In Matthew 28 Jesus commands us to go and make disciples. Jesus commands us to share the Gospel with the lost and or unsaved. But how effective are we as individual Christians and or Churches? Some say reaching out to the lost is not a part of their ministry. Evangelism seems to be last on the list if it makes the "to do list" at all. I see other religions going about town sharing their doctrine whether it be false or true. I watch those people and notice how persistent they are, and how well they are trained. Although they don't have the right message they are trained to deliver their message. And sometimes I wonder where are we? As Christians we seem to be 2 steps behind. Some don't even share the Gospel. Others are afraid to share the Gospel. And some do share it. While we tend to wonder where the next blessing is coming from, God says what about the lost? What about those who don't know Jesus as Lord and savior? Each day we walk by people, work with and talk to people and never make an attempt to share Christ with them. So the question I ask is how effect are we? If you would like to increase your effectiveness in evangelism click on the link below to learn more! God Bless!
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John 8:3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
In this passage of scripture the scribes and pharisees want to stone a woman who has committed adultery. Jesus basically tell those in attendance whoever has no sin may cast the first stone. But by the time Jesus raises from writing in the ground all have left. Jesus tells this woman to go and sin no more. Jesus tells her to move forward in righteousness. And when one has been saved, there is no need to dwell on what happened before salvation. God remembers our sins no more, so we, and others must do the same. We must look at others through the eyes of Jesus because if God has forgiven them, then who are we to continue to lay charge to them? Let's not be a stumbling block to others by dwelling on their past. God Bless "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" Matthew 11:30
We all go through struggles in life. Life presents us all with ups and downs. Many have fell into the misconception that as a christian, we are not supposed to encounter problems and life is supposed to be in the land of utopia. Well contrary to popular belief, just because a person is saved doesn't mean they will live a trouble free life. But this blog is not about that. Or should I say it's not focused solely on the Christian. Various times in my ministry i've encountered people who are burdened or held down by life. In their eyes, life is hopeless or they feel like there is no hope. You can see the expressions on their faces and you can see it in their actions. Although life brings challenges, you don't have to live as if you are weighed down. In the scripture above, Jesus clearly states that HIS yoke is easy and HIS burden is light. What he is saying is to cast our cares upon HIM. Cast our burdens upon HIM. If we do these things, God will either fix, remove, or strengthen us to endure the situation. So for those who feel they are alone, with no hope, life has weighed you down, you carry a heavy burden, Jesus assures us that if we turn to HIM, things will get better. Jesus can not only save you, but strengthen you as well. Be Blessed! Many do not consider themselves in fulltime ministry unless they are Pastoring, or a part of the staff of their local church. But I beg to differ. As Christians we all or should be in fulltime ministry. We should have a fulltime ministry mindset because we never know when God is going to send someone our way to be ministered too. Also we have been charged in Matthew 28, The Great Commission to make disciples, teach, and baptize. In other words Jesus has commanded us to evangelize to the lost. There are countless people who don't know the Lord, need ministering too, or just need basic counseling. And when we are not doing those things we should be in prayer and or studying the Word of God. Fulltime ministry doesn't only consist of getting a paycheck. Fulltime ministry is devoting our entire being to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Fulltime ministry is looking at others through the eyes of Jesus and doing all that we can to help them to become saved, encouraging and loving them as well. So the question I want to ask is are you in fulltime ministry? God Bless
As I sit patienetly in the waiting room as my wife is having surgery, the Lord gave me a thought of how many are sitting in his waiting room? For those who are saved, where Jesus is the Lord and savior, we are not in the waiting room because we already have been admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven. But there are many who are not saved. Jesus Christ is not their Lord and Savior, therefore they wonder if they will reside in heaven with Jesus, or they have a false sense of security. These are people who are in "The Waiting Room." They live thier lives without God being a priority. They go about their daily business as if salvation is based on their conduct, good works, or just being a good person. For some, life revolves around their career, husband, wives, children, education, money, or even themeselves. They are in "The Waiting Room." They are in the waiting room" to see if they will hear the words," job well done thy good and faithful servant. Enter into the Joy of the Lord." So as I sit here and wait for the post operation consultation from the doctor, the question I pose to you is are you in "The Waiting Room?" If you answered yes to this question, then it's imperative that you take the next step in receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you would allow Jesus to save you, then you won't have to remain in the waiting room nor guess if you are going to heaven or not. The Bible says in Romans 10, "If thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart, that God raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved." And if you do this, truly believing in your heart that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and he is Lord, then you won't be in "The Waiting Room."
As I am a patronizer of social media, or social websites, I frequently read where people declare they have changed their lives. Although they have made changes, i seldom hear of any change from within. Many people claim to make changes by altering things around them but never from within. We can change our clothing, friends, atmosphere, hair styles, but true change comes from within. The Bible tells us, or specifically Jesus says to Nicodemus in John 3 that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, a man must be born again. When one is born again a change or transformation takes place. This change or regeneration doesn't start on the outside, it begins and occurs on the inside. This change is known as salvation or being saved. This change is so powerful that it flows outward. You don't have to declare or tell others, they will see the change in you. Always remember in your deepest and darkest hours Jesus is available to you. If you are really looking to make a change, trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9 says if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" In everything there is a time and a season. Most of the time when we refer to season, we equate that with the blessings of God. We've all heard it before, "it's your season, or you are coming into your season." But I want to look at this from a different perspective. Time and season can also mean moving in a different direction, doors being shut and forever closed, severing relationships, or getting rid of material things. We must be spiritually discerened and recognize when it's our season to let something(s) go or move on. This reminds me of preaching opportunities I had last year. I was privileged to preach at a substance abuse recovery ministry about 4 times. I also taught an evangelism seminar at the same place. But as management saw fit to move in a different direction, personnel changed and that door was closed for me. For a while I pondered the thought of if I would be afforded the opportunity to preach there again. I went through this process for several weeks. But then last night it hit me. That door is closed, and God only wanted me there for a season. Once I realized this, I was able to move on. And so it must be with you. Sometimes God allows people to be in our lives for only a season. That season may be short or long. But the key is to recognize when God has closed that door and told us to move on. Sometimes we can hang on to people or things for too long, therefore we can't move forward in Christ or in life. Sometimes those things or people can become burdens, but we struggle to hang on to them. I remember when I owned a piece of property, God said, "why are you holding on to that burden?" I held on to it for a while longer, but evenutally I sold it. And after it was sold, that burden was lifted from my shoulders. That property was for only a season. Sometimes ministries are only for a season. There may be people, things, or opportunites in your life that are at a stalemate. The question for you to ponder is, have those things ran past their season?
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I have noticed lately that people tend to lose faith in trying times. Whether its a loss of a loved one, unemployment, personal problems, financial problems and the list goes on, some seem to lose faith when these things happen. There seems to be a common theme of "Rev, i'm going to stay away from the church until I get myself together." Many fail to realize this is exactly what the devil wants them to do. He wants you to stop going to church. Why? Because he knows the church is a hospital for those who need healing. Jesus never said that being saved was going to be easy. Also he never said that all of our problems would go away. But one thing Jesus did encourage us was to have faith in God. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul encourages us to keep the faith as well. And in trying times like these we must keep the faith. When one is depressed, down, or feeling blue, that is the perfect time to go to the House of the Lord and get your spirit lifted by a powerful message, singing, and or prayer. When life is chaotic that is the perfect time to continue to attend church. So how de we keep the faith in trying times? We keep the faith by praying daily. Sometimes you may have to pray multiple times and they don't have to be long prayers. We keep the faith by continuing to read and meditate on the scriptures. Sometimes the answers we seek, or the comfort we need is in the Word Of God. We keep the faith by continuing to attend church. Part of church is to lift up or edify. God gives us hope in Jesus and it comes through HIS Word. Things may not happen overnight, but the key is to keep the faith. There have been times in my life where my faith was tried and tested. And as Christians you faith will be tried and tested. Talking with others helped me as well. It's good to speak with a person who is led by the Holy Spirit that can give you good Godly Counsel. Remember when Jesus told Peter the devil desired to sift him as wheat. But Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would fail him not. So when you get weak or feel like giving up, remember that Jesus is praying for you. I encourage you to keep the faith! God Bless!
This past Saturday our church went out into the community to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We stood on the bus stops, ministered to people, gave out tracts, and information about the Jesus Christ and our church. While technology is great and can be used to our advantage, Jesus still made contact with lost and hurting people. When we look at the ministry of Jesus, he basically took time out of his schedule to minister to others. Many are filled with the Holy Ghost, speak in tongues, have titles, but at the end of the day we have been commanded and commissioned to share the Gospel to those who are not saved. Everyday we encounter people who are broken, hurting, lost, looking for the way. Many have tried everything except for Jesus Christ. When a person says to you, they don't know what to do, or they don't know what they are going to do, that's an open door to introduce them to Jesus. If they are not saved, we have an obligation to make an effort to share the Gospel with them. It is Gods' will that man may be saved. So please share the Gospel in love, and let others know, there is nothing in hell they want. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a big party in hell. There is nothing but pain, torment all night long, 7 times hotter than you can imagine. There is no day or light in hell, and no way out! "And Jesus came and spake unto them saing, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have command you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" Matthew 28:18-20
Many people have issues in life. I have issues, you have issues, everyone has issues. The bible says, out of the heart flows the issues of life. Many believe if they correct the problem then life will be grand for them. But they spend many years or countless hours trying to correct the problem. In essence, they don't l have a life problem. They have a heart problem. In most situations if we fix our hearts or place our hearts in the proper direction, then the life problem will be repaired. Sometimes our hearts are not in the proper place where it needs to be. Maybe our hearts is in money, a person, or people, maybe some are not sure where there heart is? I once heard a person say, "what's not in you, will not come out of you." "And what's in you, will come out of you." So as you access your life problem, ask yourself, is your heart in the proper place? If you believe your heart is not in the correct place send me an email and I will give you the answer to correct it. God bless
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AuthorRev. Luckett is the Pastor of Saint Paul Church. He is committed to preaching Christ and leading others to salvation. Archives
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