The following is taken from the text of Jonathan Edwards (not the presidential hopeful) in his famous sermon "Sinners in the hands of an angry God", which is a fierce and no-holds-barred look at the reality of who God is, and why we should not take lightly the issue of choosing to receive His promise of heaven over the severity of hell. The sermon was originally preached at Enfield, Connecticut on July 8,1741. It is just as relevant today as it was then, and the need for a Savior more evident each day as we head towards eternity. This text is many pages long, and you can read the entire sermon at Character Journal
Scroll to the lower section of the page to read the whole sermon. We pick up here talking about the wrath of God upon those who reject Him. The grace that God freely gives to all who believe is only understood when you understand the fierceness of His wrath on Satan and those who choose to follow him rather than God. The choice must be made, and by not choosing, the choice is made. Today could be our last day on this earth, and today is the day to fix our eternal destiny. If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior today, do not wait. You can visit Good News Now to learn how to make sure you are in heaven for eternity and are rescued from Hell for eternity.
Jonathan Edwards on God's wrath for those who reject Him:
"It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long for ever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: For “who knows the power of God’s anger?”
How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in the danger of this great wrath and infinite misery! But this is the dismal case of every soul in this congregation that has not been born again, however moral and strict, sober and religious, they may otherwise be. Oh that you would consider it, whether you be young or old! There is reason to think, that there are many in this congregation now hearing this discourse, that will actually be the subjects of this very misery to all eternity. We know not who they are, or in what seats they sit, or what thoughts they now have. It may be they are now at ease, and hear all these things without much disturbance, and are now flattering themselves that they are not the persons, promising themselves that they shall escape. If we knew that there was one person, and but one, in the whole congregation, that was to be the subject of this misery, what an awful thing would it be to think of!
If we knew who it was, what an awful sight would it be to see such a person! How might all the rest of the congregation lift up a lamentable and
bitter cry over him! But, alas! instead of one, how many is it likely will remember this discourse in hell? And it would be a wonder, if some that
are now present should not be in hell in a very short time, even before this year is out. And it would be no wonder if some persons, that now sit here, in some seats of this meeting-house, in health, quiet and secure, should be there before tomorrow morning. Those of you that finally continue in a natural condition, that shall keep out of hell longest will be there in a little time! your damnation does not slumber; it will come swiftly, and, in all probability, very suddenly upon many of you. You have reason to wonder that you are not already in hell. It is doubtless the case of some whom you have seen and known, that never deserved hell more than you, and that heretofore appeared as likely to have been now alive as you. Their case is past all hope; they are crying in extreme misery and perfect despair; but here you are in the land of the living and in the house of God, and have an opportunity to obtain salvation. What would not those poor damned hopeless souls give for one day’s opportunity such as you now enjoy!
And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying
with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their
hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To see so many others feasting, while you are pining and perishing! To see so many rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have cause to mourn for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit! How can you rest one moment in such a condition? Are not your souls as precious as the souls of the people at Suffield, where they are flocking from day to day to Christ?
Are there not many here who have lived long in the world, and are not to this day born again? and so are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and have done nothing ever since they have lived, but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath? Oh, sirs, your case, in an especial manner, is extremely dangerous. Your guilt and hardness of heart is extremely great. Do you not see how generaity persons of your years are passed over and left, in the present remarkable and wonderful dispensation of God’s mercy? You had need to consider yourselves, and awake thoroughly out of sleep. You cannot bear the fierceness and wrath of the infinite God. —
And you, young men, and young women, will you neglect this precious season which you now enjoy, when so many others of your age are
renouncing all youthful vanities, and flocking to Christ? You especially have now an extraordinary opportunity; but if you neglect it, it will soon
be with you as with those persons who spent all the precious days of youth in sin, and are now come to such a dreadful pass in blindness and
hardness. — And you, children, who are unconverted, do not you know that you are going down to hell, to bear the dreadful wrath of that God,
who is now angry with you every day and every night? Will you be content to be the children of the devil, when so many other children in the
land are converted, and are become the holy and happy children of the King of kings?
And let every one that is yet out of Christ, and hanging over the pit of hell, whether they be old men and women, or middle aged, or young
people, or little children, now hearken to the loud calls of God’s word and providence. This acceptable year of the Lord, a day of such great favor to some, will doubtless be a day of as remarkable vengeance to others. Men’s hearts harden, and their guilt increases apace at such a day as this, if they neglect their souls; and never was there so great danger of such persons being given up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind. God seems now to be hastily gathering in his elect in all parts of the land; and probably the greater part of adult persons that ever shall be saved, will be brought in now in a little time, and that it will be as it was on the great out-pouring of the Spirit upon the Jews in the apostles’ days; the election will obtain, and the rest will be blinded. If this should be the case with you, you will eternally curse this day, and will curse the day that ever you was born, to see such a season of the pouring out of God’s Spirit, and will wish that you had died and gone to hell before you had seen it. Now undoubtedly it is, as it was in the days of John the Baptist, the ax is in an extraordinary manner laid at the root of the trees, that every tree which brings not forth good fruit, may be hewn down and cast into the fire.
Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let every one fly out of Sodom:“Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed.”
-Jonathan Edwards
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Lessons about humility from Elisha
Our context is 2 Kings 5, a familiar story to many. I had read this before time and time again, but today it really hit me. God seems to reveal new each morning His ways to us, and in the timing that we need to understand them. It is always amazing to me, though you would think by now I would have gotten used to God showing Himself over and over and be accustomed to it. I find that when I am quiet and open my heart to what the Lord would show me, He shows me faults I didn't know I had, and the strength by which to conquer them. It is only when we rely on the Lord for this direction that we will ever learn and be changed by the Spirit of God revealed in His Word.
The story of Naaman and Elisha is full of things for me to learn, and I am sure that I am not the only one, so I decided to write about it here. This blog also serves to remind me of the things God has shown me in the past, as I can look at them down the road and see where His hand has led me.
Naaman was no ordinary leper, but an army captain, a man of some power, and known for his strength and might in his post. Through his battles, this young Israelite girl comes into his home to be a servant. It is the faith of this little lady that first startled me. She simply stated that she knew that God's servant, Elisha, could heal by the power God had given him. Elisha steps in to help the king of Israel, who was distraught by the idea of another king sending someone wishing to be healed. The king thought this was a trap, yet the little servant girl was faithfully witnessing to the power of God. Even though it is not always God's will that someone be healed, she knew that God's power is shown through our weakness. She didn't seem to have spite in her heart towards her master, but love. A girl who spends her time catering to others, with no hope of having anything of her own, reached out in love and shared God with the very ones who held her captive. That is amazing point #1
Elisha saw the timing and opportunity brought to him by the Lord to reveal the power and simplicity of faith in this man's life. As we were talking about this story as a family, I was asking the kids questions, and the answer I wanted was not what I got, but my wife gave me the answer I needed. When I questioned about Naaman's problem(besides leprosy) Sara reminded me that his lack of faith was still the problem. When Elisha sent a lowly messenger to the great army captain, never even coming to greet him personally, Naaman gets angry. Naaman has assumed that the man of God himself would come to meet this mighty warrior. The pride and selfishness of Naaman is immediately struck down by this first scene. Naaman's own servants remind him that he traveled quite a distance to be healed by God's prophet. Yet, in his own mind, he was disgraced and offended by how God chose to do the healing. How often is this our own mindset? We come to God, already decided in our hearts and minds how God will do His work. We think we can dictate to the creator and Lord of all things how and when He should show His strength and might in our lives. We may need to learn the lesson Naaman learned.
The simple way of washing in the water of the Jordan seemed silly to Naaman. After all, the Jordan river was known for being pretty muddy and dirty. How would washing is filthy water make him healed of a deadly disease that eats flesh away? He was probably in terrible pain, and having to care for his wounds regularly. Naaman did not have a splinter or a back ache, but a ravaging, horrible disease that he has seen the end result of more than once. In our lives, how often do we refuse to see the simple principles of reading God's Word, obeying it completely, seeking God in prayer as so simple yet the exact prescription God gives? We tend to think that we know better and that God must be able to overcome our lack of desire for His Word to change us. Often, we think that God should do some miraculous work, overriding the disobedience we live in, and make us better out of grace. While God's grace in offering salvation is unable to truly be comprehended, it is still by grace through faith that we are saved.
Salvation by grace through faith that is offered by God is such a simple plan. It is so simple a child can understand it, yet it requires complete faith in God to accomplish. We cannot prove certain things, but must accept by faith the saving work of Jesus on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. We cannot just say a prayer, mouthing the words but not really believing in our hearts that God has the power to do what He says He will. The words without the faith are meaningless, just as Naaman washing would do nothing. It was not the action that healed him, but the faith that God was able and willing to heal that caused Naaman to do such a seemingly silly thing.
