I think anyone who sits down to write a public post on prayer must feel some level of anxiety. I've known few men who would claim to have the prayer life they'd like to have (I'm not there yet), and I've known even fewer men who were really open about their prayer lives at all. When you write or speak about prayer it seems that people find it easy to think you're being high-and-mighty or trying to sound uber-spiritual. I am most certainly not trying to do either of those things! But, it is important to talk about prayer and to emphasize it in our families and churches and so a post on it here seems appropriate.
Prayer has been on my mind a lot lately. I'd like to pray more, I'd like my first response to almost any situation to be prayer, and I'd like to pray more wisely. It's this last desire, to pray more wisely, that I think is worth sharing.
In the past two years I have become a pastor and a father. Both of these responsibilities require prayer for true success. I lead my family in prayer each night, and my church in prayer each Lord's Day. I pray for the meal, I pray for my wife, I pray for my kids, I pray for the sick, I pray during times of rejoicing, and I pray at funerals. There are times when my heart leaps for joy during my prayers and times when I can barely choke out the next word through my grief. And yet, even with all these different experiences in prayer I often feel as though I'm not sure what to say. Each week I stand before the people of God and I am to offer a pastoral prayer and I need to know what to say. Each night I sit with my family and we bow our heads to pray and I need to know what to say. It's easy to blather on and on, it's easier to try to pray so that people think what you said was really neat or particularly moving, but what I really want (and what those I pray for really need) is to pray more wisely.
What I've found is that (surprise!) when I follow Jesus' example it's much better. By keeping to the general outline of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) I find that my prayer is focused on the Lord, fruitful for myself and others, and wise. I don't find myself praying for the things of this world, I don't pray that God will help me to build my kingdom, I don't forget to confess sin and ask that he'll forgive it (while remembering the necessity of forgiving others as well!), and I don't forget to confess that he alone is the source of my provision and protection. There are other prayers to emulate such as the Psalms or Jesus' prayer in John 17, etc, but for my day-to-day prayer life I find that this prayer is exceptionally helpful.
I know the difficulty of bowing your head to pray and not being sure what to say, I know the difficulty of being absent-minded during prayer, and I know the feeling when you know you're rambling and you're not sure how to stop or what to say next. My solution has been to pray as Jesus taught us to pray. It's not original or clever, but it is wise.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Half-Staff Hypocrisy
Along with most of the country I was shell-shocked by the events in Newtown Connecticut. To see such evil unleashed on young children was appalling and a reminder of the intrinsic sinfulness of our broken world. I was reminded once more of the accounts of Moses and Jesus where young children were slaughtered as well. This article by Russell Moore was particularly interesting and I commend it to your reading.
In the midst of all of this I was irritated by two things that struck me as being particularly hypocritical. First, the news media (led by Foxnews) were seemingly appalled by every detail and bit of information and yet couldn't seem to keep themselves from plastering the story on their websites and television screens across the country for a week straight. There was a fair amount of irresponsible journalism as well, it seems that nearly all the details immediately released were incorrect, including, horribly, the name of the perpetrator himself! I have to wonder if sometimes the sadistic glorification that we offer to these mass-murderers doesn't contribute to more massacres of this nature. This article offers insights in that direction.
However, what struck me as most hypocritical was our government's order to fly the flag at half-staff. Don't get me wrong, I think that something so heinous as this deserves to be grieved! However, did you know that the city of Chicago averages 41 murders a month? Many of those murders are drive-bys that target minority children. Do you have to be living in a ritzy suburban area and at a nice school populated primarily by whites to get the flag flown at half-staff when you die? Does your life have more value if it's lost on the same day as others rather than being lost across the course of 30 days? Or, perhaps we should consider the other children who are (legally) murdered each and every day in their own mother's womb...3500 at a time. That's 129.6 Sandy Hook's each and every day. I think the flags should be flown at half-staff each and every day until this holocaust is stopped.
In the obsessive coverage of last week's event much ink was spilled (or pixels populated) with coverage on the President's teary-eyed speech about the lost children. But, pardon me if I'm not moved by this. This is a President whose convention was practically a whose who of NARAL supporters, a President who voted to let abortion survivors die on the table, and a President who seems to care only for children who are wanted. That's what it is, isn't it? The kids in Newtown were wanted, those who are aborted are not. Why the outrage about the massacre of the former and not the latter? I'd prefer to be outraged at each, anything else seems hypocritical.
