Could you do it?

Sharing your faith is difficult for some believers. And yet, the Bible teaches that we should do our best to do just that. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15 NIV)

We are working hard on providing some tools that you can use to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I mentioned in an earlier post that we will be distributing free gospels of John this Lord's Day - free to anyone, and meant as a tool for sharing the gospel. We also have tracts which you can simply hand to someone who needs the gospel.

On our church website, we have a simple plan of salvation that you can use in explaining the gospel. Here is another one that you may like better. And here is yet a third presentation of the gospel that uses online animation.

Study all of them - memorize the verses and the different approaches. The more familiar you get with the gospel, the easier it will be to share it with those you are praying for.

Do you have an email personality?

You gotta love the Dilbert comic strip, by Scott Adams. My family buys me a Dilbert desk calendar every year for Christmas, and one of the highlights of my day is reading the daily humor.

"Tina, why did you call me a flaming #3%!!?," asked Dilbert.

"I'm so sorry," replied Tina, "that was my e-mail personality. My real-time personality is kind and gentle."

"Oh. Okay," replied Dilbert as he walked away. But in the final frame of the comic, Tina is seen feverishly typing, "Never speak to me again, you miserable clump of decaying compost!"

In the silly world of Dilbert, that's kinda funny. We all know people who have an email personality that is far different from their real-time personality. And it's not just email where this shows up. Some are different in their car than they are in person... different on the phone than in person. I'm sure you know what I mean.

Although I laughed at this comic strip, I also found myself asking the Lord for help, for I see a little too much of myself in there. Do you? Let's determine, brothers and sisters, that we will be real all the time. Not one thing on Sunday morning, and something completely different the rest of the week.

Christianity is not a casual thing that we put on once in a while, but rather a continuous reflection of Jesus Christ living in and through us. "Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20)

Let's put aside the email personality and be real.

Tell Them!

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:8,10)

Sometimes when I read the Word of God, a phrase or verse seems to jump off the page at me. Such was the case this morning with this passage. I could not help but wonder HOW IN THE WORLD there could be a generation that did not know the Lord. Where were the Fathers? Where were the Mothers? Where were the preachers and prophets? Didn't ANYBODY SAY ANYTHING? How could an entire generation be raised by a group of people who knew God, and yet none of them ever learned of Him?

Let us ensure that is not the case. Fathers, as we remember Fathers' Day this weekend, let's determine we will TELL OUR CHILDREN about the Lord. And it's not just Dad's job, Mom. You can TELL YOUR CHILDREN, too. And maybe we should also mention that we need to TELL OUR PARENTS and TELL EVERYBODY WE MEET about the Lord Jesus.

At Randolph Christian Church, we are working on several tools that will help you TELL THEM about Jesus. This Lord's Day, we will be providing free copies of the Gospel of John to anyone who will commit to give it away. We are in the process of printing postcards that will be available, free, for you to use in sharing the good news of Christ, and we always have tracts in the tract rack in the foyer.

Let us not be guilty of knowing Jesus saves, and yet letting a generation arise that has never heard that good news.

Fathers and Mothers

This coming Lord's Day, we will be celebrating Fathers and Mothers with a picnic and BBQ immediately after the service. I hope you can make it to this, and I hope that if you have friends and loved ones (especially fathers and mothers) who might enjoy it, you will encourage them to come.

I was thinking about dads and moms this morning. And I was thinking about yesterday's sermon - A Mother's Wisdom, from John 2. For some reason, the Lord has really been hammering me about Mary's words in vs. 5, "Whatever He says to you, do it." And as I pondered it this morning, it suddenly struck me that His Father said the same thing. Remember when that voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, HEAR HIM?"

It's common for we who are parents to say to our children, "Listen to me!" But both Jesus' father and mother said the same thing - "Listen to Him!"

