Loving Enough to Share.

Legend has it that St.Valentine was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II. He was arrested and imprisioned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius. However, Claudius took a liking to the prisoner until Valentine tried to convert him to Christianity. At this point, Valentine was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned, but when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded publicly sometime around 269 AD. Why is this important? Valentine shared his faith and tried convert Claudius when he knew the consequences ahead of time. I can almost guarantee you that nobody in this society will stone you or behead you for sharing your faith. The only person stopping you is yourself.

My topic today is going to be evangelism and I hope to make it clear what evangelism is, why evangelism is important, and how can you evangelize someone.

Myth-Busting

Some of you may have the belief that, “If I do not witness before this person dies, it is my fault they are not saved because the Bible puts this on me.” This belief is generally taken from the Old Testament in Ezekiel 3:18, “When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.” If  this is what you believe, you have not read the rest of that chapter. God gave Ezekiel a certain task to speak to a certain group of people. He literally spoke to Ezekiel and gave instructions. Now, if God speaks to you that clearly, I would take it serious, but when God said that he would hold Ezekiel accountable – he basically said “Do as I say or else.” Even if this does not convince you, think about when this happened. This was a time before Jesus and the cross and with us being on this side of the cross – we are in a different situation. If we fail to evangelize someone for one reason or another, God already knew we would fail and we can be forgiven through Jesus and the cross. Make sense?

Some of you reading this are thinking: “Let’s not get crazy… I took that little spiritual gifts test and Evangelism was not one of my strong suits…” My question to you is this: Did that same test tell you not to pray? Using the same rationale you just used, if Intercession was not a strength of yours, you should stop praying all together. NO! If giving is a not a strong suit of yours, should you stop giving to the Lord? NO! So why should you neglect evangelism?

What is Evangelism?

What does the word Evangelism mean to you? Wikipedia defines Evangelism as the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. To me, this sounds like a political answer so I consulted the Bible. The most simple explanation can be found in the story of the 4 lepers in 2 Kings 7. The story is too long to quote, but I will paraphrase. Basically, there were 4 lepers outside the city gates starving to death. They had three options. First, they could go into the city where there was already a great famine and they would starve to death. Second, they go could stay where they are at and still starve to death. Third, they could venture out to the camp of Aramean soldiers to either be killed or captured and tended to as prisoners. Only one of these options results in living so they chose to be captured. When they got the to the camp, they found absolutely no soldiers. Why? God had went ahead of them and made the soldiers hear sounds of an approaching army and they fled. Now, the beggars found every necessity they needed – food, clothing, water, but there was more than they could use. Finally, they decided to return  to the city and tell them the good news. Now, what exactly happened in this story? Beggars were going to die in their current state. They went searching for food. God went ahead of them preparing the way. The beggars found food by God’s plan. Then the beggars shared the good news with others. Is this not Evangelism? Have we not found food through salvation and scripture and know of others who are starving? This lead me to define Evangelism as “one beggar showing another where to find food. He cannot provide the food himself, he can only lead another to where he found it.”

Why is Evangelism Important?

In Luke 15:1-10, Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners instead of the Pharisees when he stated,

• “Supposed one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Evidently this message was important enough to Jesus that he essentially re-states his point immediately following the above statement.

• “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

What exactly did Jesus say? The answer is that Heaven rejoices more for bringing one sinner to Jesus than for you to lead the most righteous life you are capable of as a believer. Newsflash! You are not the only one in the universe and it might be time to self evaluate if your are not making heaven rejoice in the ways described above.

What exactly happened in the two lessons Jesus presented us with? A non-believer was found, a believer puts them on their shoulders and brings them to others believers who rejoice in their return. This actually leads me to a recruting system I learned while serving as Rush Chairman of my fraternity. Trust me, I know that fraternities and God do not normally share the same ideals, but if you believe that every skill you have learned in life can be applied to furthering God’s kingdom – hear me out.

Two Types of Evangelism

There are essentially two ways that a person can develop a relationship with Jesus Christ short of a divine miracle.

1. Believing leads to Belonging. This is where someone believes aftering hearing the Gospel first then begins the process of belonging to a congregation of believers.
2. Belonging leads to Believing. This is where someone attending a Church or belonging to a group of Christian friends eventually becomes a believer by hearing the Gospel.

