A burdened heart, continued

Yesterday, we saw that Nehemiah's heart was burdened for the people of Jerusalem, and the conditions there. He prayed, wept, and fasted, and waited on the Lord to give him peace before going to the king with his request to go and help.

Were you thinking ahead when you read that yesterday?
Wonder what Nehemiah will decide needs to be done first?
How will he accomplish the task?
Will he have a fund raiser? A bake sale or chariot wash? (Grin)
Will he re-organize? Name a new chairman and committee members?
Will he go in with a super-cool powerpoint presentation and extol some new methods of getting things done?
Ummmm, no.
Nehemiah was totally realistic.
He assessed the problem and quickly realized that the heart of the matter was not a lack of organization. It wasn't that they were using old technology. And though they did lack resources, the heart of the problem was not a lack of funding.
Ready?
The root of the problem was sin.
So we see Nehemiah praying:

...let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. (Nehemiah 1:6-7, NIV)

Our Bible is clear that at the root of all personal, congregational, business, international, and global problems is one thing: sin.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight... (James 4:1-2a)

Friend deceives friend,    and no one speaks the truth.
They have taught their tongues to lie;    they weary themselves with sinning. (Jeremiah 9:5)

Why are there wars? Terrorist attacks? Disease?
Why are governments and countries riddled with corruption?
Why is the church not fulfilling its role in the world?
Why do we argue with our families and have trouble communicating?
Why do kids from Christian homes rebel?
Why is there an opioid crisis in our world today?
One word truthfully answers all of those questions . . . sin. Whatever the problem, the root can always be traced back to sin; whether it's the original sin of Adam and Eve, or if it's directly the sin of the people with the problem. If God is going to use us to help people in need, we need to remember that the root of the problem is sin.
But wait!
It's not just the sins of others that we need to be aware of. We also need to be aware of (and confess) our own sins. Nehemiah included himself in the prayer above. We don't need to sit in judgment of others, or fall prey to self-righteousness. We are sinners ourselves, and God has showed us mercy. We need to go to other sinners and tell them about that mercy we've experienced.  Are we trying to help believers? If they have been living for their own purposes, they need to confess that to God. Are we trying to help unbelievers? They need to repent and be reconciled to God. Nehemiah's prayer tells us all that.

His prayer also shows us that his great burden was relieved when he considered the greatness of God. Nehemiah started by addressing God as great and loving. He reminds God and himself of the promise to gather God's people together from being scattered. And we get the feeling he is reminding God that they are HIS people, too, as if he is relieved that an all-powerful God is responsible for them, not him, a mortal man!
Let's look again at chapter one:

 Then I said:“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. (Nehemiah 1:5, 8-10, NIV)

God wants us to feel a burden for others, but then he wants us to remember that it's not our power, but His power, that will ultimately solve the problems!

Do we feel a burden for the lost? For God's people in need? Perhaps we've become so caught up in seeking the things that the world offers that we're not seeking first His kingdom. (Matthew 6:33) If that's the case, then we need to ask God to help us straighten out our priorities! Christ didn't die for us so that we could live the American dream, buy a huge motor home and check out all of the national parks (although there is nothing wrong with doing that).
It's the priorities we are talking about, here!
He saved us so that we can live as people who have the eyes and heart of Christ - seeing others' needs and having compassion for them (and it's perfectly possible to do that while motoring from park to park).
We are here to serve Him and bring Him glory.
Are we burdened for that service?

            We are fit for the work of God only when we have wept over it, prayed about it, and then are enabled by Him to tackle the job that needs to be done. (Alan Redpath)

A burdened heart

On Monday, we laid a foundation for our study in Nehemiah. As cupbearer to the king, Nehemiah had an important role in the court - but he might not have thought much about his being a leader of his people. That was soon to change . . . his brother Hanani brought news of the exiles in Jerusalem, and the deplorable conditions of both the city walls and the people's reputation among the pagans.
It was an eye-opener for Nehemiah.
He went on to be greatly used of God.
Are we people that God can use for His kingdom?
In order for God to use us, we must be receptive to the Holy Spirit -- we must see the needs around us and be burdened to help others. That's a tall order, no?

