Heaven. Hell. You.

I want to share this very important message from Clayton Jennings. Clayton is an Evangelist who is spreading the gospel across the globe. At 28 years old he has been touted as the Billy Graham of our time. You can find out more about him on his website at   http://claytonjennings.com

How to respond in a violence filled world

With the horrendous terrorist attack against Paris still fresh on all of our minds, violence and terrorism has become a major concern not only in Paris, but throughout the world at this time. Individuals are also worried and fearful of what could happen to them in an age of such a threatening society. One need only turn on the news each day to see the latest threat from ISIS or to witness an ongoing terrorist attack going on abroad. An ISIS attack here in America seems imminent. 

How are we to respond to these evil days? First of all the Lord gave the warning as His second coming approached we would see these attitudes occurring in the world. II Timothy 3:1-4 says, This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

There is no doubt about the hour in which we live being the season for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ as we link the above scripture with others in the Bible.Matt. 24:33 says, So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

In order for us to compare our day with the day that Noah lived we can look in the book of Genesis 6:5-13: 5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

The Bible describes our day very clearly from these scriptures. The condition of violence that caused the earth to be destroyed in Noah's day is the same condition our earth is in today. Many people today are crying for the violence to be removed or restrained in our society and in the world. They are demanding that governments do something about this wickedness but they do not realize what is causing it. 

 God in His mercy has used good governments to restrain lawlessness throughout history. However, corrupt governments have caused much suffering for mankind also. Today many different kinds of programs and methods are being implemented to deal with the violence. However, it can never be totally removed until its root cause is corrected. 

Men and their actions only prune the branches of an evil tree, while the root system remains intact. What is the root of violence? It's rebellion against God and His laws. Therefore as long as the root system is untouched the tree will only grow more branches and bear more rotten fruit. To remedy our problems in the earth we must all repent and turn to God and keep His laws and commandments and allow Jesus to change our evil natures into His nature of goodness. This total corporate turning to God can only take place when God brings judgement against evil and removes it, and then sets up His millennium kingdom in the earth. However, we must repent now so we can avoid the violence that will increase. In a time of violence many innocent people are destroyed, as well as the wicked. We should pray and seek God with our whole heart to be among those that shall be spared destruction. Only a true repentance and revival can save us.

Matthew 24:12-14:
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The Bible prophesies the events that will take place just prior to this time of the gospel going out to the whole world. The explosion of violence worldwide is one of those events. We are beginning to see this process take place in part as we are in the shadow of the millennium kingdom now. The Bible also speaks of a time of judgement that occurs during a tribulation period before the Lord's second coming.

Matt. 13:38-43: 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one]; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

The tares (wicked people) in this parable are being bundled for destruction because of their evil ways while God is also separating His people from the world system so He might protect and reward them. Although judgment usually has an evil connotation to it (the execution of the penalty for sin); it also has a positive side. Judgement has to do with the sowing and reaping process. This is defined in Galatians 6:7-9: 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

From this we can see that the negative side of judgment is evil that is sown reaps destruction, while on the positive side, good that is sown through Jesus is rewarded. God's judgement on evil is seen by the curse that is on wicked men, while God's judgement for the righteous will manifest in His blessings and rewards on them. Some innocent people are destroyed also, but they will receive their reward in heaven; The Bible declares the way into the kingdom of God is strait and narrow and few be that find it.

Luke 13:24: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Matthew 7:14: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Because men do not like a straight or restricted way we are seeing destruction on a massive level at this hour. This is not God initiating destruction against mankind through the curses in the earth, but it is the result of the fruit of evil manifesting in destruction. God can do no evil. He is righteous and pure. The negative judgments that are in our world, manifesting in violence, terrorist acts, earthquakes, floods, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. are a direct result of broken spiritual laws.

Ezekiel 11:21: But [as for them] whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.

The command to God's people in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation is for us to be lights filled with His love and glory. God promises His people a place of peace and safety in the midst of violence. Just as Noah and his family were kept safe from the flood waters in the ark, we are kept safe from the flood of violence in our spiritual ark, Jesus. The only safe place for us as Christians is our surrender and obedience to God. Then, there is safety in being in the will of God. It matters not what physical place we are living, our safety is in Him as promised to us in Psalm 91. We daily pray and claim these scriptures. A portion of that Psalm should encourage all of us. Psalms 91:5-7: 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow [that] flieth by day; 6 [Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh thee.

