Gospel for Chico... and Beyond - Encouraging Evangelism

Not Ability, but Availability by Greg Laurie

2012-06-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

"I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols." — Isaiah 42:8

Not Ability, but Availability by Greg Laurie

What kind of person does God seek to use? What qualifications is He looking for in someone? Is it a towering intellect? Is it natural leadership ability? Could God ever use someone who is a bit shy by nature? Does this person have to be very talented or handsome or beautiful?

The answer to all of these questions is clearly no. It seems as though God goes out of His way sometimes to choose the most unexpected people to use.

If I had to choose one passage of Scripture that I think best summarizes my life as a Christian, it would be 1 Corinthians 1:26–29, where the apostle Paul wrote,

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

There is not a person who had less promise to achieve anything with his life than me. I was literally the last person picked for the team for whatever sport it was. I never was academically strong. I always underwhelmed in most areas of my life. So when the Lord chose me to serve Him, it was very clear that it was His doing—not mine. This is because God will not give His glory to another.

As I have said before, God is not looking for ability as much as availability. Are you available to Him?

Copyright © 2012 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.harvest.org/devotional/archive/devotion/2012-06-01.html

Saved to Serve by Billy Graham

2012-06-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Saved to Serve by Billy Graham

“Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men’” (Mark 1:17). We are saved to serve; we are redeemed to reproduce spiritually; we are fished out of the miry clay so that we in turn may become fishers of men.

During our Crusades, thousands of young people have surrendered their lives to Christ for full-time Christian service. Young people want adventure and excitement; but they want more—they want something to believe in, a cause to give themselves to, a flag to follow. The only cause that is big enough is the cause of Jesus Christ; and its flag is the blood-stained body that was lifted on the cross of Calvary for the redemption of the world.

This invitation to discipleship is the most thrilling ever to come to mankind. Just imagine being a working partner with God in the redemption of the world! Jesus challenged, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor” (John 12:26).

Christian discipleship gives us the privilege of being associated with Christ intimately. And the faithful discharging of the glorious responsibilities of true discipleship invokes the approval and favor of God Himself.

Are you actively involved in discipleship?

Prayer

Lord, help us to follow Christ daily and to make knowing Him and making Him known the guiding cause of our lives. Teach us how to be Your faithful servants. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Scripture quotations are taken by permission from The Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright ©1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.,Publishers, Nashville, Tenn. From Billy Graham: "Decision" magazine, May 2012, ©1959 BGEA.

Source: http://links.mkt1529.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MzkyNzIxMTES1&r=MjUxNTgzNzc4MjQS1&j=MTQ0NjY0MzAwS0&mt=1&rt=0

Song: The Proof Of Your Love

2012-05-31T07:22:00.000-07:00

I heard this song on K-Love the other day, and it really ministered to my heart, hope it does the same for you! (1 Corinthians 13)

The Proof Of Your Love

for KING & COUNTRY

If I sing but don't have love
I waste my breathe with every song
I bring, an empty voice
A hollow noise

If I speak with a silver tongue
Convince a crowd but don't have love
I leave a bitter taste
With every word I say

(Chorus)
So let my life be the proof
The proof of Your love
Let my love look like You
And what You're made of
How you lived, how You died
Love is sacrifice
So let my life be the proof
The proof of Your love

If I give to a needy soul
But don't have love then who is poor
It seems all the poverty
Is found in me

Chorus

Ooh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
When it's all said and done
Ooh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
When we sing our final song

Only love remains
Only love remains

Chorus

(Music & Lyrics: Joel Smallbone / Luke Smallbone / Mia Fieldes / Jonathan Lee / Fred Williams / Ben Glover)
Source: http://www.klove.com/music/artists/for-king-country/songs/the-proof-of-your-love-lyrics.aspx

For His Glory by Greg Laurie

2012-05-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. — Ephesians 4:1

For His Glory by Greg Laurie

Are you living your life well? That is an important question, because you never know when your life will end.

In a broad sense, life for the Christian will never end. There is an afterlife. There is a heaven. And ultimately, there will be a new earth where we will rule and reign. But according to Scripture, what we will do then is connected to how we live now. So we want to think about our lives and how we are living them today.

