Believers worth believing

Ephesians 3: 14-19
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Paul was in awe of God’s plan of salvation that united Jews and Gentiles. God’s wisdom in forming the plan and carrying it out to perfection made Paul stand in awe of God. To think that God would reach out to all of mankind to bring salvation through Christ caused him to rejoice in spite of his imprisonment. God’s plan is now being revealed through his Church. We are now in the age of the church and it is through it that God reveals his wisdom to the world and all of the demonic forces are watching as the church becomes everything God has destined it to be. We are part of God’s plan to bring all things under control under the headship of Christ who is the head of the Church that is destined to be his bride.
Being a part of a church is critical to our fulfilling God’s plan. We live in a time when people substitute being a part of a local body of believers with many different things. You have access to a lot of things on the internet, television, radio and even in parachurch organizations yet none of these can replace being a part of a local body of believers which is part of the church universal. The church is composed of all who have been called out of the world and have joined themselves to Christ. When we speak of the church we have to keep in mind the church universal or Catholic Church and we need to keep in mind the local church. Paul’s letter was to the church, the local church in Ephesus, a specific body of believers that he had spent quite a bit of time with instructing them in the Word of God. I want to encourage you to be an active part of a local body of believers. For some of you it may be difficult with all of the responsibilities you may carry within your mission and work or the temporariness of your status here but it is important to tie in with a local group as much as you can. Your participation in the church is important and vital. You have a place and a role in it because you are a member of it.
People today emphasize being “spiritual” yet do not link it with being part of the church. Perhaps they have bad memories of an abusive leader in the church or have had other experiences that have turned them away. A survey that I read in “Serious Times” newsletter, of young people’s attitude toward Christianity has revealed some information that is not good yet needs to be given attention so that corrections can be made where needed.
How People View the Church
91% anti-homosexual
87% judgmental
85% hypocritical
78% old fashioned
75% too involved in politics
72% out of touch with reality
70% insensitive to others
68% boring
64% not accepting of other faiths
61% confusing
It is a sad day when this is the image of the church in many people’s minds. Paul did not view the church as such. He saw it as a family united in both heaven and earth. He saw it as a dynamic force on the earth reflecting all that Jesus is and filled with God’s love.
The church is a family.
The family is the basic structure that holds society together. God created the family and the church is his family. We may not all have a good image of a healthy family, many people have grown up in dysfunctional families and they do not have a healthy concept of what the family should be like when it is functioning as God intended it. When I think of a healthy family I think of a family that is marked by love for each member, support, forgiveness, kindness, discipline, boundaries that protect and provide guidance, encouragement and grace. You can probably add many more traits of a healthy family to this list but the idea is that the church should be a family that exemplifies everything good in life based in God. Life without God, apart from his family should be viewed as abnormal not optional or unwanted.
Paul prayed for some specific things for the church. Like Paul, we too need to be praying for the church and its individual members. The prayer he prays in these verses can be a model prayer for each of us as we pray for each other.
The first is that it would be strengthened with might through the Spirit in the inner man according to the riches of God’s glory. God has unlimited resources available to us. He give us what we need according to his riches which is different that “out of his riches.” The Believer’s Bible Commentary explains this with the following:
Preachers often point out that there is a difference between the expressions “out of the riches” and according to the riches. A wealthy person might give a trifling amount; it would be out of his riches, but not in proportion to them! Paul asks that God will give strength according to the riches of His perfections. Since the Lord is infinitely rich in glory, let the saints get ready for a deluge! Why should we ask so little of so great a King? When someone asked a tremendous favor of Napoleon it was immediately granted because, said Napoleon, “He honored me by the magnitude of his request.”
Our inner man is the part of us that connects with God, our spiritual nature that has been made alive through the new birth. Our inner man draws strength from God when we feed him the proper spiritual diet. Our inner life or life of devotion is critical to our receiving strength. Isaiah 40:31 tells us that “those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
The word “wait” has a meaning of attending to someone, much like a waiter who takes care of you when you are at a restaurant. When we wait upon the Lord we are attending to him, serving him, listening to what he wants us to do and responding to please him. It is in our service to Him that we gain strength. Sometime the Lord just has us be still, to rest, to come away for a season to be renewed. The analogy of the eagle being renewed is one that has many applications to our lives.
