Getting Young Adults Passionate about Jesus Christ

This topic is a very near one to my heart. I’m writing this with young adults in view, but this topic certainly applies to every age group under the sun.

Even though I’ve slipped into my 30′s now (yikes), I still feel like my young adult days are still upon me. Either way, I know what it’s like to be a professing Christian and yet have no true desire to follow Christ. I was passionate about many things, and they all had to do with serving me. Quite convenient isn’t it? However, as much service and love as I poured out on myself, the more discontent I became.

I didn’t see that as the end result before I made myself my own lord, but if I had taken even a morsel of truth from the Word of God, I should have expected that with absolute certainty. Thanks be to God, that in my mid-twenties, He hit me over the head with His truth like a ton of bricks. “It must be Jesus!” My road to that truth was a painful one, filled with God’s chastening and rebuke. However, today I’m on the path of righteousness running to Jesus Christ for eternal hope, joy and peace; and the entire glory and credit goes to our great and loving God for rescuing me from my sinful flesh.

So, it begs the question, how exactly do you get young adults passionate about Jesus Christ?

Well, I believe you must start from the beginning; assume as if they have no, or an immature relationship with Jesus Christ. It seems harsh doesn’t it? But it’s actually the safest and most loving way you could teach them because those who truly aren’t in the faith will be exposed by the Gospel, and those who are being built up in anything else but Jesus Christ will see the truth from God’s Word on what He expects from His children; devotion to Christ.

How you do that is by prayer and by blanketing all your lessons with the love of Christ. The Apostle Paul often prayed that his readers would grasp the love of Christ in their lives by getting to know Him and dwelling on His love. It seems simple enough, and yet it’s the most profound lesson the world could ever know. Christ’s love is the power, motivation, and fuel for living the way God intends us to live. Apart from the love of Christ, we will choose to waste our lives by living to love and serve only ourselves. As Paul said in Ephesians 3:17-19, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

We also must make sure that we’re teaching Christ and not Christianity. They may seem to be the same from the surface, but One is the Lord and Savior of the world who, when served and followed, our lives can fully please God; and the other can turn into a religious set of rules, codes and mandates. When Christians serve Christ, God is honored and glorified; when Christians serve their religion, God is mocked. We must teach Christ and let His love compel our audience to love and serve Him with their lives. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ compels us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” Christ’s love compels!

Have you ever heard the term “Don’t beat a dead horse”? It typically refers to a person who is elaborating on a topic that needs no more elaboration. However, in reference to our great Lord and Savior, that is simply impossible. Christ can never be exaggerated or elaborated enough. The most we could ever do with Christ is scratch the surface of His majesty, power and love. We cannot exhaust the topic of Christ. Therefore, I say confidently, beat a dead horse! Go and try to exhaust the name and love of Jesus Christ. It’s a great exercise for us to do for our own spiritual welfare, and our young adults must grasp the importance of Jesus Christ in our day to day lives.

In our efforts to beat a dead horse, we should teach how Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest from Hebrews chapters 4-5; we should teach how it pleased God to have all the fullness dwell in Christ from Colossians 1; we should teach that to live is Christ and to die is gain from Philippians 1; we should teach how Christ came to fulfill God’s law for us from Matthew 5; we should teach that we should constantly fix our eyes and thoughts on Jesus from Hebrews 3, etc, etc, etc. The topic of Christ is all over the Word of God, and we must focus our eyes on Him and point others to Him until all we have left are devoted disciples of Jesus.

Obviously, this must be taken outside of our lessons and Bible studies; we must practice what we preach and love and follow Christ with our actions. Now be careful about this; it is vastly different than just doing our best to have Christ-like actions in our lives. When we do that, we’re forming our own version of the law. If we simply try to be like Christ in word and deed, we will always fall short. It’s the 10 Commandments all over again. Christ is God, and we are depraved, wretched beings.

When God revealed His law and His commandments to us (Old and New Testament), it was always meant to reveal our sin to us. By revealing that sin to us, His will for us was always to go to Christ for complete righteousness. We tend to understand that for salvation from our sins, but somewhere along the path of serving God, we fall away from Christ and attempt to bring God our own sin-stained sacrifices. As Isaiah 64 tells us, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”; we need Christ! I need Him the first day I recognize my sin, and I need Him every day following where I recognize my sin.

We must serve Jesus, and not the commands of God. God wants it that way! By serving Jesus in focus, love, devotion and service, His righteousness will be seen in us in God’s eyes and we’ll bear fruit that God will consider beautiful, acceptable and sweet-smelling. The sooner people grab onto this truth, the better, and the less time we waste trying to serve God with our own futility. By the time kids become young adults, it may seem like it’s too late in the game to start over at the beginning. However, if we don’t start with Christ, we will never understand what it takes to live profitable lives for God.

The last method I’ll give you is actually the most powerful one; and it’s prayer. Prayer must be utilized if we ever desire to truly follow Christ with our lives. If you desire to see your group of young adults go on for Christ, if you desire that for yourself, then we must get alone with God and cry out to Him for power from above. If we don’t, we’re relying on our own focus, our own love, our own strength and our own abilities. And if you know anything about yourself like I know about myself; I am capable of a lot on my own power, but none of it is good.

I’ll leave you with my life verse which God has revealed to me over and over again so as to focus me on the truth from His Word. It’s from the Apostle Paul once again in Colossians 2:6-7, and it states this, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” May we receive grace from God to trust Christ more!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

I’ve been silent for a while in this ministry journal of mine. There are a couple reasons as to why; one being that we’ve been very busy, but the bigger one is because I’ve been overwhelmed by one thought; the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ll explain.

A little while ago, God led me to a sermon by Brother Paul Washer on, “The Centrality of Christ”. I listened to it, and although it’s very hard to make me cry (I’m just not a crier), my eyes filled up with water. Why? I know the gospel of Jesus Christ, don’t I? It’s been beat into my head for over 25 years now. It would be that movie or episode of your favorite TV show that you can quote all the lines from. And yet, as I listened to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by Paul Washer, I realized something I’ve never realized before; I only know a fraction of the Gospel.

Have you ever been humbled by the fact that you’re not very good at something when you thought you were very good at it for a long time? That’s how it felt for me. Brother Washer didn’t exaggerate the gospel, he didn’t add anything to it, and he didn’t highlight anything but Jesus Christ, and yet it felt brand new to me. And I felt very overwhelmed; in both a good and bad way. I felt great because of the love that was poured out on me for no apparent reason than God’s love for me. I felt bad because I have trampled on that love many, many times.

To go along with that, our Bible study at EMU has been in the middle of Romans the past few weeks; and that book is kicking my rear! I echo Paul’s words, “Oh wretched man that I am! Who will be able to rescue me from this body of sin? Thanks be to Jesus Christ!” And the more I think, the more I dwell on it, the more I pray, the more I can’t do normal life anymore because my mind is focused on this one thought….I NEED JESUS! God is revealing my sin to me in a brand new way. I sin and I sin and I sin, and I know the truth, yet I sin anyways. Why? What causes me to love the thing that was sending me to a Godless Hell? What causes me to crave the thing that crucified my Lord? What causes me to play around with sin as if it’s nothing but a toy? I don’t have an answer for this; all I know is I NEED JESUS!

I’ve been saved, why do I still need Jesus? Because I have the power to defeat sin, and yet I choose to sin anyways. THAT is why I have been overwhelmed. The more God’s Word penetrates my mind and heart, the more sin I notice. The more I look at the holy, righteous law of God, the more of my sin floats to the surface. I don’t hate my sin like I should, and I know why that is; two reasons actually. I don’t truly understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I don’t fully grasp His love for me. And after thinking and dwelling and diving into the depths of my mind and my heart; God has, through His Spirit and His Word, revealed to me what I need to do; I need to pray!

I need to pray that God grants me wisdom to grasp the love of Christ. I need to pray that God grants me the power to wrap my mind and heart around the Gospel. I had faith to come to Christ for salvation from my sins, but I need more faith to hate sin to such a degree that I flee from it like a wild animal is chasing me. And the only way that is going to happen is through the power of the Almighty God. I realize now, I cannot do it. I will always play around with sin unless God shows me how detestable it is, and how much it holds me back from pursuing Christ like I desire to. And even then, I need God’s power to run from it, and instead run after Christ.

People need the LORD! I need the LORD! I need Him every single day! If I had faith in Him yesterday, but no faith in Him today, I am in danger of being separated from God forever. I need Jesus every single day of my life. I must constantly have faith in Him. I must continually run to Christ. Is salvation a one time event? Yes, the criminal hanging on the cross next to Christ proved that; he was instantaneously saved from his sin. But the Apostle Paul also told us again and again, if you come to Christ for salvation, you will spend the rest of your life coming to Him. You will spend the rest of your life trusting in His blood. You will spend the rest of your life running to Him like your sin is chasing you. We need Jesus as much today as we needed Him the day we came to Him for salvation. I must run, not walk to Jesus; and if I’m not, I can have no reassurance of my salvation. Is by works or my effort? Absolutely not! It is by grace and the power of God alone. But when God starts a work in someone’s heart, He always finishes it. (Philippians 2:12) If we’re not being perfected and being matured in our love for Christ, we have need to worry. We certainly can’t lose our salvation, but it’s possible that we never had it. The Apostle Peter says, “Make your calling and election sure!” If I spend one more day on this earth, I had better spend it seeking Jesus.

I’ll leave with two thoughts that have been in my head this past week…

“The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not the ABC’s of Christianity, and from there you go on to deeper things, there is nothing more important than Jesus Christ.” – Paul Washer

“ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” – Colossians 2:6-7

Overwhelmed by God’s gift of Jesus Christ

Tonight in our Bible study at Eastern Michigan University, we looked at Romans chapter 7. The Apostle Paul continues his letter to the Romans describing their relationship to God’s law. He makes it very clear that the law of God is not sinful or evil in any way imaginable; in fact it’s good, holy and righteousness, just as God is. BUT, he also explains how the law can only point out our sin as a mirror to our soul. And in that way, the law of God can only condemn us. Paul goes on to say that not only does the law reveal our sin to us, but because of our depravity and our fallen flesh, the law multiplies our sin all the more. “For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” Romans 7:11.

Think about it, have you ever seen a “Do not walk on the grass” sign, or a “Do not touch – wet paint” sign? What’s the first thing your mind tells you? Hmm, I think I need to walk on that grass and touch that paint. Now, that’s a comical and lighthearted illustration of what Paul is saying here, but when we do that with God’s holy law, we have a major problem. Paul understood this, and he wanted the Romans and us to understand this as well. Breaking God’s law condemns us to an eternal separation with God; not good news.

Paul, himself, reveals to us his own depravity when he states in verses 15 and 19, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” This isn’t a reference to “past-tense Paul” as some claim, but Paul is being very candid about his inner spiritual warfare, AFTER coming to Christ for salvation. So, are we to assume then that Jesus Christ isn’t truly powerful enough to save us from our sins? By no means! Jesus Christ is our redeemer; His blood atones for all sin, past, present and future! So then where was Paul and where are we falling off the track? Paul doesn’t leave us hanging. The climax of his depravity is immediately followed by His rescue from that same depravity when he states in verses 24-25, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Paul knew that his inner sin was great, the more God’s law was revealed to him, the more sin he saw.

Have you ever gone throughout a day, and after coming home and looking in a mirror, you notice something in your teeth, and you wonder, “Was that there all day long? Man, I wish I had known!” Right? There’s no way we would have let that green thing remain in our teeth if we knew it was there. However, only when the mirror revealed it to us were we then grossed out and irritated by it; enough to want it removed. Paul saw that same thing in his life. Therefore, he appreciated the ministry of the law in his life; even though it’s hard to hear and to notice that sin to that degree exists in his heart. Just as we would be if a friend of ours would have pointed out to us the green thing in our teeth during the day. We’d be embarrassed at first, but we’d appreciate them telling us so that we could remove it and not look ridiculous all day long. So for that reason alone, Paul appreciated the law in his life. But, that’s all the law could do, he needed Christ! The great remover of sin! Unlike the green thing in our teeth that we can just remove with a toothbrush, sin remains and destroys until we seek Jesus Christ. Therefore, the more law Paul understood, the more sin he saw, and the more Christ he needed.

What a gift we have in Jesus Christ! Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more! (Romans 5:20) Every solution to every sin problem is the same; Jesus Christ. I used to teach Sunday school to 1st and 2nd graders a few years ago, and it was humorous that no matter what question I asked them, they’d always answer with Jesus. My response would always be, “Okay, yes, in a sense, but I’m looking for something a little bit deeper or more specific.” Ah, how much the simple faith of a child can teach us. Jesus is indeed the answer for all our questions, and our our problems, and all our sin. We must fix our eyes on Him, we must pursue Him, we must love Him, we must be devoted to Him, we must serve Him, we must long for more Jesus! The more sin the law reveals to us, the more Jesus we should desire.

Can we defeat sin? Yes, indeed. Can we live a life that is pleasing to God? Without argument. Can grace truly cover the multitude of sin in my life? Christ wouldn’t have died otherwise. But, we mustn’t go back to the bondage of the law! We must serve Jesus Christ alone!

There are so many ways we can err in this; Satan makes them all readily available to us. But there’s only One who can offer us a joyful, hopeful, peaceful, satisfying, God-honoring life – our Great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I must love Him deeper and pursue Him with a greater sense of urgency. My faith in Christ right now is sufficient to save me from an eternity apart from God, but my faith in Christ must grow if I expect to defeat this overwhelmingly depraved sinful nature of mine and bring a sacrifice to God that He would deem acceptable and sweet-smelling. More sin? More Christ!

If I expect to reach the pursuit of Christ that I need to fully please God with my life, then I must in complete humility, fall down before God and ask Him to grant me power to pursue Christ with a greater focus, strength, zeal and perseverance. If I don’t, I won’t deepen my pursuit of Jesus and sin will indeed weigh me down from running for the prize.

Thanks be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for every spiritual blessing we’ve received in Christ! (Ephesians 1:3-14)

“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.” Romans 7:4

Lessons

This past Tuesday night, we had our weekly Bible study up on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. I can confidently say that is was the most powerful study we’ve had since we started this ministry on campus. God truly blessed it.

We were brought to Romans 7 where Paul uses a marriage analogy to set the stage for what he’s about to say. “Do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to men who know the law—that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.”

Now contrary to what some think, Paul’s topic isn’t marriage here. He’s writing to the Romans, and he clearly states that he understands that his audience knows the law of God. But then he uses a marriage illustration to set the basis for his argument. He basically says that just as a married woman is free from her husband after he dies, so a believer is free from the law when he is baptized into Christ’s death. And just as the woman is then free to marry another man after her first husband dies, so the believer is free to completely belong to Jesus Christ and no longer the law. In fact, Paul says, “So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.”

The law of God is holy, perfect and eternal, but unfortunately, even on our best days, sinners are not. Therefore, God had to send us something (namely Someone) who could fulfill His mandate for the law – insert Jesus Christ. It’s not that the law died once we came to Christ, but that we died to it. Therefore, since we’ve also been raised with Christ in newness of life, we are free from obedience to the law and free to completely serve Jesus Christ. Yes, free from obedience to the law. Well, aren’t they the same thing?  Both the law and Jesus Christ came from God right? Of course, but one works against us, and One works for us. The law could only condemn us by revealing our sin; and Jesus could only save us by redeeming us from our sin.

So just like the woman whose husband dies and is free to marry another and love that new man with no hesitations or remorse, so we are to serve Jesus Christ and not the law of God. That almost seems contrary to what I’ve been brought up on. But, the more I study scripture, the more this truth is revealed to me. The cross reference we used for this passage was in Colossians 2:6-3:4. That entire chapter talks about how we’ve been set free from the law so that we might completely serve Christ. Paul goes on in Romans 7, “For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”

When we attempted to live by God’s moral law, it only proved what wretched sinners we are. It could only produce evidence that proved we deserved God’s eternal wrath. As holy as God’s law is, it offered us only a mirror into our filthy souls. Again, we needed Christ! And God, in His divine love and sovereignty knew this full-well before time began. So as John 3:16 so eloquently states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” He did this so that we might be able to receive perfect righteousness; which is God’s demand to avoid eternal judgment and separation from Him, and entrance into His eternal Kingdom.

So back to Romans 7, we no longer obey the law. I’ll say it again, we no longer obey the law. We serve Jesus Christ. Let’s make this distinction very clear. Trusting Jesus Christ for salvation and being born again and given newness of life demands that we no longer go back to obeying the law. It would be as silly and creepy as the woman whose husband dies and then remarries, for her to keep pictures up of her dead husband and call her new husband by her deceased husband’s name; still loving and serving her dead husband when she has been released from him and now belongs to another.

So it’s not only foolish to keep making futile attempts at serving God’s law after coming to Christ for salvation, but it’s a mockery to both God and Christ. It’s a mockery to Christ because He obviously died to set us free from the futile system of the law, and it’s a mockery to God because He is the one who sent Christ to die for us so that we might have life and belong to Christ alone. Yet it seems that I try to do this many times. I make my own list of 10 commandments, or I adhere to a list of “Christian” do’s and don’ts and neglect to make all of my motives and service around loving Jesus Christ. May it never be! I belong to another! I belong to Jesus Christ! He is my life! He is my hope! He is my joy! I will love and serve Him with all my days. He must have the preeminence as Colossians 1 tells us.

How do I do this? I must blanket myself in the love of Christ. Just as in the winter when you’re cold and you wrap yourself in a warm blanket, you make sure to cover as much of your body as you can in that blanket so that you don’t get cold. In the same manner, we must cover ourselves in Christ’s love so that we also don’t get cold to serving God. And attempting to obey His moral law will indeed leave us cold and empty. Trust me, I tried it for years. Therefore, from now on, I will focus my eyes, my thoughts and my mind completely on Christ and run to Him every moment of every day. Satan wants nothing more than for me to obey the law, because he knows that it will only leave me joyless and also bring to God a stinky sacrifice that He certainly will not accept.

May I always devote myself fully to following Jesus Christ, by denying myself, and picking up my cross daily and following Him; to the glory of God, the Father.

“For it pleased God to have all the fullness dwell in Christ.” – Colossians 1:19

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” -Colossians 2:6-7

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” – Colossians 3:1-4

“ So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.” – Romans 7:4

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” – 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Overwhelmed by God’s love

Have you ever experienced God’s power so uniquely that it overwhelmed you? That’s exactly my sentiment at this moment. I have so much to journal about in regards to the wonder and majesty of God that I would end up getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome before my my thoughts left me. So in light of that, I will give a simple overview of the past few days as best I can; knowing full well that this synopsis is a poor attempt at describing our awesome God.

This past weekend, God gave us the privilege of holding our first ever VFY Campus Ministry Summit in Ypsilanti, MI. All the VFY staff was there to participate, including my good friend and ministry colleague from Word of Life, Bobby Francis. It was an all day seminar on the importance of college ministry and how to reach young adults for Jesus Christ. My Dad, (President and Founder of VFY) started out the day with speaking on the importance of college-age/young adult ministry, and then Tim Ahlgrim, Don Jackson, Bobby Francis and myself all followed speaking on different topics and strategies for reaching this vital age group for Jesus Christ. God truly blessed the entire day. We had about 40 people come out for it; not bad considering it was our first time holding such an event. The entire day was very encouraging and edifying. I received all positive feedback from the day, and even beyond that, a young lady who came to the Summit gave her life over to Jesus Christ. All glory be to our Great God! What an experience to witness! There is so much more I could say about that day, but no matter how much I write and how much detail I give, my explanation of it would seem to cheapen how much of a blessing it truly was.

Immediately following the VFY Campus Summit, Janine and I said goodbye to my parents and headed up towards Ludington, MI as we were set to present our ministry to the church body of Calvary Baptist in Ludington. It was about a 4 hour drive total, but Janine and I drove about 3 hours that night and stayed in a hotel about an hour from the church. As we arrived at the church, we were immediately welcomed by one of the Saints who told us where we could set up our display for our ministry. So after doing so, Janine and I went into the Sunday school class and listened to the teacher’s lesson on the life of David from the Scriptures. After Sunday school ended, Pastor Tim Yankee, who is a good friend of our family, greeted us and welcomed us with open arms. We caught up a little bit and then I prepared to give our presentation in the morning service. The presentation went great, God truly blessed it. It was cool to see eyes open wide and people in the congregation smiling and nodding in regards to our ministry. After presenting, the entire church body migrated to the fellowship hall where there was a potluck lunch waiting for us. It was very nice of the church to not only have lunch provided for us, but to also plan an afternoon service immediately following the lunch instead of an evening service. They did that purely so that we could get back home in a decent hour. The church really looked out for us, it was great to see.

After lunch, we went back to the auditorium for the afternoon service. The Pastor gave the service over to me for teaching from God’s Word and a then a question and answer time. I spoke from Romans 13 on understanding the present time. Once again, God truly blessed the time. I felt very at ease and the Word was clearly presented, all thanks to God’s Holy Spirit. After we had presented our ministry and I spoke in the 2nd service, a lady came up to us and told us that she was really impacted by our ministry and wanted to cancel her internet service every month and take the money she was using for that and give it to us. Wow, what a servant’s heart! That was a true blessing. Then another woman came up and said, “You won’t believe this, but I live in Ypsilanti.” Apparently she was just up here for the weekend and decided she was going to go to this church and check it out. She then proceeded to tell us about her church in Washtenaw County and that I should make contact with her pastor because she thinks he’d be very interested in our ministry. So she gave me his contact information. What an amazing example of God’s sovereignty leading this woman to the church to hear about our ministry. God works in strange ways.

We then left the church after visiting the missionary closet and saying our goodbyes to the sweet church body. The church handed us a check to help support our ministry and to cover our gas and hotel room, so that was another blessing from God. We left the church around 2:30 and arrived home around 7ish that night. It was another fantastic day of ministry completely controlled and fueled by the power of the living God. We have 2 more church meetings coming up in October; can’t wait to see how God reveals His power and love again and again. It’s such an honor and privilege of declaring the name of Christ; I hope God gives me a thousand more opportunities to do so.

As we got back into the swing of our ministry here in Washtenaw County, God decided to bestow even more of His grace and love on us. We have been in a financial pinch basically every month we’ve been married and since I’ve been in Michigan since the Fall of 2008, but lately it’s been even harder. We lost about $900 a month we were getting to help support us, but just this week God has granted us 3 different gifts to help aid our support. The first was the check from the church in Ludington, that was unexpected and a blessing. The second was a love offering my home church in PA took for us when we were there presenting our ministry. It was almost $900. And then on the same day we found out about the love offering from Heritage, we found out that support we had received last month that we weren’t sure we were getting every month came in another month and it was even higher than last month. All praise to our wonderful, graceful God! Janine and I truly aren’t focused on money, but only serving God, we’re both completely willing to serve God for the rest of our lives in tight financial times, but God has made sure that we KNOW that He is taking care of us and promises to do so for as long as we live and do His work. It’s such an encouragement to know that we can completely focus on pursuing Jesus Christ with our lives and pointing others to Him and not worry about another thing. What a mighty God we serve!

May I always thank Him and love Him in return for all the grace He bestows on our lives.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”  Matthew 6:33

Ministering at my home church

This past weekend was a huge encouragement to me. My wife and I were given the opportunity to return to my home church in Pennsylvania, where I grew up, to present our ministry to the congregation. I was set to speak four times Sunday morning about what God has done in our lives and our ministry.

The day began with the first worship service at 8 am. My dad and I tag-teamed both worship services as I presented our ministry and he spoke to the congregation on Harvest Sunday. I first shared my testimony and how God got my eyes on Jesus in my mid twenties so that I would start living my life purely for Him. I then updated them on how our ministry began and what God has done through it since it started. It was really surreal to be giving this report to my home church; the same church that I grew up in.

This body of believers knows me better than any other. So when I started giving my testimony, I wondered what was going on in the minds of the people that have known me and my family for years. Either way, it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to exalt my God and my Lord and Savior and their constant, faithful love and power in my life. Then my Dad gave a wonderful challenge on Harvest Sunday and (1) why the time has come for harvest, (2) it’s time to work, and (3) it’s time to pray that God would raise up laborers give their lives in service and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I went straight from there to the college-age Sunday school class where I again would speak on my testimony, and this time share a challenge from God’s Word. Most of the kids in the class were full-time BBC students, as I once was, so it was cool to be able to challenge them with what God has done in my heart. I had to share with them a story from my college days, which seems literally like yesterday. I told them how my friends and I once made up a card game to play in the Underground Cafe so we could trick our fellow peers into thinking it was an actual game. The only kicker was that we also used a pair of dice and a coin to flip at random times. It was mindless humor to break the ice with, but I think they enjoyed hearing about my immature days.

I then shared with them my testimony and brought them to Romans chapter 13, which has been a very intricate passage in my life over the years. The Apostle Paul tells his hearers to understand the present time and then to wake up from their sleep, so they don’t waste the one opportunity God gave them to live lives of love and service for Him. I received very positive feedback after it was done, but all the praise belongs to God for using His Word as a sharp 2-edged sword to pierce my heart and mind, and to wake me up from my own slumber. I hope and pray that He used this passage in the same fashion for the kids who came to hear it.

My dad and I then went back to the sanctuary for a 2nd time, this time to speak to the the bigger congregation. I shared my testimony once again and presented our ministry. I felt like this one went better than the first time. Perhaps it was because I was loosened up a bit, or it may simply be because we had a more alert crowd. Either way, God again blessed it and it was extremely encouraging to share the goodness and grace of God in the life of two simple servants. The body of believers at Heritage were very receptive to us and went out of their way to tell us that they were very influenced by my testimony and by the power of God displayed in our ministry.

As soon as I presented our ministry again to the congregation, I raced down the hallway to speak to the little kids. There were about 40-50 1st-6th graders all waiting to hear from the real-life missionaries. Many of the kids in the room were kids I used to teach when I led the 1st and 2nd grade Sunday school class a little over two years ago. They gave us a very warm reception. As the time was handed over to us to speak to the kids, I asked them what they knew about missionaries, and we received answers such as, “they tell people about Jesus” and “they get persecuted”, and we even got “sometimes they go to jail and get killed.” Yep, thanks for that reminder kid. It was cute.

Janine and I then shared with them what we do and asked them if they knew any college kids, to which they all raised their little hands. We then asked them if they knew anyone who was unsaved, and again all the hands went up. So we encouraged them that they don’t have to wait til they’re our age before they start sharing Jesus Christ with those around them. After taking a few questions from the audience (always a dangerous thing to do), we decided to hand out “Harvest Sunday” bracelets that they could wear and be reminded to pray for missionaries. It was cute to see all the bracelets hang off their wrists as they were way too big.

And then, as I used to do when I taught them a couple years ago, we handed out some candy, and I preceded to tell them once again, “This candy is special candy. It has a hint of tuna in it. See if you can taste it.” The ones that remember me, all laughed and shouted, and the ones who have never seen me looked at me as if I was half-monkey. Sorry kids, I hope I haven’t screwed you up too much over the years. However, it was a blessing as well. At the end of our talk, the leader of the children’s ministry asked the children questions about our talk, and if they answered correctly, she gave them a quarter to put into a jar that would go to supporting our ministry. She came up to tell us later that day that a few of the kids came up to her afterwards and asked if they could put their own money in. One girl asked the teacher if she could put 2 dimes and a nickel in, even though it wasn’t a quarter. And even one kid who asked if he could put an entire dollar in. How cute is that? God gave us that special time to encourage us with the joy and innocence of a child-like faith; there’s nothing like it.

After our long and beneficial time of ministry in the morning, we went out to eat with Jason and Meredith Jackson (the youth/interim pastor and his wife), and just had a great time of laughs and fellowship. They bought our entire family lunch. What a blessing they are. We then went home for a while; I took a quick nap. I was pretty beat. At around 5:30, we went back to the church to meet with the Missions Committee at Heritage. They grilled us about our ministry and got a more in-depth look into what God is doing in through our ministry. It was such an encouragement. Janine really added some wonderful insight and thoughts into the inner-workings of our ministry, I am so blessed to have her. The Missions Committee all told us afterward they they were impressed with us and wanted to be a vital partner in our ministry. Again, to God be the glory! It was so enriching and encouraging.

It was certainly a long and tiring day; my throat was sore and dry after all that speaking, but God did wonderful things the entire day and I don’t remember receiving so many encouraging words in one day from the body of Christ. God continues to bless us and reaffirm that His hand is on our lives and our ministry. What a mighty God we serve!

We have another busy week ahead of us, including a jammed pack weekend of ministry in Michigan. Can’t wait to see what God does! Serving Him is the biggest thrill of my life. Jesus Christ has fulfilled me in a way I can’t even begin to describe.

My testimony

I have journaled about many things God has taught me over the course of several months now, but to make sense out of all of these lessons, I must start at the beginning. If anyone reads this story and is encouraged or convicted at all, it’s due purely to the divine power of God alone.

Have you ever taken anything for granted, and then for whatever reason had that thing threatened to be taken out of your life? Perhaps it was something as simple as your means of transportation, or possibly it could be something as serious as a loved one. Well, I took something for granted. Although it wasn’t my car, and it wasn’t even a loved one, it was the most serious thing anyone could possibly take for granted; my gift of salvation and righteousness through Jesus Christ.

I came to Jesus Christ for salvation from my sins as a 5 year old. I grew up in a Christian home with Christian parents and Christian siblings. I went to a Christian church ever since I was born and even attended a Christian college where I took several Christian doctrine and theology classes. I had Christian friends and Christian influences my entire life. I attended a Christian church every Sunday, youth group, prayer meetings, Bible studies, camps,  conferences, heard thousands of sermons, read books and even taught a Sunday school class on a couple occasions over the years. In fact, you might term me a “professional Christian”.

And yet, in spite of all that, I was a fraud. I believe my decision was sincere in coming to Jesus for salvation from my sins. But for 20 years after that, I served my other lord; me. Maybe you’re thinking right now; “Well don’t overreact Todd, everyone’s had a time in their life when they took Jesus Christ for granted.” Yes, but I’m not talking about a bad week, I’m not even talking about a busy and unfocused month or two; I’m talking about 20 years of my life.

At around the age of 25, I was, what you might call, a 2-face Christian. I had my Christian face that I wore around the church, my parents, and numerous others; and I had my worldly face which I wore when I was alone, at work and with my closest friends. The two seemed to exist in perfect harmony for a while as I attempted to add more of the world on to my “Christian” life. Yep, sorry Matthew 6, but you’re wrong; I was serving two masters. No I wasn’t! God made sure of it. “Todd, (this is my God paraphrase) you can pursue relationships, success, popularity, jobs, comforts and desires, but if you choose to do so, you cannot serve Me….oh, and you will fail at all of those and you won’t find any joy in pursuing them.”

So there I was as a 25-26 year old man; failing at life, calling myself a Christian. Until one day God intervened in a mighty way, and I opened the Bible to the book of Revelation. Before I get to the book of Revelation, however, I want to compare myself at that age to a passage in Romans chapter 13. Have you ever been late for something; perhaps a meeting, a class at school, a job, etc.? What’s the first thing you do when that happens. You get moving right? Wrong. Before you even do that, you look at the clock and you understand the time. THEN you realize that you’re very late, and THEN you get moving. Romans 13:11 says “And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”

There I was, a 20 year old Christian, horribly late for my appointment. As I studied the book of Revelation, God made one thing clear to me, you are very, very late! Late for what exactly? I was a Christian! If I died that day, I would have gone to Heaven right? Well, maybe not. Doesn’t the Word of God say that good trees bear good fruit and that faith without works is dead? Oh yeah, and then there’s that passage in Revelation 3 that says Jesus will spit lukewarm Christians out of His mouth! Uh oh, maybe I should rethink this argument. Taking Christianity for granted isn’t just foolish, it’s horribly dangerous!

Now back to Revelation. Through the study of Revelation, God began to show me a picture. Remember before when I asked you if you’ve ever taken anything for granted, and then had that thing threatened to be taken out of your life? Well, God didn’t threaten to take Jesus Christ out of my life, but He did give me a very vivid picture, through His Word, what my life (now, and in eternity), would be like if I didn’t have Jesus Christ. The deeper I went into the book of Revelation over the course of the next several weeks, the more I saw the hopelessness of humanity without the grace of God. It’s as if God gave me my very own “Ebenezer Scrooge” moment by revealing to me what my life would be like without His love. No, I didn’t have any ghosts, dreams, visions or anything like Scrooge did that Christmas Eve. But yes, I did get a picture, and it was horrifyingly vivid. What God showed me, not only got me to understand the time, and not only got me to wake up and start moving, but it woke me up and got me moving for good!

There are two promises from the Word of God; found in Hebrews 6 and Matthew 18. If we, as Christians, ever fall away from grace, it will be impossible for us to return. Yes, impossible. Why? Because for us to ever be brought back to grace a 2nd time, Jesus Christ would have to be sacrificed all over again for the sins of mankind. And guess what, that will NEVER EVER happen again. So, if you and I fall away from grace, we can kiss God goodbye, we can kiss righteousness goodbye, and we can kiss Heaven goodbye. BUT, and here’s the 2nd promise, found both from Hebrews 6 and Matthew 18, once we have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, we will NEVER fall away from grace! Why? God won’t allow it! Thanks be God for His wonderful, faithful love!

As Matthew 18 points out, just as a shepherd leaves the fold to go after the dumb, wandering sheep for its own protection, God comes after us when you and I physically try to walk off the path of righteousness. Why? Because He put us there! Because He gave His Son for the payment of our sins! That is a HUGE deal to God. In fact, there is nothing more important to Him than His children. And according to Romans 8:38-39, once we’re in Christ, nothing can separate us from the love of God. What a promise indeed!

And so God came after me. He brought me back to Jesus and then He woke me up. For the longest time in my life, if you would have asked me what Christianity was about, I would have told that it’s about getting saved and getting others saved. The idea that Jesus Christ would be my Lord and King from sunup to sundown, and I would live my life in love and devotion to Him alone, would have been pretty foreign to me. I figured you do what you can after you receive Jesus, but truly salvation is pretty much the end game for Christians. Wrong! Salvation is the beginning of the race! And I was asleep to that thought, until God intervened.

“Todd, (another God paraphrase) I could let you wander, and follow your own sinful comforts and desires, but I wouldn’t be a loving God if I did, and I certainly wouldn’t have allowed my Son to be crucified if I knew it wouldn’t forever redeem you from your sins. But you are redeemed! You are mine! You will not fall from grace! You will not follow your sins to death!” He woke me up, He pointed me to the clock, which said “time is fleeting, you’re horribly late!”, and then He got my eyes on Jesus Christ. Just like when you’ve been late for school, work or a meeting, and it’s horribly late, you stop worrying so much about how you look, you stop worrying so much about feeding the flesh, and you focus on your task, because if you don’t you will ruin your one chance for success; Christian success.

I am one who is alive today because of God’s love, I am one who is free from my sins today because of God’s love, I am one who is awaiting eternal paradise today because of God’s love, and I am one who is following after Jesus Christ today because of God’s love. I am the joyful victim of the faithful, constant, enduring love of the God of the universe. I am not serving in full-time ministry today because I am educated, talented, or highly motivated. I am in a full-time ministry today because God ordained that I use my life for Jesus Christ!

That is why my life verse today is Colossians 2:6-7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Everything I wasn’t doing before because I was spiritually asleep, I am striving to do today because God loved me enough to wake me up and get me moving. “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Thanks be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for His unfading, unwavering, undying love!