It's Easy to Share the Gospel!

In our Christian walks, we are often confronted with those who are not believers and sharing the gospel can create fear in us. More often than not, the fear stems from a belief that one does not know enough about scripture or doctrine to be an effective witness. God has shown us in the scripture that He "hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7. In this particular passage, Paul is writing to Timothy and reminding him of the teaching he received as a youth and encouraging him in the faith. He's saying to him that he knows the truth and that the truth is the testimony of our Lord, Jesus Christ! We should never fear the truth of our salvation, nor fear sharing that truth with others. We should do it freely and with great joy!

One of the problems that arises with sharing the gospel is that believers end up in the trap of arguing the validity of the scriptures, whether or not it's appropriate to today's time, etc. It is useless to argue doctrine with lost people! The Holy Spirit has not indwelt them and as stated in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." These people will not be able to hear or understand the scriptures and doctrine. Do not discuss it with them!

The only way for them to understand is for the believer to create a path to God through Jesus Christ, not through convincing someone that the Bible is indeed the word of God. In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" . The only thing we can do is share the gospel with them. The gospel is not difficult. It is beautifully stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I had received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
Never is the gospel more clearly stated. All we have to do is share the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That he did all of this personally for each individual. "For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift from God, not of works, lest any man should boast!" Ephesians 2:8-9 We also know from scripture that "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17 Use the scripture to witness! The Bible tells us how!

In a nutshell, just share the gospel from 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; that Jesus died on the cross for his/her sins, was buried and bodily rose from the grave to conquer death. They have now heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and it's up to the Holy Spirit to convict their heart. We don't need to argue doctrine, just share the gospel. This doesn't mean that you can't help them see their sin and point out their need for a Savior, but we must be careful when sharing our faith that we present truthfully the true gospel and not confuse them with things they have been blinded to seeing.

I pray that each of you will commit to memory 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and Ephesians 2:8-9. These two simple passages will immensely help you in sharing the gospel with others in a bold, simple and exciting way!

Grace and peace,
Wendy

Fully Trusting in Him!

In Habakkuk 3:17-19, God says, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stall; Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”

What is God telling us in this scripture? He is saying that even if everything fails, He will take care of us. We will never want. I believe what Paul said in Phillipians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” This is an important statement and we as humans tend to mix up our need with our want. What do we really need? A beautiful sister in the Lord has a statement on her Facebook page that says, “Just give me Jesus.” He is truly all we need. When we learn to rely solely on Him, He will provide for our need. So, trust in him and all of your needs will be met.

This is not always an easy thing to do: trust wholly in Him, just like Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” We have to totally surrender ourselves to Christ. We don’t want to be like the nation of Israel as described by Paul in Romans 10:3 when he said, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” We want to be as Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 5:21, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” It is so much easier for God to work in our lives when we don’t interfere. I once heard Naomi Judd say that she just finally had resign her position as manager of the universe and let God do the job. It’s true. We say we give it all to Him and then we take it back.

As of the 26th of this month…just 2 days from today, I will be terminated from my job. I will have been off work for 6 months on my medical leave and my short term disability will expire. The hospital has applied for long term disability for me, but I don’t know if I will qualify for it. This means that we will have no income. From past experience, I know that somehow, all our needs will be met and whatever happens will be for God’s glory. I am not worried…truly. I think this is about the first time that I have not worried. Like I said yesterday in my post, listening (reading His Word) and talking (prayer) to God builds you up and helps you surrender and trust. Give it all to Him!

Grace and peace.

Prayer and Study

Lately I have felt such a burden to study the Word and to spend a great deal of time in prayer. God tells us in Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we do not magically change into a super Christian. We have to grow. We must spend time in the scriptures and learn what God has to say about how creation began and the struggle that man has gone through to return to Him. The Bible also provides instruction to us about how to live our lives. Without it, we would not know what He would have us to do.

