A Love For God That Is Irresistible To Others by Bryan Henderson

To understand what it might look like for us, children of God by faith, to cultivate an infectious love for Jesus we must break down and simplify this powerful exhortation into everyday terms.

Cultivation carries with it the language of preparation. Some synonyms for this word: till, plough, dig, turn, hoe, farm and work. This word is a verb or an action word and it would seem that the action is being carried out by us towards the object, Jesus.

Though there is certainly a measure of our responsibility to act in a loving way towards Jesus, the action starts far further back and is far more foundational than this.

God, who is rich in mercy, has lavished His love on us through the person and work of Jesus. The best way we can prepare ourselves to have a love for Jesus is to daily dwell and meditate on the love God has bestowed on us in Christ!

The bible tells us, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Love would not even be possible had Jesus not displayed and placed His love on us. Foundational for us to respond in our action towards God with an obedient love is remembering and receiving His gracious love on a constant basis.

As we recall and preach this good news to our hearts, we then willingly choose to surrender more of our lives into His loving care. Others will see our infectious love for God only when we grasp the beauty and severity of His radical love for us.

In light of us being loved and made new in Christ, we boldly and enthusiastically live this in such a way that others see it, yearn for it, receive it, and glorify the Father in heaven. His love for us and our experiencing it should revive our hearts and it naturally flows out of us for others!

Practically speaking, I cannot experience God’s love for me which then flows out towards others if I do not draw near to Him and meditate on His goodness and love towards me. I must daily seize the truths of the gospel, and the best way to do this is to ground myself in the scriptures which are laden with gospel identity truths that rejoice the heart!

Chris' Baptism Video (5-15-16)

Practical Ways To Share Your Faith by Daniel Williams

I know a lot of people that struggle with knowing HOW to share the gospel and their faith with others. I think we all go through this from time to time, but I want to encourage you and let you know that this can be a lot easier then you think! Below, you can read through 3 simple things that will make sharing your faith a more natural part of your life.

Love Jesus

The things that bring us satisfaction and joy are the easiest to share. When I find an amazing restaurant, I want to let people know about. I want my friends to experience the joy and delight of having a great experience and incredible food. I may even go so far to take them out to that restaurant with me and buy their dinner just so we both can experience it together. So as you are enjoying Jesus in your relationship with Him, it can actually become easier to share Him and your experience with Him with others…it is a natural overflow because you want that same experience for others. This is why love is a key component in sharing our faith. When we are pursuing Jesus and in love with Him, it is easier to proclaim Him and His gospel. 

-What would your life look like if you were completely in love with Jesus? How would this allow you to proclaim Jesus and His gospel differently?

Walk In Wisdom

Although proclaiming Jesus and gospel should be an overflow of our hearts, we should still have wisdom in how we share the gospel. Col 4:5-6 says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

There is only one gospel, but it is important for us to understand that everyone is different and people respond to different approaches. This is where it takes wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with each person as He leads us. The great evangelist, Greg Laurie, says, “When we go fishing for men, we need to realize that what works for one does not necessarily work for another.”  So, there are many approaches and ways to share our faith, and we need to ask God for wisdom in doing so. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Learn From Others

One of the ways we can gain wisdom is by learning from others. Are there people in your life that you can learn from? Wouldn’t it be wise to ask them to teach you how to evangelize? Another great way we can learn from others is by reading books people have written about this subject. There are so many great books on evangelism and I would suggest that you invest your time and resources in buying a few books to grow in this area. I have gained so much insight on this subject and many others in the Christian faith by simply reading great books from others.  Here are a two suggestions for you that are easy reads and very practical: 

-G3/Tactical Guide (click here) 

-Passion for the Gospel Practical Help on How to Share Your Faith by Greg & Chuck Swindoll Laurie (click here) 

Proclaim Jesus This Week

One of the best ways to learn how to share your faith is by actually doing it! Take some time this week to pray and ask God to open some doors for you to share the gospel and proclaim Jesus. You may not know everything about the Christian faith, but that is ok…the simple truths of the gospel are enough for it has the power to save! (Rom 1:16-17) Be all about proclaiming Jesus to others, and don’t get side tracked or scared with all the other things you don’t know right now. Jesus is more then enough for people! Just as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 

May we continue to pursue and proclaim Jesus!

