Holy God, as you sent beautiful feet to preach Good News to me;
make my ugly and sinful feet,
beautiful,
and send me.
Be gracious to me, oh God, and bless me;
make Your face shine upon me,
that Your way may be known to those I meet this day;
that Your saving power through Jesus Christ may be received.
May people come to praise You.
Oh God, may people come to praise
YOU.
Send me, oh God, send
ME.
Amen.
Romans 10
Don’t be a Jerk
I saw a Facebook post recently that said:
“Sometimes the best evangelism is simply telling people you’re a Christian and then not being a complete jerk.”
There is some truth to that but it definitely does not go far enough in today’s world. There are way too many people who claim to be a Christian but do not follow Jesus (which doesn’t make sense to me). For some, “Christian” is just a title to be used when it suits them but when opposition comes the title is abandoned. Then there are people who claim the title “Christian” but under a new and “relevant” definition. It’s like a Twitter post I saw recently,
“Saying you’re a new kind of Christian with a new kind of Christianity is basically saying you’re an old kind of heretic.” [Burk Parsons]
To “simply” say you’re a Christian doesn’t tell me much now days, which is kind of sad. “Christian” used to mean something but now it is just a watered down title. So now what? Well, you can’t simply tell people you are a Christian and then not be a complete jerk. In today’s world, Jesus-following Christians need to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead. That is salvation and that is the message that needs to be proclaimed.
Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus died for you.
Jesus was raised for you.
Through faith, when you confess your sins, you are forgiven.
So don’t “simply” stop at Christian, but confess with your mouth what you believe in your heart…and THEN don’t be a complete jerk.
The Pastor -|—
Words
I sent this out to my church devotion/Bible reading email list yesterday and thought I would also share it here as well:
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17 ESV)
This verse has been running around in my head and heart today (and still is as I share this) I’m not sure why, it just is. What has captured my attention is that words are vitally important and could have eternal significance. What words are you saying to people today? Do they glorify God? Just imagine, God could be using you today to share the Gospel with someone so be mindful of your words.
And then I would like to add:
You just never know who you are going to meet who doesn’t know Jesus. You just never know who you are going to meet who needs to hear the Gospel proclaimed to them again. You just never know. So let’s watch our words and bring glory to God.
The Pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 