Bible and Breakfast

Ezekiel 3:17-19

"Son of man, I have made you a watchmen for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.  When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.  But if you do warn the wicked man, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself." 

 This is obviously a warning in the OT to Ezekiel, a specific prophet that if he didn't do his job and warn the people of God's judgment to come, then their blood was upon his head.  I believe this still applies to us in that God has made it clear in the NT that all men are unrighteous before him and we are all in waiting of His judgement.  Unless we heed the warning and fall at the feet of Jesus in repentance, we will likewise perish.  The rest of the world needs to be warned of their wicked ways, just as in the time of Ezekiel.  We can do this through presenting the 10 Commandments to someone as a mirror to show them that they have been living as a wicked person before God.  Be sure to include yourself in this group so they don't feel like you are condemning them and you are good to go!  If your motive is concern and compassion for the lost, the person you are witnessing to will feel that, and I have never had anyone tell me, "You've offended me!"  

Sunday Soup

Luke 15

Read Luke 15 as we had for our morning service and you can sum up in a few words the point Jesus is trying to make to the pharisees.  They were murmuring about Jesus' relationships with publicans and sinners.  Evidently they would come around him and he would teach them.  He proceeds to share with the people in rebuttal to their illegitimate concerns.  Here's my paraphrase of these three parables.  (Three parables in a row are intended to drive home the same point.)  

God has extreme compassion for lost souls!

If God has such compassion for lost souls, shouldn't we?  And Jesus, in the parable of the prodigal son, makes a point to identify that there is another soul involved, that of the other son, who hadn't done much wandering and was in constant communion with the father.  The Father (God) says to this son, "thou art ever with me and all that I have is thine."  This son represents us as born again, obedient children of God.  The Father is not as concerned about us as he is about the lost souls.....God is filled with compassion for drunkards, fornicators, adulterers, blasphemers, liars, cheats, murderers and desires that they all repent.   And where can we find these souls?  Probably these people will not be wandering into our churches, but they might be standing on the corner near our church.  They may be sitting on the ground at the gas station, or perhaps working the counter.  They may be your waiter or waitress or your kids babysitter, or your coworkers.  If we are to be his hands and feet, I believe with all my heart that God wants us to show the same compassion to these precious souls as Jesus did.  If God would leave the 99 to search for 1 lost soul, why can't we leave our comfort zone and share the wonders of His Grace to people who may be ready to return to their Father in repentance.  Let's not misjudge these people as we so often do, and walk on by, shaking our head at their dilemma.  We know the way to the Savior's arms, and perhaps, they are ready to listen.  

Open your mouth and God will give you words to speak......Start by walking up to someone and say, "Hey, how are you?"  This is the beginning of a wonderful conversation!   

Bible and Breakfast

Matthew 23:15

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are!"

These words are a warning to us who share the Gospel.  We must share the Truth in love with a pure motive hoping we plant the seed of genuine repentance into their hearts.  Without preaching to them the law first, we cannot possibly make Grace (God's undeserved favor towards mankind in that, while we were sinners, Christ died for us) make any sense to them.  If the first thing a doctor told a seemingly healthy patient was, "I've already prescribed the cure for your disease, you can pick it up when you leave today," the patient would wonder if the doctor perhaps confused him with another of his patients.  "I don't need the prescription, Doctor, because I don't have the disease your talking about!"  But, if the Doctor held up the results of the MRI that showed a baseball sized tumor on his left ventricle (I think that's in your leg ;) his patient would beg the doctor for a cure and he would be very attentive to his instructions.  When I have presented the Gospel to young people, using the law as a starting point, even the "coolest" of highschool and college kids have become humble before the Righteousness of God.  From there it is the spirit of God that moves them to repentance, not my words.  And that's the comfort and beauty of it, not my words, or our church, or any repeated prayer, or even his own deeds of goodness can bring about true repentance and conversion.  "No man can come unto Me except the Father draw him; and I will raise him up in the last day." 

Isn't It Enough that Christ Died for You?

