Motivated by sight, obligated through obedience: Evangelism

It seems that I am always pondering our purpose as witnesses of the salvation that only Christ can bring, I frequently grieve at the utter insufficiency of my efforts. I am daily reminded that witnessing for Christ is not witnessing for my 'church,' or my 'denomination, or my 'bible study club.' We are not seeking converts to ourselves, but striving to add others to the Kingdom of God. Not only is there an overwhelming sense of utter inadequacy toward my efforts at being holy and faithful to this end, but there is also a welling up of gratitude for the sheer privilege to participate in the great commission. (Matthew 17:17-21)

As those who have witnessed the resurrection power of Jesus Christ in our own lives, we should be compelled to labor for that which is imperishable (1 Corinthians 9:23-27). Storing treasure up for ourselves in heaven is not shopping at some spiritual Walmart, or making pretty little arrangements to hang on our heavenly mansion walls (Matthew 6:19-21). NO! It is a desperation that presses us toward the work of heavenly joy, earning crowns to cast at His feet (Revelation 4:10-11).

Praise God! He gives us not only the Spirit to war against the wiles of the enemy (Romans 8:15, 2 Corinthians 7:1, 2 Timothy 1:7), but He gives us the commission, the work certificate, the denarius for a day's labor, His shed blood as payment toward the remission of sins. This is as good a reason to go into the field and labor as any! He grants us the tools that we need to sow, scatter, and water the seed of the gospel (Ephesians 1:1-23). By this, there is only hope to bless His name by remaining obedient to the call. We cannot reject our commission, it is imperative and inherent, to our discipleship (Matthew 19:19-20).

Peter and John were ordered by the Pharisees to silence their proclamation of the name of Jesus Christ. They could not remain silent because they had seen and experienced the living Christ. More so, they had been blessed with power from on high to go into all the world. They could not stop their mouths from 'speaking of that which they had seen and heard.' This is not a foreign, unrealistic experience reserved for only the apostolic ministry. This is your obligation. If you have been redeemed, you have been set apart, and if you have been set apart, you have seen and heard the salvation of the Lord. Witnessing  the resurrection of the dead is a firsthand experience you and I both observe when we meet with other believers, those who have been bought with a price bear witness to the dead-raising, life-giving power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 4:19-21).

Bless God that we can store up treasure in heaven. Understanding the value of the life that is to come simplifies the acceptance we must have with the the present life we live. Judging the ascetic appearance of the two reveals they have so little in comparison. What we value, is what we love. If we value anything greater than Christ, we have bowed to an idol. In the word's of Leonard Ravenhill, "We have not lost our first love, it says we have left our first love."

Please take a moment to listen to watch/listen to the video in the right column featuring an excerpt from a sermon Leonard Ravenhill preached concerning 'The Judgment Seat of Christ." It comes from the former "BraveheartedThots" website. Now known as "Ellerslie Short Films."

You can download the full-sermon at Sermonindex here.

Compelled to serve the Kingdom of God: Giving

(Mat 5:42) Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

It is convenient, and easy to shirk off giving to others because they give to the 'church' and then the church distributes as the deacons, and the leaders see fit.

I think we have it all wrong.

I think responding to the poor in a concentrated local church effort generates good things, like organized outreaches, and taking some soup to the poor. But this should only be a spillover from your individual efforts, we should be doing this, all the time, as the Lord instructed.

Case and point, plenty of well-clad  suited business people passing a man with a gaping whole in his neck, a tracheotomy that allows him to speak and breath. Cancer he says. 17.94 for prescription is all I need, 64 years old and I cannot get SSI, SSDI, and too old to apply for medicaid. This man is gonna die soon, and quite possibly, very painfully.

But because it is Detroit, and everyone seems to be a scammer, nobody stops to listen to his plea. Many would refrain because he might buy dope. Such is also the norm for Christians, who practice the same methods of denial.

But the Lord said?

Do you believe He is sovereign or not? That's the question we should ask ourselves when we see outstretched hands beckoning for loose change, your gleanings. Those hands, used to be mine, have they ever been yours? Can we as believers relate? Do we have different socioeconomic backgrounds? Of course, but in principle, the Lord said blessed are those who are poor in spirit as well. Are we poor? If we are, then we should understand the poor, after all, this is indeed who Jesus came to save.

I do not think it is a matter of who is wealthy, or not. For the believer, one dollar in your pocket has made you wealthy, every breath you take this side of eternity has made you wealthy, and every last thing we store up here, will not go with us. Neither will that 17.94 that man asked for.