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As most of you know, if you’ve read my bio, I do a lot of reading and writing. Well, last Friday I was preparing to study the Righteousness of God. I had been studying Romans 4 that week. My pastor stopped by to surprise me with some dinner he had prepared for me. It was delicious!

After eating the hot meal, I decided I’d start work on my lesson. I reached for my hot coffee and placed it on my table next to my laptop. I guess you know where I’m going with this. Yes. Somehow I hit the bottom side of the coffee spilling it on my computer. The hot coffee spread all over my table and onto the floor and on the side of my bed. I had to call my CNA for help. I quickly lifted up my laptop wiping off the keyboard and laying it face down on my bed. I didn’t care about my bed–only my laptop.  She was very kind to me. She cleaned everything up for me.

After everything was cleaned up, I sat down to consider what kind of damage I had done to my beloved laptop. Well I was deeply wounded because it did not want to work. It did. Then it didn’t. Then it did. Then it gave up and so did I.

I was disconected from my online community. I was disconnected from my work on the Book of Revelation. I was disconnected from my e-mail. I was disconnected period. I found myself with all this time on my hands. You see when I’m not online, I’m typing up research on chapters  from the Bible. I was lost.

Now the reason that I am sharing this with you is not so you will feel sad that I’ve been off the net since Friday. No. I have something else in mind. How would you feel if you were disconnected from the Lord? How long would you be able to be away from Him? What you do in order to reconnect yourself to Him? How fast would you work to get your connection back? What would be your mindset? Oh well. I will eventually get connected again. Or would you be like the song that says “I’m desperate for you?” Would it be a life and death situation? Don’t answer too fast. Be honest with yourself. How valuable is your connection with your Savior? How desperate are you to stay connected?

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Defending the Gospel

Understanding Our Part in Connection with the Holy Spirit

As defenders of the faith, we must always remember that Jesus promised that we would receive power after that the Holy Spirit would come upon us. (Acts 1:8) It is this “power” that we must rely upon for all things as we walk by faith and not by sight. He is spoken of as the “Spirit of Truth” in John 14. With this view, we must understand that God is his “own supreme counsel for the defense.” (p. 58) If then sin seeks to frame God, then God Himself is the only one who can actively counter this outrage. Yes, as witnesses, our work is important, but at best our part is to bring the presence of God into the debate through the power of the Holy Spirit. We then must see ourselves as junior counsels for the defense. Therefore we must read the Bible with this in mind. When the law court is seen with God Himself in view as the lead prosecutor indicting the sins of his people and others, then we will understand the following statement noted in Job 38:2-3:

Job 38:2-3 (KJV)
² Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
³ Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
Isaiah 1:18 (KJV)
¹⁸ Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 3:13 (KJV)
¹³ The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

Hosea 4:1 (KJV)
¹ Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Hosea 4:4 (KJV)
⁴ Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
.

Isaiah 41:27 and 42:1 speaks of one who will be an advocate for Zion. He will be a defending counsel for Jerusalem and God’s servant (NEB) The same prosecuting role can be seen in the self-awareness of Jesus and his promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit who will appear after He leaves. He tells His disciples that He will come for their good. Note John 16:7-11.

With these verses in mind, we must understand that our human role is always one of humility, support and subservient. Notice how Os Guinness words it. “With the Holy Spirit resting upon us as Jesus promised, our part is to host the very presence of God wherever we are, to exercise the very power of God in every situation and to witness to the gospel and what God has done in Jesus and is doing in the world today.” (p. 59) I think that says a mouthful. We are presenting something new. We are pointing to something already established.

We then speaking only on behalf of God. We speak under Him, and we have no authority apart from Him. Notice the prophet’s formula which is “Thus saith the Lord.” The indictment against them was when they attempted to speak for God when God never gave them a word. It is never about us. Nor is it up to us.

