evangelism

Go

Go…spread the word! Or, in this case The Word. Jesus is to be shared to the ends of the world.

Matthew 28:19 (AMP) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

The above verse is not a suggestion, it is a commandment. I have struggled with this for a long time, and honestly, I still do. Am I bold enough? Do I have enough faith? Do I know what to say? I did not go to seminary school, what could I possibly have to say? All this doubting has kept me from obeying this command in the past, but by God’s grace He kept on convicting me and He built up my courage. 

The Christian faith is not based on works; you cannot possibly earn your way to Heaven. It would be impossible. When would you know you have done enough? This is why Jesus had to die on the cross. He was the only way we could meet the requirement for entering God’s Kingdom. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…(John 14:6).” And that is the requirement there, my friends.

Now on the other hand, works are very important to our faith because they are a reflection of our faith (James 2:14-26; Matthew 17:15-20). If we love Jesus then we will follow His commandments (John 14:15). I believe what this means is that if we really believe in God and that Jesus is in fact LORD (someone having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler), then we will follow Him. This also means because of what Jesus (God) did on the cross for us this should be enough of a motive for us to obey His commandments. I recently had a conversation with a good friend who asked the same question I have had myself before,“How do I know if what I am doing is out of my own motivation instead of love for Christ?” God gave me the revelation not too long ago that what we do for Christ should be a reflection of how much God’s love has impacted our lives. It is always about what is going on in our hearts. Are we doing things to promote ourselves or are we doing things to promote Christ?

So now that God helped me figure all that out I started asking Him what is my ministry? How do I share Jesus with the world? God is so good….ask and you shall receive. Through a series of confirmations He told me to evangelize. Scary? Yes, definitely. But the feeling that you get when you know you are doing what God wants you to do? Priceless. So now I walk around with my fanny pack (yes, they are coming back in style, and I’m on that train) full of gospel tracts constantly praying for the Holy Spirit to give me boldness and faith to share Jesus with complete strangers. I have had amazing conversations with people and I have been rejected as well, but man…it is exciting being out there sharing God’s love with His people!

So I would encourage you, Christian, to ask God for a ministry and GO! Do it afraid, do it even if you do not feel credible, all God is looking for is a willing soul and He will provide you with the Holy Spirit to empower you. God gave us the gifts of the Spirit, so let’s use them! Cheeyahoo!!

By: Luke Adan

WORSHIPPER

“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” Psalm 147:1-2

Worshipper. That is who I am. Who do I worship? Well, it used to be that I worshipped basketball; this was my life. I worshipped the Lakers (Kobe and Shaq). My mood would go up when the Lakers would be winning and it would drastically change when they would lose. I thank God that He has convicted me of this idolatry, and that He has given me grace to walk away from it. 

You see, human beings are made to worship. We worship something, someone, some place, whether it be our career, spouse, kids, cars, celebrities, experiences, there is always something that we idolize. The reason why we were made to worship is because we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), but without believing in the gospel our worship is misdirected towards the wrong gods. 

So who do I worship now? I worship the one true living God, Jesus Christ! Why do I worship Him and Him alone? Well, because on a cold winter morning of December 2012 He became real in my life. I could not see Him, but His presence was undoubtedly real as any physical being in my life. And after that day I realized that I could not ever go back to my old life. Jesus started working in my life to sanctify me. He walked me through my repentance and forgave me for my past, present, and future sins, and made me a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

This is why I worship Him. He loves me so much that He only sees the good in me and forgives me for my failures. Which is quite different from how I view myself. Imagine being in a relationship where the person loves you no matter what. You do not need to hide who you are, he wants to know everything about you. Now, I do not mean that God will be okay with our sins, He is not. He will always love the person, but hate the sin, and there are consequences for sin. But this is why God sacrificed His only son. So that we may be perfected through the grace and mercy that Jesus gives us by dying on the cross for our sins. 

What does this actually mean? What does it mean when someone says, “Jesus died on the cross for your sins”. Remember the game, Super Mario Brothers? In the game, I think you get about three lives to start with. Imagine you have an infinite amount of lives, then you have a better chance of getting to the last stage and winning the game. It’s the same thing for when you are in Christ. Because Jesus, the perfect sacrifice died on the cross for you, He is able to give you an abundance of grace to be able to push on towards sanctification (holiness).

Another reason why I worship Jesus is because He paved the way for me to enter Heaven. There is no other way to Heaven, but through Jesus (John 14:6). Heaven is perfect, and it is real. Hell is the opposite, and it is also real. I thank God that He provided us a way to be reconciled to Him through His Son. Without Jesus, then we would not have a way to eternal life with the Creator who loves us unconditionally. 

Now how does one start a relationship with Jesus and get into Heaven? Simple, ask and you shall receive (Matthew 7:7). Ask Jesus to come into your life; confess your sins and turn away from them; receive Him as your Lord and Savior, and accept the love that He offers you. But the most important thing is that you mean it in your heart, mind, and soul. A simple prayer does not do it, it’s what you truly feel in your heart, mind, and soul that matters. I’m not in a happy marriage with my wife just because I tell her I love her…it’s because I really mean it with my heart, mind, and soul that I Love Her. 

I pray friend, family, reader that you receive Jesus Christ today. There is no other relationship that is as exciting, fulfilling, and assuring than what you can have with Jesus. He is always running after you, wanting you; now it’s time that you run towards Him and enter into His kingdom. Receive the truth that you are a child of the King!

By: Luke Adan