Eagles enjoy the longest life expectancy among bird species They can live up to 70 years In order to survive, they have to make a critical decision at the age of 40 When eagles turn 40, their claws weaken Their beaks are growing long & curved almost touching their chest Their wings are heavier due to thick & long feathers. They have 2 Choices：•Dying•Or undergoing a painful transformation They have to fly to the top Build their home there And REST 150 days of perseverance & steadfastness... They have to hit their beaks against the rock till they fall off. And wait patiently for the new beaks to grow. They will use their new beaks to pull out their nails With their newly grown nails, they will then clean off their old feathers . 5 months later, the eagles will fly again with their new feathers . They renew their strength for another 30 years!
Waiting on the Lord to do his renewal work in us is often very difficult. We want to be in the thick of things, busy doing things for the Lord but he wants us to find time each day and perhaps for some of you this is the season of rest and renewal where you are just soaking in the Lord and allowing him to minister to you. Treasure these seasons that the Lord gives you because they will build the strength you need for the next leg of the journey. When I went through my DTS it was a time of just resting in the Lord, soaking up the teaching, spending personal time each day with him and just receiving from Him. It was an awesome time for me and I enjoyed having this time set apart.
Treasure as well your time with the Lord each day. Make him the priority of your day, set aside time to pray, seek Him in His word, meditate on his word, listen to his voice, quiet your heart before him. He will renew your strength in your inner man and you will be able to carry out the work in his strength.
The second thing Paul prayed for was “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”. Christ wants to invade and take control of every area of our life. There is a little booklet called, “My heart, Christ’s home” by Robert Munger, that takes you on a journey of your home to see if Christ really dwells in every room. It is by faith that we receive Christ into our heart and invite him to take control over every area of our life. Many of us struggle to release certain areas that we like to control because we think that we will miss out on something if we relinquish it to Christ. We are really not in control of that area of our life, it is really controlling us. Anyone other than Christ being in control is a slave driver type master. Our desire to control or be controlled by habits only places us in more bondage. The devil is deceptive and he wants us to think we are in control but the truth is just the opposite. Christ comes to set us free from ourselves, our selfishness, our desire to rule over ourselves and other people. When we finally give up and give over control, he can take charge and bring about a freedom that we have never experienced. Is Christ in control of my thoughts, my use of time, my money, my eating, my recreation, my relationships, my work, my family etc.? It is easy for us to recognize people who are out of control but often difficult for us to see areas in our own lives that are out of control. We look at a drug addict or alcoholic and see that they are being controlled by a chemical. But what about the person who idles away time behind a computer screen or spends excess time talking on the phone, or works too much, or never finds time to be with other people? We could add many more things to this list. These are all choices they have made and reflect that Christ is not the Lord of every area of their life. The problem is that they are really missing out on God’s best for them, they are settling for something less and often times very destructive, instead of giving Christ complete control and allowing him to bring balance and wholeness into their life.
At times we need to ask people to be very honest with us and tell us what areas of our life they perceive that Christ is not in control but we are still maintaining control or being controlled by a habit. Sometimes we need someone to intervene and tell us the truth before we self destruct or bring other people down with us. Most of us are aware of the killings that happened at Ft. Hood recently. The man who did the killing had some major issues going on in his life. Perhaps others noticed some changes taking place but no one intervened and he committed some horrendous shootings. The base commander was interviewed after the shootings and he made a comment that the soldiers needed to refer people who were experiencing stress and anxiety so they could receive help. Intervention is needed to at least give people an opportunity to see that they need help. As believers we need to watch out for one another and when we see things that are not in order or out of the control of Christ we need to intervene in prayer, confrontation and rehabilitation in love. Christ wants to set us free from every controlling influence that is destructive in our lives. He is the Liberator and he uses people to help set people free. He wants to dwell, take up residency and control of every area of our heart.
Love in Action is a ministry that helps people who are struggling with sexual and relational issues. They understand that without Christ and people being Christ to others transformation will not take place. The following is taken from their website and describes how they do ministry which to me is an example for us as well.
“At LIA we want to help men and women experience a safe Christian environment where they can let down the masks they have had to wear in front of the world and even in front of the church; where they can share honestly and openly what is going on inside them without fear of reprisal. In such an environment the trust develops that God uses as the foundation for healing of deep emotional and relational brokenness. It is our privilege to walk alongside these courageous men and woman as they submit their pain and brokenness to the Lord.

