Mark 5:18-20
“As he (Jesus) was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.”
I read this scripture this morning and was encouraged and reminded that when I am with family and friends, both Christian and non Christian, I must speak of what the LORD has done for me and how he has had mercy on me!
Showing posts with label evangelism; sharing the gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label evangelism; sharing the gospel. Show all posts
Friday, September 12, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Psalm 68:1-3
“God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered. And those who hate Him shall flee before Him! As smoke is driven away, so shall you drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!
BUT the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!”
Yesterday, Dennis and I attended a get together in our neighborhood to come around a woman whose father died last week. The hostess of this gathering said a prayer before she asked our neighbor to tell us a bit about her dad. The prayer went as follows: “Please receive this man Lord because he was good.” My heart was so sad as I heard what is obviously her belief… that if one is “good” they will be in the presence of God forever.
I silently prayed for my friend and my other neighbors that God would draw them to Christ in faith and repentance and into a knowledge of the truth. As Dennis and I were walking home I said to Dennis, “I am SO glad that I do not have to stand before the Lord one day based on MY goodness!” He responded with the same words. Then I read the above scripture this morning.
It is going to be a sad, sad, day when those who are not clothed in the righteousness of Christ have to stand before God and be judged. They will not be able to stand before him based on their righteousness, their goodness. BUT the righteous, will be able to be jubilant with joy before God and exult because the Christian is standing before Him based on the righteousness of Christ that has been credited to them!!!!!
I am able to be jubilant with joy before God because I have no fear. I have no fear of His judgment because I am in Christ and I am judged by Christ”s righteousness for I have NONE of my own and ALL of Christ's!
My short interaction with my neighbors yesterday and then reading this scripture this morning has done two things for me:
1. I am thankful for the mercies of God upon my life and for calling me to Him, for opening my eyes with faith to believe and repent of my sins. I am thankful that the righteousness that God demands of me was given to me by HIMSELF!
AND
2. A renewed resolve to pray for my neighbors and family and friends who do not know JESUS! I don’t want them to have to flee from GOD and perish before HIM! They will not know the gospel unless they hear the gospel!!! May God give me favor with my neighbors and develop relationships so I may share Christ with them!
“God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered. And those who hate Him shall flee before Him! As smoke is driven away, so shall you drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!
BUT the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!”
Yesterday, Dennis and I attended a get together in our neighborhood to come around a woman whose father died last week. The hostess of this gathering said a prayer before she asked our neighbor to tell us a bit about her dad. The prayer went as follows: “Please receive this man Lord because he was good.” My heart was so sad as I heard what is obviously her belief… that if one is “good” they will be in the presence of God forever.
I silently prayed for my friend and my other neighbors that God would draw them to Christ in faith and repentance and into a knowledge of the truth. As Dennis and I were walking home I said to Dennis, “I am SO glad that I do not have to stand before the Lord one day based on MY goodness!” He responded with the same words. Then I read the above scripture this morning.
It is going to be a sad, sad, day when those who are not clothed in the righteousness of Christ have to stand before God and be judged. They will not be able to stand before him based on their righteousness, their goodness. BUT the righteous, will be able to be jubilant with joy before God and exult because the Christian is standing before Him based on the righteousness of Christ that has been credited to them!!!!!
I am able to be jubilant with joy before God because I have no fear. I have no fear of His judgment because I am in Christ and I am judged by Christ”s righteousness for I have NONE of my own and ALL of Christ's!
My short interaction with my neighbors yesterday and then reading this scripture this morning has done two things for me:
1. I am thankful for the mercies of God upon my life and for calling me to Him, for opening my eyes with faith to believe and repent of my sins. I am thankful that the righteousness that God demands of me was given to me by HIMSELF!
AND
2. A renewed resolve to pray for my neighbors and family and friends who do not know JESUS! I don’t want them to have to flee from GOD and perish before HIM! They will not know the gospel unless they hear the gospel!!! May God give me favor with my neighbors and develop relationships so I may share Christ with them!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Romans 10:13-15
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they’ve never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!”
My pastor's sermon yesterday hit a home run with me! He commended the church for reaching out to the community through yard sales and car washes etc… sharing the gospel as we have conversations with the visitors to our church. Merritt challenged us, however, to be a “GO TO” church… to GO TO those who don’t come to our outreaches and make relationships with these people, to know them and love them and ultimately share the gospel with them. I was convicted by God that I tend to think that because I participate in these outreaches, that because I am involved in Alpha, that because I have shared the gospel with my mom, that I’ve somehow “punched” my evangelism ticket with God and that I don’t have to put forth any more effort to share the gospel outside of my little world. Ugh! I know that one of our reasons for being on earth is to share about Christ!!!
Merritt encouraged us to look for these relationships in our lives. I was thinking how these relationships could be with my neighbors, or your colleagues, or the cashiers at Giant that I have seen day after day, week after week for years!!!! I have a very outgoing personality and yet, when it comes to having spiritual discussions with these people, fear of man creeps in…no, fear of man STORMS in! I’ve had this conviction before but I am sorry to say it hasn’t gone anywhere but God in his kindness has brought it up again.
My prayer is that I would obey God and seize the opportunities he sets before me to develop friendships and share the good news!!! How is it that THE most important piece of news in the whole of life is so hard to share???
I do understand that it is not my words that save, it is not my sharing that saves.. it is God alone who regenerates a person and gives them the grace to turn to Jesus in repentance and faith. But! as this Romans scripture tells us, who can be saved if they don't hear??? It's our job to tell, God's job to save. When you think about it? we have the EASY job! :)
Oh Lord, may I love you so much that I can’t keep my mouth shut to even strangers! To family! To everyone! Send me, Lord! Send me! How will people know about you, if we don’t speak of you and share the gospel? Send me, Lord! Help me to obey you and share the gospel.
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they’ve never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!”
My pastor's sermon yesterday hit a home run with me! He commended the church for reaching out to the community through yard sales and car washes etc… sharing the gospel as we have conversations with the visitors to our church. Merritt challenged us, however, to be a “GO TO” church… to GO TO those who don’t come to our outreaches and make relationships with these people, to know them and love them and ultimately share the gospel with them. I was convicted by God that I tend to think that because I participate in these outreaches, that because I am involved in Alpha, that because I have shared the gospel with my mom, that I’ve somehow “punched” my evangelism ticket with God and that I don’t have to put forth any more effort to share the gospel outside of my little world. Ugh! I know that one of our reasons for being on earth is to share about Christ!!!
Merritt encouraged us to look for these relationships in our lives. I was thinking how these relationships could be with my neighbors, or your colleagues, or the cashiers at Giant that I have seen day after day, week after week for years!!!! I have a very outgoing personality and yet, when it comes to having spiritual discussions with these people, fear of man creeps in…no, fear of man STORMS in! I’ve had this conviction before but I am sorry to say it hasn’t gone anywhere but God in his kindness has brought it up again.
My prayer is that I would obey God and seize the opportunities he sets before me to develop friendships and share the good news!!! How is it that THE most important piece of news in the whole of life is so hard to share???
I do understand that it is not my words that save, it is not my sharing that saves.. it is God alone who regenerates a person and gives them the grace to turn to Jesus in repentance and faith. But! as this Romans scripture tells us, who can be saved if they don't hear??? It's our job to tell, God's job to save. When you think about it? we have the EASY job! :)
Oh Lord, may I love you so much that I can’t keep my mouth shut to even strangers! To family! To everyone! Send me, Lord! Send me! How will people know about you, if we don’t speak of you and share the gospel? Send me, Lord! Help me to obey you and share the gospel.
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