Important Point

Before I go any farther, I want to make it blatantly clear that you alone are not responsible for the conversion/salvation of any non-believers. Your job in the grand scheme of things is to be obedient to God and share his message when He gives you to opportunity to do so. You are to be obedient and share your faith, but God and the Holy Spirit will open their hearts and minds. For example, when you were growing up, your father told you to clean your room. You obeyed and cleaned your room, but when you were finished, you were not expected to pay the mortgage as well. You are simply a child being obedient to your Father.

How To: The Process (Belonging leads to Believing)

Betty Coble Lawther wrote in her book, “Tennis Woman, Aware and Choosing” – “We are responsible for how we serve. We’re not responsible for what the other person on the other side of the court does with that serve.”

Now, how do we “serve”? I present to you the 5-step recruiting philosophy tailored to Evangelism.

• Step 1: Find and Meet Someone. This is as easy as having a conversation with someone sitting next to you. Strike up a conversation at a bookstore. Speak to the person next to you on the plane instead of going to sleep. The key is to get some kind of contact information (email, phone number, facebook). Guys, I do not recommend getting the phone numbers of females if you are married.
• Step 2: Make them your friend. Call this person to check in on them. Send them an email. This “check in” could be about anything from basketball to basket-weaving. In Romans 9:20, Pauls basically says, “To the Jews, I became a Jew, to win the Jews and to the weak, I became weak, to win the weak.” Why is this important? When you become friends with someone, you generally care for them and you must put yourself in their shoes. If you are trying to befriend someone who just lost their Dad, you probably shouldn’t talk about this big family outing that you are planning. If you go to the downtown rescue mission, do not talk about the computer application your are programming for work.
• Step 3: Introduce them to your friends. By now, you know the likes and interests of your friend and more often than not, there is a believer that you know that has similar interests. Introduce this person to your friends that have similar intestests by inviting them to lunch or to play basketball or go shopping. For example, I have a friend that loves Kentucky basketball and if he ever comes to something, I already know that I will introduce him to my friend Brandon who is from Kentucky.
• Step 4: Introduce them to your purpose. This is the point where you show them that you and your friends are a group of believers. Up until now, you have developed a relationship with this person and they have seen how you conduct yourself. At this point, you should tell them what God has done in your life and how He has affected others you know.
• Step 5: Invite them to join you. This is where you give your friend and invitation to Church or small group. Show them the Gospel (which I will cover in the next section).

Is this not the same process of finding a non-believer, putting them on your shoulders, leading them to Christ and other believers, then rejoicing?

How to: Show the Gospel (Believing leads to Belonging)

If the friend you meet realizes that they need Jesus in their life, you can immediately skip some of the steps from the section above and show them the following passages. From my experience and from what I have read, normally the people that fall into this category have been through something tough and realize they need God or they just “woke up” in a way and might come to you to explain it.

Now, I highly recommend carrying a small New Testament bible with these 7 verses underlined and bookmarked so that if the need arises to share the Gospel, you are prepared. I do this everyday and there is actually a profound story behind it that you can check out in my post called “My Road to Damascus.”

What you need to do is open this pocket sized Bible and turn to the first verse on the following list. Then, ask your friend to read each verse aloud and explain in their own words what it means to them. If they get the correct interpretation, move onto to the next verse; otherwise, help them draw the correct conclusion for each verse.

1. (Romans 3:23) “For all have sinned and fall short in the glory of God.” Basically, we are all sinners. Does your friend accept that they are a sinner?
2. (Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In the Bible, death can refer to spiritual death which means hell. The conclusion here is that you are going to hell for your sin, but Jesus can save you.
3. (John 3:3) Jesus replied, “Very truely I tell you, no one can see the kingdown of God unless they are born again.” The conclusion here is that you must be born again to enter heaven and your friend is most likely wondering: how do I become born again?
4. (Romans 10:9-11) “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” The answer of how to be saved/born again.
5. (2 Cor 5:15) “And he died for all, that those who live shall no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” The conclusion here is that Jesus died for all us and we should no longer put ourselves ahead of him because we are “born again”.
6. (John 14:6) “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is the verse that should dispell the myth that there are multiple ways to God. Your friend should realize this.
7. (Revelation 3:20) “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me.” This is the “invitation” verse that can be followed by just about anything. I have said, “Jesus is at your door. Would you let a loved one stand outside in the rain and snow? Are you ready to let him into your heart?”

