Rejoicing in the Lord

 I took this picture when we visited my dad in Arizona

Yesterday I posted about John MacArthur  and listened to Jacob Prasch's teachings about all the things that we see wrong in the world, and how it is going to get much, much worse....and I know it is true and certainly we need to be in prayer about all these terrible things we see happening all around us, AND I can still be joyful in all that God does, has done, and has promised to do for all who are His.

Isaiah 61:10-11 

  

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, 

my soul shall be joyful in my God;

 for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,

 he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, 

as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, 

and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.  

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, 

and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; 

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise 

to spring forth before all the nations. 

Very soon it will be spring. I've planted a few seeds, some of my seedlings are doing well, and others not so well (I have more seeds so I'm gonna keep trying!) I can hardly wait to put them outside and see it all blooming adorning our little home with God's gifts in nature They are reminders from Jesus that one day all of creation will rejoice in the wonderful things He does for us.

It's All About Jesus

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time:
Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:5-7 (KJV)

Humility is a funny thing,  the minute you think you have it you don't. My husband likes to quip "I'm humble, and I'm proud of it!".

I recently saw a post on Facebook by a gentleman who is a somewhat famous Christian performer, a singer/songwriter, who went on and on about how he isn't as wonderful as everyone keeps telling him that he is, about how terrible he is, how he's done things that caused him to lose friends, things he's embarrassed to talk about, loathsome even, and that he's wanted to commit suicide but hasn't because he's too much of a coward and doesn't want to face the Lord who would then chastise him for having cut short his life, a gift from God which only God has the right to begin and end. All the things he said were correct with what we ought to think about ourselves when our focus is on self.

These things, although true, ought to be (for the most part unless giving encouragement to someone who thinks they cannot be saved because of this or that sin in their life) a private condition that we have between ourselves and the Lord, and as we cast all of these cares on Him it is He who takes care of these things, and will exalt us in the proper way and the proper time. I read many of the comments this young man received in response to his posting. Predictably many  of them said "You are awesome" and "Amen" and some talked about the suicide of a loved one. The focus was still wrong, on self, not on Jesus.

Our walk with Jesus does cause us to reflect on our sinful nature, to realize the price He paid to save us, and thereby live a life that glows with the gratitude of receiving grace that is undeserved. When the focus is me, it pulls me down and back into thinking about the things the flesh wants, and all the trouble that it gets me, and when I get pulled down enough and feel more and more terrible (the "slough of despond" in the book  Pilgrim's Progress), the Lord reminds me that He saved me from all of that stuff.

I do appreciate the fact that this performer wants to confess his sin at a time when most want to pretend sin doesn't exist, or that it is all a state of mind and that we can choose whatever we want as long as we ourselves are happy, making that the only thing that matters. However let us instead keep the focus on Jesus and what He has done for us. He has forgiven our sin when we confessed it and are truly humbled by what we know to be true about ourselves.

It really doesn't matter what other people say and think about us and the social medias are full of people saying things that they may or may not mean. What matters is Jesus, and Him alone. As John the Baptist said: "He must increase and I must decrease".

Our Fractured Understanding

Nice article link to above photo

Regarding words appearing over this blog post: I don't know how this happened, and am not able to get rid of it, however if you click on the title for this post (at the top) it won't show up and you will be able to read this article without that which hinders a portion of this offering. Sorry about the annoyance.

2Kings 8:7-15 (ESV)
 Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, "The man of God has come here,"  the king said to Hazael, "Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD through him, saying, 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'"  So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels' loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, "Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'" And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover,' but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly die."  

 And he (Elisha) fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he (Hazael) was embarrassed. 

And the man of God wept
.  
 And Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" 

He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women."  

And Hazael said, "What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you are to be king over Syria."   

Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" 

And he answered, "He told me that you would certainly recover."   But the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. 

And Hazael became king in his place.

I read this passage a few days ago in my daily Bible readings. As I read this (I've read this before but I think I got tangled up in the various kings and battles and names and somehow I didn't understand what what going on in this passage) , but as I read this a few days ago it struck me again that we often see things in "either/or" when God isn't limited in any way by our limited way of how we think things need to be fulfilled.

In the above passage Elisha says: "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover,' but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly die."  

Now I would interpret that to mean that Elisha is telling this messenger to lie to the king, and indeed as I was reading this I wondered why Elisha would tell this man to lie. Then as I read further as to how the events unfolded I saw that isn't what Elisha was saying at all. The actual events fulfilled exactly what Elisha said would happen, yet it happened in a way that was completely unexpected.

I see from this that Hazael had evil motives against his king (of Syria) and Elisha perceived it. What you cannot see from this passage right away is the fact that the king was so sick that many thought he would die. Even the king himself thought he was going to die from his sickness, but the truth was that he would recover from his illness IF he was allowed to live....but Hazael used the opportunity to pretend that the king died of his sickness, because no one but himself and Elisha knew what transpired between them. I think Hazael became so evil toward Israel because he might have thought they could perceive his evil and didn't like being exposed. Evil enjoys remaining hidden. The truth always come to light.

You see similar events throughout the Bible, but an untrained eye, one that only looks for easy explanations provided by people such as atheists who haven't a clue, they destroy the context or jump to conclusions (like I just did before I realized my error) and never see beyond their initial errors thinking themselves to be so much smarter than "stupid brainwashed Christians".

There have been so many archeological evidences that prove the Bible's accuracy again and again, yet these poor "very super intelligent people" (said with tongue in cheek of course) want to hold on to their feeble misinterpretations as the only right way to read the scriptures. How sad.

I see more and more falling into these mistaken ways, thinking they are now free from having to believe in a true God and heaven and hell. Well, it doesn't matter whether you believe the truth of scripture or whether you want to believe your mistaken ideas...it won't change the truth of the matter....and one day you will see it in panoramic clarity whether you find yourself in the hell you've destined yourself for by rejecting God, or in heaven with God sharing His blessings forever. Time will surely reveal the truth to everyone.

A Proper Response

 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.  And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep.
For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry;
for the joy of the LORD is your strength.  
So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.   And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. 

Nehemiah 8:8-12 (KJV)

I've been thinking about the joy of the Lord being our strength in the light of people wanting to idolize a celebrity who takes his own life. Atheists want to claim him as a fellow atheist and Christians say he spoke openly of his Episcopalian association therefore that he was obviously a Christian. He made fun of his Episcopalian denomination calling it Catholic-lite. God only knows the real truth about this situation and we know that He is merciful and forgiving, however I don't think it is right to force God's hand in these situations by saying the things people do about it. Suicide is a very serious thing, and it is a sin. To make light of it and say people can definitely commit suicide and still go to heaven is saying something that God doesn't say in His word, the Bible. He also doesn't say that people who commit suicide definitely go to hell, but there are plenty of things said about perseverance and that the ability to persevere comes from God and not anything good in ourselves.

When the people of Nehemiah's day heard and understood the law they wept and grieved. Why? They were convicted by what it said. That is a proper response to reading and understanding the law, but it doesn't end there. Once they understood and were truly humbled and truly sorry, Nehemiah and Tirshatha and Ezra as well as the Levites taught the people not to focus this on themselves but to focus on the Lord and to find their joy in the Lord  which is their strength, not themselves.

I often see this portion of the passage taken out of it's proper context to condone behaving like lunatics as being "the joy of the Lord". No. They first recognized and mourned their sinfulness in light of the law, and then were taught by the Levites the proper way to have joy in the Lord and to rejoice and celebrate. There is nothing wrong in celebrating. There were many feasts mentioned in the O.T. (people often focus on the law and the battles being the only lessons found there). If we take these things in their proper context and their proper order we see that the proper response for truly understanding the law is sorrow for sin, and that we have a God who loves us enough to see our sins and forgive us of our sins and to strengthen us through the joy that comes from truly knowing and loving Him.

The Cure for the S.I.N. Virus

John MacArthur says most Christians know what salvation means however their understanding does not give them the ability to share this knowledge in a way that helps others to understand it. He addresses this shortcoming in this sermon, and helps us understand how to share the message of reconciliation with others.

What is the Gospel?: The Ministry of Reconciliation

In this message he clears up the problems MANY have in sharing the gospel. He points out that many Christian leaders/pastors are confused about this and disagree on what the gospel is and how it needs to be shared. There is only ONE truth, ONE way, so WHO HAS IT if there are so many who claim to have it and they all disagree?

Good questions, questions that atheists use against us time and again...and in part they are right. They are wrong in where they go with it, but they are right that divisions in the body of Christ are not of Christ. I'm not an ecumenicalist...I don't think the answer is that we all become one in a pseudo-religion that encompasses all beliefs and "loves" everyone (false because these people..many of them...hate people that go to the Bible for all the answers).

I like where John MacArthur takes this problem: to the Bible, and to Jesus and God the Father who reveals to us His will, only one way, through His word.

He sums up the problems of where we go wrong in this way:
man's religions: are sinners devising ways to reconcile themselves to God,
or God's way: God determining His way of reconciling sinners to Himself.
Our way or His way.

Great sermon!

On Finding Contentment With God Part 2

In a recent post on this blog I mused about finding contentment with God. Paul said he had found the secret to finding that contentment:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, 
for 
I have learned 
in whatever situation I am to be content.  

I know how to 
be brought low,
and
I know how to 
abound. 
In any and every circumstance, 

I have learned 
the secret 

of facing 
plenty and hunger, 
abundance and need.   
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:11-13 KJV)

In that blogposting one of the questions I ask is:

"One day we will die and stand before Jesus.What will matter in that day?"

Will what I had for breakfast, lunch or dinner on any given day matter? Will what I wear today matter on that day? Will what I think of myself...

Shaking the Dust Off...

What does that mean, exactly?

I seem to remember that I have posted on this topic once before...however it was a long time ago, and it bears thinking about again.

image link

(interesting blog post as well)

When Jesus sent out the 12 to teach and preach and heal, He cautioned them to go only where they would be accepted, and to shake the dust off when their words were rejected. (Matthew ch 10; Mark ch 6; Luke chs 9 & 10; Acts 13:51)

However, does that mean to kick sand in their eyes? No. I believe that it just means to shake it off, don't carry the "stuff", the grunge, the hurts or angers or frustrations or what-have-you, from going through the dusty dirty interactions this world brings you, just shake it off, do not let it cling to you, and move on.

I have trouble with moving on.

I so can relate to the Israelites going over a small segment of land before the Jordan River, going over and over and over it, for forty years! Yes Lord! I can see that I do that! Why do I do that? Why can't I just shake the dust off and move on? Stubbornness, that's what it is, sheer stubbornness and stiffneckedness. Sigh.

Lord, AGAIN, I come before you (daily) with all the things I do which cause you to shake your head. I know I fall very short of your glory, and humbly come before you for the help to shake the dust off, not carry the memory of
stuff,
clutter,
nonsense,
arrogance,
murmurings and strife,
and let it go at the foot of the cross,

shake it out of my shoes,

like pebbles in my shoes
which only cause me to continually stumble
and cry out in agony
and frustration

instead of praise and thanksgiving.

Thank You for Your longsuffering on our (my) behalf, and for continually reminding me to look up, when I get cast down.

In Jesus Holy Name,
Amen.

Mercy

  For He (God) says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."   So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
 Romans 9:15-16 (ESV)

Is mercy earned? It seems like many people think that it is, and that God is not fair for only choosing to bring "some" into His kingdom. If He only brought in 1 person who didn't deserve it, that is 1 more than should be there, so is that unfair? And we know there will be more than just 1 person that will be with Him, by His mercy. Such compassion is beyond the kind that we in our flesh can display. We feign affection for people that we just don't like or approve of. Come on, really, tell the truth. The only way I can truly love a person that irritates the "you know what" out of me is if the grace is given to me from the Lord. The rest is just fake, putting on like I "love" this person when truly I can't wait to get away from him or her. But the love of God isn't like that at all. He loved us while we were yet sinners, and completely undeserving of His love and mercy. He can see all the yucky things that we think we keep hidden from prying eyes so well. He washes those whom He has chosen with His own spent blood, the most precious thing He could pour out to us. And yet we still think we somehow deserve it by a choice we made or a sinners prayer we rattled off....? Really?

No, it is NOTHING that we did, or do, that could earn His mercy and compassion. It is because He loves those He chooses, through His grace and mercy. Such a divine goodness is too much for me to fully comprehend, but that doesn't make it any less true.

Guard Your Heart

 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.   But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13  (ESV)

Hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. The worst sin is pride. It caused satan to think he was superior to God Himself, and cause others to come with him and join him in his falling from grace.

If a person is truly saved, changed from the inside, born again, it is impossible for such a one to lose their salvation (Jesus said so)...and some may lose their way temporarily, but will return to Him because He draws His own to Himself (John 6:44) however there are those who have an "appearance of godliness", they appear "good" but it isn't the goodness that comes from God because they deny His power, and we are to turn away from those.

2Ti 3:1  But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2Ti 3:2  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
2Ti 3:4  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2Ti 3:5  having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2Ti 3:6  For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,
2Ti 3:7  always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

However there are warnings in the Bible. There are things to avoid, just as we would avoid anything icky and disgusting and horrid. In the Old Testament there were rules for how to deal with lepers. They had their own area that they had to be in so the healthy would not be in contact with them. They had to remain "outside the camp" until they were deemed cleansed.

I have been reading the Old Testament beginning from the beginning. I'm now in the book of Numbers. There is a scene in the text where Aaron and Miriam stand against Moses, and God punishes Miriam (I wonder why not Aaron? oh well) with leprosy. Moses pleads for Miriam but God says she has to endure the disease for 7 days after-which she

God Doesn't Make Junk Part 3

On thinking on this topic this scripture passage came to mind today:

Romans 9:21-24  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?   What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,   in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-- even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? (ESV)

Contrasts are everywhere. When I see someone who is very sick I am more thankful of my health. When I see someone living in squalor I am grateful for my home with all of it's conveniences. The fact of the one highlights the blessing of the other. The fact that there are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (which we all are prior to conversion) accentuates the blessedness of being saved from it. If there wasn't the one (hell), there is no need for the other (salvation).

Prior to being saved I had asked a pastor why God would even create a hell, a devil, and people who will be destined to go to hell. He was unable to answer this to my satisfaction. When God confronted me on my relationship to Him, my rebellion, the truth about me, the me I kept stashed away in the deepest darkest recesses of my being, that is when I recognized the truth of what the Bible was saying about my fallen condition. At that time,

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

In the days of Ezra the walls of the city of Jerusalem were broken and Ezra asked the king, Artexerxes, to rebuild the walls of the city. When the walls were restored, Ezra gathered the people (Nehemiah 7:5) because the Lord put it on his heart to record them by their geneologies. While they were gathered there he read the book of the law to them. I love what it says in Nehemiah 8:8 :

They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. (ESV)

The words of the law were explained clearly so the people understood exactly what was being said...and it caused the people to weep, because they understood the words of the law and recognized their fallen condition. But Ezra told them not to weep because the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemian 8:10)

When we understand the Bible correctly, it causes us to see our sinfulness and it is not pleasant to see that ugly condition. There are many ways to react to this understanding....

On Being Thankful

When I think of being thankful I honestly know that I am never, NEVER, thankful enough. I've seen bloggers have "thankful Thursdays", and there is nothing wrong with that, however it just serves to remind me how meager the thanks offerings we offer up are, and rarely do I see people talk about how thankful they are for being made new in Christ having the awful deep gross stain of sin removed. People often talk about

"God Doesn't Make Junk" Part One

This is a quote I've heard often...and it is true, yet and however, the Bible does tell us that the good that God created had a potential for becoming bad, and as we can see, it did.

The things of this world, including you and I, are decaying and dying. Yet God made a way to infuse us with His Spirit, but it is done under His conditions, and He causes the healthy changes, not our will...not our religion, not our goodness...His power, His will and done His way.

I've done quite a few posts on the topic of falling away on my other blog I wanted to have this blog to focus more on the Bible, mostly on refreshing and uplifting topics...

God's Outlaw

Last weekend my husband and I watched a video I purchased at our nearby Christian bookstore entitled: "God's Outlaw; The Story of William Tyndale"

As the story unfolds it brings up the Roman Catholic argument that it is dangerous for the laity to read the Bible because they lack the education to be able to do so, and that it takes men who are well trained to be able to explain what is needful for us to know from God's word. It was the means by which the RCC kept control of it's members. In William Tyndale's time the English speaking people had to hear the scriptures read in Latin, and it was a crime punishable by death to even pray in English.

Honest to God Prayer

I have had the idea for some time to gather up all of the prayers that are recorded in the Bible and make a post (or perhaps a few posts?) about them, and I MAY YET DO THAT....but not today. I found this sermon by C.H. Spurgeon on the topic of prayer. WOW oh WOW! What precious jewels the Lord caused to spill from the mouth of this wonderful saint! Some of it is hard to hear, but the necessary cure for our prayers to truly have the honesty, the passion, the true conviction within our spirit that pleads with and honestly lays our soul bare before the Lord, sharing with Him a true covenant blessing in our prayers to Him. God bless you as you hear the truth about how we must pray, and what love must inhabit our soul, what truth about our condition must be honestly realized, as we make our petitions before the Lord.