Some Christians will ask why they have been victims of violence and suffering if God's Word promises them safety? First, to answer this we must define the two kinds of suffering: (1) Suffering for Christ: This suffering is the kind we go through for the cause of Christ as we are persecuted for being righteous. Examples are: going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, going without pleasures for the gospel's sake, suffering because of others wrong doings toward us, etc. The other is (2) Suffering because of our sins or others: Sins of commission bring curses. These are deliberate sins of rebelling against God's ways. Sins of omission can also cause us to suffer. These sins are the failure to pray, give, obey and take the time to learn of God's ways. James 4:17 says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. "

Many Christians are suffering not because they are outright rebellious, but because they are ignorant of God's Word or His ways. Hosea 4:6a says My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Some Christians are suffering because they are lazy and complacent. They do not pray as they should nor read their Bibles, witness, nor give their tithes and offerings, etc.

God's safety is promised by our relationship with Jesus. Psalm 91:1 says, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." If we want to be protected under God's wings in this violent hour we must:

1. Totally commit to God's will

2. Obey His Word in the Bible

3. Overcome self, sin and Satan

To be an over comer at this hour and conquer the threat of violence against us, we must walk in faith and trust in God's promises of safety and deliverance. Remember Jesus said in Matthew 24:6, 13-14, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come."

Do all "good" people go to heaven?

Without a doubt, the number one objection I hear from those I speak with who do not feel they need Jesus in their lives is the following one,

             "I believe if you are a good person, you go to Heaven"

I hear this often and I find that people truly believe this. It just makes sense doesn't it?  If you are a good person and treat others well than God will give you entrance into His kingdom. Does it make sense however? Can you ever be good enough? 

If you’re like most people, you believe that once you die, your soul goes somewhere. The logic flows something like this: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. Obviously, the criterion for making it to this place is to be and do good. Each religion has its own variations on the definition of “good,” but generally, men and women must do certain things and not do certain things to get to this good place.

The logic behind this assumption seems fair, doesn’t it? After all, if you do well in school, you move to the next grade. If you do well on the job, you receive raises and promotions. Being rewarded for your efforts is part of our human experience and expectation. So it only seems fair that if you do well in this life, you should go to heaven.

What other view could there possibly be? Perhaps bad people go to heaven? Unthinkable! In spite of all their differences, the major religions of this world share one common denominator: How you live your life on this side of the grave determines your destination in the afterlife. So many experts can’t be wrong, can they?

Jesus disagrees.

Everyone I’ve ever met who believes that good people go to heaven also has good things to say about  Jesus Christ. Most see him as  a "good teacher" or even will admit that he is the son of God. However many I've spoken won't admit they are in need of a Savior and that Jesus is the savior of the world. They inherently feel "good enough" on their own merits. But the truth is that if you embrace the notion that good people go to heaven, you can’t embrace Jesus or His teachings if you’re going to be intellectually honest. Because if good people actually do go to heaven, then Jesus completely misled His audiences.

Jesus taught the very opposite of what most people in the world believe. His standards were even higher than those found in Old Testament law, yet He taught that even the best of professional do-gooders wasn’t good enough to enter God’s kingdom. Furthermore, He claimed that God desires to give men and women exactly what they don’t deserve, including the “bad” people. Not only was this a major departure from the religious teachings of His day, it was a departure from anything that had ever been taught anywhere at any time by anyone. The whole idea was so unsettling and infuriating that the leaders of the religious establishment had Him arrested and crucified.

One particular incident brings eye-popping clarity to what Jesus actually believed. Luke records an exchange that took place between Jesus and the men being crucified on either side of him.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:39-41)  

Notice that the second criminal readily admitted that his life was so horrible that he was actually getting what he deserved. Then he did the unthinkable: He asked Jesus to have mercy on him in spite of his worthless life. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42)

Keep in mind that this man was in no position to bargain. There was no “from now on”—the opportunity for doing good had come and gone. He’d come to the end and there was no chance to make up for lost time. None of that mattered to Jesus. Pushing up on the nail that pierced his foot for leverage, he managed to utter these words: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). 

Do you realize what it means that one of His last acts before dying was to promise a criminal a spot in paradise? Clearly, he did not believe that good people go to heaven. Did Jesus know nothing of justice? He was operating off some other premise unknown to this world. It’s no wonder many refused to take His teachings seriously. He promised people precisely what they didn’t deserve.

