Sharing Lord Christ 'Til Heaven (song)

 It's been said that everyone wants to go to Heaven but no one wants to die. Of course, death is the door to eternity. Sadly though, many will enter that door to eternal condemnation and suffering separated from God in Hell. Sadder still, there are many who think they will enter into eternal peace and rest in Heaven but they will find they are mistaken and are still on the hook because they put faith in someone other than Jesus. It is only through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection that pays for all sins that we can escape the Hell we deserve and instead enter the Heaven we don't deserve. 

     The only Doctor who can give us the right medicine for salvation is Jesus Christ. There is no other way. We need to share this Healing Balm with everyone we can. One thing we can't do in eternity is share The Gospel with lost people. We must witness and share The Gospel with all people- that's our Great Commission from The Lord Jesus. So let's make the most of every moment because the days are evil and start sharing Lord Christ 'til Heaven.

"Sharing Lord Christ 'Til Heaven" 

(parody of "Sharing The Night Together" by Ava Aldridge and Eddie Struzick as recorded by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/25/2020)

(Romans 10:9-13, Revelation 20:15, 2 Kings 7:9, Acts 1:6-8, Matthew 7:12-23, Matthew 10:26-33, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 9:42-50, Luke 16, John 15:8)

You're looking at an unholy world

With your Bible unused as you walk through (Yet you claim Christ)

2 Kings 7:9- those dudes

Get a gold mine! Cannot sit on it- they've found food (Must share- Mark 9)

If Christ seems to come on too strong

Christ spoke The Truth- please understand

The lake burning- folks are dying and going

'Cause they don't know Jesus- but they can

That's if we try

Sharing The Light together- Oh yeah!

Sharing The Way to Heaven- Oh yeah!

Sharing Lord Christ

You should read all Christ's warnings, girl

In Luke 16- go Matt. 10

And on the broad road find many hell-bound

That there should change our bent

Matthew line

7:13- destruction! Oh yeah (Background vocals: Share about Christ)

7:14- To Heaven! Oh yeah (BGV: Share about Christ)

Heaven's through Christ

Well, Lord Christ commanded us, see, to go please

All nations- That's The Great Commission, dude

Matthew's last lines- 28:18-20, dude

Disciple and baptize

(In) Father, Son, Spirit Who are Three in One

Teaching them to obey Saviour

He's there with us always- behold!

So we won't be alone- no, never!

Eternal life's at stake so start sharing Lord Christ- (BGV: Share about Christ)(Repeat until end)- for Heaven's sake, yeah

Share that He died for sinners- Rose again

Trust in Lord Christ for Heaven

Romans 10:9 to get there

Sharing's too late in Heaven

(Keep) Sharing about Christ 'til Heaven 

Season for the Reason: Loving Sinners, Hating Sin and Obeying God Rather Than Men

Note:   This blog deals with some ongoing questions that continue to be part of a national conversation in America, particularly in light of its distinctly Judeo-Christian heritage and a Constitution that maintains the ideals of a separation of church and state. There has long been a struggle in defining rights and ensuring equal rights for all groups of people, particularly in regard to sexual minorities. In light of the Supreme Court of the United States of America's recent ruling regarding the expansion of marriage to include same sex couples, there have arisen questions from people of religious faith who have objections on religious grounds over how to implement this ruling, particularly for those who because of their jobs directly offer services for weddings.
           This blog is an attempt to discuss a Christian viewpoint on these topics and how best to respond in love to all people, while maintaining the Truth of The Bible always and ultimately obeying God over men. And again, this has arisen out of real discussions and questions that have been raised to me from various people. I know Christians and the church have often failed in addressing these issues well and in a Godly, loving manner. I hope that this blog will be both of those things, while also firmly stating the Truth of The Bible.
 


           First of all, let me re-emphasize, as I've said before, that in dealing with all people, Christians are commanded to love one another and I always want to make sure that I am loving to all people. (Romans 12:15-18, John 13:34-35) I would never want to shun any homosexual couples. However, I would contend that it is their behavior that is shunned. As a follower of Christ, I am instructed in Jude 1:21-23 to reach out with mercy to those who doubt and help save them by snatching them out of the fire and also show mercy with fear. Why fear? The verse goes on to say that I am commanded to hate even the garment stained by the flesh. In other words, while I am always commanded to love all people, I must also be wary of sin and hate sin because it drives me away from my real life in Christ and instead pushes me back toward the old life enslaved by the devil. God hates sin too for this reason- it drives people away from Him. Because of God’s great love for us, He must hate sin because He doesn’t want anything to separate us from His indescribably awesome love. (see 1 Peter 1:13-16, Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 6 and a number of other Bible passages for more on this point.)
          The question has been brought to the forefront particularly in the case of Kim Davis, a Kentucky clerk has refused to issue licenses for same sex marriage unions and was subsequently jailed for not carrying out the duties of her job. (I will briefly say on this point that I think she should look to the words of Christ in Matthew 5:38-42 and choose to issue the licenses, even if it does go against her beliefs and certainly it goes against God's plan for marriage. [see Jesus' words on that in Matthew 19- He clearly defines it as the union of one man and one woman for life- solely bound to each other in the eyes of God and man until death do them part.] I think Christians are sometimes called to let themselves be taken advantage of and to give up our rights. Certainly, Jesus directly calls us to do that in Luke 9:23 in order to follow Him- deny ourselves, die to ourselves daily and take up our cross and follow Him. I think it's also important to note that rendering such services doesn't make her complicit in approving or partaking in the sin of homosexuality. I think of it as a Christian sales associate working at a grocery store and selling customers beer and wine. If the customer chooses to go get drunk on these products, I don't think the Christian sales associate is held accountable by God for inducing the drunkenness of the customer [something that God does condemn as sin- see Ephesians 5:18, among others. However, note that drinking itself is not condemned as sin in The Bible.]- that is a sin that will weigh on their conscience, not the Christian's.)
            To look at an example that is often offered for comparison, what if it were a photographer (of any race other than African-American) refusing to give service to a black person and/or refusing to photograph an interracial marriage (i.e. refusing to do the work on the basis of race)? I think this would be a false equivalency. I fully agree that religion and The Bible (wrongfully, I must add) has been used to justify this racist hatred. (Something 1 John 4:20-21 clearly says is wrong.) I agree that a black person cannot change the color of his skin and a homosexual person cannot change their homosexual tendencies. (Although, just to point out, as Jesus says in Matthew 19:26- “With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.” God is certainly capable of changing a person’s homosexual tendencies- however, I will also say that it seems that it is rare that He does that, though there are some that would attest to this. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 speaks to Corinthians who used to be homosexual offenders but were washed by the blood of Christ and changed. However, I don’t know if this means that God supernaturally removed their sinful tendencies altogether. I think what for sure happened is that He changed their heart and desires so that they desired God’s will- and then they rejected the allure of homosexual relations and sought the fulfillment of all their needs in Christ’s sufficiency. [Philippians 3:8 and many other verses speak to this.]) And yes- I realize this can sound rather cruel if not carefully worded, but keep in mind that we are all tainted with Adam’s sin- and we all struggle with sinful tendencies, though they may not all be sexual in nature. [So I am not trying to say anything negative about homosexual people and hold their sin up as worse than any others. James 2:10 says all sins are equally bad- when we commit one, it’s the same as doing all of them.] And certainly homosexual people struggle with other sins as well- their sexuality is not the totality of their personhood. This would also be true for people born with kleptomaniac tendencies or those born with an inclination toward drunkenness through Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other such things- the choice is always theirs as to how they will respond. The secular world may certainly disagree, but I believe Jesus Christ is powerful enough to change the desires of people to give in to these sinful desires and instead to help them choose to deny them and follow His commands instead. [2 Corinthians 5:14-21 speaks to this point very well.] Psalms 37:4 says that if we delight ourselves in The Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. And as we delight ourselves more and more in Jesus alone, we will find that our desires are conformed to His and that we desire Him and His will- His standards of righteous living- above all else. Psalms 84:10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”)
           Here is another example to consider. What would a Jewish or Muslim caterer say to the question of serving pork at a wedding? The objection the Jewish or Muslim caterer would have against serving pork (as well as their objections to giving their services to a gay marriage, for that matter) is the same that a Christian caterer would have against giving his or her services to a gay marriage. The issue is not with the people; the issue is with what the people are doing. In one case, it’s serving pork- in another case, it’s uniting a man and a man or a woman and a woman as a couple, bound as one in an institute established and ordained by God- and one that He clearly sets down to us as being strictly reserved for a man and a woman. (Matthew 19, Genesis 2:24)
However, despite this, as I said earlier, I still think it might be good for a Christian if they decided to partake and offer their services in an attempt to be a witness to the gay couple and demonstrate the love of Christ. This is of course a call that each Christian would have to make on their own conscience though. (see Romans 14- it should also be considered as to whether this would be seen as a stumbling block to a brother or sister weaker in their faith in Christ.) The concern for many Christian business owners is that they would not want to be seen as giving tacit approval to a union diametrically opposed to God’s design for marriage. It is sad and unfortunate that this gets translated by some as to mean an outright hatred for gay people. [Let me be quick to concede that I am sure that is very much the case on the part of some. And to those who call themselves followers of Christ yet hate people with homosexual tendencies, I would offer rebuke as a brother in The Lord and direct them to reread 1 John 4 and John 13:35 and Ephesians 4:15 and ask them to seek The Holy Spirit’s leading in that- as hating people is as much of a sin as homosexuality is- and that must be addressed too.] As a Christ follower, I love all people but I cannot and do not condone all that they do. That is the dilemma Christian caterers, photographers, etc. are facing in this issue.
         Of course, a non-Christian would not find this a compelling argument that applies to them- the reason being that, (and indeed, the reason non-Christian gay people would find the Christian’s position offensive and discriminatory) because in their mindset, there is nothing wrong with following on their natural desires. However, a Christian would of course disagree- and therein lies the point of contention. Of course, one does not have to be a Christian in order to respect the beliefs of Christians and people of other faiths, certainly. However, most non-Christian gay people would most likely be prone to discard any Biblical reasons since they do not believe in Christ and do not follow Him- thus, His rules in The Bible would not be a valid reason for them. I would hope that people on both sides (both Christians and non-Christian gays) would be able to reason calmly with each other and make a real effort to understand each other’s viewpoint and feelings in the matter.
I think the question for America that will eventually come is deciding whether or not marriage is a God ordained institution or simply a manmade construct. In the case of the latter, the government would dictate the matter. However, at this point, there is still a partnership of sorts between the government and the church in the matter of marriage. (Though certainly one does not have to go through the church for a marriage license.) But thankfully, that is not for me to decide. I have already stated my view that marriage is an institution established by God and ordained by Him and that is where I will stand on it. Others are welcome to draw their own conclusions of course- and that may eventually become the solution (which is already in place to some degree, with certain churches that affirm gay marriage performing ceremonies and some state governments acknowledging it, and of course the recent ruling from the Supreme Court.) As far as the legal rights that go with it, while I don’t agree with its validity as marriage as defined by God, I honestly don’t have a problem with the government providing for legal benefits to gay couples.)
           For everyone reading this, I hope you know that anything I say about Jesus and about my belief in Him and The Bible is all meant to come only out of a heart of love, concern, respect and kindness. I will fully admit that I have certainly failed on that at times, but I hope that those desires come across above all. I do not expect to convert anyone to anything, but I certainly do want to let people know about Jesus and His love for all and His standards for living that I have found to be better than anything else in the world- and His offer of forgiveness and salvation open to all through faith. This is something everyone must choose for themselves; I don’t believe in forcing anything upon anyone and I don’t believe God does either. I do believe that He rewards the sincere seeker of Him though. (Jeremiah 29:13) If anyone reading this ever wants to talk further about having a relationship with Christ, I am always glad to correspond further on that.
           Thank you for bearing with this lengthy document. I apologize for what may seem to be belaboring the point, but it’s a rather complex issue that deserves to be considered carefully, though I know I can always stand to study and learn more on it myself. I want to reiterate that we must be loving and respecting to our gay/lesbian and any other kind of queer friends (along with all people of any sexual persuasion or identity.) I have some gay friends myself as well and I certainly respect their rights too. All of us as human beings must come together as God’s creation and learn to learn from each other- and find a way to respect both the rights of people of faith and people of different faiths and/or no faith- and the rights of gay/lesbian/queer/transgender and all other variations people. I certainly pray that we will do just that and as Romans 12:18 commands, if possible, as much as it depends on us, live peaceably with all. May God bless you richly. Grace, love and peace to all.