In the midst of all of this I was irritated by two things that struck me as being particularly hypocritical. First, the news media (led by Foxnews) were seemingly appalled by every detail and bit of information and yet couldn't seem to keep themselves from plastering the story on their websites and television screens across the country for a week straight. There was a fair amount of irresponsible journalism as well, it seems that nearly all the details immediately released were incorrect, including, horribly, the name of the perpetrator himself! I have to wonder if sometimes the sadistic glorification that we offer to these mass-murderers doesn't contribute to more massacres of this nature. This article offers insights in that direction.
However, what struck me as most hypocritical was our government's order to fly the flag at half-staff. Don't get me wrong, I think that something so heinous as this deserves to be grieved! However, did you know that the city of Chicago averages 41 murders a month? Many of those murders are drive-bys that target minority children. Do you have to be living in a ritzy suburban area and at a nice school populated primarily by whites to get the flag flown at half-staff when you die? Does your life have more value if it's lost on the same day as others rather than being lost across the course of 30 days? Or, perhaps we should consider the other children who are (legally) murdered each and every day in their own mother's womb...3500 at a time. That's 129.6 Sandy Hook's each and every day. I think the flags should be flown at half-staff each and every day until this holocaust is stopped.
In the obsessive coverage of last week's event much ink was spilled (or pixels populated) with coverage on the President's teary-eyed speech about the lost children. But, pardon me if I'm not moved by this. This is a President whose convention was practically a whose who of NARAL supporters, a President who voted to let abortion survivors die on the table, and a President who seems to care only for children who are wanted. That's what it is, isn't it? The kids in Newtown were wanted, those who are aborted are not. Why the outrage about the massacre of the former and not the latter? I'd prefer to be outraged at each, anything else seems hypocritical.
Friday, November 30, 2012
7 Things to Look for When You're Looking for a Church
After a rather lengthy 3 month hiatus from the blogosphere (which, of course, I am a vital member of!) I have returned to offer a few brief thoughts on something that's been on my mind lately.
I seem to have had an unusual amount of conversations recently with people who are looking for a church to attend. For a variety of reasons: recent move, discontent at previous location, etc., these people have been "in the market" (I feel dirty even thinking in those terms) for a new church-home. Consider this my advice to those seekers (present and future) as they look for a place to worship the Living God.
1. If possible, take a look at your previous church one more time. Maybe you've moved, maybe your previous church was a cult, maybe something else just as obvious has made it so you can't go back, if so then ignore this. But, perhaps you were a bit hasty in leaving. Perhaps you lacked patience with your pastor, with the youth pastor, with the leadership, or even with yourself. It's no small thing to break fellowship with your former church and it's usually worth a second look to see if the problem is in the mirror.
2. Look for the Word. Is it preached (and to the lost as well!)? Is it believed? Is it held in the highest esteem? Is it known by the pastor, the people, the elders? If you're at a church service and the Word seems to be an after thought or an inconvenience...GET OUT OF THERE! There are a lot of things you should be willing to sacrifice in order to sit under the faithful preaching of the Word week-in and week-out.
3. Ask about the church's beliefs concerning discipline and the sacraments. Do they practice discipline or the sacraments? What kind of accountability will they offer you and how will they shepherd you if you put down roots among their congregation?
4. Look for a praying church. Churches can have charismatic preachers, wonderful music, incredible programs, and all other manner of attractions, but if there's not prayer...it's time to keep looking. If you want to grow, if you want your family to grow, and if you want to be part of a community of faith that is going to remain faithful to the Lord you need to be at a praying church.
5. Look for a Reformed church. I don't mean an RCA church (although some fit the bill), but a church that holds faithfully to the Reformed faith. The best way to find this is to ask a leader in the church what confessions they use as a church and whether they actually believe what is contained in those confessions. Don't be afraid to ask specific questions about election, creation, the virgin birth, the atonement, etc. Again, it's worth sacrificing a bit in terms of music or programing if it means that you'll learn what the Bible actually teaches. If you're not sure where to start looking sometimes a few minutes on the church-search engine of a faithful denomination is time well spent.
6. Look for a church that exhibits a gracious and Christ-exalting spirit. When you visit do you leave feeling edified? Do you feel like the people really love the Lord and one another?
