrong.
3) Therefore, I know everything, and am doing everything right.
Do you find this scary?
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