"Calling All Humans" (song)

Throughout human history, man has been on a philosophical search for meaning and significance. In all generations, a call has gone out for something greater than ourselves- someone bigger than us to intervene in our affairs. "Call on your god!" the captain exhorted Jonah in Jonah 1:6. Everyone seems to agree that the world is in a sorry state- something has gone horribly wrong from what it's supposed to be and we need help to make things right. Man has looked so long and futilely in so many places for guidance- from his inner self to community to social implementations and reordering to the stars and the creatures of higher intelligence that may dwell there.
"You wrote that the world doesn't need a Savior. But everyday I hear people crying for one."- Superman to Lois Lane in "Superman Returns"
        It's undeniable that people have cried out for a savior over the ages to so many places. And it seems invariably that we have long had a fixation on the cosmos and the possibilities of a U.F.O. and alien beings coming to save us all. It's kinda crazy how we are willing to look to the remote possibility of alien beings coming to save us, but we ignore the great salvation provided to us by the one real God who stepped into our world and became one of us. He worked as a carpenter and fully identified with us in facing all the temptations we do- and yet was without sin. And the day He died to pay for our sins is the day the earth stood still- and suddenly everything was changed forever. With the Resurrection, we knew that we were never alone and that we could have the possibility of new life through our Savior. He has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. And He's calling all humans to Himself: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price." (Revelation 22:17)

"Calling All Humans" (parody of "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day)" by Klaatu, as performed by Carpenters; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 4/21/2015)
(Psalms 135, Jonah 1:6, Isaiah 2:22, John 1:1-18, Acts 17:30, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:43, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Romans 10:9-13, John 3:16-21, John 8:12, John 8:31-32, John 15:18-19, John 18:36, John 10:10, John 14:6, John 17:14-19, John 5:39-47, John 5:24, 2 Peter 3:8-9, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 1 Timothy 6:20-21, John 10:14-18, Hebrews 4:16, Jude 1:8, Jude 1:10, Jude 1:21-25, Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 1:17-19, Revelation 19:11-16, 1 John 5:13-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Philippians 3:18-21, Colossians 1:11-29, Revelation 3:20, Revelation 22:16-21)

In The Christ you have the access key to God's throne
To teleport messages to The Lord of Hosts!
Please close your eyes and start to pray
Without ever ceasing
For those in hesitation, hear the doubters' plea:

"Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
Calling out for help, O interplanetary craft!
Come and offer us your interplanetary pact!
Come and rescue us with interpersonal peace, most extraordinary craft!"

"We've been observing our Earth
And we'd like it saved
By contact with you."

- They need our Friend

Calling all humans- it's in 2nd. Peter 3:9
Calling all humans- in Acts 17:30- all are wanted- God seeks

He's been observing our Earth
And one night became
A human like you
He is our Friend

All in Chapter One
of John- The Word became flesh; we beheld His glory- yeah!

Believe and receive- we beseech you
Showed us His Love- Jesus beaten
Our Lord lay there crucified
Third day come, He's risen!

E.T., Heaven's Gate and the Starman
Oh, the unidentified
Flying object
Where they seek rescue

- They need You!

By design, we have ability to choose
We submit to God, "Thy will be done here on earth too"
Else God says, "Thy will be done" to you
In Heaven or fiery lake?
2nd. Corinthians 6:2 declares, "Today get saved!"

Calling all humans- God's intervened on our behalf
Calling all humans- salvation plan's 10:43 Acts
Calling all humans- to enter Paradise through Christ's complete work on Calvary's cross

Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!

Calling all humans
Calling all humans
Calling all humans- Lord Christ's the transporter beam; engage 2 verse 38 [three eight] (in) Acts!

He is our Friend!
.........................................................................

Of Heroes and Legends, (There Can Be Only One) (poem)

[Note: Another poem from the archives and yes, this is another one I wanted to post because of my recent conversation with friends about science fiction and fantasy stories (and most anything really) being used to convey spiritual truth. I've heard it said before, "Everything is theology"- and I think it's true. And in the end, all of the heroic stories point us back to, as Tolkien called Him, "The One True Myth"- Jesus Christ, the Hero who gave His life to save His enemies and rose again to prove He's God. He is the One all of my writings hopefully point to all the time.]

