The thing that sets Christianity apart from every other belief system in the world is the element of Faith. Because we have a God who is all knowing, and the master of all he has created; we know that we can trust him to watch out for his children and do what is best for us. We trust God! Not that we trust in God, but that we trust God. We trust Him with our lives, our families, our finances, and our future. We pray to him for health and prosperity and we know he hears our prayers. This is what makes a strong Christian.
You see Christians all the time not living by faith and they are miserable and worldly. It's hard to see any testimony of Christianity in their lives because our testimony is so wrapped up in our faith.
Yesterday was a huge day of faith for me. My father, Brian Sizemore,had to go through open heart surgery. A surgery I didn't think he would make it through. There were people all over this country praying for my father asking God to pull him through the surgery. Dad had a staff infection that attacked his heart and had attached itself to the one of the valves in his heart. Untreated, the infection would destroy his heart. The doctors were going in to open his heart and cut out the infected valve and replace it with a new mechanical one. This would mean more pills and treatments to watch and maintain this artificial part in Brian's heart.
As the doctors began the surgery they noticed that the infection wasn't on the valve at all but on the wall right next to the valve. They were able to cut out the infection and leave the valve in tact. This was a major blessing that I don't believe anyone was praying for. But God knew what Dad needed. That's why we trust him. We are praying that God would save Brian's life for his glory and ministry in the future, so we are looking for great things. This is the joy of living by faith. What we don't know God knows. We can trust him.
Then last night I had a meeting with a family that had been struggling and before the night was over the man received Christ as his Savior with tears in his eyes. Now he trusts The Lord and will begin to live by faith like the rest of us.
How about You? Do you live by faith? Do people know that you trust in God for all the areas of your life?
Friday, March 1, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
How did Jesus draw a Crowd
On my way in to work this morning I was thinking of all the marketing aspects of the ministry I have been learning since I moved to Atlanta. And it just got me thinking the way in which Jesus would draw a crowd. From the scriptures we know that he had a huge following every where he went. I'm sure the greatest advertisement he had was word of mouth, but I don't believe that is what cause the great crowds to form.
When Jesus was twelve, we have the first glimpse into his ministry and see all the elders of the Synagog gathered around him. They were gathered because of the great wisdom and authority in which He spoke. I believe this was the draw of his entire ministry. He spoke with wisdom and authority.
I believe this is still very true today. Word gets around when your words hold wisdom and authority. I don't know of any big named preacher that didn't get the reputation he has without starting with words of wisdom and authority that actually changed the lives of the listeners. This is the key to building a strong ministry. Wisdom is the key element for drawing a crowd. I wonder what would happen if pastors spent as much time in their study getting words of wisdom and authority as they did worrying about the next graphic for the next series. I believe the crowd would be drawn to the same wisdom of Christ. Preach the Word!!!
When Jesus was twelve, we have the first glimpse into his ministry and see all the elders of the Synagog gathered around him. They were gathered because of the great wisdom and authority in which He spoke. I believe this was the draw of his entire ministry. He spoke with wisdom and authority.
I believe this is still very true today. Word gets around when your words hold wisdom and authority. I don't know of any big named preacher that didn't get the reputation he has without starting with words of wisdom and authority that actually changed the lives of the listeners. This is the key to building a strong ministry. Wisdom is the key element for drawing a crowd. I wonder what would happen if pastors spent as much time in their study getting words of wisdom and authority as they did worrying about the next graphic for the next series. I believe the crowd would be drawn to the same wisdom of Christ. Preach the Word!!!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Gearing Up for Easter
When I was growing up Easter was all about getting matching outfits with my brothers and hoping there was an Easter Egg hunt at Church and maybe even finding a plastic egg with money inside. Growing up in Church I remember all the different plays and cantatas the Church would do as we celebrated Easter.
Easter hasn't changed in the last 2000 years or so in the fact that it is still the biggest day of the year for the Body of Christ to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord an Savior. It is crazy to fathom that there was a man that died, laid in a tomb for 3 days, and then got up and walked out! This is unbelievable! This in incredible! This is a miracle! There were over 500 witnesses that saw the resurrected Christ during the 40 days he walked around after the resurrection. Can you imagine the overwhelming testimony in a court room today if 500 witnesses testified to an event. We wouldn't even question it.
So many people say they just can't have this blind faith of Christianity, and I say our faith is based on the facts recorded in the Bible by eye witnesses. You would be silly not to believe the overwhelming evidence that Jesus from Nazareth rose from the dead just as he predicted he would.
If Jesus, through the power of God, can be raised from the dead, and has the power over death; it would be wise to trust Him for not only the afterlife but the things in this life. Jesus didn't rise from the dead for himself. He is, was, and for will be God. He rose from the dead to illustrate to you that he has the power over death, and can raise you from the dead as well. He also gave us an example of that when he raised Lazarus from the dead. This is the eternal life that he promises to all those that trust, believe, and receive Him. Easter is coming!!
Easter hasn't changed in the last 2000 years or so in the fact that it is still the biggest day of the year for the Body of Christ to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord an Savior. It is crazy to fathom that there was a man that died, laid in a tomb for 3 days, and then got up and walked out! This is unbelievable! This in incredible! This is a miracle! There were over 500 witnesses that saw the resurrected Christ during the 40 days he walked around after the resurrection. Can you imagine the overwhelming testimony in a court room today if 500 witnesses testified to an event. We wouldn't even question it.
So many people say they just can't have this blind faith of Christianity, and I say our faith is based on the facts recorded in the Bible by eye witnesses. You would be silly not to believe the overwhelming evidence that Jesus from Nazareth rose from the dead just as he predicted he would.
If Jesus, through the power of God, can be raised from the dead, and has the power over death; it would be wise to trust Him for not only the afterlife but the things in this life. Jesus didn't rise from the dead for himself. He is, was, and for will be God. He rose from the dead to illustrate to you that he has the power over death, and can raise you from the dead as well. He also gave us an example of that when he raised Lazarus from the dead. This is the eternal life that he promises to all those that trust, believe, and receive Him. Easter is coming!!
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