The moment Naaman stepped out in faith, believing that God was willing and able to cleanse him, the deed was done. This mighty man of war took a dip in the muddy water and was released from his torment. This reminds me of how the faith to step out and believe in Jesus for salvation is such a simple plan. Realize who God is and that we are sinners in need of salvation. We need to be cleansed of our sin. Naaman's problem was evident to all, but we all have hidden sins, or scars. Some are more obvious to others, but God knows them all. When we realize our condition and that God offers us the cure, we just reach out and ask for His help, he will give us new life, cleansed and whole from the inside out.
There is much more to this story, and I will try to write more later. Have a great day.
mark
The story of Naaman and Elisha is full of things for me to learn, and I am sure that I am not the only one, so I decided to write about it here. This blog also serves to remind me of the things God has shown me in the past, as I can look at them down the road and see where His hand has led me.
Naaman was no ordinary leper, but an army captain, a man of some power, and known for his strength and might in his post. Through his battles, this young Israelite girl comes into his home to be a servant. It is the faith of this little lady that first startled me. She simply stated that she knew that God's servant, Elisha, could heal by the power God had given him. Elisha steps in to help the king of Israel, who was distraught by the idea of another king sending someone wishing to be healed. The king thought this was a trap, yet the little servant girl was faithfully witnessing to the power of God. Even though it is not always God's will that someone be healed, she knew that God's power is shown through our weakness. She didn't seem to have spite in her heart towards her master, but love. A girl who spends her time catering to others, with no hope of having anything of her own, reached out in love and shared God with the very ones who held her captive. That is amazing point #1
Elisha saw the timing and opportunity brought to him by the Lord to reveal the power and simplicity of faith in this man's life. As we were talking about this story as a family, I was asking the kids questions, and the answer I wanted was not what I got, but my wife gave me the answer I needed. When I questioned about Naaman's problem(besides leprosy) Sara reminded me that his lack of faith was still the problem. When Elisha sent a lowly messenger to the great army captain, never even coming to greet him personally, Naaman gets angry. Naaman has assumed that the man of God himself would come to meet this mighty warrior. The pride and selfishness of Naaman is immediately struck down by this first scene. Naaman's own servants remind him that he traveled quite a distance to be healed by God's prophet. Yet, in his own mind, he was disgraced and offended by how God chose to do the healing. How often is this our own mindset? We come to God, already decided in our hearts and minds how God will do His work. We think we can dictate to the creator and Lord of all things how and when He should show His strength and might in our lives. We may need to learn the lesson Naaman learned.
The simple way of washing in the water of the Jordan seemed silly to Naaman. After all, the Jordan river was known for being pretty muddy and dirty. How would washing is filthy water make him healed of a deadly disease that eats flesh away? He was probably in terrible pain, and having to care for his wounds regularly. Naaman did not have a splinter or a back ache, but a ravaging, horrible disease that he has seen the end result of more than once. In our lives, how often do we refuse to see the simple principles of reading God's Word, obeying it completely, seeking God in prayer as so simple yet the exact prescription God gives? We tend to think that we know better and that God must be able to overcome our lack of desire for His Word to change us. Often, we think that God should do some miraculous work, overriding the disobedience we live in, and make us better out of grace. While God's grace in offering salvation is unable to truly be comprehended, it is still by grace through faith that we are saved.
Salvation by grace through faith that is offered by God is such a simple plan. It is so simple a child can understand it, yet it requires complete faith in God to accomplish. We cannot prove certain things, but must accept by faith the saving work of Jesus on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. We cannot just say a prayer, mouthing the words but not really believing in our hearts that God has the power to do what He says He will. The words without the faith are meaningless, just as Naaman washing would do nothing. It was not the action that healed him, but the faith that God was able and willing to heal that caused Naaman to do such a seemingly silly thing.
The moment Naaman stepped out in faith, believing that God was willing and able to cleanse him, the deed was done. This mighty man of war took a dip in the muddy water and was released from his torment. This reminds me of how the faith to step out and believe in Jesus for salvation is such a simple plan. Realize who God is and that we are sinners in need of salvation. We need to be cleansed of our sin. Naaman's problem was evident to all, but we all have hidden sins, or scars. Some are more obvious to others, but God knows them all. When we realize our condition and that God offers us the cure, we just reach out and ask for His help, he will give us new life, cleansed and whole from the inside out.
