Battle for The Lost…..

Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever used God’s name in vain? Have you ever lusted in your heart?

These are just a few of the questions that we must ask ourselves on a daily basis to help us keep our focus on the grand prize of Heaven. The great commission is very clear when Jesus tells us to go out and make disciples of nations. He wants us to go out and bring His people to Him. So why is it that people run to hell as if it were heaven, and run from heaven as it were hell it’s self? The greatest trick that the devil has ever pulled is making people believe that he does not exist. 2Timothy 2:4 says “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” By the simple fact that we believe that Jesus was here, we are automatically an enemy of Satan. And he will do everything in his power to destroy us or our testimony. When we accepted the grace and love from God, we gave ourselves to Him. By doing so, we admit that He is in charge. So why do we not do as we are told? You can tell a football player by the jersey he wears. You can tell a firefighter by the uniform he wears. How can you tell who is a Christian? By the Joy in there hearts and the desire to serve. True joy comes from serving. So how do we do this? There are three principles that are easy to follow.

Principle #1 Know Your Mission

In Matthew 28:18-20 He describes the mission in great detail.

The Great Commission

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

 

Principle #2 Know Your Weapons

· Do you read your bible every day?

This is the manual, the instruction book, the exact way on how live life and how to do things.

· Do you pray every day?

This is how we communicate with God.

· Do you have faith in God?

This is how we let God use us to do His work

Principle #3 Know Your Enemy

We have a 3 fold enemy: The world, the flesh, and the devil.

The way to deal with the devil and with the world is through the flesh. Our skin is what gets us in trouble because we can’t seem to think outside of it.

· Avoid temptation

Why put ourselves in a position that we know we are going to be tempted to do the wrong thing? That is where Satan wants us. So he can bombard us with all the sins of the flesh that separate us from God.

· Be in this world not of this world

We have to remember that we are on this planet for a temporary time. But the decisions we make directly effect our final destination. If you say your a Christian but hang out at adult entertainment bars, do you really think people are going to  believe you are saved? When you tell someone of Jesus and all He did for us, do not be afraid to also include hell in your talk. This does not mean to go out and start off by telling them to “turn or burn!” or anything like that. But we must tell them the truth. And the truth of the matter is that Jesus paid for our sins and has saved us from the lake of fire. All we have to do is accept that He did this for us and repent from our sins.

Ladies and gentlemen, do not be mistaken, we are in a battle for lost souls. Our mission is to go out and battle for them. Our bibles are our swords, our shields, and our war manuals. Carry them with pride and show others the way and the path to the Father through Jesus Christ.

I pray that you choose to take up your mission and that God puts in your path the challenges of fulfilling the great commission. I ask that the Lord bless, keep, and protect each and everyone of you….Amen.

If You Truly Love Me, Then Feed My Sheep

Do you love me? Three times Jesus, after rising again, asked the loaded question to His loyal protégé and three times Peter answered; "Yes, you know I do." I'm sure Peter's heart shivered each time his devotion was challenged. I can imagine his previous denial rocketed to the front of his thoughts each time the question echoed into the hollows of his soul, and now he had to convince Jesus of his love.

However, like most of us, Peter was missing the point. Jesus was not looking for affirmation from one of the ones he had chosen, nor was He even looking for answers. Jesus was looking for something that could not be expressed by words but rather had to be expressed through action. He said, "Feed my sheep." In other words if you truly love me do so by loving others.

The kingdom of God is not one of words, ritual, and observation but is one of action. God is raising an army to storm the formidable gates of Hell that exist in the streets of our cities, neighborhoods, schools, work, and homes. The rusty gates are effectively imprisoning the human race. The tragedy is that these gates are not a problem for God or His people. Because Jesus is Lord and He holds the keys to death, hell, and the grave, and He has given us the keys to His kingdom. You may be too weak to kick down the gates and carry them away as Samson did, and I admit so am I. However even a weak, sickly, and anemic child can put a key in lock and turn it. The trick is not strength but willingness.

They say God responds to the hungry, and I agree. Yet, hunger alone will not fill our stomachs. Someone has to prepare the food. Then we have to be willing to eat the food. That is why Jesus told Peter, "Then feed my sheep." Many of us are crying out loudly for more of God but fail to partake of what we already have been given.

So what is the next step? Arise and eat! And with this step comes a colossal challenge. Can we eat the bread of suffering as well as the meat of prosperity? Can we drink from the cup of crucifixion as well as the flask of feasting? We will find that no one gets fed until someone has eaten the bread of suffering and drank the cup of crucifixion. Once we have had fellowship in His suffering then we will be more content feeding others rather than being fed by others.

Jesus told his disciples of a meat they knew not of. He told them that His meat was to do the will and finish the work His Father had sent Him to do. The Kingdom is not for playing, but rather working. It is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is a kingdom of doing and going, not watching and sitting. The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. There are assigned steps but not assigned seats. There are good deeds that are there waiting for us to step into.

We sometimes act as if we have given more than Him. I personally believe there is more to God than any man has experienced and there is always more. However, I also believe that to receive more revelation we have to give more. Therefore we should not concern ourselves with how much God is giving us but rather our concern should be how much we can give to Him and His people.

The need of the hour is to go for the God who has given us life and to give Him to those who have not yet received. Lets empty ourselves of all our worship theology and realize Jesus cannot be loved through song alone. Sermons do not warm His heart. Raised hands cannot exalt Him. He says if you truly love me, then feed my sheep.