Go YE

Recently, I attended a Bible class centered around the book of Colossians. As we were studying through the first chapter, verse 23 really hit home to me. I would like to briefly look at a couple of verses that I hope will challenge you (like they did me) to be a better personal evangelist.

Mark 16:15 says, "and He said to them, 'go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature'."

Colossians 1:23 says, "if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister." 

What do these two verses have in common? You probably picked up on the "every creature" phrase in each one, so let's think about that in depth a bit more.

Jesus's ministry would have likely concluded on this earth around 33AD, and it is post-resurrection that He issued the above command to go and preach to every creature. The book of Colossians was likely written between 64-66AD, so approximately 31 years later. Paul said in Colossians that the gospel had been preached to every creature in heaven already. So, in 31 years, the gospel reached everyone. 

That's remarkable!!

Now sure, there were probably less people on earth during that time. And sure, people probably weren't spread out quite like they are today. But think about it: there was less transportation, no technology, and yet every creature under heaven heard the gospel and all it took was approximately 31 years.

We have been given the same command that Jesus gave to the disciples in the first century: to go into all the world and preach the gospel. We were not told exactly how to go, just to go. So, we can still go and do face to face evanglism: there really is no better way! But, we can also use technology much like The Light Network is doing, and spread the gospel via the internet. We can use television programs, radio programs, Bible correspondence courses through the mail, and various other ways. But, in whatever ways we choose, we MUST 'go' and 'preach'. 

Acts 8:4 says, "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word." It wasn't preachers and deacons and elders who went (though surely they were included in the number). Really, it was just Christians. As these Christians were scattered abroad, they taught--they were personal evangelists. In the same way, everywhere we go (overseas, cross-country, Wal-Mart) we must spread the gospel, and we must all do it. It wasn't a minority of first century Christians who spread the gospel, it was all of them! That's why they could accomplish such a great feat in 31 years. 

If every Christian on earth right now would spread the gospel of Christ, imagine how quickly we could get to the entire world! Sadly, we cannot control every Christian. You know who we can control, though? Us. We can purpose to spend 2013 spreading the gospel of Christ to everyone around us. Will you please join me in this cause? 

Jesus says it is those who love Him who keep His commandments (John 14:15). He has commanded we go. So I guess the only question left is, do we love Him?

When in Rome

In light of my most recent podcast over at The Light Network, I've had Rome on my mind a lot. It was absolutely one of my favorite places when I visited there over 4 years ago (wow, has it been that long!?), and has continued to impact me ever since. The architecture is breathtaking, the history is rich, and the gelato is amazing. Besides a really disgusting metro, I have nothing but praise for present-day Rome.

Located in the center of Rome is a place that is a country in and of itself: Vatican City. There, the hub of all things Catholic, I got to see so many beautiful structures and fascinating artifacts. At the same time, though, I saw so many things that made me sad. You see, there were dozens, maybe hundreds, of people that I saw who had dedicated their lives to serving the Pope, or serving Mary. These people had misplaced their trust and their focus, and while they were so dedicated to serving, I couldn't help but mourn for these people who weren't serving the right One.

As New Testament Christians, we must be more evangelistic. There are so many people who do not know the gospel, and who are spending their days working toward something that won't get them to heaven! Some of these people are even dedicating their lives to a false religion!

On Tuesday night, a group of young adults came over to our house for a devotional. During the course of the study, a question was raised about people who haven't heard the gospel--will they go to heaven? We know and believe what the Bible teaches, and thus we regrettably came to the conclusion that, no, they won't. In the moments that followed, all of us were pricked in our hearts to be more evangelistic, because it is a very real thing that people are dying every single minute and their final destination will be hell. If you are reading this today, please know that I did not post this as a rant against Catholicism or a pronouncement of judgment on any group -- I am SO thankful that I am not the judge! And yet, I do hope this post will make you think. Every single person that you come into contact with -- your neighbor, the people in your community, the people you see while you're on vacation -- every single person has a soul that is going one of two places. As people who know of salvation and know how others can obtain it, we must not keep that message in!!

Tomorrow, I will have a post specifically geared toward personal evangelism. Pray with me this evening that we can all do more to be evangelistic, and as the old hymn goes, "lead me to some soul today."


*Please note that you can check out all of my previous podcast episodes here. And if you know someone who is more interested in travel than the gospel, point them toward this podcast. Perhaps through their hobby/interest, we can gain their trust and point their attention toward some very pertinent points. After all, it's all about spreading the gospel message of Christ. 

Leading Ladies: Esther

Finally--back to our Leading Ladies series! Sorry for the hiatus! Election season puts me in a tizzy!

I'm going to trust that you are familiar enough with the story of Esther that I don't have to quote it at length. If you aren't, I would encourage you to read the book in its entirety, as it is a beneficial study (and very intriguing).

So, what kinds of things can we learn from Esther:

1: She was pure. Those chosen to 'go before the king' after he dismissed Queen Vashti were virgins. Had Esther not remained pure in her young life, she would have never been under consideration to be the new queen. But, since she'd purposed in her heart to remain pure before God, she had this opportunity. As Christians, we have an opportunity every single day to decide whether or not we will be pure--from the clothes that we wear and the way we present our bodies to the things that we listen to and shows that we watch. There may be opportunities for us to teach others about God's beautiful word, but if our lives aren't pure, we may take ourselves out of the running for helping that person's soul. How sad if we were to take opportunities away from ourselves! Sadly, though, Christians do this.

