Tell the World Cause The Ocean is Wide.

So I’ve been thinking about evangelism. Recent conversations with different people have opened my eyes to views I’ve never encountered. My whole life I have gone to church and although I have only been following God since my sophomore year of high school, it has always been ingrained in my brain that as a Christian you should tell other people about your faith. But let me pose this question. Why share our faith at all? I’m playing devil’s advocate here…because I think we should always be ready to have an answer for why we do what we do. If we don’t even know why we do what we do, then why would someone want to listen to what we have to say anyway? So why share our faith? Why tell people about Jesus? Wouldn’t that be forcing our agendas on other people? Aren’t beliefs a personal decision or opinion, and none of our business? Although, maybe your first reaction to these questions was a defensiveness (which was my first reaction), but really think about why we “share” Jesus with others at all.

I have a few observations I have made. But share yours here too. Post a comment with your thoughts. Lets have a discussion.

1. Jesus actually said to go into the world and make disciples (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20). —Although that part is huge, it’s an easy answer….but this is what I realized…
2. We “Tell the World that Jesus Lives” because we can’t live without him. His love is an “ocean wide.” We all know Jesus loves us, but deep down it’s the fact that we have something they don’t have… We should NEVER “shove Jesus down someones throat.” There is a sweet Nooma video about that… We don’t do that because Jesus Invites us to experience him, to love him, to know him, to follow him, to accept his grace and mercy and forgiveness and salvation. “Sharing our faith” really should mean sharing the good news we have, the AMAZING news we have. It is Offering an invitation into God’s family—A place to be eternally secure in love and comfort. —Offering an invitation into life to the fullest, one where God’s dreams become your dreams, where he changes the world with you, where you have the most fulfilled life possible, where that ache and hole in your heart goes “bye bye.” —Offering a hope that so many people have never experienced.

Let me challenge you with this. God has changed my life. No one can argue that with me. I have found the only thing in this world that will never ever let me down. The only perfect love. The only hope for living. I’ve been to the bottom and Jesus has picked me up as I am and saved me. So how can I be silent? Let me know your thoughts on sharing Jesus…

desperate.

Jeremiah 31:9
“My people will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble.”

I don’t know about you, but this time of year is HARD FOR ME! Summer is just on the horizon, and yet still barely out of reach. It’s starting to get warm outside and the grass is beginning to turn green again; flowers are blooming the most beautiful shades of yellow and pink and tangerine and lavender…and I can’t wait to get to the pool!!! If you are like me, you are weary, wiped out, and DONE with homework and classes and tests and papers. It is in this exhausted and longing and anxious state that I found this verse early this morning.

I have this cool little student promises scripture book that I rediscovered on my bookshelf recently. (don’t you love rediscovering an old book or CD or quote that you love?!) And as I turned to the table of contents in search of something to reignite my soul for Jesus again, I turned to “God Holds Your Future: God Answers Your Prayers.” As I read over probably 20 different passages of scripture, I came to this one which struck me so deep in my soul, I thought, “What better day to start this blog i’ve been dreaming up for a while?”
To me this verse says a few things:
1.) We are weary people. Tired, confused, broken, lonely, desperate. We have tried a thousand things to make this ache go away, and yet none have given us relief. So when I see, “My people will come with weeping” I think, “That’s going to be me when I come to the end of myself– when I finally realize that all these other things in my life are not going to save me, not going to give me the hope and rest and strength and ambition I need…In fact, that’s got to be me if I want those things–a person desperate and weeping for God to help me.”
2.) I am a screw up. I say things I don’t mean and sometimes that I do mean (in either case I say mean things.) I think rude and prideful and lustful thoughts, I don’t give as generously as I should, I ignore people who need me because i’m too busy or tired or because it’s hard. The truth is that I fail, I mess up, I hurt people, and I hurt myself. Luckily, “[we] will pray as [God] brings us back.” God will bring us back to him?! What??? Even, after all those horrible, nasty, cruel things I’ve done? Yes, the answer is yes. God is so cool because he wants us to come to him with every hurt, every scar, every tear, every longing, and every joy. He wants us to depend on him and .
3.) The last part of this verse is really what got me. As summer is approaching, I would just like nothing more then to lay by some nice water and soak in the sun rays that I have so desperately missed this long winter. And God says he will lead me there, so a place of refreshment and peace and quietness and love.–> and to a level path where I won’t stumble???? Thank you God!!

When we come to Jesus with everything, in our screwed up, messed up, broken state, NEEDING HIM…he will lead us back to him and bring us to a place of peace and hope and love. And we won’t lose our way… if only we let him carry us every step of the way.

Welcome to Love Wins

Hey awesome people. I’m so glad you gave this blog a chance and checked it out! I had this idea a few months ago to start a Blog for the youth and adult leaders of Vale as a sort of devotional/discussion board. I thought, man I like to read other student’s blogs and hear what they have to say on certain issues and just reading what is going on in their lives. So then, my idea was to set apart one place that students could come, read the blogs that I and others post, comment them with their thoughts, have discussions, be encouraged and challenged, grow closer together, break down age walls, and run after Jesus together. Even add prayer requests! So this is your space…to think deeper, to be open with questions and doubts, to encourage and lift up others, to get connected, to worship God. Happy blogging.

~Sabrina