Am I really making an impact on anyone?

There is no joy like truly servicing God from the heart and seeing your efforts impact those around you. For me there is no satisfaction greater than overcoming my own fears and weaknesses to love someone enough to get out of my comfort zone and share the gospel. I've had to the opportunity by God's grace to share the gospel to over a thousand people through street witnessing, one on one encounters, and preaching engagements at various places. But sometimes I wonder "am I really impacting any one's life eternally?" I understand that no matter what when the gospel is shared a person can accept or reject Christ (which is an eternal decision). Paul said in 2 Cor. 2:15-16, "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?" Paul's point is that Christian's witness and sacrifice for Christ will bring death or life to those who hear the message. By God's grace we can carry out this commission because no one is sufficient for this task in their own ability, we need the Holy Spirit to empower us. I've always prayed that God would bless his gospel & give me the power to be a witness for him & God has always shown unlimited grace to me.

I've been encouraged by the amazing story of a little man named Mr. Genor who faithfully passed out gospel tracts for over 40 years but never knew if he ever impacted anyone. Just before Mr. Genor died he received news that through his faithful witness many have come to Christ and are now in the ministry. So I wonder what has God done with the seeds I've sown in the lives of those I've witnessed too. I'm content because I know God awards faithfulness not fruit. Faithfulness is my job and fruit is God's job because he 'brings the increase.' Recently a friend of mine gave me a letter that brought me so much joy and encouragement. It basically said that over the last year he has been impacted by watching me live out my life for Christ and through our talks it was difference in him coming to Christ. This young man has a similar background to mine and I think he was just encouraged to see that God could really change someone from the heart and it be legit. I was speechless because their are no words to describe the encouragement, joy, and thankfulness to God for allowing me, a sinner, to be a witness for his glory. To God be the glory who raises dead men and sends them out to call others from their sinful graves to walk in the light of God's glory.

Preaching Justification @ Auburndale Baptist

Well my pastor gave me another opportunity to preach the Sunday evening service at Auburndale Baptist. Last summer I preached Psalm 51 "True Repentance" as part of the Psalms series and it went great. It was the first time my family, friends, and church had ever heard me preach. I was truly honored to have that platform to share the gospel. Fast foward to March 21, 2010 & I'm back again preaching Luke 18:9-14 "Justification for the Humble & Broken." This time many more of my family & friends showed up and I was excited about the message God had given me.

In Luke 18 Jesus tells the parable of the tax collector & the pharisee. It is a story of the wicked vs. religious, the shameful vs. the proud yet the twist in the story is that the unrighteous tax collector was justified rather than the praying Pharisee. But why? Well the Pharisee trusted in his own flawed righteousness rather than the perfect righteous of Christ. But the tax collector was repentant and looked totally away from himself to God for mercy & jusitification. He made right with God by faith alone in Christ alone apart from any works. The tax collector may have had a sin filled past but by faith he was counted righteous (Rm 4:5) & his sinful record was nailed to the cross when Christ died for him. No matter how guilty or unworthy we may feel God promises justification to the Humble & broken. God resist the proud but gives grace to the humble.

IN SEASON & OUT OF SEASON

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season..." -2 Tim. 4:2

Paul said this to a young man named Timothy. Paul's instruction was clear, always preach the true gospel at all times as God gives you grace because "the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine." My pastor recently encouraged me with this verse as I prepare to preach this Sunday night at Auburndale Baptist Church. I'm praying for grace to be a consistent light for Christ wherever I go. I must have God's word in my heart to not only kill sin in my life but also to share the gospel wherever I may be. For someone to be ready in season & out of season it takes determination, faith, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit. To stay hot you better be close to the fire.

This morning I was reading over my sermon notes & a Jehovah's Witness knocked at my door. It was like God didn't want me to wait until tomorrow night to preach, it was time to go to work right now. I could hear Paul's words in 2 Timothy 4:2 in the back of my mind as I opened the door. I have talked to many Jehovah's witnesses & done a lot of research about this religion. To list a few major differences they have with historic biblical Christianity: Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man, Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, The soul ceases to exist after death & there is no hell, and Salvation is by faith and what you do. Now as I talked with this nice man my goal wasn't to debate but to share the true gospel from the Bible. It went well, I made him think about some serious issues that concern his own soul's condition. He even said, "I will have to do my research."

I believe God is clear in Scripture that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The criminal who died on a cross next to Jesus had no time to 'do good works & be a good person.' In his dying breaths he expressed faith in Christ & Jesus said to him, 'today you will be with me in paradise.' That criminal lived a life of sin but through faith alone apart from any works he was saved because he trusted in Christ who had done all the work on his behalf. Jesus died for our sins like they were his sins (even though he had never sinned) & Jesus gives us his perfect righteousness through simple faith. "By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of your own doing, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:8-9) "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God" (Rom. 5:1).

My platform: Basketball

Some of my good friends know my story is anything but simple and mundane. After God changed me & I surrendered to his will my days have been exciting. Even more exciting is I have a partner on this journey with me... my best friend and wife Amanda. We've definitely experience the uncertainty of a dark valley and the joys of a mountain top. But through it all one thing hasn't changed, we've always depended on God. And God has always revealed himself through some painful and joyful circumstances... He is faithful and true too his children. One amazing story is how I ended at Asbury College on a basketball scholarship to finish my degree. I'll have to blog that story some other time but for now I'll focus on some recent graces and success I've experienced through the game I love: Basketball.

Basketball was once an idol to me... it was the god I served and let me tell you it is a brutal god to serve. It doesn't satisfy, it always turns its back on you, it can control your emotions, and its not your identity no matter how hard you try to make it. Its a game! A blessing! But nothing more... I didn't realize this until God saved me and showed me EVERYTHING was given to bring Him glory and I should never exalt the gifts above the Giver. I had things out of wack, I put basketball on the throne of my heart where God deserved to be. Then I was crazy enough to ask God to bless me in my pursuit of basketball and ignored him when I didn't get what my selfish heart wanted.... to build up my own glory & kingdom.

Long story short... Amanda encouraged & supported me to use basketball in a way that glorifies Him. How do I do this? Just play with an attitude that win or lose, healthy or hurt, success or failure I'm going to find my joy in Christ not in basketball. I'm going to use basketball as a platform to show the world that my treasure is not in my jump shot, or victories, or individual awards... Nope, my treasure is Jesus Christ and I want to share him with you. Yeah I play ball but let me tell you what I really love & whats greater than making to the NBA or hitting that game winning shot: Christ. Playing college basketball has opened so many doors to preach the gospel to students, teams, prisoners, campers, strangers, and teammates. So if you don't know, I'm here to tell you that basketball is a means to a greater end (Jesus Christ)... Basketball is just tool.

Since this time I really feel like God has blessed my efforts not only off the court but on it. I was recently named conference player of the week (two weeks in a roll) and have been having a great junior season. I even hit a game winning 3 pointer in overtime in front of a packed gym & also had my career high that night (36 points). I broke that a week later scoring 37 points. But even in those moments of joy & success I cannot help but humble myself before the Lord and say, "Not to me Oh Lord, but to your name be the glory. Amen" God exalts those who humbles themselves before Him. I realize that whatever happens, I'm an unworthy servant who is just happy to serve my KING. "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." -1 Tim. 1:17

The LORD is kind in all his ways

This morning I was praying through Psalms 145, you can sense the psalmist David using everything he's got to praise God because he knows that "His greatness is unsearchable." So often in my life I beat myself up because I so want to be like Jesus in the sense that I want to love as he loved, talk as he talked, obey the Father's will as he obeyed. But often my sinfulness gets the best of me & daily I fall short though I am striving in His grace. This is a painful process but it is wonderful to rest in Christ securely as he sanctifies us. It is so sweet to open God's Word & read promises to my heavy heart like, "The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down" -Ps. 145:14

I recently heard an amazing sermon by Siran Stacy, a man who tragically lost his wife & 4 of his 5 children in a car wreck with a drunk driver. Siran & his young daughter were the only ones that survived. I saw this man pour his heart out preaching & crying as he told of the 'suicidal depression' he deals with but how God's grace has been sufficient through it all.' Jesus is better than this life & he will sustain us until the joy of entering heaven. And this morning I read:

"The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." -Ps. 145:17-18

I'm sure Siran Stacy didn't feel like the Lord was kind when this event occurred but in due time God opens the hearts & eyes of his children to see Him. The greatest thing or gift we can ever have or experience in this life is God himself. Many times we experience him through trails, pain, suffering, or loss. But if we know the Lord then we can surely say that 'all we could gain in this life is counted as nothing compared to the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ.' I pray that if I should ever have to bear a cross that is as heavy, God will be there with sustaining grace. I read of a couple whose child was born blind. I included a beautiful letter that Pastor John Piper wrote to them as they fought through this difficult reality:

It can be easy to think of Pastor John as DR. JOHN PIPER. But his heart is tuned primarily to being the pastor of a local church with real people who have real needs.

On July 4, 1995, our son arrived and we knew he would be blind as he had no eyes. On July 5, Pastor Tom Steller, now the Dean of Bethlehem College & Seminary, walked up my front sidewalk with a letter from Pastor John, which I’ve included below. It would also be published in the Bethlehem Star, the weekly church newsletter that was sent to members and regular attenders.

Sadly, in our pain and bitterness and hopelessness and sin-filled pride, we would walk away from Bethlehem just a couple of months later, rejecting both God and the people of God. But, thanks be to God, that would not be the end of the story! And this letter from Pastor John would be one of those building blocks that God used to call us to himself.

Tomorrow, one of the results of Pastor John’s calling on the church to do hard things.

Words of Hope for a Baby Born Blind

Dear John and Diane,

Last night, as I prayed with Noel, you were heavy on my mind. I said, “Lord, O Lord, please let me be a pastor who preaches and leads and loves in a way that makes the impossibilities of life possible for your people by a miracle of sustaining grace. Help me to know the weight and pain of this life and not to be breezy when the mountains have fallen into the sea. Help me to have the aroma of Christ’s sufferings about me. Prevent shallowness and callousness to pain. O Lord make me and my people a burden bearing people.”

O John and Diane, I am so heavy with your child’s sightlessness! God is visiting Bethlehem with such pain these days in the birth of broken children. Randy and Ann Erickson with their baby’s broken heart; Jan and Rob Barrett with their baby’s liver outside the body; and your precious little one! Is the Lord saying, “I have a gift for your community.” This is not one or two or three couples’ burden. This is a gift and call to the whole church. This is a word concerning the brokenness of this fallen age of futility. This is an invitation for you all to believe that “here we have no lasting city” (Hebrews 13:14). This is an invitation for you to “count every gain as loss for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:7). This is a shocking test to see if you will “lose heart” when in fact God’s purpose is to show that his grace is sufficient to renew our inner person every day to deal with the “slight momentary affliction which is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

O Lord, open our eyes to your love in this pain. Open our eyes. “Then Elisha prayed, and said, ‘O Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). John and Diane, the mountains surrounding your lives are filled with the horses and chariots of God. Only to the eyes of unbelief does the devil have the upperhand here. God is at work in ways and for years and generations and millions of people that we cannot now imagine. This is ours to believe and to bear, no matter the cost. This is ours for this short life.

It seems to me that this life is a proving ground for the kingdom to come. Some are asked to devote forty or fifty years to caring for a handicapped child instead of breezing through life without pain. Others are asked to be blind all their lives…

But only in this life – ONLY in this life. I want to be the kind person who makes that “ONLY” what it really is – very short. Prelude to the infinity of joy, joy, joy. But not yet. Not entirely.

How will we ever cope with the burdens of this life if we believe this is all there is, or even the main act in this drama of reality? O Lord, give us your view of things.

May God fill you with anticipated joy.

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

I love you,

Pastor John

The grace of Regeneration: My 4 year anniversary

I am not superstitious about dates, places or rituals but I know for sure that on this day 4 years ago I encountered the God of the universe, my own sinfulness, & the unspeakable joy of knowing Jesus Christ as my Savior & Lord. At the time of my conversion I was 19, dropped out of school, living in gross immorality, had no conviction of sin in my life, bitter, prideful, & worst of all I called myself a true Christian. On Sept. 18, 2005 I attended a church drama/service with my girlfriend Amanda (now wife) out of curiosity & by the end of that night I had no doubt in my mind that I was a new person in Christ & I was going to marry Amanda someday. I won't go into details but I will make a few comparisons to the (pre-regenerate Phil) & the now 4 years later (Phil in Christ).

So its Pre-Christ vs. In Christ.
1.) PRE-CHRIST: Living for me, serving my sinful appetites & desires by all means VS. IN-CHRIST: Living for the King, daily fighting to die to self & by all means kill sin in my life by God's grace.
2.) PRE-CHRIST: Smoking weed, drunk, hittin clubs, chancing girls & cash & trying to wake up in time for church on Sunday VS. IN-CHRIST: Praying 'God be merciful to me a sinner', pursuing holiness, hitting the streets to tell em about the gospel, & waking up preaching on Sunday's about Christ crucified to bring sinners like me back to God.
3.) PRE-CHRIST: Loved sin, hate God, dead in sin, slaved to sin, full of lust, puttin up a front, never touched my bible, only prayed for selfish reasons, destroying my life & headed for Hell! VS. IN-CHRIST: Love God, hate sin, alive in Christ, slave to righteousness, full of the Spirit, humbling myself before God, In the Word daily as my bread & water, walking in prayer, not wasting my life, & headed for heaven because THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION/JUDGMENT FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST!!!

In John 3:7-8 Jesus spoke about the amazing process of being 'born again' by God's power: "You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." I, like every sinner who has become a Christian, was born into God's family by the Spirit. It wasn't anything in me or anything I did but rather God's power that tranformed me from a hard hearted rebel into someone passionate to know & please God. We cannot control the Spirit & this is clear that "Salvation is of the Lord". He gets ALL the glory & we get unspeakable eternal joy. Not to us oh Lord, but to Your name be the glory.

When I meditate on God's grace & goodness in my life & especially the last 4 years I can hardly keep myself from breaking down. I just want to say I love Jesus, I love all that he is, all that he has done as God, King, Savior, Lord, Mediator, Redeemer, Friend, Judge, Servant, & Creator. Above all, I'm thankful that he gave me His life so that I can know, love, & enjoy fellowship with God as my treasure forever. What can compare to knowing the God of universe? $100 trillion dollars, cars, houses, fame, success, accomplishments? You can have them, just give me Jesus. I will count everything as nothing compared to knowing Jesus as my Lord & I pray that I can mean that with all my heart until the day I drop.

Preaching @ Mt. Freedom Baptist

Over the labor day weekend I was blessed to share Christ twice! On sat. at a youth conference held by Unity Christian Church & on Sunday morning at my local church (Mt. Freedom Baptist). Unfortunately there were just a few kids at the youth conf. due to all the youth being out of town for labor day but that didn't faze me because I came to lift up Christ to one or one thousand. It is just an honor to preach the very gospel that saved my own soul & also my wife, Amanda, reminded to never forget that God rejoices over ONE SINNER that repents (Amen). I experienced a very precious time with the Lord praying in a small room in the back of the sanctuary before I went up to preach. God comforted me & I felt strengthen to faithfully share the gospel to all who came. God is gracious.

Back in Wilmore the next morning I was to preach a 'remix' version of Psalms 51 at Mt. Freedom Baptist (I previously preached it at Auburndale Baptist on july 19). Our pastor, Nathan, asked me to preach that morning since he had just finished 1 Samuel and was going to be out of town. What a privilege & honor it was to preach before my local church, friends & some basketball teammates for the first time. My focus in this sermon was to explain the great problem of "How can God uphold justice and yet forgive sinners?" I also went back into Psalms 51 to show examples of what biblical repentance should look like in a Christian's life for individual examination/assurance.

Overall it seemed like the Lord blessed his word and many were attentive and really seemed to be soberly thinking about what I was saying. I got great responses after the service and talked with a few people individually about the gospel. I've been praying for those who heard the gospel that morning and I know the Spirit is doing work in the lives of his people. Pray for grace to know Christ as our eternal bread & living water that satisfys every desire of our soul forever!