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This will be too long to interest most of you, but it is a Topical study, and as it is, I left things out. It was prepared for a live, in class study, not as a Forum post. Bible Study Notes – All verses NIV Discipleship/Evangelism 10/10/2015 – Omegaman 3.0 We may not be able to get through all of this material, I am not well known for keeping things short. However, if we do not get through all of this in our discussion, you may follow through on you own with the rest of the material. Matt 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” “Make disciples” is the Greek word “mathēteusate“, (math-ayt-yoo'-sayt-eh) to disciple (as a verb), IE. helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God to become a matured, growing disciple (literally, "a learner," a true Christ-follower); to train (develop) in the truths of Scripture and the lifestyle required, IE. helping a believer learn to be a disciple of Christ in belief and practice. (from Helps Word Studies) Notice in v. 19 that these disciples, are to be baptized, so we are talking about believers here not merely people who learn about things (students). Question 1. What commands did Jesus give in verse 19? Question 2. What command did He issue in verse 20? Question 3. If disciples are to make disciples, and they are to be taught to obey commands . . . then what things are we (as disciples) also told to do in obedience? Question 4. If disciples are to make more disciples, and teach them to obey everything that Jesus commanded, is merely telling someone a basic Gospel message, really fulfilling this great commission? When we tell others about Jesus and His Gospel, we refer to this as evangelism. Sometimes we call this witnessing. The word “evangelist” comes from the Greek word “euangelion” or “euagglion” (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on). Question 5. What 5 letter English word do we see in both “evangelist” and in “euangelion”. Question 6. That word, comes from the Greek word “angelon”. What does that word mean or what is it that an 'angelon' does? The prefix in 'euangelion', “eu” it means common (as in common, not ordinary) or good. So, an evangelist, is one who brings a message of good news. Romans 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” So we have seen that disciples, us, have been commanded by the Lord Himself, to make more disciples, and that this means not only bringing them good news, but teaching them everything He taught his Apostles, to obey. Question 7. If we do not do that, which better describes us?: a. obedient followers b. rebellious excuse makers Back to the topic of “good news”, we sometimes call that the Gospel. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the word gospel is a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning "God's spell", IE., word of God, or rather, according to others, "good spell", IE., good news. It is the rendering of the Greek evangelion, IE., "good message." It denotes (1) "the welcome intelligence of salvation to man as preached by our Lord and his followers. When we see the word “gospel” in the Bible, it is a translation of that same Greek word, that we get the idea of evangelist and evangelism from. They are extremely linked ideas. When Jesus tells us to make disciples, and to teach them to obey everything that He told the Apostles, we need to consider that Jesus told the apostles to preach His gospel. Therefore, He has commanded us also, to be evangelists. Eph 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Question 8. According to Eph 4:13, at what point is Christ's gift of evangelists, for the equipping of His people for works of service and the building up of the body of Christ finished? Are we there yet? Some see that evangelists are a gift, then say “I do not have the gift of evangelism.” Now it could be argued whether “evangelism” is a gift, or if only “evangelists” are a gift. People have seen this both ways. Let's look though at what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Tim 4: 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Question 9. According to verse 3 and 4, of 2 Tim 4,what will happen? Question 10. Has that time come, do you think? Question 11. Can you think of any of these doctrines that tickle or scratch itching ears? Name a few. Question 12. What can we do to counteract these false teachers? Question 13. In verse 5, do you see the word “gift” anywhere? Question 14. In verse 5, what sort of work is to be done? Question 15. Is it possible to do the work of an evangelist without being specifically gifted in that? Question 16. What sorts of things, do you believe hinder people from doing the work of an evangelist? Question 17. What are some ways we could overcome these issues? Question 18. What do you think the Gospel actually is? What is it that we need to be telling people? Question 19. Part of Jesus great commission that we looked at in the beginning, included us teaching the disciples we make, everything He taught. Does standing on a corner with a bullhorn, or leaving a gospel tract with someone, accomplish this part of Jesus command? Question 20. If not, what are some ways we compensate for that shortcoming? One thing that the bible tells us also, is the idea of preparation. 