As I watch and listen to this short testimony, I am reminded of the putrescence that satan draws me to.  In fact, if satan could have his way, he would make me exactly what I was.  You see, satan loves you just as you are...sinful and selfish, but God cannot tolerate what you are and desires to convert you by his power and love.  If it was up to my own efforts, I would return to that "vomit" I once slept in.  Oh for God's Grace and strength that he would save me, a wretched creature, and take time to work with me to sanctify me, to bring him more and more glory!   So many people around us are in this state, especially young people, and desperately need Him to save them too!  Share with them the Good News before they are lost forever.

[Paul Washer's miniTestimony]

As I think back on the many people God has enabled me to speak to about the Gospel, it is easy to forget all the faces and names.  It is neat how God works as just today, I ran into a young man outside the library who looked strikingly familiar.  I had seen him in Target just a few days before and thought I recognized him.  I didn't stop him then but today I stopped and asked his name.  He told me his name was Elario, which didn't ring a bell, but after a few seconds looking at each other, he asked, "Do I know you?" I then asked him if he owned a motorcycle as I remembered witnessing to a young man at the local gas station who was riding a bike.  He grinned as the memory of our conversation sparked to life in both our minds!  His name was Eli and I had asked him about his bike while pumping gas, then asked him if he is afraid of dying in a wreck.  We walked through the law and how we all have a death sentence against us if we die in our sins.  He knew Jesus was the answer to the dilemma, but had never heard the Gospel presented in a way that starts with the Law and moves gently to Grace through Christ.  He attends a local church and this morning I was able to encourage him on his Christian walk and renew a relationship that was started months ago.  He was one of the first people I stopped to witness to and he was so gracious to listen and contemplate what I had said.  Pray for Eli that he will continue to read his Bible and pray.

(photo is not actually Eli :)

Bible and Breakfast

James 2:14-17

 

What good is it my brothers if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James uses the example of helping christians who don't have daily food or clothing.  To me this seems to be talking about in our day, homeless Christians or Christians living in poverty either in our country or any other.  If we "feel bad" for them but do not do anything for them, we have proved our faith in Christ to be dead.  Or, as we often make the judgement call, "They don't need my help, they are just faking it!" 

The other difficult thing is to believe that that person on the street corner might actually be our brother or sister in Christ.  Don't think for a moment that the only brothers and sisters we have are sitting in the pews of our church.  It would be a pretty boastful to think that the only people who will be taken into Glory will be the members of our particular denomination.  Raymond, whom I met on the street corner, knew his Bible more comprehensively than I did, and had a much stronger faith that God would provide for his needs.  He taught me way more in 2 hrs than I could have ever taught him, and his Bible was much more worn than mine. :)

I love the lyrics from the Newsboy's song, "HE REIGNS"

God has been working another soft spot into my heart for the homeless.  There are countless stories about "dangerous" homeless people and hitchhikers and everyone will tell you their "horror story" about how they once tried to help a homeless person, and they "didn't even want my help".  I am going to tell you about a few experiences with these unfortunate people that I've had and hopefully you will be left with different ideas about men and women on the streets. 

My first real learning experience was when I stopped on my way home from work at our Exit and tried to "witness" to Raymond.  This photo reminds me of him as his eyes were intent and his face serious.  I began as I often do with a "fun" million dollar bill gospel tract.  That was enough to set off the fire under Raymond's stocking hat.  He promptly informed me that, as he so delicately put it, "Satan comes to lie, deceive, steal, and destroy...and that's exactly what you're doing with that fake money!  Now Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly.  So if you don't have anything to give me, please leave!"  (That's his favorite verse in the Bible as I learned in a few minutes)  Raymond immediately put up his defense screen that said, "I don't trust you, and you don't have anything for me."  It took my naive and innocent persistence to show him, after many heated words were thrown at me, that I really did care about him as a human being, and I didn't have a hidden agenda.  Once he truly trusted me, he became a completely different person, very articulate, proclaiming truths from the Bible, and sharing with me how to interact with a homeless person.  Raymond taught me that people don't trust you, and they are convinced you don't really care about them.  You might want to give them some food, or money, but they don't really believe you care deeply about their human condition.  That night, I was taught priceless truths about a people group I could not relate to until  that night.  Raymond at one point had to use the restroom (field) and so I got to hold a sign that said, "Need Tent" and tried to get people to stop and give me something that would help.  For that moment I felt completely disconnected from the people in cars flying by or ignoring me, that I understood a tiny portion of what he felt.  I had more in common with him at that point, that any of the "normal" people driving by.   Raymond and I had dinner together there at the overpass and we connected on a level that touched both of us.  We met him the next morning to give him our old tent, and some food and drink.  He left me with a hug and his favorite book, "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" of which I am excited to read.  

As God can only design it, Brother Gene Lehman was our minister that Sunday and he spoke intently towards the end of his sermon that if you listen carefully you can almost hear the hoofbeats of the Four Horseman. 

I don't know if I'll ever see Raymond again until we both reach our heavenly goal, but I now know one more soul desiring to serve Jesus that I knew before I stopped that night.  We never know what lessons we can learn or how lives can be touched, including our own, if we serve our God by serving others less fortunate.

   

Photo by Ted Szukalski

So often I walk by someone and the thought occurs to me, I should talk to that person about their eternity.  Sometimes, I'm ashamed to admit, I walk by.  But sometimes the Spirit works in my heart so much so that I hang around a while and usually a door opens that allows me to speak to that person.  We can't talk to everyone we see, but there are certain people almost everywhere we go that God has been working on their hearts.  If we are willing to be his mouthpiece, he will work out the details!

Often we will walk into a store or restaurant and I will look at Laura and she knows that I am going to have to talk to someone.  She usually finds a comfortable seat somewhere and begins to pray for the person that I approach.  Once at a restaurant a worker was taking a break and I was able to talk with her about life and after sharing with her a bit about the Law and Grace, she told me she had recently given her heart to Jesus.  It was my opportunity to make sure she understood what true conversion is and what it means to "repent."  

Sometimes it's young believers that need encouragement, sometimes it's lost souls that need to be shown the way, the truth, and the life.

I am going to begin to share with you some of the witnessing encounters I have had as it will be a good reminder to me to keep pressing on, and hopefully it encourages you that you can do the same.  It's like everyone says about everything else...."If everyone would do their part, the problem would not be as huge."  Only, this is the only problem that truly matters in the end.  

Just this Monday I received a call from a gentleman, speaking english with an Indian twist, with Portfolio Loan wondering if I'd be interested in taking advantage of their new "low rates".  I explained to him that we were not interested in an mortgage as we already went through out home bank to take care of our home financing needs.  As he continued to talk as if I hadn't said what I said, that still small voice spoke to me and reminded me that this was actually an opportunity to share Christ with a soul, and not an annoying call about 7 months late.  I listened to him finished and then asked if he would like to switch conversations and answer a few questions I had for him!  :)  He, to my surprise, was more than happy to listen to me as I walked him from the 10 Commandments as the Holy standard of a Righteous God, to his personal sins, to the only cure that is available, that is, Jesus and his death on the cross.  To my astonishment, Sunny as I now know him by, had never heard of Jesus, the 10 Commandments, or what Christianity has to offer!  After I blew as much by him as possible in about 2 min. Sunny said to me, "I believe everything you have told me is absolutely true." He could not thank me enough, as chills ran up my spine in amazement at what our God continues to work in men across the globe.  Sunny, by the way, is a remote telewhatever working from his office in India for Porfolio Loans in Texas!  Yowza!  Our God is bigger than our weaknesses!  

The cool thing is Sunny gave me his email and wanted me to send him more information.  He actually called me the next day on accident, thinking I was again a potential customer!  haha  We laughed and he was glad to talk to me again!  I think it was just God's way of reminding me that someone across the globe is waiting for His Word.  (Sunny told me the second time he called that he was really looking forward to getting more information about Jesus and repentance and faith and that he told his friends all about our discussion!)

So next time you really feel like letting the telemarketer hear the phone slam, try asking him if he would consider himself to be a "good person".    ;)  

Wow!    

The purpose of this blog is a few fold....

First and foremost: Bring honor and glory to our God.

Second: To encourage myself to continue to share the Gospel more often to the lost.

Third: To encourage and urge other Christians to do the same.

Finally: To develop a dialogue with other Christians about witnessing.  How?  Why?  to Whom?