I know, I know, you just heard this message yesterday in church. But I guess the Lord wants me to repeat it today. Are you listening to the Savior? When He speaks through His word, are you listening? Are you doing what you hear Him say? Sometimes we get the impression that it's difficult to obey the Lord, but remember how He described it in Matthew 11:30 - "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

He did all the heavy lifting on the cross. May God help you and I to do our part now in living a life of obedience and submission to Him Who loved us that much.

Too Much To Do? SLOW DOWN!

I could feel the scream rising in my throat, and I could feel the blood pressure rising in my ears. Suppressing the scream, I reached down and picked up the handkerchief from the floor, where I had just dropped it.

It was one of those mornings where I was in a tremendous hurry. When that happens, I usually try to perform my morning ablutions and dress at warp speed. Unfortunately, I have developed a problem in the last few years where I drop things. For no known reason, when I pick something up, it will simply leap out of my hand on onto the ground. It has become somewhat chronic. And when I'm in a hurry, and trying to move quickly, it becomes acute - thus explaining the handkerchief which was now on the floor for the third time this morning.

As I stooped to pick it up yet again, the thought occurred, "Why don't you just slow down a little bit? Maybe things will go a little smoother." And so I did. And things did go smoother.

Have you ever noticed that you can accomplish more in life if you slow down? There is definitely a point of diminishing returns, when more activity does not mean more productivity. It just means more activity and more stress. Are you there? If so, may I encourage you to slow down.

Jesus said to the disciples one day, "Come apart and rest for awhile." You need to slow down, and spend time with the Lord. It may seem like you cannot afford the time, but in reality you will have MORE time. No matter how busy you are, you need to set aside some time every day of the world to pray and read your Bible. When you slow down, you'll discover that things go smoother.

It's one of God's principles that applies in every area of life. When we invest ourselves in God, we always have greater returns. Invest money in God through tithes and offerings, and you will always have more money. And investing time in God pays back in the same way - you will have more time.

Do you have too much to do? SLOW DOWN.

Work Like Blazes

I like the following thought from Dr. David Jeremiah's daily email devotional:

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. John 9:4

In Today Matters, John Maxwell wrote, "If you want to reach your potential, you need to add a strong work ethic to your talent. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow shared much insight when he wrote, 'The heights by great men reached and kept / were not attained by sudden flight, / but they, while their companions slept, / were toiling upward in the night.'"

God gave us talent, and our parents and teachers provided the training. We've got to supply the toil.

The Bible says, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17, NIV). Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" (NIV). And 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (NIV).

Have you been procrastinating instead of jumping into a task at hand? Tackle it today for the glory of God.

Happiness is the Lord

Did you ever get a song in your head and you can't get rid of it? For hours, it just plays over and over and over and over in your head! Arrrggghhh!!! Make it stop!

Well, imagine if you had a song playing in your head for YEARS. There is one particular song that I have had playing in my mind for years (not constantly, thank the Lord), but enough to keep the tune and thought before me. I first heard the song when I was a teenager at the Randolph Christian Church. The song is:

Happiness is to know the Savior,
Living a life within His favor,
Having a change in my behavior,
Happiness is the Lord.
Happiness is a new creation,
Jesus and me in close relation,
Having a part in His salvation,
Happiness is the Lord.

Real joy is mine, no matter if teardrops start;
I've found the secret, it's Jesus in my heart!

Happiness is to be forgiven,
Living a life that's worth the living,
Taking a trip that leads to Heaven,
Happiness is the Lord,
Happiness is the Lord,
Happiness is the Lord!

(Words and Music by Ira F. Stanphill)

I really don't mind that song playing around in my mind, because the Lord uses it to remind me of a very important spiritual truth. If I would be happy, I need to find that happiness in the Lord, and in His Word. There is no other source of happiness.

The Psalmist said:

O the happiness of that one, who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked. And in the way of sinners has not stood, And in the seat of scorners has not sat; But -- in the law of Jehovah is his delight, And in His law he meditates by day and by night. (Psalm 1:1-2)

Happiness is the Lord!

(By the way, if you want to get that song started in your own head, listen to it here.)