October 14, 2013

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" James 2: 12-13

How do you respond under pressure?

It has been suggested that who you are under pressure is revealing of who you really are. I tend to believe that.

You must keep in mind as you read and study James that these are Christians under pressure. Pressure most of us have never known, the pressure of persecution.

As James describes what faith should look like and how people of faith should live, it is being lived out under pressure. Faith is giving your best when life deals the worst! Do you return mercy for malice?

In these verses he reminds you that you will be judged and your faith will be judged based on how well your actions and attitudes match those of the Savior. If you say you have faith but do not demonstrate love your faith will be judged as insincere.

The context for faith in this instance is within the meeting of believers. How do you show love to a guests who comes into you meeting? Do you size them up or do you serve them? Do you act differently to a wealthy looking person than to a shabbily dressed one? Faith looks for what it can give rather than what it can gain. Here's an example:

In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he ought to worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned, “If Christians have caste differences also, “ he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” That usher’s prejudice not only betrayed Jesus but also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior.

Bad judgment.

Your faith is being continually judged by how you treat others. You will be ultimately judged by how you treat others. If you want to be judged mercifully, give mercy. Show kindness and love to whoever comes into your world.

October 13, 2013

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8 

A Christian is one who is living between "Forgiven" and "Forever". 

Being forgiven by the grace of God is a wonderful blessing. And having the assurance of eternal life in Heaven is a source of tremendous hope!

But the big issue of being a Christian is what should happen between "Forgiven" and "Forever". 

In His final words on earth before He ascended to Heaven, Jesus said He expects His followers to be on a mission to be His witnesses. I have been sharing some insights on how to do that.

Develop redemptive friendships.

Discover stories.

And, discern next steps.

While you do your part in witnessing, depend on the Holy Spirit to prompt you what to say and what to do next.

Being a witness is not a natural or a comfortable thing for you to do. That is why you must rely on the Holy Spirit to empower you and direct you. And it is also why being on mission with God is exciting and fulfilling!

Someone has described witnessing as, "Sharing the Good News in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God."

Every witnessing situation is different because every person is different. So, a "one size fits all" or "prescribed plan" doesn't work. Being lead and directed by the Holy Spirit does!

Are you tuned to the Holy Spirit so you can hear Him when He speaks.

What is your mission in friendship? Is it to be liked, or to be more popular, or to gain some other benefit for yourself?

God has a much better mission for your friendships than merely benefiting yourself.

Would you submit to His mission and surrender yours?

Would you be on mission for Him - and for your friends who need to know Him?

October 12, 2013

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." Acts 1:8

The first dimension of living life on mission is Develop redemptive friendships!

Use the powerful impact and influence of personal friendships to introduce your friends to your Best Friend!

The second dimension is DISCOVER STORIES!

When I was being trained as a Missions Pastor I was taught the key to fund-raising for mission trips. The key is to share a compelling story of your mission and then simply show people where they fit into the story!

Stories of people's lives are powerful, especially when the story includes supernatural life-changes.

Be prepared to share your story BUT only after you have heard their story.

Their story will determine your strategy.

Jesus gives examples for this!

The Samaritan woman Jesus met by a well is a good example of how He discovered stories and then used her story to witness to her.

Granted, He had a little supernatural edge in knowledge that we don't have. BUT, He was also gathered information by simply observed she was standing alone at the well at high noon. That was an indication of a woman with a bad reputation.

Zacchaeus

When you understand their story you will understand them much better. Once you understand them better you will know how to tell your story to relate to them. AND better yet – you will know how to tell the Gospel story and show them how they fit in it!

Challenge: Do I know an unsaved friend well enough to be able to discover their story?

October 11, 2013

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

DEVELOP REDEMPTIVE FRIENDSHIPS

First and foremost, develop your personal faith friendship with Jesus. It all flows from that!

Would you say your life has been profoundly and positively impacted by a friend or friends?

If you are sold on the power of friendship, are you developing redemptive friendships?

What’s a redemptive friendship?

It is a friendship that you intentionally develop with the goal of leading this friend to Christ.

The challenge is the longer you have been a Christian the fewer non-Christian friends you will tend to have. It will take an intentional effort to develop new redemptive relationships.

FOUR STEPS TO DEVELOPING REDEMPTIVE FRIENDSHIPS:

STEP ONE: Become Aware

-       Who are the non-believers God has placed under my influence?

-       Which one am I most connected to?

-       Which one of them is most spiritually receptive right now?