7. Is the church humble? No one wants to go to a church where you're just another number, at perhaps just another campus, for a big-shot pastor to use to boost his ego and book sales. Does the church care about faithful fruitfulness, does it care about reaching the lost, does it care about confessing sin (corporate and personal), and do you get the impression that the church exists for God's glory as opposed to the glory of men? This is not to say that large churches can't be humble, they can! It's simply to warn against the attraction to big-this, and grand-that, only later to be disillusioned by the devastating realization that you're part of a production masquerading as the church.
So, there you have it. You have something to add? Put it in the comments section.
I seem to have had an unusual amount of conversations recently with people who are looking for a church to attend. For a variety of reasons: recent move, discontent at previous location, etc., these people have been "in the market" (I feel dirty even thinking in those terms) for a new church-home. Consider this my advice to those seekers (present and future) as they look for a place to worship the Living God.
1. If possible, take a look at your previous church one more time. Maybe you've moved, maybe your previous church was a cult, maybe something else just as obvious has made it so you can't go back, if so then ignore this. But, perhaps you were a bit hasty in leaving. Perhaps you lacked patience with your pastor, with the youth pastor, with the leadership, or even with yourself. It's no small thing to break fellowship with your former church and it's usually worth a second look to see if the problem is in the mirror.
2. Look for the Word. Is it preached (and to the lost as well!)? Is it believed? Is it held in the highest esteem? Is it known by the pastor, the people, the elders? If you're at a church service and the Word seems to be an after thought or an inconvenience...GET OUT OF THERE! There are a lot of things you should be willing to sacrifice in order to sit under the faithful preaching of the Word week-in and week-out.
3. Ask about the church's beliefs concerning discipline and the sacraments. Do they practice discipline or the sacraments? What kind of accountability will they offer you and how will they shepherd you if you put down roots among their congregation?
4. Look for a praying church. Churches can have charismatic preachers, wonderful music, incredible programs, and all other manner of attractions, but if there's not prayer...it's time to keep looking. If you want to grow, if you want your family to grow, and if you want to be part of a community of faith that is going to remain faithful to the Lord you need to be at a praying church.
5. Look for a Reformed church. I don't mean an RCA church (although some fit the bill), but a church that holds faithfully to the Reformed faith. The best way to find this is to ask a leader in the church what confessions they use as a church and whether they actually believe what is contained in those confessions. Don't be afraid to ask specific questions about election, creation, the virgin birth, the atonement, etc. Again, it's worth sacrificing a bit in terms of music or programing if it means that you'll learn what the Bible actually teaches. If you're not sure where to start looking sometimes a few minutes on the church-search engine of a faithful denomination is time well spent.
6. Look for a church that exhibits a gracious and Christ-exalting spirit. When you visit do you leave feeling edified? Do you feel like the people really love the Lord and one another?
7. Is the church humble? No one wants to go to a church where you're just another number, at perhaps just another campus, for a big-shot pastor to use to boost his ego and book sales. Does the church care about faithful fruitfulness, does it care about reaching the lost, does it care about confessing sin (corporate and personal), and do you get the impression that the church exists for God's glory as opposed to the glory of men? This is not to say that large churches can't be humble, they can! It's simply to warn against the attraction to big-this, and grand-that, only later to be disillusioned by the devastating realization that you're part of a production masquerading as the church.
So, there you have it. You have something to add? Put it in the comments section.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Are You Living Like Death is Coming?
Last week Friday was the 8th anniversary of a pretty somber day in my life. 8 years ago I was sitting at home with my parents in Wisconsin preparing to return to Northwestern College for my sophomore year when my phone rang with the news: my friend from camp had just been killed in a car accident. Just like *that* it had happened. There was no warning, no impending sickness, no chance to say a final "goodbye"...nothing.
So every year around Aug. 17th I see a flurry of Facebook posts and I remember back to that summer and then, inevitably, I think about death.
I'm a pastor so I think I tend to deal with death more than the average person. It's not unusual for me to be at a person's home within minutes of their passing and so I am often able to see past the sterilized and cleaned up view of death we get from the morticians. And yet, even with this familiarity, I can't say that I'm entirely comfortable with death. It's unnatural, it just feels wrong to me. It's as if every time I see a person whose soul has departed the body I think to myself, "it's just not supposed to be this way." And, of course, it's not. Death was not an original part of creation, it is a result of our rebellion against God.