What can we do in the face of so much pain? Often, as LIA counselor David Jones says, we must simply “sit beside it.”2 We must be willing to enter into someone’s pain and experience it along with them. If we could only claim human powers, then this exercise would be truly futile. But as Christians we know that God uses us to be “Jesus with skin on” to each other, and Jesus Himself is the ultimate expert in “sitting beside pain.” When He did it 2000 years ago, the results changed the course of history and made salvation possible. When He does it today through his Body on earth, the results continue to transform lives and bring lasting change to hopeless situations.”
 
Paul’s final prayer was that the believers would be rooted and grounded in love and have understanding of the fullness of Christ’s love. When God’s love is in us we are radically changed. The more we understand the height, width, depth and length of God’s love for us the greater is our capacity to love like he loves. We love based on knowledge and the more we know about God and his love the more we are capable of being filled with his love. It is like we are a container that is expandable base on our knowledge. The more knowledge we have of God’s love the greater our container becomes. As we experience God’s love in greater measure we are able to take that love in us and live it out. We love because he first loved us. His love gives us the capacity and ability to love others. John said we cannot say we love God and hate our brother. God’s love does not work that way. “ The life of love is a life of kindness, selflessness, brokenness and meekness. It is Christ finding expression in the believer.” BBC This life of love is lived among other believers who also help us in our understanding of God’s love. We need each other and if we are open we can learn more about God’s love through others. I will always remember Brother John who was Catholic monk who worked at the base I was stationed at in Germany. He was such a gentle and humble person who truly loved people. I had never met anyone like him in my life and his love for God and people made a huge impression on my life. He had a greater capacity to love because he had experienced the love of God in a greater way than I had. He had a more intimate relationship with the Lord and it was evidenced by his love for others. If we try to give meaning to the dimensions of Christ’s love we can think of it in these terms:
Width —The world (John 3:16)
Length —Forever (1 Cor. 13:8)
Depth —Even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8)
Height —Heaven (1 John 3:1–2)
Love for Christ will be reflected in our love for the world and our desire to see people come to Christ to experience his love. I read a story from a book written by E. Stanley Jones who was a missionary to India for over 50 years and preached the gospel in many nations. It is a story of love in action.
“There was a woman in Africa who came to Christ, and she felt that she wanted to do something for Jesus. But she was blind and seventy years of age and therefore her contributions did not seem to be very promising. She was uneducated, but she came to the missionary with her French Bible and said, “Would you mind underscoring John 3:16 in my Bible in red?” The missionary was very intrigued to see what she was going to do. She took the French Bible and sat in front of a boys’ school in the afternoon. When school was dismissed she called these boys and said, “Boys, come here please. Do you know French?” Very proudly they said that they did. Then she said “Please read to me this passage underscored in my Bible.” And they did. The she would ask, “What does this mean to you boys?” They said , “We don’t know.” Then she said, “I’ll tell you what it means to me.” And she told the story of the Gospel. Twenty-four young men became pastors or assistant pastors due to the work of this blind beggar. She was so transformed that people called her “Madame.”
The Love of Christ in it fullness in us brings transformation and produces love for people which is demonstrated in a variety of ways as was exemplified by this blind beggar. Love only becomes meaningful when it is expressed in action. We live in a culture that struggles with understanding what true love is and how it is expressed appropriately. Most of what we see as love is only selfishness and manipulation of someone to get a need met. Christ is our model of love and as we understand his love for us and allow his love to transform us we become the Church that will have a tremendous impact on the world. The church must be a community in which true love is expressed if it is going to make a difference in people’s lives. Jesus said to his disciples before his crucifixion, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35
The challenge before us tonight is to be the Church that God wants us to be. To be strengthened with his power by waiting upon him, serving him, spending time with him on a daily basis to allow him to renew us. The church should be full of people who are under the complete control of Christ in every area of our lives and reach out to people who are struggling with areas that are out of control. Finally the church should be noted for its love of Christ that is expressed in actions toward others.
As we close the service tonight, let’s form small groups with the people next to you and pray for one another and any needs that you have whether they come out of what we talked about tonight or anything else that you need prayer.
As we pray let’s believe that God will do what Paul wrote at the close of this chapter.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Sharing the Gospel: The price, privilege, power, pleasure.