This seems to be appropriate to follow the parody song about Narnia that I posted last. This a little poem I wrote just recently- this one just came to me one day and all of a sudden I had to hurry and write it down. This one was fun for me given my love of sci-fi and fantasy and superheroes and comic books and so forth, of course. :-) It talks about the heroes and legends of old- the ones in myths and stories of yore- and how through all these characters and adventures- we are ultimately drawn to the longing and desire inside all of us to be part of something bigger than ourselves- to join in the great adventure that God is ultimately calling us to- the one that He laid out for us before time and made possible through the death and Resurrection of Jesus. This is also definitely inspired from my love of Hebrews 11 – the hall of faith. I really love Hebrews 11:38 when it describes the faithful to God- “they were too good for this world.” Or in other translations- “the world was not worthy of them.” (I think of the great heroes of the faith in The Bible of course- and a few of my modern Christian heroes as well like St. Francis of Assisi, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Eric Liddle, Mother Teresa, Mister Rogers, Jim Elliot, C.T. Studd, Hudson Taylor, Martin Luther, Rachel Scott Joy, Cassie Bernall, Larry Norman, Keith Green and Rich Mullins- among others) And as J.R.R. Tolkien once explained to C.S. Lewis- though it sounds like one of the myths of the dying and rising gods of old- Jesus and Christianity is different in this regard- because it actually happened. Jesus is the one true myth!


Of Heroes and Legends,
 (There Can Be Only One)

(by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 3/9/2011)
(Psalms 44:4-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Philippians 3:8, Hebrews 11, Jeremiah 20:9, Hebrews 12:1-4, Ephesians 6:10-20, Proverbs 28:1, 1 John 5:4, John 16:33, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Acts 17:22-31, Matthew 13:34-35, 1 Corinthians 9:22)

Once upon a time, as all good stories start
A bright new world of hope, then things fall apart
As years of wreck and ruin rage, a line of heroes begins to raise
The stuff of myths and legends here to save the day

In the days of darkness and dangers
There are the adventurers, wanderers and strangers
The giants of old, the men of reknown
The ones that the songs and tales are written about

Powerful in battle, armored for the quest
The good fight to conquer kingdoms and restore justice
A strong faith gives a supernatural advantage
As brave as a lion, the righteous one stands

With every chance to turn back, they continue on
Struggling to save the good that’s left in the world
Where the smallest ones can be the boldest ones
A fire burning in the heart drives them on to greatness

An epic scale like Middle Earth, for Narnia and for Aslan
Though tortured, flogged, jeered and facing the sword
Destitute, persecuted and mistreated- they were too good for this unworthy world
This great cloud of witnesses calls us to endure and join them on the golden shore

And the Man on the moon is the One who made it and holds it in His hands
Santa Claus- ol’ Saint Nicholas shows us The Father’s kind and giving heart
And Superman is the picture of the God-Man who brings salvation for all
The One True Myth- Realer than Real, Truer than True is The Hero we need to believe

If we can trust the foolishness of God, the pilgrim’s progress leads us to the Grey Havens
Where we realize all the stories of lore really pointed us to Christ at the core
And then with Him, as all good stories end, we live happily ever after.

………………………………………………………………………………….

Message in The Bible (song)

Just like the Coast Guard rescues stranded castaways from a desert island after finding their message in a bottle and just like the police come in to save the day and stop the bad guys- The Lord has come to our rescue to bring us salvation. He gave us a message in The Bible through the years that prophesied of His plan of salvation- all the way back to the Garden. From the first moment that man fell into sin, God was there with His rescue plan- just see Genesis 3:15- the seed of the woman will come and crush the serpent's head. But even before that-even before sin ever came into the world- God already had The Lamb slain- before the foundation of the world! (Revelation 13:8)
      Ultimately, Easter is when the plan was fulfilled- when Jesus came and died on the cross and rose again to pay for all sins. And this is really what we celebrate at Christmas- the promise fulfilled when Jesus came to be born to a virgin, laid in a manger in a stable, worshipped by shepherds and angels and grow up as the perfect Son of God. The Prince of Peace salvation brings- let loving hearts enthrone Him. And He has brought us peace with God- and He will one day come again and bring peace on earth permanently when He reigns supreme and ultimately takes us to Heaven. Merry Christmas and Happy Easter. :-)


"Message in The Bible"
(parody of "Message in a Bottle" by The Police; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/13/2014)
(Luke 1-2, Matthew 1-2, Mark 1:1, John 1:1-18, John 1:29, John 3:16, Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6, Romans 10:9, Galatians 4:4, Acts 4:12, Genesis 3:15, Revelation 13:8, John 20:30-31, 1 John 5:13)

Just a captive, hey- in a land (of) darkness deep, oh
So Father shone The Way- a glowing light so great, oh
So go read this- Isaiah 9:2, yeah
Rescue me, oh Lord- I call on You, Messiah!

I'll send an S.O.S. to The Lord
I sent my S.O.S. to The Lord
I know that Yahweh hears me
I hope He comes soon- Lord's Christ
God told (me) He comes ere I die
Simeon's what I'm called, yeah
Luke 2 in The Bible, yeah

In time's fullness sending forth God's Son
In 3:15 Genesis- right from the start
The virgin conceives Immanuel
Lamb will save our lives but
Lamb was slain before start
Christ slain before the start of the world
It's in 13:8 Rev. in The Word
God wrote down so many signs
Recorded by prophets through time
Foretold so we would believe

Message in The Bible, yeah
(The) Message in The Bible, yeah
20:31 [three one] John wrote, yeah

On Christmas morning (The) Word became flesh and blood
1:14 John's Gospel- watched glory of The Lord
Means we're not alone- Thou didst leave Thy throne
John 3:16- God just gave His kid for our souls
God sent His S-o-n to the world
God sent His S-o-n to the world
I know that no one else saves
I know salvation comes by
Our hope in God's Son for Life
Romans 10:9 Paul told (how)
All sins have been paid (in) full, yeah
Message in The Bible, yeah
Christmas- birth of our Hope, yeah

Sending out J-E-S-U-S
Sending down J-E-S-U-S
Sending out J-E-S-U-S
Sending down J-E-S-U-S
Sending out J-E-S-U-S
Sending down J-E-S-U-S
(repeat many times)

.......................................................

We Built This Country (song)

Yes, the starship has descended once more with yet another parody from yesteryear.
This song is a parody of "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship. And my parody uses some quotes from guys like Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson (The Declaration of Independence) and of course, The Bible. Read through the Declaration and the Constitution and you'll see both have clear references to God. Just look at the Preamble to the Constitution.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Look at the definition of "blessing" from dictionary.com

1. the act or words of a person who blesses.
2. a special favor, mercy, or benefit: the blessings of liberty.
3. a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.
4. the invoking of God's favor upon a person: The son was denied his father's blessing.
5. praise; devotion; worship, esp. grace said before a meal: The children took turns reciting the blessing.
6. approval or good wishes: The proposed law had the blessing of the governor.


Hmm- a blessing is a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness. Someone has to give the blessing- and only God can give true liberty and freedom!

And it's even more obvious in The Declaration of Independence.

"When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness......"

(And check out how we're gonna pull this Revolutionary War thing off)-

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Thomas Jefferson acknowledged the sovereignity of God three times here. One of the first things the Pilgrims did when they landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 was to erect a cross and have a minister say a prayer to God for them. In 1954, by an act of the Supreme Court, the phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance- what we all grew up saying most every day in elementary school. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had the phrase "In God We Trust" printed on all American currency- check your money- it's still there!

Check out the full lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner", our country's National Anthem. Especially look at the last verse! http://hjem.get2net.dk/niels_quist/usa.htm

"Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust'. And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

I love this last verse!!! It's even better than the first (and most familiar) one. That verse just asks the question, "Does the Star-Spangled Banner still wave over America- the land of the free and the home of the brave?" The last verse emphatically answers- "YES, IT DOES!!!!" (Forever may she wave!)

But we must still remember God's Word- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." (Psalms 33:12)

So here you go........

"We Built This Country"

(parody of "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship;
copyright Nathan Ludwick 08/15/2007)
Psalms 33:12
Psalms 46:1
Psalms 55:22
Psalms 111:10
Psalms 146
Proverbs 3:33
Proverbs 14:34

Chorus 1: We built this country, we built this country on God alone; Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Verse 1: Say you don't know me or recognize my face
Say you don't care or know from whence came this place
Knee-deep in brouhaha, "Have not begun to fight"
Through Washington's armies, securing us our rights

Pre-Chorus 1: Monroe, he gave the Doctrine- listen to the men of old
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Chorus 2: We built this country, it's on the money- in God alone! Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Verse 2: Someone always playing revisionistic games
Truth scares- they're always changing historic claims of faith
Are we just going to stand here? Someone stole God's place
They call us all intolerable, write us off the page

Pre-Chorus 2: John Jay, he says November, Christians are the way to vote
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(Repeat Chorus 2)

Verse 3: I'm just another Fundie in a tired old suit
Atheists got the choke hold (Ohhh!) But we've just got to speak!