Grab a cup of java and let's talk, OK? Just woman to woman here.
Ready?
When God wants to use us, one of the first things He does is to burden our heart with a situation.

Nehemiah had known in general about the goings on in Jerusalem. He knew the history. He knew the walls had been demolished. But when he heard about the specifics of it, he couldn't put it out of his mind. We can be the same way. We can know in general about a problem, but then we hear something that really brings it home to us. Or we see the situation first-hand.
When we look at the first two chapters of Nehemiah, the scholars tell us there is a four month break in between 1:1 and 2:1. So he didn't hear about the problem and rush immediately to talk to the king. He waited those four months in prayer, until God must have given him peace about making his request. I expect that other Jewish people in the bustling city of Susa had heard about the conditions in Jerusalem. Perhaps they shook their heads and clucked their tongues in dismay. Perhaps they said, "Oh, that's too bad. Sorry to hear that." Then they got back to their work and their lives.
They were not burdened for the needs of God's people in Jerusalem.
But the man that God used to do something about it didn't just HEAR about the need. He FELT the need. He mourned and wept. He prayed and fasted and prayed some more about what he'd heard. Nehemiah couldn't get it out of his mind, and God used that burden as the basis for action.

Do we feel the Spirit's nudge in our lives when we hear of people's needs?
Do we shake our heads and say, "Oh, that's too bad."
Or perhaps we do feel strongly about it, but our response is," There are so many needs! I can't possibly help on all of these problems!"
Or, "How do I discern which need God wants me to help with?"

First, we can't let the immensity of a situation (or the sheer number of needs) paralyze us. Then nothing happens! I know, sometimes we hear about the overwhelming needs around the world, and we want to run for cover! There's just no way we can respond to them all.
Sometimes we even throw up barricades around our hearts just to survive emotionally. Then no needs or situations move us to action. We end up engrossed in our own lives and ignore the needs of other people.
Jesus' eyes were on the needs of the people:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:36-38, NIV)

Perhaps our prayers should have three parts: first, we can ask God to give us the eyes of Jesus to see the needs of the people around us. Secondly, we can ask God to give us the heart of Jesus to feel compassion. And then we can pray for Him to raise up workers to meet those overwhelming needs, knowing that He may use us to be a part of the solution!

Another thing to guard against is our human tendency to commit to things impetuously.  The needs are simply endless. We can't respond to all of them. No one could. So how do we know what to do?

We wait on God, as Nehemiah did, and pray. Ask Him to show us a particular need that we can do something about. Ask Him to make use of our hands, our feet, our speech . . .

Let us learn this lesson from Nehemiah: you never lighten the load unless first you have felt the pressure in your own soul. You are never used of God to bring blessing until God has opened your eyes and made you see things as they are. (Alan Redpath)

Let's pray that God will give us the heart of Christ; that we will feel the burden of people who are hurting, and feel compassion for them. Then let's pray for strength and willingness to get involved where we can offer help.
More on this tomorrow!

Prayer requests

As we study Nehemiah, I want to keep something in mind, and check it out as we go along. What? The fact that Nehemiah was a prayer warrior!

I expect we may have heard sermons on Nehemiah's two "major" prayers. The book starts with a prayer of confession and direction, in chapter one. We'll be focused on that chapter this week. It shows a picture of a man who was not ashamed to turn to God in prayer the very moment that things started looking "iffy."  Often I will try to fix a problem first -- then pray about it when my efforts don't give me the results I want. You do that too? (Sigh)
Nehemiah shows us in no uncertain terms that we should pray first, and then ask for God to direct our steps. Kinda the opposite of what we try sometimes.
Later on in the book of Nehemiah, we will see his other "major" prayer; it's one asking for courage and for vindication.
What I really have been impressed with, though, as I have studied, is that Nehemiah offers up a lot of short prayers throughout the book bearing his name. If you have time to scoot ahead and look, we will find a good many of them in chapters six and thirteen. Nehemiah can be seen to ask God for very specific things in these short prayers, and we will focus on them as we get to them.
For now, I guess the takeaway is that going to God in prayer doesn't always mean going to our "prayer closet," or quiet place of solitude. Nehemiah often would offer up a quick prayer as he faced an obstacle. Then he'd get to work.
So, he was strongly dependent on God to get things done that needed doing!

