I am. I’m pressing in. There’s more than this.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
aren't you tired?
Aren't you tired of the status quo? Aren’t you tired of just going through the motions? Aren’t you tired of hearing about the depths of God’s love, mercy, grace, and power, without ever experiencing any of those things in your life? Aren’t you tired of having your soul stirred by the Spirit of God without seeing any life-change? Aren’t you tired of chasing after the things of this world as if they will bring satisfaction to your soul? Aren’t you tired of pursuing things that wear out, get broken, or are lost or stolen? Aren’t you tired of talking about Jesus, but never talking with Him? Aren’t you tired of wearing your mask every time you come to church in order to make sure that no one sees how broken you really are inside? Aren’t you tired of carrying your burdens alone? Aren’t you tired of bearing the guilt of hearing truth, but never putting it into action? Aren’t you tired of living with that nagging feeling that your life isn’t having any eternal impact? Aren’t you tired of playing church?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
the most dangerous prayer in the world
Jesus made our mission clear to us when He told us to “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19–20, NLT). There is no doubt that we have been called by God and commissioned by Him to carry the message of the cross of Christ to the entire world.
That idea, however, can be a bit overwhelming. How can we possibly do that? There are so many people in the world, so how can we possibly hope to even make a dent in the task of making disciples of all nations? Jesus answered that question in Acts 1:8 when He told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 (NLT).
When Jesus said this to his followers, they were in Jerusalem. He was saying, “I want you to start at home.” God wants us to start with the people closest to you, right here in your own community. Then he said to go to Judea and Samaria. He broadens the scope to a larger area geographically, but the Samaritans were different culturally and racially. God wants us to go to people who are different from us. Then he said, “I want you to go to the ends of the earth.”
God is building a family of people who love and trust Him that are going to spend eternity with Him. He wants family members from every nation. One day all believers are going to be gathered together in heaven. This is not mission impossible; this is mission inevitable. It’s going to happen. That has been God’s plan all along.
Here’s the amazing part: God has chosen us to complete the mission. God wants us to finish the mission that Jesus Christ started when He came to earth. Being on this mission is the greatest privilege we’ll ever be given. We have the privilege to be in on making history, that’s what it is all about.
Love demands I move beyond my comfort zone to people with different background, different education, different language, and different economics. Our mission has such eternal consequences, heaven and hell, that we must be willing to risk anything to get the message out. If I had the cure for cancer, I can tell you for certain that I would be shouting it on the street. I would do whatever was necessary to make sure that everyone knew. It would be criminal to keep it a secret. The truth is that I have something even more important than that – the way to eternal life. Somebody cared enough to tell me; I’ve got to be caring enough to tell others.
The question for us is: Is anybody going to be in heaven because of me? When you get to heaven, is anyone going to say thank you for telling me the Good News? In the next 365 days, 2.4 million Americans will die, and most of them will go into eternity without Jesus Christ. In the next 365 days, 54 million people in the world will die, and most of them will go into eternity without Jesus Christ. If we care, we must share.
There are four possible responses to the call of God to fulfill his purpose in your time. You can respond like Moses and say, “Who me?” You can respond like Jonah and say, “Not me.” You can respond like Habakkuk and say, “Why me?” Or you can respond like Isaiah and say, “Send me.” Acts 13:38 says that “David served God’s purposes in his own time.” My prayer is that we will serve God’s purpose in our time. I can’t think of a better thing to have on your tombstone. Here’s the test to know if you have completed your mission or not: Are you still alive? If you’re still alive, your mission is not completed. There is nothing more important than doing what God put us on earth to do.
The most dangerous prayer you can pray is “I surrender to you, God…use me.” I dare you to say it. It will change your life. Place your life in his hand, even if you think you have nothing to offer. Little becomes much when you place it in the Master’s hand.
That idea, however, can be a bit overwhelming. How can we possibly do that? There are so many people in the world, so how can we possibly hope to even make a dent in the task of making disciples of all nations? Jesus answered that question in Acts 1:8 when He told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 (NLT).
When Jesus said this to his followers, they were in Jerusalem. He was saying, “I want you to start at home.” God wants us to start with the people closest to you, right here in your own community. Then he said to go to Judea and Samaria. He broadens the scope to a larger area geographically, but the Samaritans were different culturally and racially. God wants us to go to people who are different from us. Then he said, “I want you to go to the ends of the earth.”
God is building a family of people who love and trust Him that are going to spend eternity with Him. He wants family members from every nation. One day all believers are going to be gathered together in heaven. This is not mission impossible; this is mission inevitable. It’s going to happen. That has been God’s plan all along.
Here’s the amazing part: God has chosen us to complete the mission. God wants us to finish the mission that Jesus Christ started when He came to earth. Being on this mission is the greatest privilege we’ll ever be given. We have the privilege to be in on making history, that’s what it is all about.
Love demands I move beyond my comfort zone to people with different background, different education, different language, and different economics. Our mission has such eternal consequences, heaven and hell, that we must be willing to risk anything to get the message out. If I had the cure for cancer, I can tell you for certain that I would be shouting it on the street. I would do whatever was necessary to make sure that everyone knew. It would be criminal to keep it a secret. The truth is that I have something even more important than that – the way to eternal life. Somebody cared enough to tell me; I’ve got to be caring enough to tell others.
The question for us is: Is anybody going to be in heaven because of me? When you get to heaven, is anyone going to say thank you for telling me the Good News? In the next 365 days, 2.4 million Americans will die, and most of them will go into eternity without Jesus Christ. In the next 365 days, 54 million people in the world will die, and most of them will go into eternity without Jesus Christ. If we care, we must share.
There are four possible responses to the call of God to fulfill his purpose in your time. You can respond like Moses and say, “Who me?” You can respond like Jonah and say, “Not me.” You can respond like Habakkuk and say, “Why me?” Or you can respond like Isaiah and say, “Send me.” Acts 13:38 says that “David served God’s purposes in his own time.” My prayer is that we will serve God’s purpose in our time. I can’t think of a better thing to have on your tombstone. Here’s the test to know if you have completed your mission or not: Are you still alive? If you’re still alive, your mission is not completed. There is nothing more important than doing what God put us on earth to do.
The most dangerous prayer you can pray is “I surrender to you, God…use me.” I dare you to say it. It will change your life. Place your life in his hand, even if you think you have nothing to offer. Little becomes much when you place it in the Master’s hand.
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