Who is Jesus, anyway?

Jesus and His teachings can’t be blended with all other religions that believe good people go to heaven. He said things like, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  He didn’t claim to be a way—He claimed to be the way.

Of course, just because we know He claimed to be God the Son doesn’t automatically make His claims true. But this is undeniably true: He either was or wasn’t who He claimed to be. He was telling the truth or lying. Either His followers called it as they saw it, or they made up all those stories. But people are hesitant to embrace either of those options, and nearly every major world religion views Jesus as special—just not quite as special as He claimed to be. Which is interesting, because when a person claims to be more important than he really is, that generally doesn’t garner support and respect.

So what about you? Who do you think Jesus is? This is an important question, one for which there are only four possible answers.

Jesus claimed to be the one-of-a-kind Son of God and equated himself with God. If you don’t accept His claims about Himself, then one logical possibility is that He was actually a liar who knowingly misled others. A second possibility is that He was delusional, and because He was so convinced, He was convincing. Neither of these options allows you to consider Him just a good man. A third possibility is that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God, and those words were added to the story after He died. This is the safest and most convenient option, because you can be respectful of Jesus as a good man with good things to say about a good God—without having to accept or submit to His teachings.

But there are problems with all these options. If Jesus was lying or just insane, why would so many continue to follow Him after his death? Not only did His followers continue to believe in Him and spread His teachings, they were all eventually arrested and/or put to death themselves because they claimed that He had come back to life. The resurrection of Jesus was the centerpiece of their message, and they claimed to be eyewitnesses. Either they witnessed the resurrected Jesus or they didn’t. Hundreds of thousands of other men and women have died for a false belief system they believe is true, but no one will die for what they know to be a lie.

And while it is convenient to believe that much was added to the gospels that Jesus didn’t actually say or do, this is a terribly complex view to hold and defend. To begin with, you have to come up with a motive. After Jesus died, it would have been much easier (and less risky) to simply spread his teachings like the disciples of every other religious figure who’s come and gone. There was no compelling reason to lie about His resurrection and add to what He taught. In fact, His unique claims make His teaching offensive and difficult to accept. Why would anyone add anything that would subtract from the believability of the message? It just doesn’t make any sense.

This brings us to the final option: that Jesus is who He said He is, and that He came for the reason He said He came—to take away the sins of the world.

No matter how much good we do, we all have the propensity to do things our way at another’s expense. Yet, as much trouble as our selfishness gets us into, we continue to bow to it. It chokes the love out of marriages. It drives a wedge between parents and their kids. It fuels ambition to the point of self-destruction. After several thousands of years of human experience, we still haven’t found a way to rid ourselves of this “taskmaster”—what we need is to be saved, or delivered, from that thing that rages inside us. And we need to be forgiven for all the hurt we’ve caused as a result of our sin.

The problem is, the law convicts me of my sin but does nothing to help me overcome it. The law declares me guilty, but it provides no promise of forgiveness. No matter how hard we work to keep it, the law offers provisions for neither. Jesus, on the other hand, came to this earth to be both deliverer and forgiver. No one else in history has ever claimed to be either of those. And His appeal is not fairness, but grace.

The Bible teaches that God chose not to give us what we deserve—we call that mercy. In addition, He decided to give us exactly what we don’t deserve—and that’s grace.  Romans 5:8  says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In other words, while we abandoned what was fair, God went beyond fair and paid for our sins Himself.

This means that every sinner is welcome. Everyone who gets to heaven gets in the same way. And everyone can meet the requirement. All three of these statements are supported by the most often quoted verse in the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Believing in Jesus is the only requirement. Believing means placing one’s trust in the fact that He is who He claimed to be and that you are no longer trusting in what you have done to get to heaven—but rather, on what He has done.

The good news is that good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people do.

A lightbulb moment

Over the weekend I spoke with an unbeliever when what I like to call "A lightbulb moment" occurred for this individual. After a lengthy discussion in which this person shared all of their objections to the Christian faith; I lovingly stepped in to tell this person that for me, one of the key pieces of evidence that changed my mind about Christianity and made me realize that Jesus Christ is the son of God, is the fact that most of his apostles (those who were with Him during His ministry, death and resurrection) were willing to die horrific deaths before they would deny that they had witnessed Jesus' miracles and ministry on earth, His death, resurrection and assension to heaven. This is historic FACT.