1 Pet 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. Question 21. What is the first thing we are told to do in the above passage? What is the second thing we are told to do and in what manner are we to do this? 2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Question 22. How does 2 Tim 2:15 relate to 1 Pet 3:15? How much effort does the Timothy verse imply? That word “reason” in 1 Pet 3:15 is a translation of the Greek word “apologian”, we get our word apology from this. However, this does not mean to say “I am sorry”. It means to provide a defense – that is to say to present a reasoned case, as an attorney would in a trial. We also get our word “apologetics” from this. Apologetics, the science of defending ideas, Christian apologetics, is a sub-species of evangelism. However, it is a back-up to witnessing, It is a legal term, just as the word witness is a legal term. Witnesses, give testimony to what they know. That is where we start. We testify of Jesus, and when necessary, we defend our faith, but always circle back to the gospel, and not be distracted from what our hearer really needs. Jesus, is the issue, being able to defend how all of the animals could fit on the ark is getting side tracked, and will not win anyone to the gospel. There are other ways not to to evangelize. You may have heard someone say, perhaps you have said it yourself: “Preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words”. Some believe that if they just live their lives in a holy way, people will see Jesus in them. There is a technical, theological term for this: “Horse feathers”. No one is going to see you order a diet cola at a restaurant when they order a glass of wine and think: “Gee, this person is really different, I think I will give my life to Jesus!” It is a great idea to live a holy life, failing that does tend to discredit your message, but success at it, will not convince someone of the truth of the gospel, let alone inform them of what the gospel is. Similarly, a rational person can look at the marvelous design and vastness of the universe, and reasonably conclude that there must be a brilliant and powerful creator. That means they have no excuse not to seek God, but it does not reveal what God requires of us, that is where we come in, that is our job, to present the problem, and provide the answer. So, preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words. However, realize that in order to preach the Gospel, words are always necessary. Living it out is also necessary, in order to add credibility to the message. When we fail to proselytize, we are demonstrating that we do not take our faith seriously, because we are disobedient to our God. We are also demonstrating that we do not care enough about others, to put out a little effort to insure that they are adequately informed to inherit eternal life. Question 23. What are two things you can do, to either increase your efforts at evangelism, of make yourself more effective at evangelism? Question 24. If the gospel is “good news:, is there also bad news? What is the bad news? Should people be told the bad news as well? Why or why not? Question 25. Do you personally, feel, that you do not know enough about the Bible or how to defend your faith? Was there a time, when you did not know how to drive a car? What changed? More to think about Penn Jillette, atheist, said something very profound and haunting: “I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me alone and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” Roman 1:14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the Godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Matt 10:32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. James 4:17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. Some Final Thoughts What we have seen, is that it is not our job to save people. It IS out job to tell them. We have seen that it is not optional, it is a command. We may understand that God chooses people for salvation, apart from our efforts, and be tempted to conclude, that God does not need us. It is true that God does not need us, but He has given us the task to preach to everyone. We do not know who the chosen are, that is why we need to get the message to all. We should not see this, as a chore, we should see it as a privilege to be included in God's plan, to be used for His purposes and His glory. Do not be anxious, just trust the Lord, and be obedient. He can bring the right things to say to mind at the right time. How much better though, if you take the trouble to prepare and learn about the things you need to say. Memorizing scripture, and apologetic techniques and information, is not only for others, it builds your own faith and knowledge as well. You will have more confidence, and feel better about yourself, knowing that you have made efforts to be faithful. Matthew 25 14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,a each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16T he man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ 23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

