I find myself stressed, but then I realize I am alive. That is a blessing.
Throughout my life and maybe your life as well I have found myself to question things, get frustrated, cast blame on things I shouldn't, and get border-line depressed. Not so much anymore that I have become a born-again Christian, but it does still happen to the best of us. Our selfish, fleshly, sin nature always tends to want to resurface. This often happens in a moment of weakness or what I have found to be even random at times.
Sometimes we wonder why we have the job that we have or daydream about doing what we consider to be great things. Our aspirations get the best of us and we lose focus of what is really important, serving and loving God and others. We fail to utilize the tools and the situations we have been given to glorify God. This is often put off by thinking, "I'll be able to help do this when I have this, or I'll start donating money when I make more or volunteer when this frees up in my schedule." But in all honesty those are just excuses. We are in our specific situation for a reason.
Every Christian has a ministry, we may think it's a lousy one, but it's indeed a ministry. How you carry yourself is part of your witness. How you react to situations, talk to people, watch on television, the internet, and spend your money is part of your witness if you call yourself a Christian. It's not pleasant to think about those kind of things because we tend to feel guilty as I do typing this right now! If we are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit we ARE representatives of Christ. Christian means follower of Christ. To follow in Christ is to follow in His footsteps and His teachings. The Bible is not a buffet in the sense that we can pick and choose what we want to believe or acknowledge while ignoring the rest.
You probably know by now that I am not about "living your best life now" rather I am about "living your NEXT life now". I heard that recently and I take it to mean, how would you live your life if you could see God watching everything you do and hearing every thought you have. He does already, but we rarely comprehend it. We should not expect good things of this life such as health and wealth. Can God give us health and wealth, of course. As Christians though we are taught to seek our reward in Heaven, not on earth. That is why I have a problem with that philosophy, because it is not biblical, it's man-centered instead of God-centered.
With that being said, how do we be thankful if we are not to expect good things? Don't get me wrong there are good things for the Christian to have in this life, but it's all about perspective. A situation I always try to remember is when I am sick. Whenever I get sick I realize how thankful I am for when I can do simple things such as breathe out of my nose or not have a headache. I felt this way after I sprained my ankle once. I took for granted not being able to walk without looking goofy and being in pain! Then as time goes on I take those little things for granted and am humbled again when I get sick or have another injury. I don't like getting sick and getting injured, but I love how that works.
Sometimes I just stare at my hands and realize how blessed I am that I have hands that work correctly or hands at all for that matter, especially since I am a musician. The last time I visited a nursing home I literally cried. Not so much because I felt bad for them, which I did, but more because of what I realized that I took for granted. I have loved ones, family, and the ability to walk and talk without help. I am young, able, and blessed to have a job. I don't care what the circumstances are in your life if you are alive then you ARE BLESSED. If you are missing a leg then you are blessed to have the other one. If you have a physical ailment then you are blessed to not have a mental one and the list could go on and on...This is blunt, generally I am, but as Christians we should be able to look at the world and ourselves and realize how blessed we really are. Even if you are not a Chrisian. I have said it before and I'll say it again, just because you are in God's blessing doesn't mean you are in Christ. I believe being in Christ enriches all this though.
I often say that we shouldn't compare ourselves to others...I stand by that, but I believe there is an exception when it comes to understanding God's plan for our life in regards to being humble and working within His will for us. We shouldn't measure ourselves to other people, but we should still comprehend that not all of us will have the things we desire or that others have. Not all of us are meant to have wealth and not all of us are meant to have health. Not all of us are meant to have that dream job and some of us are. Does that mean that one person is more deserving than the other, no. God has and uses our weaknesses to accomplish His will on earth. If one is not accepting of that then I have to question if they truly know or understand how magnificient and holy God truly is.
I am thankful for the things I have and the things that I do not. Being a Christian you have to realize that nothing in your life is mediocre, maybe to others, but how awesome is it to know that you belong to Christ if you have repentance and trust in Him. I have frequently prayed to know that I am in His will and I believe for now that I am, even though I still find myself having other aspirations at times. If you sense something is wrong or you feel conviction, then maybe it is God telling you to move on, but if it is simply because of boredom, selfishness, pride, or any other ungodly trait, then maybe it's time to re-evaluate how you are utilizing the time and resources He has given you in loving Him and others.