We count our money and our sacred honor
Our lives all resting on the God of our fathers
Declaring dependence, 'cause we're of Plymouth roots
Looking for America- Creator gives these truths

(Spoken): "I am sure there never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine Interposition in their affairs than those of the United States"

Don't you remember? (Remember)

(Spoken): I should be pained to believe they've forgotten the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them...."Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"

Pre-Chorus 3: Proverbs 33 in 3rd. chapter, Listen to God's Holy Word
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(Repeat Chorus 2)
Built this country, (Ohhh!) We built this country on God alone!
Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(We built, we built this country)
Built this country (we built, we built this country)
(Repeat until fade) x7
[Interchange with "Rebuild, Rebuild this country"]
(Fade on- "Rebuild this country on God alone!")



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Okay- there you go. And here's the cool music video to watch and sync up with on Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFtW0WKT0Tw

And here's the cool midi to sing along with!!! http://www.midmninfo.com/mobile/midikaraoke/builtthiscity.mid

Seen and Not Heard With a Heart of Gladness

       Have you ever heard that saying we sometimes hear in church- "How close can I get to sin without it actually being sin?" Why do we love getting so close to the wrong? There's something in it that calls to us, of course. Ultimately, we all have a sin nature that draws us to the wrong naturally. And it drives us to do so many wrong and stupid things because we think we find pleasure and fulfillment in them.
      We play blackjack, roulette (and maybe even Russian roulette) and the gambling tables at casinos. We play the lottery faithfully each week. We play the ponies at the racing horse gambling hall. We do stupid (and often wrong) things because someone triple dog dared us or called us chicken for not doing it. And because we want to fit in with the rest of the world, we give in.
       All of us have a desire to be loved and accepted and we'll take them anywhere we can get them. And we find ourselves syncing up with people who lead us down a negative and unholy path so we can get their approval- approval from people who need love and acceptance just as much as if not more so than us. And we walk down a broad path that makes a lot of empty promises that it never fulfills and find ourselves instead in the way of destruction- and ultimately, death.
       So we go ahead and see how much we can smoke without getting lung cancer. How drunk can we get without damaging our liver or crashing our cars? How many drugs can we take without overdosing? How much sex can we have with anyone and everyone without getting any STDs?
        These questions are just some of the more obvious ones that come to mind. There are other probing things to consider that we often don't. How much pornographic material can we consume before we are corrupted in our thinking regarding people? How much violence can we view on television, in movies or video games or read about before we decide to engage in it ourselves? How much vulgar language can we hear before we start to repeat it ourselves? How much can we engage in the world's methods for getting ahead in life before realizing that the ways of Babylon are so anti-Christ? (See Revelation 18.)
       It is really easy to fall into this slippery slope as a Christian quite possibly because of the one reason that should inspire the exact opposite attitude. Our God is a gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in mercy- a long-suffering God. Of course, He is also a jealous God Who will have no rivals for the worship He alone deserves. He is a God who also punishes and will pour our His righteous judgments upon the earth one day- and He already chastises us with judgment when we need it, because every father disciplines his sons and daughters. And God disciplines everyone He accepts as a son or daughter. (Hebrews 12:1-12)
          So, rather than taking on the principles of Ephesians 2:8-10 and Philippians 2:12-13- to go and do the good deeds God created for us in advance to do all along, never in our strength but in God powering us to live like Christ, we instead go and do the opposite. We take the grace that God gave us through Jesus' cruel death on the cross and His glorious Resurrection and turn it into a license to sin. What then? Shall we sin more so that grace may abound more? By no means! (That sounds familiar. ;-) See Romans 6:1) That's just what those dudes in Jude were doing! Read that whole book and see what The Bible says about them- they're like trees without roots, clouds without rain and they're blown about by the wind....and they're also reserved for darkness and gnashing of teeth! Yeah- God's grace doesn't mean we can go and do whatever we want because Jesus is always ready and willing to forgive us! It's kinda like the same abuse some people do with the welfare system when they aren't really going out and looking for work like they're supposed to be doing, but instead just sponging on the system and doing whatever they want to do with the money that the government is supplying. (I say this as someone who has been there before and who God brought through there! Praise The Lord! :-))
          Grace is not meant to be abused the way that it gets abused so often. Since we know that to be true, what should we do then? Well, let's be careful here because we can quickly go the other way too. We can get so nail-biting anxious that we're hurling ourselves down steps and physically punishing our bodies as much as possible like Martin Luther because we are so scared of messing up- and so scared knowing that we still mess up so many times anyway- and maybe the physical wounds can purge the evil in our hearts. Physical pain might certainly help correct our actions to some degree- that's why our parents discipline us in that way, besides the fact that Proverbs commands it a number of times, but it doesn't really speak to the issue of the heart. As has been said before, the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
        And a heart that is truly set free by Jesus Christ should be so consumed by the amazement and wonder that God would deign to care for this dead dog and save the life of such a worm as I that our souls and entire beings are enraptured with delight in Christ and obeying His Word. Infinitely stronger than Chewbacca's to Han Solo, we owe Jesus a life debt that we can never repay. And the crazy thing is that- though we should feel that indebtedness to Him- He tells us that we don't owe Him a thing. As Romans 6:23 tells us, the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It's all free- we don't have to pay anything. And that's a really good thing- because we could never pay anything that would make us worthy. (Isaiah 64:6- even what we think are our good deeds are nothing more than filthy rags before the Holy God.)
         So what can we do? Jesus died and rose to set us free for all eternity! How shall we respond to such amazing lovingkindness? Romans 5:8 has long been one of my favorite Bible verses because it describes the circumstances that this happened in when Jesus did that. It wasn't like Jesus came to die for the righteous who were already seeking Him. No- there's no one righteous- no, not one! But the only Righteous One, God Himself, became man in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the GodMan- fully God and fully Man- He went to the cross for us and died for us when we were sinners. When we hated God, desecrated His laws, mocked His Name and ran from Him. And no matter how much we reject and despise Him and insist we don't want Him- God insists to us- "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of The Lord forever. (The last part being true for any of us who have decided to make Jesus Lord of our lives, of course.) And that's just it- Love will never leave you alone. He (and Love is a He- because God Himself is Love- 1 John 4:8) keeps following us and desperately calls to us and cajoles us with carols of His amazing love and grace that wants to forgive and accept us- not condemn us. (John 3:16-17)
          It's not about trying to live a pious life of righteousness in an effort to please or placate God. It's not about living life for ourselves and leaning back on that fire insurance policy that we treat Jesus like sometimes. And for those on either end of it, that hellfire insurance policy we hold to doesn't work like that. Jesus really isn't concerned about sacrifices- as Psalms 51 says, that's not really what He's looking for anyway. What He wants is a broken and contrite heart- that He won't despise. Jesus saves anyone who comes to Him sincerely in faith. But The Bible tells us that whatever doesn't proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:22-23). If we have faith in Jesus, then we trust Him with all our life and live our life for Him. If we ignore His offer and try to live out a life of righteousness and hope it's good enough to please God, then we live out of fear of God and not from faith in Christ- and we're still in sin. (Remember that Perfect Love casts out all fear. 1 John 4:18) And if we listen to Christ and claim His offer, but choose to ignore His commands and expect His grace to pull us out of the fire in the end, we're living in a false hope that is still self-centered and is not from faith in Christ- and we're still in sin. Real, saving faith in Christ brings us salvation. But salvation means that we are saved from what we used to be- we're saved from the wholly depraved person we used to be- we are now redeemed, bought back with a heavy price (though we don't pay it) and we are called and chosen to be a picture of God's redemption in the world. We are called to show the world God's love through Jesus. And as Colossians 3:1-4 says, we no longer live, but our identity is now totally found in Christ. He lives in us (Galatians 2:20) and we no longer live for ourselves, but rather for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. What other response is there to this kind of Love but to love others in kind? That is the response we should have- a heart of infinite gratitude that lovingly seeks to obey Jesus and share His truth and love with others. Love God with all we've got and love our neighbor as ourselves. Speak the Truth in Love.
            We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) So go out in the world and show them that love. Not because you're scared to death of going to hell and hoping that enough good deeds will make you good enough for God- because that won't work. And don't brag to the world of all the things you can get away with because you know we have a Savior who loves to forgive us and has set us free from The Law. He forgives those who truly repent. And true repentance requires us to turn away from our sin and seek to obey Christ instead. So that laissez-faire attitude towards Jesus doesn't work either. The way of salvation is through Jesus alone- through giving Him all our fears and pathetic attempts at goodness- through acknowledging to Him that we are miserable sinners who desperately need His love and forgiveness- and trusting Him to do just what He said He would- and following Him as Savior and Lord. And in thankfulness to Him, we seek to obey His every word and love Him more and more each day.
          And yeah- I totally identify with Romans 7. We're still not perfect. We don't get it right every time. We get sucked back into that old world of darkness and shame so many times over. But the difference is now we don't stay there. We get back up and come back to God and move forward again. 1 John 1:9 is there for a reason and it does work. Jesus is always faithful even when we're not. Thank God for His faithfulness. And no matter how we may doubt and perhaps even deny, He is still there loving us and assuring us of His presence and care for us. And The Love that wilt not let us go keeps drawing us back to Himself and keeps us going forward. And then He reminds us that it was never by our might or power anyway- it's always by His Holy Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6) And The Holy Spirit keeps infusing all of our being and driving us to be different in this crazy world and be the bastion of righteousness and faithfulness and truthfulness and love in this place. We not only reflect The Son, we've got a Sontan that replaces our old skin and gives us new skin instead so that we want to please Jesus in all we do. And even when we fall away for a while, He picks us back up when we ask Him for forgiveness and He gets us going right again. And He is faithful to do this all the way to Heaven's gates! (Jude 1:24-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
            So we can't just talk the talk and not walk the walk. That's hypocrisy. And we can't just walk the walk and not talk the talk. That's a misguided and futile effort. We must be real and true in all we do and worship in spirit and truth by following Jesus with all we've got. We must let our light shine so that people will see our good works and praise our Father Who is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16) And lovingly tell them about Jesus, Who loves us all with an undying love. :-) Real Love and Life demands nothing less.

(And for those wondering, yes- I was totally inspired by this classic Petra song, "Seen and Not Heard", for the title of the blog. One of my favorites. :-))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZUdLCE6EIg

Another one of my all time favorite Petra songs- "St. Augustine's Pears"- also speaks to a lot of what I've been trying to say here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yCP1gOpvpc )

Forever Loved (song)

I just very recently completed this song and it's become very fitting for this next post. A dear friend that I've known since childhood succumbed to a battle with cancer and died just the other day. It was interesting to me that it happened I was celebrating my day of birth on that day- and then I also found myself mourning her day of death on the same day. It reminds me of Ecclesiastes 7:2 "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart." A sober reminder indeed.
      But I take heart in knowing that as a follower of Christ, I mourn with hope. I know that my Redeemer lives and He will stand upon the earth at last. He died to pay for all sins and defeated death when He rose again. And because He lives, I know that those who put faith in Him will live too. And I know I will see my friend in Heaven again one day because we both put our faith in Jesus as Savior. Thank You, Lord!
        Thank You for Your eternal love that takes us out of Alphaville or whatever other town we live in and at the end of the ride of life takes us by Your side forever in Heaven. Hallelujah! :-)

Forever Loved
(parody of "Forever Young" by Alphaville; copyright by Nathan Ludwick June 2014)
(Acts 26:14-19, Jude 1:24-25, Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 9:27-28, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, James 4:13-17, Psalms 8, 1 John 4:10, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:8-13, Jeremiah 31:3, John 10 [especially verse 10], Zechariah 1:1-6, 1 Peter 1:23-25, Psalms 103, Psalms 136, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, John 3:16-17)

Life's dance is wild- we dance for a while
Heaven is waiting- we are watching the skies
Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst
When they go and drop the bomb, we're gone
We all die once but want to live forever
We don't have the power but we think science delivers
Flitting away like mist, life is a short trip
The funeral's where the ride ends
Can you but fathom when this race is done
Through the Pearly Gates into Heaven
Praising my Jesus He's getting me in too
My dues are paid by His cross, man

So there with God, I'm going to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever? John 3 verse, 16 yeah!
For God so loved, He sent us Jesus for our wrongs
If you believe- going to live forever
Forever, son!

Mother and father, brother and sister (and) me
We fade to memories and on goes the beat
Sooner or later we all will be gone
It don't take that long
It's so hard to kick goads without our God
You don't have to perish while you fade to dust
New life abundant (in) 10:10 John
Abundant now and forever
Eternity's adventures- more than we can say
As we read on- better than the last page
So trust in Jesus- He's taking all of our blues
In Heaven, they're untrue

Jeremiah- Love! 31:3- Forever loved!
Did you read it? You are loved forever by God the Good Shepherd
So there with God, we can all be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, and ever, in Heaven?
Go there now, bud- You need to read in Romans 10
If you believe Jesus rose by Father, confess Him as Lord, yeah!
Forever God's- you then are saved forever!

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Diversity and your cup of tea...

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/time-be-candid-google-admits-lack-workplace-diversity-n116866

           Why does the article treat this like it's a problem? Why can't it just be that the demographics are simply how the numbers worked out for... Google? Why must it be perceived like Google has some nefarious plot to mainly hire Caucasian men and snub others? Why are Caucasian males not considered "diverse" in and of themselves? (As if they all think exactly the same and have the same backgrounds, etc. As if that's true of any group of people...) And why are churches with predominantly African-American congregations and clergy not considered to be lacking in diversity? Why are Native American reservations not considered to be lacking in diversity? Why is it an issue at all? Why can't we just see people as human beings made in the image of God who are all infinitely important and loved by Him?
          I got the impression the attitude adopted by the company was saying that if we don't have this much quotient for this race, and this much for this gender and this much for whatever other category one wants to list- we must be racist, sexist, etc.. and thus, there must be a problem. I agree that if a company like Google is actually consciously or subconsciously discouraging anyone from applying (other than reasons of not being qualified- i.e. not having a computer science degree)- then, yes- there is a problem that needs to be corrected. But if that's just how the numbers played out, that's okay too. I think society at large tends to steer men and women to certain professions and that's not any one company's fault. Certainly things can be done to improve that so all boys and girls are encouraged to pursue whatever career they feel God has prepared them for. I only mentioned churches and reservations as examples- I don't consider them racist (unless they are actively discouraging others from coming- with a race-predominant church, that's a huge issue because The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone! With the reservations, I understand the desire for Native Americans to practice their way of life in seclusion and having spoken with a full blooded Native American who has lived on a reservation, I have learned some more about them in recent times. (At least some reservations do have a deal about not allowing American Indian/non-American Indian marriages to live on a reservation together though- which is a bummer, but that's their thing if they choose to be separate.)         Why should a business pick a minority out of two equally qualified candidates? I understand that's the goal of affirmative action, but I find that equally racist. I don't think hiring someone "because we need a black guy to meet racial quotas" is a good reason to hire someone. I think that's more patronizing than anything.
          I didn't say predominantly black membership churches and Native American reservations are being racist or anything of the sort and I definitely do not mean to imply that. I understand the historical reasons for their existence. The 1964 Civil Rights Act is a great achievement that needed to happen and I applaud it. (I just wish its ideals had been applied back around 1620 or so and that America and all other countries had never gotten into the slave trade to begin with, as it is obviously morally wrong and a sin to treat anyone as less than a human being made in the image of God and eternally loved by Him. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.)
My comparison with them and Google was just to point out that no one criticizes these groups for not being "diverse" (even though they are diverse by virtue of having more than one person there), but Google is criticized for not being "diverse". I don't see why that is a concern, unless of course, they are actively trying to discriminate against and discourage any particular group of people from getting jobs there (outside of the unqualified applicants who don't have the necessary Computer Science degrees of course.)
        I have also been to different churches that have predominantly African-American congregations and I have been totally welcomed in The Name of The Lord. :-) (There is certainly a different style though from Caucasian-predominant Baptist churches- but that's cool. Diversity in that sense is good. We all worship the same Lord God Christ for all His followers. And Jesus prayed that we would be one in John 17. And Galatians 3:26-29 says that there is no Jew or Greek or male or female in Christ; rather, we are all one in Christ. :-))
Anyway, that's mainly what I was trying to say. I also disagree with the thinking that says that a bunch of people of the same race, gender, age, religious background, etc. are all the same in thinking and thus, not diverse. I tend to think that's rather prejudiced in itself. We are all unique with our own thoughts and we all add something of value because God made us all in His image. (Genesis 1:26-27) That's why I like to say that God thinks we are all infinitely important and so do I. He proved that by sending Jesus to die for all our wrongdoings and failures and rise again so that we could put our faith in Him for salvation! The Bible says He has loved us with an everlasting love! (Jeremiah 31:3) And He commands all who follow Him to show that same love to everyone. (John 15:12 - Jesus says it quite a few times in this chapter. They will know we are Christians by our love- that's what Jesus says.)
*As to the example of Native American reservations and single race-predominant churches, they are just examples. As C.S. Lewis (more or less) said once, if they are helpful- cool. If not- discard them. 
        

