People Sharing Jesus

Stranger = danger!  Isn’t that what we teach children?  Of course we have only to watch the news to know the reason why.  Still there is that wonderful verse of Scripture that challenges us not to avoid or run from strangers and reminds us that angels have come in the form of strangers.  Abraham could tell you a story or two about that.  Yesterday, I challenged you to witness to your world.  I spent the moments emphasizing those you actually know.  Strangers come in two forms.  There are those whose names we may know, or at least their faces.  The rest are either totally unknown to us, or they are people we once knew and have forgotten.  These people number in the billions, and most of them we will never see.  How can one person make any difference to them.  We can pray, and we can care.  We can also give to world missions.  In these days of easier travel many of us  can actually go.  Which should lead us to the question,  ”If we close the gap between ourselves and the strangers across the street or around the world, then what?”

  I am glad you asked.  That was part of the reason for yesterday’s challenge.  Please go back and read it again.  Being authentic in your concern for a stranger requires being authentic in your concern for those you already know.  You can’t just jump across the globe and know how to impact lives for Jesus if those who know you best have no awareness of your faith in Him.  Your ministry to the stranger will only be an act in some kind of play if you have to become someone else in order to do it.  Be a real follower of Jesus starting at your own home and among those who know you best.  If you will do that, God will send strangers to you before you can even get around to going to look for them.

By the way, the word “angel” is interchangeable with the word “messenger”.  Even though I am not certain that I have ever entertained and actual angel, God has sent me some amazing messengers in the form of strangers.  Share Jesus.  People need Him.

Dan Wooldridge

The whole world starts with you.  You are inevitably at the center of the world as you know it.  Every other person on earth exists in circles of contact with you at the epicenter.  Those closest to you are not always those nearest to you.  The closest people in your life are those who know you best.  As we move out into our world we encounter those who are total strangers. 

So what is the point?  When you hear Jesus say “go into all the world . . .” realize that your world starts very close to your home and your heart.  If every person who knows Jesus would just take responsibility for their world of relationships this could be the greatest year for reaching people in history.  Sit down and make long lists of people.  Note on the list those that you are certain to be Christians, those who you think are Christians, and those you doubt are Christians or flatly are not Christians.  Pray for all of them, but pray specifically for the last two groups.  Pray that God will open their hearts.  For those that show little evidence pray that they may be drawn near to the Lord.  Ask God to use you in some way in these lives.  Then develop a strategy.  Write out a well thought out testimony of what the Lord has done in your life and what He means to you.  Send it in a letter, note, or e-mail to those people on your list and tell them that you just wanted them to know.  Wait for responses.  Pray while you wait.  Follow up.  Make appointments.  Make phone calls.  Pray.  Watch what God does.  One man to whom I made this suggestion had the privilege of leading and 80 year old relative to Christ.  It all started with a letter.  How can we ever reach the world if you won’t reach out to yours?

Dan

           Caring for converts is hard work.  New Christians are often very vulnerable to false teaching.  Sometimes they mistakenly believe that receiving Jesus will solve all problems and that the Christian life is smooth sailing.  This weekend’s bible study reveals the hard realities of our spiritual warfare.  Paul obviously was stressed about the welfare of the believers in Thessalonica.  He knew they would be tested.  Faith is always tested.  He also had been prevented by Satan from going to them.  We are not told the nature of this opposition, but Christian workers are quite familiar with the opposing forces that hinder us in our work.  These forces are Satanic.  In Paul’s case it could have been his own struggles against persecutors.  It could have been illness, time issues, or travel challenges.  Any of these realities can serve to suppress our ministry and thus serve Satan’s purposes.  Most likely, however, Paul had reference to personal opposition which had been inspired by Satan.  Satan can not only use unbelievers to hinder God’s work, he can deceive and use believers to unwittingly serve his purposes.  Even Simon Peter fell into his trap and was rebuked by Christ.  (Matthew 16:23)   

Paul is finally able to send Timothy to them.  His trust in Timothy is a reminder to us that we can multiply our own effectiveness by investing heavily in the growth of others.  Paul had been able to see Timothy develop to the point that sending him was an extension of his own heart to Thessalonica.  Timothy returns with an encouraging report, and Paul is overjoyed.  Not to be overlooked in this epistle is the prominent place given to prayer.  In fact two things are strongly coupled together.  Paul’s love for them and his prayers for them.  A very important emphasis of his prayer is that they may overflow with God’s love.  Nothing better prepares us to be ready to see Jesus face to face than to be filled to overflowing with the love of God.

Dan Wooldridge

Growing up Baptist, I never thought about having a service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  In West Central Texas, we didn’t even get what the Mass in Christmas meant.  We were mostly Baptist, Methodist, and Church of Christ.  Imagine my surprise fifteen years ago when I first decided to have a Christmas Eve service at a Baptist church.  We were in South Texas, Kingsville to be exact.  The predominant culture was Roman Catholic, but we had a good group of Baptist folks and other evangelicals in the city.  I was surprised to discover that the people I served were excited and enthusiastic about coming to a service on Christmas Eve.  I had expected a small mid-week service crowd.  We had hundreds come.  It was as large as a Sunday morning service.  I was not prepared.  Serving the Lord’s Supper was like feeding the 5000.  I still don’t know how we made it.  I have not missed a Christmas Eve since without offering an opportunity for worship and the observance of the Lord’s Supper.  Here at Crestview we first observed Christmas Eve with a service in 1995.  Once again we were amazed at the crowds.  We scrambled to meet the needs of several hundred people.  Now we have two services.  We are afraid to try to get by with one because of the unpredictability of the numbers and because we have seating for only 800 at the maximum. 

This year we are getting calls from people we have never met who want to come and worship.  Many are bringing guests from out of town hoping for a word of witness and spiritual encouragement for those they love.  Pray that God will touch our hearts.  People need the Lord.

Dan Wooldridge

May the joy and hope of Christmas remind you that God loves you and that He cares.  We celebrate what happened in the manger because we know why He came.  He came so that the world need never be a cold and lonely place.  He came to set our hearts afire.  He came so that we could get started on living an eternal life.

May you experience the joy of hearth and home by knowing that you are part of the family of God.  From our house to yours, we extend a Christmas Blessing and a the wonderful hope of a great new year in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dan Wooldridge

     I hope to begin publishing some thoughts that may be useful to our teachers who are using the Explore the Bible series.  This will be my first such post. 

     I believe it would be unsettling to Mary if the Lord allowed her to know how people have confused her role in God’s glorious plan of redemption.  One very large segment of Christendom has elevated her to a status that would have astonished her.  She is venerated, prayed to, asked to mediate between God and man, declared to have been born without sin, and also to have entered heaven uncorrupted by death.  None of these claims are supported in Scripture.  Many other claims of visions, sightings and miraculous healings have been also ascribed to her.  Sadly, there has been an opposite reaction by many other Christians.  They ignore Mary and her story and fail to be blessed by her wonderful experience of faith.  Mary went to heaven by the forgiveness made possible through the death of Jesus on the cross.  She, like all of us, had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)  Her experience of grace and forgiveness carries the amazing story of the unique and exciting role God chose for her.  Mary experienced the rare event of an angelic visitor.  She was told that she would bear a son.  He would be the Son of God.  She clearly testified that she had not had relations with any man.  The virginal conception of Jesus is God’s glorious truth.  It is important that we be careful about the term “virgin birth”.  For some Christians this term means that Mary was still a virgin physically even after Jesus was born.  It further is contended that she remained a virgin throughout her life and into eternity.  These things are not in Scripture.  Mary had a normal pregancy and birth.  It was from the time of conception until birth that she was a virgin.  It has even been argued by some Christians that Jesus passed from her womb and through her physicality as a virgin just as He would pass through a wall after His resurrection.  This is not taught in Scripture.  The Scripture further states clearly that Mary had other children who were siblings of Jesus.  She lived a normal married life with Joseph and together they provided a wonderful family experience for Jesus.  It is important that we carefully understand what the bible reveals about Mary and Joseph.  The true story reveals that God works through real people with real lives.  He can use us if we will allow Him to.  Notice also that Mary said, “May it be with me as you have said.”  She accepted her role.  It was not forced on her.  She humbly called herself the Lord’s servant.  Let us be His servant as well.