This person immediately said to me, "I believe that."

The lightbulb came on. What the person just realized is that these men's willingness to be killed verses deny Jesus was a very powerful piece of evidence for the Christian faith. Over 5,000 people witnessed the risen and resurrected Jesus Christ. He was who he said he was...the son of God. Suddenly this person I was talking to this weekend's list of objections held true for many long years, begin to melt away before their very eyes. After reading this short post I urge you to watch the above video of less than 10 minutes so you can see for yourselves what these men were willing to endure rather than deny the gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember the cases presented here have been proven historically accurate.

In the end it really doesn't matter if you had an annoying "so called" Christian say hurtful things to you. Your "bad experience" in church years ago is irrevelant. As I"ve said before, please do not let people and the bad experiences you have had with them and their interpretation of what it means to be and act like a Christian keep you from a relationship with the One who came to save you. I've provided many many posts that provide undeniable proof for Jesus, the Bible and creation. So you don't want to call yourself a "Christian" and don't want to go to church or become a " right winged conservative"?  Don't want to deny that you've been wrong all these years? Then don't! Who cares. Your relationship is with the LORD. That is what is important. It's not about putting a label on yourself...it's about following Jesus. Take the time to wrap your heart and mind around that reality. Read the Bible. Pray. God will lead you through the rest and to the right people if you decide to share your realization.

Jesus, the son of God...died on the cross for YOUR sins. Because of God's holiness, He is unable to be in the presence of sin without a sacrifice. Death. Death is the penalty for sin. Since we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God and because He WANTS a relationship with us,  He sent his only begotten Son to die for us. Those who accept that His son is savior for their sins will be saved and can enjoy being in God's presence for all eternity. As someone who has been saved for almost 13 years I can promise you there is nothing better! As a child of God I have the hope of heaven upon my death. I can be in God's presence and his heavenly kingdom now for all eternity. I have the Holy Spirit inside me as a guide throughout the rest of my life!

If you are new to this blog, I urge you to read from the beginning with my "testimony of faith" back in January 2013 and work your way forward. I have spent many many hours of time researching and writing this blog after God asked me to do so almost a full year before I finally started. Some may ask why I and other Christians are so concerned with "converting" people to become Christians. The best way to explain it is like this. If you had tasted the most incredible piece of chocolate you had ever tasted, wouldn't you want to share it? If you knew that this chocolate could bring incredible happiness, joy and everlasting life and peace to whoever you shared it with who agreed to take a bite...wouldn't you share it? THAT is why many believer's choose to share the gospel with those who either don't know it or reject it. As a loving, obdient child of God I want the people I love and my fellow man in general to know the hope in Jesus and inherit eternal life. I also want to fulfill the assignment that God has asked of me. It is a simple as that.

Thank you for reading Living a spirit filled life and may you be blessed.

5 key reasons Evangelism is hard and why I do it anyway

I've decided to redirect one more time from my series on world wide religions to share this post today. I've been working on this blog ministry  for close to 19 months now. Many may wonder why I would devote my time and energy to evangelizing my faith. As I have said before, I felt personally called by the Lord to do this and He has made it clear to me from the very beginning of becoming a Christian that this was part of what He sent me to this world to do. 

For the most part this has been a very positive experience and something I enjoy devoting myself too. Having someone call you or email you and tell you that your blog influenced them in their decision in coming to faith in Jesus Christ can't help but make you feel that  the work you are doing has value. As wonderful as that is, there is another side. When you evangelize about your faith you open yourself to those who will criticize you or challenge you or those who will flat out go out of there way to prove you wrong or even mock you. I've had many conversations with people on both sides of the spiritual coin.

 As I've said from the beginning, I've chosen this blog as my way of evangelizing. I rarely will bring up my faith with anyone unless I'm asked about it. Since starting this blog, I'm asked a lot more. I figure this blog is here for those who want to read it, and apparently that is a lot of people. My recent blog statistics tell me I have a large number of people reading my blog on a daily basis. Although people rarely leave comments, they contact me by phone, email and often will send me a personal face book message.  What was once a one to two hour commitment each week is turning into a thriving ministry for me and I love it. This week alone (it's Wednesday) I've already put in over 10 hours on this ministry between researching, writing and communicating with people. Since I have a lot on my plate personally this week, that means I'm often up until after midnight sometimes making sure I give this ministry my all which is fine with me!  I take absolutely no personal credit for any good this blog may be serving...I give ALL the glory to God for it is through Him that I am inspired to write and share with others. The best part of where I am right now with this ministry is that I am at the point where I am getting confirmation that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