Ephesians 3:1-9
I, Paul, the servant of Christ, am here in jail because of you—for preaching that you Gentiles are a part of God’s house. 2-3No doubt you already know that God has given me this special work of showing God’s favor to you Gentiles, as I briefly mentioned before in one of my letters. God himself showed me this secret plan of his, that the Gentiles, too, are included in his kindness. 4I say this to explain to you how I know about these things. 5In olden times God did not share this plan with his people, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his apostles and prophets.
6And this is the secret: that the Gentiles will have their full share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God’s sons; both are invited to belong to his Church, and all of God’s promises of mighty blessings through Christ apply to them both when they accept the Good News about Christ and what he has done for them. 7God has given me the wonderful privilege of telling everyone about this plan of his; and he has given me his power and special ability to do it well.
8Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the most useless Christian there is, yet I was the one chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles the Glad News of the endless treasures available to them in Christ; 9and to explain to everyone that God is the Savior of the Gentiles too, just as he who made all things had secretly planned from the very beginning. (Living Bible)

The Price of Sharing the Gospel
Paul imprisoned for the faith of the Ephesian Gentile believers
Paul’s life was dedicated as a servant of Christ. He lived for one purpose and that was to fulfill his calling as an Apostle. He was willing to pay the price and in this case it involved imprisonment for preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul was in prison in Rome because he had been accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple in Jerusalem, into an area that was forbidden to them. I am constantly inspired and challenged by the life and ministry of Paul. He did not back down from any challenge even if it meant imprisonment, beatings, trials and hardships. He was a true servant of Christ and was willing to accept whatever came his way as he walked in obedience to his calling. As servants of Christ and stewards of the gospel message we have to be willing to pay the price of what God may ask of us and of what the world may do to us. Persecution and suffering are part of the price we must be willing to pay to bring the gospel message to the nations that are in opposition to it. The first missionaries to Africa sent their goods in coffins because they knew they were not coming back. Most of them died within the first year but their deaths only served to inspire others to go. O that there would be more men and women like Paul today who are true servants of Christ willing to sacrifice everything for the Master.
I read a testimony of an Indian believer who came from a village that rejected Christ and killed his messengers. When this man came to understand salvation he left his village to study in a Bible school. When school ended he was determined to go back to his village to share Christ with his people. Others knew that death would probably face him yet he was undaunted, unmoved by what others said to him. He felt compelled to fulfill his calling to return to his village and share the gospel message. He did return to his village but no one ever heard from him again and it was understood that he laid down his life for the opportunity to share the gospel message. We hold to life so tightly at times and often fear going places where we may be persecuted or martyred. The reality is that we have no guarantee that we will return and it does not matter if we are fulfilling what God has called us to do. This was Paul’s attitude and it has been the same with many who have left the comforts of home to have the opportunity to share the gospel with those who have never heard.
The Privilege of Sharing the Gospel
Paul regarded his special ministry as a privilege. It involved revealing the gospel message to the Gentile world and giving them equal status with the Jewish believers. The Jews and Gentiles were now united in one body, joint heirs and recipients of the promises. The early church focused its evangelistic efforts on the Jewish people and did little to reach out to the Gentiles. It took a special revelation from God to open the minds of the Apostles and Prophets to the plan of God to include the Gentiles in his kingdom. He is the God of all people not just the Jews. You and I are the recipients of this plan of inclusion and of his kindness. God is not a respecter of persons and He has always had all people in mind regarding his plan of salvation. God’s heart has not changed; he still wants every ethnic group to come to know Christ as Savior. He has opened heaven to all to be a part of his Church. Paul saw his ministry to the Gentiles as a privilege. It was not a drudgery of duty among dirty people but a privilege to share the life changing gospel message with them. God is looking for people today who will go to the unreached masses. There are still many people groups today who have never heard the gospel message.
The Joshua Project has listed the number of unreached people groups and people.
Total People Groups
# People Groups 16,344
# Unreached People Groups 6,639
% of Unreached People Groups 40.6 %
 