If your friend says yes, pray with them. I’m not going to give you some scripted “sinner’s prayer” to say and then everything is “all well and good.” Pray with that person and have them ask forgiveness of their sins and ask Jesus to come into their heart and change them. Keep in mind that this process does not end with this prayer. Jesus said to go make disciples, not just talk to someone. Check in on your friend and make sure  they are growing in their walk. Take time out of your life if necessary.

How to: Common Objections

If it was easy to talk to others about Jesus, everyone would do it. The reason people shy away from sharing their faith is the fear of rejection. We have already covered that you are being obedient to your Father, so ultimately – they are not rejecting you. What I want to do is present answers to a couple of common objections you might get while talking to someone. Keep in mind that Romans 14 instructs us to accept those whose faith is weak and do not argue with them. Be respectful when presenting the Gospel.

• “What about those that haven’t heard the Gospel?” Simply look them in the eye and respond, “well that is not you is it?”
• “Too many hypocrites in the Church”. Respond with something like, “Neither of us is perfect so as soon as we join the perfect Church, it will not be perfect anymore.”
• “The Bible is untrue.” Ask them how long it would take to flip a quarter and land on heads 30 times in a row. The answer is 10,000 men, flipping 100 times per minute, for 40 hours per week, for 9 decades and only one person would do it. Is that not the same as 30 Biblical prophesies about Jesus’ life that came true?
• “I’m a good person.” Just ask them whose standards are they using. Does everyone in the world set their own standards? If so, how on earth can so many people decide one thing is right and another is wrong. Surely, there is something else behind it.
• “God can’t forgive me.” Tell them that only sin that is unforgiveable is ultimately rejecting the Holy Spirit. Everything else can be forgiven so why don’t we start that process now?
• “How can you know truth?” This one is actually fun to watch play out. Ask to see their cell phone or watch and put it in your pocket and change the subject. They will begin to wonder if they are getting it back. When they say that you stole their belongings, simply give it back and ask them who gave them the authority to determine that.
• “You are too young to know about life.” Ask them how much life do you have to experience before you can die? Better yet, before you can be born again. If you don’t want to talk about this today, call me the day before you die.

Do you notice anything about the responses to the questions above? They are simple and they do not rub a non-believers nose in the Bible. Do not get me wrong here. The Bible is the authority, but the Bible also teaches us that non-believers cannot interpret the Bible like believers can. So, why should we stick their nose into the Bible instead of explaining topics in lay-mans terms? Do not overcomplicate your responses. Give a simple answer and get back on track in your presentation.

How can I make a difference?

To illustrate how much of a difference you can make, think about this. Everyone on earth is connected by six people (or degrees of separation). You could meet Barack Obama through 6 acquaintances. The whole premise is that you know 100 people, who know 100 people, who know 100 others. Combine this with the statistic that the average non-believer has to hear to the Gospel 7.6 times before they believe it. Think about that, if each of your Christian friends spoke about Jesus to friend you share with them, that could really move someone closer to God. Even if they do not immediately believe, know that you helped them one step closer.

If we just use our relationship-building technique I presented earlier to make friends them then invite them to join you, we can spread God’s kingdom. For example, I invited a friend of mine to lunch with two members of my small group. One of my friends, Tyler, shares something in common with my friend that I invited. They both have sons named Jackson. Now that my friend has made a few friends from my small group, he is more likely to visit and bring his family, but this doesn’t stop there. I also gave him a book to read which he passed on to his wife. By simply passing a book and inviting a friend to lunch, God worked through me to affect: my friend, his wife, his son, his daugther, anyone they pass the book to, and anyone they witness to. For those keeping count, that is 6 or more people.

An even better example of “degrees of separation” is that everyone can know God through 3 degrees of separation. If a person knows you – that is one degree. You know Jesus – which is two degrees. Jesus know the Father because he is God. It is easier to know God than Barack Obama, and much more beneficial.

The Call to Action

In order to know what, why, where, and how of evangelism – we must establish where we fail currently. In Romans 10:14-15, God lays out the process of evangelism (I’m paraphrasing).

• How can they call if they have not been believed?
• How can they believe if they have not heard?
• How they hear without someone preaching?
• How they preach without being sent?

Let’s look at how God is involved in each of these steps. We know that believers call upon the Lord through prayer, faith, and worship – so this is not where we fail at evangelism. We know that people who hear can beleive. This is not where we fail because we are living proof of this. We know that God sends people to people to preach and we know this is true because of pastors and missionaries. That only leaves one step where evangelism breaks down and that is the preaching itself. That is where we are failing.

Paul echoes the aformentioned point when he tells us in Phillipians 1:18 that he does not care how Christ is preached, but that he is preached period.

