It really seems a shame that there are so many people in this world today who are so deceived that they can no longer see or understand the truth. Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a person who really thought it was a waste of time for him to actually accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He told me that as long as he goes to church and stays out of trouble he would be just fine. My response to him was, so in other words, you do not read the bible? To which he responded that he did not have to because the preacher is the one who gives him what he needs. I was shocked and then my thoughts turned to what kind of church do you go to that does not teach you, number one to read the bible, and number two that you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior or you are just as lost as the one who murders.
Is it so hard for churches today to realize that it is all about Jesus and nothing else? The goal of the church today is to point people to Jesus and to show them what they need to do to receive Him. It used to be that it was the job of the Evangelist, but the churches have gotten away from having them come into their church so the responsibility falls to them. If you don’t preach the gospel then there are going to be many lost souls thinking one thing when the bible is concise of what needs to take place to become a true Christian. I told this man I was speaking too that there is only one way to heaven and that way leads through Jesus. He said to me prove it! So, without delay I took him to John 14:6 where Jesus said, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life, NO ONE comes to the Father except through me. My friend seemed just a little put out and told me that he did not know that. He said the minister had never mentioned that. I told him that if you really want to know what to do and where to go, don’t go to mere man, go to the bible and also pray. I told him that there were many things in the word that would change his life and I made sure to let him know that if he truly wanted to be a Christian and know for a fact that he would go to heaven when he died that he needed to ask Jesus into his life, which he did. People are deceived and for some reason they think if they do good and stay out of trouble it is a done deal, but it is not. Just because you walk into a garage, it does not make you a car is the same principle that applies to church, just because you walk into a church does not make you a Christian. Let me leave you with a little story that changed my life and ministry. Since I had this dream it has prompted me to always give an altar call and to always give people an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. One night as I dreamed, I seen myself ministering in a church and as I was speaking my eyes kept being drawn to my right at a little old lady in the front row. I continued to speak but my attention kept getting drawn to this little lady. Finally, I asked the Lord, “what does this little lady have to do with what is being ministered”? The Lord responded and told me that the little lady has been in church her entire life. She has always been there to help and has always given to help the church, but, when she dies she is going to hell. There was total shock on my part. What do you mean when she dies she will go to hell? The Lord told me that this little lady never asked for forgiveness and has never invited Jesus into her life. At that point, I decided that no matter what I will always give people an opportunity to receive Jesus. I never again want to see the face of that little lady again except in heaven. At that point I woke up sweating because I realized the importance of what Jesus wrote in John 14:6 and it is something I will always remember. Don’t be deceived into thinking you are going to heaven, know that you are going by accepting Christ as you Savior right now. God loves you and I love you and my prayers are with you. God bless!
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What is it in your life that you are not willing to let go of at this time? I sometimes think that regardless of who you are or what you think you may be there are hidden issues that are keeping you from totally submitting to God. Maybe it is not something that will change the world but when you let go of it you will change in ways that you have never known. For some or even for most it is something that you had asked God to forgive you for and yet you continue to hold on to it. Whatever it may be, there is nothing that God cannot deliver you from.
Sometimes it is a sin from the past that we just can’t let go of. When you asked Jesus to come into your life and forgive you the bible says it is cast out as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). For many us we think that we have that sin that God cannot forgive but if we will read the scriptures and take to heart what they have to say we will see that it is forgiven. Jesus came and died on a cross just for us and He took on all of our sin that we may be forgiven. Notice what I said, He took on ALL our sins, He did not leave one out to bring back against us somewhere down the road. He took all the sins of the world so that ALL would be saved and forgiven. There are things that happen in our everyday running around lives that are more an annoyance than anything else but, if you feel it is stopping you from serving God in the manner He should be served then it is something you need to deal with. For example, in 2 Corinthians 12 talks about the thorn in his side. I am not to sure that every single one of us have a thorn of some sort. For some it may be they eat a little too much. For others it may be they judge people who are not like them. For me it is a very quick temper. I have no idea where it comes from but, one second I am doing okay and then the next I go off. I notice that it is coming but I have either not learned how to deal with it or I just hope it won’t come out. Either way it does and then I have to repent, ask for forgiveness or whatever it takes because I want to be the best Christian I can. What are you holding on to? It may not bother anyone else, but if you think it is keeping you from serving God the way you should