The Sound in the Mulberry Trees

This sermon by C.H. Spurgeon is lovely and refreshing. I hope if anyone hears it, they will take the full time to listen all the way through...to not make a judgment at the 5 or 10 minute mark and decide they don't need to hear more, because you will rob yourself of some of the richest blessings that come from hearing the full of it all the way through. What a sweet, sweet blessing.

Acknowlegement of Sin

From Joseph Alleine's "A Sure Guide to Heaven":

"When He (the Lord) works convictions. O do not stifle them, but join in with Him, and beg the Lord to give you saving conversion. 'Quench not the Spirit.' Do not reject Him, do not resist Him.Beware of stifling convictions with evil company or worldly business."

How often to we stifle His convictions of our sinful inner thoughts? How often do we excuse ourselves with "Oh well, everyone thinks these things" or "At least I'm not as bad as  (fill in the blank)." No, we should always take these straight to the throne room, and realize our terrible sinfulness in gratitude of a forgiving God. Let us not go to the pharmacist, or psychologist, or well-meaning friends for comfort, who will only condone the selfish and evil promptings, or medicate them away with things that hinder the Lord's process of cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Let us hold fast to Jesus instead, knowing that it is His goodness, not our own, which means anything, and everything. When we feel conviction, let us not shrink away from the fact that we are full of darkness in need of the light that wants to enter in to remove that darkness to fill us full of His light. Instead let us embrace that fact that we are nothing without His goodness enlightening our dark habitation.

When we feel the weight of our unrighteousness, let us not try means of elevating ourselves into a righteous mindset, but let us remember that "none are righteous, no not one" except Jesus. When we want to "think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think" let us remember that "God alone is good and every man (and woman) is a liar" which of course includes myself, and no one wants to deceive me more about my own goodness than I myself do. Jesus is the only cure. Whenever we feel the weight of guilt and unrighteousness, it is the righteousness of God that will sustain us, as we admit our guilt and thank Him for His love and mercy.

"Gender Confusion"

I was listening to a series on sermon audio (linked to part 3 at the bottom of this post). The series is on the topic of homosexuality. It is a very heavy topic, one that is often treated superficially.. the pastor talks about gender confusion and the problems that the women that pushed for equal rights brought in (and he admits that this is just a symptom of our fallen condition, one of many symptoms, and that there have  always  been sin symptoms since Adam and Eve). 

I want to share with you what I said to my daughter. I don't want to diminish the terribleness of sin, yet we of course need to acknowledge that we all do sin, continually. This is what I wrote my daughter as a preface to this  sermon:

"... it reveals a bigger problem, and we cannot "fix it" by making all of these things appear to be right. That isn't the point. The point is this world is fallen and there are lots of problems that won't get fixed, but we need to admit that they truly are problems and that they stem from our sinful nature. That is the point. The point is we shouldn't make excuses (me included, I keep wanting to make excuses for my sins) no excuses, but we need to acknowledge that we all fall short, and to call sin what it is, sin. No excuses. So we do sin, every day we do, it is part of this world that we live in. It is full of sin. AND we have forgiveness for sin. 

We do need to know what sin is, it is transgression against a holy God.

We need to be aware of it. We cannot stop it, only God can, and will. We will still sin as long as we live in this sinful world…. but when we turn to Christ, He will reclaim us to Himself, and draw us to Himself. And one day when our fleshy life is over, 
He will give us a life that truly is without sin,
 with Him, 
not in this world,
 but one that He makes for His chosen, 
who don't love sin, 
but who love Jesus, 
and are thankful for His forgiveness, 
and proclaim the truth about His hatred of sin, and His forgiveness of sin.
Anyway, hope this makes sense. I hope you will pray about this, and that the boys will be a light for the dark times that are still ahead of us. It is going to get worse."


Link to the sermon:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=623131528566

If you have time I recommend also listening to parts one and two of this series.

For Their Sakes...

John 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

David Dykstra gives an amazing sermon on the profundity of this verse. I mentioned to my dear husband last Sunday how often I run over verses that are so packed with so much incredible meaning, such wealth, and I barely skim off of the surface (if that even) barely even touching what is there. This is one of those verses. I've heard this so often that I have grown callous to the richness of the text, the amazing things that Jesus has done, and does, for each one of His "called out ones". I pray that we stop being so haphazard and overly casual with His divine word, and learn to humble ourselves, and submit to the profound truth that is there, in all of it's powerful glory. David Dykstra helps me to "stop and smell the roses" of God's Word.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1121071424537

Evangelizing (telling others about Jesus)

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

Who was Jesus talking to here? Only the apostles? Does He speak to each of us individually even today to teach and preach? Or was that only for at that frozen moment in time?

This is an enormous topic and I'm only going to scratch a tiny bit of the surface here, because this involves the history of the church, parsing this (above Bible text) and other passages of scripture, as well as much personal testimony and that is something, although very valuable and I hope that everyone researches church history and scrutinizes Bible passages carefully to see how it should shape our lives today, it is too immense to put all into a single blog post.

A brief overview of church history (brief to the extreme, please don't think this enough information to now believe you "know" church history, lol). In the very beginnings of the church, there were many who had seen the flesh and blood Jesus here on earth. The Apostle Paul didn't see Jesus before the ascension but he did have a direct visitation from Him after His ascension on the road to Damascus. It was dangerous to be a Christian....but why? As the years went on there were persons and events that brought Christianity to the masses (Constantine, Charlemagne) and "Christianized" Europe, enforcing "Christianity" (this is a complex issue in itself, there may have been some who truly became Christians as a result of these events). Protestants separated from the Catholic Church, and then itself separated into several splinter groups --evangelicals (such as Wesleyans, Baptists) separated from their reformation brothers (such as Lutherans, Presbyterians --  nicknamed the "frozen chosen" because many did not have a heart to reach out to evangelize those outside of their groups and had very formal and often ritualized -- i.e."cold" and "dead" meetings). Revivals brought new life to congregations, however there were also many heresies that often slipped in with each successive wave of change ---as the devil would have it, yet God still is over all.

The Apostle Paul said:
Php 1:15  Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
Php 1:16  The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
Php 1:17  But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
Php 1:18  What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.



That isn't to say that care shouldn't be given to how the message of the gospel is shared, in fact many go with much zeal sharing a "gospel" that isn't the gospel at all, and that isn't what Paul is saying here. We need to be mindful of our Lord and what He did for us, and share the truth about Him in our thanksgiving to Him, and pray that He will open opportunities for us to speak about Him, and trust that He will give us words that are pure and true to share with others who are lost and dying in their sins.

Col 4:2  Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Col 4:3  Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
Col 4:4  That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
Col 4:5  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.


And this isn't to "lord it over" people so that they will idolize YOU (God forbid), nor is it to be out of fear because our God demands these things out of us, although perhaps that can be a beginning point. He is our friend when He has made peace with us, and that friendship does have some requirements, but this can come out of us "naturally" (supernaturally?), but we can quench His Spirit:

 Luk 11:33  No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. 

And

  Mat 25:14  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Mat 25:15  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Mat 25:16  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
Mat 25:17  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
Mat 25:18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
Mat 25:19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
Mat 25:20  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:22  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
Mat 25:23  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 
 
Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Mat 25:27  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 

Mat 25:30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Acting out of fear to reach others with God's word isn't good, we are people of faith after all. Yet however,  we can go to the other extreme and not go out at all because we might "get it all wrong" or might get other people angry, or might drive others further away from the Lord or what have you, there are many reasons that we can become that unprofitable servant mentioned above. God tells us He will provide the words we need to say as He moves us with His Holy Spirit, and He will open the doors, as we pray for the opportunity to share the truth of the marvelous things God does and can do in lives, transforming others with the words He provides us....but not if we quench His Spirit and tell the Lord to do it some other way besides using the gifts we want to keep buried regarding telling the lost about Jesus.



Luk 8:4  And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
Luk 8:5  A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
Luk 8:6  And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
Luk 8:7  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Luk 8:8  And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Luk 8:9  And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
Luk 8:10  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Luk 8:11  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luk 8:12  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
Luk 8:13  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Luk 8:14  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Luk 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Luk 8:16  No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
Luk 8:17  For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Luk 8:18  Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

Let the love that those who are His be the genuine love that loves to share the truth about Jesus, especially when it gets us hated or killed, that we "love not our lives unto death" and let that love abound the more as persecution grows, so that many may grow in grace and the true knowledge that comes through knowing Jesus as we lay down our lives and our flesh for Him.