Total Individuals
World Population 6.70 billion Unreached peoples maps and statistics.
Population in Unreached People Groups 2.74 billion
% Population in Unreached People Groups 40.9 %
Top Ten Unreached
People Group Rank
Aimaq, Taimani 94
Comorian, Ndzwani 91
Arab, Najdi Bedouin 90
Pashtun, Southern, Afghan 90
Sanaani, Northern Yemeni 90
Baloch, Eastern 89
Beja, Bedawi 89
Jat, Dagar, Hindu 89
Gypsy, Domari 88
Mazanderani, Tabri 88
The challenge of world missions is before all of us. We are part of the 60% of the people groups that have been reached with the gospel. Are we doing our part and all we can to go, give, and pray for laborers for the harvest of the 40% who have not been reached?
Oswald Smith was the pastor of the People’s church in Toronto Canada for many years. He wanted to be a missionary and was one for a short time among the native Indians of northern Canada. His body could not withstand the harsh conditions and he had to return to regain his health. After a couple of these bouts with sickness, his doctor told him that if he went again he would most likely die. He decided to focus his ministry in a different area but make missions the primary emphasis of the church. He was invited to be the pastor of the People’s church and accepted the call without knowing much about the church. His first Sunday preaching he was told by one of the leaders of the church as he went to the pulpit that the church was in serious financial trouble. Maybe the leader was hoping he would make a special appeal to the people to give generously toward the debt. Oswald Smith did not make a special appeal but instead told the people that he would be hosting special meeting all the next week and the focus of the meetings was going to be world missions. Pastor Smith was still a missionary at heart. He wanted the gospel to be proclaimed to the people who had never had the opportunity to hear the message. He felt it was not right that some nations had the opportunity to hear the gospel many times while some had never heard the message one time. During the week of special meetings he challenged the people to give sacrificially toward world missions as this was the priority of the church, the evangelization of the lost, especially those who have never heard of Jesus. The people responded and began to give generously and sacrificially. It was not long after that the entire debt of the church was eliminated and they began to send missionaries to the unreached people groups. Pastor Smith made a promise that he kept while he was pastor and that was there would never be more money spend on administration than what was going to world missions. God blessed the church as they began to catch a vision for a lost unreached world. Millions of dollars have been given by the members of this church and they have sent hundreds of missionaries out from their church.
Paul saw his ministry as a privilege; Pastor Smith saw his ministry in the church to mobilize missionaries as a privilege to be able to send people out to the unreached. What about the church today? Is evangelism and missions seen as the priority and the privilege that it should be? Is it reflected in how the money is spent or is it given a low priority or no priority in the business of the church? I read where three tenths of 1% of the money given to the church in the USA is dedicated to world missions and much of that never makes it to missionaries serving but is spent on administrative costs. The Christian Post had an article published this week that announced a church in Dallas was going to build a new facility that would cost $134 million. I struggled to find understanding of the amount that would be spent to erect a building. I am not against big churches but I find it hard to justify the expenditure when there seems to be a pressing need to reach the lost. I pray the leaders are being led by the Holy Spirit and have the mind of God in their decision. Lest we be too hard on this church we also have to evaluate how we are using the money God has entrusted to us in regards to missions. As missionaries we need to be supporting other missionaries, sowing seeds into their ministries. Often we are the recipients but God also wants us to sow into other missionaries lives. With the privilege of sharing the gospel also comes the responsibility to carry out the mission and use the resources God has given us to do it.
The Power to share the Gospel
Paul understood that the power to carry out the ministry he was called to was given to him by the Lord. Paul knew the power of the Holy Spirit at work in his life and he depended upon him to be able to do his work well. Christianity is a supernatural experience and it requires supernatural power. God gives us His Holy Spirit to operate in us to do the work he has called us to do. Miracles, signs and wonders were part of Paul’s ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at a few verses that speak to this regarding his ministry.
Romans 15:19 I have won them by my message and by the good way I have lived before them and by the miracles done through me as signs from God—all by the Holy Spirit’s power. In this way I have preached the full Gospel of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into Illyricum
1 Cor. 2:4 4And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of oratory and human wisdom, but the Holy Spirit’s power was in my words, proving to those who heard them that the message was from God.
