Gospel

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Angels and Demons

 

I’ve never dabbled in witchcraft or anything involving the occult. 

However, the things I’ve read and watched, the testimonies I’ve heard from men and women who have escaped that lifestyle, are enough for me to know that it’s not good.

This term I am taking Angels and Demons. In the class we will be learning about the spiritual realm. Mr. Kirk Dubois is my teacher and I am excited to dive into the topic. 

Here are some basic truths to consider:

  1. If there is good, there must be evil
  2. If there is right, there must be wrong
  3. If there is light, there must be darkness

Skeptics embrace these facts when it comes to other religions, but not when it comes to Christianity (even though the Bible clearly addresses every one of these areas).

 

Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism–and every other religion in between–have an after life, good and evil, as part of their beliefs.

Whenever someone is ignorant about the spiritual realm, Satan has a  field day because that means there’s lots of room for him to deceive. 

Every person I’ve ever heard speak about escaping the occult or coming out of witchcraft starts off their story the same way:

I didn’t know what I was getting in to.

Normally, all he or she wanted was something to connect with, something to give their lives meaning and purpose. What they found was darkness beyond compare.

Guess what?

As Christians we can share with those individuals–and those who are stuck in dead religions–the source of all strength and power:

Jesus Christ! 

In Him is the hope of a bright future!

In Him is power over all darkness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gathering around the table

Happy Easter!

Did you have fun celebrating with your family and friends?

I know that I did!

A group of Rhema students and alumni–all of us from other states–gathered this afternoon to eat hot dogs and enjoy each other’s company.

After lunch, we played Apples to Apples and talked about Jesus.

Considering that Jesus ate breakfast with the disciples after His resurrection, I think He’s pleased when we gather together to celebrate.

There’s something powerful about fellowshipping around the dinner table because food is a connecting point.

Transplant life (a term my friend Carli coined) is a great way to create a habit of hospitality because you know what it’s like to be alone in a new town.

Make a menu, get everyone to chip in, and pick a location. This is all you need to host a party! It’s not as hard as you think.

Who doesn’t love to eat?

Of course, I missed my family and hiding eggs for my cousins, but I am glad that my friend Sheri invited me to the get together.

My first Easter in Tulsa was awesome!

I am so thankful for the hospitality of my Rhema friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Springtime reflections

I went on a 5 mile walk today with my friend. It was awesome! 

Springtime pushes me out of the house and into the sunshine. Plus, it’s time for me to get back into an exercise routine…it’s been too long. 

I looked around as we walked the trail and saw some interesting things:

1. Beautiful trees growing in all sorts of directions. 

2. A butterfly bush and several butterflies. (I even tried to catch one but it didn’t happen.)

3. A man playing bongos on a park bench. 

4. The fact that this beautiful walking trail ran parallel to the road and highway entrance. It just struck me as odd for some reason. 

The weather is beautiful and the sunshine’s appearance makes this Easter weekend perfect. 

Today I can’t help but think of the disciples and how they were so sad because Jesus was gone–or so they thought! 

It’s easy for us to pick on them for their unbelief, but that’s unfair. 

How many times do we fail?

And, we have the whole Bible and the disciples did not. 

They remembered after the fact all that Jesus had told them about His death, burial, and resurrection. 

I’ve forgotten stuff the Lord has told me and the Holy Spirit has to remind me. 

All of these thoughts have me excited about Sunday…

Even when I mess up and forget, Jesus never does. He always does what He says. 

Nothing has changed from that first Easter weekend to now because Jesus is the most stable, most steady guy I know. 

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Redemption Stories

unityThere is great power in our personal stories (Christians call this their testimony, but story fits just as well here).

I heard several after Mr. Kirk Dubois finished up announcements on Thursday. He invited students up to share how they ended up at Rhema.

Looking at my fellow classmates now, you would never know about their pasts. Coming to Christ radically changed their lives–and the lives of many of their family members as well. 