We all assume we will live a long life. Maybe you are a young person just getting started. Maybe you have lived many, many years. Maybe you are middle-aged. Whatever age you may be, you don't really know where you are in life's journey. And that is the thing we all have to think about.

We live our life as a story that is being told, and, for some of us, we may be further along in that story than we realize. So we have to ask ourselves questions like, "What purpose does God have in mind for me now that I have committed my life to Jesus Christ?" And, "What will the legacy of my life be? How will I be remembered?"

We are here to bring glory to God—nothing more, nothing less. So the objective is not to be the most successful or to have the biggest this or that. It is to be faithful to what God has set before each of us.

It is not for us to look at another person's success and say, "Why not me?" Nor is it for us to look at our own suffering and say, "Why me?" Instead, it is for us to simply say, "Lord, how can I best glorify You with my life?"

Source: http://www.harvest.org/devotional/archive/devotion/2012-05-30.html

How can I gain a passion for winning souls?

2012-05-27T04:20:00.000-07:00

www.GotQuestions.org

Question: "How can I gain a passion for winning souls?"

Answer: Winning souls is, essentially, the process of evangelizing or witnessing, which is simply communicating the message of salvation to unbelievers. Jesus Christ told His followers they should be His witnesses to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8) and to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), which is the essence of winning souls. As our Father in heaven does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9), all Christians should be eager to heed this call and have a passion for winning souls.

Witnessing, however, is less about what we do for the Lord as it is about what He does through us, and this requires a surrendered heart filled with the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the same Holy Spirit who empowered Christ while He was ministering on earth can empower us as well. First, however, we need to understand our role in building the body of Christ. As the apostle Paul explained to those in Corinth, we are God’s servants who work in unity with one another to produce a harvest. One will plow the soil, another may plant the seed, and another laborer will water it, but only God can make that seed grow (1 Corinthians 3:7). Thus, even though we each may have individual roles, we nonetheless have a unified purpose of winning others to Christ, for which everyone will receive his own reward according to his own labor (1 Corinthians 3:8).

But how can we gain a passion for spreading this good news and winning others to Christ in these difficult days when there are so many who oppose our work every step of the way? It starts by having Jesus Christ front and center in our own lives. Indeed, our passion for winning souls will increase as our passion for Christ Himself and our walk with Him becomes stronger. Two of the best ways to strengthen our Christian walk are to read His Word daily and to pray continually. When we fill our hearts and minds with Christ, we can’t help but to have a passion for sharing Him with others.

The most enthusiastic laborers are those who have a heart that is on fire for Christ, and this should actually be easy when we consider the magnitude of what our sinless Savior did for us at Calvary. His willing acceptance of death on our behalf cured us from our terminal disease (sin) and saved us from an unfathomable eternity in Hell. Yet we know what happens to those who die apart from Christ. And this hopeless eternity apart from God, let alone in the fiery darkness of inextinguishable hellfire, should motivate us to win as many people to Christ as possible, especially when we consider the brevity of life that the apostle James aptly calls “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Once we cross the eternal horizon, there is no going back and the time for winning souls will be over. Thus, not only is the harvest great and the workers few, but, on top of this, our time is very limited.

In these challenging times we certainly don’t have to look far to see many in despair, and yet even in the midst of this chaos, Christians can find solace in God’s Word. If a Christian finds himself in one of life’s trials, for example, he knows our sovereign Lord either put him there or is allowing him to be there. Either way, the Christian can make sense of this turmoil by realizing God has a purpose for our trial for we know that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). Further, if life occasionally doesn’t make sense to us, that’s okay for we know to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and to not rely on our understanding of a situation (Prov. 3:5-6). Enduring life’s hardships that inevitably come our way is a lot easier when we know that God is in control.

Our lost brothers and sisters can find this same comfort when they put their faith in Christ. However, as Paul explained to the Romans: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news’” (Romans 10:15). The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, and which guards our hearts during these difficult times (Philippians 4:7), can guard theirs too, once they let Him in.

There can be no better calling than working on behalf of the One who died so that we may live. Jesus said “you are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14), and His command was that we obey Him and that we love each other as He loved us. Clearly, then, our love for Him is best exemplified when we passionately and tirelessly work to share His love with others.

Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/winning-souls.html

"October Baby" - Abortion? -> Choose Life

2012-05-26T02:30:00.000-07:00

"You saw me before I was born." Psalm 139:16 (NLT)

If you haven't see the movie "October Baby" you should. It's about a woman who's on a journey to discover her hidden past and she finds hope for her unknown future by discovering that Every Life is Beautiful.

http://www.octoberbabymovie.net/

How often do we stop and think about how beautiful life is? What if instead of focusing on the cultural debates of our time, we were to focus on how beautiful life truly is? From creation to the number of hairs on our head, from protection to blessing, God pays close attention to every minute detail because EVERY LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. http://www.everylifeisbeautiful.com/

Abortion? -> Choose Life

For more information on the topic of abortion check out: http://www.alwaysbeready.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139&Itemid=119

How can I become more motivated for soul winning?

2012-05-25T04:17:00.000-07:00

www.GotQuestions.org

Question: "How can I become more motivated for soul winning?"

Answer: Being motivated for soul winning is a good thing, but we must define some terms first. “Soul winning” is a metaphor for evangelism, or witnessing. As such, this is a good thing to pursue. The Bible calls us to evangelize. Evangelism is at the heart of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Christians are called to be witnesses of their faith to a watching world (Acts 1:8). In fact, the word “martyr” comes from the Greek word for “witness.” Early Christians were often put to death for their “witness” to Christ. Clearly these people were so motivated for winning souls that they gave their lives to that cause.

So given this, how can we be more motivated for soul winning? The Bible teaches that all people are born in sin (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3) and that we will all be judged for our sin by a holy God (Romans 6:23). The Bible teaches that the only way to avoid this judgment is to repent of our sin and embrace Jesus Christ by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). If someone we knew was dying and we had the cure for their disease, would that motivate us to share that knowledge with them? The reality is that all people have a terminal, spiritual disease (sin), and, as Christians, we know the cure for that disease (Jesus). This truth should be great motivation for us to bear witness to gospel of Jesus Christ. Knowing that those who reject the “cure” for their spiritual disease will spend an eternity in hell should be sufficient motivation to urge them to consider the dire consequences of their decision.

If Christians are not motivated for evangelism, it could very well be because we aren’t hearing the gospel preached faithfully and fully in our churches. In some parts of the world, churches have attempted to make the Christian message more marketable for modern sensibilities. As such, preaching about sin, judgment, hell, and salvation through Jesus alone is not emphasized as much as messages about how Christianity can make our lives better— improve our marriages, help us raise our kids, and assist us in eliminating bad habits. The pragmatic has replaced the theological in many churches. This brand of Christianity may appeal more to a post-modern world, but it fails to confront people with the truth of their sin and their need for salvation available in Jesus alone. Souls are won not through promises of a better life in the here and now, but through the power of the gospel as the only solution for our sin.

However, here is where we must be careful. Some Christians see soul winning as something that they do. In other words, success or failure in evangelism is seen as largely due to the efforts of the evangelist. This mindset has turned evangelism from a “witness” paradigm into a “persuasion” paradigm. A witness is one who simply tells what they have seen, heard and experienced. Witnesses in a courtroom are bound to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” A witness doesn’t seek to persuade, he doesn’t seek to convince; all he seeks to do is be faithful to proclaim what he knows to be true and why he knows it to be true.

Persuasion takes on a very different form. In persuasion, one person is engaged in an effort to change the mind of another person to a particular point of view. It’s not uncommon in persuasion to alter, or re-package, the message to make it more appealing to others. In persuasion, the most important thing isn’t the truth of the message, but the individual’s response to that message.

If soul winning is a product of our own individual effort, instead a work of the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13), then evangelism becomes our persuasive effort. The goal of soul winning becomes making sure we get someone to come to that moment of decision and accept Christ into their lives. One may ask: “What is the problem with that?” If the goal of evangelism is getting people to that moment of choice, then there is every temptation to “do whatever it takes” to make that happen. This mindset has led to the very thing that characterizes the various “church growth” movements, such as the seeker-sensitive movement or the emergent movement, that seek to make Christianity more relevant and appealing to a modern world. On the surface, this sounds good and noble, but at what cost? The Bible says that it is the gospel that has the power of salvation and we are not to be ashamed of it (Romans 1:16-17). We need to avoid the persuasion paradigm and get back to a witness paradigm, one in which the truth of the gospel is faithfully proclaimed.

