FINAL POSTING: Do It--Now!

January 1, 2013 – July 1, 2014

Incredible Journey with Evelyn

I have admired Evelyn my whole life.  She has been my Life Coach when it comes to things of God.  If people were to say to me, “Who is the person who has contributed most to your spiritual growth, the only name that came to me was Evelyn Christenson.

It has been an honor for me to spend the last 18 months reading all of Evelyn’s books for the second time.  (There are two final books that I need to mention.  Two children’s books;  What Happens When Children Pray and My First Journal of Prayer.  They were amazing and I would highly recommend that for any child.)  I have been so blessed. 

I admired Evelyn for many years, and then one day I finally met her.  I was so blessed I wrote this poem to help me to remember how I felt the day that I met Evelyn Christenson for the first time.

                                                         Thank you Evelyn

 

                                                           Years ago we first met,

You did not know my name.

God used you in my life,

And I’ve never been the same.

 

You told me, “Listen for the Lord to speak.”

His will for your life, you must seek,

How your wisdom touched my life, you’ll never really know,

But those who are around me say the changes do show.

 

Prayer has been the basis for all ministries in your life,

You’ve found the secret to have ultimate peace in strife.

What Happens When Women Pray, Lord Change Me, the list goes on and on.

Of ways God has used you, to help others grow strong.

 

Evelyn, thank you for all you’ve meant to me.

I’ve never really known you, but a reflection of Jesus is what I see.

To meet you, to greet you, to learn from you today,

Blesses my heart more than words could ever say.

 

IF YOU HAVE NEVER MADE A DECISION TO INVITE JESUS INTO YOUR HEART AND HAVE THE ASSURANCE THAT YOU WILL BE IN HEAVEN ONE DAY

KEEP READING

 

DO IT--NOW

 

Do It—Now!

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Just telling a person about Jesus (non-confrontational evangelism) can be one of the pre-evangelism activities, but it is not actual evangelism.  No one becomes a real Christian simply by being exposed to other Christians, watching Jesus marches or parades, attending church, studying the Bible, or listening to evangelistic messages.  Don’t leave them dangling.  There must come a point in time when the one without Jesus makes a personal decision as to whether he or she will accept or reject Him. 

I believe on this final post that Evelyn would want God’s plan of salvation to be clearly given.  So if you have never made a decision to invite Jesus into your heart and life, you can do it today, right now.

Keep Reading.

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Your Need

God wants you for His own; but, like everyone else on earth, you have sinned, and that sin separates you from God.

† All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

God’s Provision

God loves you so much He has provided for your sin by sending His Son Jesus to pay for your sins with His blood on the cross.

† God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

God’s favor, undeserved by us, provides your way of salvation.

† In [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace                (Ephesians 1:7).

Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is the only way you can get to God:

† No one comes to the Father, but through me.  There is no other name under heaven that has been given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Your Part

Jesus came to earth preaching, “Repent and believe,” which are the two things you must do to be saved from your sin.  He said:

† The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15).

After Jesus paid for your sin by being crucified, God raised Him from the dead.  Therefore, accepting Him into your life and confessing the risen Jesus as both Savior and Lord will result in your salvation.

† If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved (Romans 10:9).

Remember that there are no works you can do that will save you.

† By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as the result of works, that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Your Eternal Destiny

Jesus promised that if we believe in Him, we shall have eternal life with Him in heaven.

† For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).

If you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you can know for sure that you will go to heaven to be with him when you die.

† These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life

(1 John 5:13)

Salvation isn’t a reality until……………..you actually invite Jesus into your heart.

Here is a sample prayer for a person to pray in order to enter the Kingdom of God.

 

Dear Father in heaven,

 

I admit that I am a sinner.

Please forgive all of my sins.

I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He paid for all of my sins with His blood on the cross.

Jesus, I accept You as my Savior and the Lord of my life.

I do believe I now have Jesus living in me, that I am forgiven, and that I now am a Christian.

 

I know that I will go to be with Jesus when I die.

 

Amen.