This film is going to show God's heart in so many ways. From gang kids and prostitutes getting reconciled with their Father in Brazil, to God showing up in a middle a Roman mob protesting, to Turkey ministering to Muslims, to Mozambique praying for witch doctors, I'm so excited to see how God is going to use this film.

http://youtu.be/HI2wS1t3NHc

So, this message I preached on storming the gates of hell before we went out witnessing. We ended up staying out until night time and went to an area with many bars and strip clubs and watched many people get healed, delivered, and impacted by the love of Jesus. I found out a few weeks later the place we went was nicknamed the gates of hell.

Today I posted my 2000th post on Worthy Christian Forums. This is a milestone I have been somewhat regretting, There was a time, when hitting the milestone of 1000 posts, indicated to me, that I had no life, was spending far too much time online. On the one hand, let's say I spent 10 minutes on average for each post. I suspect my posts usually take far longer than that, but just for fun, 10 minutes it is. Ten minutes times 2000, it 20,000 minutes. That is 333 hours and 20 minutes. Another way of saying that is that it is equivalent to 8-1/3, 40 hour weeks, or about as much time as I would get in four years for vacation, when I was a working man. Again, this assumes only 10 minutes spent per post. I know my posts were longer than that. I am not one of those who goes into a thread and posts "I'm last" (well, maybe once or twice). Yes, you know who you are, LOL! Was my time well spent? Would it have been better, to help a neighbor clean up their yard, or even clean up my own yard? Could I have volunteered at a soup kitchen? Should I perhaps have used that time to preach the gospel to a dying world? Should I have spent time with family, instead of ignoring them?How about prayer, or reading the Bible, might I have used that time to improve my own relationship with God? Another way to ask these questions, is: "Is spending time this way, something that needs to be repented of?" Even more to the point . . .what about my time spent in the chat room here? For every minute I spend posting in the forums, I have hours logged in chat. I could not possibly come close to calculating that. To be honest with myself, and I am not saying this is true for anyone else, but . . . A lot of the time I spend at Worthy, is time spent avoiding things, (somewhat intentionally) that I know I should be doing instead. It is about entertainment, pleasure, etc. I do not think that all pleasure is wrong, by any means, but I do think that how we seek pleasure, can be an indicator of how messed up our priorities can be. Choices, we all make them frequently. Chocolate chip cookies with ice cream, or, fresh broccoli with unsweetened tea. Half an hour in prayer for those in need, or half an hour watching a rerun of "Friends" (okay, that one is easy - prayer is more entertaining). Well, this, like many of my posts and especially my blog, has no plan, no goal, it is just me starting with a seed of a thought, and then rambling on about it, just seeing where it goes. Not that it is important, but you get to see a little of what it is like to live in my head. After noticing that I just seem to be confirming something that is not news to me, that I waste a colossal amount of time engaged in being useless and exercising the gift of procrastination. Let's see if I can twist this slightly in another direction, seeing the glass as half full, instead of half empty. In the half full glass, 2000 posts in that amount of time, is only an average of one post every other day. Viewed in that light, it seems less excessive (as I slip into justification mode). However, it begs the question of what else I might I do with my time, and of any decision about repentance. Knowing that I am (as a now- more or less, self-admitted Calvinist) not naturally wired to seek what is best, I am going to partially repent. I am going to get off Worthy now, and go do something on my to do list. I am going to consider doing something 'radical', like endeavoring to tell at least one person about the gospel each day, even if I have to accost a stranger in the marketplace to do so, in this way there will be 365 less souls each year, uniformed due to my laziness. In celebration of my 2000th Worthy post, I am going to cancel my Hulu Plus subscription (right after I watch that last program waiting in my queue), and at least redeem time wasted there, replacing that time, hopefully, with Bible reading. There, a small bit of sanctification in real time, with little effort, and no pain. Contentment can be so easy!

Here's what happened last Thursday. God's love has been crashing in on this family the last month or so. Abigail came in with a boot cast, and well.... Holy Spirit took advantage of that to show His love.

