But God Entrusted us With the Gospel

Tonight as I watched the world news I was reminded of how quickly this world seems to be coming to an end. The weather changes, the ever present, never ending wickedness, the care free attitude that everyone is adopting, and most of all, the things taking place in the area of politics. I thought about what it would be like if God came back within the next year, two years, or five years. It wouldn't just be the end (earthly speaking) for us Christians. It isn't just the beginning of paradise that we will live in with Christ. It isn't just the fulfilment of scriptures. It is the beginning of torture for those who have not excepted Christ.

Looking around at the people I work with, the people I see on TV, and even the people I go to church with, I see a world of people who think they don't need God. I see very smart people who are self sufficient, people who depend on thereselves to get what they want.

These people are accepted for who they are because "everything goes" these days. No one feels condemmed for their way of living because everyone is doing it. The motto of the day seems to be, "Do what feels right." And if they are confronted about the sin in their life, or where they will spend eternity there is always a joke that will push the question away light heartedly.

These thoughts lead me to wonder what good it does to tell others about Christ. Are they listening? Do they care?

As I was thinking about these things while I read my Bible, God showed me 1 Thessalonians 2:4. "But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts."

I'm afraid most of the people who are living without Christ don't care. American's are not as tender and open towards the Word of God as they use to be. But, God entrusted us with the Gospel. What good is the Gospel going to do if it is hidden in our own home or church? The Word of God needs to be shared no matter who is or isn't listening. Like Paul said, "even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts."

Our preacher mentioned Sunday that the world doesn't believe God is coming back because Christians don't seem to belive it. The world sees no action on our part that would make them believe His return is soon and those who are left behind will face hell. But then I asked myself, do I have some of those character traits I mentioned just now? Do I act like I don't need God? Do I shrug sinful things off like they don't matter?

Even with all these thoughts going through my head, I'm not going to go into work tomorrow and witness to everyone I meet. But I will try to be cheerful, caring, helpful, and God-minded. I need to try to act like the best Christian I can be and mention God's name when I can. It's amazing how little phrases like, "Praise the Lord!" or "Thank God!" make people notice. But above all, I need to try to remember that even if the whole world seems to be ignoring me, I'll still keep serving God because I am to please Him, not others.

Not Quite Wittinessing

When I was sixteen I got my first job at a Christian based and owned restaurant where I had the honor of working for two wonderful bosses. The setting I was in was great for witnessing! My bosses were of like faith and tried to be a wittiness to their employees which meant that I was not alone. There was always conversation of church services, ways that God had provided for us, and things we were praying about. The friendship I gained in these two people helped me to be more confident in speaking up for Christ.

Another great benefit was time. I had the opportunity to talk to my co-workers very often because there was always slow times in the restaurant business. During those odd hours when most people weren't eating I would sometimes talk to others about their beliefs. I don't remember many conversations that were very profound, I mostly asked them where they went to church, are they a Christian, etc., but it was a start.

Now that I work in a hospital things are a lot different. Lately God has been bring back to my mind how little I try to wittiness anymore. While I do work with a Christian lady who I've known all my life, some how God isn't the center of our conversation. No one in my department talks much about God except for a brief mention of a church activity. Time to gab isn't quite as plenteous either. Usually when I do get a chance to be around those outside of my department, everyone is around and I don't believe that is the best time to confront someone about how they think they are going to heaven!

I have informed God of these excuses many times, along with a few others. In return, God made sure to show me when and who I could wittiness to. Today was one of those times. As I was working on an easy project in my "office" by myself, a lady walked in and began working on her project. God seemed to whispered in my ear, "You said their is never time, and never the privacy you need to share my gospel with others. What about now?" I saw there was no way out of this one. The timing was perfect, the place very quiet, and the person was not a Christian to my knowledge. The only problem was . . . I didn't really know this woman! Of course I knew her name, I knew what she did in the hospital, I knew her reputation, and I saw her every day . . . but I had never had a personal conversation with her.