My Story | Scott Chisholm

Evangelism Through Invitation by Travis Sinks

Sometimes we think that inviting people to a church service isn’t “true” evangelism. As the pendulum has swung from one end to the other, we’re in a place where many people think they have to personally share the Gospel and see someone saved to do any good in someone’s life, and that’s simply not true.

We don’t want to neglect our call to personally tell others about Jesus and His love for them, but it’s also just as important to be inviting others to Sunday services and community groups. Here’s 3 reasons.

1. Our witness together is greater than ours separately.

One of the things Jesus said about our community together as believers was that non-christians will know that we are followers and disciples of Him by our “love for one another” (John 13:35). This teaches us that not only are we supposed to be together frequently to display that love (which is one of the many reasons being a part of a local church is so important), but it also tells us that we should be inviting people to be a part of our gatherings - how else will they see this love between us?

Sometimes we think that our witness is merely regarding our individual life, but our witness together as a body of believers sacrificially loving each other is a greater than any of us could achieve on our own.

2. It allows a non-believer to experience Jesus’ people

Although you are a part of the church, you are not the whole church. If you were a basketball player but your friends never came to one of your games, they wouldn’t have the full experience of the basketball team, or even what a basketball game is like if they’ve never been to one before.

When you invite someone to church or a community group, you are inviting them to experience Jesus working through all of the members of His local church in a much fuller way. Although you have good words to share and know them well, Jesus may choose to use someone else in the church to reach out to that person in a way they will respond. By bringing them to church and community group, you are asking others to participate in reaching out to your friend or family member rather than trying to do it all yourself.

3. Coming to a service gives them uninterrupted time with Jesus

One of the reasons we try to plan our services with as little interruptions and distractions as possible is to give people uninterrupted time with Jesus.

The reality is that people are busy.
They are tired.
They are bombarded with information.
Ideas.
Thoughts.
Marketing.
Noise.

We try to have our services be a place away from all of those things. By bringing a friend, family member, or even a stranger to church, you are providing uninterrupted time for them to reflect on the most important questions we have to answer: Who is God? Why am I here? What is truth? Who is Jesus?

You will have, and should continue to, utilize opportunities to share the Gospel one-on-one, and we know that Jesus can save a person in the blink of an eye, but by bringing the person you’re praying for to church you are offering them an opportunity to step out in faith to seek God and have Jesus reveal Himself to them. They may not accept Him the first time, second, third, fourth, or even ever. But we are called to persevere, pray, reach out, and seek the lost for Jesus regardless of their response. We should be taking every opportunity God gives us to love people, share Jesus with others, and invite them to come see what He is all about.

We have seen Jesus change so many lives through being invited by a friend to church. We’ve seen people saved on Sundays, in community groups, and even throughout the week because of new relationships they’ve made. This is an opportunity we don’t want anyone to miss.

So, who will you invite to church this Sunday?

Work Party At Carver (photo essay)

Knowing Jesus by Alesha Sinks

"Knowing You, Jesus, there is no greater thing”

I’ve been looking through my life and noticing all the little things that I make more important than Jesus Himself.

Motherhood
Marriage
Knowledge
Morality
Talent
Money
Ministry

And the cruelest realization comes when I remember that all these things are good gifts from God meant to bless me...meant to be used to make much of Him.

Yet, I've taken these gifts and blessings and callings and ministries and made them the main point. I’ve taken the means and made it the goal.

All these things...

That list just above...

