God’s Heart For The Lost
Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 3
Focus Verse: 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
God has a heart for those that are lost. God loves the lost and desires a relationship with them. God is also patient. Some lost people may think God will not judge their sin. The reality is that God does judge sin. He may be exercising His patience right now and giving them time to repent before His judgment falls on them. Could some believers think the same thing? What happens when a believer is living in sin? God can not have fellowship with those who love their sin and refuse to repent. God can not hear their prayers. God disciplines those he loves because He desires them to come back into a right relationship with Him through repentance. God is long suffering toward us.
Jesus gave us a great example of this in Luke 15 with the story of the prodigal son. The father gave the son enough freedom until the son hit the bottom of his life. The Bible says that the son came to his senses and returned to the father. Maybe you are living a life of sin and you don’t think God is concerned with your sin. Let me tell you God is concerned with your sin, and the only reason you are still on this earth is God is giving you time to come back to Him before it is too late. So let us love the things God loves, and hate the things that God hates, and take our sin as seriously as God takes it.
God is always patiently pursuing us.
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Friday, January 29, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
Give Encouragement to God’s Servants
Give Encouragement to God’s Servants
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-19
Focus Verse 1 Thessalonians 5:12 “Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.”
It has been said that hundreds of pastors leave the ministry every month. They walk away from their churches for different reasons. Could it be that the main reason is because they are not getting any encouragement from the membership?
Paul says we are to honor those in spiritual leadership over us. We know that Christ is the head of the church, but the pastor is appointed by God to feed the church, pray for the church, and lead the church. God is pleased when we support and encourage our spiritual leaders. I don’t have to tell you that your pastor is not perfect. The only perfect person on this earth was Jesus. In spite of your pastor’s faults, he needs your encouragement. Pastoring a church is not an easy task. It takes a lot of patience to deal with all the different personalities within a church. So as Paul has instructed us let’s honor those in spiritual leadership over us, and let them know we are supporting them. They will appreciate it, and your encouragement will enable them to do their job for The Lord better.
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-19
Focus Verse 1 Thessalonians 5:12 “Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.”
It has been said that hundreds of pastors leave the ministry every month. They walk away from their churches for different reasons. Could it be that the main reason is because they are not getting any encouragement from the membership?
Paul says we are to honor those in spiritual leadership over us. We know that Christ is the head of the church, but the pastor is appointed by God to feed the church, pray for the church, and lead the church. God is pleased when we support and encourage our spiritual leaders. I don’t have to tell you that your pastor is not perfect. The only perfect person on this earth was Jesus. In spite of your pastor’s faults, he needs your encouragement. Pastoring a church is not an easy task. It takes a lot of patience to deal with all the different personalities within a church. So as Paul has instructed us let’s honor those in spiritual leadership over us, and let them know we are supporting them. They will appreciate it, and your encouragement will enable them to do their job for The Lord better.
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Monday, January 4, 2016
The Nature of Evangelism
Scripture reading: Luke 10: 1-24
Focus verse: Luke 10:1-3 "After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."
There's a moment when you know that the harvest is ready and it's time to collect the harvest. You need to get the food out of the field. If you have a large field, you find people who can work in the fields and gather it together. You have a limited time before the harvest spoils and so you work very hard together.
This is the scene that Jesus used to describe evangelism. In our scripture reading, Jesus sent them out two by two. We also might remember that Paul traveled with partners or small groups. Evangelism is best accomplished together. It is great that we get to see this example in scripture of Jesus sending his disciples out in pairs. We need each other as an encouragement and protection as we go out.
The hired worker wouldn't bring back the crop and say that he, himself, made the fruit or vegetable. In the same way, those who share the good news can't say that we made the conversions. We understand that it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the soul and makes a life new. In the same way, we neither take the blame when someone rejects the Gospel if it is presented clearly.
Evangelism is a community event. In pairs or groups, we go into the fields for harvest when the crops are ripe. God is the one who changes hearts.
Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Focus verse: Luke 10:1-3 "After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."
There's a moment when you know that the harvest is ready and it's time to collect the harvest. You need to get the food out of the field. If you have a large field, you find people who can work in the fields and gather it together. You have a limited time before the harvest spoils and so you work very hard together.
This is the scene that Jesus used to describe evangelism. In our scripture reading, Jesus sent them out two by two. We also might remember that Paul traveled with partners or small groups. Evangelism is best accomplished together. It is great that we get to see this example in scripture of Jesus sending his disciples out in pairs. We need each other as an encouragement and protection as we go out.
The hired worker wouldn't bring back the crop and say that he, himself, made the fruit or vegetable. In the same way, those who share the good news can't say that we made the conversions. We understand that it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the soul and makes a life new. In the same way, we neither take the blame when someone rejects the Gospel if it is presented clearly.
Evangelism is a community event. In pairs or groups, we go into the fields for harvest when the crops are ripe. God is the one who changes hearts.
Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
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