Matthew 22:36
"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (ESV)
May God bless you and yours!
In Christ,
Joey
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Jehovah's witnesses revisited me today...
To my surprise I was revisited this morning by the same two Jehovah's witnesses that came to my house last year with New World translation bible's in hand. A man who looked to be in his 60's and a lady I presumed to be his wife in her 50's. I posted the blog of the first encounter on here last month I believe.
I asked how they were doing and they said good. We had a little small talk and I asked why they were here. Surprisingly, he started going through the exact same routine that he did with me last time using the same analogies. Our last conversation lasted about 2 hours. He asked me why I believe there are so many churches and what I would tell my son if he asked me which one is the right one. I believe this was divine intervention because I started memorizing scripture last week and one verse I had been working on is Galatians 1:9 - If anyone is preaching to you another gospel contrary to the one you have received then let him be accursed. So I told the man that this is what I would tell my son and that is one reason there is division, because there are groups out there who preach false gospels in order to have their ears "tickled" (wanting to hear only what they want to hear). He looked a little awkward after I said this.
I proceeded to let him know that I am currently not involved with a church unfortunately, so he could label me a fundamentalist or slap any title on me and it wouldn't necessarily mean anything because I am a born-again Christian. Don't get me wrong, they are both VERY nice people and sincere in their efforts. Most of their questions though were philosophical. He asked me when God created hell and other questions that we simply do not have the answers to. I told him that many organizations have been established because they have attempted to build their theologies around trying to answer these unanswerable questions while distorting biblical truths.
I pointed him to the law and the gospel many times, but he tried to get off the subject. His favorite misquotations came from Genesis and Revelation. He perverted a verse in Ecclesiastes greatly by saying that we do not have consciousness after death so therefore there is no hell. He only brought his New World translation so I could not compare it to anything, but memory, which I am lacking at times! Afterward, I could not find that translation of that verse in any other translation. So if you know what exactly he was talking about then please point me towards it!
His wife told me that she was raised Baptist so I shared my testimony and explained false conversions with her since I was raised Baptist as well. Ironically, we agreed on many things, but they missed the most important thing and that is the deity of Christ. Their terminology is VERY similar, but their meaning behind it is VERY wrong.
I shared with them how the message of the bible is about REDEMPTION and RECONCILIATION to God through Jesus Christ. I finally asked them to tell me what they believe the gospel to be. The said that the gospel is the knowledge of God written down...my verse came back to mind. Anyone who is preaching to you another gospel contrary to the one you have received, let them be accursed. - Galatians 1:9. I explained that the gospel is that we are sinners deserving of hell because we sinned against Him breaking His holy law, and that is WHY Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, lived a sinless perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead 3 days later forever defeating death for those who repent and trust in Him.
It literally broke my heart talking to them because they could not grasp that there is a literal hell. They told me that they believe all babies, children, people of the old testament will be given a 2nd chance, living a second mortal life, in the millennial reign of Christ which is down right heresy. There will be a resurrection, but not a second chance. That is a lie of the devil unfortunately. The question of what happens to children is something we simply do not know. To be dogmatic about it one way or another is foolish because God does not tell us. Their presentation is convincing to the naked eye and I will warn you because they try to put words in your mouth and twist scripture to make it fit where it answers those questions, but it simply does not my friends.
The doctrine of Jehovah's witness are dangerous. They are incredibly committed to a lost cause. I love them, but I hate what they are doing. Their questions are based on emotional responses rather than truth. Please pray for this organization and these two individuals. I invited them to come back and talk more as they had to leave when I tried to use their logic on them. I said, "you are being more philosophical in your beliefs than biblical and that is a dangerous thing. I could turn it right around and ask you why did God create us all and send Christ if He is just going to give people a second chance anyways, or why do we have the 10 commandments, Revelation 21:8, so many scriptures on hell, and judgment. This is when they had to leave...
Don't be afraid to talk to Jehovah's witnesses, but be prepared. The best thing you can do is share the law and the gospel with them in a loving way and try not to let them get you to go down any rabbit trails. I wouldn't recommend letting them show you anything from the NWT bible, because it is not a biblical interpretation at all. It is put together by an ANONYMOUS committee who changes words to fit their doctrinal beliefs. Again, they were incredibly nice. The man said that he respects my knowledge of the word and my scriptural basis and that we are "alike". I told him though that the biggest difference, the most important one that we have, is in Jesus Christ and hell. Jesus Christ is not Michael the archangel, He is GOD.
Unfortunately, I did not get to ask this question. "What if you're wrong?" Anyone can reason hell out the bible, but it will not change God's justice. I wish hell didn't exist and I can't even imagine a place so horrible, but it does. I love talking to Mormon's and Jehovah's witnesses, but it is saddening at the same time. Please pray for these people as they are preaching a false gospel.
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
They never once used the name of Christ in their presentation or explanation of the gospel.
Thank you for reading and please, please, please pray my friends. God bless!
In Christ,
Joey
I asked how they were doing and they said good. We had a little small talk and I asked why they were here. Surprisingly, he started going through the exact same routine that he did with me last time using the same analogies. Our last conversation lasted about 2 hours. He asked me why I believe there are so many churches and what I would tell my son if he asked me which one is the right one. I believe this was divine intervention because I started memorizing scripture last week and one verse I had been working on is Galatians 1:9 - If anyone is preaching to you another gospel contrary to the one you have received then let him be accursed. So I told the man that this is what I would tell my son and that is one reason there is division, because there are groups out there who preach false gospels in order to have their ears "tickled" (wanting to hear only what they want to hear). He looked a little awkward after I said this.
I proceeded to let him know that I am currently not involved with a church unfortunately, so he could label me a fundamentalist or slap any title on me and it wouldn't necessarily mean anything because I am a born-again Christian. Don't get me wrong, they are both VERY nice people and sincere in their efforts. Most of their questions though were philosophical. He asked me when God created hell and other questions that we simply do not have the answers to. I told him that many organizations have been established because they have attempted to build their theologies around trying to answer these unanswerable questions while distorting biblical truths.
I pointed him to the law and the gospel many times, but he tried to get off the subject. His favorite misquotations came from Genesis and Revelation. He perverted a verse in Ecclesiastes greatly by saying that we do not have consciousness after death so therefore there is no hell. He only brought his New World translation so I could not compare it to anything, but memory, which I am lacking at times! Afterward, I could not find that translation of that verse in any other translation. So if you know what exactly he was talking about then please point me towards it!
His wife told me that she was raised Baptist so I shared my testimony and explained false conversions with her since I was raised Baptist as well. Ironically, we agreed on many things, but they missed the most important thing and that is the deity of Christ. Their terminology is VERY similar, but their meaning behind it is VERY wrong.
I shared with them how the message of the bible is about REDEMPTION and RECONCILIATION to God through Jesus Christ. I finally asked them to tell me what they believe the gospel to be. The said that the gospel is the knowledge of God written down...my verse came back to mind. Anyone who is preaching to you another gospel contrary to the one you have received, let them be accursed. - Galatians 1:9. I explained that the gospel is that we are sinners deserving of hell because we sinned against Him breaking His holy law, and that is WHY Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, lived a sinless perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead 3 days later forever defeating death for those who repent and trust in Him.
It literally broke my heart talking to them because they could not grasp that there is a literal hell. They told me that they believe all babies, children, people of the old testament will be given a 2nd chance, living a second mortal life, in the millennial reign of Christ which is down right heresy. There will be a resurrection, but not a second chance. That is a lie of the devil unfortunately. The question of what happens to children is something we simply do not know. To be dogmatic about it one way or another is foolish because God does not tell us. Their presentation is convincing to the naked eye and I will warn you because they try to put words in your mouth and twist scripture to make it fit where it answers those questions, but it simply does not my friends.
The doctrine of Jehovah's witness are dangerous. They are incredibly committed to a lost cause. I love them, but I hate what they are doing. Their questions are based on emotional responses rather than truth. Please pray for this organization and these two individuals. I invited them to come back and talk more as they had to leave when I tried to use their logic on them. I said, "you are being more philosophical in your beliefs than biblical and that is a dangerous thing. I could turn it right around and ask you why did God create us all and send Christ if He is just going to give people a second chance anyways, or why do we have the 10 commandments, Revelation 21:8, so many scriptures on hell, and judgment. This is when they had to leave...
