Have you ever...?

How is your witness?

Were you ever discipled by anyone?

Could you/Have you discipled another?

God commands that we be disciples of Jesus Christ and go to the nation in order to MAKE disciples.

You see, we are not simply to speak Christ's name into our hearts and become convinced our work is over.

Quite the opposite.

We are to recognize our sin and become so disgusted and utterly repulsed that we enter into a cleansing called Salvation. We're so humbled and amazed at the actions that took place on the cross that we choose to do the unthinkable...

We ask another (Christ) to take over our lives. We completely surrender control of our future in exchange for cleansing (forgiveness) and eternal life.

A Christian disciple is a follower of Christ, but one thing you must know is, the cost of following Jesus Christ is your life.

It will cost you everything.

It's at this point that our work begins.

Matthew 28:19, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."

Luke 9:23 also talks about us full out denying ourselves to follow Christ.

We're CHOOSING to follow Jesus and no one else.

We're CHOOSING to give up our old life.

We're CHOOSING to stop in our tracks, turn around and never look back.

We're CHOOSING a harder life in hopes of saving lives.

No one ever said this was going to be easy.

But the Bible does say time and time again that the world will HATE US for His name's sake.

It says we will be persecuted.

It says that we will have to be joyful in our long suffering.

It says for us to worship in our time of lament.

It says to witness and speak His name even if that means certain death.

So where does that leave many of us in our walk? Where are we, as individuals, in terms of getting the gospel to the nations? In the years that we've been saved, how many people have we lead to salvation by our witness or testimony?

10, 300, 1...none?

I'm guilty of this myself. There was this women I had met a few years back who literally made me question if I loved God as much as I thought I did.

We'd be having regular "girl chat" conversations about the weather, school, weekend plans, football, boyfriends, etc. But her conversational language was much different than mine. Her language oozed her love for Christ. She spoke His name in almost every sentence - and it was never to the point of boasting or doing it to make a point. There was such humility and gentleness in her speech that she made me wholeheartedly desire the love that she had.

She knew Christ differently than I knew Him. She had such an intimate relationship with Him and she mentored me to have the same. She taught me, encouraged me and prayed for me. She cultivated in me the heart of a disciple.

Let's make this a little more interesting.

What if I told you that you would have to endure part of the Tribulation?

What if Christians would be here when the Anti-Christ came to power?

Would our witness and discipling be strong enough to win the hardened hearts of the unsaved during the Tribulation?

Would you even know where to begin because you've never actually had the intense urgency to save someone from eternal damnation by simply talking about the only One you're commanded to love with all of your heart, soul and mind?

Like the book of James, I'm going to impress a call to action. We need to get the scripture to the streets, NOW!

Start a new ministry, make a new friend, talk to the people in the waiting room at the doctors office, talk to the doctor! EVERYONE needs Jesus Christ. Everyone needs to be saved from an eternity of torture and separation from God.

Now let me ask you a question.

Why does no one care anymore?

I know what you're thinking...I do care! We all care!

Then why aren't you screaming His name from the rooftops? Why aren't you telling absolutely every single person you meet how unspeakably in love with Jesus you are? Why can't you name one person you've witnessed to in the last 6 months? Why can't you name one person that you've ever lead to His presence?

Where's the urgency?

The problem is...we think we have time...

-Written by: Kayla Greer

Original Source

Re-purposed People

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DIYers all over the world love to take something of seemingly little value and create something with a new purpose and of greater value. Whether it is an old tv cabinet or a broken wooden pallet; we all love to watch the transformation of some old worn out item into a priceless work of art! I guess the old saying still rings true "One mans trash is another mans treasure".

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2 Cor. 5:17 explains that once a life has been entrusted to God, the old man has been transformed to a new life with a new purpose and a fresh beginning. When the grace of God is poured out on a life whose world has been shattered, they are forever changed. Whether it is a wife who has suffered abuse at the hands of a drunken husband, a child who has been abandoned by a single mother or man whose wife just left him for his best friend are all able to be re-purposed so that they might see their greater value.

Many people will travel the world over in search of things to cover their scars or to help them forget their pain but they will never find it. Many will seek the arms of a stranger or an old flame to try to be reminded of their worth, but they will never find their true sense of worth and purpose in this world. It must be found in the One who gave His life so that we might have life as is spoken of in John 10:10.

Whether your heart has been hardened by countless years of abuse and ridicule, or if you are just in search of something better...God is simply waiting for you to turn complete control of your life over to Him. He requires you to sacrifice everything so that He can give your life meaning and purpose.
Romans 12:1-2 explains that we need to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God and to allow Him to transform us and renew our mind.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that we are no longer the lord of our life, but we have been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ and our new life should bring glory to God.

We cannot allow the devil or the world to remind us of our history. Once we have been transformed, we have been re-purposed. Our life is now of endless worth and we have been given a higher purpose.

Become what "They" need

 Christ's mission on earth was to "seek and save the lost." His mission for us is to go into all nations with the gospel so that all may hear and have the opportunity to know Him. Although churches across this country have multimillion dollar facilities, eloquent preachers and an outreach program...what are they really accomplishing?
Even with all of these state-of-the-art amenities, churches are closing their doors by the thousands. People aren't interested in buying what the churches are selling anymore. People have grown tired of the show and are hungry for more.

Just because we go to church on Sunday morning, and some on Wednesday nights, doesn't mean that we're fulfilling what God has called us to do.

Think about it:
1. Are you being used?
    -Are your gifts realized and put to maximum work for the furtherance of the Kingdom? Or are you comfortable listening to a message and going home, never to open your Bible until next Sunday?
2. Are you continually being pushed?
    -Are you always being pushed to search God's heart more deeply, more intimately, more passionately? Are you able to get enough of His word?
3. Are you changing?
    -Are your thoughts, actions, perspective, circumstances, opinions, etc. changing to a more Christ-centered direction?
4. Are you reaching people with His word?
    -How many people were you able to lead to Christ last year...this year? How many people were you able to minister to?
5. Are you being taught?
    -Are you being taught and guided how to accomplish all of the above? Does the church you attend care for your spiritual-man? Are they investing in you in order to reach more?

We are not called to be like the world. In fact, the Bible states in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 to, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (KJV) So how do we reach a world that doesn't act like us?

We have to understand them. We have to search their hurt and desire full restoration of their heart. If we cannot find common ground with people we will be unable to reach them with the truth they're so desperately looking for.

1 Cor 9:22 "To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some." (HCSB)
Our heart must be so set to searching out the lost that we become their weakness, their hurt, their worthlessness in order to understand where they are and how they need to receive the Word.

This great nation was built on those very principles. Even our Statue of Liberty has an inscription reading,
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

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 The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom. To the immigrants coming in trough Ellis Island, she was hope. She was a dream of a better tomorrow; a savior.
Our great country has forgotten this, and our churches have forgotten the true message and calling of Christ.

Are you being used, prepared and encouraged to be everything you need to be in order to fulfill the mission Christ has called you to do? Are we reaching people with a genuine love and hunger to seek actual transformation? Are we willing to fight for the truth at all cost?

Give me the hungry, homeless, displaced, exhausted, disgusted, too-far-gone.
Give me the unlovable and allow me to show them true love.