But, natural or not, there is no getting around the fact that apart from the return of Christ during our lifetime (a post for another day!) we're all going to die. The Scriptures don't mince words about it, that's for sure. James says, "You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (4:14) The Psalmist says, "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow." (144:4) The idea in both testaments is clear: life is short and death is certain and nearer than it seems. It's good for us to realize this. So often, particularly among younger people (I would include myself in that category), life is lived as if we're immortal. But the truth is that we're going to die. One day the brain stops functioning, the heart stops beating, the muscles stop twitching, and the soul departs. The question is not if this will happen...but whether you are prepared for it to happen and whether you will live in light of this reality.
The time will come when your sports triumphs will not matter. The time will come when your checking account will not matter. The time will come when your Facebook friends won't be your Facebook friends anymore and your job won't be your job anymore. The time comes when all that we have in this life is stripped away and only one thing remains. That one thing is faith. Did you know Christ and trust him completely to forgive your sins and deliver you blameless before the Lord on the Day of Judgment? If so, you are well prepared for death. If not, you have an opportunity to repent and turn to Christ now but you never know when there will be no further opportunity to do so.
But for those of us who are in Christ through faith how do we live now in light of the certainty of our eventual death? Well, our chief aim in life ought not to be success in the worldly sense. Why would we invest in things that don't ultimately matter? Our chief aim in all of life should be to glorify God and enjoy him. This, after all, does not end in death but we as glorified saints will glorify and enjoy God forever. Consider Paul's words as wisdom for those who want to live in light of their own mortality, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." (1 Cor. 10:31) How does a person who knows that this life is not all there is live? That person lives to the glory of God in all things.
So every year around Aug. 17th I see a flurry of Facebook posts and I remember back to that summer and then, inevitably, I think about death.
I'm a pastor so I think I tend to deal with death more than the average person. It's not unusual for me to be at a person's home within minutes of their passing and so I am often able to see past the sterilized and cleaned up view of death we get from the morticians. And yet, even with this familiarity, I can't say that I'm entirely comfortable with death. It's unnatural, it just feels wrong to me. It's as if every time I see a person whose soul has departed the body I think to myself, "it's just not supposed to be this way." And, of course, it's not. Death was not an original part of creation, it is a result of our rebellion against God.
But, natural or not, there is no getting around the fact that apart from the return of Christ during our lifetime (a post for another day!) we're all going to die. The Scriptures don't mince words about it, that's for sure. James says, "You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (4:14) The Psalmist says, "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow." (144:4) The idea in both testaments is clear: life is short and death is certain and nearer than it seems. It's good for us to realize this. So often, particularly among younger people (I would include myself in that category), life is lived as if we're immortal. But the truth is that we're going to die. One day the brain stops functioning, the heart stops beating, the muscles stop twitching, and the soul departs. The question is not if this will happen...but whether you are prepared for it to happen and whether you will live in light of this reality.
The time will come when your sports triumphs will not matter. The time will come when your checking account will not matter. The time will come when your Facebook friends won't be your Facebook friends anymore and your job won't be your job anymore. The time comes when all that we have in this life is stripped away and only one thing remains. That one thing is faith. Did you know Christ and trust him completely to forgive your sins and deliver you blameless before the Lord on the Day of Judgment? If so, you are well prepared for death. If not, you have an opportunity to repent and turn to Christ now but you never know when there will be no further opportunity to do so.
But for those of us who are in Christ through faith how do we live now in light of the certainty of our eventual death? Well, our chief aim in life ought not to be success in the worldly sense. Why would we invest in things that don't ultimately matter? Our chief aim in all of life should be to glorify God and enjoy him. This, after all, does not end in death but we as glorified saints will glorify and enjoy God forever. Consider Paul's words as wisdom for those who want to live in light of their own mortality, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." (1 Cor. 10:31) How does a person who knows that this life is not all there is live? That person lives to the glory of God in all things.
Friday, August 17, 2012
THERE'S GOLD IN 'DEM 'DER HILLS!
"There's GOLD in 'dem 'der hills!" I've heard this phrase a few times in reference to a variety of books or resources. Always the implication is that beneath the rough exterior is immense wealth. And so it is with the Reformed Confessions. I grew up in a Reformed Church (RCA), went through catechism class, and even watched a video series on the Belgic Confession in high school. Yet, somehow, very little of it stuck. I was a practical Arminian until I came under a number of strong Reformed influences during my seminary career. (Yes, I just admitted that when I first went to seminary I was largely Arminian. Let's move on...)
Early in my time in seminary my wife (who was my girlfriend at the time) encouraged me to think more carefully about Ephesians and what Paul says there, my own study of Scripture left me constantly with the feeling of "God can't really be like that, can he?", and then I began to look at the Reformed Confessions and my mind (and heart!) were changed. It took time for the change to mature. I left Western Seminary (which, consequently, did not contribute to the reformation of my mind), and ended up at Reformed Theological Seminary where so much of this teaching truly took root deep within my soul. I'm not a rich man, but I have the richest theological tradition in the world. Can you ask for more?
Not Reformed? I'd like to challenge you to do something, something I wish I had done many years before I did! Read the confessions (Heidelberg, Belgic, Dort) and read them with an open mind. Read the Scripture references that are littered all over the page. Read them for what they say, see how they see Scripture as one story of one God's work of redemption of his one chosen people. See how it fits together in harmonic unity in a way that no other understanding of the Bible fits together. And as you do ask yourself, "Is this faithful to the word of God? Is this what Scripture teaches?" For me the answer is an unconditional, "Absolutely!"
Here's a link to the book. http://www.wtsbooks.com/product-exec/product_id/1160/nm/Ecumenical+Creeds+and+Reformed+Confessions+%28Paperback%29
It's not a beautiful book but, besides the Scriptures themselves, it's the richest read you're ever going to find. There's GOLD in 'dem 'der hills!
Early in my time in seminary my wife (who was my girlfriend at the time) encouraged me to think more carefully about Ephesians and what Paul says there, my own study of Scripture left me constantly with the feeling of "God can't really be like that, can he?", and then I began to look at the Reformed Confessions and my mind (and heart!) were changed. It took time for the change to mature. I left Western Seminary (which, consequently, did not contribute to the reformation of my mind), and ended up at Reformed Theological Seminary where so much of this teaching truly took root deep within my soul. I'm not a rich man, but I have the richest theological tradition in the world. Can you ask for more?
Not Reformed? I'd like to challenge you to do something, something I wish I had done many years before I did! Read the confessions (Heidelberg, Belgic, Dort) and read them with an open mind. Read the Scripture references that are littered all over the page. Read them for what they say, see how they see Scripture as one story of one God's work of redemption of his one chosen people. See how it fits together in harmonic unity in a way that no other understanding of the Bible fits together. And as you do ask yourself, "Is this faithful to the word of God? Is this what Scripture teaches?" For me the answer is an unconditional, "Absolutely!"
Here's a link to the book. http://www.wtsbooks.com/product-exec/product_id/1160/nm/Ecumenical+Creeds+and+Reformed+Confessions+%28Paperback%29
It's not a beautiful book but, besides the Scriptures themselves, it's the richest read you're ever going to find. There's GOLD in 'dem 'der hills!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Work and Worship '12
As some of you may know I am have recently returned from an 11 day trip to New Mexico with a group from the church here in Baileyville. While we were away we served a Native American church in Mescalero pastored by Bob Schut. You can see his mission profile here.
We did a lot of very exciting things. We climbed a mountain and a canyon, we worked with youth groups, we burned our mouths on spicy Mexican food, we drove around picking kids up in vans for church, we dug holes and filled them with poles, we dug up concrete and laid new concrete, we stuccoed windows, played 4-square, and we replaced a door. But, my highlight of the week was our nightly devotional times.
During our nightly devotional times we studied the book of Colossians together. We nearly finished--the only part we didn't cover was the final greetings section. It was a great encouragement to see some of the older members of the church and the younger people of the church interacting with the Word together each day. Every morning we had 1 hour that we spent in personal study during which time we read the passage 3 times and went through a study sheet that I had prepared in advance. Then at night we discussed it together. It was encouraging to see the fruit of the study and to see the young and the old growing together as the body of Christ. In our time together we talked about some tough stuff and we had some time to laugh and all-in-all I thought it was a very beneficial Christ-exalting and God-glorifying experience.
My recommendation to anyone who might consider a mission trip in the future is to make sure that you're carving significant time each day for individual and group study of the Word. If you build the best building, and pave the biggest parking lot, and have the most fun, but don't grow in Christ you've not really accomplished all that much.