There is much more to this story, and I will try to write more later. Have a great day.
mark
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Response to a question about tattoos and piercings
I have been asked more than once about my tattoos and piercings. Before I became a believer, and even after a short time of knowing Christ as my Savior, I still was unaware of the ramifications of piercings and tattoos. I would not call my attitude about the things I have on my body "shame", but knowing that God works in the hearts of those who love Him to bring us closer to the image of Christ Jesus, I was convicted not to get more, but also not to spend thousands of dollars to rid myself of my tattoos. They are, for now, part of my testimony of what Jesus delivered me from. My life was one of rebellion, self injury, pain, and hopelessness. I put on a good front, macho man with "ink" but really I was just trying to fit in. I had no idea that it would haunt me for the rest of my life. In light of all this, I decided to answer a private question publicly.
I was told by a young lady at a recent church meeting that she would like to get a tattoo of a cross somewhere on her midsection, back, something like that(unimportant details). My response was that I did not think it was becoming of a follower of Jesus Christ nor of a young lady desiring to be modest and chaste to go about sticking her body full of needle holes and ink, and unknowingly also attracting those who saw it(which I would assume would only be the man she marries) in the wrong way.
I must say that this young lady is a wonderful teen, naive in the ways of the world, and very new to the Bible and its teachings. What follows is a portion, edited for content here, of the letter I wrote to her parents. Their desire is to do what honors God and they asked that I share this issue with others, as we know it is a common issue among young people.
As many people are not aware of the spiritual dangers in such practices,
this article is not meant to condemn any that may already have this done.
However, we would urge you to seek the Lord as to any further involvement in
this practice. The Lord loves everyone, no matter what we are currently
doing however, His desire is to show us a better way.
The Bible warns us against cuttings in our flesh in Leviticus 19:28 which
says, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print
any marks upon you: I am the Lord."
Our young people do not realize what they are doing has its roots in
witchcraft and the practices of false religions. Those that have made trips
to other parts of the world have viewed the bodies of those who have not
only pierced and tattooed their bodies but have gone further, with
mutilating their bodies. It is sad, at the least, to see someone deform the body that
the Lord made. God made us just how He wants us and our "art" added to the body seems to point to the feeling that what God made was not good enough. The Lord admonishes us in 1 Corinthians
6:19-20,
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is
in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought
with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's."
If we are to glorify God in our bodies, how do body piercings glorify
Christ? This should have been my first thought, and as we struggle daily with what God would have us do and what we should not do, this should be our first thought. Weighing the good versus bad is not valid, but rather is all that we do to honor and glorify God.
The verse below reveals a connection between foreign gods and earrings.
Genesis 35:2: "Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with
him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change
your garments: 3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make
there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was
with me in the way which I went. 4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange
gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their
ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem."
Perhaps a more well known scripture having to do with earrings is the record
of the children of Israel falling into rebellion and worshipping the golden
calf while Moses was up in the mount with God receiving the Ten
Commandments. Here we find they took their earrings and cast them into the
fire and make a golden idol out of them which greatly displeased the Lord.
Exodus 32:2-3: "And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings,
which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters,
and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings
which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron."
I think the matter in most cases, as it was in my personal case, is that of ignorance. Simply not having the in depth knowledge of God's Word will cause us to stumble. That is why we must rely on the wisdom of God given to us by elders and other men of spiritual maturity. In this case, it would be the father, who asked for help. This is how we help each other. We are not all wise in all things(especially me) The youth of this day want a real
cause to live and die for. Most have not seen true Christianity. However,
when they do come to Christ many will be bringing their tattoos, dress,
music and old habits with them right into the church. We must be sure that
we do not despise them nor look down on them, but rather welcome and love
them and gently teach them the ways of the Lord. We are called to love and
pray for them and help them avoid making some of the mistakes we have made
in our own walk with the Lord. We need to be true mothers and fathers to
them. Yes, we must speak the truth in love, but let us make sure we are
loving them and not condemning them. On the other hand, we must not accept
all that they would desire to bring with them that would harm them and
compromise the Word of God.
As in all issues with young people, a Godly response may be met with rebellion, questions, and all sorts of troubles, but it is worth the time to explain the truths of God's Word to the next generation. Those that are believers are going to be the leaders of the future church and need a solid foundation to build upon. If we fail our children and those others that we come into contact with, we are only making it more difficult for God's work to be accomplished. This kind of question humbles me and reminds me of the great responsibility we have as parents and leaders. We must guard our hearts and the hearts of those we lead, always relying solely on God to provide us with the answers. It is only when we honestly and earnestly seek Him that we will achieve our goals.
Mark
I was told by a young lady at a recent church meeting that she would like to get a tattoo of a cross somewhere on her midsection, back, something like that(unimportant details). My response was that I did not think it was becoming of a follower of Jesus Christ nor of a young lady desiring to be modest and chaste to go about sticking her body full of needle holes and ink, and unknowingly also attracting those who saw it(which I would assume would only be the man she marries) in the wrong way.
I must say that this young lady is a wonderful teen, naive in the ways of the world, and very new to the Bible and its teachings. What follows is a portion, edited for content here, of the letter I wrote to her parents. Their desire is to do what honors God and they asked that I share this issue with others, as we know it is a common issue among young people.
As many people are not aware of the spiritual dangers in such practices,
this article is not meant to condemn any that may already have this done.
However, we would urge you to seek the Lord as to any further involvement in
this practice. The Lord loves everyone, no matter what we are currently
doing however, His desire is to show us a better way.
The Bible warns us against cuttings in our flesh in Leviticus 19:28 which
says, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print
any marks upon you: I am the Lord."
Our young people do not realize what they are doing has its roots in
witchcraft and the practices of false religions. Those that have made trips
to other parts of the world have viewed the bodies of those who have not
only pierced and tattooed their bodies but have gone further, with
mutilating their bodies. It is sad, at the least, to see someone deform the body that
the Lord made. God made us just how He wants us and our "art" added to the body seems to point to the feeling that what God made was not good enough. The Lord admonishes us in 1 Corinthians
6:19-20,
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is
in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought
with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's."
If we are to glorify God in our bodies, how do body piercings glorify
Christ? This should have been my first thought, and as we struggle daily with what God would have us do and what we should not do, this should be our first thought. Weighing the good versus bad is not valid, but rather is all that we do to honor and glorify God.
The verse below reveals a connection between foreign gods and earrings.
Genesis 35:2: "Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with
him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change
your garments: 3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make
there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was
with me in the way which I went. 4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange
gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their
ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem."
Perhaps a more well known scripture having to do with earrings is the record
of the children of Israel falling into rebellion and worshipping the golden
calf while Moses was up in the mount with God receiving the Ten
Commandments. Here we find they took their earrings and cast them into the
fire and make a golden idol out of them which greatly displeased the Lord.
Exodus 32:2-3: "And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings,
which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters,
and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings
which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron."
I think the matter in most cases, as it was in my personal case, is that of ignorance. Simply not having the in depth knowledge of God's Word will cause us to stumble. That is why we must rely on the wisdom of God given to us by elders and other men of spiritual maturity. In this case, it would be the father, who asked for help. This is how we help each other. We are not all wise in all things(especially me) The youth of this day want a real
cause to live and die for. Most have not seen true Christianity. However,
when they do come to Christ many will be bringing their tattoos, dress,
music and old habits with them right into the church. We must be sure that
we do not despise them nor look down on them, but rather welcome and love
them and gently teach them the ways of the Lord. We are called to love and
pray for them and help them avoid making some of the mistakes we have made
in our own walk with the Lord. We need to be true mothers and fathers to
them. Yes, we must speak the truth in love, but let us make sure we are
loving them and not condemning them. On the other hand, we must not accept
all that they would desire to bring with them that would harm them and
compromise the Word of God.
As in all issues with young people, a Godly response may be met with rebellion, questions, and all sorts of troubles, but it is worth the time to explain the truths of God's Word to the next generation. Those that are believers are going to be the leaders of the future church and need a solid foundation to build upon. If we fail our children and those others that we come into contact with, we are only making it more difficult for God's work to be accomplished. This kind of question humbles me and reminds me of the great responsibility we have as parents and leaders. We must guard our hearts and the hearts of those we lead, always relying solely on God to provide us with the answers. It is only when we honestly and earnestly seek Him that we will achieve our goals.
