Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

However, we, the religious ‘leaders,’ often forget to explain “why” it is important. Sure, there is no doubt that Scripture and Jesus teaches us to go witness. The Bible clearly tells us that it is important. But why is it important?

Shortly after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us the answer:  

Matthew 9:35-36  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 
But seeing the crowds, He was moved with compassion on them, because they were tired and scattered like sheep having no shepherd.

Jesus was explaining that many people will believe. Once we get people out there telling others, people are going to follow. However, we need leaders who will continue to develop others and step up and “shepherd” the flock. We need people not only to witness, but to lead. The trailing edge of the Great Commission reads:  

Matthew 28:20  teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you.

Here we find that teachers or leaders are also a necessary part of God’s growing Kingdom.

Matthew 9:37-38  Then [Jesus] said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. 
Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send out laborers into His harvest.

I ask that each of us pray today to find out if God wants us to be one of those leaders, who He’ll send out to shepherd His flock.

Studies show that only 7% of communication is through words. Another 55% is visual (body language, eye contact), and another 38% is vocal (pitch, speed, tone, etc).  Interestingly enough, even face to face communication can be quite difficult. 

As perfect as He was, Jesus even found difficulty in communicating His mission and methods while on earth, and around people he dealt with every day:

Matthew 9:2-8  And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Child, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven you.

And lo, some of the scribes said within themselves, This one blasphemes.  And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier? To say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk!

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, then He said to the paralytic, Arise, take up your bed and go to your house.  And he arose and departed to his house. But when the crowds saw, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Jesus tried to explain to the scribes and people that forgiveness of sins is much more valuable than walking, but they didn’t understand. However, in order to counter their remarks, He replied appropriately stating “Arise, take up your bed” – WALK!

In responding to them, Jesus communicated that He had the authority to do anything. God’s Word communicates over and over again the truths that we need to know in order to live a life that leads to Heaven. Yet, every day people ignore it. Why? Because every day WE fail to communicate it!

Tell someone today about God’s love. It will bring a blessing to your life and theirs!

Communicate God’s love…

Remember, the question is if you could go ANYWHERE. So we all started thinking about where that would be….

Even in our small class, one person mentioned Australia. Another mentioned the outer space program (it currently costs a mere $250K for one person). One individual lovingly said “anywhere my wife wants to.”  I thought this was nice, and I had already been prepared to say Europe, because Kimberly and I have both wanted to go there for years. But then, it occurred to me, somewhere nicer….

(Have you decided where YOU would go yet?)  When it got to me, I answered “Heaven!” I think I shocked many, and some said “just on vacation” which of course led me to be able to witness a little more to the entire class. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t get up and “preach,” but I did get the brief opportunity to share my faith.

Because of that, at our lunchtime yesterday, I was invited to say Grace for the table prior to the meal. I never expected that such a quick witness would influence people so much. But…

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness – 2 Tim 3:16

Even a small snipet about our faith can help others open up and share their faith, and help others remember that we need to keep Christ in the forefront of our minds. For others, it helps them come to know Jesus because

“he [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” – Hebrews 7:25

⁷ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. ⁸ I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

So when the Scripture says that God will save us and bring us back to Him, we can trust Him! God is returning! He will save His people. He won’t, however, save those who aren’t His. The first verse says “I will save MY people.”

Do you know anyone that doesn’t believe or trust in God? Don’t let another day go by without telling that friend or person about your faith and why it is important for them to believe and trust in God as their Savior. There is a day approaching that will be too late for anyone to open their hearts to Him.

For us, the children of God, we can rest in comfort – knowing He is preparing a place for us, and that we can dwell with Him for eternity.

A Poem (author unknown)

I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.

So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease…..

All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They’d laugh at me I’d fear.

No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time, the time to die

I went before the Lord,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God Held a book;
It was the book of life.

God looked into his book and said
“Your name I cannot find
I once was going to write it down…
But never found the time.”

Kind of gives you a perspective doesn’t it?  Take time today for God . . .

According to a  google search, “Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution….” Persecution involves the act of pursuing another ”in a manner to injure, grieve, or afflict; to beset with cruelty or malignity; to harass; especially, to afflict, harass, punish, or put to death for adherence to a particular religious creed or mode of worship; To harass with importunity; to pursue with persistent solicitations; to annoy.”

All those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. – 2 Timothy 3:12

When I read this Scripture, initially I am upset, and depressed. Here we are, mere humans, trying to follow Christ, and God tells us we WILL be persecuted! Well that doesn’t sound fair? After all, we are the ones who are TRYING to live godly lives. Why should we be punished “harassed,” systematically mistreated, or “punished?”

Well, I believe the reason is to help strengthen our faith. For we know that we WILL overcome them. We have been persecuted in the past and have made it through. God reminds us through Timothy that we will endure:

What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all – 2 Timothy 3:11

What you may not have noticed in these passages is the order of the Scriptures. I have listed them purposely in reverse order. The correct order flows from the bottom Scripture to the top Scripture listed. Why did I do this?

Simply, I wanted to remind everyone that it is important not to remove Scripture from its context. Many times, especially this week, I was reminded by others about “Bible truths.” However, when I was told the “truth,” I was only told a misrepresentation about the truth.

