Hit Me! Evangelism Linebacker

I could have used a solid hit from the “evangelism linebacker” today. I had a great opportunity, but I did not take it because I was blinded my selfishness and pride.

Tonight in our small group we had a great talk about evangelism, and I am stoked for the next opportunity the Lord gives.  Here are some highlights from our discussion:

Unless otherwise noted the Biblical text for the following points comes from Colossians 4:2-6.

1.  Pray for opportunity

2.  Go!  It may be right next door or moving a conversation to the next level or it might mean moving halfway around the world. (Matthew 28:18)

3.  Be ready to share about Jesus

4.  Be gracious in your conversation

4b.  This means to listen to what the other person has to say.

5.  Redeem the time – because I don’t know how long I will be here or anyone else for that matter – we need to proactively seek opportunity to speak for and about Jesus.

Colossians 4:2-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (NIV).

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Powerful Words from an Atheist

Penn from Penn and Teller asks a profound question of those who have faith in God.  “How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”  Penn is a self-proclaimed atheist, and yet he gets this serious truth far more than many followers of Jesus do.  We can see the task Jesus gave us to do (“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”) should be an obvious top priority.  Please also recognize how profoundly touched Penn was by a Christian who”loved his neighbor” by engaging him as the Scriptures teach us.  The video is 5 minutes long – it is worth your time – watch it!  You can also say a prayer for Penn that he will read the Bible he was given and come to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

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more about “Penn Says: A Gift of a Bible“, posted with vodpod

 

One good thing…

As I was walking through a parking lot the other day, this thought came to mind, “If I can do just one good thing for someone today, then it is a good day.”

Each day God is faithful to provide more than one opportunity.  God’s word provides encouragement to this end, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  It should give us great confidence each day to know that God has a plan and good things for us to do.  Many times these things will not be easy, but they are for the good of others and for the good of our spiritual growth.

The good things we do should be done without any expectation of reciprocity as they should ultimately be done as an overflow of the love of God in our lives and for God’s glory.  May God help us to be joyful and willing servants.

“Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”
Psalm 96:2

 

Not ashamed…

If one day I have a little girl, I hope she is a lot like Erika!

Erika and I have become friends over my last few trips to Mexico.  She is now 11 years old.  Let me tell you that this girl has so much boldness in the faith.  She tells her classmates, kids she has just met, and even mothers about the love of God and their need for a Savior.  I have heard her share with great love for the people and passion for her God!

Often times I find that we make the excuse for not talking about God in our own culture and find it not so hard to share in a different culture where we don’t know the people.  Erika does not have this luxury…these are her people…and these are the only people she has the ability to tell.  I find strength in her story and example…even as I go out today and know that I will have opportunities to share the love of God with people.  I don’t want to let her down.  If she ever asked, I would want to be able to tell her that her tall friend from Georgia is just as bold in his own town as he is in her mountains.  May God help me because I am often silent when I should speak.  Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ…”
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As I share thoughts from our most recent trip to Mexico I need to let you know that I am not going to attempt a chronological order.  Also, if you are wondering what has happened to the study of Romans, don’t worry.  I’ll be picking back up this Sunday finishing chapter 3 and starting chapter 4.  Notes will be available early next week.

 

Not a typical Valentine’s Day!

Just because it’s Valentine’s Day, doesn’t mean you can assume your wife prefers roses!

We woke up, got ready, and headed out for our first of two adoption training classes.  We stopped at chick-fil-a on the way and grabbed one of our favorite breakfast meals – a chicken biscuit with cheese and a cherry coke.  We were fueled up for our 9 AM to 4 PM class.

I must say that the hardest part of the training is hearing about all of the abuse children are put through – beatings and burnings, sexual exploitation, and emotional destruction.  My personal emotions run back and forth between sadness and anger.  One moment I want to cry, and the next I want to beat the ever loving snot out of something or someone.  To “be angry and sin not” is quite a challenge for me when I hear about these things.

After the training, we came home and Claire took a nap.  I took the opportunity to grab some last minute Valentine goodies and prepare dinner.  While at the store I ran into one of the college students  I play hoops with.  He saw me standing there with a hydrangea plant with a bunch of huge blooms.  We had a nice talk about relationships, and I got to drop a little wisdom and speak a little about God’s love to him.  We had a good time cutting up and laughing.

After dinner we relaxed and then went downtown to see “Step into Africa”.  It is 3500 square foot exhibit set up to put you in a village in Africa.  You step into the character of a child and live their story.  It was very well done and highlights the devastating affects of AIDS among children in Africa. You can see a very short video that tells you about the experience by clicking this sentence.

It was not a typical Valentine’s Day, but today we grew closer together, and I believe closer to the heart of God.  I am so thankful to be married to a woman who is so full of love and who has such a great capacity to give that love away! “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (Proverbs 12:4).

 

International versus local adoption

I was asked the question of whether it was better to adopt locally or internationally.  One argument used for international (particularly in famine ravaged areas) was that those kids are far more at risk of death.  I cannot disagree with that thought.  However, I do not think it is a matter of which is better but which are you capable of doing.

Often people say, “Well if I had the money, then I would adopt.”  And the truth is that there are a lot of us that don’t have $25K to $50K available for the typical cost of an international adoption.  And even many local adoptions have significant expenses related to them.

However, if you adopt a child who is in foster care, then the state actually pays you.  Until the kid is 18, their medical expenses are covered and you receive a per Diem that offsets the additional expenses you will incur by adding to your family.  You will also receive additional tax breaks, and educational supplements are available to help with college tuition.

So the excuse of, “I don’t have the money to adopt,” is taken away by adopting a kid out of foster care. For those who have a lot more jingle in their pocket or who find a unique an inexpensive opportunity, they have a green light to go for the international adoption.  The point of my original post was that the church in the U.S.A. has no excuse for all the kids who are currently up for adoption in the U.S.A. but who are not being adopted.

We should be about doing all we can every where we can because our neighbor is anyone we have the power to help!

 

Adoption – A challenge to the Church!

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

In every state in the U.S.A. there are children who are in foster care who are up for adoption.  The parental rights of their parents have been terminated.  They are in need of a permanent home, preferably a home that is full of God’s love and truth.

In my state of Georgia there are thousands of churches that claim to be Christ-centered and tens of thousands of homes that make this same claim.  On Georgia’s My Turn Now website there are 185 listings of children that need to be adopted, 25 of those listings are sibling groups.  We can clearly see that there should be many more Christian homes available than their are adoptable foster kids.  Yet, many of these are at risk of going through life without a family.  Can you imagine to be in that sad state where your biological family has either failed you or died, and there is no other family in the whole world that will make you part of theirs?

Instead of there being a waiting list of kids hoping to be adopted, there should be a backlog of hundreds of Christian families in our state waiting and hoping for their turn to adopt one of these precious ones.  What is stopping us other than a lack of awareness, selfishness, and fear?

Are we really taking seriously the command of God to take care of the orphans? It would be a powerful testimony in your community if it could be said, “There are no orphans here because the church in my community has handled its business.”

May Jesus soften the heart of His church to the needs of the least of these!  May we stop asking the question, “God, do you want my family to adopt?” and start assuming His command to love our neighbors does apply to us in this area by asking the question, “God, is there a reason you have why we should not adopt, or is there a reason you want us to wait to do this?”

Take a look at the kids available in Georgia at My Turn Now.  A quick Google search is all it takes to find the kids in your state.

 

My Heroes

II. Timothy 2:1-3, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

I have had mentors, role models, and friends who have help shape my life to this point.  I wanted to share with you about 3 of my heroes who have inspired me, in hopes that a little bit of their lives might rub off on you as you read.

