God’s Heart For The Lost

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

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

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

The Christmas Story is Believable

The Christmas Story is Believable

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-20

Focus Verse: Luke 2:20  “The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.  It was just as the angel had told them.”

I have heard the Christmas story so many times I can recite it from memory, but no matter how many times I hear it, I never get tired of hearing it.  Even though you have heard it so many times, do you really believe it? 

The shepherds were told the Christmas story by an angel.  What if they had not believed what the angel was telling them?  They would have missed out on seeing the greatest event in human history.  God coming to earth in the form of a baby.  After the shepherds responded to the invitation, they realized that the story was just as the angel said it would be.  The Bible tells us the way it happened many years ago.  You can believe it.  Don’t let your unbelief stand in the way of accepting the greatest story ever told. 

The shepherds were a not of high position in the community, but they were the ones visited by the Heavenly Hosts and told where to find the Christ child.  God means for each person to come equally to the merciful Savior to find love, mercy and forgiveness...and a friend. Just as the shepherds were invited to know Jesus, you are also invited.  How do you respond?

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Bonus scripture:  "Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
Luke 2:28-32 NLT

Influence Your World

Influence Your World

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 5:13-16

Focus Verses:  Matthew 5:13-14  “You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.”

In our passage of scripture Jesus is telling His disciples and us today what our responsibility is as we live in this world.  He is referring to two things that are very common, salt and light.  We use salt to preserve food or to make food taste better.  Light is used to help us find our way in the darkness.  

As we share our faith with others, Jesus says we are to be like salt and light.  We need wisdom in doing this so we get this wisdom from God through prayer.  How much salt and light are needed?  Have you ever eaten something that had too much salt added?  It doesn’t taste very good.  Or eaten something with not enough salt? You say "oh this needs more salt" so it will taste good.  Perhaps you have looked at the sun before.  Which is not a good idea because it can cause blindness because it is so bright.  Or maybe you have walked a path with your torch that had a weak battery and you could not see where you were going.  When we share our faith with others we need to use the right amount of salt and light so that others will be attracted to Jesus.  Many times the Holy Spirit will guide you as you talk with others about their lost condition.  So as a cooking recipe calls for the right amount of ingredients, today let’s use our salt and light in the right amounts that will attract people to Jesus.

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Spiritually Receptive

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 13:15-17

Focus Verse:  Mark 4:9  "Then Jesus said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

You must be receptive to grow closer to Jesus.  Jesus knew His listeners had to be receptive before they could understand and follow His teachings.  This is the attitude of a growing disciple of Christ.  Have you ever grown weary working for the Lord?  Maybe we share Christ and we don't find that people are responding.  Yes, we all have at one time or another, but it's a patient and grateful attitude that hears Christ clearly.  

God's Word lives in us, and with time will bear fruit.  God's Word is not important to just a few elite Christians.  No, God Word is important in the life of every Christian that seeks to know Christ in an intimate way.

Spiritually receptive means that our eyes and ears are open to God.  We submit to the Holy Spirit's prompting in our lives even if it means to wait.  This shows that we give Him control of our lives.  This is the best way to live, because when we take control of our own lives, we will make a mess every time.

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Christ, The Foundation for Reconciliation!

Bible Reading: Mathew 5: 21-24

Focus verse: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

We all make friendships which at times break when we get tired with putting up with one another. Good friends have many at times feel like great enemies for different reasons.
We all try to make parties where we can discuss our differences in attempts to reconcile with friends; some people may spend huge amounts of money or wealth in this attempt. Many communities in Africa believe in doing rituals which must involve shedding of the blood of an animal for reconciliation to happen. These and many others attempts that we make many at times have not yielded the true and lasting reconciliation that we needed.

Many fail to identify Jesus to be the foundation and author of reconciliation. They want bloodshed of animals but fail to recognize the unstained, perfect, holy, blameless blood of the Lamb that God has offered for their enmity.   Jesus knows your differences and He understands how to mend.

Our sins have separated us from God and we live as his enemies. God does not want us to stay as enemies with him or with other human beings/creatures. He has offered Christ so that we don’t live again as enemies but be reconciled back to him and then to others. Christ is today standing at each ones door, wanting to help make their relationship with our God and others, which has not worked despite our attempts. He does not want us to continue to stay far from him or our other friends. He wants us back to Him and as well want our loved friends back to us. He wants to save us from spending our wealth and time in building reconciliations by offering the perfect Reconciler at a free cost.  Each time we are faced with differences we need to let Christ be the reason for our reconciliation, he is able to bring true repentance of forgiveness from the heart.

Eliazar Wambo
Pastor Makira Baptist Church, Mfangano