In fact Monday was one of those days. What started out as what I will only call "a bumpy and difficult road in the mission field", turned itself around ten fold when I received a call out of the blue from someone who has not picked up the phone to call me  in a very long time. This person told me that not only had her and her husband been going to church for the first time in their marriage, but that additionally she wanted to share with me that after being agnostic her entire life that she had a very real encounter with God and was positive for the first time in her life that He was real, He cared for her and that she knew with complete certainty that she was now a beloved child of God. That conversation erased all the difficulties of the morning and God showed me that my work for Him has not been in vain.

I have friends that go on mission trips all over the world to evangelize. One of my dearest friends goes out on the streets of Italy and evangelizes to prostitutes. Another friend goes down to the Las Vegas Strip and talks with people on a weekly basis. Others serve food to the homeless and share the gospel with them. You don't have to be a writer and have a blog to evangelize! If you have ever shared your faith with a co-worker or friend, than you have evangelized. I will be sharing more on effective ways to share your faith in a future post.

Before Jesus departed to His heavenly throne to take His position as Lord and Christ, He spent a final time with His eleven disciples. The last command that He gave them was this: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

If these are the last words that Jesus gave His disciples, we must consider that they are of the utmost importance to Him, and to ourselves. Jesus commands us to tell others about Him. You may ask, "Why me?" Aren't there others more equipped to do that? I am not a preacher, I do not know what to say,"

The good news about that is that Jesus does not ask us to do something without equipping us with what we need. The beloved physician, Luke, recorded in Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Christ commanded us to tell others about Him and promised to give us power to do it. In the same way that a person is called to be a witness in a legal proceeding, we are asked to be His witnesses. In a legal proceeding, the witness will testify to the things that they have personally seen and heard; they will give an account based on what they have observed or experienced insofar as it has relevance to the current proceedings. As Christians, we have the opportunity and responsibility to tell others what we have "seen" and "heard" and what we have experienced in our walk with the Lord. Although God promised to equip us with what we will need, He never said it would be easy. Anything worth while seldom is.

Here are five reasons why evangelism is hard and why I do it anyway. 

1. It grates against social norms.

Think about the cringe-factor that comes with the word “proselytize.” That’s the same stigma that comes with word “evangelize.” Evangelism is often viewed (even by some Christians) as intrusive, coercive and crass.

But that stereotype is not Biblical evangelism. We should never coerce anybody to convert to Christ but, in the words of the Apostle Paul, set forth the truth of the gospel plainly.  When someone responds “no” we should pray for them. When they respond “yes” we should disciple them. When they say “I’m not sure” we should prayerfully journey with them to help them unpack the message of the Christian faith.

While evangelism grates against social norms,  it along with prayer, is the primary tool through which God’s kingdom advances on this earth. In the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:12, “And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing….”If we want to see God’s kingdom powerfully advance in our sphere of influence we must unleash the power of the gospel through evangelism.

2. It leads to awkward moments.

There’s no getting around it…evangelism can be awkward. Sure there are questions we can use to mitigate the awkwardness. Yes there are listening skills we can develop to break down the weirdness. But, at the end of the day, asking someone to consider embracing an entirely different belief systems is awkward.

With that said however, if there was a “Director of Awkward Moments” in the New Testament it would be Jesus himself. But it is in the crucible of the awkward where minds are changed and souls are saved (just ask the woman at the well.)

3. It exacerbates our fears of being rejected.

Think back to the first time you had a job interview. Your hands were sweating, your knees were knocking and your heart was pounding as you took those steps that lead from your car to the meeting place of the person interviewing you. If you are anything like I was...you were afraid!....and what was the primary fear?  The fear of being rejected!

In the same way when you evangelize you put yourself on the line. You open yourself to the possibility of being rejected. In other words, we become like Jesus in a very real and tangible way. According to Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Jesus was willing to be rejected so that we could accept the free gift of salvation that was purchased with his blood. If we really want to follow in his footsteps we need to be willing to be rejected as well.