and you feel convicted about it then ask to be delivered from it. I said to God, “change me and take this anger from me”. Simple and to the point and I am ready to do whatever it takes to change. I realize there will probably be tests but bring it on. We are not different in our convictions because a conviction is a conviction and the only difference is what bothers you may not bother me but they are still convictions. In Matthew 7:7, the bible says Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find and Knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks receives and to those who seek they will find and to everyone who knocks the door will be opened to them. Don’t be afraid to ask and by all means don’t think for one moment that God could not forgive you for it. If it bothers you then you need to deal with it and ask Him to cast it out of your life and change you. I promise you, it does not hurt much but sure does challenge you. Besides, I really don’t think that God will put more on you than you can handle or bear as the bible puts it (1 Corinthians 10:13). He will be with you all of the way through thick or thin, He promised you in Deuteronomy 31:8, I will never leave you or forsake you. That is a promise from God and therefore there is nothing in your life that you may feel is holding you back that God cannot or will not help you deal with or remove. Trust in the Lord and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:33-34) Just a couple of scriptures to encourage you not to delay but lay it down at the foot of the cross and allow God to work. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
I would like to focus on three words from this scripture. Those words are "Come Follow Me". Can you imagine the magnitude of Jesus when he spoke and said come follow me? The disciples dropped whatever they were doing and followed Him. Do you realize that there is nothing different today as from two thousand years ago? Jesus is still speaking and He is saying "Come Follow Me" You must understand that there is a cost involved in following Jesus but that cost far outweighs the price for not following Him. In the word Jesus gives us a look at that cost so we would know. In Luke 9:57-62, this is what was written, As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Jesus has a plan and that plan is to increase the Kingdom and He is calling to each one of us to "Come Follow Him". There has never been a change in the statement come follow me that Jesus had made and if the truth were known it would apply more today. The world is on a road to destruction and if we don't answer the call to follow Jesus and reach out to the world with the gospel then we could stand in judgment as to why. Why did you not hear my call? Why did you think it better to ignore what was going on in the lives of the lost? Why did you not minister the gospel as I gave it to you? There are a lot of whys in life and I for one do not want to hear God asking me Why. If you will answer the call of Jesus today the same way the disciples answered the call over two thousand years ago, we will see and experience a move of God in our lives and the lives of those put before us in ways we can't even dream of. God calls us to follow Him and with that call comes all of the necessary things we will need to accomplish what He called us to do and that is to reach the world of the lost. You can do it. How do I know, if God didn't think you could not do it He would not have called you. The awesome part is we all can do it if we just answer the call, "Come Follow Me" and I will make you fishers of men. God bless you and may you be blessed far beyond what you know or see. People when are we going to understand that God wants to use us? God does not only want to save us but use us in His kingdom. He is constantly calling us and reaching out to us to help. The bible says, “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few: MT 9:37. Do you realize that every day thousands of people are going to hell because there is no one to tell them about Jesus? We are the workers and God wants to use us to bring in the harvest.
Travel sometime to a third world country and witness for yourself the despair and the hearts of those in those countries. They are searching for something or someone to help and horrifying thing is, we have the answer but there are not enough workers for that harvest. With my wife, we have traveled extensively to the Philippines ministering the gospel. We have had the honor of leading literally hundreds of people to Jesus and yet there are so many more and we just can’t do it by ourselves. The Philippines is not the only place there are hundreds around the world and literally millions of souls searching. The harvest is huge and we need workers to help with the harvest. I know that there will be those who will say what about our own country, we have people right here who need Jesus and to that I would respond they are absolutely right. There are thousands of people here in America that need Jesus and like in other countries there will be those who reach out to them. God calls people to go and preach the gospel where He needs them. Jesus said in the Word, Go, preach the gospel to all creation (Mk 16:15). He was talking about every human on this earth touching each and every one of them even if they did not want to hear it. People it is very important that we pick up the pace in our efforts to reach the world because one day Jesus is going to return and there will be judgement and how sad it would be that there be those who don’t go to heaven because we did not tell them. Let me tell you if you think let someone else to it then you need to think again. Someone else has died and now it is up to you. People are all the time asking what is that God wants me to do. My response is, read the bible and you will see. I am not saying in a sarcastic way, I am saying if there are any areas in your life that need a touch from God it is in the bible. You want to know what God has for your life, Mark 16:15, Matthew 9:37 and Matthew 4:19, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. You don’t have to go far to find the lost because they are all around you. Whether God calls you to spread the gospel in Africa, or where ever it is you are at there is a lot to do. Will you answer the call? Will you take the challenge that God has put before you? Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (MT 29:19) There is a lot of work to do, so let’s roll up our sleeves and get started. The disciples asked that very question while out on the Sea of Galilee as they thought they were about to die. Who is this man, his name is Jesus the Son of the living God. Let’s take a look at our lives and ask that very same question, who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey him? Though we are not in a boat and though we do not have Jesus physically with us, He speaks to the waves and the winds in our life and commands them to be still. We travel through this life facing various kinds of storms and yet we do not seem to know that we can call of Jesus and He will speak to that storm. We think that we have to go through the storm all alone and without help of any kind. The key word in this statement is, “we think”. When we think we miss a lot and most of all we miss Jesus. Think of a time in your life where you had no idea of what was happening or why was this happening, and then take a close look at what happened. For many of us if we were totally honest would say, nothing I struggled and struggled and lost. I lost the battle, I lost the job, I lost the relationship and I was totally alone. But, if we were to admit it we did not call out on our Savior because of our thoughts that we can take this on by ourselves. Being honest isn’t that the truth? It was for me and even now there are times and storms that I am positive I can make it through only to have my eyes opened and know that I can’t. What kind of man is this, it is the kind of man who loves us more than we could ever possibly imagine or think. He is the kind of man that waits for us to call on Him for our direction and for Him to calm the storms in our life. Jesus is the answer and He is the only answer. We will continue in our human ways and we will think that we can make it on our own and God will not stop us from doing so because He gave us a spirit of free will to act and think on our own. He not only did that but He gave us a way that we could avoid many trials and tribulations in our life just by accepting Him and allowing Him to show us the way. Think about your kids if you have kids, you daily try to teach them what to do and what not to do only to have them try it on their own. Think of it this way, you show and tell your child do not touch that because it is hot only to turn around later on and listen to the screaming and crying because they had to do it for themselves. That is exactly the way we are. God speaks to our heart and yet we still try to find out for ourselves only to end up crying and screaming. We may never get beyond that but we can take the initiative to at least minimize them. There is an easy way and the sooner we can learn that path, the sooner we will have the answer to that question we started with. What kind of man is this that even the winds and the waves obey him? Jesus can calm the storms and the seas in our lives if we will remember He is in control. As He is, so are we on this earth (1John 4:17). Jesus wants us to be just like Him and the way we do that is Be Still and Know. Allow Him to calm the storms in your life. Allow Him to change the way you think and act and you will then know the answer to the question and that answer is, He is the Son of the Living God, our deliverer and our Savior. Amen! I watched the news this morning to find out that in the period of 2007 through 2014 the percentage of people who call themselves Christians has dropped from 78% to 70%. They said this is due to the new generation as the older generation pass on. This got me thinking that the 8% of people who either no longer call themselves Christian or those who have never received Jesus need to take notice.
I have read the back of the book and I know we win. I know that for those who choose to walk away or refuse to accept Christ are in for a very shocking time in their life. They will be passed over when Christ returns and live in eternity where I am sure they never thought they would end up. For me, I want them to know there is still time. God is preparing to send His Son to collect His people and He is telling those who follow Him to tell everyone about receiving Jesus so they may be saved and spend eternity with Him. Though I have spent most of my life running, hiding, and doing whatever I like, I have spent the last twenty years telling people to turn from their wicked ways and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Jesus said, “go preach the gospel to every living being” and for me that has struck home and I want everyone to know. God changed my life and He will change yours. God has touched lives all over the world and continues to do so preparing for His return. If you are in anything other than that 70% you may want to consider your thoughts and what you do. Every day you see on the news that this young person or that young person was shot or killed in some violent act and your thoughts should go to “did they know Jesus”. I wonder if their piers told them about Jesus or if anyone told them about Him. My concern is that as those statistics grow and less people consider themselves Christian is “how long will God continue to tarry before His return and how can I be a part of telling them”. I really have no idea but my ways are not God’s ways nor are my thoughts His thoughts, so I will continue to seek His face and His direction and do what He has called me to do. I am a Christian and I am honored to be called one of His children. I will follow Him to the end of my time and I will tell all those I come in contact with about His love. May the Lord God speak to your hearts today if you do not know Him as your personal Savior, and may He speak into your lives and put a boldness and a desire to tell others about the love of Jesus! |
AuthorAn Evangelist called to preach the gospel all over the world. To lay hands on the sick and to prophecy to everyone. Reaching out to the world that all may be saved. Archives
December 2021
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