We call ourselves Christians because we choose to use Christ as a model for our lives even though we cannot live up to the standard. Now, Christ ministered to the sick, the lame, the lepers, the religious leaders, and all who needed Him along the way. He also taugh His disciples. He did not devote himself fully to one or another. Why is this important? If Jesus did not dedicate himself to only believers or only the lost, neither should we. What am I saying? Too often we get comfortable in tending to our or circle of Christian friends. We stay away from non-believers because they could influence us in negative ways. Friend, let me tell you that if you are scared that a non-believer can influence you, it is time for you to evaluate yourself before you go out evangelizing the world. We forget that at one time, WE WERE JUST AS LOST AS THEY ARE.

Jesus said when he was asked why ate with tax collectors and sinners instead of Pharisees, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Luke 5:31). It is up to us as sinners and beggars to show others where to find food.

Ten thousand church-goers were polled, “what is the purpose of the Church.” Sadly, 89% responded that the purpose of  the Church was to tend their needs and that of their family. Only 11% said that the purpose of the Church was to win the world for Jesus Christ. Only 11 out 100 people get this question right.

Ten thousand people were polled, “What was responsible for your coming to Christ and church?” Their replies were:

• 0.5% – I attended a gospel meeting.
• 1% – I visited there.
• 3% – I liked the programs.
• 3% – I had a special need.
• 3% – I just walked in.
• 5% – I liked the Bible classes.
• 6% – I liked the pastor.
• 79% – A friend or relative invited me.

In our culture, essentially 8 of 10 people attend Church or come to Christ through a friend or relative. If Churches are to grow and God’s name is to be proclaimed across the entire earth, it will be through the efforts of individual believers. Notice I did not say that it will be through those “gifted in evangelism.” It starts with people like you and me.

In his book, “Sharing Jesus without Fear”, Bill Fay states that there are two types of Christians in this world. Those that talk ABOUT the lost and those that talk TO the lost. Which group are you in? Which group should you be in?

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at allen.wample@gmail.com

Giving

My wife told me a story a while back shortly after I had a major breakthrough in my walk with Jesus.

She told me of a story where a young woman came to her pastor one day and said, “Pastor, I have heard you speak about tithing to the Church, but I went home and looked at my accounts and I just don’t think I can do it and pay all of my bills.”

The wise pastor said back to young lady, “Hmmm. I understand. I tell you what…. If you tithe every Sunday this month and at the end of the month, we will sit down and look at what you have left. If you can’t pay your bills then, we will write you a check to cover them.”

Overjoyed, the young lady accepted and began to thank the pastor.

After a few seconds, the pastor spoke up. He said, “Do you realize what you have just agreed to? You just told me that you trust me over the Lord to provide enough for you so that you can tithe.”

Friends, if you have a job – God gave you that job and you can tithe. Trust me… I have been through this. Living in this country with automobile, (obvious) access to the internet, and most of the time the luxury of not having to worry where our next meal will come from puts you in the top 5% wealthiest people on earth.

I personally struggled with this for a long time until God laid it on my wife and I’s hearts. We had bought a nice home, had a car payment, bills, etc and we were doing fine. I calculated what 10% would be from our monthly income and I was floored as to how it compared to what we had been giving. How on earth could we give that amount each week with all of our other obligations? I prayed that God would show me how to do it. Guess what? He did. I sat down and worked out a hybrid 10/80/10  plan to where we tithe and pay our bills above anything else. After that, we pay down debt in a snowball fashion. As our debt decreases, our savings increase. Now, we did not get big bonuses. We did not get raises. We did not take on extra hours at work. We were simply obedient to God. What happened over the first couple months is hard to explain. We had the same exact income, but it seemed that the money was going farther. Perhaps God kept the unexpected expenses out of our lives because we are obedient now. I honestly do not know how to explain it other than that. We are saving more than we ever have, we are paying down debt faster than we ever have, and we are giving to the Lord more than we ever had. Some of you must be thinking, well if that is the case – he must have been close to his tithing amount before. I was most certainly not, I assure you. The difference in what we used to give and what we give now is a 350% difference. I debated on whether or not to include that statistic as it might come across as boasting, but I think that it is relevant to make my point that a drastic change for God can and will work out in the end.

If you do not believe me, try it and see. Make a financial plan that includes God and stick with it.