I have been studying eschatology for more than 30 years now. Originally I believed in a pre-tribulation rapture because frankly it was the only view I had ever heard. One day I was listening to the radio and heard a man mentioning the fact that there were other views on the topic. This got my curiosity up and I decided to study the Bible myself and see if I could discover what the Bible itself actually taught about these things. I was really serious about it. The method I chose to employ was to read the Bible from Genesis through the Book of Revelation and write down every verse or passage that I believed spoke to the issue of the timing of the sequence of the Rapture of the Church with respect to the Great Tribulation. This took me eight months to accomplish. Once I had all of my notes, I copied them onto Post-it notes so that I could arrange them in a chronological sequence if something in the verse or passage had a clue about the order in which it fit with respect to the other verses and passages. This was done on a 4' x 8' sheet of particleboard laid out on a folding table. I tell you this in case you want to try this yourselves sometime to let you know what it takes and what you will be in for. My wife died recently and I myself am aging and have had some recent health issues. This has brought into focus the fact that my own time on earth may be limited. Actually this is true of every one of us, no one knows the time of their own death. You could have a stroke, or be in a car accident tomorrow. In Eschatology, the study of the last things, we usually think in terms of things prophesied in the Bible that are yet to come. Things like the Rapture of the Church, the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming of Jesus, Armageddon, the Millennium, these sorts of things. While many of us believe that Jesus could come at any moment, few of us really live as though we expect that to happen. We understand that it has been about 2000 years so far, and that casts some doubt our hearts and minds about whether he will really come today or tomorrow or even in a week or this year. Though I have always realized intellectually that my personal time on earth, my own life, could end in a moment, it is the events of this last year but it made me thoughtfully confront the reality of my limited time. What this means then is that no matter how delayed Jesus second coming might be, I will likely be face-to-face with Jesus within 10 or 20 years. Eschatology is then therefore not limited to the study of the last things predicted in the Bible, but we each have our own personal last days which are contained within our natural lifespans. Some people say that if it is true that Jesus will not be coming back until after the great tribulation that that removes the motivation to live as we should so that we will be found doing what we should be doing when he does return. I want to say to you that if that is what you think: "Shame on you!" The motivation to live correctly should not be a concern to not be caught failing to live as we should be living when Jesus comes at the end of the age. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for our sins. Gratefulness for our undeserved salvation should be more than enough motivation to live within the will of God without concern of the question of when Jesus will return. When we are not living correctly, we have already been 'caught'. The Holy Spirit is inside us if we are believers. God is omnipresent. Whatever we do, we drag Jesus with us. Nothing we do, nothing we say, nothing we think, goes unnoticed by God. So I think then, that for those of us who think that a pre-tribulation rapture of the church is a motivation to live rightly, with that thinking we are inclining ourselves to living wrongly. Rather than to live holy lives out of the gratitude we have for what Jesus has done for us - rather than live as dedicated servants who owe him everything - rather than realize that we are not our own but have been purchased - some of us shamefully take his grace as a license to sin because we know we have been forgiven. We live worldly lives because we think in our hearts that our master is delaying his return, even while we say with our lips He might return at any moment. Those of us who think and act in this manner are self deceived and we are hypocrites. In June of 2014, a couple months ago as I write this, I had the great privilege of delivering a sort of eulogy at my wife's memorial service. Gathered there were friends and family some of whom are believers, some who were not, and some who think they are believers and don't even understand what the difference is. It had been on my wife's heart for years that many of her family were likely destined to suffer in eternity. I know that like me, she was dissatisfied with the fact that it is easy to avoid speaking of spiritual things with loved ones because it feels awkward. Personally I feel shame that I have too often avoided that awkwardness and instead of demonstrating love by informing people of their peril, I have been willing to risk their eternal destiny for the sake of my temporary comfort . This is a great sin and I confess that as such and am attempting to repent of it. The eulogy I gave was the first significant step in telling people to re-examine their hearts and their lives and their need of salvation from their sins . This had been on my mind for years but having so many people as a captive audience at a time when the temporary nature of life was so obvious, was an opportunity that could not be passed up. What I was saying then was not just a recap of my wife's life, it was an expression of things that she had left unsaid. Confronting the fact that no matter how long it is before Jesus