It all boils down to this: Do we believe that God is truly sovereign, even over salvation? If we do, then it is God that is the soul winner. It is the Holy Spirit that brings new birth. It is Jesus Christ who died to save the world. Christians are called to be witnesses to the world by proclaiming this gospel of salvation. The proclamation of the gospel is the means through which the Holy Spirit brings repentance and faith in the lives of individuals. What can be more motivating for soul winning than to know that through our faithful proclamation of the gospel, God is saving those whom He has chosen from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5).

Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/soul-winning.html

The Testimony of a Former Muslim, Daniel Shayesteh.

2012-05-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

Watch a video of Daniel Shayesteh (a Former Muslim) giving his salvation testimony. "Why I converted to Christianity"

Daniel Shayesteh was born in Iran near the Caspian sea. By age nine he was able to recite the entire Quran in Arabic. As a young man he was totally committed to Islam and was a member of Hezbollah in Iran. He inspired other good Muslims to hate and kill Americans and Jews. After he helped to oust the Shah of Iran and bring Ayatollah Khomeini to power, he was kidnapped and sentenced to death; the Ayatollah didn’t like Daniel’s opposition to his political agenda. He existed for a time in torturous prison conditions. His cellmates were executed, but by the grace of God Daniel escaped to Turkey. It was there that he met a group of Iranian Christians. And it was through their witness of the love of Christ and training in the truth of the Bible, beginning in Genesis, that he came to know Christ as Savior. http://escapefromdarkness.org/

For more information on the topic of Islam check out: http://www.alwaysbeready.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=66

How can I evangelize my friends and family without pushing them away?

2012-05-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

www.GotQuestions.org

Question: "How can I evangelize my friends and family without pushing them away?"

Answer: At some point, every Christian has had a family member, a friend, co-worker, or acquaintance who is not a Christian. Sharing the gospel with others can be difficult, and it can become even more difficult when it involves someone with whom you have close emotional ties. The Bible tells us that some people will be offended at the gospel (Luke 12:51-53). However, we are commanded to share the gospel, and there is no excuse for not doing so (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15).

So, how can we evangelize our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances? The most important thing we can do is pray for them. Pray that God would change their hearts and open their eyes (2 Corinthians 4:4) to the truth of the gospel. Pray that God would convince them of His love for them and their need for salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Pray for wisdom as to how you can minister to them (James 1:5). In addition to praying, we must also live godly Christian lives in front of them, so they can see the change God has made in our own lives (1 Peter 3:1-2). As Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

Finally, we must be willing and bold in our actual sharing of the gospel. Proclaim the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to your friends and family (Romans 10:9-10). Always be prepared to speak of your faith (1 Peter 3:15), doing so with gentleness and respect. Ultimately, we must leave the salvation of our loved ones up to God. It is God's power and grace that saves people, not our efforts. The best and most we can do is pray for them, witness to them, and live the Christian life in front of them.

Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/evangelize-friends-family.html

An attack on Marriage, Help stop SB 48

2012-05-22T01:30:00.000-07:00

Jesus said “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” (Matthew 19:4-5).

Hello Friends,

If you know me, you know that I don't get involved with Politics but this one hits home. As you know, President Barack Obama's declaration that he will fight for legalized same-sex "marriage" has ignited a new round of attacks on your faith, your family, and your religious freedoms.

I'm asking you read this and please help stop SB 48 by signing the petition today at: http://classact2012.com/get-involved/sign-the-petition/
This is bad for our country, our state, our communities, and our schools.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 48 into law, and since January of 2012, all public schools (grades K-12) are required to add instruction about the role and contribution of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) individuals historically with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society (like Harvey Milk, the pedophile). If this law is left to stand in California it will make its way into other states. Textbooks printed for California are used in other states.

Thinking this won't effect you because you home school think again, listen to Calvary Chapel Pastor Jack Hibbs on how this will effect you too at: http://www.realradioactive.org/m/6 (audio at bottom of the page). Watch as parents tell their story about SB 48 already in their school...

Thank you for helping!

For more information on the topic of homosexuality check out: http://www.alwaysbeready.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=85