I had made a brief comment in this post a while back that our fuel for evangelism is the holiness of God. I was talking with my pastor a while back about his trip to the Together For The Gospel conference and he mentioned that I needed to listen to David Platt's message on missions. He said that it was the best missions message he'd ever heard. That's saying a lot because he's been a Christian for about 30+ years. Here's that message: ...

One of the most important ingredients in marriage is forgiveness. I read on Pinterest, which is renowned for both its wisdom and accuracy, that a good marriage is made of two good forgivers. Few things are more true than that statement. Inevitably, you will fail each other. You will sin against one another. So, if your husband/wife sins against you what should you do? Forgive. Easier said than done I know, but it really is freeing. In the silent whispers of our minds often lurks the lie that if we refuse to forgive, somehow that will make everything ok and cause him/her to change. Holding onto your unforgiveness in the form of a grudge will only poison your marriage further. It will NEVER improve your marriage. It will NEVER make your husband/wife want to please you. Unforgiveness is cyanide. Stop drinking it. If you want your marriage to survive you must learn to drink the fresh water of forgiveness instead. I heard a story once about a woman who was married to a pastor. He cheated on her multiple times over the years and kept it from her. Eventually, he confessed it to her and repented. Everyone around her kept encouraging her to leave him and divorce him, but she wanted to forgive him. Because of the pressure from those around her she felt guilty for wanting to forgive him. She sought counsel and was given some very wise words. They were these: It is never foolish to hope and pray for the redemption and restoration of your marriage. Those words helped free her to ignore the bad advice from others and pursue forgiving her husband. How beautiful! I know most people would think it is absurd to forgive your husband/wife for doing something so terrible. Yes, sins have consequences and a wayward spouse should not be given freedom to "run around" and expect it not to affect the relationship. But when the spouse is truly repentant, we must forgive. How many times have you failed your spouse? What if they held that over your head constantly, though you repented? If...

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:35-40 Sometimes the will of God is like a diamond; the more you turn it in the light of Jesus Christ the more prisms you see. One of the things that God has said to grant to us, on top of believing in Christ, is suffering. Philippians 1:29 says exactly that, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." Sometimes suffering, depression, and the like can be a faceless, nameless thing. It comes like a cold wind and you try to grab hold of it and it passes right through your fingers. I've often wondered about those moments in my life and I've tried to live with them in the view that God was working all things for good for the one who loves Him. I recently ran across this excerpt from Charles Spurgeon about suffering and thought it would be something worth sharing with you to remind you about one "prism" of your suffering as a Christian. Chapter 9 of The Soul Winner entitled "The Cost of Being A Soul Winner"...

...

"praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:18-20 I recently finished up a verse by verse study in the book of Ephesians and one of the next to last lessons was on a piece of the armor of God that many Christians neglect and some might not even know is actually a part of the armor of God; and that piece of armor is prayer. But that's not what this blog is about. I wanted to share with you my findings on a rather interesting word that the Apostle Paul uses to describe our attitude toward the gospel. It's the word ought. Here's a piece of the transcript from my sermon. If the notes seem sparse know that I use them as a guide and not verbatim. Sometimes it's a bit extemporaneous and there are things said that just aren't in here. I pray you are prodded and provoked to think about these things. I want us in closing to notice two very important things in these last two verses - boldness and oughtness (which probably isn't a word, but that's OK). It's interesting again to see Paul asking the saints on his behalf to pray for boldness. In Acts 14:12 Paul and Barnabas were equated to Greek gods by those in Lystra. They called Paul Hermes because he was the chief speaker. So obviously he had some kind of authority when he spoke. Paul had boldness. Fear hinders our boldness to open our mouth to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. Prayer for one another to the Father aids us to be bold to speak. It really does. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore...

"No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything." 2 Timothy 2:4-6 I've caught a glimpse of him a few times now on my way to church. Early in the morning. Full gear. Wide open. Strange though, there was no fire. There was no alarm. There was no one in danger. The station was calm and the fire trucks were in the bay. What was this guy doing? He was acting in a way that was consistent with his belief. That's what he was doing. What did he believe? He believed that one day someones life would be on the line and he would have to be ready to act. He couldn't be weak. He couldn't afford to put it off another day. It wasn't if there was going to be a fire, but when. He truly believed in fire. He truly believed fire kills. He truly believed life was precious. He truly believed that if he stayed behind in the station that those lives would perish. More than all of those he believed that the mandate of the fire station and its captain was to be honored, because those mandates were and always will be good. He had a sincere devotion to the captain and his mandate. Therefore he moved. I would like to share with you a fictitious story to illustrate a point. An experienced firefighter was recently charged with grave neglect of duty. Prosecutors maintained that he had abandoned his responsibility when he failed to release rescue equipment. This resulted in the needless and tragic deaths of a family of five. Eyewitnesses were sickened when they discovered that the reason the firefighter remained locked in the emergency vehicle was simply because he was testing a new, hi-tech, CD player which, he maintained, he had bought as a gift...