Leading Your Family… Not what you might think

Epehesians 5: 22-33 speaks to the place of the husband and the wife within the home. I personally have no experience being a wife so this is a message to the guys, but women need to read this to know what God calls your husband to be.

This series of passages have caused many arguements over the years. Many wives read them and point fingers at their husbands saying “you should be this and that” where the husband will point the finger right back stating, “the Bible says you are to submit to me.”

Ephesians 5:22-24 gives the illustration of God’s will to wives: “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” These verses state that the husband is the head of the wife, but HOW? The answer is as Christ is the head of the church. This does not mean that men are supernaturally better than women as some might conclude. This simply means that the husband is responsible for teaching and discipling his wife as Christ taught and discipled the church. This also means the husbands are responsible for ultimately making the judgement calls within the house on spirituality.

So far, I would be willing to bet many women reading are thinking twice about the submission thing, but you must know what God says to the men: (Ephesians 5:25) “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”.  Jesus Christ died for Church… would you die for your wife? That is sacrificial love. That is “I’m not going to buy that new toy so my wife can have a new outfit” kind of love. That is a “I will never speak badly of wife in public” kind of love. That is a “I’m going to supprise my wife with a thoughful gift” kind of love.

It’s not a “Man is to rule over Woman” doctrine. It is a “Man is responsible for Woman” doctrine. This echoes throughout the entire Bible. When Eve first sinned by taking the fruit in the garden of Eden, whom did God call out to? Not Eve… He came looking specifically for Adam whom he held responsible. In the Old Testament, when a woman was proven to be an adulteress, her punishment was death by stoning, but not just anywhere. She was to be dragged to her father’s doorstep and stoned to death while he watched because HE was responsible for her purity until she is married. In the New Testament, God calls the man to be responsible for the spiritual leadership of his home. God puts the husband accountable for the actions, decisions, and directions of everyone in his household. I’m sure based on the example of Adam in the Bible as to how this would go down… If a family were to all be killed instantly in a car wreck, they would all travel to be judged. If they are standing there as a family, God would call out to the husband and begin to judge not just him, but how his actions and leadership affected the rest of the family. Keep in mind that is not specifically stated in the Bible, but if Adam’s example holds true – it is my interpretation of what would happen.

Husband or Wife… If that sinks into your head at all, it should be blantantly obvious that an enormous burden has been placed on the man to lead his family and the wife is to submit to his teachings and to complement him. This is not a verse that should be argued over by women claiming they should submit to nobody…. If that is your view, would you rather be responsible for leading the souls of your entire family to heaven based on your example and teaching? I think not. Even if you would rather have that burden, God made this declaration for the husband and arguing with God is futile.

How do you lead your family?

1. Invest time. Talk with your wife even if you are not particularly interested because she is interested and that is reason enough. Go on dates. Get babysitters and spark some romance. Someone told me that time is our most precious resource as we cannot obtain more than we are given. Spend it wisely.
2. Find out what fires your wife up about Christ. I recently learned that my wife is not into the logical commentary of the Bible that I am into. She is into more optimistic and inspirational works. My attempts at getting her to follow my booklist only made her less interested in my books. If you wife is a sermon listener, get her an mp3 player. The main purpose here is for you to know what gets her fired up and you must be invested enough in her life to know when she is not “on fire.”
3. Teach your children about God early in life. I’m sure someone has a statistic on this, but I don’t have it. Make “Bible Time” fun. My pastor recommends reading very enthusiastically. Do not do them any injustice by weeding out the hard to swallow topics. Of course, you cannot expect a 4 year old to understand certain topics, but by 5-7 years old, a child can comprehend most things. It all starts with opening the Bible.
4. Give to the Lord what is the Lord’s. In front of your family, you must pray, tithe, and you must praise Him. If you don’t, they will be embarassed to.
5. Sacrifice for you family. If you just became a believer and feel that you need to tithe, but just don’t know where the extra money will come from? Guess who gets a second job? The man. Guess who gets to make the budget? The man. Sure, your wife can make the budget, but husbands are responsible for making sure there is a budget, and a tithe, and financial accountability/responsibility.
6. Most importantly: Lead by Example. Men, how can you expect anyone to follow you if they can clearly see that you do not practice what you preach? If you are trying to teach your wife about finances, but you go out and buy a 60″ HDTV because “you want it” – you just lost credibility. Do not lose the respect of your wife.

I would be willing to bet that this changed the minds of some. Some women, after reading this are thinking, “That’s exactly what I’m looking for. I would submit if that was my husband.” Some men, after reading this are scared to death.