Mark
I spoke too soon
I was informed that the fellas in the men's group were not on board with my decision to sing from the parade float this time. So, I guess unless I want to sing alone, the music will be reserved for the ride back after the parade is over.
That being said, the Lobster Festival parade is Saturday, August 2. We have a little less running around to do this time, as most of the float is already decorated, we just have to rewire my truck for the trailer. We learned a difficult lesson about trailer wiring which I may have to write about some time.
All that said, we should be handing out thousands of Gospel tracts and CDs this weekend. Be in prayer that they land where God would have them land. Also, be in prayer that hearts would be prepared(both in us and those receiving). I will write more later, just wanted to update with all that is going on.
Anyone who would like to participate in the parade with us is welcome to call or email me. This is being put together in cooperation with a couple churches and we welcome more help on parade day. If you have never felt comfortable handing out gospel tracts, this is a great first step. Also coming up in a few weeks, we will be at the Union Fair preaching the gospel and doing open air evangelism. We have a booth and still need more help.
Mark
That being said, the Lobster Festival parade is Saturday, August 2. We have a little less running around to do this time, as most of the float is already decorated, we just have to rewire my truck for the trailer. We learned a difficult lesson about trailer wiring which I may have to write about some time.
All that said, we should be handing out thousands of Gospel tracts and CDs this weekend. Be in prayer that they land where God would have them land. Also, be in prayer that hearts would be prepared(both in us and those receiving). I will write more later, just wanted to update with all that is going on.
Anyone who would like to participate in the parade with us is welcome to call or email me. This is being put together in cooperation with a couple churches and we welcome more help on parade day. If you have never felt comfortable handing out gospel tracts, this is a great first step. Also coming up in a few weeks, we will be at the Union Fair preaching the gospel and doing open air evangelism. We have a booth and still need more help.
Mark
Sunday, July 13, 2008
July 4th outreach
I wrote last week about our parade in Thomaston, Maine. It is a large parade, drawing folks from many states and a few other countries. There is a 5k road race, which Sara's family has been in charge of for 12 years. We set up the route, water, registration, and keep times. There is a lot to do in our family on July 3-5. This year was no different. In fact, we also were in the parade with some friends from our church and one other area church.
The focus of our float was evangelistic. We printed John 4:10 and another verse(which slips my mind right now) each on a sheet of 4'x8' plywood, large enough for everyone to read from a good distance. We pulled a 16' trailer loaded with half liter bottles of water encased with ice. This was a major undertaking for our little group, but it went well. We will need more volunteers (hint, hint) on August 2, when we do this again for the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, Maine.
We gave out, with water bottles, a magnet to stick on the refrigerator at home. This magnet had John 4:13-14 on it, and a prayer line number. The chapel we attend recently got a cell phone for this prayer line. One of us from the chapel carries the phone for a week at a time, and hands it off to someone else the next week. This means nobody has to man a phone at the chapel(we have no secretary or anything like that) and if someone calls for prayer or to learn more about salvation, they can call anytime day or night and know that someone will be there to talk to.
We also passed out 4000 tracts by hand. Most of those were patriotic themed, targeting this day of celebrating independence, and the freedom and liberty found through Christ Jesus if we follow His ways and live our lives for Him. There were 800 CDs with a gospel message by J B Nicholson passed out in bags along with a gospel tract and invitation to our 5 day Bible club.
We were the first float in the parade with walkers, following cars and trucks, so we fell behind quite a bit, but really enjoyed what we were doing. We also sent some folks just walking the parade route, talking to anyone that was receptive about the gospel. Those folks had some good conversations and some from the float walked back on the parade route and talked to even more along the way.
While waiting in traffic, those of us stuck on the float decided to sing. We sang lots of hymns, and songs most folks know like "Jesus loves me". This was a great time, and folks got to see that even when forced to be patient and stuck in traffic, we had joy overflowing while thinking about our Savior. This was actually one of my favorite parts of the parade, and I am thinking about having some people in the back of the truck at the next parade just to sing to the crowd. The love we have for people should flow out of us like the living water that Jesus spoke about. We should be willing to reach out to everyone in love, showing them the wonderful salvation through Jesus that is offered to all who will believe and live for Him.
I have this picture in my head of what heaven will be like, and it involves a lot of singing. Songs of praise and adoration for our God and King. Songs of joy and gratitude to Jesus our Savior. I think that music is such a wonderful way to show those we meet. I guess I may have just talked myself into this, but next parade we SING!!
