We read about what is called the great commission in Matthew 28:16 20. Now in this exert of scripture Jesus says to, ” Go therefore  and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the same of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”. So looking at this we see our job as Christ followers clearly laid out before us. We see that we are meant to be the voice of Jesus to the world. Too often we get too focused on different things around us and never take the time to consider the fact that we are not doing our jobs at all. The fact of the matter is that people, possibly including friends and family may never hear about Jesus if YOU don’t tell them about Him. Now am I saying that have to be those really weird Christians that walk around with picket signs and screaming at people to get right with an angry God? NO! That is not what I am saying at all. There are plenty of ways to tell people about Jesus, and the easiest way to show who Jesus is, is simply by how you live your life! If people see you living the opposite way they do they automatically wonder what the flip is wrong with you. And in turn you get an open door to tell them why you don’t live the way they do, and why you are so happy about it!

In the same passage of scripture Jesus also says,” And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Now seriously can you think of any reason why you should even be worried about doing your task now??? So many times we think it’s too hard or it’s impossible or it’s inconvenient. Before I go any further, do you think it was easy, or convenient for
Jesus to wrap Himself in humanity and come to the earth live 33 years and then be beaten, spit on, mocked then forced to carry a roman cross only to be placed on it, and nailed to it and suffer and die, all for the sake of making a way for us to know the Father? No it was not easy or convenient. Now after looking at this way, we should have no excuse to not go and minister to people. But as if that wasn’t enough Jesus makes us an incredible promise. He says He is with us always! Meaning that ever time you go and talk to someone about Jesus, every time you go to church, every time you wake up, ect. HE IS WITH YOU! we don’t have to fear anything because Jesus isn’t going to simply tell us to do something and then say,” well good luck buckaroo”. NO! He is right there with you the whole time! Now am I saying it will always be easy? No, in fact it will be very hard at times, but because Jesus never gives up on us, we must in turn never give up on Him, or on our task

The fact of the matter is Jesus is coming back in all His glory and our task now is to make sure as many people as possible knows Him before that day! So what’s on your mind?

But then a man stepped onto the beach. He had a kite and a board to kite surf with but he didn’t look like any of the others. This guy was much older than any of the others, and he also wore a helmet and a life vest. Everyone on the beach looked at him like he didn’t belong there. He had his wife throw his kite into the air and he got into the water and took off… 5 second later he was on his face in the water. He got back up and then fell on his back. Over and over again he would get up and fall and finally he swam to the beach and gave up. Everyone on the beach laughed at him and made snide remarks. But in the midst of this God spoke to me and said, “this is how some Christians are to new followers”. Then I began to meditate on that, and of course found it to be true.

When a new Christian messes up, do many of us say things like, ” he should know better”, or something similar and ridicule them and tear them down, just like the kite surfers laughed and tore the older man down.  All too often I think we forget that we were all once new Christians, just like everyone of the experienced kite surfers, were once like the new kite surfer. When we were new Christians we didn’t know how to live and we screwed up all the time ( and we still screw up, its a constant battle. The victory is ours).  We were all once like that new kite surfer.

Then I thought if some one had taken the time to teach the man the basics and how to do the sport, the man would have ha a better time and actually enjoyed himself and not given up. That is how it is with new Christians. All too often no one takes the time to disciple a new believer. All too often we think someone else should disciple them or that they can do it on their own. But we are commissioned by God to disciple people. To make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20) So many new believers get exhausted just like the kite surfer and they give up and walk out on their faith because no one has mentored them, no one took the time to pour into their life!

It’s time to step up people. It’s time to do our job! If you have a small group, or are a leader, or if your a Christ Follower period, you need to disciple people. Take the time to mentor young people. Take time to look and see the hurt in their eyes. Take the time to talk and hangout with them. We need to show our young people and a new believers what Christ is like, we need to show them they are loved, and are worth more then they know! Don’t let them just coast by and walk away. Don’t let them tire out and give up. Build them up. mentor them and reach them!

Be blessed!

Before God’s grace we were horrible sinners deserving of hell, and judgment. But through grace, God has offered us salvation, and a place in heaven with Him for eternity! HE has saved us, we have done nothing to deserve it. Many of us think we NEED to earn it (which is impossible) or some others think they need to get other things right before they get right with God. That makes about as much sense as washing off before getting in the shower ( as Pastor Mark Francey always says). You do not need to get other things right before getting right with God, that’s why He offers His grace to us, so He can handle our sins for us, to take the weight of our sin off us, and give us a fresh start.