For example: if we're on our way into the movie theater to watch something that isn't wholesome and we see someone we know (who may be a struggling Christian, a babe in Christ, or a person we've been 'working on' for quite some time) -- are we negating everything we promote/teach based on the way we are acting--based on the way we're living? Our lives must be pure (and subsequently our hearts--Mt. 5:8) so that we can take hold of every opportunity to do good in God's service.

2: She used her position for God's glory. Had Esther not listened to Mordecai, the entirety of the Jewish population might have been wiped out. Mordecai so eloquently states in Esther 4:14, "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

God's providence is something that I whole-heartedly believe in, yet don't quite understand how it works in my life. Still, I trust that God has a plan. Like Esther, I believe that there are unique opportunities afforded to each of us. Perhaps you are placed in a certain job just so you can influence your co-worker. Maybe you are in a certain town so that you can help an entire population of people. Whatever your lot in life, be willing, as Esther was, to use that position to God's glory.

And note that Esther did not use her position because it was easy. She displayed an amazing amount of courage by going in to the king's chambers without being summoned--this could have gotten her killed! Still, because she was willing to put the greater good ahead of her own lot, she went in anyway--not knowing how the king would respond. Had she not been willing, people would not have been saved. Likewise, if we are not willing to boldly proclaim Jesus in our lives (to our friends, family members, co-workers, cashiers, etc.), people will not be saved.

3: She remembered who she was. This one will be similar to our last point. You see, when Esther became queen, she could have forsaken her Jewish heritage. She was beautiful, rich, and in a powerful position. Quite frankly she could be whoever she wanted to be, have whatever she wanted to have, and do whatever she wanted to do. We know, though, that she didn't. She kept Mordecai close (and listened to his council), and ultimately saved her entire 'family'.

We live in a sinful world and there's no escaping that fact. As Christians, when we go out into the world in our day to day activities, we must remember who we are. It is not ok for us to 'forget' and let a few curse words slip when talking to our co-workers or when a car pulls out in front of us. It is not ok for us to 'forget' when there's a popular movie coming out that doesn't adhere to God's guidelines for things we should think upon (Phil. 4:8). It's not ok for us to 'forget' because the weather is warm or we're taking a trip--and modest clothing just isn't practical. It isn't ok to 'forget' when we're out shopping for Christmas presents and someone cuts us off, takes too long in line, snatches the last of an item, or anything else. First and foremost, we are Christians, and we must always remember that. That is why Paul urged the brethren at Philippi to mediate on pure, lovely, true, right things. The more you meditate on something, the more likely it is to stick.

4: Her inner beauty mattered more. While Esther was beautiful, there was something else about it that made the king love her. The text tells us that not only did the king love and favor her, but so did all of the other people who came into contact with her--even the other young women who had been chosen to live in the king's palace. Now, think about what you know about beauty pageants. Are all of the beautiful contestants best friends and super nice to each other the entire time? Or is the jealousy, envy, and backbiting? Had Esther simply been outwardly beautiful, I'm sure the majority of people around her would have felt the latter--jealous, especially in light of the special treatment she was receiving. And yet, Esther is loved by all. That speaks volumes for her character!! She truly must have been a beautiful woman on the inside for every person to love her.

I believe this point is especially pertinent to parents of teenage girls. I have been extremely disappointed recently in the outfits that I'm seeing on Facebook of 'Christian' teenage girls. While I am friends with some of the girls, mostly I am seeing these immodest clothing choices put on display by their own parents.

As a former teen girl, I know how impressionable they are--especially when it comes to their bodies. Every thing that you praise or put down will stick with them for a long time. Why not, then, put a little less emphasis on their physical beauty and more on their inner beauty? Challenge them to have a pure heart--it will make enforcing a modest dress code easier. Challenge them to remember who they are--it will make the discussions about dances and parties easier. Above all, though, encourage them to beautify their hearts. Esther spent 12 months preparing for the king. Encourage your daughters to spend time preparing for their King.

This isn't an exhaustive list by any means. There are so many things we can learn from Esther. I challenge you to read more about her and find more ways to implement lessons from her life into yours.

The Triumphal Entry

In Luke 19 we read about the triumphal entry of Jesus in Jerusalem. I'm sure that, like I, you have known this story from a young age: Jesus tells the disciples to go and loose a colt that has never had a rider. They then spread clothing on the colt and on the ground, and Jesus rides in.

That's the end of the story, right?

Verses 37-40 tells us this:

"Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: 

"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

I love that final phrase: If these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. I have a question for you (and me) today: Who is making the noise in your life, you or the stones?

We should be giving daily, constant praise to our Lord and Savior, yet often times we're silent. We're spectators. Or sometimes, maybe we're even like the Pharisees, quieting efforts that other followers of Jesus are making. This cannot be! We must constantly and consistently point others to Jesus with our words. We cannot rely on the stones to cry out that God is our Creator!

My prayer for us all today is that we will be like Jeremiah, who said:

"Then I said, 'I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.' But His word was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones; I was wearing of holding it back, and I could not." (Jer. 20:9)

The apostles are great examples for us, too. When commanded not to spread the name of Jesus, they answered "we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

Who is forbidding you from speaking out about Jesus? Who is forbidding you from telling the world about His great love? We must be like Jeremiah and the apostles, where we cannot but speak the love that we know and have experienced.

One day it may be the case that people will try to silence Christians. The fact that they will try shouldn't be what scares us, though. We should be scared that it would be so easy to do, because so few Christians are speaking out about their faith and hope.

We must change. God has created us for a purpose, and that purpose isn't a silent one. We must speak out about Jesus, today and every day that we exist on this earth.