1Thes 1.5 5For when we brought you the Good News, it was not just meaningless chatter to you; no, you listened with great interest. What we told you produced a powerful effect upon you, for the Holy Spirit gave you great and full assurance that what we said was true. And you know how our very lives were further proof to you of the truth of our message.
Acts 15.12 12There was no further discussion, and everyone now listened as Barnabas and Paul told about the miracles God had done through them among the Gentiles.
Signs, wonders and miracles have always been a part of the gospel message. Jesus’ ministry was full of miracles. He sent out the disciples and gave them power of demons and over sickness. The early church also continued seeing the miraculous healings of the Holy Spirit. This power has never left the believers and it was never intended to not be a part of preaching the gospel message.
Many people will not respond to simply hearing words, they need to see the miraculous to prove to them that our God has more power than their gods. Miracles always point to the truth and the reality behind them.
We should expect to see the same things as we proclaim the gospel message. Mike Francen is an evangelist who God called as a young man to go to the nations with the message of salvation and healing. I want to challenge all of us tonight with some of his thoughts regarding evangelism taken from his book entitled, “A Miracle Settles the Issue.”
“God still uses signs, wonders and miracles to reach unbelievers today. Why should He change time-tested, proven ways?
Many have become desensitized to the written and spoken word, but miracles break through barriers once thought impenetrable.
Those who do not know God need to experience Him more than they need to understand Him.”
I have seen the reality of this when I was in India. As people were healed they saw the true power of God and gave their lives to him. They did not enter an intellectual debate with us but saw God’s love demonstrated in his healing power and were drawn to him.
Many believers never experience the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in signs, wonders and miracles. If this is God’s normal way of demonstrating His power then why are we not seeing more of it in our ministry?
Let me share with you Mike Francen’s thoughts on this.
“Who is to blame? Are we to attribute the lack of results in our ministries to the people’s hardness of hearts? Does the fault lie there? No, my fellow ministers and coworkers, the fault and blame must rest with us. If we were what and where we should be, the signs and wonders would follow us, as they did our forefathers in the days of old. I would suggest to you that every failure, every sermon that fails to grip and break the hearts of the people, every service where God’s presence and miracles are not prevalent should drive us to our knees! It should cause us, in all humility; to search our hearts….Let each of God’s ministers challenge his own spirituality and ministry. What is the outcome? What are the results?”
Please do not take these words to be words of condemnation but words of challenge. Is our ministry marked by the power of the Holy Spirit? Are we seeing change? Are we experiencing miracles, signs, and healings? If not we need to ask God to show us if there is anything that is hindering us. I believe our greatest hindrances are sin, lack of faith or unbelief, not putting ourselves in places where the Holy Spirit wants us to go because of fear; lack of passion and compassion and unwillingness to pray, fast and seek God wholeheartedly. Paul encouraged the early church to examine themselves to see if they were in the faith and this is still a message we all need to heed.
The Pleasure of Sharing the Gospel
One of the greatest joys as a believer is leading someone to Christ, praying with them to give their lives to Him. Paul experienced this joy and it motivated him to continue to share the gospel. This gospel message changes people radically. Last week we heard just a few testimonies of the radical power of God to change a life. I remember one of the testimonies of a young man who had come forward at the crusade in India to give his life to Christ. He said he had been a very wicked man and did many evil things in his community. When he prayed to invite Jesus to be his Savior he said he literally felt a weight come off his body! His eyes were filled with light and his joy was contagious. He had experienced God’s forgiveness and was made a new creation in Christ. The gospel is good news let us never forget that. It sets people free from bondages, it brings hope, it changes families, it changes nations, it brings physical healing but most important it brings eternal life. When the 70 disciples whom Jesus has sent out to proclaim the Kingdom message returned they were thrilled that the demons were subject to them but Jesus said they should have greater joy knowing that their names were written in heaven (Luke 10). Heaven rejoices when a sinner is saved and we also get to experience the joy of participating in bringing the message and seeing someone come to Christ. We have been entrusted with a message that must be shared; it is the only hope for this world. Let’s share it with great expectation and with great joy.
Charles Wesley on the one year anniversary of becoming a Christian wrote one of his 6,000 songs to commemorate what God had done for him in the song, “Oh for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”
Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
By: Charles Wesley
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of your name.

The name of Jesus charms our fears
And bids our sorrows cease,
Sings music in the sinner’s ears,
Brings life and health and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin;
He sets the prisoner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood avails for me.
Sharing the gospel message comes with a price but it is also a privilege with responsibilities. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish what God has asked us to do and we should expect God to demonstrate his power through us as we share the gospel. Finally we have the pleasure of sharing the message that brings great joy to those who receive it, those who share it and God Himself.

The Power of Personal Testimony

The Power of Personal Testimony
Tonight I want to look at Ephesians 2:1-10 which is one of the greatest testimonies in the Scriptures of what God has done for us to bring us to salvation. In these verses Paul describes what the Ephesians were like before they received the message of salvation. He also points out what God through Christ has done for them and what God is now doing in and through them. Paul lays out a format that we can use to share our personal testimony with other people in a very short amount of time and we will take some time tonight to help each of you write out your testimony that you can share in one minute.
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
The Ephesians were no different than any of us before we came to know Christ. Paul describes them as dead in sin, directed by demonical powers and disobedient. This is the condition of all people not just the Ephesians. Until a person sees themselves as they truly are before God they will never understand or appreciate what God has done for them. We live in a world that accepts sin as a normal part of life. Certain behaviors and patterns of thinking that are not in agreement with God’s Word are no longer seen as sin but as an acceptable alternative lifestyle. The world does not like the word sin because it implies that they are doing something wrong and that someone is judging them. The reality is that our sin separates us from God and we are literally dead to the things of God. Sin keeps us from becoming the person God created us to be. The sin nature of man controls him. His carnal nature gravitates toward sin, his mind is obsessed with thoughts of evil and his motivations for doing things that appear to be good are not holy but full of pride. Man apart from God is called a child of wrath. Their motivations are not right and their actions are evil and if they continue to live this way they will one day suffer God’s wrath and judgment on sin.
Paul’s description of the status of man is not good in fact it is hopeless and headed for eternal trouble. Man is not capable of seeing himself as he truly is unless the Holy Spirit reveals this to him. He is blinded to the truth about himself, he is deceived and really under the control of satan. All of us at one point were in the same condition. Our sins may be different but our nature is the same.
The next segment of this passage describes what God has done for us in Christ. Paul begins with two of the most important words of the Bible, “But God”. God was well aware of the hopeless condition of mankind but he was not content to let man continue to be ruled by a sinful nature. He acted, he initiated the way for man to be saved from sin and enter into a new relationship with him. God acted according to the mercy, love and grace that he has for sinful man. He did not have to do anything for us, he would have been just in leaving us in our present condition but He chose to do what was needed to rescue, redeem and transform us. He gave us new life in Christ, Christ now lives within us through the Holy Spirit. We now have a new controlling force at work within us, we are no longer under the control of the world, the flesh and the devil. We have been transformed from a dead man walking toward eternal destruction to a live man who is seated alongside of Christ in the heavenly places. We are recipients of God’s kindness and grace and we will spend eternity learning more about God’s marvelous grace extended toward us. We know so little about God and his grace but He will be teaching us throughout eternity regarding this aspect of his nature.
This gift of salvation is center in God alone. By faith we receive the gift of salvation and even this faith is a gift from God. Man has done nothing to save himself, God has done it all and he alone deserves the credit. If our works were part of the salvation process it would rob God of the glory he alone deserves. If man thinks that he can do anything to save himself, he takes away from what Christ has done for us and diminishes what Christ has done. Salvation is a gift we receive not something we can earn. It is purely God’s favor given to us because of his great love and mercy. When we receive this gift there will be a natural response in us to want to do God’s works. True faith produces works.
This leads to the final aspect of this passage and that is the believer is now able to walk in the destiny that God has for them. God is now at work within them, fashioning them, molding them and giving them good works to accomplish in their life on earth. We are now a new person in Christ Jesus and he is living out his life in each of us. Acts 10:38 gives us a little description of the work that Christ wants to continue to do in us and through us while we live on the earth.
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

God has a work for each of us to do and it will be a work that is a reflection of Christ in us. We are now on the earth to represent Christ to a lost world. Our life testimony is a powerful tool we can use to share the gospel message with others and I want to take a few minutes to share how you can present your testimony to someone in one minute.
Tom Elie is an Evangelist from MN whom I have worked with in India. He has developed this technique of the “one minute witness” that has been used by many people and been very effective. It is very simple and follows what we have been looking at in Ephesians 2:1-10.
There are 5 steps to follow and I want each person here tonight to take time while you are seated at the table to write it and share it with the other people at your table.
Step 1: Ask for permission. When you encounter someone while you are in a line waiting or seated somewhere you can look at it as an opportunity to engage the person in conversation and let them know what Christ has done for you. You may want to phrase a question to them like this, “Can I share with you the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life?” Some people like to preclude this statement by asking the person a question, “What has been the greatest thing that has ever happened in your life?” After you allow them time to share, you can then ask them for permission to share your greatest event.
Step Two: BC are two letters you can use to help remember this part and it stands for Before Christ. What you want to do is describe your life in a sentence or two what your life was like before you met Christ. Pick out 2 or 3 words that summarize what your life was like. These words need to accurately reflect in a powerful way what your life was like. For example, “Before I gave my life to Christ I was very lonely. I had no real friends and I was depressed most of the time.” Another example: “Before I met Christ, I was a very rebellious person. I was very selfish and only thought about myself.” Keep in mind that you want to limit your testimony to one minute so you have to be concise in choosing your words.

Step 3: TP are the two letters to remember and they stand for Turning Point. The TP of your life is the event that took place that caused you to see yourself for who you were and understand what Christ did for you. It is the event or perhaps series of events that led you to Christ. For example: “One day a friend talked to me about Jesus when I was in college. I understood for the first time that God loved me and wanted to give me a new life. I saw how my life was lived for myself and that many of the things I had done were evil.”