4. It triggers demonic response.

If you want to anger Satan, then I can promise you that evangelizing about Christ will fire him up to wreak all kinds of havoc in your life. During the first century, the devil tried diligently to stop evangelism. He did not want Christians taking the Gospel to others. Thus, he caused per­secution, false teachers, and discouragement through the Roman government. Yet Chris­tians were still ardent in their evangelistic efforts. To defeat the devil and help us overcome sin, we need to spread the Gospel around the world. How the enemy would love us to ignore Mark 16:15-16. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

 Satan would like us to believe that we can stay home, watch our favorite tele­vision shows, and “let someone else worry about spreading the Gospel.”Satan wants people to think that they do not have the talent or ability to spread the Gospel, and that they therefore cannot do it. But each of us has been given the command to take the Gospel to the whole world. Look at the principle in Acts 5. Talk about people whose hearts were in evangelism—here they are. Christ’s disciples had been beaten for preaching the Gospel, and had been told not to go out to preach the Gospel any more. Yet verse 42 records, “Daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” The disciples were told to hush, or they would be beaten. Yet while the blood on their backs was still wet, and while the Jewish leaders’ warning was still ringing in their ears, they went to the temple and house to house to teach people about Christ. Oh, if we only had the zeal and desire to carry out evangelism like those people had. 

Acts 8:4 records, “Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” We need to fol­low the command of Jesus, Who said in Matthew 28:19—“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” We are told in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are to “proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” In Colossians 1:28 Paul wrote, “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Look at the good that comes from evangelism. In the first century, the critics of Christians said that they had “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). But what they really did was turn the world right-side up by getting people back in line with the will of God. Paul, Barnabas, Luke, and others would go into a city, and peo­ple would burn their books of magic (Acts 19) or they would tear down idols and give hon­or to God. That is the last thing that Satan wanted!

St. Peter’s warning to the early believers of the 1st Century church, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8.

Who do you think Satan is out to destroy? Those who are evangelizing Jesus! I am convinced that Satan will attack first those who attack him hardest. Christians who are prayerfully, consistently and lovingly sharing their faith are the ones who Satan will bring about a host of unpleasant doses of spiritual warfare. I could write an entire post on the spiritual warfare I've had to deal with since I began this blog. The more I write in it, the more Satan does everything in his power to get me to stop.  I will share more about spiritual warfare in a future blog post.

How do we overcome his attacks? Through prayer! We remember to clothe ourselves in the strength that God provides which will energize our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-20) and encourage us to to keep evangelizing in spite of the opposition. Remember too, as believers in Jesus we have authority over Satan. Don't let the spiritual warfare you may encounter keep you from sharing your faith.

5. It makes us realize how much we don’t know.

I can’t tell you how many times somebody I was sharing Jesus with asked me a tough question and I just stood there thinking, “uhhhhhhhhh hmmmmmm.” There’s nothing more frustrating in evangelism than not having an answer to a lost person’s question.

But recently the Lord gave me a “get-out-of-jail” free card (so to speak) when it comes to this issue. He helped me realize that I don’t need to know all the answers. After all, He is the one who is all knowing, not me!

So when someone I’m sharing Jesus with asks me a question that I don’t have the answer to I’ll say, “Wow! That’s a great question! I have no idea what the answer is but I will find it out and get back to you. In the meantime, let's keep talking!” I’ll then start praying for and searching for the answer. I’ll search the Bible, read books or trusted Internet sources and go to my Pastor or my mentor and find those answers. I’ll then go back and re-engage the conversation.

We don’t have to know all the answers because we know the only One who does (God!) And we can learn some of those answers along the way when we engage people evangelistically and are honest enough to admit that we’re still learning.

Yes, evangelism is hard, but it’s also necessary. It’s necessary because people hang in the balance between heaven and hell and between hope and despair. If we really care about them we’ll do whatever it takes to get the message of Jesus to them in spite of the challenges.

I pray this post encourages you to engage in the challenging yet extremely rewarding work of evangelism in your sphere of influence. And, by the way, once you learn how to share the gospel it becomes much easier.

Thank you for reading A Spirit Filled Life and God Bless you.

Jeremy Camp - Walk by Faith Testimony

I'm taking a break from my series on world religions to share with you this brief testimony by one of my favorite Christian artists, Jeremy Camp. His song, WALK BY FAITH has seen me through many difficult times and as you will see he had a very powerful reason for writing it.

My next post is him singing the song. Take three minutes to listen to the testimony and another 3 to listen to the song. It will inspire you!

Jeremy Camp - Walk By Faith - LIVE UNPLUGGED