We termed our trip a "Work and Worship Trip" instead of the typical "Mission Trip" designation. I think we lived up the billing, praise the Lord!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Evangelism Part 3: Josh Page
Today is the final installment of our short series on Evangelism. Thanks to Josh for being willing to edify us and encourage us through his writing. If you're looking for encouragement as you seek to grow in your faith I recommend looking him up on Facebook.
__________________________________
I want to share one story with you from a few years ago that I find to be so encouraging. It testifies to the fact that God orders our steps.
Just after I started sharing my faith regularly, I moved to Philadelphia for a summer. I was involved in a solid local church ministry and was able to learn how ministry is done in an urban setting.
One particular day I was supposed to go to a brother's home for a barbeque in the afternoon but I felt the Lord impress on my heart not to go. I instead went downtown and witnessed for a while and then went into a hotel lobby to read the Word.
As I was reading my Bible, I was suddenly very burdened to go to New York City and share the Gospel. It was already around 5 in the afternoon and I knew that if I were to go to New York I would need to stay the night and I couldn't afford that. I prayed for a while to make sure this was the Lord leading me and not my flesh. God reminded me of what He told Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
About 45 minutes later I was on a China Town bus filled with Chinese people en-route to New York City! When we arrived 2 and a half hours later, I was dropped off somewhere in lower Manhattan so I walked to the waterside overlooking New Jersey and spent some time in prayer. It was a beautiful evening and the sun was just going down.
After praying for the Lord to give me boldness and direction, I found a couple named Torio and Tamara who were taking a walk and enjoying the sunset. They were both young and very friendly. After some small talk for a few minutes, I asked them where they would go if they died today. They both agreed they would go to Heaven because they are good people. That is a very common lie from the enemy. So I walked them through the 10 Commandments to show them their sin and their need for the Savior and then shared the Good News of what God has done for us. They were very attentive and appreciated our conversation.
I caught a subway to Times Square and began witnessing to all kinds of people from all around the world. It’s amazing how many people you can meet in one evening in one city! After hours of great conversations with people, sometime around 3 in the morning I struck up a conversation with a man in an alleyway. He wanted nothing to do with me and told me to leave him alone, so I began to walk away but as I turned around to leave he called for me to come back over to him. I didn’t know what to expect! He asked me, "Okay, what question were you going to ask me?" Startled, I began to witness to him and we ended up having an amazing conversation. 30 minutes later he said to me, "Josh, you have no idea how much this conversation means to me. Your trip to New York City was not in vain!" I was stunned. As he was saying those words, I heard someone call out from behind us, "Josh?!!" I turned around and it was Torio, the boyfriend from the couple I had spoken with at the beginning of the night! This was 8 hours later and more than 60 blocks up-town in a city of hundreds of thousands of people!
It turned out that Torio happened to be playing in a band at a club nearby. We got to continue our conversation where we had left off back in lower Manhattan. He was shocked that God had crossed our paths again - So was I!
Just a few hours later I walked past the ABC studios where they film Good Morning America. I could see they were setting up for the show which would begin in an hour, so I went over and watched them get ready. A line soon formed to get in the building and be a part of the live audience. All of the people in line had reserved tickets months in advance to be a part of the show and were excited to be on television. After a period of waiting, a woman who worked for ABC came out of the studio and collected tickets and gave instructions to the audience members. She noticed that I didn’t have a ticket as she walked past and asked if I had reserved one. I told her I was just there to watch from the outside if that was okay. She said to me, "You know what? You're the only one here without a ticket and we have space inside so we'll go ahead and let you be a part of the show!" I was amazed! I went inside with the group and we were able to be on television several times throughout the show. Kevin Costner was the guest that morning so the ladies behind me were very excited!
At the end of the show they give you the opportunity to meet and take pictures with the news anchors and guests. I really wanted to share the Gospel with them since God obviously wanted me to be there that morning, so I waited until every member of the audience had gone up and met the anchors and taken pictures. Once everyone had left, I walked up to Diane Sawyer and gave her a tract booklet and got to share the Gospel for a few minutes with her and the Good Morning America weather man! It was such a blessing!
God truly orders our steps. Both mine and yours! Today He has placed specific people on our path that we have the privilege of sharing the Gospel with. It is simply a matter of obeying the Lord. We must recognize that time is very short and people are perishing, and we must understand that God has called us to share His Gospel with them.