Lastly, we also see Nehemiah offering up silent prayers. An example is in chapter two:

The king said to me, “What is it you want?”Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king,  (Nehemiah 2:4-5a)

I may be wrong here, but I envision Nehemiah offering a quick, under the breath prayer which the Bible doesn't record. But it shows us again that he surrounds all that he does with prayer!  (He does this again in chapter 4.)

I think one reason I'm particularly excited to be studying Nehemiah is that it's unusual compared to other books of the Bible: it's one of the few extensive first person accounts in the Old Testament. I think we can learn a lot from this prayer warrior!

Lord, let us be more like Nehemiah!

I hope that if you have a prayer request today, you will leave a comment and let us know. It's a privilege to join other believers in prayer.

Starting a new study! Nehemiah

News to cry about . . .
Do you cry at sad movies?
Do you cry at weddings? When your kids or kids you know move away from home?
We're starting a new study today: we are beginning the book of Nehemiah.
Nehemiah has a lot to reveal to us about leadership and about service.

But first, we need to know who he was . . .
Most of the stories and sermons that we hear are based on what Nehemiah did after leaving the court of Artaxerxes in the huge city of Susa, in present-day Shush, in Iran. What a history! Scholars tell us that the city is one of the oldest in the region; it's known to us as the place where the story of Esther the queen took place, and Daniel mentions it, too. Susa was part of several empires, and the artifacts that have been excavated there over the centuries speak to the artistry and culture of a thriving city.
But I digress.
My history-buff and geek side is showing. (Grin)
Let's get back to Nehemiah.
He arrived in Jerusalem in 444 BC, which was about thirteen years after Ezra returned to the city. He was used by God to pull off an amazing feat: he inspired the people and led them to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem!  The temple had been rebuilt, but the walls that Nebuchadnezzar had ruined in 586 BC were still in shambles. With God's help, in spite of all the opposition and obstacles, the task was completed in just fifty-two days!  (You may remember that the city was defenseless against attacks, and that in the book of Ezra, they'd tried to rebuild the walls. When pagan residents of the land complained, Artaxerxes had decreed a stoppage to the work -- and the enemies had made sure it stopped by force.

Well, back to our buddy, Nehemiah. In November of 444 BC (about this time of year, no?) Nehemiah was serving as cupbearer to the same Artaxerxes.  Doesn't sound like an important position, but it was. Nehemiah held a high rank in the court; it was his duty to serve wine at the kings table. Because there was always the threat of plots and schemes against the king, the cupbearer needed to be totally trustworthy. He had to be on constant guard against poison in the king's cup, and sometimes even had to drink some before he handed it to the monarch! (I'm assuming they would wait a moment or two, to see if there were any adverse effects!) He held such a confidential position with the king that he was a person of influence with him; many times the cupbearer was a person that the king genuinely liked and leaned on.
At any rate, that was Nehemiah's gig in the court, and then one day his brother, Hanani walked in with some others who had just traveled there from Jerusalem. I'm sure they greeted each other and each inquired about the other's situation. "How ya doin'?" (Grin)

This was to be a life-changing conversation.
Nehemiah also asked about the condition of the city, and the people in it.
Hanani and his traveling companions answered:

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” (Nehemiah 1:3)

Now, part of this was actually not earth shattering news, in and of itself. Nehemiah knew well that the wall and gates had been destroyed about one hundred and forty years before. But this was a graphic description of the people, and the way that the surrounding nations viewed them. To know that the people were in trouble and disgrace was devastating to Nehemiah.
He wept, mourned, and fasted.
And he prayed.
In fact, our chapter for today (Nehemiah 1) says he prayed for days.