Step 4: AD stands for Anno Domini which is what your life has been like after you accepted Christ, the changes that have taken place. For example: “After I became a follower of Christ, I experienced peace and joy like I never have before. My life has purpose and I know God in a personal way.” The idea is to relate the most important or significant changes that have happened since you came to Christ.

Step 5: If I had not met Christ… This is your opportunity to describe what you believe would have happened in your life if you would have continued on the course you were on. Example: “If I had not met Christ I am sure I would be in living only to get money and buy things that would impress people. It would be a very empty life.”

Sharing your testimony does not have to be a long discourse with someone. Your testimony can have a huge impact on someone that may turn them toward Christ. Never underestimate the power of a personal testimony. Revelations 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the word of their testimony, the blood of the Lamb and they loved not their life unto death.” Your testimony has power over the enemy and it is something that we should never be afraid to share with another person. The Holy Spirit will use your testimony to open a closed mind that was once like each one of us when we were walking in darkness.
Look for opportunities to tell your testimony. Don’t let anyone discourage you from giving God glory for the tremendous gift of salvation you have received.

Home Improvement for Jose and Flor

Last week I was able to purchase lamina (corrugated metal panels) for a family in need that I wrote about in the previous blog. I also bought wood posts and nails so they could secure the roofing material. Today I went with Pastor Efrain from San Pablo La Laguna to dedicate the home and see the home improvements they made. Flor was home with her three children and was very happy to have new lamina on the home. They made an extension to the front of the home which they will use for a cooking area, which is much better for their health as many families cook inside the home with wood and the smoke causes lots of respiratory problems for the children as well as adults. The city is bringing water to the families and hopefully beginning next year they will have electricity. Their home is still very meager but the family is happy to have a home that does not leak water. It was raining very hard when we visited today but their home was perfectly dry. They still need many things like a cement floor, pila to wash their clothes and dishes, stove, and beds for the children. Thanks to the generous donations of friends this family has a better home to live in than what they had previously.

A Family in Need

A few weeks ago I received a call from a lady named Flor who lives in Pastores asking for help to build a home for her family. I have know her for several years as she washed cars by Higher Grounds Coffee House until the city put a ban on it. Flor is married with 3 children. Her husband is a block layer but has not been able to find much work. This week I received a donation from a friend who supports our ministry and I felt that I should use the donation to help Flor. Yesterday I went to visit her home to make sure there truly was a need and as you can see from the pictures their home is not in a very liveable condition. The roof does have the corrugate metal but some of it has holes and it is held down by rocks not nails. The side walls are made of canvas or plastic. She said the home gets very hot in the day and cold at night. The floor is dirt and the family has one bed to share. They have no running water or electricity and lack a pila to be able to wash their dishes and clothes so they use a wheelbarrow. After seeing their living conditions it did not take much more convincing to want to help them. Today I purchased the metal roofing pieces along with some posts and nails. The material will be delivered tomorrow and Flor said they would have the home constructed by Sunday so I plan to visit the family to pray for their humble home. They still have many needs and I ask for your prayers for them.

Precious in the sight of God

Last Saturday a brother in Christ, Paul Bathurst, from England went on to meet the Lord. Paul died suddenly and it was a surprise to me when I found out on Monday morning. His health never was very good while he was in Guatemala but he truly felt that Guatemala was his home. He was 69 years old but was active in his service to the Lord. He spent many hours volunteering at local orphanages and took a special interest in helping a shoe shine boy and his family whom he met over 10 years ago. My last conversation with Paul was after our Thursday night meeting which he regularly attended. He talked to me about doing a sketch board drawing in the Central Park of Antigua to attract people and be able to share the gospel message. Paul loved the Lord and actively sought opportunities to share his faith. I will miss "Pablo" as we called him but he is in a pain free, sickness free place worshipping the Lord he served.
He was buried at the cemetery in Antigua, Guatemala today. They wheeled his casket to a common grave area where he was placed in the ground. It rained hard as we waited and I think they were Paul's tears of joy being in the presence of the Lord.

DTS Week 4

We have just finished our 4th week of the DTS. So far we have had instruction on:
week 1 Intimacy with God
Week 2 The Character and Nature of God
Week 3 The father heart of God and his family
Week 4 Intercession
The students are great and are learning many principles that they are applying to their lives. Today we went to visit Ana, who was in and accident 7 months ago in which she suffered a severaly fractured hip. Surgery has been ruled out at this time since it is too risky. She has 5 children and her husband Manuel has recently lost his job. The students went to the mercado and bought food for them and we delivered to their home. We prayed for Ana and are believing God for a miracle.