I really should go now, lots to do. I just wanted to keep up with what has gone on. I have not yet gotten to Bible Club, so that will have to wait until next time.
***I would like to recognize those that helped out so much with money, time, equipment, ideas, and mostly a heart for lost souls- Todd Caverly and family, Andrew Stanley and family, Nathan Hebert and family, Gary Sabins and family, Isaac Hebert, Joanna Hall, Molena Hall, Gertie Holden, Nancy Sabins, Marianne Holden, my family, and many others that stuffed bags, labeled tracts, and contributed in prayer, support, and so many other ways. I don't want to miss anyone, but they know who they are, and they are greatly appreciated***
Mark
The focus of our float was evangelistic. We printed John 4:10 and another verse(which slips my mind right now) each on a sheet of 4'x8' plywood, large enough for everyone to read from a good distance. We pulled a 16' trailer loaded with half liter bottles of water encased with ice. This was a major undertaking for our little group, but it went well. We will need more volunteers (hint, hint) on August 2, when we do this again for the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, Maine.
We gave out, with water bottles, a magnet to stick on the refrigerator at home. This magnet had John 4:13-14 on it, and a prayer line number. The chapel we attend recently got a cell phone for this prayer line. One of us from the chapel carries the phone for a week at a time, and hands it off to someone else the next week. This means nobody has to man a phone at the chapel(we have no secretary or anything like that) and if someone calls for prayer or to learn more about salvation, they can call anytime day or night and know that someone will be there to talk to.
We also passed out 4000 tracts by hand. Most of those were patriotic themed, targeting this day of celebrating independence, and the freedom and liberty found through Christ Jesus if we follow His ways and live our lives for Him. There were 800 CDs with a gospel message by J B Nicholson passed out in bags along with a gospel tract and invitation to our 5 day Bible club.
We were the first float in the parade with walkers, following cars and trucks, so we fell behind quite a bit, but really enjoyed what we were doing. We also sent some folks just walking the parade route, talking to anyone that was receptive about the gospel. Those folks had some good conversations and some from the float walked back on the parade route and talked to even more along the way.
While waiting in traffic, those of us stuck on the float decided to sing. We sang lots of hymns, and songs most folks know like "Jesus loves me". This was a great time, and folks got to see that even when forced to be patient and stuck in traffic, we had joy overflowing while thinking about our Savior. This was actually one of my favorite parts of the parade, and I am thinking about having some people in the back of the truck at the next parade just to sing to the crowd. The love we have for people should flow out of us like the living water that Jesus spoke about. We should be willing to reach out to everyone in love, showing them the wonderful salvation through Jesus that is offered to all who will believe and live for Him.
I have this picture in my head of what heaven will be like, and it involves a lot of singing. Songs of praise and adoration for our God and King. Songs of joy and gratitude to Jesus our Savior. I think that music is such a wonderful way to show those we meet. I guess I may have just talked myself into this, but next parade we SING!!
I really should go now, lots to do. I just wanted to keep up with what has gone on. I have not yet gotten to Bible Club, so that will have to wait until next time.
***I would like to recognize those that helped out so much with money, time, equipment, ideas, and mostly a heart for lost souls- Todd Caverly and family, Andrew Stanley and family, Nathan Hebert and family, Gary Sabins and family, Isaac Hebert, Joanna Hall, Molena Hall, Gertie Holden, Nancy Sabins, Marianne Holden, my family, and many others that stuffed bags, labeled tracts, and contributed in prayer, support, and so many other ways. I don't want to miss anyone, but they know who they are, and they are greatly appreciated***
Mark
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Independence Day
We as a family have always been very active on July 4th, and this year is no different. Our focus is much different though. This year we encourage all those who read this blog and Sara's blog to think more about the freedom enjoyed by knowing Christ as your Savior than all the other things that this day means to those in our country. I do value our country and respect it's leaders, but this world is not my home. I am just passing through and my home is in heaven with my Lord and Savior.
If you do not know Jesus Christ and the freedom from sin offered through His death for our sins, please contact me. Also, you can click here and listen to a message that explains it better than I ever could.
Have a great Independence Day, all.
Mark
If you do not know Jesus Christ and the freedom from sin offered through His death for our sins, please contact me. Also, you can click here and listen to a message that explains it better than I ever could.
Have a great Independence Day, all.
Mark
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)