HBC Crusade 2011 - More than Noise

Just wanted to post a few things from the Crusade. If you weren't able to make it, you missed a lot. I would love to post about every night but would be here forever! But one thing that was said several time and stuck out was John 15:8 "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

"showing yourself to be my disciple" - More than Noise

A lot of the times there's just a lot of noise coming out of Christian's mouths. Yeah I'll probably get into some people's grills and step on some toes, but shouldn't we be more than just words. Shouldn't our faith "bear much fruit". Notice I didn't put a question mark behind that last sentence, that’s because it isn't a question. I think if the so called Christians showed that they were truly the Father's disciples the church would be rockin' and this world would be a lot different. Bro Jack's last message Sunday focused on breaking the box and giving it all. How many times do we give it all? Let me answer that...When it's convenient to us. Wow, talk about surrender. LOL literally laughing. If we want to further the Kingdom of God it’s going to take disciples bearing much fruit and surrendering a life that really isn't yours.

So how can you plug yourself in?

We can start by asking God. It’s called having a prayer life, a REAL daily relationship with Christ. Honestly don’t expect much if you don't have one. To "break the box" means surrendering your entire self to God. Christians pick up that phone and give Him a call. Or better than that hit your knees and when it starts to hurt, then ask yourself if you're willing to break the box and suffer and live for God!

I love this passage from 2 Corinthians 5 titled "We Are God's Ambassadors"

11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Look at verse 17 again. Below is the New King James version

(NKJ) 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

"a new creation" Christ has entered your life and has made you "new". Why would we need any desires from our old life? Yet we let those hold us back.

Let me encourage you if I can…Be BOLD for Christ and share Him with others. Don’t worry about what people will say; just live for Him.

Verse 13: If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.

God please use us to share the love of Christ with this world and let us realize that you’ve called us for this purpose….

"I am there with you"

Where two or three of you come together in my name. I am there with you. Matthew 18:20

Tuesday night church members gathered in homes all over Holden. We came together to pray for our community and the Crusade that will start Thursday.

As for seven students and myself we started out inside the church. We began with Bible devotion from Daniel 6. We looked at how even in the face of trouble Daniel took a bended knee and prayed. That prayer was something daily in his life that he held tight to and that he was willing to pray no matter what. As he found himself in the Lion's Den he trusted that God would rescue him. Wow the prayer life of such a man, he was dedicated to his Lord.

After our devotion we scattered out among the sanctuary to lift up the ones that may be sitting in the pews in the next few days. We prayed over the stage, for Bro. Jack as he delivers the Word of God and also for the worship band. We gathered back up in the youth room to pray for the counselors and the ones they will be counseling with. After that, we walked across the street to pray over the school campus. For these seven students this was one of their biggest battle grounds. We gathered around the flag pole to lift up the SYATP event that will happen Sept 28th. We moved about the elementary area and around the office lifting up the students and administration. We gathered back up to pray in front of the Junior High building and also in front of High School building. I challenged these seven students to lift up those students that God has placed on their hearts. Many names were voiced in prayer along with every student in the junior high and high school halls.

I pray that these seven students have the heart for these lost students that will walk by them everyday. And know that it is up to them to bring the message of a loving Savior and that they will be in constant prayer for their classmates and school.

As we gathered in these circles to pray, I couldn't help but to think about Daniel kneeling in that Lion's Den. Surrounded by lions, His focus was on the Lord. How hard we find it to stay focused on God. We were tested also by a feline. No not a lion, but a small black cat that followed us around the school intertwining itself around our legs as we prayed in our circles. I personally had to think of what Daniel had to do in his situation: Focus on God and pray for these lost people to be rescued.

Ready Now!

A while back I wrote a post called "Who Will Go?" - The Radical Prayer.

The passage was from Luke 10:1-3 where Christ sent out the groups of disciples to go to all towns and places He planned to visit.

His instructions to them were...

“The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."

Well the Harvest is ready and we have not only been in prayer for workers but for the harvest as well. It's Ready Now!

As we prepare to go out into the community, Bro Wendell prepared a sermon for the church from the book of John chapter 4. The focus was verse 35...

Through many professions of faith and testimonies, God has shown Holden Baptist Church that the fields are ready now and He is at work in our church and community. Are we ready to go?

Well don't think about that question to long. See, if the harvest is ready and no one goes to tend to it, it will wilt and die.

Look at this passage from

Ezekiel 3:17-18

“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.

Not only does this passage confirm that the harvest will die but it also brings it to my attention that we will be held responsible for not going. Have you ever thought about the harvest that was ready and no one went? What happened to the ones that were looking and waiting for answers and directions while the messengers just stood by?

Christians our purpose is to GO. With every selfish excuse that we may bring forward, the harvest that may die should break our hearts. Take "us" out of the equation. Sharing the love of Christ shouldn't be about us. John the Baptist said it best  "He must become Greater and Greater, and I must become less and less." - John 3:30 

It's about those lost souls coming to know Christ and we have the privilege of being the messengers.

As for Holden Baptist Church we answered that call. This past weekend we gathered together to head out into the community as we prepare for the Holden Baptist Crusade. Our purpose was to go into the community with the simple invite, a gift and the opportunity to minister and pray for people.

What a response we had! We had a ton of smiles as we visited people in the community and invited them to the Crusade. Even caught up with some people that we haven't seen in awhile. And as the church members gathered back up to report, it reminded me of the rest of Luke chapter 10
Verses 17-20
When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

No we didn't cast out demons but the disciples joyfully reported back as we shared our time out in the community with each other. And as for Satan falling... I'm sure he was throwing a fit with us out greeting people and sharing the love of Christ.

Continue to be in prayer for the Crusade this Thursday - Sunday. There is alot of hurting people out there that need to hear about the love of Christ.

30 Days of Prayer

 

30 Days of Prayer
This was the challenge I threw at the students as we come into the month of September. Twenty-eight days from now students will gather around flagpoles all around this country. They will unite, come together, CONVERGE for one purpose and that is to pray. Pray for what you ask. Their school, their classmates, their teacher, their community, the nation and its leaders.
See You At The Pole (SYATP) September 28th.
But why wait till then? I asked students, both Junior High and High School if they'd be willing to pray for the entire month of September leading up to SYATP. If each morning they gather in small groups at school to pray for their lost classmates and that the Gospel of Christ would be shared through their lives.
The challenge was taken and several students signed up to lead prayer each morning of this month. Join them as they pray each morning. At the same time remember them as well. These students need prayer warriors as they go onto that campus each morning.

CONVERGE: To come together and unite in a common interest or focus.

Let's focus on whats necessary, the lost souls headed for death (HELL).
It's real and we need to get real when it comes to talking with God.
Step into a time of prayer; let it become a lifestyle not just a religious exercise.
Let us speak to God telling him what's on our hearts and be ready to listen to His response.