Have you ever been in a room with a friend and forgot to pay attention to her? You are aware she is talking, but you are not listening. Perhaps you are staring over her shoulder out the window and pondering the contents of the package that was just delivered to your neighbor across the street. At some point or another, we have all been guilty of this kind of behavior. Perhaps more often than we even realize. In fact, it is a daily struggle for me. It is a struggle not to look over the tiny heads within my home and out into the world. I tend to think of sharing the gospel as something that is to be done "out in the world". When I think of evangelism I think of street evangelism. I am guilty of forgetting my responsibility to the little blessings God has given me. Going out and sharing the gospel is vital and mandatory in the life of every believer, but don't forget to share it within your home as well! My two little boys' souls are just as depraved and desperate for the gospel as anyone else with whom I could share. There will be seasons in your life, especially if you have young children, in which most of your days are spent at home. You do the laundry, cook, clean, and make sure everyone has their nap. Do not let yourself believe that those things are worthless. As wives and mothers, we have been called to manage our homes. As a stay-at-home mom I do not have as many opportunites to share the gospel with strangers as many do. And on days when I do venture out, it can be quite a challenge to have a meaningful conversation with two little boys in tow. At times I have found this discouraging and felt that I am being disobedient by not meeting some imaginary gospel-sharing quota that I had set for myself. But I have found much freedom in realizing that my foremost priority is to be sharing the gospel within my home. That is...

The second half of a sermon preached by Spurgeon on Lord's-day Morning, March 24th, 1866. He addressed two types of people in the sermon. The first group he called "THOSE WHO ARE AVOWEDLY DISOBEDIENT TO GOD" and the second group he called "THE DECEPTIVELY SUBMISSIVE." This is well worth the read. I pray it challenge you. Here is the text of his sermon. "But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."—Matthew 21:28-32. Bear with me a little time while I speak to the second character, THE DECEPTIVELY SUBMISSIVE, by far the most numerous everywhere in England, probably the most numerous in this assembly. Oh! you, my own regular hearers, you who have heard my voice these thirteen years many of you are in this class. You have said to the Great Father, "I go, sir!" but you have not gone. Let me sorrowfully sketch your portraits: you have regularly frequented a place of worship, and you would shudder to waste a single Sunday in an excursion, or in any form of Sabbath breaking. Outwardly you have said," I go, sir." When the hymn is given out, you stand up and sing, and yet you do not sing with the heart. When I say, "Let us pray!" you cover your faces, but you do not pray with real prayer. You utter a polite, respectful...

1 Corinthians 15:57- But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:18- Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Psalm 28:7- The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 106:1- Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Ephesians 5:20- Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Psalm 107:1- Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Colossians 4:2- Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Romans 14:6- The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. Psalm 30:12- That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever! 1 Corinthians 1:4- I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, Psalm 69:30- I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving....

If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the LORD. Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been ravished? By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers like an Arab in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your vile whoredom. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come; yet you have the forehead of a whore; you refuse to be ashamed. -Jeremiah 3:1-3 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. -Jeremiah 6:15 Friday, November 17th, 2011 marks one of those very rare times in my life. It was one of those times when proclaiming Christ a particular event happened, and when it did, I knew it was going to stick with me like a traumatic event I just couldn't shake. You never forget the atmosphere. You never forget the place. You never forget your feelings. You never forget the faces. Never the faces. You know, I talk to a lot of people about Christ and I get a lot of different reactions. Everything on the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual scale you can think of I believe I've seen. Some are more frequent than others. Reactions of apathy, self-righteousness, plain 'ole unbelief, and anger are run of the mill in the south. But this one reaction Friday night was a rare one. I can only think of a handful of times this has happened and I bet out of a line of 500 people I could pick those same people out 10 years from now. Their faces are stuck in my brain. Those moments have been etched there and I've often asked God why. It was a normal Friday night outreach and the night began for me with refuting basically a whole church youth group and older woman from...