Prayer for the Soul-Winner

Page 207

As we go marching into Satan’s territory praying for and taking Jesus to those he has owned since the Garden of Eden, it is foolish to think Satan won’t retaliate.  And he does.

Since evangelism is rescuing captives from Satan’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13), he will do everything possible to keep unsaved people in that domain of darkness.  In his anger at us, he will hinder, intimidate, frighten, and tempt us in order to keep us from praying for and evangelizing those he still owns—so they will not be able to accept Jesus and be released from his evil domain.

It is Sunday afternoon.  I want to share with you what has been happening in my life. 

For the past 18 months I have been reading all of Evelyn Christenson’s books.  She has been my life mentor.  I have read all of her books once before many years ago, but when I heard that God had called her home to heaven, I knew it was time for me to read them again in honor of Evelyn.

It has been an incredible Journey.  I have learned so much about prayer.  It has been challenging at times, yet I have been so motivated to get out there in my work and try all the things I have learned.

Last week my heart was challenged to bring the Triplet Praying in my community.  Let me tell you what happened today.

It is a sunny day.  We have had so much rain, but the clouds had blown away and turned this day into a beautiful one.  I walked into church.  As I stood there looking around, a man came up to me.  I did not recognize him, but he acted like he knew me.  He said, “Hi Robin, I’m …..  You probably do not remember me, but we prayed together on National Prayer day.  Immediately I remembered him.  Then he proceeded to tell me that he was the head of Adult Ministries and he wondered if I would help them with Prayer in the Church/Community.  I told him that I had spent the last 18 months learning a lot about Prayer through Evelyn’s books.  Then I shared with him about the challenge in my heart for Triplet Praying.  I was so excited inside, but I quietly replied to him, “I’ll pray about it.”

As I walked out of church today I was so excited because God had not opened a door for me in ministry for the past 18 months as I have been going through Evelyn’s Books.  I have one chapter left.  Does God have a door of ministry ready to open for me?  I am not sure, but wherever he leads me he has been preparing me for it.  Please pray with me.

Page 211

I personally know the need—and the power –of intercessory prayer for ministry.  Since 1964 I have not even taught a Sunday school class without someone praying for me.  I am profoundly appreciative of those who have prayed for me all these years—and who are still praying for me.  I know the power of a ministry depends on the prayer support it has.  God truly does move in proportion to our praying.

I will not and cannot help with Prayer in our Church or Community without a Prayer Team in place.  I cannot, I cannot.

The past 18 months has been some of the hardest years of my life.     I did not have a prayer team praying for me as I was learning about prayer.  As I look at this now I realize this was a big mistake.  I wanted to have a Prayer Team, but I did not feel like I should ask people to pray for me as I learn about prayer. We live and learn as we go through life. 

Yes, I have learned something huge.  I cannot do anything without prayer support.  I do not know where God is leading me, but I do know I will not go anywhere without a prayer team.  Please pray for God to open the doors he wants me to go through and then raise up a Prayer Team to be the prayer power behind whatever God is doing in our world.

This brings us to the last chapter of Praying God’s Way for next week.  I am a little sad knowing this wonderful time with Evelyn’s books is complete.  I pray that if God wants me to get out there in my world and share all that I have learned, he will have to make it so…. clear to me.

Next week I will be reading the last chapter of the book Praying God’s Way and sharing my thoughts with you.  I will also wrap up my Incredible Journey with Evelyn.  I will be sharing a poem that I have written in honor of Evelyn.

 

Chapter 10: How to Pray for the Lost

Pre-evangelism Praying

Page 167

Are you puzzled about why so many Christians are witnessing, going out as missionaries, preaching, and faithfully inviting unbelievers to accept Jesus—yet with such little success?  Do you wonder why, even when people use very scriptural methods, there often are so few results in proportion to the amount of sincere honest effort put forth?

I believe one of the main reasons for this lack of fruit is that we have failed to sufficiently involve God—through prayer—in our soul-winning efforts.  In pre-evangelism praying, we ask the omnipotent God of the universe to reach down and work in people’s lives before we do.  And what a difference such praying makes!