Life and Death

A wise man once said, “I am invincible until my purpose on this earth is done.”

Without going into unnecessary details, my wife’s grandfather is expected to pass away this afternoon. This is one of the sweetest old men that I have ever had the priviledge of knowing. For those who do not know, I lost all four of my grandparents before my 10th birthday. I also lost 3-4 aunts and uncles and 2 family friends before this same birthday. I am no stranger to a funeral or dealing with the loss of a loved one. My wife, however, is a different story.

I have learned that I am absolutely inadequate at providing soothing words that ease the pain of my loved ones. From experience, I know that there are absolutely no words that I can say to my wife or her family that can help her with her feelings. There is only thing that comes to mind that will help my wife and that is Jesus.

As I mentioned before, I am no stranger to funerals. As macabre as it may sound, the “best” funeral I have ever attended was not a time of rememberance. It was a celebration – a celebration that the deceased has returned home to his Lord. See, when we think of funerals, we think of the fact that we will never see a departed love one again for the rest of our lives. This is an extremely selfish view, but it is natural and unavoidable. Rarely do we stop to think that if this person was a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ, that this person is in a much better place than we in are right now. How wonderful it must be to walk golden streets, hear the angels sing, and speak with Jesus face to face. Personally, I cannot wait until I am in heaven, but evidently my purpose has not been fulfilled. What is my purpose? Matthew 22:37 sums it up, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

My former pastor always used to say, “The only hell a believer will ever endure is on this earth and the only heaven a non-believer will ever experience is on this earth.” Think about this for a moment. This is not just a catchy phrase or a “play on words.” This is pure and undiluted truth. For a believer, the worst things that will ever happen to him or her will happen on earth. For a non-believer, this is as good as it gets. This is what we should fear about death. The fear and mourning should go out to those who did not believe. Joy and praise should be given for those believers going to heaven. Jesus himself told a grieving Martha in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die…”

Now, I have only known my wife’s grandfather for about 4-5 years. I do not claim to know if any man is going to heaven or hell as this knowledge has not been given to any mortal. I would venture to say, however, that my wife’s grandfather will be in heaven.

Friends, what I would like you to ask yourself is this question: “If your funeral was scheduled for tommorow, would everyone know where you are going?”. Would the answer from the attendees be a resounding, “Heaven!” or would people look around searching for answer? Most of us would like to think that the attendees of our funeral would give the first answer, but this is not always the case. Better yet, what would God answer? Why would he answer that way?

There is a well known story in Luke 16 about Lazarus, the beggar, and a rich man. Both men died and Lazarus went to heaven while the rich man went to hell. The rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to tell his brothers about hell and to avoid it all costs. Abraham responded that the rich man’s brothers have to word of God and His prophets to listen to and that should be enough because if they do not listen to them, a resurrected man could no better. Friends, we all have access to God and we all have the choice to embrace Jesus. The key is to realize exactly what the rich man realized.

If you are unsure of where your destination would be if this was your last breath, you know what to do. Make it completely obvious to those who attend your funeral as to what your intentions were on this earth – to love the Lord your God. In this time of family loss, I am personally torn between happiness and guilt. I’m overjoyed because a suffering man is going home to his Lord to be rewarded with unimaginable treasures. I feel guilt because just as soon as he passes, another man will pass who did not know Jesus. Is that going to be you?

First Impressions

There are plenty of quotes and statistics floating around our society about “First Impressions”. Supposedly, we can size a person up in matter of 7-17 seconds based solely on the first words spoken or outward appearance of an acquaintance. When you really think about it, those handful of seconds can completely change your entire perception forever. I saw a video clip yesterday of a homeless man who looked ragged and dirty. Yet, when he was interviewed – he had a voice fit for radio. In fact, that was his prior profession before falling on hard times, but you could not discern this from his outward appearance. In this post, I want to look at that small window in time of what a few of the Disciples did immediately after seeing and meeting Jesus for the first time.

(John 1:35-39) Andrew was told by John the Baptist that Jesus, the Messiah, was walking by their gathering in the wilderness. Andrew walked up to Jesus and asked him where he was staying. Jesus simply asked him to come and see for himself. After spending the day with Jesus, we see what Andrew did in John 1:40-42, “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’. And he brought him to Jesus.”

The next day, Jesus encountered Phillip and simply told him to “Follow me.” Phillip complied, but he also found Nathanael and told him about the coming of the Messiah.

When Jesus met Nathanael (James 1:45-50), he told him that he had already saw him under the fig tree before Philip called upon him. What did Nathanael respond? “You are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

In Mark 1:19, Jesus came upon James and John in a boat while they were preparing their nets. Immediately these men left their father, Zebedee, in the boat in order to follow Jesus.

In Matthew 9:9-10 accounts Jesus’ first meeting with Matthew. Jesus told Matthew to “Follow me and be my disciple” and Matthew “got up and followed him.” Later, Matthew invited Jesus along with “disreputable sinners” to dinner.

Now, let’s recap what happened.

• Andrew felt compelled to find his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus.
• Phillip found Nathanael and brough him to Jesus.
• Nathanael almost instantly recognized Jesus as Lord because Jesus had seen what he was doing before they ever met.
• James and John left their father fishing on a boat to follow Jesus.
• Matthew held a large dinner for Jesus, his disciples, and other disreputable people.

What I want everyone to realize is that none of these men decided that an introduction or a first impression was enough. Some ran to find others and bring them to their Savior. Some dropped what they were doing and left their careers in order to do His work. Some left family behind because they had a higher calling. Some served the Lord and sinners by giving food and shelter.

These men did not just give up time. They gave up their lives, their possessions, their families, and eventually their last breath. Every disciple save one died a martyrs death because they believed whole-heartedly in the resurrected Jesus Christ.

At this point, everyone needs to self examine themselves. What was your first impression of Jesus? What was the first thing you did? I’m not asking your thoughts about the first time you heard about Jesus. I’m speaking to the time in your life where you realized that Jesus was real.

Be honest and examine your actions. Did you run and tell and others trying to inspire them to do the same? Did you go out into your community and help the less fortunate? Did you go against family views of religion in order to follow Jesus or did you reject Jesus to follow your family? My friends, if you did not feel compelled to do something of this nature, perhaps you never met Jesus.

James states that “faith without works is dead” and 2 Corinthians 5:17 explains that when you are saved, a completely new life begins. The Bible does not state that you can come to Jesus without being changed. If you have met Jesus, put all of your faith in Him, and have been saved – your life is no longer “business as usual.”

Friends, I encourage you to self examine yourself and your actions of the time when you first met Jesus. Did you do nothing or did you respond like the disciples? If you have never truely met Jesus, he is waiting. Find a quiet place, bend your knee, and talk to Him. He will listen and if you completely embrace him – he will change you. I speak from experience in changes I have seen in others and in myself. Meet Jesus today and write your own first impression.

God Bless.

Late Obedience is Disobedience

Everyone has heard the phrase: “Better late than never.” Argue with me if you want, but I don’t believe the person who coined this phrase was referring to the Bible. Arguably, Abraham was tested by God as much as anyone else in the Bible, but what did Abraham do when God instructed him to sacrifice his son, Issac? Abraham got up “early the next morning”. What happened to those Lot tried to warn in Sodom that God was going to destroy the city? They hesitated and were destroyed because of their hesitation. Do not be destroyed because of your hesitation to be obedient.

Have you ever read something or heard something and know that it is true and it affects you, but you think: “what can it hurt?”. You hear something at church and know that it affects you. So… you decide to go home and “pray about it.” Now, I’m not arguing that you shouldn’t pray about correcting your errant ways, but praying is not always enough.

Have you ever realized that you learn more by observing than by speaking? God gave us two eyes, two ears, and only one mouth for a reason, but that is a whole different lesson. Is the principle different when God is getting to know us? Is what we say to Him in prayer more demonstrative than what we act out in our lives? I will argue no in certain cases.

What I would like to propose to you is this: if there is something in your life you know to be un-biblical, do not just pray about it- WAGE WAR on it.

Have you been looking at things online that are ungodly? Don’t pray that God will give you the strength to stop. He has already given you the tools to stop in a brain that can understand scripture and a hand that can avoid typing the wrong web address. Be obedient now instead of later.

Have you been feeding relationships in your life that can destroy your marriage? God may have given you a wife and by feeding these inappropriate relationships through flirts and inappropriate messages – you are telling God that what he has provided for you is not enough. Be obedient now and make sure your “friendships” with the other gender are appropriate.

Have you been gossiping about others? If so, are you not criticizing God’s work that person’s life?

Have you been withholding money from God due to your own greediness? Jesus himself exclaims that it is hard for a rich man to enter heaven.

Have you been holding grudges against people who have wronged you? If you do not forgive, how can expect God to forgive you?

My pastor told me a story me a story one day that he doesn’t know if it is true or not. He said that a woman he knew many years ago was in a wheelchair. She claims that when she was younger, she felt the call to be a missionary, but she ran away from it. She believes God put her in the wheelchair so that she cannot run from God. As I mentioned before, my pastor nor I know if this is true or not, but a lesson can be learned: Do not run from being obedient to God. Late Obedience is arguably the same as disobedience.

Do not be deceived.

How many animals of each species did God tell Noah to load onto the Ark? Simply answer that question to yourself. How many did you say? Two of each species – one male and one female? If you said that, you are incorrect.

Genesis 7:2-3 says, “Take with you seven pairs of each kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.”

Anyone want to change their answer? God instructed Noah to bring 7 males and 7 mates of every clean animal – which is 14 per clean animal, and 1 male and 1 female of every unclean animal – which is 2; along with 14 of each bird (7 males and 7 females). Where do we get two from? Nursery ryhmes and places other than the actual Bible. We have heard the story, but not investigated exactly what God has planned for us.

This is where the Bible comes in. If you answered “two” to the before mentioned question, you might should open your Bible more often. Granted, I am not condeming you for not know that God said 7 pairs versus 1 pair. I cannot even fully explain why God choose 7 instead of 1 and I will leave that explanation up to those more educated than I.

My point is that the Bible is the authorative Word of God and we should treated it as such. There is more wisdom in the book of Leviticus than in the longest, most researched Christian book on sale today. Why? God inspired the Bible as we know it to be His complete work. Other Christian books can supplement, but if God wanted those Words to be read for thousands of years, He would’ve put them there.

My my main fear is that if you answered “two” to the question above… What else have you “learned” that is actually incorrect? Better yet, what else have you shared with others that is “incorrect”?

Read through these next four verses to make sure you understand the importance of God’s Word.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads, “All scriptue is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be throughly equipped for every good work.”

• All scripture is usable and is meant to be used. Notice the use of the word “All” meaning even down to the smallest, most seemingly insignificant verse.

2 Peter 1:21 reads, “For prophesy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

• This verse states that the Bible comes from God through man via the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:13 reads, “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taugh by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.”

• This verse echoes the aforementioned verse.

In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus states: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

• For those struggling with the question, “Which translation of the Bible is best?”. This is your answer: All of them. Jesus told us that he promises that His message will not be altered until heaven and earth disappear. Nothing in this world happens without God allowing it to happen. Thus, the people interpretting different translations was allowed by God as long as the same message is being written.

What can I do? A few posts back, I said the first step is to disciple yourself. Well, this is the beginning.

1. Get a Bible. There are only three situations here. You either have a Bible and read it, have a Bible and do not read it, or you do not own a Bible. There are plenty of ways of acquiring a Bible so do not let that hold you back. If you have internet access, you have a Bible (www.biblegateway.com)
2. Open the Bible. If you are letting others teach you about the Bible, you are doing yourself an injustice. First, you can fall prey to someone taking something out of context. Second, someone could be teaching something that is not even taken out of the Bible and these sentences usually start with: “The Bible tells us…” followed by something that doesn’t seem exactly true without the evidence of a verse to back up the idea presented.
3. Read the Bible. Develop of “plan of attack”. Some will say to get a chronological Bible. Some will say to read it cover to cover. My advice is to get a Bible on your reading level and make your own plan. Reading the Bible is better than it collecting dust.
4. Understand the Bible. If you are in a hurry, you will open your Bible, read a chapter, and shut it. You will go back to your daily functions as if nothing happened. THINK about what was wrote and how it applies to you.
5. Know the “who, what, where, when, and why” of each scripture you read. Paul’s message to keep hope seems great, but when you know that he was writing it from a damp, dark prison cell in Rome while awaiting his death makes it all the more powerful. Want to know where that was in the Bible? If I told you, you wouldn’t need to go FIND it. Better yet, find out about Paul’s former life. Read the notes in front of the books to get more information. Read the footnotes. Look at the maps.
6. Join a Bible-Teaching church. Some of you are saying, “why do I need to join a Church to study the Bible? Can’t I do it on my own?” Well… have you ever let someone else proofread a paper for you? They found errors didn’t they? Did you read their paper on the same subject? Did they have the same exact, word for word, ideas that you had? It’s not possible. The same holds true for studying and listening to sermons about the Bible. Two heads are better than one.