Don't be afraid to talk to Jehovah's witnesses, but be prepared. The best thing you can do is share the law and the gospel with them in a loving way and try not to let them get you to go down any rabbit trails. I wouldn't recommend letting them show you anything from the NWT bible, because it is not a biblical interpretation at all. It is put together by an ANONYMOUS committee who changes words to fit their doctrinal beliefs. Again, they were incredibly nice. The man said that he respects my knowledge of the word and my scriptural basis and that we are "alike". I told him though that the biggest difference, the most important one that we have, is in Jesus Christ and hell. Jesus Christ is not Michael the archangel, He is GOD.
Unfortunately, I did not get to ask this question. "What if you're wrong?" Anyone can reason hell out the bible, but it will not change God's justice. I wish hell didn't exist and I can't even imagine a place so horrible, but it does. I love talking to Mormon's and Jehovah's witnesses, but it is saddening at the same time. Please pray for these people as they are preaching a false gospel.
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
They never once used the name of Christ in their presentation or explanation of the gospel.
Thank you for reading and please, please, please pray my friends. God bless!
In Christ,
Joey
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Remembering Town East mall...
Town East mall is a favorite witnessing spot of mine since it is a place that I grew up with. Today I wanted to write about some of my experiences with the mall growing up and how I experience it now as it serves as a great spot to witness to the lost.
I grew up close to Town East mall where my mom and dad would take me several times a year for shopping, fun, eating, or a place that I would just hang out with my friends as a teenager. I remember going into a store called Babbages with my dad where I discovered what computer games were when I was about 6 years old. I owe much of my ability to type to playing those old games where you had to type "open the door" to literally open a door with the character, lol. Now you can do all sorts of things with a slight hand movement when playing games!
Back then Town East had primarily been considered a safe place to be, more upscale stores, and an overall more family oriented environment. I remember being devastated as a child and teen as each landmark store was shut down and replaced by something as silly as a rug store or oversize clothing store. I remember when they closed the arcade, Suncoast, KB Toys, Disney store, and most importantly the BOOK STORE. There actually used to be two! There is no doubt that it has changed due to the culture, internet sales, and the economy of the city and those surrounding it over the years. About a month ago a stand owner in the mall was shooting at someone for stealing jewelry from them IN THE MALL. Of course there are hours where it is more dangerous than others.
Maybe it's just me, but I remember when there were not any stands in a mall. Now there are dozens of them on the 1st and 2nd floor and you can literally be pulled into an advertisement pitch if you have not figured out how to get out of it or avoid it. It has happened to me, but at least I got a free hand washing! I know it sounds like I am complaining, but please understand I am writing my observances of a place where I grew up over the years. It is still family oriented to an extent. They have a train that little ones can ride on as well as a playground.
Are all of these changes good or are they bad? I suppose it depends on the person, but with everything you can usually find a way to find the good in it OR from it. Although I cannot speak the necessary 3 or 4 languages to talk to everyone who works there (need the real gift of tongues!) it has provided me great opportunities to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to people of different religious and cultural backgrounds using tracts or what little English was understood.
The stands make GREAT places to leave tracts for those working them or simply handing them to them when they try to hand you something. There are areas where groups of teens, who are "bird watching", gather where I have been able to have great conversations with. There are a lot of guys up there who are also grouped together who like to act and look tough for the ladies, friends, or themselves...I'm not really sure which one, but when presented with the law of God it cuts through their act many times and there is genuine conviction.
Town East mall has become a great spot to witness to the lost. Is it a place I will try to relive some of those memories for my own children, probably not, but perhaps one day they will be able to spread the gospel of Christ with me up there. I am a little sad at the way the mall has become, but encouraged that I can find the good from the opportunities it provides for the gospel to be heard or read.
May God bless you and yours!
In Christ,
Joey
I grew up close to Town East mall where my mom and dad would take me several times a year for shopping, fun, eating, or a place that I would just hang out with my friends as a teenager. I remember going into a store called Babbages with my dad where I discovered what computer games were when I was about 6 years old. I owe much of my ability to type to playing those old games where you had to type "open the door" to literally open a door with the character, lol. Now you can do all sorts of things with a slight hand movement when playing games!
Back then Town East had primarily been considered a safe place to be, more upscale stores, and an overall more family oriented environment. I remember being devastated as a child and teen as each landmark store was shut down and replaced by something as silly as a rug store or oversize clothing store. I remember when they closed the arcade, Suncoast, KB Toys, Disney store, and most importantly the BOOK STORE. There actually used to be two! There is no doubt that it has changed due to the culture, internet sales, and the economy of the city and those surrounding it over the years. About a month ago a stand owner in the mall was shooting at someone for stealing jewelry from them IN THE MALL. Of course there are hours where it is more dangerous than others.
Maybe it's just me, but I remember when there were not any stands in a mall. Now there are dozens of them on the 1st and 2nd floor and you can literally be pulled into an advertisement pitch if you have not figured out how to get out of it or avoid it. It has happened to me, but at least I got a free hand washing! I know it sounds like I am complaining, but please understand I am writing my observances of a place where I grew up over the years. It is still family oriented to an extent. They have a train that little ones can ride on as well as a playground.
Are all of these changes good or are they bad? I suppose it depends on the person, but with everything you can usually find a way to find the good in it OR from it. Although I cannot speak the necessary 3 or 4 languages to talk to everyone who works there (need the real gift of tongues!) it has provided me great opportunities to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to people of different religious and cultural backgrounds using tracts or what little English was understood.
The stands make GREAT places to leave tracts for those working them or simply handing them to them when they try to hand you something. There are areas where groups of teens, who are "bird watching", gather where I have been able to have great conversations with. There are a lot of guys up there who are also grouped together who like to act and look tough for the ladies, friends, or themselves...I'm not really sure which one, but when presented with the law of God it cuts through their act many times and there is genuine conviction.
Town East mall has become a great spot to witness to the lost. Is it a place I will try to relive some of those memories for my own children, probably not, but perhaps one day they will be able to spread the gospel of Christ with me up there. I am a little sad at the way the mall has become, but encouraged that I can find the good from the opportunities it provides for the gospel to be heard or read.
May God bless you and yours!
In Christ,
Joey
Saturday, January 2, 2010
A reflection of my first year as a Christian
Well it has nearly been a year since God took out my heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh. For the first time I really hated the things He hated and loved the things He loved. Around this time last year I wasn't really a bad guy according to other people, just a sin-stained one who jumped into sin consistently.
I have shared my testimony many times this year, who wouldn't!? Being born-again by the power of God is a miraculous and beautiful thing. Growing up in Texas and the United States I wore the title of Christian and played the role of one pretty much my entire life because it was a cultural standard. The purpose of this blog today is not to share my testimony, but to reflect on my first year of truly being a child of God.
Once God changed me I knew it. I don't know the exact day or time as some do, but I know it was in the month of January. When it happened I was hit with sorrow, guilt, and a realization of how foolish and wretched I really was. It wasn't like when I thought I was a Christian before. When I was younger I was baptized or re-dedicated a couple of times. I would go through phases of listening to Christian music, go to church, and hang out with a "nicer" crowd. Like I said, I was good at playing the role, but I wasn't genuine. I did everything to look like a Christian and I really thought I was, based on my beliefs, what I learned, and what I was told.
I'm not blaming anyone or thing because now that I look back on my life I can see how it was all part of God's plan for my actual salvation. Once I became a "real" Christian, somehow I was lead to the Way of the Master program on the internet. I liked what I saw because I was very interested in sharing my new experience and what God had done for me. I wanted to reach the lost just as I had been, especially if people are going to hell! My passion right away was to share the gospel. I instantly re-visited my bible, watched hours of sermons, witnessing encounters, and was heavily reading different books regarding evangelism and theology.
I called my pastor up and told him that I am going to be an evangelist as all Christians are really supposed to be (Mark 16, Matthew28). I'm not talking about the gift of the evangelist - one who trains others to evangelize in the church. I believe many try to use this as an excuse by saying they don't have the gift of evangelism. Sharing the gospel is a command, not a gift. EVERY Christian really should be evangelizing. Anyways, he prayed for me and gave me some good words of encouragement. A couple months later my wife and I had to leave the church due to some doctrinal issues that I wasn't even aware of. This was extremely hard on my wife and I because it was the same church where we had met and had been going to for almost 5 years. We almost got married there as well. We still love everyone there and they do a lot of good, but it is evident that it is not to be our church home.
We have been trying out different churches this whole year in hopes of finding a church home where we may humbly serve, fellowship, and worship. Now I've heard that ignorance is bliss many times, but ignorance is deadly. I was knowledgeable about religious things and Christianity, but EXTREMELY ignorant of the most important aspects of it. Meaning, I didn't properly apply the knowledge that I had. Once God opened my eyes and changed my heart it's as if I could instantly apply the knowledge that I had. I felt very stupid for not seeing those things before.
I began to order some free gospel tracts and place them in bathrooms and such. I was so nervous doing this and probably looked really suspicious. I then bought some tracts from Living Waters, which are GREAT tracts, and started to be a little more creative with my placement. This wasn't enough for me. I felt like I HAD to share the gospel verbally with someone!
The first time I tried to share my faith was just plain awful. I went to the mall and walked around for about 4 hours sweating with my hands shaking. I finally sat down next to a lady and handed her a penny with the 10 commandments on it. I asked if she went to church around there and tried to get into the law with her, but she walked off. I think I creeped her out. I creeped myself out to be honest now that I look back on it. I was so nervous and heart-broken after this experience. Earlier, around February I applied to what is called the Ambassador's Alliance. It is basically like a boot camp for Christians wanting to share their faith. They only pick 50 people so I honestly did not think I would get picked.
Then one day at the hospital I got a phone interview and was invited to go to LA to be a part of the Ambassador's Alliance. I was psyched, but the closer it got to the date the more and more nervous I got. I tried to back out of it several times, but my wife was a good encourager! I am a home-body and I like to always be within 15 minutes of my house. The only other time I left home was when I was 18 and went to Boston for about a week for a guitar workshop. Needless to say, I wound up going to LA. The people I met at this academy was the most genuine and loving people I had ever met. I thought to myself, this is what Christians are supposed to look like. They really loved God and loved people. It was so different than any other church I had been to before. These were members of the body of Christ!
The passion that was shown for our Lord was amazing. We had meetings, fellowship, worship, and spread the gospel of our glorious God together. Before I went I had gotten better about handing tracts to people, but now that I was with these other Christians I was actually engaging people in conversations and passing out hundreds of gospel tracts to others I didn't even know! No one tried to out-do anyone, because it isn't a competition. The person who passes out one tract or shares their faith with one person is just as important as the one who open-air preaches to hundreds of people. The most important thing is that we were spreading the gospel.
The power of the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the gospel is what saves. That's it, period. The problem we are seeing and that I had is that I did not understand what the gospel really was. Another reason we are to share our faith by any means. The true gospel must be preached.
Once I returned from LA I told my pastor right away (before I left the church) and began to witness regularly at a local spot. I had many, many great experiences. Eventually I started carrying tracts with me all the time, going to any place I could think of to share my faith. During the summer while my wife was at school I would take my son with me in a stroller to go spread the gospel. My wife and I also revamped some of our holiday traditions in order to glorify God more instead of the world and ourselves. Which went AWESOME by the way!
As evangelism is obviously a big part of my life now there are some other things that happened in this year that are important. I stumbled upon this whole facebook thing. Wow, that opened doors. I had a myspace page, but I was never really into that whole thing. With facebook I saw it as an evangelism opportunity. I still use it for that to this day. However, with having many friends I have read LOTS of ugly debates, attacks, and different views. Unfortunately, the most anger I have seen and ever encountered are with "alleged" Christians and not my atheist, agnostic, or other friends of a different religion.
This put me back into research mode to find out what all these debates and beliefs were about. Through much prayer and many headaches I reached a verdict on a lot of the stances that other Christians had serious convictions and allegations about that I have never even heard of. I made sure that I never got involved into much of it as it is not edifying behavior. Plus, you can't ever guarantee that everyone you know is a Christian, unfortunately.
With this facebook thing I began to have many great conversation, witnessing experiences, and establish some relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. I know I have seriously ticked some people off, but to be honest, the gospel is offensive and that is what I try to be all about. I would rather have everyone hate me for proclaiming truth than love me for telling lies and being luke-warm.
My first year as a Christian has had many ups and downs. I would say more ups when I look back on it though. My life did not become easier as some would tell you. I did not gain finances or have better health, BUT I did get saved from hell, a promise of everlasting life with the Creator of all, a relationship with Jesus Christ, and so much more that simply cannot be measured on this earth.
This year I hope to find a spot to open-air preach and a place that I can go and preach in...I'm thinking maybe somewhere in Dallas. I am also praying that my wife and I will find our church home. It may be under our noses, but we'll see. I'm not into New Years resolutions or whatever, but I am into striving to grow closer to my Father and be more like Christ everyday. I look forward to however much time the Lord decides to give me in this world and I can assure you that I will NEVER get over my salvation. All the glory to God!
If you are not a born-again Christian or are not even sure, these sites have a great, short, gospel presentation that may help you out. God bless you and thank you so much for reading!
www.thegoodpersontest.net
www.needGod.com
In Christ,
Joey
I have shared my testimony many times this year, who wouldn't!? Being born-again by the power of God is a miraculous and beautiful thing. Growing up in Texas and the United States I wore the title of Christian and played the role of one pretty much my entire life because it was a cultural standard. The purpose of this blog today is not to share my testimony, but to reflect on my first year of truly being a child of God.
Once God changed me I knew it. I don't know the exact day or time as some do, but I know it was in the month of January. When it happened I was hit with sorrow, guilt, and a realization of how foolish and wretched I really was. It wasn't like when I thought I was a Christian before. When I was younger I was baptized or re-dedicated a couple of times. I would go through phases of listening to Christian music, go to church, and hang out with a "nicer" crowd. Like I said, I was good at playing the role, but I wasn't genuine. I did everything to look like a Christian and I really thought I was, based on my beliefs, what I learned, and what I was told.
I'm not blaming anyone or thing because now that I look back on my life I can see how it was all part of God's plan for my actual salvation. Once I became a "real" Christian, somehow I was lead to the Way of the Master program on the internet. I liked what I saw because I was very interested in sharing my new experience and what God had done for me. I wanted to reach the lost just as I had been, especially if people are going to hell! My passion right away was to share the gospel. I instantly re-visited my bible, watched hours of sermons, witnessing encounters, and was heavily reading different books regarding evangelism and theology.
I called my pastor up and told him that I am going to be an evangelist as all Christians are really supposed to be (Mark 16, Matthew28). I'm not talking about the gift of the evangelist - one who trains others to evangelize in the church. I believe many try to use this as an excuse by saying they don't have the gift of evangelism. Sharing the gospel is a command, not a gift. EVERY Christian really should be evangelizing. Anyways, he prayed for me and gave me some good words of encouragement. A couple months later my wife and I had to leave the church due to some doctrinal issues that I wasn't even aware of. This was extremely hard on my wife and I because it was the same church where we had met and had been going to for almost 5 years. We almost got married there as well. We still love everyone there and they do a lot of good, but it is evident that it is not to be our church home.
We have been trying out different churches this whole year in hopes of finding a church home where we may humbly serve, fellowship, and worship. Now I've heard that ignorance is bliss many times, but ignorance is deadly. I was knowledgeable about religious things and Christianity, but EXTREMELY ignorant of the most important aspects of it. Meaning, I didn't properly apply the knowledge that I had. Once God opened my eyes and changed my heart it's as if I could instantly apply the knowledge that I had. I felt very stupid for not seeing those things before.
I began to order some free gospel tracts and place them in bathrooms and such. I was so nervous doing this and probably looked really suspicious. I then bought some tracts from Living Waters, which are GREAT tracts, and started to be a little more creative with my placement. This wasn't enough for me. I felt like I HAD to share the gospel verbally with someone!