Dan Wooldridge

Having emphasized solitude, it may seem strange to come back and call for fellowship.  However, fellowship as a spiritual discipline is not the same as just hanging out with others.  Fellowship that is intentional is the kind of spiritual discipline we need.  When the followers of John the Baptist followed Jesus and ask him, “Where are you staying?”, that was the discipline of fellowship in action.  If you want to grow, find more mature Christians and try to tag along with them.  Help them in a ministry.  Accompany them on a mission trip.  Pray with them.  Seek ways to have nuturing conversations.  We cannot just sit and wait to be invited.  Sometimes we need to be bold and ask to have the opportunity for fellowship.  When invited to participate in a ministry, do not quickly decline.  God may be giving you an opportunity for growth.  The best fellowship is described in 1 John 1: 1-4.  Check it out.  That is the fellowship that produces change.

Dan Wooldridge

There is a vast difference between attending a worship service and actually worshipping.  Real worship is a living connection between the individual and God.  In many ways your personal worship should be more vital and vigorous than your corporate worship.  At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus gave us a glimpse of his worshipping relationship with the Father.  In John 11:41-42, Jesus closes out the crowds and speaks to the Father as He looks to the heavens.  He obviously has also heard from the Father.  His attitude is that of a glorious connection with heaven.  His face is uplifted.  His words are victorious.  He will come from that moment of worship empowered with a voice that raises the dead.  He worshipped aloud.  He gave thanks aloud.  Spend time at least once a day looking toward the heavens.  Sing to the Lord.  Praise and thank Him.  Glorify him for his promises and blessings.  Shout if you are free to do so.  (Autos make good places for shouts of praise in areas of crowded populations.)  You to can come from the place of worship strengthened and emboldened.

Dan Wooldridge

Baptists are better known for their pot luck dinners than for fasting.  Some Baptists would probably be puzzled to hear the word used and wonder if the pastor had not gone overboard.  Lost to many Christians is the reality that Jesus went into the wilderness to do battle with Satan as recorded in Matthew chapter four, and his initial action was a forty day fast.  It should be remembered that fasting does not preclude drinking water or even fruit juices.  In fact fasting is not limited to changing your relationship with food.  When we look at Scriptural examples, we note that the activity was purposeful and focused on laying aside the distraction of meals.  We have other distractions.  Maybe a television fast is in order.  An entertainment fast would be another possibility.  Fasting from any activity that limits our ability to focus on the Lord would aid us in real changes.  A layman came to the Lord as an adult and rapidly grew into mature Christian.  He learned the Scriptures at a pace that was amazing.  His reading list of books to help him grow was excellent.  I ask him what he had done to make these great strides.  He quickly answered, “I turned off the television”.  Doing without food, television, sports, or any number of diversions in order to grow in Christ falls into the category of fasting.  If you really want to change, you must be willing to fast.

Dan Wooldridge

Sometimes we need a check up from the neck up.  What I mean is that just as we need to have a physical examination, we need a mental examination.  Now don’t think I am implying that everyone needs a psychiatrist.  Most of us just need to take control of our thoughts.  If you do not make an attempt to control your thoughts, your thoughts will control you.  The world is constantly telling us what to think about.  Television and media of all descriptions give us our list of things to consider.  In most cases the news will not only report to you, but tell you how to view what they have reported.  A Christian needs to be guided by God’s word and not the last sound bite.  Prayer, solitude, and meditation allow us to break free of the control of the world an make ourselves available to the control of the Holy Spirit.  These disciplines all are carried on in the context of an unhurried time in the Scriptures.  The Scripture has a word for our thought life in Philippians 4:8.  Why not look it up right now.  In fact why not read the whole chapter.  There are so many things over which we have no control, but God allows us to control our thoughts.  It may take practice, but you will be glad you did.

Dan Wooldridge