The power of prayer is the key to anything we try and do for God, yet it is so easy to run around trying to do things the way I want them to be done.  I have an evangelistic heart, but often with the busy lifestyle that I live I forget and try and do things in my own strength.  This never works.

The past year and a half, as I have read Evelyn’s books, I have been so challenged to ALWAYS go to God first, and then try to do what God lays on my heart.

Page 169

I believe we waste much effort, time, finances, and Gospel seed if we do not pray sufficiently before we sow the Word to the unsaved.

Page 170

Billy Graham has reached the major part of the world simultaneously through satellite television broadcasts from Costa Rica.  Yet he says the three most important things in his crusades are prayer, prayer, and prayer.

PRAYER

Dictionary Definition

An earnest or humble request, act of praying.

I can know what prayer is, I can believe in it, but unless I take actions and pray, the power of prayer that is available to me is wasted.  I need to make prayer an absolute priority in my life in everything that I do.

Recently I had a friend call me who had been waiting on God for a long time.  She had so many plans for her life, but nothing was happening.  Then one day she decided to put everything else aside and JUST Pray.  Pray, Pray and still more Praying.

The prayer had made such a difference in her life and she said, “Robin, It’s all about prayer.  Stop your busy lifestyles and find time for God and then Pray, Pray and Pray.” 

This is what I want for my life.  I want prayer to be the focal part of every day.  Evelyn under stood what the power of pray does and she practiced it, I want to live my life like Evelyn did. The power of prayer is the key to life.

Dear God,

Forgive me that I do not take the time to pray and do so many things in my own strength.  You are my power source, but I need to take the time to STOP and JUST pray and then JUST LISTEN for you to speak to me.

 

 

Chapter 9: Empowerment for Us, Too

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you… (Acts 1:8a)

Page 149

What did that power include?  Why did Jesus provide His people with other kinds of supernatural empowerment?  Because Jesus knew they would need many different kinds of power for their assignment of evangelizing the whole world.  Then Jesus added that assignment:

You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. 

(Acts 1:8b) 

Page 150

Here are a few of the other kinds of power the disciples of Jesus, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, had when they started evangelizing:

         1.   Power that produced much evangelism fruit

2.       Empowered with boldness

3.       Courage in persecution

4.       Holy Spirit Recalls

5.       Guidance

6.       Power over Satan

7.       Power working in us

He is able to do those great things only according to the power that works in us Christians which is the power of the Holy Spirit.   So, trying to evangelize in our own power instead of letting God work through the power of His Holy Spirit in us, we limit what God is able to do through us.

God’s power is available to anyone who is willing to follow him with obedience in their lives. 

Obedience is so important, but my actions can often hinder God from working through me.  Why, because when I do things that are not pleasing to God, I quench the Holy Spirit from working in my life.

Page 156

“Quench” means literally, “to put out a fire.”  When the Holy Spirit desires to burn in us like fire, Christians often quench that fire by substituting human plans, programs, and projects for the Spirit’s divine power, substituting forms of godliness without the activity of the Holy Spirit.

Page 157

Unconfessed and thus unforgiven sins grieve the Holy Spirit because they hinder His filling us, working in us, and flowing out of us.  Anxious to produce fruit for Jesus through us, the Holy Spirit longs to fill us with all we need—when we first empty ourselves of all that is grieving and hindering Him.

I wonder how many times I have tried to do something for God without his power.  Oh yes, sin in my life has quenched the Holy Spirit from working through me many times.  I want to be filled with God’s wonderful Holy Spirit.  I think it is time for me to pray.

Page 163

Don’t go without power!

O Lord, protect us from ever trying to reach the lost in our human ability.  Fill us—and keep on filling us—with Your precious Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, I will be posting this week on Wednesday.

Dear friend,

Due to situations beyond my control, I was not able to post today.  I will be posting to this blog tomorrow!  Thanks!

Robin

Chapter 8: Don’t Go Without Power

 

Don’t Go Without Power

 

Page 146

Be Filled with the Holy Spirit.