Brotherly love and/or shove

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

      Isn't that what it seems like many times when you talk with people about any controversial topic? It's particularly true when it comes to spiritual conversations, as the verses indicate. And of course, there is a spiritual reason for this. As 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God." As Ephesians 6 makes clear, our struggle is not against flesh and blood- it's against the spiritual powers of darkness in the heavenly realms! There is a real, unseen battle going on for the hearts and souls of people. While The Lord Jesus desires to bring all to salvation, offered to us through His death and Resurrection, the devil still wages war, seeking any whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
       And as Jesus Himself told us, people are going to hate us because of His Name. So we know that we can expect many to reject us and our message of hope and salvation in Jesus. John 3:16-21 talks about this phenomenon as well. Even though God loves the whole world and has offered us free salvation- it's there for whosoever will take Him up on it- many in the world still reject Him and His offer because to partake of His offer would mean they would have to fully admit what they are in His sight and reveal their deeds. The truth is- like it or not- we're all sinners and we all have done wrong, do wrong and without the grace of God working in us- will keep doing wrong. And to come to the Light of Christ means we have to bring all our ugly, dark deeds into light. And Jesus said that many refuse the Light because it exposes their deeds and they know their deeds are evil and thus don't want to reveal that about themselves. But that's the whole point of Christianity- admitting that we are poor in spirit ragamuffins who can't help ourselves and desperately need God's grace and mercy. And instead of beating ourselves up about it, God decided to beat Himself up about it- Jesus was beaten and whipped for us- and by His stripes we are healed. And when we're honest enough to admit our need and accept the only cure for our disease of sin- the Truth sets us free indeed. :-)
      So what do we do as followers of Christ when people tell us that we're shoving our religion and Bible down their throats? That's an interesting phrase to me. How does one measure when the conversation has shifted from friendly and informational to the forcible entry of Scripture and doctrinal teachings down another's oral orifices? What's the difference between "shoving down the throat" and simply relaying information? Surely people need to hear the Truth- as it is, their throat is an open grave! (Romans 3:12-14). And ultimately, we just pray "the high praises of God be in their throats" (Psalms 149:6). I think the answer to those questions is found in one word- love.
As 1 Corinthians 13 describes for us, love is patient and kind. Love does not envy, does not boast and is not proud. Love is not rude, self-seeking or easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. And as Ephesians 4:15 tells us, we must always be "speaking the truth in love".
      1 Peter 3:15 tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts and always be ready to share the reason for the Hope that we have- but do this with gentleness and respect. Love must always be our motivation in sharing anything- love for God and love for the people He's made. And it's that love for Christ and the people He's made, all of whom He loves and desires to be with Him in Heaven (2 Peter 3:9), that compels us to share The Gospel in gentleness and respect with all whom God gives us opportunity to speak with. (And of course, it's Christ's command to preach The Gospel in all the world that also drives us. [Matthew 28:18-20].) But witnessing is simply testifying to what Jesus has done in our lives. It's testifying to what He has done for us all on the cross, how we personally came to believe in Him and receive Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior- and how He's been working in our lives since. And we leave the results to The Holy Spirit. No one has ever been argued or insulted into Heaven and no one ever will be. Don't look to your great oratory skills and don't worry about your lack thereof- look to God The Holy Ghost and pray and trust Him to work. And speak the Truth in Love wherever God gives you opportunity.
       It's important to note too that no matter what the outcome of the conversation is (and remember that that outcome is up to God alone), the relationship still stays on a good level, hopefully. I always look to praise the things someone else holds to and believes that are truly praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8) and agree with them on the things I can Scripturally agree on first. Then from there, I have to respectfully agree to disagree and leave it at that. We have to agree to disagree agreeably. ;-) And in the end, I'm still on good terms with the person and still consider them a friend and still love them with the love of Christ, whatever they decide at that moment. (After all, God always loves everyone no matter what they choose about Him.) And we must love everyone too just as God has loved us. (John 15:12)
       And what do we do indeed when someone has determined that our heartfelt and impassioned spiritual conversation with them, motivated by love for God and them which continues no matter the outcome, has moved beyond the realm of sharing information and is now shoving Jesus and/or The Bible down their throat? (And remember, that while I'm poking a little fun at our inability as a society as a whole to tolerate opinions and values different from our own- and that goes for Christians as well [If you want people to be willing to listen to your point of view, you must be willing to listen to theirs as well. From there, apply 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid all appearance of evil."]- I don't mean to belittle people's feelings in saying this. But it is important to remember that this phrase can genuinely be accurate when we refuse to listen to people who plainly tell us that they are not interested in a spiritual conversation and when we as Christians put them in an uncomfortable spot [like the infamous bait-and-switch deal where we invite non-believer friends to a church sponsored event of some sort- dinner, sports tournament, movie, etc.- while neglecting to tell them that there will also be a Gospel presentation]. I know that we see the urgency and need to get people introduced to Jesus as soon as possible with all of eternity at stake (2 Corinthians 6:2, Revelation 20:15), but even so- we must see their point of view and remember that Jesus also commanded us to do unto others as we would have done unto us. (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). So we need to be honest with people and let them know all that is involved when inviting them to evangelistic outreach events. And ultimately, we keep persevering and reaching out to others in love with the love of Christ. And we keep being their friend no matter what their response is- and thereby prove to them that they are more than just a project or point on our Heavenly crown- but rather a person made in the image of God whom He loves dearly and we are commanded to do the same.
       "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (1 Timothy 4:5) Keep fighting the good fight, running the race and keeping the faith. (1 Timothy 4:7)
       
         

Love One Another

David and Jason Benham. Pol Pot. Kirk Cameron. Osama bin Laden. Phil Robertson. Sadamm Hussein. S. Truett Cathy. David Koresh. The Unabomber. Donald Sterling. President Barack Obama. President George W. Bush. (and all the others before them and after them, for that matter.) Lizzie Borden. Susan Smith. Jim Jones. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Fred Phelps. Adolf Hitler. Me.