Salvation CAN NOT come from being a good person, or doing good deeds. Salvation can only come by taking the free gift that Jesus has offered us. Through repentance of sin, and dependency, and faith in Christ Jesus. Friends my hope is that this writing has reached you and opened your eyes to see how much Jesus loves you. He loves you enough to die on a cross for you, just so you could be saved and He could wash your sins away. I serve the living, true God that died, and rose from the dead, to give us eternal with Him forever.

Be blessed!

When the Pastor began to pray again, I tried to stop laughing and crying for a split second and I literally could not stop! I kept drifting in and out and couldn’t see much of anything, I was so lost in the presence of God. But I could hear a lot of things, and Pastor Ken said to me, ” God is birthing something in you, that’s why you can’t stop!”. At that moment I felt a literal pain in my stomach as if something had been birthed inside of me. It was an anguish! An anguish for the lost, an anguish to fulfill God’s purpose for me. It was also a birthing of Joy! A joy to take on the burden that God just placed on me. What an amazing burden, I welcome it, I love it! I want nothing else but God’s purpose for my life, I want the anguish! I have never been more in love with my Savior. He is what I live for. His blessings are so amazing! He has blessed me with a great church, great friends, a great intern program, an amazing family, and great Pastors and mentors. I can’t wait to see what He has in store this year. We are in revival, I declare it along with my Pastor, We Are in Revival! The Anguish for revival, and the youth, and the kingdom that is in my heart now is the most amazing thing ever! I will never let it go. I will carry the baton where others have dropped it, I will serve the Lord All the Days of My life!

I have noticed lately that so many people are content with just going through the motions of life. People are just going to church, getting filled up and then not doing a thing with it! This is not what God intended the church for. As my Pastor says, “The church is not a place to go to, it’s a place to be sent out from!” We as Christians are called by God to go into the world and preach the gospel! (Matthew 28:19-20) We were not meant to just get saved and use God as some sort of eternal life insurance policy.

God has given us all a divine purpose, but we are ALL meant to be evangelists for the kingdom. There is a song by a band called Sleeping Giant called,” sons of thunder”. The chorus says, “Sons of thunder, calling the fire down, and bringing me hope!”. I want to be a son of thunder, with the faith to call fire down from heaven. It says in the bible, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains. But think of this if there are 300 on fire people with 10 times the faith of a mustard seed, what could we do then? We could change the world! That’s what we should all desire is to see Jesus change this world, and use us as the tools of that change.

It’s no longer time for us to sit around and play church. It’s time for us start waging war on the kingdom of Hell! It’s time for us to step out into the world and proclaim the name of Christ to a generation and world that so desperately needs Him!

Now is the Time!

Everything changed when I was 12 years old. I went to my church camp, like I always did, and was having a great time. On the last night of camp my senior pastor, Pastor Ken Wilde, came and wanted to pray for people. I was down in front worshipping, and pastor Ken came to me and begn to say, ” God is your dad”. He began praying to God saying, ” God tell Kyle you are his dad, God let him know You are his father”. I began to weep openly because for the first time in my life since the divorce, I realized I did have a father that cared for me, I had a Dad that had never left me, that always loved me and held me in His heavenly arms. His name is Jesus.

I have been living in that truth ever since. When I feel as if the world is coming down on me and I need someone to talk to who could understand, I go to my heavenly Father. Living in that truth has changed my life. I no longer live as if I don’t have a father with me. Because God my father is always with me. To walk with me, to hold me up, for me to talk to. I thank Him every day for never leaving me. I know that He never will.

I’m here to tell anyone who has come from a broken home, who has suffered from divorce, that your home isn’t broken because Jesus, the Father is right there with you through it all. And He will never leave you or forsake you.

_Kyle

Have you ever seen a child pray? Have you ever seen a child worship? They have no worries about it. When they want to raise their hands to God, they do it. When they want to jump around during worship they do it. And they do it without worrying what others think. They do it because they are children. Children have not been corrupted by the worlds view. They don’t care if people look at them funny, they don’t care if no one else is doing it. All they know is that Jesus loves them and that they love Him too.

Now in to days society, even in church people are corrupted by the fear of man. I see it all the time, when people are worshipping before they raise their hands to God, or jump around and dance before God, they look around and make sure other people are doing it as well. People are so embarassed by doing things that are not ” socially excepted” that it gets in the way of us having a huge spiritual encounter with God. God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. By having the fear of man we reject the the gifts that God has given us.

The point I want to make today is that we as christians need to cast off the fear of man, and have faith like a child. We need to give ourselves completely to God, and cast of the fear of man. Once you give everything to God you will have no shame in worshipping Him, proclaiming His name and you will reach so many people for God, if we just begin to have faith as a child.

_Kyle

God bless you all.

_Kyle