returns, it is true that we all have limited time left. So I realized that there are two kinds of the end times. There is the near-term end time which is represented by our limited lifespans, and there is the end times for mankind itself which began while Jesus still walked the earth and which we are in today as well. Both types of end times carry the same implications. Time is short, and there is a dying world out there that needs to understand that. Jesus himself near the end of his life told us to go out into the world and to preach the gospel to everyone. This was not a suggestion. Not just a nice idea. It's not optional. It is a command to every believer. Failing to do this is disobedience. It is sin. It is unloving. Penn Gillette, a self-professed atheist, said to the effect: "How much do you have to hate someone to believe that eternal life is possible and then not tell them how to obtain it?" I think those are pretty profound words on the topic for an atheist. It is too bad so many Christians don't get it. I have been one of them. So, in these last days of my own life I have determined to try to improve in a lot of things, but most specifically two things. The first is to be more active, perhaps even aggressive or at least assertive in evangelism. People need to understand that they are sinners. People need to know that their sin separates them from God. People need to understand that unless Jesus saves them from their sins, that separation from God is a permanent condition. They need to understand that that separation from God is a separation from everything good. Imagine if you will, what it would be like to spend eternity apart from good. Where there is no good, only evil remains. I believe that this concept of hell is accurate. I don't even like to think about it. When I try to imagine it, what I imagine is an eternity of suffering and pain, a despondent existence, a type of suffering worse than anything we have yet experienced in our lives while all the time knowing that this condition will be never ending and could have been avoided. What if life was so bad, that you never wanted to awaken, and you could never fall asleep again? If I really consider this all I can do is loathe my own evil and selfish heart, and at the same time feel an indebtedness and gratitude for the Savior who spares me from the eternity that I deserve and am apparently willing to let others earn for themselves. So, evangelism it is. I have to tell people. If I don't, I am a morally hideous monster. We do not need to have any special calling on our life to be ministers of the gospel. Where are all supposed to be evangelists. We do not have to wait for a leading of the Spirit to talk to a person about these things. We have already been told to just do it. Thing is when we realize what is at stake, we should not even have to be told. So then, the most important task that I have in my last days, the thing that I really want to be found doing when Jesus returns or when I go to be with Him if His return is delayed, it is to be telling others about God's love for them in the person of Jesus Christ who suffered and died for their sins to spare them from an eternity separated from God's love and goodness and filled with despair. When Jesus told us to go out into the world and preach the gospel to every creature he did not say to limit ourselves to evangelism. The purpose of evangelism is to make disciples, to make other followers of Jesus, and to teach them everything he taught us. One of the areas that Jesus taught about, that His apostles taught about, and that both Testaments of the Bible speak about frequently, are the end times and especially about warnings not to be deceived in them. So, because I have spent so much of the last three decades studying this area of Scripture, and because there are so many warnings not to be deceived, I feel a special responsibility to obey Jesus and tell other disciples about this topic because some are underinformed while others are deceived. I may at times sound arrogant due to the confidence I have in my understanding of eschatology, the study of the last things. I admit it, I am opinionated, passionate, and confident. When you put those three things together in one person, you have qualities which others may consider to be arrogance, maybe it is. Nevertheless I cannot in good conscience fail to attempt to pass on what I believe I have learned. I have been preparing questions for a trivia game on the topic of eschatology. While doing this I have been studying and reading the writings of others whose views are different than my own. There is one theologian in particular widely regarded as the foremost scholar on his particular viewpoint of eschatology. I have always had great respect for this man even though I disagree with him. He does deserve respect for his love of the Savior and his hard work and dedication to study. This is true of a lot of ordinary Christians as well. However after just having reviewed one of his books, I am finding so many unfounded presumptions, and faulty exercises and logic, that although I may respect his hard work, I have to reject his conclusions. Maybe I really am arrogant. However, even though I know this is redundant, I have to follow my convictions and make disciples, teaching them everything that Jesus taught his first disciples to teach other disciples in an ongoing chain until his return. Perhaps with this you can understand my focus. I hope that you can be patient with me while I am living out my faith and while the process of my own sanctification continues. I urge you, to also consider the shortness of time and make efforts to reach out to those you come in contact with and make a few disciples yourselves. Thanks for listening.

