SPEAK UP!!!

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) Many believers either know this verse or know of it. This is a very popular passage in the Scriptures but, even though it is very popular few follow it. I know I didn’t. I believed that this command was to be followed by the Missionary or the Pastor. Thankfully, by God’s grace, mercy and patience with me I know longer reject this command or any part of His Word. If we say we believe that the Bible is the Word of God then we have to accept ALL of it as His Truth.

When sharing the gospel keep in mind you have the Holy Spirit with you. You are not alone. We also have to power of the Bible. There is power in the Word of God! It changes people forever! The gospel in and of itself is powerful and can cut to the heart that is willing to receive. The very first sermon with the gospel message ever given was by Peter. He was speaking to a large group of people from many different parts of the world. They all had one thing in common. They were all Jewish or Jewish converts. They all knew that Jesus had been crucified. They all knew that something was very different with Peter and the others standing with him. They mocked them just like people mock believers today. “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel…” Acts 2:14-16 By the end of his sermon there were three thousand who were converted on what we call the day of Pentecost!

That was an amazing day. It is amazing when one or three thousand come to Christ. The Bible says there’s a celebration in heaven every time someone comes to Christ. It is amazing to be a part of it! Are you part of it? Do you share God’s Truth with others? Have you spoken up? If you have, AMEN! If you have yet too don’t wait any longer, speak up!

Please keep in mind that you do not have to take any courses or be trained on how to share Christ with others. You can start doing so immediately. If you would like a helpful guide there are various tools that can help you. There’s the “Romans Road” at http://christianity.about.com/od/conversion/qt/romansroad.htm. There are also apps that can be downloaded on your Smartphone to help you. Of course, all of these help tools are great for you but, nothing beats the guide of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Thank you for reading this post! My dear friend I am praying for you. May God continue to bless you!

Waiting

The definition for praying, according to the Oxford on-line dictionary is, “Address a solemn request or expression of thanks to a deity…Wish or hope strongly for a particular outcome or situation.” I was curious about how many Americans pray. The Washington Post had an article posted about this entitled, “Most Americans Believe in Higher Power, Poll Finds, by Jacqueline L. Salmon (Washington Post Staff Writer, posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008; Page A02). It stated that most “Americans believe that angels and demons are active in the world, and nearly 80 percent think miracles occur…The study detailed Americans' deep and broad religiosity, finding that 92 percent believe in God or a universal spirit…More than half of Americans polled pray at least once a day.” 

I wonder how many of those that pray are willing to accept one of the three answers the Lord gives to prayer which are, “yes,” “no,” or “wait.” Of the three answers the one that everyone seeks most if not all of the time is the “yes” answer. The Lord knows best. He knows when “yes” is for your best and when it is not. He also knows when “wait” is the best answer for the time being. Are we willing to wait though? Are we willing to remain obedient when God’s answer of a “yes” or “no” is not being given as quickly as we would like?

The Bible is full of stories of people that were unwilling to accept a “wait” answer and the consequences they received for their disobedience. I’ll share one example about Abraham. God promised him a son by his wife Sarah even though they were an elderly couple. They were unwilling to wait for their son which brought on a lot of bad consequences. Did they ever receive their promised son? Yes, twenty years later. “Then God did as he had promised, and Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a baby son in his old age, at the time God had said...” Genesis 21:1-2 (TLB)

The Bible is also full of people that did wait on the Lord. Hebrews 11 is known as the “Hall of Faith.” It lists those that lived in obedience and how their faith is the reason why they were successful. Can you imagine what would have happened to them if they had not waited on the Lord? Would Joshua and the people of Israel had been as triumphant when going into the Promised Land? Would Esther have been killed by her husband, the king, and in turn the people of Israel annihilated had she not waited for the appropriate time to speak to the king? Would Gideon and his 300 men have been successful if they had not waited on the Lord? What would have happened to Mary, the mother of Christ, if she had not waited on the Lord? She was an unwed teen-aged mother. She would have been stoned to death had her secret been let out. 

“Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14 (NASB) I know I have had a hard time waiting on the Lord many times in my life but, my dear friends let me share this Truth with you. Every time I have waited on the Lord for His answer, the right answer, it was always attached with His blessings, love, peace and joy. When I chose not to wait what I received were headaches, frustrations, anxiety and heartaches. How about you? May we always wait on the LORD. May we live our lives in obedience, waiting…waiting for God’s answer. 

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Thank you for reading! My dear friends I pray these words may be of a blessing for you. I am praying for you. God bless!