All these things are the means to knowing and loving Jesus more. They are a means to making Jesus known and glorified. They are a means to hearing His voice and seeing His face. They are the means to a goal, and that goal is to know and love and glorify Him.

SO OFTEN I’VE TAKEN THE MEANS AND MADE IT THE GOAL.

And the means are meaningless if not done in pursuit of a goal. The means are meaningless if I try to make them the goal itself. All these lovely and beautiful and generous gifts from God will become tainted and pointless and unfulfilling if I try to make them more than they are...

The stuff of my life is a wonderful gift from a God who is seeking to meet me within the ordinary stuff of my life. He will meet me in my day to day, in my roles and responsibilities, revealing Himself to me and teaching me how to use those things to bring Him glory.

But I drift into the meaningless cycle of putting the means in place of the goal so quickly.

I FORGET THAT GOD DIDN’T SAVE ME TO USE ME; I FORGET THAT HE SAVED ME BECAUSE HE KNEW ME AND LOVED ME AND WANTED ME TO KNOW AND LOVE HIM.

And the only way I’ve found to keep the goal of knowing Jesus the main thing, is to remember this...

MY CALLING AND SERVING AND LIVING AND DOING ARE GIFTS; THEY AREN’T THE MEANING OR PURPOSE OF MY LIFE, THEY ARE THE GIFTS OF MY LIFE.

And a gift aways points back to a Giver. That is the point. He is the point. The Giver Himself is the point.

In all I do, in all the roles and gifts and callings and responsibilities He has given me, I want to see Him and seek to bring Him glory. Because this life of a Christian is about knowing God.

Not doing for God.

Not living out God’s mission.

Not accomplishing greatness in God’s name.

It’s about knowing Him…

AND IF I TRULY KNOW GOD, THE REST WILL FOLLOW.

How do you remind yourself that being a christian is more about knowing God than serving Him? Do you struggle to make the doing for God more important than knowing God Himself?

Be blessed

Our Power Source For Godliness by Travis Sinks

“Most of us are knowledgeable beyond our level of obedience."

Have you heard that before? It’s true isn’t it? We know what is right. We know what God’s Word says about our marriage, relationships, finances, lifestyles, thoughts, words, actions, and more… But we don’t seem to live it out.

We’re called to be “living sacrifices” offering our lives to God in surrender and thankfulness. In obeying Him, we are simply doing what is glorifying to Him and is also best for us. But the problem with “living sacrifices” is that they tend to run away when they're not being watched. When we take our eyes off of Jesus and onto ourselves and what we see around us, we can get caught up doing the very things we know aren’t best. We can run away.

So, how do we break the cycle? It surely isn’t by acquiring on more knowledge. The whole problem is that we already know what’s right and we don’t do it. Paul shares this very issue with us in Romans 7, expressing frustrating that he does the very things he knows he shouldn't, but he brings a solution for us in the very next chapter.

“If Christ is in you [as He is in anyone who believes and trusts in Him], although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."

The way we can break this cycle of disobedience is exactly the same way we came to salvation in the first place: by the grace of Jesus. It’s not by reminding ourselves of what is right and wrong if we already know it, and it’s not by putting ourselves down or punishing ourselves in some way, as Paul even reminds us earlier in chapter 8, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Instead, we can find the power for godly change in our actions and words through the Holy Spirit.

I don’t say this to mean that there’s no decision to be made. There is constantly a decision to choose Jesus over our sin, but rather than trying to be better and stronger by constantly trying to lift a weight too heavy for ourselves, we need to choose to give that weight to Him instead.

In prayer.
In humility.
In surrender.

And as the saying goes:

"It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing.”

So start today. As we begun, “most of us are knowledgeable beyond our level of obedience.” What is that for you? In what way have you chosen not to obey God, and where do you need to surrender your life to Him? Let us keep looking up instead of in. And when we fail we need to remember God’s promises, like this one found in Jude 24-25, and draw near to Jesus.

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

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