What Has Jesus Done For You?

October 7 (Mark 5:20)

So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.  (NLT)

It is hard to tell people about a place you’ve never been.  I can go on and on about Zion National Park in Utah, Turkey Run State Park in Indiana, and the beautiful city of Rome because I have spent time in all of them.  I can tell you a little about Australia from what friends have told me and something about Greece from what I have read in books.  Sadly, when it comes to evangelism, a lot of people find themselves in Australia or Greece.

Jesus had just healed a man who had suffered from a demonic attack that drove him mad.  The man was so happy to be calm and in his right mind that he wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go home instead and tell people what had happened, and so he did.  He told everyone he knew what Jesus had done for him, and the people were amazed.

If Jesus came to you and said, “I want you to tell people what I have done for you,” what would you say?  Would you tell stories about what He has done for others?  Would you quote Scripture?  These are not bad things, but what would you tell people He has done for you?  1 Peter 3:15 says we must always be ready to explain our hope to people.  Spend some time recalling what Jesus has done for you over the course of your life.  Perhaps even start a list.  Three things are sure to happen.  The list will grow quickly, you will find yourself praising God with fresh joy, and you will develop a powerful story that God can use to bring others to Him.

Lord, over the next few days, bring to mind all that You have done for me, even revealing the things I was too blind or too in a hurry to see at the time as coming from You.  May the story of Your work in my life bring hope and encouragement to others and lead them to Jesus, in Whose name I pray.  Amen.

Copyright © 2018 by Steven R. Perkins

Power To Speak

April 15 (Acts 2:4)

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.  (ESV)

The last words of Jesus before He ascended into heaven were that His disciples were to go into all the world and teach all that He had taught them (Matthew 28:19-20).  He told them they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish that mission (Acts 1:8).  And guess what?  He told the truth, for that is exactly what happened when the Holy Spirit filled the disciples with the power to speak in other languages so that everyone could understand the good news.

As we talked about this recently with the second through fifth graders at our church, the children began talking about the super powers they would like to have.  I was squarely in the camp of those wanting super speed or the ability to fly.  Yet notice that when God gave the power of the Holy Spirit to His people, it was not to accomplish a comic book feat of heroism.  With all the power of God Almighty, what was it they were able to do?  They were able to speak so that others could know about Jesus.

Of all the wonderful things you may be able to do, things that please God because He gave you the ability to do them, nothing pleases Him more than when you tell others about His love for them through Jesus Christ.  That’s it.  That is what the first disciples did when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them.  They started talking.  And as one disciple told someone and that person became a disciple, too, the conversation has never stopped.  If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you, too, have the same Holy Spirit living in you, and God has given Him to you for the same reason, so that you may have the power to tell others about Him.

Lord, I often ask You for more of this or that, but when it comes to being equipped to tell others about the love, forgiveness, and redemption available through Jesus, I already have all that I need.  May I use this amazing power so that every single person who knows me may know the love You have in store for them.  I ask this in the name of Jesus, Who has commanded me to speak.  Amen.

Copyright © 2018 by Steven R. Perkins

Bold As A Third Grader

July 9 (John 14:6)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (ESV)

He is one of the cutest little boys in the group my friend and I shepherd at church.  His face is full of animation, and he loves to talk about basketball and play air hockey in the youth room.  He is about to enter third grade, and his response to our discussion about obedience blew me away.  As we talked with the boys about obeying God in different situations, including telling others about Jesus, this young man offered what for him was clearly the last word on the matter.  “If people don’t believe in God, they will go to the devil place.”

I loved it!  He stated the truth in the bold, matter-of-fact, bottom-line way that only a child will use.  Yet it did give me pause.  What happens to muddy the waters for adults?  Why do we shy away from bold declarations?  It is no wonder that Jesus asked that adults bring little children to Him and proclaimed that it was to such that the Kingdom belonged (Luke 18:6).

Of course, that is the key.  It is not that only children have the qualities Jesus is looking for, but only those with the perspective of a child.  Children seem to understand clearly that if X is right and Y is wrong, you should tell people about X to avoid Y.  It really is that simple.  There is no greater right than Jesus Christ, and there is no greater tragedy than spending eternity in hell separated from Him.  Do your friends and family know that?

Lord, help me to cast off the foolish social concerns of adulthood.  Create within me a childlike innocence and passion for what is right.  Make me as bold as a third grader when it comes to telling people about the offer of life in Jesus Christ, through Whose name I pray, amen.

Copyright © 2017 by Steven R. Perkins

Sharing Jesus Regardless of Consequence

August 21 (Ezekiel 2:7)

And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.  (ESV)

When it comes to our sharing God’s word with people, it really does not matter whether they listen or not.  Oh, it matters, of course, with regard to their well-being, happiness, quality of life, relationships, outlook, calling, and eternal destiny, but it does not matter regarding whether or not we speak up and tell others what God has said.  That is a non-negotiable.  We are to do it and then let the chips fall where they may.

Jesus said the same thing.  In Matthew 10:5-15, He sends out the twelve apostles with the basic structure for evangelism.  Go out among people.  Do good works without asking for something in return.  Share the good news.  If people do not listen, shake off the dust from your shoes and move on.

If you have clicked on even one news website last week, watched one news program on television, or read one newspaper article, you know that almost all aspects of human society in just about every place on the planet are falling apart.  That is not an overstatement.  Don’t believe me?  Read even one more news article.  As followers of Christ, we know that the peace and restoration everyone is craving comes not from a government program or a school curriculum or any human philosophy.  What our hearts yearn for can only come from the hand of God.  If you would tell your friends about the special being offered at the grocery store, what holds you back from telling them about Jesus?

Father, You have blessed me not only with new life in Jesus, but You have given me a great and wonderful work to do in sharing that life with others.  Keep my eyes from distraction, that I may see those into whose lives You have led me.  Heal my ears from the deafness of unimportant noise, that I may hear the needs of my neighbors.  Loosen my tongue, that I may be quick to share the words that You wish to speak to those who hurt.  In the name of Jesus, Who saw and heard and spoke to me, amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins

The Lord of All

May 15 (Jeremiah 50:24)

I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon, and you did not know it; you were found and caught, because you opposed the Lord.  (ESV)

You may not work for a Christian company, but the Lord considers it His.  You may not teach at a Christian school, but the Lord considers it His.  You may not live in a Christian nation, but the Lord considers it His.

Christianity is not a club that one can choose to belong to but that has no relevance to non-members.  It is the organized expression of the truth, that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons, the second of whom, Jesus Christ, in whom and for whom all things were made, lived, died, and rose again so that all might live forever with Him.  God did not care that Babylon was not Israel.  Babylon worshiped idols, opposed the one true God, and was therefore in the wrong. 

You may say that it is not fair to hold people accountable for worshiping and obeying a God they do not know.  Fair enough.  What are we doing about it?  If you know the truth about God and what He wants for and expects from His creation, is it really loving to keep that to yourself?

Father, too often I hold back from telling others about Your righteousness and Your love because, to be quite honest, I worry about how I will be perceived.  I worry more about being liked than about the relationship of my friends and family with You.  May Your unchanging truth, on every page of the Old Testament through the New, guide my actions.  In the name of Jesus, Who risked public ridicule and death for me, amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins