Evangelism of Love!

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Father, I don't ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. They don't belong to this world, and neither do I.  Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours.  I am sending them into the world, just as you sent me.

I have given myself completely for their sake, so they may belong completely to the truth.
I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me.

I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.

I have honored my followers in the same way you honored me, in order that they may be one with each other, just as we are one.

I am one with them, and you are one with me, so they may become completely one. Then this world's people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me.

John 17:15-23

These verses provide the most amazing glimpse into the purpose of God for His people.  Some have declared that our purpose is to bring Glory to God, and of course it is, but Jesus said that we are to be "one" with each other and "one" with God.  

When you ponder that thought at all you quickly come to a place that is too wonderful for us to imagine.  The most amazing relationship on this earth is the oneness of a man and woman in marriage.  It is a glorious mystery that is God's gift to all who would receive it.  Being one with God Almighty is too marvelous, but that is what Jesus said we will be.

Then Jesus says that the world will come to believe in Him because we are completely one with each other.  It is the most effective evangelistic technique ever conceived.  When people in this world see the followers of Jesus loving each other they find it hard to not believe that this is from God!  

The opposite is true as well.  Whenever brothers in Christ are not one that message quickly impacts the world around them.  It is a denial of Jesus when we are not united in love.  

So in order to proclaim Jesus to the world we must tear down every wall that separates those who believe in Jesus.  Let nothing come in between you and another believer.  When the world sees the Love of Jesus flowing between brothers they will ask us to tell them about it.  The Love of Jesus is what everyone on earth is looking for.

The Joy Will Come!

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Jesus knew they had some questions, so he said:  You are wondering what I meant when I said that for a little while you won't see me, but after a while you will see me.

I tell you for certain that you will cry and be sad, but the world will be happy. You will be sad, but later you will be happy.

When a woman is about to give birth, she is in great pain. But after it is all over, she forgets the pain and is happy, because she has brought a child into the world.  You are now very sad. But later I will see you, and you will be so happy that no one will be able to change the way you feel.

John 16:19-22

Jesus says that the sufferings we have in this life can be like the birth pains a woman has before a child is born. I had heard about birth pains, but I had no idea how bad they could be until just before my oldest child was born. For a short time I frankly didn't care about the baby that was on the way because my wife was in such pain. But as quickly as the pains came they left when the baby was born and the glory of a new life arrived!

The time before the Lord returns will be a time of birth pains. It will be suffering like never before and no one can probably imagine how bad it may be. But then for those who love Jesus the pain will stop when the Lord returns. His glorious arrival will mark the end of pain and suffering for all those who have given themselves to Him and call Jesus, Lord!

But for those who have rejected Jesus, His return will not be the end of suffering, it will rather be the beginning of eternal pain!

So if you, as a follower of Jesus are preparing for bad times don't forget that they are simply the birth pains and that Glory will follow forever. The joy will come be ready to receive it!

Which Sword to Use?

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When the dragon realized it had been thrown down to the earth, it tried to make trouble for the woman who had given birth to a son.

But the woman was given two wings like those of a huge eagle, so she could fly into the desert. There she would escape from the snake and be taken care of for a time, two times, and half a time.

The snake then spewed out water like a river to sweep the woman away.  But the earth helped her and swallowed the water that had come from the dragon's mouth. This made the dragon terribly angry with the woman. So it started a war against the rest of her children. They are the people who obey God and are faithful to what Jesus did and taught. The dragon stood on the beach beside the sea.

Revelation 12:13-18

War has been declared on you if you obey God and are faithful to what Jesus did and taught. It is the dragon, the devil, or Satan that has you in his gun sights and he will fire a shot in your direction as frequently as he can.

How can you respond and engage the enemy in this war that was not of your own choosing? Jesus is the example of how to wage war against Satan. And Peter is the example of how not to do battle with the enemy. Peter cut off an ear in response to the attack, but Jesus quoted the written Word of God. Peter's method did not work, but using the Sword of the Spirit in your daily battle with the enemy is the only "sure fire" method of winning!

It is love that overcomes the enemy. Jesus died for the men who put Him on the cross and the crowd that demanded it. Jesus loved those who hated Him and that is the secret of the Sword of the Spirit. The "non-violence" of Love is the most lethal weapon ever used in war.

Take all of your "old guns" of hate and violence and trade them for the "Sword of the Spirit." When the attacks come, and they will, pull out your Sword and let the Word of God do it's work in the lives of those who are trying to harm you.

Greedy for God!

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Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children.

Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.

You are God's people, so don't let it be said that any of you are immoral or indecent or greedy.  Don't use dirty or foolish or filthy words. Instead, say how thankful you are.

Being greedy, indecent, or immoral is just another way of worshiping idols. You can be sure people who behave in this way will never be part of the kingdom that belongs to Christ and to God.

Ephesians 5:1-5

There is more than one way to worship an idol. You can carve out an image of something and bow down before it as if it were a god. You can also worship idols by being greedy, indecent or immoral. When you bow down before an image you must admit even to yourself that your are worshiping an idol, but when you are greedy, indecent or immoral you can easily deny that this has anything to do with idolatry.

And of course greed is the easiest one to justify as maybe not a sin at all and certainly not idolatry. Much of the commercial world is built on the premise that we can fan the desires of people for things they do not have to the point that they will sacrifice whatever is necessary to get that coveted thing.