The Lord is with you today, friend. Go find someone and share the message of salvation. This Gospel message is urgent and is backed by the power of God.
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16 Let us not be ashamed!
__________________________________
I want to share one story with you from a few years ago that I find to be so encouraging. It testifies to the fact that God orders our steps.
Just after I started sharing my faith regularly, I moved to Philadelphia for a summer. I was involved in a solid local church ministry and was able to learn how ministry is done in an urban setting.
One particular day I was supposed to go to a brother's home for a barbeque in the afternoon but I felt the Lord impress on my heart not to go. I instead went downtown and witnessed for a while and then went into a hotel lobby to read the Word.
As I was reading my Bible, I was suddenly very burdened to go to New York City and share the Gospel. It was already around 5 in the afternoon and I knew that if I were to go to New York I would need to stay the night and I couldn't afford that. I prayed for a while to make sure this was the Lord leading me and not my flesh. God reminded me of what He told Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
About 45 minutes later I was on a China Town bus filled with Chinese people en-route to New York City! When we arrived 2 and a half hours later, I was dropped off somewhere in lower Manhattan so I walked to the waterside overlooking New Jersey and spent some time in prayer. It was a beautiful evening and the sun was just going down.
After praying for the Lord to give me boldness and direction, I found a couple named Torio and Tamara who were taking a walk and enjoying the sunset. They were both young and very friendly. After some small talk for a few minutes, I asked them where they would go if they died today. They both agreed they would go to Heaven because they are good people. That is a very common lie from the enemy. So I walked them through the 10 Commandments to show them their sin and their need for the Savior and then shared the Good News of what God has done for us. They were very attentive and appreciated our conversation.
I caught a subway to Times Square and began witnessing to all kinds of people from all around the world. It’s amazing how many people you can meet in one evening in one city! After hours of great conversations with people, sometime around 3 in the morning I struck up a conversation with a man in an alleyway. He wanted nothing to do with me and told me to leave him alone, so I began to walk away but as I turned around to leave he called for me to come back over to him. I didn’t know what to expect! He asked me, "Okay, what question were you going to ask me?" Startled, I began to witness to him and we ended up having an amazing conversation. 30 minutes later he said to me, "Josh, you have no idea how much this conversation means to me. Your trip to New York City was not in vain!" I was stunned. As he was saying those words, I heard someone call out from behind us, "Josh?!!" I turned around and it was Torio, the boyfriend from the couple I had spoken with at the beginning of the night! This was 8 hours later and more than 60 blocks up-town in a city of hundreds of thousands of people!
It turned out that Torio happened to be playing in a band at a club nearby. We got to continue our conversation where we had left off back in lower Manhattan. He was shocked that God had crossed our paths again - So was I!
Just a few hours later I walked past the ABC studios where they film Good Morning America. I could see they were setting up for the show which would begin in an hour, so I went over and watched them get ready. A line soon formed to get in the building and be a part of the live audience. All of the people in line had reserved tickets months in advance to be a part of the show and were excited to be on television. After a period of waiting, a woman who worked for ABC came out of the studio and collected tickets and gave instructions to the audience members. She noticed that I didn’t have a ticket as she walked past and asked if I had reserved one. I told her I was just there to watch from the outside if that was okay. She said to me, "You know what? You're the only one here without a ticket and we have space inside so we'll go ahead and let you be a part of the show!" I was amazed! I went inside with the group and we were able to be on television several times throughout the show. Kevin Costner was the guest that morning so the ladies behind me were very excited!
At the end of the show they give you the opportunity to meet and take pictures with the news anchors and guests. I really wanted to share the Gospel with them since God obviously wanted me to be there that morning, so I waited until every member of the audience had gone up and met the anchors and taken pictures. Once everyone had left, I walked up to Diane Sawyer and gave her a tract booklet and got to share the Gospel for a few minutes with her and the Good Morning America weather man! It was such a blessing!
God truly orders our steps. Both mine and yours! Today He has placed specific people on our path that we have the privilege of sharing the Gospel with. It is simply a matter of obeying the Lord. We must recognize that time is very short and people are perishing, and we must understand that God has called us to share His Gospel with them.
The Lord is with you today, friend. Go find someone and share the message of salvation. This Gospel message is urgent and is backed by the power of God.
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16 Let us not be ashamed!
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