FreeTruth

When I was a boy we'd often hear sermons about the importance of "witnessing." I was made to understand that "winning people to Christ" was my job, and that the world was filled folks who were on their way to hell.

Once, after what must have been a particularly urgent challenge, I resolved to "witness" to someone in my public school the next day. I was only 10 or 11 yrs old and uneasy about trying this, but convinced it was my duty.

I found a school mate the next day and began telling him that he must ask Jesus into his heart, and that if he didn't, he would go to hell where there was eternal fire.

But it didn't ring true, and I knew it. It all seemed so unnatural and ridiculous, even unbelievable to me. The boy was bewildered, and I suddenly felt foolish. As the boy tried to make sense out of my words a little voice in my own head was saying, "wait a minute Pete... do you even believe what your telling this kid?"

Sunday morning's message revealed a better way. There is something wrong about "insisting" on evangelism, or "strategizing" over how to evangelize, or trying to discover "techniques" for effective evangelism.

What I took away Sunday morning was this: Evangelize we must! Yes! There is good news for those who are dead in sin. Repent they must! But effective evangelism requires only this: A love for Jesus Christ, a love for sinners, and the filling of the Spirit of God.

In other words, the whole thing has got to be real. You do not "strategize" your way to a love for the lost. It's there or it isn't. We must be constrained by the love of Christ, as St. Paul was. You don't strategize about how to be filled with the Spirit. He will fill us as He chooses.

Brothers and sisters may the Lord Himself equip us for the work of evangelism by giving us a love for the lost and the fullness of His Spirit. Play-acting doesn't work.

Labels: Evangelism, Guest Post

First I want to thank Peter for his wonderful post yesterday. It spoke of God's impartial love for sinners. The Living God is no respecter of persons, loving all kinds with equal grace and astonishing mercy.

I had an experience Monday evening that brought this to mind. First of all, for one of the very few times in my whole life I drove off a new car parking lot with a brand new car Monday afternoon. Pretty cool how God provides. Later that day, Gayline and I were itching to take it out for a spin so we decided to drive up to the Jackson Outlet mall to look around. We got there in fine shape with a total of 42miles on my new wheels.

Having done our shopping and then made mention of that little "only 42 miles" detail to Gayline, I started down the drive to exit the mall, and then stopped to pull out onto Route 571, only to have the guy behind me fail to stop when I did. Sure enough he bounced off the back of my five hour old car, leaving a couple of ding marks to show for it.

When I got out I saw that the driver was a 18-ish year old Jewish young man, complete with distinguishing garb. He was mortified, and offered me money on the spot with great sorrow for what he had done. When I sat with Gayline in the car for a moment to think about what I should do, I noticed that I had John Piper's "Quest for Joy" tract in my dash compartment.

How did it get there? Just before I had driven out of my driveway I had to get something out of my other car. When I did, I "happened" to notice the tract, which I thought to pick up, just in case. There you have it: something remembered at the last minute before departure led to something seen at just the right time, led to a Spirit-led moment to pick up that something (the tract) and bring it along, led to timing that put me in that spot and be hit by that young man and be given that opportunity for Christ.

I took the tract, went back to the trembling young man, put my hand on his shoulder,and said: "Tell you what: all I ask from you is that you read this and we'll call it even."

He said, and I quote: "Wow!!"

And that was it. Or was it?

Driving home, Gayline and I reviewed the providence of God in making that whole thing happen. God wanted that young Jewish man, who probably has heard hardly one good thing ever said about Christ or Christians, to have a "wow" moment. Perhaps he will--at least for a few minutes--begin to wonder if maybe not all Christians are "Jew-haters" (pardon the phrase) after all. Maybe for one moment or two he will wonder if Jesus and His followers are really as evil as some of history might seem to suggest. Perhaps for one moment or two, this man might have his heart opened an inch to read, to think, to see Christ as being the Source of all joy that He really is.

I don't know what will come of it, but this I know: my God makes accidents happen on purpose and with purpose. That accident was no accident. God times everything according to His watch. And He is no respecter of persons. Jew, Gentile, drunk, or product of a Christian home: all kinds of us alike need Christ, and all kinds of us alike are loved by Christ.

Heaven will show the outcome. That's all I need to know.
How sweet it is to live such an adventure with such a God..

Labels: Evangelism, Providence, Sovereignty of God

In my personal Bible reading this morning the Lord spoke to me through Matthew 23:37, 38 and Matthew 21:31 and Matthew 22:9 and Luke 14:21-23.

God told me of His heart for sinners of all shapes and sizes and social strata and situations, and He said that I should have the same heart. I heard His voice ask: "Tim do you care about the lost and derelict and wayward and forsaken and outcast and socially misfitted and rejected the way I do?"

I asked him to give me His heart. I said, "Lord help me to love all those that my very proud self-righteous heart might easily disdain and overlook. I don't want to turn away from the people others scorn or despise. I want to see and love the very ones you see and love."

And He said to me, "I will give you such a heart. But Tim, you need to open your eyes and your heart to make room for them today. Your eyes will see them today, but will your eyes see them? Go look for them, and find them. And when you do, lead them home to Me, and I'll be waiting for them with open arms."

"Thank you Lord. By your grace I will seek and find at least one lost sheep to bring home to You today. Thank You for giving me a bit more of Your tender heart. I love You for loving this lost sheep and for bringing me home. Amen."

Labels: Evangelism

The third question asked in response to my message on the end of the unbeliever (which is destruction) this past Lord's Day was this: How do I approach prayer for unbelievers (and prayer in general) knowing that everything has been ordained before I even existed?

This too is a question the answers to which are incomplete and shrouded in mystery. And having only a few minutes to post this morning I will have to reply very simply and succinctly. Having just read Jesus' words in Matthew 5:8 in my devotions this morning, let me answer simply with this: The fact that God knows what we pray for before we pray says to me that prayer is fundamentally not so much about what it produces (by way of answers) as it is about what it produces in us (by way of humility, desperation, faith, dependance).

I can only develop this briefly but I believe that prayer is mainly a means of grace to change us, to humble us, to remind us of our need for God, to deepen within us a sense of our utter inadequacy. God calls me to pray not so much that He can get things done through my prayers as so that He can get things done in me through my prayers. Prayer for the lost, prayer for needs, prayer for anything is always helpful if for no other reason than that it reminds me that conversion and provision are God's work and God's gifts. For a sinner like me who tends arrogantly to rely on self, this is a reminder I need multiple times, daily.

There is more to be a gained through prayer, but there is always this: I am forced to think about God's sovereignty and my need for His help. For that reason alone I will keep on praying for the lost, for the sick, for the hurting, for the lonely, and for today's bread.

Sorry I can't add more at the moment, but the heart and encouragement needs of a son bid me come.

Labels: Evangelism, Prayer, Spiritual disciplines

In response to my message on Sunday from Philippians 3:19, 20 in which I called upon the church to have a heart for all those "many whose end is destruction" I received the following three questions via email; questions which were preceded by a tender expression of gratitude for the message and concern for the lost. I think I will take three days to answer them as best I can.

Question 1: How do I properly weep/pray/FEEL for unbelievers without it turning into a prolonged period of joylessness, depression, or despair?
Question 2: What do I do when doubt/unbelief springs forth, regarding God's inherent love and goodness?
Question 3: How do I approach prayer for unbelievers (and prayer in general) knowing that everything has been ordained before I even existed?


Question 1: How do I properly weep/pray/FEEL for unbelievers without it turning into a prolonged period of joylessness, depression, or despair?

Answer 1: First we must get to the place where we do properly weep for the lost. Few of us do and we need to or we will never lay down our lives for them.

Answer 2: There is a sense in which prolonged, indeed ceaseless grief for the lost is in fact what we need to seek from God (see Romans 9:1-3). As there are always those whose end is destruction and as they are falling into a Christless eternity at the rate of hundreds per hour, how can we not be constantly crying?

Answer 3: Paul knew what it was like to be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10). This means that while he wept over the lost and over the griefs of a sin-cursed and sorrow-filled world, he was able to experience simultaneous and surpassing joy in the Lord.

I'm guessing that he did this in the following ways:

1. He trusted absolutely in the sovereignty of God over all things, and the justice of God in all things. Nothing happens (including the end of the wicked) apart from God's plan, and nothing happens in that plan that is anything but perfectly and wholely just. As with Abraham near Sodom we may know that "the Judge of all the earth will do right."
2. Paul knew that in God's amazing love and compassion many, many, many will be saved through our prayers and witness--even many of whom we will not know until we get to heaven. He believed in the "power of the gospel which saves people" (Romans 1:16).
3. Paul believed in an unstoppable gospel, the Word of God that can not be restrained (2 Timothy 2:9). As Isaiah 55:10, 11 make clear God's Word of grace and truth will accomplish all His good and gracious purposes in human lives. This is joy!
4. Paul took note of (and we must too) the actual conversions going on in the world: dozens in our church alone in the past 2-3 years, and according to some reports many tens of thousands every day around the world!
5. I mentioned in passing on Sunday this thought too: there are those who argue that when you take all the biblical promises of revival, of national salvation (at least Israel, Egypt, and Assyria), of the gospel reaching every people group and tribe, and of multitudes which none can number--in the end the saved may well outnumber the unsaved by far. I'm not sure about this, but what I am sure of is that the numbers are going to be staggering which means that the gospel is gloriously powerful and effective, that our prayers and witness are awesomely effective and useful to God, and that we are a part of something that is astonishingly wonderful.

All these truths can not just off-set the tears we shed for the individuals lost, but can give us hope and joy for the many who will be found.

Remember--even Jesus wept over Jerusalem even though everything was going according to plan. Let us weep and weep and weep and weep--but then rejoice and hope and glory and boast and be bold in the gospel. God and His gospel grace and glory will win--and more than we will ever be able to count will live to sing about it!

Amen.

Labels: Election, Evangelism, Hell, Joy, Sovereignty of God

Pastor Tim preached yesterday about the lost, about damnation, and about the destiny of those who go into eternity without Jesus Christ. And he spoke about the danger of apathy in the face of this terrible situation. People, dying every day without embracing the gospel. Their fate? There's no getting around it... their future is, quite literally, hell. Total darkness, complete aloneness, and eternal separation from God.

During the sermon two figures from the past came to mind. Amy Carmichael and C.T. Studd. Both of these saints were immersed in the work of saving the lost. Both were also keenly aware of a certain lack of vision and failure of compassion on the part of the larger church.

C.T. Studd gave up a large inheritance on which he might have lived quite comfortably in England, and worked tirelessly among the lost in various parts of the world. He made other sacrifices that most mission boards today would consider far too extreme.

C.T. Studd wrote:

Some want to live
within the sound
of church or chapel bell;
I want to run
a rescue shop
within a yard of hell.

Amy Carmichael , who worked in India, relates a frightening vision she once had. In her dream all kinds of people were blindly walking toward a terrible precipice leading to a great bottomless gulf. There were a few sentinels at wide intervals desperately trying to stop the thronging masses headed toward the abyss. However, there were not nearly enough guards to keep the thousands from perishing as they steadily, and blindly moved toward the chasm.

In her vision there was also a group of folks, sitting rather peacefully within the sound of the shrill cries of those falling over the cliff. They were quietly making daisy chains together. Periodically they would become upset by the rather unpleasant shrieks they were hearing, but they went on making daisy chains. Read the vision of Amy Carmichael as she tells it here.

Brothers and sisters, by the grace of God, we must examine our hearts and trust the Spirit of God to show us whatever He will concerning our view of reality.

Labels: Evangelism, Guest Post

In a couple of hours I'll be heading out the door to go to youth camp with 7-8 of our teens and a few parents. As I exit NJ (and am away from my blogging for a few days) let me leave you with a few random thoughts and joys:
1. I go to youth camp with Gayline, David and several teenagers I love with full expectation of meeting God. Last year's camp was simply life-changing for David. In supernatural ways, he met God and God came after him, and a chain reaction of grace has been going on ever since!

2. I come off of an experience last Friday in which I had the joy of partnering with the Lawtons in their mission work to international students at Johns Hopkins Univ. I got to preach the truth of God our Creator, our reason for Existence, our Savior and Redeemer--to 15-20 Chinese folks, many of whom had never heard any real truth about God before. One said at the close of the evening: "We have never heard these things about God!" This group of first time hearers was simply gripped with eager hearing as I got to preach. Truth captured their minds and I trust will win their hearts! Powerful. Joygiving. And I think eternally fruit-bearing.

3. I feel fresh amazement and joy over the provision of God. Some of you will know that Gayline and I have pledged in giving a substantial increase to help God's work flourish here in TFC. We have already seen (in the 2-3 weeks since we made that pledge) God provide 45% of that increase for the coming year through a stunning reduction of costs in an budget area we least expected it! In the past two or three days I've heard similar accounts from others who, giving in obedience to the call of God, have once again found out that God will never be out-given!

4. Finally, I'm preparing a series of posts on the topic of joy as seen through the ideas of Luke in his two books, Luke and Acts. If you want to experience a sweet study read through Luke and Acts and notice how often joy is referenced. His clear message is that with the coming of the Messiah and sending of the Spirit, joy is now a hallmark of true faith. I can't wait to share some perspectives on joy with you, beginning next week, God enabling.

There you have it; some random sharings from the heart of a pastor and friend.
See you in a few days. In the meantime keep commenting and sharing. i hope to check in while I'm away.

Labels: Dependance on God, Evangelism, Giving, God's Blessing, Missions, Youth

I believe we are in the "perilous times" of 2 Timothy 3. Paul warned Timothy that in the last days, men would be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, unthankful, and unholy, etc. Increasingly, this seems to describe our time.

A couple of years ago, I heard a pastor relate an incident that created a strong reaction in me. He told of an encounter he had with an unbeliever who made no bones about his doubts and denials, ending the conversation with this pastor by saying, "Look, I just don't believe in God."

It was the pastor's reply that got my attention. Upon hearing the words "I just don't believe in God" the pastor said, "That's OK, God believes in you." As I reflected on this my stomach churned. I felt that, had I been in the same situation, I might have answered quite differently. Perhaps like this: "Friend, if you persist in this unbelief, you will one day answer for yourself before this Almighty Creator whose holy law you have broken, and whose existence you boldly deny. You are in danger of eternal damnation."

What's the point of relating this story? I believe the day is coming when we will not feel the need to give insipid answers to keep people from being offended or otherwise pushed away from the Gospel. I believe that as sin, selfishness, and unbelief increase, there will come to be a great spiritual void. This, in turn, could lead to a new hunger and a new receptivity for the Good News of the Gospel. For now, Christianity continues to be pushed to the margins of society, but with this comes a corresponding moral bankruptcy. I believe we may soon see the day where life for many has become so dark and hopeless, that folks may begin to long for the Gospel.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to bring light to those in the darkness of these "perilous times" by simply telling the story, and presenting the wonderful news? To reintroduce the light, to a culture where many have become keenly aware of the prevailing darkness, and of their own deep need? No "soft-peddling" or "editing" of the gospel, no more need for "seeker sensitivity," just a bold and ready witness to the Good News-- the offering of a healing balm... the gospel, clearly proclaimed, and eagerly grasped by desperate hearts!

Lord, hasten the day!

Labels: Evangelism, Gospel, Guest Post, Witness

My entries for the past several weeks, as I have shared with you excerpts from my reading, have been focusing on some of the ways in which the truth of the Biblical doctrine of election practically applies to our lives. It is vital we see that all of the truths revealed to us by God in His word are meant not only to be believed, but also to have their sanctifying effects upon us. This is no less true regarding the doctrine of election. So, before leaving this subject there are a few additional implications of this truth, and how it should affect us, that we should note, and which I will point us to in this post and the next two.

The Reformed or Calvinistic position concerning God’s sovereignty in salvation is often criticized as undermining and being contrary to evangelism. Yet, the reality is just the opposite. The truths of God’s sovereignty and election unto salvation, rightly understood and genuinely embraced from the heart, actually serve as powerful motivators to evangelism. Listen to this very helpful statement:

Election compels evangelism, for all the elect must be saved by the Word brought to them. When Paul feared to go to Corinth, God sent a messenger to assure him: ‘Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city’ (Acts 18: 9b-10). What an encouragement this was for Paul and for us today to spread the gospel.

We do not know how many people God has elected in our cities. We trust there are many. But many or few, they are the Lord’s, and He has given us means to find them. So we must faithfully pray, speak, and visit people, always abounding in Christ’s work and always ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us to anyone who asks (1 Peter 3:15).

Election gave courage to the great Calvinist missionaries of the past to press on with the Lord’s work, even in danger and self-sacrifice, because they were confident that the Lord would bring in His chosen ones. Election gave courage to David Brainerd, William Carey, John Elias, Adoniram Judson, John Paton, and a host of missionaries who gave their lives for the gathering in of the elect. They believed, as Blanchard says, that "in the Bible, election and evangelism meet with joined hands, not clenched fists" (Acts 13:44-49).

What courage election still brings to evangelism today. It makes us bold for Christ, removing our fears, our shyness, and our indifference. It drives us to prayer, confident that the elect are in God’s hands, and He will use evangelism to draw them in. And it makes us patient, reminding us that while evangelism is an urgent work because sinners are dying and going to hell every, it is not a desperate work, for God, in His way and in His time, will gather in all of His elect. (Living for the God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism, pgs. 70-71)

I think it might be helpful for us who are theologically Calvinistic in our understanding of the Bible to ask ourselves how deeply we are really believing these things. Are we believing them to the point that their radical God centered effects are becoming increasingly evident in our lives? In the area of evangelism, are we demonstrating courage because of our confidence in a saving God? Are we in fact, because God is sovereign, becoming bold for Christ, overcoming our fears, our shyness, our indifference, driven to prayer, confident that God will use evangelism to draw the elect to Himself?

Labels: Confidence, Election, Evangelism, Guest Post

This entry will be a bit longer than normal, but I would like to share with you in this post some convicting thoughts I recently encountered in a new book written by R.C. Sproul Jr.. The book is titled “Believing God: 12 Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept”, and the forward to the book was written by Ray Comfort. It is in the forward that I found, and was struck by, the following comments. It begins first with a letter that Ray Comfort received from an individual who was a professed atheist, and this is what he wrote:

“You are really convinced that you’ve got all the answers. You’ve really got yourself tricked into believing that you’re 100 percent right. Well, let me tell you just one thing. Do you consider yourself to be compassionate of other humans? If you’re right, as you say you are, and you believe that, then how can you sleep at night? When you speak with me, you are speaking with someone who you believe is walking directly into eternal damnation, into an endless onslaught of horrendous pain that your “loving god” created, yet you stand by and do nothing. If you believed one bit that thousands every day were falling into an eternal and unchangeable fate, you should be running the streets mad with rage at their blindness. That’s equivalent to standing on a street corner and watching every person that passes you walk blindly directly into the path of a bus and die, yet you stand idly by and do nothing. You’re just twiddling your thumbs, happy in the knowledge that one day that “walk” signal will shine your way across the road. Think about it. Imagine the horrors hell must have in store if the Bible is true. You’re just going to allow that to happen and not care about saving anyone but yourself? If you’re right, then you’re an uncaring, unemotional, and purely selfish (expletive) that has no right to talk about subjects such as love and caring”

In response to this individual, Ray Comfort wrote back, and expressed to him that the reality was this: “I couldn’t sleep at night because I was so horrified by the thought that anyone would go to hell. Since 1982, I have risen from bed around midnight most nights of the week to cry out to God to save them”. Furthermore, he when on to say that “for more than thirty years I have been running the streets, pleading with the unsaved to turn from sin. When we read the book of Acts, we see that this is nothing special. It is our reasonable service and should be the testimony of every believer who professes to possess the love of God. Charles Spurgeon knew what it was to have a deep concern for the lost. He pleaded: ‘Save some, O Christians! By all means, save some. From yonder flames and outer darkness, and weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, seek to save some! Let this, as in the case of the apostle, be your great, ruling object in life, that by all means you might save some’”.

So why do I share this with you? I can assure you that it is not because I love the lost anywhere near as much as Ray Comfort (and more importantly, the Bible) indicates we should. Because in fact, to my shame, I don’t. But the stark realities of judgment and the great divide that is to come, press increasingly upon me the need to cultivate and deepen my love for lost people---and to express that love in actively bearing witness to the Savior and to the free pardon that He offers.

How about you?

Labels: christian life, Evangelism, Mission

In Joshua 2:11 Rahab, a converted harlot, tells of why she came to faith in the God of the Bible. She'd heard of the works of God which proved that He is Lord of heaven and earth, and her heart melted like wax. The undeniable presence of God with the people of God led to a heart-melting fear of God on the earth. And in her case, it led to her conversion.

There are NT parallels to this phenomenon. Acts 2:42-48 and Acts 4:29-33 and Acts 5:12-14 and Acts 6:7 and Acts 9:31 and 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1 and 2 Timothy 2:8 all recount how Jesus' prediction of the triumph of the Church and the gospel (Matthew 16:18) would unfold in this age. Fearless preaching married to godly living and anointed by God's powerful Spirit made for an unstoppable gospel. People heard, feared, and believed.

