“We must lay this to heart: A worldly church cannot and will not reach the world. The church must be distinct from the world to reach the world. We must set ourselves apart to God if we hope to reach the world. In a word, the only hope for us and the lost world is a holy church.” (Kent Hughes, 17) — Set Apart
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“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.” -Psalm 118:8
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“America might be the hardest missions field..”- Mike Hixson.
In the High School I attend, I have talked with many teenagers who dress nicely and are polite. They might play a sport, make great school grades, have tons of friends, have good jobs, and even might enjoy going to church (once in a while). They seem very confident with themselves and their lives.
Now, I’m not saying all these things are bad, because these things are actually really good! If you are saved and have friends, this is a blessing! And if you glorify God with working hard at sports and school, this is great! The problem is that these things give the unsaved a false security. Most people in our very prosperous country believe they don’t need Christ. If you present to them the gospel, they might say, “Yeah, that sounds sweet, but I don’t think I need Christ…Really I have everything I could wish for…”. How can we reach out to people like this and not be discouraged? Here are some things that we can remember.
They are still sinners and are in need of a Savior.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” — Romans 3:23
Things on earth are temporal. Christ gives eternal life.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ..” — Matthew 6:19
Though they might look for security in everything they do, they are still empty, fallen and without Jesus they have no eternal hope.
“Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the common wealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” –Ephesians 2:1
If you encounter people like this and share the gospel with them and nothing seems to happen, don’t get discouraged. Remember that only God can change people’s hearts. Though they might look like they have everything they need, in the eyes of God they are poor, blinded, and in desperate need of redemption. Just keep praying and praying and showing Christ-likeness to them. Love them and remember you were once without hope. Don’t give up on praying for their salvation. They might never accept Jesus for Lord and Savior, or they might even ask you to pray with them, but regardless of the outcome, know that if you proclaim Christ to them, you have obeyed God and that is exactly what He wanted you to do.
Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”
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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17 ESV)
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One of best things about December is winter break. School is finally out, and Christmas is just around the corner! Winter break means that the year is half over, and mid-term reports will be coming soon. (dun dun duhhhn!) I love seeing my grades and reading comments from my teachers, because I know that I’ve succeeded in my work; some people, however, dread the proof that they haven’t met the teacher’s requirements.
Mid-term grades are definitely important, but think now about a different kind of grade. You’re at the half-way mark of your year at school, at work, or at home. Consider the grades you would receive if The Ultimate Teacher, God, issued mid-term reports. The course title is “Living for Christ 101.” The Teacher will be grading you on “Faithfulness in God’s Word,” “Love for Others,” and “Fervency in Sharing the Gospel.” He’ll also include comments about your Thoughts and Attitudes. How would your “first semester” rate? I know that I would definitely not have straight A’s or probably even B’s. This is a problem!
God has strategically placed us to shine as lights for Him, but too often we forget our goal of glorifying God. We “don’t have time” to sit and learn from our Teacher; we’re “too busy” to love selflessly; and we are scared to share God’s love with those around us. Our thoughts and attitudes are selfish, self-focused, and self-serving.
“Now wait a second,” you argue. “I have my devotions pretty regularly; I think about other people; I’ve told some friends about God. You’re making us sound like flunkies – I’m doing well at least 75% of the time!” All that may be completely true…but a 75% is a C (and sometimes a D!!) Why are we satisfied with a C? Shouldn’t we be doing A+ work for our LORD and Savior? We should be pouring ourselves into others – sharing Christ with the lost. We should constantly be seeking to serve others, not ourselves. And honestly, I was being generous. I don’t think many of us can truly say that we live whole-heartedly for Christ 75% of the time. Surely we can do better for our Master and our King.
Mid-term reports can be depressing for some, but they always offer hope. “Mid-term” means that we still have half the year to improve! We can buckle down and get serious about studying. Likewise, Christians, we have another “semester” to live for Christ. We can choose to get serious about living for Christ every moment of our lives. I’m ready to raise my grade – how about you?
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“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” -Matthew 1:21-23
Merry Christmas to all of our followers and to all of the dedicated members of the LiveSharp team!
Love: Your Administrator, Mitch
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. - Psalm 103:1-5
Pastor John Ashbrook had one overly whelming and dominate passion in his life, which was to “Bless the Lord” through all he did each and everyday. Let us make that our passion and not forgot all the “benefits” that the Lord has given us every moment of our lives. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
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“This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness AT ALL. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” -1 John 1:5-7
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Hi everyone, this is Mitchell Silvius your administrator.
I would to ask for your prayers for two families that have lost a loved one this morning.
First please pray for the family of Pastor John Ashbrook. Pastor Ashbrook pastored at Bible Community Church (my home church) for forty-six years before retiring in 1998. He had slowly been loosing his heath due to cancer and is now standing before our Lord as of this morning. http://islekerguelen.blogspot.com/2006/01/john-e-ashbrook.html
Second please pray for the family of a friend of my Cousin named Rachel. Rachel was killed this morning while crossing the street to get on her school bus, because a driver failed to stop at the stop sign. I’m not sure if Rachel was saved.
Thank you so much for your prayers, God Bless Mitch
Administrator of LiveSharp.org, Mitchell Silvius, preached this sermon at the 2011 Bob Jones University High School Preaching Conference.
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