Story of kids handing out gospel tracts

A while back I was at work, working in a mini-golf course. Anyone who wanted to play mini-golf had to come through me to pay and get their clubs and balls. It’s an easy job and I enjoy working it most of the time. Anyways, one afternoon a group of probably six kids aged around 8-12, run up to to the mini-golf and start running out on the course to other customers while they’re playing. I immediately try to stop them from bothering the customers. The kids looked at me, acknowledged me, and continued to run out on the course. As I stood up I noticed the kids were handing out pieces of paper to the people playing. Being the good attendant that I am, I kept yelling at the kids to come over to me. (it’s easier to yell than try to catch up to them) They came over to me after they realized that I wasn’t going to stop yelling at them. I asked them what they were doing. They told me they were handing out pieces of paper. As I examined the paper I realized that these kids came as a church group to hand out these gospel tracts. I warned the kids not to go back on the course and to stop bugging the customers. As they left they continued to pester more customers so I had to walk them out of the golfing area. This whole situation irritated and disappointed me.

As much as I love Jesus and love to see people witnessing, this irritated me. The kids were disrespectful and rude. When I asked them about their faith they could not answer key questions. These kids were also unsupervised for the most part. It was a weird situation for me. As the customers left I apologized to them for the interruptions.

What bothered me most was that these kids were representing Christianity and were representing it horribly. These kids did not even understand the gospel. The leaders who brought them were careless by sending kids out unsupervised.  The gospel tracts they handed out were not helpful either. The tracts contained no references to repentance. This situation was all around bad. It pained me to see such a horrible presentation of Christianity. I don’t want to make it sound as if I am anti gospel tracts. That is not the case at all. I ordered some online yesterday and have left some in strategic places recently. I think tracts are a helpful tool and reinforcement for spreading the Gospel of Jesus. But it must be done in the right way.

Have you had any similar experiences?

Does sin make you weep?

When is the last time you wept over your sin or sin that is around you? Do you shed tears for the lost people around you? Does the sin of your nation grieve you? Are you even affected by the depravity of your culture? Do you even care? Do you love others?

Deal with yourself. If you have unrepentant sin in your life, repent of it. Seek out the Holy Spirit to work with you in fighting your sin. (Philippians 2:12-13) Don’t continue walking in sin. We are called to be holy and live a holy lifestyle. We are not only called to be holy but also enabled to live holy through the power of the Holy Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to work inside you. I almost daily weep over the sin in my life. By God’s grace I’m not what or who I used to be, but I still have a ways to go. God wants me Holy. Sin is no laughing matter, it is to be taken seriously.

Look around you. Look inside your home and at your family. Look at your neighbor. Look at your town. Look at your nation. Do you see sin? God forbid we overlook sin in our life and in the life of others. Pray for yourself and pray for others. Prayer makes a difference. Fall on your face before God and plead with Him to manifest His presence in your house, neighborhood, city, and nation. Intercede for them. The people around us need praying Christians.

Why do they need praying Christians? Because of sin in their life. The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Everyone has sinned on this Earth. The ones who have not received Christs work on the cross are headed to hell. Does that bother you? I write this with tears in my eyes even now. I have friends that will end up in hell. A place of everlasting torment. A place of punishment. This makes my heart break. The people of this world need the Church praying for them and interceding. God hears and listens to prayers. Not everyone will receive what Jesus accomplished on the cross, the Bible makes that clear. But God forbid my family, friends, neighbors, and nation not hear that Christ died for them. The coming torment of much of humanity makes me weep over sin. Our friends and family don’t have to go to hell. Jesus Christ died on the cross for everyone. God wants all people saved. Don’t give up on praying for your lost friends and family. Pray for an awakening and revival.

Pray for the people around us and weep over sin in our own life and the sin in others. IT is an issue of life and death.

How to know if you know Jesus

This topic will be controversial for some, but is needful in the American Church. Many people falsely believe they are saved from sin. Some people go to church and are told that if they walk down to an altar or are even baptized that you will be eternally secure in your salvation. It is taught in many churches that it is impossible to fall away. Some churches teach that God forgives all of our past, present, and future sins. Even though I obviously disagree with the doctrine of eternal security, as well as the Bible does, that teaching is not the subject of this post. This post is about the assurance of salvation.

1 John 2:3-6

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word. truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

John 15:15

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Only By Grace. We can know that we know Jesus. We do not have to wonder about our salvation. We are not saved by our good deeds or good works. Those things could never be enough to merit salvation. Our salvation is only by the grace of God through Christ Jesus. Jesus paid the price for our sin. Only by the grace of God is anyone saved. So understand that keeping the commandments does not merit anyone’s salvation. Salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ.

