Fishing for people requires intentional relationships. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” (Matthew 4.19 ESV). This was the invitation Jesus gave to His first followers. They had spent their entire lives learning from their fathers how to fish for a living. Now, Jesus was inviting them to fish for men. He […]
Living on Mission Sharing the Gospel is motivated by love. Jesus came to earth because of our desperate need, but He also was compelled by His deep love for you and me. Love is what drove Him to the cross. Take a moment to reflect on the words Jesus shared with Nicodemus during their nighttime […]
You were made to make an eternal impact. God didn’t save you to simply live a life that was safe, predictable and cautious. He saved you to leave a legacy of faith — passed down from one person to another — that will change generations long after you are gone. I can say from personal […]
Busyness can choke out your effectiveness! It was the only time I’ve ever hit my mother-in-law. She was busily preparing a special luncheon, and I could tell she was a bit nervous. Her son was bringing home the girl he planned to marry, and this was going to be their first meeting. Suddenly the doorbell […]
Fear can hold you back, but the Spirit can make you bold. Probably the biggest excuse that keeps us from talking about Jesus is fear. We are afraid to talk to someone we don’t know. We are afraid of how they will respond. We are afraid of looking foolish or saying the wrong thing. We […]
Is God all powerful or all loving? Several years ago, I saw Martin Bashir, a news anchor for MSNBC at the time, interviewing a pastor on national television following a tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people in japan. He started with a question: “Help us with this tragedy in Japan. Which of these is […]
Jesus can use your greatest weakness as your greatest witness.Up to this point, we have been talking about your testimony; your salvation story. But I’m sure that as you think back over your life, you could find many stories — outside of your salvation — where Jesus met your need or ministered to you in […]
You have a powerful story. Believe it or not, you already have a very effective tool that will help you point people to Jesus Christ. That tool is your personal story. Every believer has a story, and when you tell how Jesus encountered you and changed your life, it yields powerful results. Just think about […]
God uses crisis to bring people to Christ. Looking out over the 600,000 people living in the poorest part of Lima, Peru, you can almost feel the oppression. Many of these people came out of the jungles with absolutely nothing and settled in “squatter” shacks on the outskirts of the massive city of 7 million. […]
Being a friend begins with hospitality. Levi hadn’t been a believer for long. He had just made the radical decision to leave behind his old life as a tax collector and follow Jesus, but his heart was still burdened for his friends who were far from God. He desperately wanted them to know Jesus the […]