So I took the first baby step back to where I should be in my call as a Christian. I began to ask her general questions about her children, career, and her home. While I don't think I could call this witnessing, it is definitely a start. Maybe next week God will give me another chance to talk to her more, and in time, I will be able to talk to her about God's love for her. Because of my own selfishness, I have wasted four months at the hospital and may have lost the great opportunity to create a "first impression" of a Christian I would like others to see me as. I'm still learning that if I look hard enough, I will always find opportunities to share the gospel with others. I just need to put the excuses aside and obey His voice.

New and Exciting

Wow! I have had quite a few visitors to my blog lately! It's good to know that my post are being read and enjoyed.

So what have I been up to lately? Most of my time has been spent at work, but that is fine because it is all still new and exciting to me. It reminds me of how I felt when I got saved or felt a new fire for serving God. I was so excited that I wanted to tell everyone! I even told my brother and best friend that they needed to get saved! : ) But now I find myself more interested in telling everyone about my new job instead of our wonderful Savior. What a shame. Sometimes keeping our focus on God doesn't come naturally like it does when we are first saved. Everyday we have to deliberately set our mind on the main goal: to serve God and bring souls to Him. Like we have been discussing in Sunday School, witnessing isn't always easy, so we have make our self put our own desires down and live out God's desire for our lives. But there is a reward for obeying God! Just knowing that I did what God told me to do makes me feel so much better about myself. I have never seen my work bring anyone to salvation, but I know I have planted seeds and in time God will bring the increase if it is His will.

I hope you all have a great weekend! Remember to keep Jesus first!

Witnessing in the 21st Centry: Our Purpose

Tomorrow I will start a new job. I will finally be able to use my college education to make good money and do something I love! What exactly will I be doing? I will be doing all the code work for the hospital in our town. When a doctor files a patient medical record it is my job to look at that record, find the diagnosis or procedure, and find a code that will match it making things easier for the insurance company to pay the doctors and facilities. That will be my purpose - to find the right codes.

Now imagine if I went on the job, realizing what I was suppose to do, but chose to ignore that and do what I wanted to do. I could clean the office, organize papers, set up appointments, answer the phone, maybe work in the transcribing area . . . anything but what I was hired for. It sounds like a lot of fun and I might like it more than coding! But how do you think my boss would react? I don't think he would like it at all! In fact, I don't think I would be his employee for very long if I continued to do such things.

While this illustration sounds a little bazaar, we do the same thing everyday. Most Christians who have been saved for a long period of time know what our purpose is. It is to serve Christ and point souls to Him. We see this in Matthew 28:19-20. "Go therefore, & teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the holy Ghost, Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even till the end of the world, Amen." But do we do our duty? Are we hearers only? (James 1:22 ) How often do we even speak Christ' name to others? These are all questions we need to consider when we examine our life. Sharing God's love with others is something we can all do.

For some this may mean telling their children and other family members about Christ. Others may have great opportunities to witness to strangers on a daily basis while your friend may have to go out deliberately with the sole purpose in mind being to tell someone the good news. Some people may feel more comfortable to hand out tracks and leave them in places where others will find them, but there are some Christians who prefer to talk directly to others about their spiritual condition. However you choose to go about it is okay. The most important thing is that we are following God by telling others about the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. That is our purpose.

Witnessing in the 21st Centry

Since the old testament times when everyone lived in tents and huts and cooked over a fire, things have changed in more ways than one. Now we live in sturdy houses, wear different styles of clothes, drive fast automobiles, are able to travel thousands of miles in a matter of hours, and can talk to someone in another country, just to name a few. With the changing of times comes the changing of the way we think and the way we witness. Even 100 years ago we weren't faced with the same challenge in witnessing as we are now. To be more effective in the great commission we have to consider these shifts and try to develop a way to reach others in the time that we live in.

In the following weeks or months I will be publishing a series of articles examining effective ways to witness to the modern world we are in. So stay tuned for more and feel free to join the discussion!