Examine Yourself. But how can we know that we know Jesus? We can know by examining our self and seeing whether we keep His commandments. People who love Jesus keep His commandments. No Christian can go on living a lifestyle in sin. It is impossible. If we say that we have fellowship with Jesus but then continue walking in darkness, the Bible calls that person a liar. We are to walk on this earth the same way Jesus did. I am not talking about falling into sin occasionally and then repenting of it and asking for forgiveness. I am talking about making a habit out of sinning. Living a lifestyle that does not glorify God. Examine yourself by God’s Word.

1 Peter 2:21-22

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in his steps: Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth.”

Friend, examine yourself and see if you really know Jesus Christ. We can know. This is a matter of death and life. Don’t be ignorant. God wants you to know. If you see that your lifestyle is not in accord with what Jesus taught, then repent and follow Jesus. Trust that He paid the price for your sin, and repent of your sins. He wants you to be saved and He wants you to know that your saved.

David Wilkerson – Handed Over To Death

Spirit Filled & Persecuted

Historically there has been a high correlation between being Spirit Filled and being persecuted. In my last post I looked at what being a Spirit Filled Christian looks like, this week I will address what happened to the Spirit Filled Christians in the Book of Acts.

Directly after being filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter two, Luke records Peter standing up and preaching to the multitude. Luke writes, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” We find Peter, after the filling of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the name of Jesus!

A couple of chapters later in Acts chapter 4 we see Peter addressing the Sanhedrin. Luke records that Peter was full of the Holy Spirit in this instance as well. (Acts 4:8) After boldly confronting the rulers Peter and John are threatened and told not to speak in the name of Jesus anymore. (4:18) Later in chapter 4 we see part of the church being filled again with the Holy Spirit. (4:31) One filling is not enough. Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. This time the result of being filled is that they “spoke the word of God with boldness.” (4:31) The Spirit filled life will get you threatened at times.

The next person in the book of Acts recorded as having been full of the Holy Ghost is Stephen. (Acts 6:5) Although Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, he still faced opposition. He had the multitudes come against him. As he faced the multitudes Stephen preaches a sermon and rebuked the people coming against him. Stephen had boldness and grace as the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Ultimately Stephen was stoned to death. The Spirit Filled life will bring death sometimes.

The Next person to examine is Paul. In Acts chapter 9, Paul is filled with the Holy Spirit and immediately begins preaching Jesus Christ in the synagogues. (9:17) He preached that Jesus is the Son of God. A few verses later though, Luke writes that Jews plotted to kill him. These are only some of the multiple instances where Luke records people being filled with the Holy Ghost. If interested in reading more pick up your Bible and read through the Book of Acts.

The Holy Spirit does not fill us so that we can relax or so that we can enjoy an emotional high. The Holy Spirit fills us and empowers the Church so that we can proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. We are called to be witnesses. Remember the departing words of Jesus, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The Holy Spirit fills the church to proclaim Jesus and be His witnesses. A good witness cannot keep silent. A witness must speak.

In all the instances above we see that the person or people filled with the Holy Ghost were doing something. They were all speaking and proclaiming the name of Jesus. The Church of Jesus Christ is called to more than sitting down and studying theology. The church is called to more than reading their Bible and attending services. These things are all good and should be done. But a priority should be placed upon sharing the Gospel.

Also of note is that persecution was normal in the Book of Acts. Spirit Filled people in the Bible were hated by the world. Don’t expect anything different today. I have heard multiple brothers and sisters in Christ talk about being raptured before any persecution comes to America. My answer to that statement is this. “What a self-centered and individualistic statement.” We have brothers and sisters worldwide facing real persecution. Christians are having church buildings burnt to the ground and some brothers and sisters are being killed. It is time for the American church to wake up! Persecution is coming to America. We Americans are living in exciting times. I don’t talk and think about persecution with fear or worry. I talk about it with excitement.

My challenge to you is to seek the Filling of the Holy Spirit and then proclaim the Gospel. Receive the power that comes with His filling. Some may need refilled, but either way, Get full of Him and then go.

Talk to me in the comments section below.

What does it mean to be Spirit Filled?

We hear all around us of “Spirit filled” churches or being a “Spirit filled” believer. What does that even mean? I have come to the conclusion that many people don’t even know what that means. Throughout this post I will try to show you what the Bible says about being full of the Holy Spirit. As well as what it means to be full of the Holy Spirit.

First off, one has to understand that the Holy Spirit is a person. He is a He, not an it. Also one has to understand that the Holy Spirit is God. I will not spend time right now arguing these since this is widely accepted as truth in the Christian community.

To be full of the Holy Spirit, here is a list of things that cannot be apart of your life. Bitterness, wrath, anger, loud quarreling or clamor, and evil speaking with malice. (Ephesians 4:30-32) If someone is truly full of the Holy Spirit, he or she will be imitators or God as dear children. Walking in love just as Christ did. The Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and The Father are all One. Therefore to be full of the Holy Spirit is to be full of God, walking in His truth.

Not every believer is full of the Holy Spirit. The Bible makes a distinction between Christians full of the Holy Ghost and those not. Everyone that has been saved does have the Holy Spirit in him or her. You could not be saved without the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who draws us to salvation. Without Him we would be lost and without any hope. So every believer does have the Holy Ghost inside of him or her. The word “filling” could be explained as yielding to God completely. Being full of the Holy Spirit means you have faith, believing that He is working in your life, as well as, repenting from your sins. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit. To be full, one has to be at a place where they are actively repenting from their sins and turning to God. The Holy Ghost will not be in cohabitation with sin. They do not get along. Sin grieves Him. So to be full of the Holy Spirit, one has to be in repentance from sin.

It should also be stated, that the Holy Spirit does not fill you so that you can feel good. He hasn’t come to give you warm feelings or to make you cry with tears of joy. He hasn’t even come to make you speak in tongues or prophecy. He has come to glorify Jesus. The Apostle John, records Jesus saying this, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” (John 15:26) Jesus also says, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14) The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Jesus. Therefore every person full of the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus. They won’t attempt to make a name for themselves, but will attempt to spread the name of Jesus all over the world so that people can believe upon Him.

To be full of the Holy Spirit is to be full of power. Luke recorded Jesus saying, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” With the Holy Spirit power we are witnesses! He gives us the power so that we can proclaim the name of Jesus. Spirit filled believers will be a witness to everyone around them, for Jesus.

Throughout the Book of Acts, we see many different actions following Spirit filled believers. We see them speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4), testifying of Jesus boldly (Acts 4:8), “speaking the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31), forgiving people who have done them wrong (Acts 7:55-60), speaking out against people who pervert God’s words and commandments (Acts 13:9-10), and teaching and speaking accurately the things of God. (Acts 18:25) Contrary to what some movements and people might say, being full of the Holy Spirit doesn’t always mean you are speaking in different languages (aka tongues).

The Holy Spirit distributes His gifts to each person however He wills. Not everyone does speak in tongues. Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. I encourage you to take a few minutes and read it. It only takes a few minutes. There are diversities in gifts. There is no need to glorify speaking in tongues, over another gift. Speaking in tongues is not even the most useful gift. The Apostle Paul lists speaking in tongues after apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healing, helps, and administrations. The gift of tongues is a wonderful gift but it has received, in my opinion, far too much attention over the other gifts of the Spirit.

Lastly, a Spirit filled life will produce fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,  kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) If someone is truly Spirit filled, they will exhibit these fruit. These fruit on the Spirit filled believer will be as evident as an apple tree full of fruit. Wherever the believer goes they should be dropping fruit like an apple tree dropping apples. When you are dropping these fruit, everyone will know that you are a Spirit filled believer, just like everyone knows that a tree dropping apples is an apple tree. I will leave you with the words of Jesus in John 15:8.

“By this My father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will all be my disciples.”

Video For Anyone That Ministers In Any Way

The Urge to Pray

One of the greatest pieces of advice I have ever heard is, “Never resist the urge to pray.” It sounds like common sense, but how often to we resist?  Now that I am more conscious about setting aside what I am doing and praying, I have experienced a stronger prayer life and a closer relationship with The Lord.

The last couple weeks I have been praying everyday and spending more time with God than I have in times past. The result of communing with God is that I am nearer to Him. The Holy Spirit has been working inside me and helping me overcome sin that I had been struggling with and has been bringing life to me. One of the habits I have gotten into is that whenever I get an urge to pray, well, I stop what I am doing and pray. The urge to pray comes form the Holy Spirit. Every time I resist the urge to pray I am resisting the Holy Spirit.

This brings me to another thought. (or maybe a rambling) How is it that so many Christians can go without praying and devoting themselves to God? It makes no sense to me. The church world is full of non praying Christians. No doubt these people continually resist the Holy Spirit. No wonder sin is rampant within the American church. The American church has become a prayerless church. There is no connection with God. Do you pray? Do you seek out the Holy Spirit asking Him to change your heart and sanctify you? Do you talk to God?

MY challenge to YOU is this, seek God’s face. Spend time in prayer with God. Anytime the you get the urge to pray or talk with God, stop what you are doing and pray. Stop resisting the Holy Spirit’s drawing of you. 

David Wilkerson – The Delivering Power of the New Covenant

David Wilkerson-Walking in the Power of the New Covenant