       This list of infamous names in both recent and past history could certainly go on much longer, but these will suffice for my point. What do they have in common? They have all been reviled by some at different points in time- and all for either things they said (or said they believe) or things they did. Whether they were right or wrong is really beside the point here. They’ve all certainly been wrong many times in their lives and perhaps right on some things at some points too. But they all have something else in common that is absolutely essential to remember.
         Every single one of them is a human being made in the image of God and they are loved by God immensely. God says they are infinitely important and I am commanded to treat them and consider them the same. Has not God loved us in this manner? “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” God says to us. (Jeremiah 31:3) Even when we are faithless, He is always faithful. (2 Timothy 2:13) And what does Jesus command us? “Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
          Love each other as Jesus loved us? Jesus’ love for us led Him to the cross! Jesus’ love for us lived 33 years confined in flesh and blood as a man. Jesus’ love for us was willing to be misunderstood, rejected by His own family and hometown, betrayed by His own disciples and friends, and mocked and reviled by religious leaders of the Law. Jesus’ love for us was punished brutally, whipped, spat upon and affixed with a thorny crown- before having three nails driven through it. And praise God- Jesus’ love for us was strong enough to love us through all of it- and the power of God, Who is Love (1 John 4:8), raised Jesus from the dead! (Ephesians 1:17-23, Romans 8:11).
          And what did Jesus say while upon the cross? “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). Wait- WHAT? No pleas for God The Father to smite them all, as He surely could have if He so chose? Does not vengeance belong to The Lord? (Romans 12:9) Yes, it does- and The One who holds vengeance in His hands chose not to hate those who hurt Him- but rather, reach out in love instead. “As a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7b) He didn’t answer His tormentors in like kind- He didn’t say anything mean to them. But He forgave them. And He expects us to do the same with those who wrong us. (Just read the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35 for an incredible picture of this.) We must forgive others from the heart just as God The Father has forgiven us. We who have been shown mercy can do nothing but show mercy to others. God will judge them, as He will judge us all, in His time. Every wrong will be righted- in the right time.
            Jesus Christ Himself told us the greatest commandment in The Law. “Jesus replied, ‘Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40). He gave us a very clear command in John 15:17- “Love one another”. (In fact, He said that a number of times throughout The Bible.) You can’t say you love God, Whom you haven’t seen, and hate your brother, whom you have seen. (1 John 4:19-21. Actually, just read the whole book- it talks about how we must love one another if we truly love God- otherwise, we’re liars! Seriously- it says it like a million times over- or at least it feels that way. Obviously, God knew He would have to drill it through my thick skull a number of times.)
            Now, what about standing for The Truth and contending for the faith? Yes, by all means- definitely keep doing that! (Jude 1:3) However, in doing that, we are not given the right to judge. In fact, Jesus tells us to “Judge not, lest ye be judged. In the same manner that ye judge others will ye be judged.” (See Matthew 7:1-2) (Now, there is a matter of judging within the church and that’s quite a different matter. See 1 Corinthians 5 for matters of church discipline. Jesus also directly spoke to this issue in Matthew 18:15-20.) And we certainly must heed the command to “rescue the perishing” (as Jude 1:22-23 talks about), but as we are endeavoring to share The Gospel of Jesus Christ with them that can snatch them from the fire and save them, we must do as Ephesians 4:15 says and “speak the Truth in Love.” The approach and motivation both make a huge difference not only in how the message is received, but also in God receiving glory from our actions.
           Out of all the names I listed, one thing that has really saddened me is the reactions I heard from people at the deaths of Mr. Osama bin Laden and Rev. Fred Phelps. As the saying goes, let’s not speak ill of the dead. (Which is actually quite Biblical- see James 4:11-12 “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.” Pretty straight-forward there. And in Titus 3:1-2 “Speak evil of no one.” And a number of other verses-like Ephesians 4:31-32. And Colossians 3:8. And 1 Peter 2:1-2. And Proverbs 17:9.)
We must mourn for their deaths and pray for their families. (Romans 12:9-21). Mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. Love reaches out to all.
Now this is very important to understand. In my desire to afford these gentlemen dignity and respect in their status as people made in the image of Almighty God and made a little lower than the angels (Psalms 8:5), I am by no means condoning their actions. I fully agree that hatred and murder are wrong. Of course they did some heinous crimes, as did all the others on the list above. However, we must remember that if we break the Law at any one point of it, we’re guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10). Thus, we’re all equally culpable and guilty before God. (Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:23) And we have no room to brag as we are saved by the grace of God alone. (Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31).
           And though Paul claimed the title for himself, I often feel that I have wrested that title from his grasp, though it’s certainly not one of any pride, but shame- “Chief of sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15-17) Wow- this whole tribe of people on earth are all sinners and they’ve elected me their chief! So I cannot claim to be any better than anyone else. On my own efforts, I am heading up the sinning committee. And while I am making sinning “history”, praise God that Jesus came to make sinning- history! ;-)
            As two of my favorite songs expound on this point so well, let’s remember that but for the grace of God, there go I. So I’m “starting with the man in the mirror- I’m asking him to change his ways.” (“Man in the Mirror”- by far, Michael Jackson’s best song ever!) And as a Sunday School classic says, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, oh Lord- standing in the need of prayer. It’s not my father, not my mother, not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me, oh Lord- standing in the need of prayer.” And as Jesus said, how about getting that telephone pole out of your eye first before trying to get that speck of dust out of your brother’s eye? (Matthew 7:3-6). So quit judging people over their sins, especially since we do the same things ourselves!!! (Romans 2:1-11).
            As Philippians 3:18-21 talks about, “I tell you again even with tears- many lives as enemies of the cross of Christ.” How many of us really muster tears for the lost? Paul was willing to forfeit his own salvation if it meant his countrymen could trade places and inherit Heaven instead! (see Romans 9:1-5). So, even if we regard such people who do such horrible sins (as we regard them, forgetting of course that we are equally horrible in our sins and that God sees it all as equally horrible- He has no ranking scale on sin as to how bad it is- it’s all equally wrong and vile to Him.- see 1 John 5:17)- even if we do regard such people as enemies, remember that we are also commanded to love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us. (Luke  6:27-49 and Matthew 5:43-48).
           We also have the example of Jesus Christ Himself in Luke 9:46-56. First, John tries to stop a dude because he was casting out demons in Jesus’ Name but he wasn’t one of the JC crew. And Jesus said, “Yo! That’s cool- don’t stop him. Anyone who’s not dogging and dissing you is actually digging you.” (Okay, I paraphrased a little there. ;-)) But wait- what about those people in the Samaritan village that didn’t welcome Jesus and apparently didn’t believe in Him? Hey- James and John were on it! They were asking Jesus if they could send fire down from Heaven and destroy them! And as some manuscripts put it, Jesus rebuked them. “And He said, ‘You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ “ Amen. (See also John 3:16-17).
            So what does it all come down to in the end? Love. It’s all about Love. “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the Law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” (James 2:12-13- but just read the whole book. How can we have praise for God and cursing of our brothers coming out of the same mouth? It doesn’t work. The wisdom that comes from Heaven is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. [James 3:17- seriously, read the whole book.])
           And don’t dare call a human being whom God has made in His image and loves with an everlasting love and died and rose for as anything less than that and don’t treat them any less- no matter what they’ve done. “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8) Shower the people with the love that God has given to us freely. And don’t assume that anyone (alive) is ever beyond the reach of God’s amazing grace! Love and forgive truly from the heart. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) As another favorite Christian Sunday School song goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” And as Jesus told us, if we love Him, we’ll obey Him. (John 14:23)

 “May The Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12)

Salty seasonings :-)

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach The Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)

      I feel like (or at least hope) this is one area that I have really seen The Lord build up in me. It's kind of a funny phenomenon. When we first come to faith in Jesus as Savior, we come in with a lot of excitement and are fired up to tell everyone we can about our experience and our newfound relationship with the God of the universe. And while this passion lasts for a while, it seems like it dies down over time. Soon we settle into the grooves of the "normal" Christian life (which is probably more like what we settle for as the "normal" Christian life) and somehow we suddenly become sedentary in sharing our Savior with sinners just as we once were at a time. (The only difference now is that we are forgiven sinners.)
      This slide is certainly a common one for many longtime Christians for sure. We can never settle for the status quo though. We can't just shrug, sit back and hope for the best for everyone else out there. Jesus Himself gave us a clear command to be His witness to everyone in The Great Commission. (Matthew 28:18-20). There is no getting around that. That is the primary reason God leaves us here to live our lives after receiving Christ as Savior rather than immediately lifting us up to Heaven on the spot. Therefore, if we are not seeking to share Christ and taking advantage of the numerous opportunities God gives us in which to do so, then we are sinning against God.
      As I was saying earlier, I feel like this is an area that God has helped me improve on over the years. I remember when I was in middle school or so I used to struggle a good bit with witnessing. I knew it was the right thing to do and it's what I wanted to do- but it seemed hard sometimes to find the right way to go about it and to have the right words to say and all like that. (There are always excuses to be found of course. We seem to find what are to ourselves perfectly valid reasons for ignoring and excusing ourselves from all of God's commands at any given time that we deem it convenient for us.)
      So I always would feel that I never was doing quite enough for witnessing for Christ- that I should be doing more. In retrospect, I think I would say that was The Holy Spirit's conviction, guiding me toward more and more obedience to God's Word. (He's still doing that in every area of course, whether we realize it or not.) And I do remember specific times of trying to encourage friends toward Jesus and sharing what The Bible teaches, especially around my junior and senior year of high school.
       I think it's continued to grow throughout college and graduate school and embarking into the whole pseudo-adult real-life take responsibility type professional job type thing... (It's still a very murky and sometimes scary world- lol. As long as it takes the faith of a child to enter the kingdom of Heaven [Matthew 18:3], I figure I'll keep my mental capacities about on that level too.)
And I don't write all this to brag by any means. I still have so far to go, but Jesus is getting me there in His time. (Philippians 1:6) Don't take this to mean that I'm anything- but Jesus is everything. Keep following Him closely- and I trust I could say as Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ."
       So here we come to the crux of the matter. We know that Jesus has told us to preach The Gospel as we go into all the world. Now keep in mind that God uses many different methods to accomplish this and they are all valid. I don't mean to knock any particular method- if people are brought to faith in Jesus by them, then I just say, "Praise God!"
        I am going to just try to briefly outline some things I think have worked well for me. First of all, and this is true for every Christian, we must move according to The Spirit's leading. As Psalms 127:1 says, unless The Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. The good thing with this particular activity is that you never have to question whether this is God's will. It's definitely God's will for none to perish and all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) However, while we know we have that imperative to witness, we also need to be sensitive to the leading of The Holy Spirit to know when and how to broach the topic and at what point we are no longer really witnessing per se, but more like badgering the witness, if you will. ;-) For a really good example of this, check Acts 13:1-5. The Holy Spirit singled out Paul and Barnabas and directed them to go to different areas to preach The Gospel.
(Now keep in mind that way back in Acts 9 Paul had already been out speaking in the Name of The Lord and sharing the Truth that Jesus is the only Way to Heaven- that He is The Life and we can only have real life through a relationship with Him. He died on the cross to pay for all our sins and rose again to give us salvation when we put our faith and trust in Him and follow Him. So Paul jumped right into witnessing right where he was when he got saved.) But then Paul got a specific mandate from The Holy Spirit to go elsewhere with Barnabas and so he did- and they continued preaching The Gospel in other areas.
       This kind of gets to the second point. Coming from a MK (missionary's kid) background, I am definitely a big believer in the importance of missions, particularly foreign missions. And that's just the thing- people get the idea that "missions" must involve going to a foreign country and sharing Jesus there through Vacation Bible School programs, street evangelism, big tent revivals, etc. And that certainly is part of it and an important part of it. I definitely encourage that by all means. However, don't think that that's all there is to it or that that's the only venue for it. You must be a missionary right where you are right now. I've heard it said before that if you're not being a missionary right now right where you are- you won't be a missionary when you go to some different land. If you're not already sharing Christ with people around you now, why would you think you will magically start sharing Christ with others in a different country that may not even speak the same language? So here's the thing- yes, we need people desperately to go to different countries and share Jesus there. But we also desperately need people to share Jesus with others right now where they are as well. As Acts 17:26-27 tell us, "From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."
        God had an important purpose in placing each one of us in the exact time and place that we are living and He is using us for His glory right now where we are- assuming we are letting Him do so. Keep in mind that you may be uniquely suited because of your life experiences and cultural understanding to reach some specific people in your vicinity that others may never be able to reach for Christ. (Though, yes, certainly God can use anyone He chooses to reach anyone.) But at the same time, I do believe He uniquely fashions us to reach certain people as He chooses- all the more reason to seek The Holy Spirit's leading.
        So the third point is pretty much encapsulated in those first few verses I posted at the start of this thing. "Preach The Gospel always- if necessary, use words." (as St. Francis of Assisi said.)
I believe he was meaning that the way we live our lives should loudly proclaim The Gospel just as much as our voices do with the things we say. And of course this is a great point. However, I do believe words are necessary at some points in order to explain to someone the reason for The Hope that we have. (1 Peter 3:15) And here is one key thing that addresses the concerns about knowing the right thing to say- just speak The Truth. Jesus said God's Word is Truth. So speak that- speak The Bible as much as you can. Remember what Isaiah 55:11 says- God's Word never returns to Him void but it accomplishes the purpose for which He sent it out. God always has a purpose in sending out His Word and He can and does use it to reach people with The Truth. Remember also that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, correcting and rebuking and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So it's all important and all there for a reason. As I've said many times before, if God so desired, He could even use all those genealogies in 1 Chronicles and other places to bring people to Christ. From our perspective, we might find those passages boring and we might even be unsure of their purpose. But they are there for historical records and they do communicate at least one huge important characteristic of God- God cares about people! He loves people! He loves them so much that He found it important to list every single person there by name! God knows us all by name and loves us all so much. He showed that love for us by sending Jesus to die on the cross to pay for all of us, both collectively and individually. (i.e. Even if it was just you, God would still have gone through with it. :-)) And because Jesus lives again, so can we. (Romans 5:8)
         Anyway, one of my main approaches then is to just speak and share about The Bible and Jesus wherever I can. Sometimes I hear people already talking about a passage in The Bible or something related to Christianity in general and I chime in where appropriate to share what I know God says on the matter in Scriptures. Sometimes it's nothing more than that. And that in itself is still a good witness for Christ as it is spreading the Truth of God's Word and showing people that it is important and relevant for our lives today. Sometimes I can share a testimony with people about how I rely on Jesus to get me through each day (each work day particularly :-)) and I can tell them that God's mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness! Praise The Lord! (Lamentations 3:21-27).
And sometimes I can share with someone my personal testimony of how I came to put my faith in Jesus as a child and how I've continued to walk with Him and seek after Him and how I've continued to see His faithfulness as I've followed Him down this narrow straight road. And yes, God can also use nonverbal methods as well- a smile to someone feeling down; a kind hand to lift someone up when they literally are down and a compassionate arm holding the door open for someone. All these small acts of kindness and compassion are ways that can point people back to The One who is totally kind and compassionate all the time- to The One who is the source of all kindness and compassion. And the other big nonverbal witness is in the way we react to events. The way we keep our cool and do everything without complaining or arguing. (Philippians 2:14) The way we stay humble and think of others as better than ourselves. (Philippians 2:1-11). The way we work wholeheartedly as to The Lord and not to men. (Colossians 3:23) The way that we bear injustices done to us and remain faithful to do what's right anyway. (1 Peter 3:17) The way that we always speak kindly to one another with an encouraging word to build each other up and never to tear anyone down. (Ephesians 4:29). The way that we are always ready to forgive each other. (Ephesians 4:32)
Basically- the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23). These and more are extremely important witnesses as well- these must be coupled with all our verbal witness. Either one falls apart without the other. It's important for us to bear fruit and show ourselves to be Christ's disciples by our lives (John 15:8) And it's also important for us to let people know that the only good in us is from Jesus Himself and not from ourselves. (Romans 3:21-24).
        And of course, it cannot be emphasized enough that we must constantly be in prayer. We must pray and ask and trust God to work. God takes our obedience and runs with it and does wonderful things. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply says, "Pray continually". Prayer helps immensely in the very real spiritual battle that rages on for the souls of people. (Daniel 10 gives us a powerful illustration of this truth.) For another good example of the power of prayer, note Acts 4:23-31 and see the result of the believers' prayers. They prayed that God would enable them to speak His Word with boldness despite the threats made upon them. Verse 31 says, "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were filled with The Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly." And throughout the book of Acts, we see the early church continuing to stay faithful to Christ and seeking Him in prayer- and seeing God answer by bringing many to salvation. (Note also again that the believers were filled with The Holy Spirit- and this came after prayer. Of course, I do believe that we get all of The Holy Spirit that we're going to get when we get saved- but the question is, "Does The Holy Spirit have all of us?" We must continue to give ourselves over to Him in prayer each day.)
       One more thing I want to emphasize and I think this is one of the most key things out of everything. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus told us that the Greatest Commandment is to "Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." And then He said the second is like it- "Love your neighbor as yourself." I try to keep these two commands that Jesus specified foremost in my mind. I always want to be doing these two things above all else. Of course, in keeping God above all- and then others before myself, I find myself keeping all the other commands too. And I also try to remember Ephesians 4:15, which instructs us to be "speaking The Truth in Love". I think this is extremely key. As 1 Corinthians 13:1 tells us, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." And if that's the case, then I should heed the sounding of the gong and get off the stage, just like on The Gong Show! Spouting off The Law and the teachings of The Bible to people without genuine Love in our hearts really doesn't do much for people. In many cases, it actually becomes more harmful than helpful. We share The Truth of The Bible with people out of respect and love for Jesus, in obedience to His commands and hopefully- out of genuine love and concern for people. If any of those reasons are not really in place- and particularly that last one- then people quickly see through it and us and become turned off to us and to Christianity in general. Remember that people are not prizes or projects- they are people. They are people loved immensely and infinitely by God and we are called to love them too. Love must always be our motivating factor and grace must always temper all we do. I know I have been guilty of lacking in that department of love and grace and it's something I've had to repent of and ask God to fill me with and help me in showing this to others. I trust He's still working to help me get better with that.
           I know there are many other things that could be addressed on this topic, but these are the key things I wanted to focus on with this. Share all that you can anywhere that you can with everyone you can and trust God to use it and work as He will. One last key thing to remember in all this is that we are not responsible for the outcome! God alone is responsible for that. He alone is responsible for convicting and bringing people to repentance. Remember that no one has ever been argued or insulted into Heaven. We must always keep our cool and be polite and respectful and gentle. But all we can do is share what The Bible says in a loving manner and respectfully share our experiences- and trust for God to work as He will from there. And certainly we must keep praying for those we are sharing Christ with and trust Him to work.
          2 Timothy 1:7 says that we haven't been given a spirit of fear, but rather one of power and love and of a sound mind. So don't let fear get in the way. Don't let apathy get in the way. Don't let worry get in the way. Just share as The Holy Spirit leads you and pray for Him to work. And pray for Him to give you opportunities as well. And pray that He will continue to light a fire in us to continually be more concerned about the eternal destiny of people, knowing that there are many dying every day who are headed to either Hell or Heaven- and we may be the ones God has put in their path to let them know about Jesus and His love so that they can avoid Hell and go to Heaven instead. For Heaven's sake- we don't have a moment to waste. Work, for the night is coming. God's building His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.
        Lord Jesus, may Your Name be lifted up in us through our lives- both words and deeds. Use us as Your vessels to show people The Truth of Your Love and work mightily in people's lives to bring into Your kingdom of Love.