Tag: the gospel

Receiving God’s Message

Featured ~ servantone1 ~ Leave a comment

JESUS SPEAKING

   “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that that You sent me.” (John 17: 6-8.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

  As Jesus spoke directly to God in the presence of His disciples, He identified His task and acknowledged that it had been accomplished.  His duty was to make God known to all those who were willing to listen.  The true children of God heard Jesus, accepted Him as God’s messenger, and received His words as the words of God.  Still today the Lord is selecting individuals out of the world, to become His eternal possessions.  Anyone who accepts the message of Christ is a true child of God.  Those who follow God are saved, while those who ignore His message will perish.

    In 1912 the Titanic slipped beneath the icy waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly 1500 people joined the ship on its journey to the bottom of the ocean.  Although there weren’t enough lifeboats to carry all of the passengers, no one truly needed to die.  Most people are unaware that a large ship named ‘The Californian’ was less than 20 miles away that night (close enough to have saved most of Titanic’s passengers.)  ‘The Californian’ received some distress calls from the Titanic (via radio communication.) The crew also observed distress flares being fired from the titanic.  And yet, for some reason the Captain of ‘The Californian’ didn’t take these messages seriously, and returned to bed after hearing the reports.  During an official inquiry into the Captain’s actions, he remained elusive, continually changing his story; some even reported that he made attempts to doctor the log book and change their reported position on the evening of the tragedy.  The real circumstances of his inaction were never clearly identified.  Many still speculate that the Captain simply didn’t take the messages seriously.  He had heard the reports, but didn’t believe them, and for that reason 1500 people lost their lives.

   Jesus Christ, and the words that He spoke are God’s signal flares in a very dark and frigid world.  Some see the signals, and they are drawn to Him.  They see Jesus and know that He is God’s message, and because they believe in that message they are saved from death.  Sadly, no matter how many flares He sends up pointing to His Son, most will never take them seriously. Jesus Christ is God’s message to us all.  Those who respond, will follow Him and dedicate their lives to spreading His message.  May we all respond to God’s calling.

    “Lord heavenly Father, we come before You and ask You to increase our faith.  We desire to be Yours, and we believe Your message and accept Your words.  As we await the life You have promised us, we ask that You strengthen our hearts in this world, that we might accomplish Your work.  Give us a desire to spread Your message, that we would make more disciples.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.”  God bless all of you!

Seeking the Lost

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15: 8 – 10)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

Like this woman’s missing coin, the world is full of lost human beings; individuals who possess no knowledge of their creator. They have wandered off, stumbling about in darkness as they journey toward eternal condemnation. Yet Jesus came to seek and to save those who are perishing. Every believer who shares God’s loving heart will continue Christ’s evangelical work upon this Earth. As disciples, we are commanded to reach out to the lost; that others might hear the gospel of forgiveness and be reconciled to the Lord.

Many years ago, a dynamic missionary leader in India named Robert Wilder was dining with three naval officers. During the course of their conversation one of the officers remarked, “Why don’t these missionaries stay home and mind their own business?” Dr. Wilder replied, “Suppose you were ordered to take your battleship to Constantinople tomorrow, would you choose whether to obey or not?” The officer responded, “If we are ordered to go, we must go, even if every ship is sunk and every sailor killed.” “Quite right,” replied the missionary. “I have orders from the divine government: ‘Go and preach the gospel to every creature.'”

Like Robert Wilder, we too have been commanded to spread the gospel message. To seek out and to save the lost. This is what brings our God pleasure; this is what causes Him to rejoice. We can accomplish this evangelistic endeavor by witnessing to others, sharing our testimony, handing out bible tracts, and posting messages to our social media accounts, etc. We must be bold, we must be zealous, and we must always preach the truth, no matter the consequence.

“Lord Heavenly Father, You are worthy of all honor and praise. May we continue your work upon this Earth; reaching out to those who have wandered away. Remove our fears, that we might communicate Your message with boldness. Use us as instruments of Your love, and may our efforts be fruitful. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!

Fearlessly Spreading the Gospel

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

            “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Mathew 10: 29-31.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Jesus Christ commands every believer to boldly preach the gospel.  Some will be despised and rejected; many will be ridiculed and threatened; still others may even face death.    No matter the consequence, the faithful must never remain silent.  Those who fear man cannot obey God, for men may kill the body, but God has the power to condemn the soul for all eternity.  The ancient Israelites feared God and in turn suffered great hardship.  They were conquered by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans.  Each new conqueror imposed laws that made honoring God punishable by death.  At one time circumcision was outlawed; Jewish mothers caught circumcising their children were crucified.    Another law made it a requirement for the Jews to make sacrifices to pagan God’s; the many faithful followers who refused were immediately put to death.

                In the sixth century B.C., three young Jewish men feared God more than men.  A powerful King named Nebuchadnezzar resurrected a large golden statue in his own likeness.  On the day it was unveiled he called together the rulers of the provinces and the peoples of every nation; they were commanded to bow down and worship his image.  The multitudes were warned that anyone that refused would be burned alive.  Three faithful believers named, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego refused to obey (choosing to offend the king rather than to anger God.)  They were bound hand and foot and cast into a fiery furnace.  As the king watched he saw a fourth person with them in the flames; somone who protected them; a man who looked like the ‘Son of God.’  When the boys emerged from the furnace unharmed, the king pardoned them and proclaimed the awesome power of the one true and living God.  Much like Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, the apostles remained faithful.  Many were beaten, humiliated, imprisoned and tortured because they refused to remain silent.  Eventually, eleven of the twelve disciples were put to death for the sake of the gospel.  According to church history, Peter was crucified upside down in Rome.  Andrew, Simon, and Thaddeus were also crucified.  Bartholomew was crucified after having his skin cut off.  Philip was crucified and then stoned to death.  James was beheaded by King Herod.  Thomas was stabbed to death and Mathew was killed with an ax.  James the less was clubbed to death and Mathias was burned alive.  Although they perished for the faith, they are not dead; they are alive with Christ, in his eternal kingdom.

                Every disciple is called to boldly preach the gospel; to speak the truth in love no matter the consequence.  Today many are suffering persecution; in Muslim countries, Christians are being attacked and beheaded; in communist countries they are being imprisoned and tortured.  Yet in the United States, many professing Christians won’t even lean over and tell a stranger that Jesus loves them.  Won’t you reach out in love today?  Won’t you speak up and tell your friends and family about Jesus Christ?  Present the gospel to your neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances; for when you honor God, God will honor you; and you will walk in eternal fellowship with Him in His kingdom.

                “Heavenly Father, take away our fear of death and our fear of others; may we fear only You.  May Your words and Your message burn within our hearts and may the gospel freely flow from our mouths.  May we share eternal life with all those who have been persecuted and put to death for their faith in Your Son.  Provide us with opportunities to share the truth with others in love.  We thank You Father, and we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.