1.  My parents – I’m going to get a “two-fer” for my first one.  I admire my parents for their steadfastness in following Jesus, for taking the road less traveled, and for the sacrifices they have made. They have consistently sought to do His will regardless of the consequences.

2.  John R. – I first noticed his life when I was a young teenager.  He is seven years older than I am, and I was magnetically attracted to His passion for Jesus and life.  He has been a consistent challenge, mentor, and friend in my life for about 20 years now.  I respect him more now than ever because he is still passionate about the things of God, and he still challenges my heart to be more like Jesus.

3.  Jose B. – my friend and inspiration down south – way south as in Mexico south.  I can only pray and hope to have half the passion and drive that he does when I am his current age.  He and his wife have given their lives away so that others may know Jesus.  Spend a day with him, and you will know you have been in the presence of someone who has a BIG heart and that heart is close to God.

What do they all have in common?

Jesus is first in their lives, they pray a lot, and they take the words of their Saviour seriously.

Who are your heroes and why?

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I hope you enjoyed this little break from Romans.  I know the Romans study can be tedious at times, but I believe you will be blessed if you stick with it.

 

A pre-post election post

Regardless of whether Obama or McCain wins tonight or whether you will be happy or shed tears after the election results, please keep a few things in mind if you are a follower of Jesus.

God’s people must let nothing keep us from the priorities that God has set before us – to proclaim the Good News about Jesus.  I am encouraged that so many followers of Jesus I know really love God and love people and strive to live what they believe.  Let us endeavor more to share the love of God!  Let us endeavor more to be generous with all that God has made us stewards over!  Let us endeavor more to help the most oppressed!  Let us endeavor more to be salt and light and hope in our very dark world!

1.  We have a responsibility to pray for our leaders (I Timothy 2:1-2).

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

The Scripture does not tell us to pray for them only if we like them.  Praying for our leaders to have wisdom, discernment, justice, peace, love, and truth is commanded for us to do.  

2.  Jesus is still the only true and eternal hope!  (Luke 4:18-19, John 14:6).

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 
      because he has anointed me 
      to preach good news to the poor. 
   He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners 
      and recovery of sight for the blind, 
   to release the oppressed, 
    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Words of Jesus)

 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

3.  We must endeavor to love, live, and share the Good News about Jesus, the payment for our sins (I Timothy 2:3-7).

“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.”

4.  We have a responsibility to stand up for the oppressed.  (Isaiah 1:17)

“Learn to do right! 
Seek justice, 
encourage the oppressed. 
Defend the cause of the fatherless, 
plead the case of the widow.”

5.  Regardless of who our leaders are, God is still God, and our privilege is to look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will reign (Revelation 11:15).

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.'”

I am so looking forward to the day when there will be no more tears and no more pain.  In that day, we will no longer have to wonder whether our leaders know what they are doing, or if they have good or bad intentions, or if they are wise enough for the job.  Our King Jesus will reign and all will be as it should be – finally!  What a sweet and blessed hope we have in Jesus!

 

The Olympics and Prayer!

The Olympics provide a great opportunity to pray for much of the world as we watch the athletic events. What can we pray for?

1.  We can pray for the countries represented during the events we watch.  If you have a copy of Operation World you can use it to read about the specific country and its needs.  If you are in Athens, you can borrow a copy from the dcf library.

2.  China.  The chinese government will use the opportunity for mass propaganda of how wonderful and modern China is.  The truth of the matter is that they are still one of the world’s worst violators of human rights.  The followers of Jesus who meet together and refuse to become part of the state church are heavily persecuted.  The chinese also greatly censor journalist and information their people are able to access through the internet.  For example, according to Amnesty International their website is blocked at the Olympic venue.  