The dictionary defines greed as the desire to have more of something than is actually needed. Having more things than you need can be a curse, but having more of the things of God is a continual blessing. You can be greedy for His love, His mercy, the Peace that passes understanding and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Being greedy for the things of this world makes you an idolater. Being "greedy" for the things of God makes you a worshiper! Let your heart run after God and fill your mind with the continual desire for Him. And then at the "end of the day" there will be the Morning of Joy!

God Speaks Truth!

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The [Lord] told me to write down his message for his people, so that it would be there forever. They have turned against the [Lord] and can't be trusted. They have refused his teaching and have said to his messengers and prophets:
Don't tell us what God has shown you and don't preach the truth. Just say what we want to hear, even if it's false.

Stop telling us what God has said! We don't want to hear any more about the holy One of Israel.

Now this is the answer
of the holy One of Israel:
“You rejected my message,
and you trust in violence
and lies.

This sin is like a crack
that makes a high wall
quickly crumble

and shatter
like a crushed bowl.
There's not a piece left
big enough to carry hot coals
or to dip out water.”

Isaiah 30:8-14

Do you want to hear the truth? The truth is often the thing that makes you feel the most uncomfortable. When you listen to a man deliver a "message from God" do you stop listening if that message does not affirm what you already believe?

God's Word is Truth and all that is true comes from Him. The communication of God is Truth. The utterances of Satan are lies. Satan, of course is the father of lies. So when you speak the truth you are saying that which comes from God. And when you speak a lie, you become the Devil's mouthpiece.

The epic struggle that will continue until the return of Christ is the battle between truth and lies. Truth is of God and lies are of Satan. A man's conscience is his personal attempt to determine what is true and what is a lie and whether his own actions are consistent with that which is true.

When you give up on truth in an attempt to protect an idea, a principle or anything or anyone that you hold dear, you are blatantly giving up on God. Deception can produce short term gain and appear to be an effective way to handle a situation, but in the end it will not work. When deception runs in to the Truth of God it is always exposed for what it is.

"Lord, I pray that every word that I speak today will be true and one that Jesus would have comfortably spoken. Help me Lord to reject all forms of lying and rely only on the Truth. Amen."

Leave Your Window Open!

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Finally, they said to one another, “We will never be able to bring any charge against Daniel, unless it has to do with his religion.”

They all went to the king and said:
“Your Majesty, we hope you live forever! All of your officials, leaders, advisors, and governors agree that you should make a law forbidding anyone to pray to any god or human except you for the next 30 days. Everyone who disobeys this law must be thrown into a pit of lions.

Order this to be written and then sign it, so it cannot be changed, just as no written law of the Medes and Persians can be changed.”

So King Darius made the law and had it written down.

Daniel heard about the law, but when he returned home, he went upstairs and prayed in front of the window that faced Jerusalem. In the same way that he had always done, he knelt down in prayer three times a day, giving thanks to God.

The men who had spoken to the king watched Daniel and saw him praying to his God for help.

Daniel 6:5-11

When Daniel disobeyed the newly made law that made it illegal to pray to anyone except the king he must have known what would happen. Daniel prayed like he had done before and in a place where he could be seen by those plotting his demise!

Daniel could have "wisely" prayed behind a closed door and at least pulled a curtain in front of the window so no one could see. Daniel could even have prayed silently for those thirty days so that he would not "offend" anyone who saw him.

Instead Daniel trusted God and proceeded to pray as he had always done.

Still today it is "illegal" to express your faith in Jesus Christ publicly in a number of countries. And some, like the United States are convinced it is illegal even though there is no law against it. At least not yet.

If you want to be a man or woman of faith like Daniel it can be very risky! Let your relationship to Jesus be the final Word in every action that you take. Let nothing, even a new law, come in between you and Jesus.

When the law of God and the law of man come into conflict choosing to follow God is never a loosing strategy. Live your life like Daniel praying in front of an open window and then you will have nothing to fear from the den of lions, even if they kill you!

Remember if you pray without ceasing you will pray when the window is shut and when the window is open. But the example of Daniel is this: Leave your window open and trust God!

Old Dog–New Tricks!

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Proverbs will teach you
wisdom and self-control
and how to understand
sayings with deep meanings.

You will learn what is right
and honest and fair.

From these, an ordinary person
can learn to be smart,
and young people can gain
knowledge and good sense.

If you are already wise,
you will become even wiser.
And if you are smart,
you will learn to understand

proverbs and sayings,
as well as words of wisdom,
and all kinds of riddles.

Respect and obey the [Lord]!
This is the beginning
of knowledge.
Only a fool rejects wisdom
and good advice.

Proverbs 1:2-7

I still have not found the words "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" in the Bible. First of all, you are not a dog and God never says you are finished until you take your last breath on this earth.

One of the lies of Satan when you reach the "more mature" years of your life is to tell you that your life is over and nothing else can be done that makes any difference.

Our Western society venerates youth instead of age. What a foolish thing to do. The goal of most Americans is to look, act, and feel like they are very young and to hide from everyone how old they really are. We also exhibit a collective wisdom that is earmarked by the foolishness of youth! Notably, I know of no great country, institution or university that was founded by a bunch of kids!

So here is the suggestion for today. No matter how old you are go back to school in the Book of Proverbs. As it says "If you are wise, you will become even wiser."

"Lord, I may be old, but I am not a dog and I need to learn things from You that are new everyday. Teach me Lord as I wait for Your return!"