When the invincible Word of God is proclaimed by the holy people of God through the living church of God accompanied by the mighty works of God, the hearts of men and women will melt like wax, and wherever we set the soles of our feet we will gain new spiritual ground and win new people to Christ (Joshua 1:3-9). To be sure, as in the day of Joshua, there will be much opposition to the undeniable reality of God. But at the same time, many Rahabs will be saved and the gospel will triumph.

What we need today is for local churches to rise up as battalions of faith, enflamed by the glory of God in the gospel, amazed at the wonder of grace, transfixed by the face of Christ and the beauty of The Holy, surrendered to a life of love, uncompromised in the pursuit of godliness, and gifted and empowered and filled by the Holy Spirit--to proclaim a triumphant Savior. This is that "something bigger than us" that I referred to the other day. To it we are all called, and in it we will all find the greatest of joys.

The world simply cannot stay neutral in the face of such a force. It's heart will melt like wax. It will know that the Church is a divine force to be reckoned with. But I should warn you: when this happens we will see both the winning of many converts to Christ and the increase of much opposition to Christ. Mark these words: when the Church rises up like this it will not be irrelevant. Nor will it go unnoticed. People with melting hearts before the reality of God will either join us or fight us. One thing the gospel will not let them do is ignore us.

O Lord raise Your Church to join the great cause of God and Truth, and may the world's heart melt with fear mixed with faith for Your everlasting praise.

Labels: Evangelism, Mission

Getting back to our conversation about change, Bruce is right when he suggests that behind much failure to change is a failure to honor the authority of God's Word-either by adding our ideas to it, or by somehow redefining what it says according to our ways and habits. I take that to capture the gist of his comments.

Too often we fail to love God with a Truth and Bible-driven heart-set, and the result is that we simply refuse to change even when God is clear in His will for our lives; His will revealed in His Word.

That said, once I've learned His will, I find grace for change in seeing living examples of obedience. Such as my friend, Doug. He's my chiropractor. I went to have him adjust me a bit yesterday. He did so in more ways than one. Every time I'm with Doug I feel his passion for people, including a radical lifestyle-affecting commitment to reach the lost. To be with him is to be inspired toward evangelism.

Before I left his office yesterday, he introduced me to his receptionist in a way that set me up to share Christ with her. It was a thing of strategic beauty. And by the grace of God, I was ready to speak, and received words to do so.

I wouldn't always have been poised to respond to the moment. People don't believe this about me, but I'm shy by nature. I'm not naturally inclined to approach people to talk about anything. Shy: that's a sneaky euphemism for one who is self-centered, too proud to risk saying the wrong or embarassing thing, too in love with his own comfort zone to love the people that are crowding into it.

I've had to change. Shift has had to happen. Shyness had to go. And one of the life-spheres in which it's been needed is in my evangelism. For this I've had to submit to God's Word and just do it. But I've also had the privilege of having models of evangelism set before me, like Doug and Joel.

Joel's my second of five sons. He engages in what I call zig-zag evangelism. It started when he was in the local community college. He made it his habit to arrive early for class, park as far away from the building as he could, and then open his eyes to anyone anywhere in the parking lot between his car and the building. Then he'd walk toward each, moving from one spot to another, back and forth, zig-zagging his way across the lot--making sure to say hi, and to get to know everyone on the way to class.

The way he figured it, the more he got to know, the more he might have a chance to share the Lord with. I remember when I first heard him describe his witness strategy, I was tempted to dismiss it as simply his style (those who know Joel know that he is not shy). But that was a cop out.

After a few minutes' reflection I thought: "Tim, you may not be able to duplicate Joel, but you can imitate him. It's time to learn from your son" (something I'm now doing with all six of my children!). I knew change had to happen. So I decided then that I wanted to grow up to be like my son! His model has led me to change. Now--after years of prayer and practice, while I may never match Joel's gifting, I can and I do have a very similar spirit as I go out my door. "Lord lead me to someone and make me ready to love and speak."

So when Doug set me up to speak to his receptionist yesterday, by God's grace I was ready, and the door opened wide. The young lady was open and looking and eager to talk. Pretty cool.

So here's a way to change: see what God says to do, pray for grace to change, look for models to help you see what it looks like in real life, and then give it a shot. Then keep at it until choices become habits, and habits become character, and character, life. God promises this: grace will flow to inspire and to enable our obedience. And we'll never be the same.

Why not try something new for God today.
And let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear.

Labels: Change, Evangelism, Growth