What Says You, Jesus!

Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you… Matthew 28:19, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” Mark 16:15. 

With this command, Jesus commissioned His church with a specific calling to preach the gospel. Fundamentally, it too is by the preaching of the gospel that the church becomes Christ’s witnesses in the world. To that preaching of the Word, Jesus joined the promise of His Holy Spirit to equip them to preach and teach, assuring His disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 You see this makes me suddenly think of one of my favorite hymns, “it’s all God’s children singing, Glory, glory, hallelujah He reigns, He reigns”.

But why is this so difficult, to sing songs alongside with our savior? Why don’t we share the gospel more than we do? Do we need to ask if we are a fresh wind that causes the seed of the good news to spread, or instead, obstacles that keep it from moving further and faster beside Jesus? Unfortunately, many of us are more wall than breeze. But why I ask? “Father may I”

 When I was a kid, I used to play the game “Mother May I”. The game was so simple the person who is the mother tells you to do something. Then you have to ask, “Mother, may I?” all the time and the response was, “Yes you may”. I was never the mother and would often wonder if I was the mother telling my friends what to says, would I do it? Would I say, “Yes you may, “as the game was supposed to be played could I keep my focus or could I substitute it with my thoughts of that time with three simple question: Who am I? Who are you? Who do you belong too and What is your Purpose?

Sound simple? But if you don’t say, “Mother, may I?” you’re out of the game! That’s a hard game, isn’t it? We get going so fast we forget to ask, “Mother, may I?” or we drift off into our selfness. When Jesus talked to his disciples, he gave a simple command, to preach, to teach His Word and “Love each other.” Period. You don’t have to jump up or sit down or scratch your chin or shake hands with people. All you do is love each other and join him on His Mission. That sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Well, it isn’t. In fact, sometimes that commandment is hard because some people are hard to love. And because we’re sinners, we aren’t able to love the way Jesus loves.

But them my discussion leads me to self-concept or self-identity how do we view ourselves or how obstacles get in our way to joining Him? It is an important question. And what I hope you hear in this message is that the specifically biblical angle on this question is that Christian selfhood is not defined in terms of who we are in and of ourselves. It's defined in terms of what God does to us and the relationship he creates with us and the destiny he appoints for us. In other words, as a Christian you cannot talk about your identity without talking about the action of God on you, the relationship of God with you, and the purpose of God for you. The biblical understanding of human self-identity is radically God-centered.

You are a God-chosen one, a God-pitied one, a God-possessed one, a God-sanctified one. The very language of our identity in this text necessitates that God be included as the one who acts. Our identity is not an end in itself, but for the sake of priestly service, which Peter defines as proclaiming the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

God made us who we are so that we might proclaim the excellency of his freedom in choosing us. The excellency of his grace in pitying us. The excellencies of his authority and power in possessing us. The excellencies of his worth and purity in making us holy.

In other words, he has given us our uniqueness in order that his identity might be proclaimed through us. God made us who we are so we could make known who he is. Our identity is for the sake of making known his identity. The meaning of our identity is that the excellency of God be seen in us. I remind you again as above,”Unfortunately, many of us are more wall than breeze. But why?”

We must remind each other of the sufficiency of God’s word to do his work for his purposes. If we are confident ask yourself the following questions and use the gospel message beside it to transform lives and join Jesus as we proclaim this good news with sacrificial love to the lost in the hope that some will be saved:

Could it be “lack of Gospel Knowledge”? 2 Timothy 2:8-13-Recall the Gospel Together

Could it be “Apathy”? Galatians 2:11-14- Apply the Gospel Together

Could it be “Fear”? Acts 4:23-31- Pray Together for the Lost

Could it be “a Lack of Compassion”? Ephesians 2:8- 9 -Prove the power of the gospel together

But, when Jesus says “Love” and you ask through prayer, “Jesus may I?” Jesus will give you the power of the Holy Spirit to love just as he loves, so this week start, loving others just as Jesus wants us to. And ask him to help you do it

Now I say, “Go back to your 100-foot circle of friends and community,” I ask You to sing and proclaim, all God’s children singing, Glory, glory, hallelujah He reigns, He reigns”, “Mother, may I?” Yes, you may! Go in Jesus’ love!