STEP TWO:  Commit to Prayer

Pray daily for their salvation.

STEP THREE:  Show You Care

Caring equals:

-          Time/availability

-          Compassion/empathy

-          Giving assistance/meeting needs

-          Resources

-          Be their “go to” person

STEP FOUR:  Be Ready to Care

Understand how God wired you:

  John the Baptist = Aggressive Evangelist

  Peter = Confrontational

  Andrew = Invitational

  Jesus = Relational

  Martha = Serving (Mother Teresa)

Know a plan:

-          Roman Road

-          Bridge to Life

-          Four Laws

-          ABCD Plan

Challenge:  Do I understand and embrace how God has wired me so I can plan my evangelism strategy accordingly?

October 10, 2013

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

The Christian life is what happens between "forgiven" and "forever".

No one knows how long a period that will span, but the New Testament is quite clear on what should happen during that span of time. 

Those of us who are Christ-followers somewhere on the road between "forgiven" and "forever" are called (and commanded) to be witnesses to the grace and goodness of God.

Are you a witness?

In fact, everyone is a witness because non-believers are watching your life and are drawing conclusions about the validity of your faith.

So, what sort of witness are you? What is your life saying about the grace and goodness of God?

If you want to become an effective witness and add an element of excitement to your life between "forgiven" and "forever" I recommend you consider 3-D living. I know 3-D living will make you a better witness and I believe it will add a new dimension to your life!

What is 3-D living?

It is a plan for witnessing to your friends who haven't found a personal faith in Jesus Christ.

The first D stands for Develop redemptive friendships.

The second D stands for Discover stories.

And the final D stands for Discern the next steps.

Over the next several posts I will be explaining this strategy in detail. But for now I want to make the point that you ARE A WITNESS. You are called to be an effective witness. You won't be an effective witness unless you have a plan that you intentionally execute on a daily basis.

Do you have a plan to be a powerful witness?

What sort of a witness will you be today?

October 9, 2013

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

As a Christian it is natural to be excited about how God has forgiven you and set you free from your past. I think most Christians get excited about that.

And Christians get happy about the future God has provided for them through the grace of Jesus Christ. 

So believers have forgiveness and freedom for their past and they have forever in their future.

It seems to me that where Christians struggle the most is in the present. What is a Christian supposed to do between his spiritual "birth" and his physical death? That can be a period of fifty or sixty years. How should those years be spent?

Jesus had a definite idea about what His followers should be doing. They are to be witnesses.

What is a witness? What does a witness do?

First, a witness tells what he knows.

So, what do you think a Christian should know?  

A Christian should know God and know Him well!

A Christian should know God's Word and know it well.

If you were called to witness what you know about your faith, what would you say?

Second, a witness tells what he has seen.

A Christian should be able to tell about the changes he has seen God make in his life.

A Christian should also be about how he has seen God work in his family and in his church.

If you were called as a witness what have you seen that you could tell others about?

Third, a witness is loyal to what he knows and what he has seen.

In Greek, the word for witnesses is "martures,' from which we get the English word martyr. It means being loyal to Jesus no matter the cost and speaking up for him even when others oppose you. 

Are you able to do that? 

What is a Christian supposed to do between "forgiven" and "forever"?

You are to be a witness - His witness.

October 8, 2013

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:37-39

Love is the heart of the Great Commandment and it is also the heart of the Great Commission! 

Love leads to life-change! And not just superficial change but a fundamental spiritual transformation. Love has that power because love is committed, and love is courageous, and love is confrontational and it is consistent. 

The Apostle Paul understood compelling love - "But I want to share one more powerful aspect of love - love is compelling! If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." II Corinthians 5:13-15

I'm sure you are familiar with the saying, "You do for love what you wouldn't do for money." That is another way of expressing the compelling power of love.

It is the love of God that compelled Him to speak creation into existence to sustain His prized creation, Adam.

It is the love of God that compelled Him to extend mercy and grace toward Adam and Eve after they abused His love by their self-centered love.

It is the love of God that compelled Him to send His only begotten Son, Jesus, to suffer and die for the sins of the world.

It was the love of Jesus that compelled Him to empty Himself, leave Heaven and come to earth as a baby in a feed trough.

And, it was the love of Jesus that compelled Him to surrender to an agonizing death on the cross to atone for the sins of the world.

When you have received the love of God through Christ by faith, you will be compelled to share His love with those you love. If you are not compelled by His love you should make sure you really have it. 

His love is compelling!