KEVIN ELWORTH LIVE

So in continuing my thoughts from the other day about acting like sinners I found another verse that caught my attention about the same thing. Reading in Acts now and should be done today, but 10:34 basically Peter understands that God shows favoritism to no one and was opening the opportunity for people other than Jews to accept Christ. Another proof in my mind that we should be accepting to anyone and everyone that walks into our churches. Something I have found quite humorous about our home church, Newspring, is that there are no smoking signs throughout the whole building. Being raised a fundamental blah blah blah, I looked at these signs strangely and thought who in their right mind would think about lighting up in church? I mean in most churches it’s practically announced from the pulpit, This is a non-smoking service. It is a spiritual offense to tamper with or disable smoke detectors located throughout the church building. If you are caught smoking you will be made fun of and preached at until you feel horrible and like you never want to darken the door of a church again.

It wasn’t until August of 2008 that I understood these signs when Newspring held their annual Watermark service and baptized nearly 300 people. Because the service was so large it was held outside and there are not any no smoking signs outside, if you get my drift. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not condone smoking, I actually think it’s the nastiest habit that a person could take up. If you’re looking to get rid of friends, just start smoking, they won’t be able stand being around the stink anymore. What I’m saying is does it really matter if they smoke or not? Doesn’t Christ love them anyway? If they genuinely accept Christ doesn’t Romans 8:1 apply to them as well whether they smoke or not? Lets go ahead and plan on speaking about love and forgiveness and leave the life change to the Holy Spirit. I believe that His job isn’t it?

This morning I was praying and thinking about how Jesus was such an incredible example about prayer to us. Luke 6:12-13 says that Jesus spent all night seeking God’s direction about what 12 apostles to choose. Then in the morning He got up and chose them. God’s been working on us extensively lately and while I can’t go into detail about it just yet I really need to ask your partnership. Starting today and for the next 7 days I’m going to set myself to seeking God about exactly what He would have us to do here in Zacatecas. I do have a pretty clear idea about what God has us here for, but I need God to solidify it in my heart so I can cast the vision to those who need to hear and be directly involved. So I’m asking you to pray with me about this everyday for the next 7 days.

Here’s what you can pray for:

• Clear direction regarding the vision
• His provision of the resources needed
• His preparing the lives involved both the reached and to not yet reached
• Articulation in how to cast this vision
• A defined strategy in execution
• Holiness and Godliness to be our main goal
• That He would be glorified through all
• That He would UNLEASH His Spirit in Zacatecas and reap a harvest of souls never before seen in Mexico

John 4:39- Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”

I love this verse. Another that speaks along the same lines is when Jesus cast the demon out of the guy from Gerasenes in Mark5:18-19. One day I’m gonna preach a sermon on this thought, but basically in both stories Jesus encouraged these people to return to their own homes and tell people what He did in their lives. This is something we will always emphasize in missions, that the people we reach tell the people they know about Christ. Our goal is to build a foundation, relationships with college students that will develop into Salvation. It would take years for us to build personal relationships with people and lead them to Christ ourselves. That’s part of the reason Jesus gave us examples like this. People are much more effective with those they have relationship with.

When I was a 12 we lived in Vegas BABY and it was a blast. Probably one of the funnest cities I have ever lived in, there is so much to do there and to have fun with. I remember going to eat lunch on Sundays at one of the casinos, we could get a big prime rib dinner for like 10 bucks. Probably not anymore. I had a Latino friend that lived next door to me and we were both street hockey fanatics. We’d play all day till like midnight, it was a blast. At that time I was involved in Awana at the church we were attending and we’d play hockey once a month. So on the night that we were going to play during one month I invited my Latino friend to join us and together we’d show those kids how it’s done, besides that I was aggressively witnessing to my friend and praying that God would change his life.

During the course of our game Plino got a bit frustrated with a penalty call against him and he let the F BOMB fly. Quickly the ref, who just happened to be the pastors oldest son, loudly scolded Plino in front of everyone. He was embarrassed and that made him fight more making the whole situation worse. I was embarrassed too, I mean this was the friend that I brought.  Plino never got saved, and he never went back to my church again, for all I can think he never went back to church period. So my thought….what was so wrong with him acting like a sinner at church? I mean I know everyone there was shocked, stunned and disgusted that he would say such a vile word, but he didn’t know any better and why should he- GOD HADN’T CHANGED HIS LIFE YET. Why are we so uncomfortable with sinners being sinners? If we are going to reach the lost, it has to be alright for us to allow them to be in church and still be lost- NO MATTER WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. Long hair, earings, tatts, smokes, drugs- whatever. Remember Jesus ate with prostitutes, tax collectors, the sinners of the worst kind in those days and people lifted their noses at him because of what He did. Jesus was just comfortable enough to let a sinner be a sinner before they were saved!

My mind has been completely consumed by this idea of serving God foolishly all week and I just want to pose a question for you to think about and maybe create some discussion about.

What would it take for you to wake up tomorrow and be willing to take any risk necessary to accomplish what God would have you do?