For example, you may have heard the old adage “money is the root of all evil.” This is in FACT written word for word in the Bible, as is “There is no God.” HOWEVER…the first Scripture actually reads “THE LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil – 1 Timothy 6:10″ and the second scripture actually reads “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ – Psalm 14:1″

So when you are living your daily life and somebody attempts to harass or persecute you through the use of Biblical Scriptures, don’t fall for trickery and deception. When someone presents you with a supposed Bible “truth,” investigate it fully, pray about it, and allow God to rescue you from doubts and questions. He will strengthen you through the harassment if you allow Him to do so.

 Matthew 23:13 - “you shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces.”

I don’t know of a better illustration than that.  We can open the door to Heaven BY TELLING OTHERS ABOUT GOD, or we can hold it shut.    .  .  .  It’s our choice.

My question to you is will you OPEN the door or hold it SHUT? Unlock the door for others TODAY, don’t wait! Tell them about God today!

For a musician, it’s the most lucrative Starbucks location in the
world, I’m told, and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you
play your tunes right. Apparently, we were striking all the right
chords that night, because our basket was almost overflowing. It was a
fun, low-pressure gig – I was playing keyboard and singing backup for
my friend who also added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion
instruments. We mostly did pop songs from the ’40s to the ’90s with a
few original tunes thrown in. During our emotional rendition of the
classic, “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” I noticed a lady sitting in
one of the lounge chairs across from me. She was swaying to the beat
and singing along.

After the tune was over, she approached me. “I apologize for singing
along on that song. Did it bother you?” she asked. “No,” I replied.
“We love it when the audience joins in. Would you like to sing up
front on the next selection?”

To my delight, she accepted my invitation. “You choose,” I said. “What
are you in the mood to sing?”

“Well. … do you know any hymns?”

Hymns? This woman didn’t know who she was dealing with. I cut my teeth
on hymns. Before I was even born, I was going to church. I gave our
guest singer a knowing look. “Name one.”

“Oh, I don’t know. There are so many good ones. You pick one.”

“Okay,” I replied. “How about ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow’?”

My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on
mine again and said, “Yeah. Let’s do that one.” She slowly nodded her
head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center
of the shop. With my two-bar setup, she began to sing.

Why should I be discouraged? Why should the shadows come?

The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling
noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what
they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion.

I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free.
For His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me.

When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a deafening
roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall.
Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, “Oh, y’all go back
to your coffee! I didn’t come in here to do a concert! I just came in
here to get somethin’ to drink, just like you!” But the ovation
continued..

I embraced my new friend. “You, my dear, have made my whole year! That
was beautiful!”
“Well, it’s funny that you picked that particular hymn,” she said.
“Why is that?”
“Well . ..” she hesitated again, “that was my daughter’s favorite song.”
“Really!” I exclaimed.

“Yes,” she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause
had subsided and it was business as usual.. “She was 16. She died of a
brain tumor last week.”

I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence.
“Are you going to be okay?”

She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands. “I’m gonna
be okay. I’ve just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his
songs, and everything’s gonna be just fine.” She picked up her bag,
gave me her card, and then she was gone.

Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that
particular coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence
that this wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular
shop? Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just
happened to pick the very hymn that was the favorite of her daughter,
who had died just the week before? I refuse to believe it. God has
been arranging encounters in human history since the beginning of
time, and it’s no stretch for me to imagine that he could reach into a
coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn an ordinary gig into a
revival. It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting him and
singing his songs, everything’s gonna be okay.

The next time you feel like GOD can’t use YOU, just remember…
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer…
AND Lazarus was dead!

No more excuses now!! God can use you to your full potential. Besides
you aren’t the message, you are just the messenger.

Well, today’s survey says…

Thank God! The answer is Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 7:25

Now, you may be asking: what is the question? Well, in many cases, the question is irrelevant. Why? Because Jesus is the answer! Without Him, we have nothing, we can do nothing, we are nothing, and unfortunately…we will be nothing.

I have the opportunity to talk to a lot of people in my job and through my weekly travels. While many people know Jesus, it is amazing how many people still do not know Him. Why? Because we haven’t told them about Him.

We go to church, we have Sunday School, we may even read our Bibles daily, but how many people tell others about Jesus?

That’s the real question we should be focused on answering today. How better and more often can we tell people about Jesus?

Survey says…you make the call – tell others about Jesus!

How many of these are true stories?  That’s for you to decide. However, we do have one story from beyond the grave that we can trust: Jesus came back to visit many people following his gruesome crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. He didn’t come back to describe Heaven, or to tell us what to expect when we get there. He came back with a message. As he was visiting the disciples:

Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” – John 20:21

Why is this important? It’s not important because it’s a message from beyond the grave. But it IS important because of who it came from and what it means.

Jesus, THE SON OF GOD, commanded His followers to be like Him. Pure and simple, He showed us how to live, setting the perfect example, and then commanded us to follow in His footsteps.

During Jesus’ life on earth, His mission was to find the lost, tell them the gospel, and disciple them into followers of Christ. That too is OUR MISSION. It’s a message we cannot fail to accomplish. God didn’t put us here on earth just for our own Salvation, but to aid in bringing others to God. Pray to receive a spirit of obedience today, and follow in Jesus’ example of preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth!