So many people talk to me about NOT reading their Bibles.
I get many excuses… don’t get me wrong, many are valid reasons. However, there is a saying out there “You would if you wanted to.” That simple saying indicates priorities in our life.
Is the Word of God a priority for you?
Honestly, it has not been a priority for me in the past. I had a full time job, I taught school in the evenings and I had children. Being a wife, a mother, an employee and a professor did not leave much time in the day. I was lucky to read 1 verse and even that did not happen most days!
Then I was introduced to Bible Study and was told that I really needed to be “in the Word.” Bible Study allowed me to be more dedicated because it was built into my schedule. The problem here was that in the Summertime, there was no Bible Study — so again, I filled up my time with other things.
It was not until I found out how to do Scripture or Bible Journaling that I was able to read, think about (meditate), and draw Scripture. I have videos on my YouTube Channel how to Bible Journal – this one is through Psalm 1 — just a beautiful Psalm. This really helped me to set aside my own time to meditate on what the pictures in my head looked like about the different verses and then to draw them. As an unexpected bonus, I found that I had memorized several of those Scriptures!
My time in the Word of God was further helped by my friend who introduced me to reading the Bible in 30 days. This was another way for me to recharge what I did and how I developed a habit (most habits take at least 30 days to form) of reading the Bible for myself. If you are interested in this, here’s my post on how to get started.
Today, I am working with my mentor to memorize 1 Corinthians 15 (see pic above). I am using my fountain pens to write out the verses, to doodle and to make a concerted effort to read the chapter over and over again until the whole this is committed to my heart, mind and soul. These are the things that are eternal work — they ought to be given priority in our day. Again, I am not perfect – I was barely able to read 10 verses yesterday, as I was running from the morning until the evening.
Give God the tithe of your time and give Him your all. He gave us His Son who died for us. Isn’t a few minutes of our time worth it?
Along with the entire book of Revelation, there are several passages in the Bible that talk about Jesus Christ’s return. For Christians, the hope of the Gospel rests with the death by crucifixion, burial, resurrection and return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But what do Muslims believe about Judgment Day? Do they believe in Judgment Day?
The quick answer is yes! Muslims not only believe in Judgement Day but most Sunnis believe that it is Isa Masih (Arabic for Jesus Messiah) who returns to judge the world.
Above are the main passages from the Quran that talk about the “hour” and that Jesus will be “a witness “ against people who don’t believe in him. Now, just to clarify, this does not mean that Muslims believe in Jesus Christ as Savior of the world. Muslims see him only as a good man, a prophet, and as one who had favor with Allah (hence his return).
So what does this mean for evangelism? If they believe that Jesus is just another prophet, then they have not heard the good news of the gospel! Our primary responsibility is to follow what Romans 10 14–15 says “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” We are to speak the truth about Jesus Christ in love. We can share that He alone is the way, and the truth and the life (John 14:6). When Christ returns on Judgment Day, he is not returning just to be a witness against those who don’t believe that he is coming to make a judgment and that determination is an eternal verdict for all people— those bound for eternal life through Christ’s redeeming work or eternal damnation for those who believe and try in their own good works to get them into heaven.
This is not just my own thoughts, emotions or opinions but this is a truth grounded in Scripture. Jesus Christ gave parable after parable about wheat and tares, about the goats and the sheep— about unbelievers and believers. These are stern warnings that even those who say they are Christians need to heed. What about you? Are you trying to do good deeds and sending out positive vibes to others? Are you sitting in church Sunday after Sunday without the love for God’s word, His people in fellowship, only to quickly race out and get on with your weekend? If that describes you, you might look more like a Muslim than a Christian.
Read the Bible- it tells us what the love of the Father looks like in action. It tells us what the fruit of the Spirit looks like in believers. It’s good to do a spiritual check now and then and see if you are living in alignment with God’s word.
Judgment Day is dawning… May those who are chosen by Christ hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
I was so excited to see the calendar for December this year! To see that Christmas Day actually fell on a Sunday was wonderful! I guess it was NOT wonderful for many people – including some Pastors who are not holding service or taking an “easier” route like an Online Service for those who want to stay home. I am not sure what is going on these days… why wouldn’t you want to spend Christmas Day — of all days, at church with the body of Christ?
I guess it’s messed up priorities? Some say “Well, I have these traditions with family that take priority,” while others say “Christmas morning means lounging around in our matching family PJs, drink hot chocolate and listen to Christmas music.” That’s fine if you are not a Christian, but what does it mean to be a professing follower of Jesus Christ?
There is nothing magical about Sundays… other than it is the Lord’s Day. It is the symbolic representation of the risen Lord. He did on Good Friday. After 3 days, he rose again from the dead (Jewish days begin in the evening) …so Friday, Saturday, Sunday = Resurrection Day.
When we come together as the Body of Christ, we proclaim His resurrection and return. We gather together in hopes and anticipation of His promise. He is coming back to judge and to take those who are His own.
Why would you exchange that glorious truth to stay at home and lounge in your PJs? Are we that numb to the reality of what Jesus Christ suffered on our behalf on the cross? Or do we even stop to think of His voluntary humiliation to descend from the throne and come as a child, born of a virgin? Does that matter to “Christians” anymore?
Have you stopped to ponder what Christmas Day represents? Yes, I know that it may not be the EXACT day Jesus Christ was born, BUT we have this day that is set aside to acknowledge the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. If it is a Sunday and it’s Christmas Day, then I would challenge you to think about this — it is DOUBLE the Lord’s Day.
How about you set aside your comfort zone of traditions and cling tightly to the Word of God? How about clinging to Christ – not for the blessings He brings, but just for the sheer joy of who He is.
Born of a virgin, sinless, suffered and died on the cross for our sins, raised again from the dead, victorious over both sin and death, returning to judge the quick and the dead.
There is no one worthy to worship, other than Christ Jesus. The Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
Buried deep down into the Google pages is the terrible news about author Salman Rushdie being stabbed while on stage during a speaker’s forum in New York. Rushdie is a world renown author who was most famous for publishing “Satanic Verses” which caused an uproar from the Muslim world. So great was this uproar that he went into hiding in Great Britain for 9 years! The publishing of the book caused Muslims to riot all around the world and resulted in 38 deaths, according to author Dr. Konrad Elst (“Afterword: The Rushdie Affairs Legacy”). The stabbing today was violent and brutal. The physicians stated that he lost one eye due to being stabbed and his situation was critical (at the time of this blog).
More details about the attack on Rushdie come from an article from the bbc.com, where the following was reported:
Several people were killed in anti-Rushdie riots in India and in Iran the British embassy in the capital, Tehran, was stoned.
In 1991 a Japanese translator of the book was stabbed to death, while a few months later, an Italian translator was also stabbed and the book’s Norwegian publisher, William Nygaard, was shot – but both survived.
A year after the book’s release, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini called for Mr Rushdie’s execution. He offered a $3m (£2.5m) reward in a fatwa – a legal decree issued by an Islamic religious leader.
The bounty over Mr Rushdie’s head remains active, and although Iran’s government has distanced itself from Khomeini’s decree, a quasi-official Iranian religious foundation added a further $500,000 to the reward in 2012.
There has been no reaction from the Iranian government to Mr Rushdie’s stabbing. Iranian media were describing Mr Rushdie as an apostate – someone who has abandoned or denied his faith – in their coverage.
The British-American citizen – who was born to non-practising Muslims and is an atheist himself – has become a vocal advocate for freedom of expression, defending his work on several occasions.”
Cabral, S. & Murphy, M. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62528689
There are many examples of how speaking out against Islam can denote a slur against the whole Muslim world. Most notable is the attack on the satire newspaper called “Charlie Hebdo” in Paris, where gunmen attacked and killed cartoonists, along with several other attacks over the next few days. Gunmen (two brothers named Cherif and Said Kouachi) were heard saying “Witnesses said they had heard the gunmen shouting “We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad” and “God is Great” in Arabic while calling out the names of the journalists.” There is a full article titled “Charlie Hebdo attack: Three days of terror” from January 14, 2015 here that has video footage and detailed maps of where terror struck areas of Paris — all to defend the name of Allah.
So is this an abnormality or is this something Islam stands behind?
The answer can be found in the Quran itself:
It is a criminal offense in Islam to speak ill of the faith, its Prophet Muhammad, and its holy Scriptures (Qur’an and Hadith). To do so is considered blasphemy, and blasphemy is punishable by death. If a Muslim is doing the criticizing, their actions would constitute apostasy, therefore they too would be liable for the death penalty. Contrary to what some may suggest, this is not the result of a latter-day innovation of Islam, but something that is deeply rooted within Islamic scripture and the Sunnah of Muhammad. The Qur’anic verse 5:33 calls for the execution, mutilation, or imprisonment, of those who make “Mischief (fasad)” in the land, and Muhammad himself had asked his Muslim followers to kill several individuals who were guilty of blaspheming Islam and its Prophet. Muhammad asked Muslims to kill someone named ‘Abdullah bin Ubai (bin Salul) for making “evil” statements about him.[45] He asked Muslims to kill Abu `Afak for making negative remarks about him and Islam.[46] He asked Muslims to kill both Ka’b bin Ashraf[47] and Asma Bint Marwan[48] for writing inflammatory poetry about him and Muslims.
Here are direct citations to quotes from the Quran:
Qur’an
Although, the Qur’an does not specify in unequivocal terms any punishment for blasphemy, we may find some serious justifications for death penalty to blasphemers:
Surely (as for) those who speak evil things of Allah and His Messenger, Allah has cursed them in this world and the here after, and He has prepared for them a chastisement bringing disgrace. And those who speak evil things of the believing men and the believing women without their having earned (it), they are guilty indeed of a false accusation and a manifest sin. O Prophet! say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they let down upon them their over-garments; this will be more proper, that they may be known, and thus they will not be given trouble; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the agitators in the city do not desist, We shall most certainly set you over them, then they shall not be your neighbors in it but for a little while; Cursed: wherever they are found they shall be seized and murdered, a (horrible) murdering. Quran 33:57-61
Also, Qur’an does specify a punishment for “spreading mischief“:-
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement, Quran 5:33
“Who can be more wicked than one who inventeth a lie against Allah?” Quran 6:93
While many on social media expressed outrage, there are some in the media who are not willing to say that this attack was motivated by religion! It defeats logic — there is a price on the head of those who are public figures and are not in hiding. For Salman Rushdie, the original death threats (with millions of dollars in prize money) are still in effect as fatwas.
So what are we to do???
For those of us who are Christians, our response is to speak the TRUTH. Do not let fear rule your life – the world wants to silence those who speak the Truth of Christ Jesus. They will even ask, just as Pontius Pilate did in the Gospels ”What is Truth?” John 18:38. Note that he asked this question right after the Lord Himself stated directly to Pilate that
“Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38Pilate said to him, “What is truth?””
Babylon Bee was censored by Twitter in 2022
In today’s climate, we are going back to the Book of Judges where “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Postmodernism rejects universal moral and spiritual values and accepts the relativity of all values in all areas. Therefore, no specific value preference exists. Everyone should order their own values, value preferences, and approaches (Tajik, 2005; Rahnama, 2009).
We cannot exist in a world that does not have a measuring stick or refuses to see that a standard has to be set by someone. For us as Christians, we know what is the TRUTH and now is the time to be clear about it. If you are a Christian and you do not know what God says is truth, you will be mislead by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). Jesus Himself prayed to the Father on our behalf and He asked “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
I pray that we pray this together that we may recognize the TRUTH that is only in Christ Jesus. That in Him alone is our peace. That we can love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit is that possible — we cannot do it without God.
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers,i what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5: 43-48).
Social Media post from a Muslim Denying Christ’s Divinity
I was on a Social Media site where a Christian was talking about who is Jesus. Just to be clear, Christians believe that Jesus is fully man and fully God. Despite what the news says, Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God. Even Muslims who know their Quran would agree to this (as the man stated above in his post about who the Muslim Jesus is).
So, as a Christian, what do you say to these claims made above? Are you ready to dialogue with someone who has vastly different beliefs than you do?
First, PRAY
BEFORE you start speaking or meeting with an unbeliever, you have to prepare through prayer. Ephesians 6 reminds us that our battle is not against flesh and blood “12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
2. Study the Bible
It’s not enough to do a little devotional from time to time. If we want to know the truth, we need to be like the Bereans in the Book of Acts who were commended by the Apostle Paul for searching the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). Recognize your own need for knowing the word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states “16All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Unless you know what is TRUTH, you will not be able to detect falsehood or counterfeit.
3. Who do you say “I Am?” (Mark 8:29)
Some Christians treat Jesus as their buddy, while others treat Him as a genie who brings them their wishes. They would tell you that they are Christians and they know who Jesus is. It’s not enough to simply “believe in Jesus.” Today’s messaging is that it’s enough to know Jesus or to believe in Jesus. If you read the man’s post above, he is a Muslim and he “believes in Jesus.” The Book of James says “19You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” There are a lot of false religions out there that get Jesus wrong. Deny His Deity and you deny Christ. Deny His Humanity and you deny Christ. Not only are we called to know who Jesus is but we need to submit in obedience to His teachings. He is fully human, fully God. He is Lord and Savior.He is the One who is coming back to judge.
He is God. He accepted worship from others throughout the Gospels. He knows people’s hearts. He is the embodiment of Truth and He declared His divinity clearly in John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” When the Pharisees heard this, they picked up stones to kill Him.
4. Beware of those who speak for Jesus
There are many devotionals out there that claim new revelation from Jesus Himself (like Jesus Calling and God Calling). These books state right in the introduction that Scripture is not enough and that they had a special download from Jesus… this is exactly what the Quran says. There are statements in the Quran that they claim Jesus made that He never said. They not only deny the deity of Christ, but also they take the verses from John 16 about the Holy Spirit and attribute them to Muhammad. There is a misunderstanding and outright denial of who the Holy Spirit is. For Christians, we believe in One God, three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three are active throughout the Old Testament and New Testament.
Ligonier explains this best “The orthodox doctrine of the Trinity affirms that God is one in essence and three in person. Contrary to the assertions of Muslims and others, this is not a contradiction. If God were to be one and not one (that is, three) at the same time and in the same relationship, then we would have a logical contradiction. For example, if we were to say God is one in essence and not one in essence, then we would be confessing nonsense. But we believe that God is one and God is three at the same time, but the way in which He is one (in essence) is different than the way in which He is three (in person). To be sure, this doctrine is mysterious and we cannot understand it fully. Yet that does not mean it is illogical.”
There are many factors that can go into apologetics (defending the faith) and evangelism. If you are going to engage in apologetics, you have to be in the Word of God. I cannot stress that enough! After I share my testimony, many come to me and ask where they can get a Quran. My answer is standard “You have no business reading counterfeit, when you have not read or studied the truth.” As 2 Timothy stated… “ALL SCRIPTURE” (emphasis mine). It’s not just a part of Scripture that is God-breathed, but ALL. It’s not just a verse or two that you need to know, it’s ALL.
Read your Bible – you will then be equipped for all the things that come your way. Even a social media post.
“4For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
Ever wonder how to answer your child when they start asking questions about other religions? When our children were young, they would come home with some of the strangest views and when you dove in deeper, it seemed like we were trying to sort out one religion or another. Maybe you have a grandchild or a niece or nephew you take care of or a neighbor’s child who you babysit.
Sooner or later, a child in your life will ask questions about differences in religion. You may not be prepared to give a good answer in a way they would understand. It is helpful to have a tool that clarifies in simple terms.
In this book, Christina meets a new friend at school named Chand. Christina’s mother helps to bridge the gap between their beliefs and gives Christina an understanding of her friend’s culture, traditions, and differences between Islam and Christianity. There are prompts presented throughout that can help guide the discussion.
In this Book Series, Christina represents a Christian who meets others who are different from her. Join her as she learns about their culture and religion. See how understanding the culture can help reach new people in her life who do not know the beauty of the Gospel.
I’m so excited to bring this book series to you! Please stay tuned on other books coming up over the next year dealing with: Mormonism, The Occult (one of the fastest growing spiritual practices!), Hinduism & Yoga and more!
It’s Summer Time again! This means that my daughter and I embarked on reading the entire Bible in 30 days. Yes… that’s right! From Genesis to Revelation and every page in between! I never thought this was possible, but here we are doing it AGAIN!
Why do we think that it’s impossible to read the whole Bible like this? I think it’s because we have the one year Bible plans and most people don’t really bother reading the Bible cover to cover. I started thinking about this when I was challenged a few years ago by a Pastor who used to read “The Lord of the Rings” every year (which is a bigger book than the Bible). He said that if he could read that, why was he not reading his Bible?
I kind of put that comment and challenge away in the back of my mind and trudged along with everyone else in trying to read the Bible each year — giving way around February when other things took up my priorities and time.
This is why the challenge of reading in 30 days appealed to me when it was presented by a friend last year. She said that it would give me a fantastic overview of the entire Bible quickly and that Genesis would still be fresh in my head as I read the New Testament just a few weeks later.
The main thing to remember is that “YOU CAN DO ANYTHING FOR 30 DAYS!!!” Also, you need to set aside about 2-1/2 hours each day. Sounds like a lot — especially when you were working both a full time job AND a part time job like I was last year! But, you can do this! I did an hour or so at lunchtime and then read the rest at night since I’m a night owl.
Here is a video I did of my process on YOUTUBE. Check it out and leave me a comment on what you think! I hope you will try it! https://youtu.be/LiJtVAbbjZU
Be sure to PRAY first and pray every time you open your Bible. God will help you through this and you will be blessed!!!
Are you being invited into a little chat about someone else – you might want to have a plan of action to help combat gossip!
One of the things I love best about my work and life experience is that I have had the blessing of being able to help mentor women. I love to help women succeed in education through teaching my college HR courses, helping women in business, and helping women become strong spiritually through Bible Study and discipling.
An unfortunate thread through these relationships, however, is the tendency for women to gossip about one another. In the church, I have found that sharing a “prayer request” can quickly turn into a gossip session about another sister or in the workplace, asking advice on how to handle communication issues can turn into a venting session about how someone hurt their feelings.
The truth is that everyone has some sort of an opinion about everyone else… people will talk about you at one point or another. It’s not always negative, but given the cutting nature of gossip, it usually is. In sharing the sordid tale about someone else, the chatty person does not realize that they are sharing A LOT about themselves and in the process, warning the other person that they will at some point end up talking about them as well. The person spreading the gossip does more damage to themselves than the party being talked about. I have seen this end result over and over again.
What is Gossip?
definition of gossip from Google
Gossip is defined as casual conversations about others that are not confirmed true. There is always a perpetrator and a victim. Psychologists say that the person who does the talking is looking to make social connections with others – kind of like the girl who pulls another one over on the playground to share a secret.
So why does Gossip exist?
Author Deborah Tannen, PhD. wrote about the phenomenon of organizational gossip decades ago. She said something that has served me well throughout my years in management and leadership. She stated that gossip exists to help fill in the gaps of missing information. What does this mean?
Let’s say there is a change happening and management is not able to really share all the details of who, what, when, where, how. In an attempt to fill in the blanks, sometimes people invent their own reality and try to solve the puzzle by guessing at the missing pieces. In reality, Gossip is usually an indicator of anxiety and fear of someone or something. Some of the rumors can be true – the anxiety can come from not knowing which pieces are half truths (= lies) and which ones are true.
At church, this is a situation that Scripture is clear about. The 9th commandment is “you shall not bear false witness.” One who engages in gossip is committing a sinful act – this is not just a one-time sin, but one that multiplies quickly through conversations. This act can tear down the church and godly relationships, thus doing damage to the body. I recently had the blessing of studying the commandment to love one another (John 13:34) and read the following passage in 1 John 4: 7-21 (ESV):
God Is Love
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannota love God whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Romans 12: 10 also says “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” These verses point to the unity of the body in Christ and behaving in a manner that is worthy of our Savior. We are to not only love our brother but Christ also tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).
So what can you do?
Knowing and understanding what moves gossip along is the first step towards combatting the rumor mill. The first step is to help stop the train in its tracks or at least turn it in a different direction. The person who wants to spread the gossip is usually focused on the negative. Trying to present the positive is a good approach. If the person wants to talk about their issues with another person, hear them out and then point out some good traits about the other party. Encourage them to go and speak to that person face to face (these days, no one wants to do that – everyone wants to send out a quick little text that can further damage a relationship!). If they don’t want to do that, ask them why not. If the other person doesn’t know what they are doing wrong, how can they possibly improve or change their behavior?
Handling Gossip in the Church
The same type of steps need to take place in the church, except that we are indebted to our Savior even more! The Lord has forgiven us for our sins through His sacrifice on the cross. He paid the debt to God for our sake. We owe Him everything and the best way to show our love for our Savior is to show love to one another and keep His commandments… even if the other person does not deserve it! We did not deserve His sacrifice, yet He saved us for His good pleasure.
Titus 3: 1-2 states “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” If we understand who we are in the light of Christ and can humble ourselves, we can overcome this evil of gossip and other attacks on the church. We need to be mindful of our words, actions and deeds. If someone persists in speaking in a negative way about another, we can help to point them towards scripture and follow guidelines for repairing broken relationships from Matthew 18:15-16.
15“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
“For example, as a pastor, someone might come to me and say, “I need to talk to you about something.” I usually reply, “Something or someone?” If they “someone.” then I say, “Did you talk to ‘someone’ yet?” I redirect them back. I don’t want to hear about someone if that someone hasn’t heard about it first.” He then goes on to advise them to take these 3 steps to help redirect the conversation: “There are three aspects of this: first to Christ, second back to the person, and third to others they have gossiped to.“
Prayer needs to be the foundation for what we do, then we need to speak to the person in love – maybe they don’t know what they are doing (or they do know and need to stop!), then the person needs to go to each person they have dished the dirt to and in humility, ask for forgiveness. These are the things that help to grow, strengthen and unify the church in love.
Time is short – whether you are at work or in the church! There are things that need to be done and idle conversations do not help that work, but truly hinder us. Be involved in the things that bring good outcomes. When someone comes to you, be prepared and ask them to stop and consider what they are saying and why – maybe equip them with this article!
If we believe that God is Sovereign and that God has ordered and ordained things from eternity past, then it is safe to say that He ordered and planned for me to speak at the First Baptist Church in Wainwright Oklahoma today. It is very humbling to think that the Lord of the Universe, Creator God would deign to see it fit that I would go out and share my testimony about Him to a tiny, teeny little town in Oklahoma.
That’s exactly what took place today.
I got to drive 2.5 hours there and 2.5 hours back. Honestly, I was not relishing the thought of the long drive and then speaking all day. However, I have a very sweet and faithful church family that prays for me (and for my attitude). Their prayers helped to sustain me and so I set off with my daughter to Wainwright. On the way, we saw a beautiful sunrise and God’s creative handiwork. I was reminded of His lovingkindness towards us.
Sunrise over Oklahoma
At the church, I got to meet such sweet women who want to be obedient to Scripture and to learn how to share the Gospel with others. I was truly blessed and reminded of the family of God who worship Him together in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24). I also had to opportunity to share what God has done for me. I have written about September 11 many times on my blog (see this post and this one). However, 9/11 is a very tangible part of my testimony. It was these jarring events that shook up the United States 20 years ago that helped to shape my testimony of God’s saving grace upon me. Instead of fearing September 11 (and yes, the terrorist attacks were designed to instill fear), the day marked the beginning of the Lord waking me up to how He was orchestrating my life.
September 11 shook me up on a very personal level because while I was born a Muslim, I did not truly understand Islam. I had never read the Quran until that time or even prayed five times a day. It was these events that prompted me to learn more about my beliefs and to find out why the terrorists did what they did and why the Muslim world was relatively silent about condemning the perpetrators of that crime.
When I read the Quran, I learned about Isa Ibn Maryam (Isa = Iesous (Greek) = Jesus) in Surah 19. As I read about Him and found myself curious about His special place in the Quran. Why was He so special as to be born of a virgin? Why did He do so many miracles? Why was He the one to come back on Judgment Day? Why, why, why? All these questions and confusion.
I was not able to answer any of these questions because no one had shared the Gospel of Good News about Christ. It wasn’t until several years after 9/11 that the Gospel was shared with me and my husband. The moment the words of the Gospel hit our ears, we believed. As I share during my testimony, we walked into an office as dead people and through the miracle of God, we walked out new creations in Christ.
There are a lot of things happening around the world right now. Islam is at the forefront again with Afghan refugees coming to the United States. We can either react to this news with fear or we can welcome it as yet another opportunity from the Lord for fulfilling the Great Commission He gave to His children in Matthew 28:18-20 “18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Will you go even if it means getting out of your comfort zone? Will you go to a tiny town where no one really famous lives? Will you go to your next door neighbor?
Not really sure how all this was going to turn out! I started off great — even ahead of schedule. Last week was even more of a challenge for me to focus. I will tell you, it’s great to have someone you can have for accountability. My daughter and I have been helping to remind one another to read daily. What a discipline!
I am still about 4 days behind the reading schedule. HOWEVER, I built in a little safety. In the chronological schedule, if you read 12 days at a time, you will actually finish at 28 days, so I am “technically” 2 days behind. I kicked it into gear yesterday by reading 3 books in 1 day. That was a feat in itself because I am still taking copious notes and have asterisks and question marks by the things I would like to explore later.
I tried something new last week: I put in my earbuds and put on a narration of a book while I pulled weeds outside. It’s mindless work, but it became mindful work as I listened to the book of Acts (which I’ve read multiple times before). It was quite wonderful and I lost track of time — so I was pulling weeds for about an hour and a half! Our front bed still looks like yuck, but at least I made a dent in it.
So… still plugging along in the New Testament. From all the Old Testament reading, it was a relief to FINALLY read about my beloved Savior Jesus.
To God be the Glory!
To Date: All of the OT, plus 1/2 of Mark & Luke. John, Matthew & Acts are done! Hopefully I can read the rest by this weekend. That’s my story & I’m sticking to it! 🙂