Please make time today to read the first chapter of the book and consider it thoughtfully. We are going to discuss this in depth this week, and I hope you will join me.

Nehemiah pleaded with God in a prayer that is memorable and inspiring.
God responded by working through Nehemiah.
I truly feel that the book of Nehemiah will challenge all of us. I'm assuming here that you were with us last week as we talked about investing in bringing others to Jesus Christ. And that each of us wants (truly desires) to be used by God. I'm also assuming that we have trusted in His shed blood to redeem us from sin -- if that is the case, the Bible is clear that we have been given a spiritual gift to use in His service!

There is much more to serving Him than just talking about it. God wants to use each of us, but many times He must work to develop us into people with the skills and temperament to do what He has planned.  We're going to learn more about all of this in Nehemiah, as we study chapters 1-7, which are about rebuilding the wall, and as we study chapters 8-13, which are about rebuilding the people.

Hope you are ready for a Spirit-guided study of Nehemiah!

Friday slowdown

This video blessed my heart as I listened; these four little ladies have something important to share with all believers!

Investing 101, conclusion

This week, we have studied investing in other people -- we mean investing our time to share the gospel with them and be instrumental in bringing them to Christ. The rewards are many!

Let's look at our motivation for investing..... most of the time when we speak about investments, the motivation is extremely clear -- we hope to make more money by wise choices of places for the money that God has blessed us with. We hope to have a comfortable retirement, to have the opportunity to support God's work with our finances, and to help family and friends who need us.

What are our motivations for "being an Andrew"? He was always bringing someone to Jesus, wasn't he? But are we?

I think if we look back at our passage in the first chapter of John, we see the first catalyst for Andrew was his own experience with Jesus.

He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. (John 1:39)

They (John and Andrew) went with Jesus because John the Baptist pointed out Christ and said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" They were well acquainted with the sacrificial system; they knew all about lambs and sin and atonement. They knew well the scriptures which pointed to a Messiah. They understood John the Baptist completely, and they met Jesus and spent the afternoon with him. I believe this was their conversion experience; they accepted Christ as the Messiah, the Lamb that would take away their sin, and the sin of the world.  They spent the afternoon in the presence of God!
We, as believers, have been in the presence of God, as well. How in the world can we be quiet about it? Andrew sure couldn't! If we aren't telling others about our Savior, something is amiss!

And look at the confidence Andrew had -- do we have that confidence as we speak to others?

He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. (John 1:41-42a)

He didn't take Simon aside and tell him quietly. And it wasn't a "come and see what you think," either! Not a we-are-so-excited-we-might-have-met-the-Messiah.  This was full-blown, confident, certainty! We have found the Messiah!  Andrew was motivated by his experience with Christ and his confidence that He WAS the Christ.
Jesus said He came to save sinners:

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

Jesus told us, too, that He will make us "fishers" of men; we will bring others to Him:

Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

Paul also told us:

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

And Paul said:

But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  (I Corinthians 6:17)

If I'm understanding correctly, Jesus came to save this sinsick world -- we are a part of that world, and He has saved our souls. Then He said that if we're following Him, we will be introducing people to Him; we will be "fishing" for souls.
We don't belong to ourselves anymore: We've been bought with a price, Christ's precious blood.  We now have Christ's Spirit living within me. If we are walking in His Spirit, then we will be obedient to Him and introduce people to Him! Jesus is living in us and through us, and we can introduce others to Him! What a motivation! What a privilege!

Those verses up there are so important.

Let's turn this around:
If we are saved, and we are not introducing other people to Jesus Christ, who ARE we following?
If we are not showing Christ by our lifestyle; if we are not sharing our faith . . .  who are we following?  If we are not sharing our faith, how can we be walking in His Spirit? Now, we aren't talking about every moment of every day -- but as a way of life. Do we have that desire in our hearts?