Studying the Bible is not enough, though. I have found that as I study, I am more drawn to prayer. As I pray, I long to study more. As I do both, I am convicted of my shortcomings and filled with a stronger desire to live only for Him! Lately, I feel like all I want to do is plunge headlong into a life of service to my Lord. It is such a powerful desire. This is what God meant when He said in Psalms 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of thine heart.” He did not mean that we can ask for anything we want and He’ll give it to us. This doesn’t mean a new car or a bigger house. It means that God’s desires will become the desires of your heart!

Prayer is an integral and often the most neglected part of our Christian walk. Paul tells us in Romans 12:12, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer,” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “Pray without ceasing,” and in Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” These are just three of the scriptures regarding prayer that we can find to support its importance in the Christian’s life. We need to be on our knees and on our faces before the Lord remembering that prayer is a part of our communication with Him. Prayer is when we talk and reading scripture is when we listen. Both are a vital part of our daily conversation and communion with God. These we must do to grow in Him.

May God richly bless your walk with Him.

Grace and peace.

Church Planting - A Garden

Today Martin and I met with the Director of Missions and a pastor of the Metro Peoria Association for the Illinois Baptist State Association. We met with them to discuss our current church plant, that is starting a church in Carthage, IL. We were seeking their support and guidance in the path God is leading. We were not disappointed. When our church is started, we will be a part of the Metro Peoria Association and have the support and prayers of that wonderful group of people!

This is the Biblical way churches should be started. If we look at Paul, he traveled to Cyprus, Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth and many other places to start churches. He would build them up, train men to be leaders and move to the next place. These churches then supported him in his ministry. Both the church in Corinth and Ephesus are mentioned as supporting Paul as he spread the gospel of Christ.

Martin and I have been so blessed in our ministry and we are so grateful to God for the people and resources He has put in our paths. Our hope and prayer is to start churches that will then start other churches. It's like a garden in which the seeds are scattered by the wind or birds and more flowers grow. God has a definite plan for this area and we have God's heart for it.

We covet your prayers as we move forward in God's plan for us and Hancock County. Please join us.

Grace and peace.

My First Blog

Well, actually this is not my first blog. I have guest blogged on my husband's blog, Nauvoo Pastor, before and thought it was cool. I've decided to blog because I believe I have a lot to say and it may be of value to others. I hope that is the case. As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandma, pastor's wife, nurse, friend and many other titles, I can speak to many people from many perspectives. I have been in this life for 47 years now and hopefully that brings with it a bit of wisdom that can be shared.

I accepted Christ as Lord and Savior June 18, 1978 in Galesburg, IL at the First Church of the Open Bible. I had been a church attender my whole life and always thought that if I was a good person and believed in Jesus, I would go to heaven. I was wrong! Satan believes in Jesus and he will definitely NOT be in heaven! The gospel is clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4,

"1 Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand: 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

The difference between believing in Christ and salvation is this: one must believe that while Christ hung on that cross, He took all of your sins upon His physical body. This means that your sin was the brutal beating he took, the thorns pushed through his scalp, the sword in the side, the stakes through His feet and hands and everything else they did to Him. When He hung there, He looked down through all eternity and saw you and died for you. One must believe that he physically died, was buried and that on the third day he physically rose from the grave! Your sin was bad enough that you could never atone for it yourself. Only the perfect lamb, one without a spot or blemish, would be sufficient as a sacrifice. Christ was that lamb. In order to be saved, you must believe that you are not enough and you need Christ in your life to bring you back into fellowship with God. Until you recognize that you are a sinner in need of a savior, you are condemned.

I talk about my salvation and share the gospel with others because my relationship with Christ is paramount in my life. Brother Bill Stafford said it very eloquently at the Southern Baptist Convention this past summer in Indianapolis when he said, "I am as a virgin espoused to my beloved... He is my life, my love and my everything."

I chose the title for my blog based upon my nickname, Breezy and the scriptures, 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 which states: "14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death: and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." After salvation, we are His and instead of having the stench of sin, we now have a sweet savour to Him. This says it all to me and will be my prayer for everyone.

While Christ is the center of my life, my discussion will not be this intensive at all times. I have plenty to say about a lot of things. I will probably pepper my posts with scripture, but not so spicy as this one!

I hope you'll bear with me and check in again. May God richly bless you. Grace and peace.