3.  Christian athletes.  We can pray for them to be a good testimony on and off the field.  We can pray for them to use the opportunity they have to speak to other athletes, to journalists, and to fans.  Romans 15:13 would be good to pray for them, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

4.  Human rights issues to be covered well in the media.  ESPN did a story about this with the USA basketball team.  Earlier in the year players like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant were on the record against China’s support of the Sudanese government (think Darfur) and how the Olympics would be an opportunity for them to take a stand and use their immense platform to make a difference.  Lebron went as far as to say that he didn’t care if it cost him a contract with Nike because this was more important.  Now the general response from the players and coaches is, “We are here to play basketball, and we will let the politicians handle those issues…whatever happens, happens.”  Talk about pathetic.    Romans 15:13 would be good to pray for them, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

5.  For God to work by the power of the Holy Spirit to use the many believers who will be there sharing the Good News about Jesus and a great response!  (I Thessalonians 1:4-6), “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”

6.  Tibet.  We can pray for the political freedom of Tibet, but more importantly that they would receive their spiritual freedom in Jesus. I had the opportunity to speak to the Dali Lama for a few minutes a number of years ago.  (Perhaps that would be a good subject for another post.)  

7.  Ask God to show you other things to pray for during these weeks.  When we want to pray and ask God for things to pray about, He is faithful to show us.

As we seek to love our 6.69 billion neighbors, let’s remember to pray about these things as we watch the Olympics!

 

A Hero Inspires…

I was recently moved by a story I saw on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” about the Summerville, South Carolina, High School basketball team.  Louis Mulkey was an assistant coach, and the Captain of Engine 15 for the Charleston Fire Department.  He had coached the 8th grade team with the goal that his 8th graders would win the state championship five years later.  Before that 5th year began, tragedy struck.  Louis Mulkey and eight other fire fighters lost their lives on a June 18, 2007.  

The team honored their mentor and friend by placing a fireman’s hat in the school colors on the 4th seat on the bench.  The fireman’s hat was put there for every game.  The team played exceptionally well during the regular season and went into the playoffs.  In the semi-final game they were losing with only a few minutes to play, and they were tired.  Their fans began chanting, “Louis Mulkey, Louis Mulkey, Louis Mulkey”.  The players were inspired and pulled out the win.  In the championship game they won a tightly contested contest by only 1 point.  

On the way home, about 1 AM, the team stopped by the grave of Louis Mulkey.  They placed the championship trophy by his tombstone, and some of the players left their championship medals there as a way to say thank you for the difference this man had made in their lives.

The scene reminded me of what we find in the book of Revelation chapter 4 verses 9-11, “Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 

‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, 
to receive glory and honor and power, 
for you created all things, 
and by your will they were created 
and have their being.'”

In the Scriptures we are also told that the followers of Jesus will received crowns and jewels based on faithfulness and stewardship of what we have been entrusted with.  I don’t think we will be wearing those around, but instead will have the opportunity to follow the example we are given.  We will have opportunity to bow at the feet of Jesus and say thank you.  Until that time, how we live our short days on this earth can be a thank you to Jesus.  May those of us who believe in Him be encouraged to live a life filled with love and grace in response to what our Savior has done for us. Please remember that we can only lived this sort of life by being filled with love and grace by God Himself to overflowing.  II Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
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If you click the Outside the Lines link in the post you will see the ESPN video.  It has a couple of neat parts of the story that I didn’t mention. 

 

New tires and a test of integrity

It’s one of those things of life…Claire had a flat tire on Thursday morning.  We knew we would need to get tires within the next 6 to 9 months, but we weren’t expecting it this week.  So I took the flat to a local tire place and my thoughts were confirmed – it was a no go – too much damage to put it back on.  Since we have all wheel drive on that vehicle you can’t replace just 2 tires at a time unless you buy tires of similar wear – nope the hole enchilada – all 4 would have to be replaced.  It also turned out that we needed an alignment.

When it was time to go back to pick up the vehicle and pay there was a different manager.  He told me the final price, and I was about to slide the credit card in the machine I realized he didn’t ring up the alignment charge.  I hesitated for a moment, and the thought came to my head, “It is their fault for not charging for it. You can walk out of here without paying for that.”  I didn’t listen to that thought but instead reminded the guy about the alignment charge.  He was both surprised and thankful for an honest customer, which opened the door for a profitable conversation about integrity and Jesus.

I’m not writing this so you will think I’m a good person.  I’m writing it because we are all tested like this multiple times a year.  We need to remember that integrity is of much higher value than the amount in our bank accounts.  If you are a follower of Jesus, your testimony will impact others –  either for the good of those who see and the glory of God or negatively as a hindrance to the Lord’s work.

This example shows the heart of the meaning of Matthew 5:13-16,  “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Let’s pray that God would help us to do what is right in all such circumstances.

PS – As a thank you the manager gave me 50% off the cost of the alignment.   

 

Life back in Athens…

It has been a good and busy time since returning Tuesday night.  It is hard to believe it is already Friday afternoon.  House Fellowship on Wednesday night, dinner with my family on Thursday evening, and a leaders’ meeting early this morning were the highlights of the week.  I’ve also managed to get back on the basketball court twice. Wednesday hoops felt rough, but today I felt much more energetic.  The ball was generally at a high level of quality too.  Unfortunately, it ended with one of the guys spraining his ankle.  I hope for his sake it isn’t too bad.  Basketball at Ramsey has been a great opportunity for me to get some exercise and also get to know some people that I otherwise would have no contact with.

In the very near future the other elders in our church and I will begin a study through Alexander Strauch’s book, Biblical Eldership.  I am looking forward to our collective growth through that investment of time, prayer, thought, and practice.  If you are in leadership in a church and have read this, how about dropping me a note with your opinion.  Or if you are interested in the Biblical perspective of church government – both how it should be organized and applied, then I recommend it.  It makes sense to believe that God cares about how His church is should be organized.  Traditionally the church has ignored most of God’s instruction on this subject to its own detriment.

Don’t forget to pray for rain – boy do we need it!

 

Sunday with the Lord’s people – part 2

At the evening service we had a time of prayer, music, and teaching. The time of prayer I find particularly beautiful as many requests and praises were shared and prayed about. I was asked to teach so I shared “7 principals of Joyful Giving”.  

Here they are:

1. Everything is God’s! (Psalm 24:1 and I Corinthians 6:19-20)

2. I am a steward of what God has entrusted me with (Romans 14:10-12)

3. Do I want temporary treasure or permanent treasure (Matthew 6:19-20)

4. My heart always goes where I put God’s money (Matthew 6:21)

5. My permanent home is with Jesus – not here! (Philippians 3:20, Hebrews 11:13-16)

6. I can live for this life or for eternity (I Timothy 6:17-19)

7. We are blessed so we can bless others (II Corinthians 8-9)

We can live life with an either a closed fist with the desire to have ourselves first or with an open hand of generosity.  It is often an issue of faith as Jesus our Teacher will push us in order to make us more like Himself.  

Notice these examples of faith:  the poor widow in Mark 12, Zaccaheus in Luke 19, and the early church Acts 2 and 4

Notice these examples of lack of faith: the selfish man in Luke 12, the rich young man in Matthew 19

Special thanks to Randy Alcorn author of The Treasure Principal for his insights on this subject. It is a short read and worth your time.  If you are a reader from dcf then I have a copy you can borrow if you like.

 

What happened to Jesus of Nazareth?

This post is an aberration from the travel log.  If you see on “Sundays Part 1” post a comment questioning/denying the death and resurrection of Jesus, it refers to the Swoon Theory put forth by the Muslim sect “Ahmadiyya”. For those of you who would like more of a scholarly approach to the subject you can download a pdf file I wrote on the subject a good number of years ago.  It discusses the 7 primary theories.

I hope you enjoy.  

resurrection

Love your neighbor by sharing the truth of the Risen Savior.