We must either be showing Him in our lifestyle, or actively sharing our faith, or we are being disobedient to Him.
Are we investing in the things that matter?
Are we introducing others to our Savior and Redeemer?
This study has inspired me to put priority on my witnessing - I hope it has blessed or convicted you, too.

(Adapted with gratitude from a devotional by Charles Stanley)

Investing 101, continued

We are talking this week about the most important investing that we can do here on earth. The investment opportunity that we don't want to miss out on!
As I studied, I was struck by the fact that we often forget about the Great Commission. It's not just a series of verses that we can hear and forget. It's Jesus' instructions to us!
When we introduce someone to Jesus, we are fulfilling the Great Commission. We're doing the work of His kingdom.
Let's refresh our memories. What does that Commission say?

But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

The commentaries that I consulted agreed that the first part of verse nineteen carried the meaning of not just "go," but "as you go."
Huh?
Here's what I mean. He didn't say, "OK, pastors and church elders, it's up to you. Go make disciples."
He didn't say, "Go on mission trips and make special times that you witness."
Nope.
He said "as you go."
As you go through your daily life.
As you go to work.
As you go to school.
As you go to the store.
Any time.
Anywhere. As you go about your business.
Not just the pastor. Or his staff. Or the outreach leader. If we are plumbers, we can witness for Him. If we are electricians. If we are attorneys. If we are homemakers. If we are retired.
We are to continually be looking for opportunities to show and speak the gospel. To make disciples. Ready to cover up your toes? I am tucking mine under my chair, not that it will do any good.....does everyone that we work around know we are believers? Does everyone that knows us know that we are Christians? Are we keeping it a secret that we are children of God?  If we are fulfilling the Great Commission, they will know!
Jesus said that we'd receive power, after the Holy Spirit comes to us.
He is living within us -- we have no excuse if we are not spreading His gospel. If we are not investing in other people and introducing them to Christ, there's actually no excuse.

Yet another reason to strive to be like Andrew -- to invest in others and bring them to Jesus: God is glorified.

 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:8)

And this verse, too:

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. (John 15:16)

When we are instrumental in another person's receiving Christ as their Savior, we are helping another face in the crowd to reflect His love. We are bearing fruit for Him, and it's eternal fruit - it will remain. We are striking blows against Satan when we bear fruit for Jesus Christ. Another believer will be redeemed from sin and from the devil's power. They are indwelt by Him, and what an investment: they will go on to tell yet more people about the Lord! Jesus will be able to live in them and through them - He can show His love to even more people, because we invested our time in telling others about Christ!

I don't know about you, but all of this is inspiring to me. Motivating.
But in case you need more motivation, we'll talk about that next time!

Verses to inspire

A jewel of a verse.
One to memorize.
One to remember and to share.
One that we all "know" at least in our heads . . . do we know it in our hearts?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:19-20)

Are we afraid sometimes to share our faith?
Are we apprehensive because we "don't know what to say"?
Have we tried, but gotten discouraged, because we shared and "nothing happened"?
Well, never say "nothing happened," because you never know when those words you have sowed will sprout in someone's heart! (Grin)  We can't open someone's heart to the truth, but God can.
But I digress from what I had planned to tell you.

As we will learn this week, sharing our faith is not a suggestion.
It's instructions for living.

One of the best ways to share our faith is to live a godly life. Non-believers often look at Christians and call them hypocritical, because we say one thing, yet do another. We need to model a godly way of living, and we need to show people that we care, too. Spend time with them; help meet their needs; offer to listen when they have problems. (Notice that I did NOT say offer to solve their problems. It's often much more important to listen! I have a real problem with that, and I have to ask the Spirit to help rein me in!)
We may not be able to answer all of their questions, but they will be able to see the reality of what Christ has done in our lives. If we find this is a hard concept, perhaps the Spirit is speaking to us about our own need to walk more closely with Him.

Another important part of sharing our faith is when we pray for those we interact with. If we can't think of anyone who isn't a Christian, pray and ask God to place someone in our lives who needs Him. Then be receptive to the Spirit and look for a chance to speak a word for Christ.