No Individual is the Same

I am reading a book that considers the Christian’s approach to witnessing to an individual about Jesus Christ. I have not gotten too far in the book because I am forever arrested by the author’s words. At one point, he states that Jesus never approached any two people the same way. This made me pause to reflect on the individuals He talked to. The author was right. Jesus did not use a “formula” or “steps” to minister to individuals. Instead he met them where they were.

Dr. Guinness uses the phrase “cookie-cutter evangelism” to describe the method that most churches use when reaching out to the lost. This made me think about the church where I first got saved. My enthusiasm for my newfound faith in the Lord motivated me to join the evangelism team. They taught me the “method” to witness to souls. It was okay to put it in my own words, but certain things had to be covered before walking away from the candidate.

There was an apartment complex located down behind the church. It was on the next street. Once a month, the evangelism team would have a service there on Saturday. We would gather at the church around 10:30 a.m. for prayer. Then we would walk down to the apartment complex as the church van played gospel music announcing our arrival.

Once we got to the complex, we knocked on doors, and passed out gospel tracts, and then we gathered to sing songs. Then someone would encourage people to gather to hear the message of the day. There would be some soloists singing before the speaker brought forth the Word. Then altar call would be made before we left. The workers would get upset because the majority of the tracts were thrown on the ground. Now I know why. We used the same method every time we saw these individuals. They knew the routine, and they knew what we were going to say. It was old and outdated. No wonder they were hard to win to Christ! It was never fresh. The Word of God should be fresh—not stale!

I hope this makes you think about how you approach an individual who you are trying to win to the kingdom of heaven. It does make sense doesn’t it?

 

New Book Study

I hope you were blessed by our journey through the Gospel of John. I hope you will join me on the next journey through the Book of Revelation. The link for it is studyinrevelation.wordpress.com. I hope it will bless you also. Don’t forget if you have any questions, talk to me. I’ll be glad to answer them.

Stepping into What God has Called You to Do

I just published a post about the disciples of Jesus Christ. He had told them that He would rise from the dead. After His resurrection, He appeared to different people, and they testified of His appearance. Their testimonies served as evidence to the truth of His words. Their testimony was met with unbelief.

I am not here to discuss that portion of John 21 with you today. I want to talk about how the gospel said at one point they were seen as hiding because they were afraid for their lives. In another gospel, they went back to doing what they were doing before they met Jesus, which was fishing. For 3 1/2 years they traveled with Jesus hearing His teachings and watching the miracles He performed. Recorded in Matthew 28:19:19-20 Jesus gives them instructions on what they must do as His followers. Notice the first word “go.” Get moving disciples! You have a divine assignment to do because you have a call on your life!
Let me bring my thought home. If we’ve gotten to the place in our lives where we are seeking the will of God for our lives, and He tells us, are we doing it?
Are we obedient or are we on the run? Have we chosen to remain in what is familiar? People are waiting for us to fulfill what we have been called to do. Somebody is waiting for us to speak that word that we have been given by the Lord. That song that we hesitate to sing will bless and encourage somebody and help them to hold on a little while longer. Whatever it is somebody is waiting for it. We are needed somewhere, and He has anointed and equipped us for the task He has called us to.
Yesterday we should have gone forth to do what God called us to do. Will you go forth today? Time is moving fast, and we need to be about our Father’s business!

A Clean Slate

This week, we may see the beginning of a new year-2015. Why did I say “may?” Because we are not promised tomorrow. We should say if the Lord will, we will do this and that. For all the promises we may make for the New Year, we might not make it. I am not attempting to be morbid, but I am saying that we should be realistic.

We should ask the Lord for His guidance and direction as we face a new year with new challenges and changes. We should seek to find out what the will of the Father is for our lives.

Happy New Year-2015!

How Would You Respond?

I’m reading Job 3 now. I just want to share with you what came to mind when Job heard all the bad news found in Job 1. I wondered how I would feel if I got such bad news. He lost his children along with all his possessions. His wife turned against him telling him he should curse God and die. She believed Job had nothing to live for. Job’s response in verse 21 amazes me every time I read it.

Job 1:21 (KJV)
(21) And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

I wonder could you and I respond if this happened to us?