The first time I tried to share my faith was just plain awful. I went to the mall and walked around for about 4 hours sweating with my hands shaking. I finally sat down next to a lady and handed her a penny with the 10 commandments on it. I asked if she went to church around there and tried to get into the law with her, but she walked off. I think I creeped her out. I creeped myself out to be honest now that I look back on it. I was so nervous and heart-broken after this experience. Earlier, around February I applied to what is called the Ambassador's Alliance. It is basically like a boot camp for Christians wanting to share their faith. They only pick 50 people so I honestly did not think I would get picked.
Then one day at the hospital I got a phone interview and was invited to go to LA to be a part of the Ambassador's Alliance. I was psyched, but the closer it got to the date the more and more nervous I got. I tried to back out of it several times, but my wife was a good encourager! I am a home-body and I like to always be within 15 minutes of my house. The only other time I left home was when I was 18 and went to Boston for about a week for a guitar workshop. Needless to say, I wound up going to LA. The people I met at this academy was the most genuine and loving people I had ever met. I thought to myself, this is what Christians are supposed to look like. They really loved God and loved people. It was so different than any other church I had been to before. These were members of the body of Christ!
The passion that was shown for our Lord was amazing. We had meetings, fellowship, worship, and spread the gospel of our glorious God together. Before I went I had gotten better about handing tracts to people, but now that I was with these other Christians I was actually engaging people in conversations and passing out hundreds of gospel tracts to others I didn't even know! No one tried to out-do anyone, because it isn't a competition. The person who passes out one tract or shares their faith with one person is just as important as the one who open-air preaches to hundreds of people. The most important thing is that we were spreading the gospel.
The power of the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the gospel is what saves. That's it, period. The problem we are seeing and that I had is that I did not understand what the gospel really was. Another reason we are to share our faith by any means. The true gospel must be preached.
Once I returned from LA I told my pastor right away (before I left the church) and began to witness regularly at a local spot. I had many, many great experiences. Eventually I started carrying tracts with me all the time, going to any place I could think of to share my faith. During the summer while my wife was at school I would take my son with me in a stroller to go spread the gospel. My wife and I also revamped some of our holiday traditions in order to glorify God more instead of the world and ourselves. Which went AWESOME by the way!
As evangelism is obviously a big part of my life now there are some other things that happened in this year that are important. I stumbled upon this whole facebook thing. Wow, that opened doors. I had a myspace page, but I was never really into that whole thing. With facebook I saw it as an evangelism opportunity. I still use it for that to this day. However, with having many friends I have read LOTS of ugly debates, attacks, and different views. Unfortunately, the most anger I have seen and ever encountered are with "alleged" Christians and not my atheist, agnostic, or other friends of a different religion.
This put me back into research mode to find out what all these debates and beliefs were about. Through much prayer and many headaches I reached a verdict on a lot of the stances that other Christians had serious convictions and allegations about that I have never even heard of. I made sure that I never got involved into much of it as it is not edifying behavior. Plus, you can't ever guarantee that everyone you know is a Christian, unfortunately.
With this facebook thing I began to have many great conversation, witnessing experiences, and establish some relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. I know I have seriously ticked some people off, but to be honest, the gospel is offensive and that is what I try to be all about. I would rather have everyone hate me for proclaiming truth than love me for telling lies and being luke-warm.
My first year as a Christian has had many ups and downs. I would say more ups when I look back on it though. My life did not become easier as some would tell you. I did not gain finances or have better health, BUT I did get saved from hell, a promise of everlasting life with the Creator of all, a relationship with Jesus Christ, and so much more that simply cannot be measured on this earth.
This year I hope to find a spot to open-air preach and a place that I can go and preach in...I'm thinking maybe somewhere in Dallas. I am also praying that my wife and I will find our church home. It may be under our noses, but we'll see. I'm not into New Years resolutions or whatever, but I am into striving to grow closer to my Father and be more like Christ everyday. I look forward to however much time the Lord decides to give me in this world and I can assure you that I will NEVER get over my salvation. All the glory to God!
If you are not a born-again Christian or are not even sure, these sites have a great, short, gospel presentation that may help you out. God bless you and thank you so much for reading!
www.thegoodpersontest.net
www.needGod.com
In Christ,
Joey