Thirdly, we must make certain that we are studying our Bible. We don't do any of these things for attention; we don't do them so we can check them off our list, just for the sake of doing them. We do these things to help us to grow in our own faith. When we are passionate about our Savior, others will see there's something different about us. They will want to know about it. We can daily reflect Christ, allowing Him to live through us, by using kind words, showing patience and gentleness, choosing to love those who are difficult to love, and treating others with respect.

Romans 10 reminds us that people can't hear the gospel unless they hear the truth. They can't hear unless someone tells them.
How do we do that?
Here's a refresher:
Tell them about God's plan to give everyone peace and life. (John 3:16)
Tell them we have a problem - sin separates us from God. (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
Tell them God provided a remedy for the problem - the cross. (I Peter 2:24)
Tell them how to respond - receive God's gift of salvation. (John 1:12)

 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (John 1:12)

Encourage them to pray a simple prayer. Rejoice with them that their sins are covered. Urge them to find a local congregation that will assist them in their new life.

"As you go, make disciples....."

Investing 101

Recently, there has been a lot of volatility in the financial world. The stock market goes up and down, interest rate vary, and people get happy or sad as a result.
Retirement planning.
401K.
Stocks.
Bonds.
Treasury notes.
Oy vey. What a confusing, stress-filled merry-go-round!

While it IS very important to consider our retirement plans, and to be good stewards of what God has given to us, it's even more important to consider what we are investing our TIME into . . .

Lord, I want to be an Andrew!!

What?? Let me explain . . .

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. (John 1:35-42a)

There are a couple of things to notice about Andrew - let's dive in!

The greatest investment we can make in our lives is not what we place our money in. Which fund, which stock we purchase, those are not the greatest, the most important.
The most important investment we can make is to introduce someone to our Lord and Savior, and to have them accept Him as Lord of their lives!
Hmmm....you may be thinking there are some other achievements that rank pretty close; there may be one or two that eclipse the significance.
Nope.
Nada.
Not even one.
The absolute greatest achievement we can have, and the best investment we can make, is to help the Spirit bring a person to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
In the verses above, John points out Jesus to John and Andrew - and he says, "Behold the Lamb of God!"
What did Andrew do, after spending some time with Jesus?
He went and found Simon, his brother, and brought him to Jesus.

This is not unusual in Andrew's life. Who was it that found the boy with the loaves and fishes, and brought him to Christ so that the five thousand could be fed?
Yup.
Andrew.
When the Greeks came and wanted to see Jesus, who introduced them? Andrew and Philip.
It seems that if we had a biography of Andrew, it would be filled with instances where he was bringing people to Christ!
Why is this so important? There are some simple reasons why this is so significant, and I'd like to talk about them this week.

First, when we introduce a person to our Savior, we are introducing Christ to someone that He died to save. Let's look at Jesus' own words:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

Wow! Now let's apply that -- when was the last time that we invested ourselves and our time into someone else, so that their eternal destiny was changed? We can invest in "things" any time. We can amass a small (or large) fortune in stocks and bonds and money. All of those will go up in a puff of smoke when Jesus' returns. Well, at least they will have no value, anyway. (Grin) But the souls of people who we've been instrumental in bringing to Christ will last FOREVER!

Another thing: remember what Andrew did after spending time with Jesus? He immediately went and got his brother and brought him to Christ. Talk about eternal consequences! This Simon would be Simon Peter, a rock of the New Testament church. Peter, whose two letters are so valuable to us today! Peter, who was the catalyst for the gospel being spread among the Gentiles -- not just among the Jewish people! Eternal consequences, indeed!
When we invest in introducing someone to Jesus Christ, we can eternally rejoice along with them that they are saved from sin and death!
I think it's important, too, that Andrew ran to Simon immediately after leaving the presence of Christ. I believe he was motivated to obey God, and to please God. When we introduce someone to Jesus, we have pleased our Father God. Remember in II Peter? God doesn't want anyone to perish!

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)

It's God's desire that all would hear the gospel and repent. He doesn't want them to perish. When we invest in someone else to introduce them to Jesus, we are pleasing Him.

Friday slowdown

A personal revival.

Yes, Lord!

Revival will come!

Repentance surely brings revival.
We can't have revival without it.
We can't live with passion without it.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:14-16,19)

If our lives are similar to the Laodiceans, we need to repent. Are we lukewarm? Neither cold nor hot? Is it difficult for unbelievers to see that we have convictions and principles? Are we passionate about advancing God's kingdom? Do we reach out in ways that work in our situations and try to witness to others about the gospel?
Unbelievers will be drawn to us when we hold our beliefs high and live them out with passion.
Do we hold our faith as a high priority?

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

Do we work heartily at all that we do, knowing that it's work for the Lord?

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, (Colossians 3:23)

Run the race with passion!

 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (I Corinthians 9:24-27)

Just like Isaiah in our first post this week, we need to come to grips with our sin and repent. We must repent of a formal, love-lacking faith, of holding to false teachings, of sexual immorality, of lukewarmness and hypocrisy. When we confess and receive Christ's mercy for our sins, we will be filled with a joy indescribable, and with a passion to spread His Word! Just like Isaiah, we will say, "Here am I, send me!"
We will feel a personal revival and we'll spread the gospel every chance we are given!

I know that this has been a study that has helped me. I hope it will be a blessing to all who pause here.

Repentance and revival

We are looking at personal repentance this week; it can lead us to revival!
Let's dig in again . . .
Still working in the second chapter of Revelation, we see Jesus' words to the church at Thyatira:

“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. (v 18-22)

Similar to what we mentioned on Monday, we need to repent if we have been tolerating the presence of evil influences. I believe we have all heard the old saying about when something is mentioned more than once in the Bible.....it must be pretty important!
If we have been tolerating some influence for evil, we need to become more aware of it. We need to weed it out of our lives, just as a gardener pulls up buttonweed in the lawn......
Oh yeah.
Ever heard of Virginia buttonweed? It's extremely invasive, but you don't know you have a problem until it's begun to completely carpet your yard, choking out all of the "good" grasses. The ones you've sowed, sprinkled, fed, and groomed. (Grin)
Button weed has a nice look to it. Pretty leaves. Lovely green color. Tiny white blooms.
Nice, right?
Wrong!
Buttonweed spreads two ways -- by zillions of seeds, and by runners. Those runners will scoot along below the grass that you've lovingly nurtured along and then pop up again to make a thick mat of leaves. If you have thatch in your lawn, it's an expert at running along below the thatch and then popping out again. The only way to make sure you get rid of buttonweed is to gently pull on the runners. You can see where they "go to ground" or where the root is. Then you can carefully tug on that part and when you pull it up, the long runners will usually come along with it.....many inches long, in some cases. The way they spread out is incredible!
You know where I'm going with this, right?
Sin is the same way.
Whether it's sexual immorality, erroneous teachings, or other evil influences, we need to get to the root of the problem and get rid of it. Are we tolerating smut in the programs we watch, or in the digital resources we read? Are we allowing false teachings to take root because we like the speaker or we like some of what they say? Jesus is reminding us; He is saying it more than once; it must be important for us to repent of these things!

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. (Revelation 3:1-3a)

The folks at the church in Sardis had a problem -- their Christianity was "surface" Christianity. They had an outward reputation, but it didn't match what was on the inside. Jesus, of course, was not fooled; He saw through the outward appearance and discerned the real state of their hearts and minds. Just like when He told the Pharisees:

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “‘These people honor me with their lips,    but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;    their teachings are merely human rules.’ (Matthew 15:7-9)

Ya know what? The unbelievers that we are trying to reach will see through us, too, if our faith is not real:

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (I John 4:20)

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. (James 1:26)

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. (Titus 1:16)

Is our faith real?
Is it vibrant?
Is our walk the same as our talk?
If not, we need to repent!
We'll finish up our study tomorrow!