How often do you share your faith? I'm not refering to apologetic debates in forums, but personal one on one encounter being His witnesses. This poll isn't for anyone to brag or to make anyone feel guily. I'm just curious of the results. I also understand that everyone is in different places with their circumstances in life, or their growth in the Lord. As believers, I believe we're all called to be His witnesses to the world around us, He gave us His Spirit to be witnesses to the ends of the earth.

Here's another God adventure, many touched by the love of God, healed, and some gave their lives to the Lord.

This is a new series I'm working on, basically go on an adventure with the Holy Spirit and see where He takes us.

Luke 8:11-15 describes the word of God as a seed that is sown into the heart of the hearer, which the devil immediately goes after to remove through lack of understanding, trials and tribulations, or through the cares and pleasures of the world. However, the hearer who keeps the word with patience is able to bear fruit. Every experienced sower understands that a seed comes with promises, that if planted in good soil, given plenty of water, and the right amount of sun, that seed will bear fruit in due season. As the seed of God, the word also comes with an expectation of bearing fruit, that if watered by the meditations of the heart and rightly positioned in a heart that is filled with the SON, that seed will bear fruit of the promises of God in due season. In my earlier posts, I described the root that keeps the seed in place in the heart as faith. Faith is that stick-to-it-ness that doesn't let go during the trials and tribulations or to chase after the pleasures of the world. While this seed of God is grounded in our hearts, it is watered by the continuous meditation of faithful thoughts and nourished by words of faith coming out of our mouths, while being protected by the steadfastness of faith demonstrated in our walk. Patiently waiting for due season, faith holds the word in our hearts until harvest time. We walk by faith and not by sight!!! "Be a witness and witness God move"

Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing the word of God. This faith, which comes by the word of God, serves as a shield against attacks aimed at dislodging the word from us. Unable to dislodge the word from our hearts because it is held in place by our faith, the enemy then seeks to attack our faith. He tries and challenges our faith by throwing as much heat at us with the flaming arrows described in Ephesians 6:16. The authenticity of our faith is tested during this trial by fire. When our faith remains steadfast and unmoveable, the same fire which came to burn out our faith is in fact extinguished by our faith. The shield of faith enables the people of God to move into enemy territory to advance the Kingdom of God. By faith, Abraham left his country to dwell in the land of promise. By faith, Sarah received strength to conceive and bear a child. By faith, Moses and the people of Israel passed through the Red Sea, and by faith the walls of Jericho fell down. By faith, in 1999, a local outreach ministry I serve in began ministering in an area that was commonly referred to as an open air drug market. By faith, the members of the ministry began ministering to drug dealers and drug users about the love of Jesus. By faith, ministry went forth during drug transactions and an occasional police raid. By faith, no harm came to the members even during disputes among the folks in the community. By faith, the drug dealers left the area for good. By faith, drug users became clean of drugs. Today, by faith, the ministry members along with the community sing praises to an almighty God who cleaned up the area where darkness used to reside. This shield of faith, which protects the saints of God from the flaming arrows, keeps the word of God firmly in the hearts of God's people so the word can manifest as the sword of the Spirit to strike down spiritual wickedness in high places. Raise up your shield of faith my brothers and sisters and see the salvation of the Lord! "Be a witness and witness God move."

Does God know what you believe? Does He see evidence of your belief? Hebrews Chapter 11 says faith is the evidence of what you believe. This is supported by Mark 2:3-5, when a paralyzed man was being lowered from the roof down to Jesus to be healed. The bible says, "when Jesus saw their faith..." Their faith told Jesus what they believed and what they were hoping for. Their faith told Jesus they believed He could heal the paralyzed man. Jesus did not disappoint them. He told the paralyzed man to arise and take up his bed. When it comes to faith, many of us have a credit based mentality. We want credit for believing without showing the evidence of believing. When we purchase an item on credit, we receive credit for purchasing the item even though the purchase transaction is not complete until full payment is made. Let me bring it closer to home. When we tell someone that we will pray for them, typically the person will say thank you. The reason they say thank you is because, based on your word and based upon my word, they believe that you or I will combine our faith with their faith to reveal to God what we believe and are hoping for. However, what if you or I never prayed for them? What if we simply forgot and did not pray the prayer of faith on their behalf. The truth is we received credit from that person when he or she said thank you but we never completed the faith transaction with the act of prayer. It is the same with evangelism, we want credit from God that we will be witnesses for Him, but too often we don't actually follow up with actions to give Him something to bless. James 2:15-17 says faith without action is dead. Evidence of faith is reflected in what we say and what we do. The lady with the issue of blood said, "If I may touch His clothes, I shall be whole." If she had stopped there, her illness would have remained. If she had stopped there, she would not have completed the faith transaction. She didn't stop there. She completed the faith transaction, by reaching in from the crowd and touching His clothes. When she completed the faith transaction, healing power left Jesus and went into the woman and healed her. When asked, "Does God know what you believe? we must answer "yes" because He hears what I believe in my words and He sees what I believe in my actions. "Be a witness and witness God move."