“But how,” you ask, “can I be sure I am filled with the Holy Spirit as those early disciples were, equipped for winning souls?”  The Answer—by prayer. 

This filling is not just receiving the Holy Spirit once at salvation, which is true (Acts 2:38), but a continuous being filled.  Ephesians 5:18 commands the Christians to whom Paul was writing to be “filled with the Spirit.”  Because of the actual tense of the verb “be filled,” it is correctly translated “keep on being filled with the Spirit.”

Two Types of prayer—corporate and personal –produce this Holy Spirit filling in preparation for witnessing.

First, there is the scriptural corporate praying of others in the sending out of one who is to ministry (such as Acts 13:1-4).

Evelyn was sent out to minister to the world.

For twenty years, the gathering together of my own board to pray for me just as I leave for an especially huge assignment has been very important and deeply meaningful to me.  This prayer support not only produces a shared partnership in the responsibility and fruit of the task, but releases multiplied power from God in, on, and through me.

I understand first hand how this feels to have people praying for me when I am speaking somewhere.  The more people I have praying the more effective my speaking times seem to be.  I long to have a team of people praying for the Holy Spirit to fill me with his power, as I go out there and share my life story with women of the world.  I long for the Holy Spirit’s power to be released in the hearts of the people who listen.

Personal

Page 147

Second, I believe more important, is our personal seeking to be filled.  We must be willing to spend time alone with God in prayer before our witnessing – asking God to cleanse us and then emptying ourselves of our own desire.  Next we must ask God’s Holy Spirit to fill us with Himself so we can be holy and full of Him rather than our own desires. 

Next we must ask God’s Holy Spirit to fill us with Himself so we can be holy and full of Him rather than our own selves.  Then we will be eligible to have all the power the early disciples needed to win their world to Jesus because they, to, were filled by the Holy Spirit working in them.

EVANGELISM IS REACHING WITH JESUS A WORLD STILL IN ITS SIN.  And despite our wonderful modern communication expertise and mountains of printed materials, it still is only the Holy Spirit who can convict people of sin—so that they will repent and turn to Jesus. 

Several years ago I would pray everyday for God to fill me with his Holy Spirit.  I still do this often, but not nearly what I used to do.  Does it make a difference in reaching my world for Jesus?  Yes, it has! 

Why have I forgotten to do this??? TIME!  When I do not put God first in my line of priorities, things begin to slowly change.  It is time for me to, wake up and get back to the basics. 

Thank you dear Evelyn, for reminding me of the priorities in my life.

 

 

 

Chapter 7: God’s Last Kind of Repentance in Revival

God’s Last Kind of Repentance in Revival

 Page 118

 So we see there are three stages in genuine revivals where repentance plays a major role—whether on campuses, in local churches, in communities, or across whole nations.  They are:

 1.     Revivals always have been preceded by one to a few Christians doing the initial deep praying for revival—including repenting of their own sins.

2.     Then the first sign of a revival actually beginning has always been the spread of this kind of praying and repenting to other Christians.

3.     The third kind of repenting in the revival process is God’s reason for sending the first two steps.  It is the unbelievers repenting and believing as they are convicted and come to Jesus in Salvation.

 

Reading this book has filled my heart with a great desire to first of all, look at my own life, praying for God to bring to the surface my sins.   I want a total cleansing of any sin in my life.  I have a burning desire for a fresh beginning in my life. 

NEXT:

Today I met together with a woman to JUST pray for our city.  We prayed that God would send a Revival and maybe that will begin with us as we pray for it. My desire is to have a Repentance Praying! 
Repentance producing revival in our town.

Page 122

 

For years I never told anyone of the praying that preceded our church’s revival—and I’m sure others we didn’t know about were also praying.  But several years later my husband and I were asked to lead a panel discussion in a Colorado church on “What causes revival?”  Stymied as to what to say, I asked my husband what part he thought that praying of the three of us (and perhaps others) had played in producing it.  His immediate response took me by surprise:  “There is not doubt!  It caused our revival.” “Repentance praying!  Repentance producing revival!

Page 135

Could God be pulling out all the stops in preparing, rekindling, sending, gathering, reaping the harvest in one huge grand finale to accomplish the completion of the Great Commission—in our generation?  In His way and in His time—cleansing us Christians and gathering vast multitudes to Himself—for His glory!  The choice is up to God—and to us—for “God can us a small vessel, but he will not use a dirty one.”

 

 

 

Chapter 6: Revival Through Repentance

Chapter 6:  Revival Through Repentance

Page 105

God can use a small vessel, but He will not use a dirty one.

Last week at the end of the chapter was something wonderful.  It was just a Sample List of Scriptural sins to read before confessing sins in prayer.

I tried it this week.  I read through all 20 sins (with scripture references), prayed about them and then confessed the sins that I realized were in my life.

Oh, my gosh! I cannot explain how I felt.  Everything I had been worrying about disappeared.  There was a peace that seemed missing for some time.  It was a wonderful experience.

I plan to keep this list handy.  I will give you the references in case you want to clean your heart out.

Pages 99-102

1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 3:20, Acts 1:8, Romans 12:3, Ephesians 4:31, 1 Corinthians 6:`19,  Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 4:27, Romans 12:11, 1 Corinthians 8:9, Hebrews 10:25, Colossians 3:9, 1 Peter 2:11, John 13:35, Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 5:16, Matthew 6:24, Matthew 23:28, Philippians 4:8.

If you are looking for a revival and a fresh start, look up one verse a day.  Revival begins with repentance.  It will be life changing.

Page 112

Revival is only for those who already have life through knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord—but who are desperately in need of a fresh touch of God.  That touch comes in revival through prayer and repentance.

No human can produce revival.  It is the sovereign out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, in God’s timing and in God’s way, when Christians see the holiness of God, are convicted, and repent of their sin.

Page 116

Lastly, it certainly is true that repentance is completed only when we turn from that sin.

Turn from my sin!  True repentance is competed only when I turn from that sin. 

Something does come to my mind when I think about this.  It is easy to say, God forgives me and then continue doing what I want.  I think it is time to let go and give my life to God.

Chapter 5: God Cleansed-Life Requirement

God Cleansed-Life Requirement

Page 93

It was the early 1980’s and, as a woman, I was apprehensive about being asked to speak at the dedication of a new missionary complex in Tokyo, Japan. Very humbly, I spoke to those gathered leaders on the topic of prayer power and how sin in our lives keeps God from answering our prayers. But I did not feel it was a woman’s place to lead those men in a prayer of confession at the end, so a missionary had been assigned to do it.

But communication had broken down somewhere, and after I sat down there was a long, long awkward pause. The minutes passed and we all bowed lower and lower under God’s convicting power, but nobody made a move. Finally, broken and sobbing the leading area pastor stepped to the microphone: “Please, God, forgive me. Forgive me for my prayerlessness…For running my family without prayer…For running my church without prayer…” And prayer broke like a pent –up dam—rising in a crescendo of repentance throughout the whole room as Christian confessed their sins.

One of the most powerful verses about God not answering prayer was written by Peter to the scattered Christians. Peter, who personally knew well what it was for Jesus’ followers to sin, gave this warning in 1 Peter 3:12

The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against whose who do evil.

So we see that the Bible clearly teaches that both kinds of sin—those committed before and after salvation—need to be forgiven in order for our prayers to be answered. But Jesus gave an added dimension to sins of Christians being forgiven: We Christians must also forgive them.

There is so much treasure in the words of this book and I cannot possibly do it justice with my little blog, but I can only share with you today the words in this chapter that pricked my heart.

I remember having very similar feelings of brokenness like this pastor was feeling, so as he shared his heart, it put a big question mark in mine. Am I doing my life in God’s strength or my own?

I remember the days of being a missionary, then working in administration in a church. I could relate to being so busy doing God’s work that I could not slow down. My time with God alone had slowly disappeared. Something was missing and I felt as though I was doing everything in my own strength.

Why did I do this?

Life in ministry is busy. Life in general is busy for all of us.

While we lived in the Philippines, I remember reading my Bible to prepare for a class or a Bible study, but this is totally different than just being still and allowing God to speak His words to me, but it is so easy to fall into this.

Setting a time to get alone with God needs to be a priority in my life. I do not want to run my life with Prayerlessness.

I am learning that I honestly need to set aside a time and write it on my calendar as an appointment with God. Would I miss an appointment with anyone else?

Am I Praying God’s Way or am I praying in the rush of everyday life. I will be praying for God to show me. I really want and need to be praying God’s way every day.

 

Reaching the Whole World—Now, Chapter 4

Page 61

Until You Do, I Can’t

Jesus had the whole of human history in view when He told His disciples to go to the uttermost parts of the earth.  He had come the first time and fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament.  And he finished what He had come to do by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.  But Jesus had told them, “I cannot finish the complete story of mankind on Planet Earth—until you do your part!  Then, and only then, can the end come.  The eventual end of Satan’s rule and the end of sin and suffering on Planet Earth can come only when I can come back.”

Am I doing my part?  My heart has been stirred as I have been reading the book, Praying God’s Way:  Proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Answer to Every Human Need, by Evelyn Christenson. 

When I started reading this book, I must admit the fire in my heart for sharing Jesus’ great love with others was slowing fading in my life.     I was reminded of how I used to have such an evangelistic heart.        I remember being involved in an Evangelistic movement in the City of Janesville, WI.  I was blest with the opportunity of sharing Jesus with one person and she chose to invite Jesus into her heart.   The joy that filled my heart was overwhelming.

Since I started this book, that fire is returning.  I am not sure how God will use it, or what doors he might open, but it is so exciting to me. 

 

I have made my list of family members and I am praying for all of them.

This week I went to a movie that touched my heart.  I don’t know if I can say the title, but the story line is about a college student who would not write something about God on his professor’s piece of paper.

Then he set out to prove that God is alive.  I will not tell you the end, but I was so blessed.  I pray that is will spark the hearts of many to share Jesus with others.

God is stirring the hearts of people.  What about that person I know that I have not shared Jesus’ love with them?  What about that person who is in the hospital who is close to dying.  What about the people I see day in and day out.  Someone needs to care enough to share Jesus with them.

Who God?  ME?  Bring them to me, take me to them and I will share your great love with them.  The fire within my soul is getting brighter.                          I am ready to go wherever God leads me. 

Page 62

Until we reach the whole world, Jesus cannot put an end to Satan’s evil activities rampant here on earth; He cannot bring Satan’s kingdom of darkness to an end.

Page 65

Reaching the Whole World—Now!

So the issue is not if, but when every tongue and tribe and people and nation will hear of Jesus.  Jesus can come back and the celebration can take place in heaven when we finish the task assigned to us almost 2000 years ago.

 

 

 

Praying God’s Way: The End or Just the Means…Chapter 3

Page 48

The New Testament uses such words as “saved” (Acts 4:12), “born again” (John 3:3), “becoming a new creation in Jesus” (2 Corinthians 5:17), or “believing in Jesus” (John 3:16) to describe the end Paul was working toward—and the end we should be working toward.  It is that moment in time when the sinner repents, is forgiven, and becomes a child of God with Jesus living in him or her.  It is that instant when their name is written in the book of life.  (Sometimes those brought up in a beautiful Christian environment find it difficult to pinpoint such a time, and only God knows when their name was written in the book of life.  But there is that actual time of writing their name in the book of life.)  And it is whether or not one’s name is written in the book of life that determines whether he or she will escape hell and rejoice for eternity in heaven (Revelation 20:15).

This moment of naming Jesus as Savior and Lord is the end toward which we should diligently be using all of our means. 

I remember the day that my name was written in the lamb’s book of life.  I was 12 years old.  I definitely remember how I felt after I prayed and invited Jesus into my heart.  I felt so peaceful and loved.  It was a life changing moment.  I prayed something like this:

Dear Jesus,

I know I am a sinner and I do things that are not pleasing to you.  Please forgive me of my sins and come into my heart and life.

There it is.  Once I prayed this prayer my name was written in the lamb’s book of life.  Because of my prayer I can KNOW that I will be in heaven one day. 

Since reading this book, I have put together a list of family members who know that their names are written in the lamb’s book of life.  Then I have another list of those family members that I do not know that their name is written in the lamb’s book of life.  I am going to begin praying for an opportunity to share God’s great love for them.

I want to know that my family will be together in heaven one day. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.        John 3:16

I want all of my family to know that they will have eternal life in heaven someday.  So, I will begin with my family and then move on to anyone in my world that has never opened the door of their heart to Jesus.

Of course the key to all of this is prayer. I will be praying for each family member, and each person God would want me to share his great love with them.

Page 57

How about you?  Are you excusing yourself for not personally sharing Jesus with the lost because your spiritual gift is something other than evangelism?  Because God has called you to do other things in His kingdom?  These other kingdom activities are right and good.  Don’t stop.  But while you are serving Him-and them- are you letting them end up in eternity without Christ?

Are you inadvertently sending them to hell because you never get past the means and never quite get to the end of sharing with them the good news of Jesus’ salvation?

This book has been waking me up and helping me to realize what I need to be doing out there in my world.  I do have an evangelistic heart that has been buried in the tyranny of the urgent of everyday life.  I have been challenged to get out there and share Jesus’ great love with others.  What about you?

 

 

What Difference Does It Make?

What Difference Does It Make?

Page 31

Today Jesus is asking you and me if we understand that there are only two categories of people living around us or with us, in our communities, in our country, and in the world.  Those with whom we rub shoulders in our everyday life.  Do we understand the eternal consequences of being in each category?

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Now that we have read Jesus’ emphatic teaching in Matthew 13, we are without excuse.  We, too, understand that there are only two classes of people, and with that knowledge comes responsibility.  Responsibility for sharing Jesus with those immediately around us all the way to the throbbing masses in the uttermost parts of the earth.  However, not just responsibility is ours—but so is the almost incomprehensible privilege of having been entrusted by Jesus today with their eternal destiny.

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Jesus told us in John 12:46 why He came to planet earth: I have come as a light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness.

And we Christians have been entrusted to bring that Light--Jesus Christ--to those lost in darkness.
It is time for ACTION!

So where do I begin?  It begins with God.  He is the one who has the power to open people’s hearts.   He is the one who will open doors of opportunity for me to share Jesus’ love with my family members.

Then I make a list of my family members and begin praying for them and asking God to open a door of opportunity to talk to each family member.

Yes, this will all take time and an effort, but it is so…. important to begin today.  I do now know what tomorrow will hold.  I do not want to live with regrets that I never told someone I love about Jesus’ love and plan of salvation.

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Jesus clearly describes hell as a place of fire.

When He explained the parable of the tares, Jesus told us that hell is a place of torment.  He calls hell “the furnace of fire” and says, “In that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  (Matthew 13:42

Second Thessalonians 1:8 tells us that hell will be a place of punishment, not reformation, for those who do not accept and obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  Then the very next verse explains that these will be banished “from the presence of the Lord” while paying the price of eternal destruction.  Of all the aspects of hell, this would be the most devastating to me.  Banished from the Lord—from His love, His protection, His comfort.  Banished from all holiness and goodness. 

Hell is forever.

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Hell, according to Jesus, is where everybody without Him will be—eternally.

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Is God asking you to help people get ready to die?

Wow, my heart is filled with a passion to share Jesus’ great love with people I love.  I will be praying for every person in my family.  It is urgent.  We never know from one day to the next when anyone we know will die.  How would I feel if I never shared Jesus’ love with them?  How would I feel if I knew they would be in heaven.  Big difference!

Chapter 1: There Must Be Something More

Praying God’s Way

     Proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Answer to Every Human Need

by Evelyn Christenson

 

While reading the very first chapter of this book God began prompting my heart.  “Do I really care that people are lost in their sins? “ 

I remember back to a time in my life when sharing the gospel was the absolute passion of my life.  I even served as a missionary for three years.  But honestly, my passion has been dying. Why?  The pressures of life keep me running around in circles and the passion for the lost is slowly dying.  Am I falling into the ways of the world?  So what can I do?

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Jesus entrusted to us the incredible privilege of bringing to all people the greatest news this earth has heard.  He is the answer to every problem and evil engulfing human beings. 

Jesus is the answer to every problem.  Why do so many people rarely think of him as the answer?  I am guilty of this at times.  We probably all are, but what does it take to spark that fire within us to share the gospel with everyone.

I remember many years ago when I was a young mother I had a deep passion for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others.  The desire was there, but I did not know how to share the good news of Jesus with others.  I needed to be taught how to share the Gospel message.

One Sunday there was an announcement in our church bulletin that there was going to be an Evangelism Class.  I was so excited.   I was going to learn how to share Jesus’ love with others.  I was sure there would be so many people there. 

The day arrived for the class. I had a terrible day and I did not feel like going, but I wanted to learn to share Jesus’ love, so I made myself go.  When I arrived at church I thought there would be a big crowd, but there was three men and myself.  This scared me a lot. How could I possibly do this? 

Well, I did take the class and learned how to share Jesus’ love with others.   It was challenging going out to houses and sharing Jesus’ love with a perfect stranger, but doing it filled me with a burning passion to do this more often. 

So we need to be taught how to share Jesus' love with others, but how do encourage people to do it?  It begins with prayer.  Our Christian world needs to be filled with an amazing passion for sharing Jesus with others. 

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A longing, an almost frantic searching for “something more” is welling up all across our country.  It seems no matter what we do, the crime, violence, and deterioration of our morals are overwhelming us.  Almost in desperation we are asking, “What is the something more we need to do to turn our country around?

A telephone call from Shirley Dobson, Chairperson for our country’s annual National Day of Prayer every May, reflected the heart cry of so many of us.  She was preparing for her third annual training session for the leaders of local National Day of Prayer events and seemed so puzzled. 

“Evelyn, I’m getting the most unnerving phone calls from my state and large-city leaders.  They are saying, “Shirley, we have prayed and prayed like you taught us.  We have marched for Jesus, we have gathered to pray on our capitol steps, we have held concerts of prayer, we have hosted governors” prayer breakfasts.  Shirley, we have prayed and prayed and prayed!  But—while we were doing all that praying—our country morally has been going down the tubes faster and faster.  Shirley, what’s wrong?  What are we missing?”

Then she said softly, “Evelyn, do you have an answer?  Is there something more we need to do?”  “Shirley,” I replied, “I think God gave me the answer the other day in my devotional Bible reading.  It is in the second chapter of 1 Timothy.”

Then I explained how those first three verses held a theme for our more than twenty-five-year old current prayer movement:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men (humanity), for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.  This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

“But,” I continued, “we have stopped at the end of verse 3.  We have put a period there.  However, God showed me it is not a period—it is a comma!”  I explained that we must include in our prayer theme what is after the comma to make it not only grammatically but doctrinally complete.  Verse 4, which follows the comma finished what it will take—in God’s sight—in addition to the praying to produce that ideal life:

…who desires all men (persons) to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth.

I explained that the praying for a tranquil and quiet life in godliness and dignity certainly has been and still is good and acceptable to God (verse3).  But somehow we have thought that just praying for all people would automatically produce that wonderful lifestyle in our country.  Now, I cautioned, there is no question God does not intervene when we pray, and we should never stop.  He did not cancel verses 1-3 when He gave us verse 4.  But His purpose for us to live the lifestyle of 1 Timothy 2 is so plain:  He desires all people to be saved.

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Are we going to leave reaching the world with Jesus to the next generation?  Or are we all going to join together—praying, loving, reaching those still in darkness—until our whole country, like Humaita Prison, is transformed by Jesus?  Jesus is the “something more” our country needs.

(Is it hard for you to share Jesus’ love with others?  Just pray about it.  God will give you the confidence that you need.)