Today is Good Friday. At 3 PM, Jesus died on the cross. He was falsely accused, mocked, and ridiculed. The events of His Crucifixion were foretold in the Old Testament and by Jesus Himself.

Isaiah 53 says:

He was looked down on and passed over,
    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
    Through his bruises we get healed (MSG).

What gets me in this passage is Jesus was “a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand”. The King James calls Jesus a Man of Sorrows. 

Many people claim that no one understands their pain, their suffering.

First off, that’s simply not true. There are others (probably more than you realize) who can identify with you. 

Secondly, Jesus knows your pain.

Blow by blow Jesus was beaten and all of His blood was shed.

Our sins are the reason Jesus willingly laid down His life. 

As you observe Good Friday, maybe even for the first time, meditate on these truths.

Our stories were redeemed because of Jesus’ sacrifice.

 

 

 

 

 

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Invest in the right thing

As much as I love reading–I would read all day everyday if I could–I love people more. 

People are always more important. 

We’re surrounded by technology and a million other distractions that can keep us from investing in the lives of our friends and family. 

Only 2 things on earth are eternal: 

  1. God’s Word
  2. The spirits of men and women. 

Everything else will be burnt to a crisp once the final judgment comes to the earth. 

The Great Comission is about preaching the gospel and making disciples. 

Jesus told us the greatest command is to love God. Then He said the 2nd commandment is equal to the first: love people. 

God is a people person–He just wants us all to know Him. 

He loves us so much that He sent His most precious gift, Jesus, to earth to live and die for our sins. 

A gospel message that lacks love is not representing the true gospel at all. 

One of my teachers said something recently that I’m still chewing on:

In our preaching, is Jesus attractive enough that people want to accept Him without the threat of hell?

Please don’t stop reading. I’m not a heretic. 

Hell is a real place like Heaven–and it’s not a fun place either. Eternal punishment and separation from God is the worst fate ever. 

But I wonder what would happen if Christians shared with lost people about a God who loves them first instead of throwing it in after speaking of the eternal doom of not choosing Jesus. 

Why not start with love?

Share the story of God’s love and model it in your own life. 

I’m not interested in debating on  methods of evangelism. I just want to point out that Christianity at it’s core, is all about the love of God and the love of Christ. 

Love multiples, which is why Jesus told us to share and teach the truth. 

The importance of discipleship was emphasized and modeled to us by Jesus and the early church leaders. 

People are important and investing in relationships is the best use of your time. 

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This Ordinary Adventure

Aren’t we all afraid of being normal? 

If someone calls you normal, they might as well say, “You are the most boring person I know.”

At least, that’s how it feels because who doesn’t want to be known as a wandering, wondering, unpredictable world changer?   I just finished This Ordinary Adventure by Christine and Adam Jeske, which answers that question. 

Adam and Christine served as missionaries to Nicarauga, China, and South Africa before moving back to Wisconsin with their 2 children. 

They wondered if moving back to America was “settling” for a mediocre life. 

I enjoyed how the book switched back and forth between their two perspectives. 

If you find yourself struggling in this area, I think this book will be helpful. 

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Love Does and Souper Sunday

I met Bob Goff!!!!

  He spoke at The Assembly in Broken Arrow this morning. 

The man is a great example of love in action. His whole life is about taking the love of Christ to a broken world and introducing them to the Savior who makes all things new. 

I’ve read Love Does a dozen times in the past couple of years. It’s one of the best books I have ever read–and that’s saying a lot. 

To end my awesome afternoon, I went to Souper Sunday, a benefit dinner to raise money for Total Source for Hearing Loss and Access (TSHA). 

  What a cool organization!

It’s a hub for the deaf community in Tulsa and I’m so happy to finally be connected again! 

This past week, I attended a deaf church and a coffee social. 

My heart is full…

Life is good because my Father God is good. 

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We all serve a master

I have a guest blogger!

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a LONG time. It’s my goal to have various friends and family share with us from their hearts.

ambear and audraMy first guest blogger is my oldest friend and companion, Amber Siler. I met Amber when I was 12 years old and we quickly became inseparable. Now, many years later, we live hours apart, but sisters are forever.

I think you’ll really enjoy her topic, especially if you’re a fan of minions.

 

My husband and I recently watched the movie Minions. It is the story of the little yellow creatures from Despicable Me before they came to know and serve their master, Gru.

The movie begins with the narrator explaining that minions have a natural instinct to serve the most despicable being alive. We are then taken on a journey through time as the group of minions chooses these evil beings to serve, among them the mighty T-Rex and Dracula. Time shows that these masters are sub-par and vulnerable.

After losing yet another master, the minions decide to just live on their own and make life one big party. But it doesn’t take long before the party isn’t fun anymore.

The narrator tells us: “ They felt empty inside. Without a master they had no purpose. They became aimless and depressed. If this continued much longer, the minions would perish.”

Wow.

I think I missed the next several minutes of the movie as I pondered that statement.

Humans aren’t much different than minions.

We too were made to serve a master. We give ourselves to master after master, only to be disappointed when those “masters” don’t have what we are looking for. We then turn our energy inward to serve ourselves, partying and living life any way we please. But it doesn’t take long before the party loses it’s appeal. And without a master to serve, we lose our purpose.

We were created to serve THE Master – God himself, Creator of the universe. We cannot live a fulfilling life unless we are in dedicated service to Him. That’s the bottom line.

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More than a nice story 

I hope there are movies in Heaven. I hope there are story times with the patriarchs and prophets and everyone else in between. 

Because the Bible gives us glimpses, but there are details I want to know!

One of my teachers joked with us in class that the Bible would read much differently if women wrote it. 

The cool thing, though, is that God told us about the important areas in great detail. 

He even set the story in cultural contexts that have been thoroughly studied out by scholars for hundreds of years. 

I love the fact that there will always be more for me to know about God’s Word. 

Everyday I learn more and more about my Father, about how He wants me to live. 

The Bible is not just a nice story–it’s God’s rescue plan to save us from the darkness of sin. 

The Bible is God’s will written out, so there’s no need for us to wonder what He wants us to do. 

And maybe you don’t get why I love the Bible so much, maybe you find it hard to understand. 

Here’s my advice: Pray and ask God to give you understanding–even if you’re not the praying type–and I guarantee that He’ll answer that prayer. 

God’s heart is for every man and woman to know the depths of His love for mankind. 

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Our job, His job

I read at the end Acts today that King Agrippa was almost persuaded to become a Christian. 

Paul shared the gospel so effectively that King Agrippa’s statement showed what it all boiled down to:

It was a choice. 

King Agrippa wasn’t confused about anything. He simply made a choice to decline the offer. 

The reality is that we all have a choice to make when it comes to Christ. 

No amount of arm twisting or beating people over the head with a Bible will convince everyone to accept God’s free gift of salvation. 

Of course, the goal is always to see others come to know Christ. Their eternity is at stake!

We’re all called to share the gospel with the world. The Great Commission given by Christ Himself is not to be ignored. 

Just remember that the choice to accept Christ is a personal one. Our job is to share the gospel and to pray. 

The Holy Spirit’s job is to work in their hearts. 

Don’t confuse your job with His or confuse behavior modification with true relationship. 

Paul told King Agrippa it was his hope that he be saved. At the end of the conversation, though, King Agrippa made a choice. 

Paul never spoke with him again (that we know of) but he knew that King Agrippa understood the gospel message. 

We all have friends and family who are almost convinced. They’re sitting on the fence because of doubt and unbelief. 

Keep praying!

Keep looking for opportunities to talk about God. 

There’s too much at stake for us to give up so easily. However, we can’t forget that the choice is not ours to make for them.