Last Saturday, 6 people came to the Lord and many others were rocked by the power of God's love including a Muslim who was in pain for 19 years and healed in the name of Jesus.

Hebrews 11:1 says, faith is the substance of things hoped for. Webster's dictionary defines substance as the material of which anything is made. However, Webster also defines substance as material possessions and wealth. Certain passages of the bible also depict substance as wealth. Luke 15:13 says the prodigal son wasted his substance with riotous living (KJV). The description of substance as wealth or something of value falls in line with my topic of faith being a spiritual treasure. As a spiritual treasure, faith is the spiritual medium of exchange that allows the believer to transact business in the Kingdom of God. Without faith, there is no salvation. Without faith, there is no deliverance. Without faith, prayers are not answered. Faith is the substance we come to the throne of grace with to lay hold of the things we are hoping for. In the natural, we acquire things with worldly treasure (e.g., money) that we use as a medium of exchange to acquire the things we desire. In the Spirit, money won't work. If you want to acquire the things of God, you must come with the treasure of faith. The bible says the woman with the issue of blood spent all of her natural substance going from doctor to doctor to get healed and did not get better. In fact, she grew worse. However, when she heard that Jesus was in town, she put aside her natural substance and decided to make a transaction in the Kingdom of God using the substance (or treasure) of faith. She said if I can just touch Him, I know I can be made whole. When she touched Him, Jesus turned and said, who touched Me? The disciples said, Master there are a whole bunch of people touching You. Jesus said you don't understand. Someone touched Me with the touch of faith. Someone just transacted business in the Kingdom of God. When the woman explained that the touch of faith came from her, Jesus said your faith has made you well. The woman discovered that faith is the greatest treasure available to man or woman. This treasure of faith is in every believer. Question: My brothers and sisters in Christ: Are you sharing this wonderful treasure with others so they can discover its value and its availability to them? "Be a witness and witness God move."

I would be thrilled if my forum buddies could join me in weekly topics that focus on evangelism. I believe a crowd discussing something of importance will create a bigger crowd talking about something of importance. For starters, each week, I will introduce a topic to get the discussion going. For this week, the topic is "The Just shall live by Faith. Romans 1:17 says the Just shall live by faith. We are the just and we are to share our faith with the world. Our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior defines us. It is our identity. It is what makes us tick. It dictates our actions and our behavior. Our faith dictates how we are going to respond or react to certain situations we face in the earth and our level of success over those situations. In fact, 1 John 5:4 lets us know that faith gives us victory over the world. Faith also gets the Lord's attention. In Matthew 9:2, when the paralyzed man was being lowered down to Jesus from the roof, it doesn't say that Jesus saw the men. It says he saw their faith. It was their faith that got Jesus' attention, not the commotion they were making. Let's share this blessed treasure that we have with our family, friends, and co-workers. Next week's topic: Faith is a spiritual treasure.

http://youtu.be/clvWhRYmJ-M

God's love revealed through Prophecy and Healing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnyt5yLORoA