God Bless You and This Ministry!

How do You Know?

This question has been asked by countless people throughout the ages. When we are listening for the voice of “rather”, how can we know the one speaking? Is it that we rather have a question about a certain topic or decision in our lives related to semblances, through events—i.e.; instead of listening and conforming our minds to think His thoughts, What say You? 

“but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." Jeremiah 9:24

When the mindset clangs these days how do you know it isn’t a prank caller or solicitor? How do you know it’s not a relative, a friend or neighbor? Do you know because you discern a self-contained quantity, do you know because you have spent time devouring a spiritual soft voice? Do you know how a distinctive dialogue -in which you know the expressions used, the ambiance of singings, the changes in pitch to which signals a happiness that’s in no way is an expression of sorrow. Then through prayer you realize That’s the way it should be with God: that he would incline our hearts, and open our eyes to see him as fully as we can, seek to know him more, hear his voice and recognize his involvement in our life. Thus, the Holy spirit whispering his voice, an invitation that for us is an awesome opportunity to speak too, seeking “someone who’s never standing on the empty pew of a spans with a voice ringing out that stills all my soul.”

My seeking heart think’s, our lord, “the source of every good pleasure, he himself pleases fully and finally. If that’s not how we experience him, we are either dead, blind, or sleepwalking”.

“Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.” Job 36:26

There is no requirement to begin this journey besides accepting and receiving the promises. Jesus came to breathe life into us by offering Himself as a sacrifice so our sins will not prevent us from knowing God. Once we have received this truth, we can begin the journey of knowing God in a personal way and hearing his voice. To hear God's voice, we must belong to God. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Those who hear God’s voice are those who belong to Him—those who have been saved by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. These are the sheep who hear and recognize His voice, because they know Him as their Shepherd. If we are to recognize God’s voice, we must belong to Him.

One of the key ingredients in this journey is understanding that the Bible is God's Word and is His revelation of Himself, His promises, His will. The Bible is essentially a love letter written to us from a loving God who created us to know Him intimately. What better way to learn about our Creator than to immerse ourselves in His Word, revealed to us for this very reason? 

Truly knowing God involves our commitment to obey what we read in the Scriptures. After all, we were created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10) in order to be part of God's plan of continuing to reveal Himself to the world. We carry the responsibility to live out the very faith that is required to know God. We are salt and light on this earth (Matthew 5:13-14), designed to bring God's flavor to the world and to serve as a shining light in the midst of darkness. Not only must we read and understand God's Word, we must apply it obediently and remain faithful (Hebrews 12:1-3). Jesus Himself placed the greatest importance on loving God with all we are and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22). This command is impossible to keep without the commitment to reading and applying His truth revealed in His Word.

These are the keys to truly knowing God. Of course, our lives will involve much more, such as commitment to prayer, devotion, fellowship, and worship. 

But those can only follow deciding to receive Jesus and His promises into our lives and accepting that we, on our own, cannot truly know God. Then our lives can be filled with God, and we can experience knowing Him intimately and personally.

While God could speak audibly to people today, He speaks primarily through His written Word. Sometimes God’s leading can come through the Holy Spirit, through our consciences, through circumstances, and through the exhortations of other people. By comparing what we hear to the truth of Scripture, we can learn to recognize God’s voice. 

To summarize how to know: 1) Accept Christ as your Savior. 2) Read His Word…it is alive (Hebrews 4:12). 3) On an on-going basis, be filled with the Holy Spirit. 4) Seek the Lord through prayer. 5) Fellowship and live out your life with the saints (Hebrews 10:25).

God Bless You and This Ministry!