9/13/2013 Friday night God was putting the Lloyd center/Holladay park area heavy on our hearts. Before we got there we stopped by a group giving chili and lemonade on a street corner. They were feeding the people and sharing the love of Jesus. Got prayer from them and then got on the max to Lloyd center. At Holliday park, there was a bunch of kids hanging out partying. We’ve encountered a lot of these kids randomly as we’ve been hitting up this area a lot. I asked if anyone would like prayer and one guy stepped up and testified to the group about his hand being healed last week because Dem prayed over him. I prayed over a gut named Mike for peace. Then a girl named Audrey came up asking why we loved Jesus. She couldn’t figure out how we could love someone we couldn’t see. I shared with her my testimony and asked if she would like to experience God. I took her hand and prayed for Gods presence and she started experiencing him. She said that was weird cause she almost started to cry. Then the lord downloaded a lot of stuff about how amazing she is and how God sees her and how He has gifted her. She broke down crying. God loves that girl so much. After that, I started getting words over a girl named Alex. After that, Chris prayed over a guy named Chris who busted his hand in a fight and his hand was healed. Then Chris saw Danny and prayed over her and the Lord revealed to him what she was going through to show her His love. While that was going on, I went to the other benches and started talking to the group. I asked if one guy would like prayer and he said that he hails satan. So I challenged him. I said, how’s this, I’ll let you pray over me in satans name if I could pray over you in Jesus name and lets see what happens. I figured, if he touches me, Holy Spirit is going to get all over him, if I lay hands on him, Holy Spirit was going to get all over him. He said he just says that to offend religious people and was shocked at my response. I started to talk the some more of them. One kid asked if I could pray for his nose. It was hurting from snorting stuff. I prayed a few times, and nothing happened. There was a girl with a pink sweater and pink hair there and I asked if I could pray for her. She said she didn’t believe in God. I told her that she didn’t have to believe for me to bless her so she let me pray and experienced God’s joy and peace. She said she felt happy. The Lord started revealing that she never had religion pushed on her so she nothing against God, she just has never experienced Him, then I saw something’s about her character and her gift in art and she was amazed that God knows so much about her. I shared the Gospel with her and I told her that Jesus is amazing and if she wanted to know him, whenever she wants to invite him in her life. The guy sitting next to her, whose hand got healed last week, asked for prayer for rapping abilities because last week we prayed for endurance and the Lord answered. So I told him only if he wraps for Jesus. He agreed, so As I prayed I saw a white mist land on him and he testified he felt something happen. After that, Dem was talking to Anthony, a guy we kept running into. He skipped out on what he was doing because he knew God was calling him. Chris and I went and prayed over a guy named Cricket over chronic back pain and after a few times praying, the pain left. After that another guy starts walking through and he busted his hand in a fight. We had Alex pray for him so she laid hands on his wrist and prayed. Jesus healed him and he was tripping out. After that, A some other guys and girls showed up and I asked if they would like prayer. One guy said he wasn’t religious and the girl in the pink sweater from earlier said “I think I’m religious now.” One of the girls asked if we were priests or something. Mike came up and I showed him and her some footage we filmed. They both were blown away. Mike said that was proof. He had been praying for God to show Himself or prove that He was real for years, and seeing God’s healing power on a video camera was the proof he needed. He gave his life to the Lord and we prayed over him to be baptized in the Spirit. Right after that, I asked one guy if he had pain in his body and he said his rips. We had Mike pray for him and Jesus healed him through Mike. The guy said the pain left, and started doing sit ups. Then got up and even his friend testified he couldn’t get out of bed this morning because how bad it hurt. Mike started crying because of how good and amazing God is. We spent some time sharing the Word with him and one of his friends came up and asked, if he was going to quit drugs because he was a Christian. He said that he would. We gave him contact info, so he could get ahold of us. That guy is so amazing! After that, Joey came over and we prayed over him because he was going back to Afghanistan. Chris and I both saw the Lord protecting him with big angels. God loves that guy so much. After that, people started to think out and I was having a conversation about Jesus with a guy. Audrey asked if I was against homosexuals. I said, “do I believe it’s wrong, yes.” But made clear it’s not my job to judge according to the flesh but regardless. The group, there was like 4 of them left, started talking about it thinking it would offend us. We prayed for Audrey’s jaw and she kept saying it still hurt, but then had a hard time finding the pain after a few times praying. God is so amazing! He loves these kids so much. He is in pursuit for them. This was one of those nights where God rocked us by seeing His love manifest just as much as some of them got rocked. Thank You Jesus for letting me experience Your love for them, for letting me feel Your love for them. Your amazing Lord! Praise You, thank You Jesus, thank You for Your amazing love! You are worthy Lord, thank You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbydTWEKriY