An essential part of being a follower of Jesus requires bearing fruit for the Lord. God did not save us to sit, sour, and soak, He saved us to walk, worship, and work! I remember a time when I was asked at 12 am on a Sunday morning, to help a fellow whose car was dead in the parking lot of his work. He had neglected it on Friday and Saturday, and wanted to get to church on Sunday morning. He called me as his pastor to assist him in getting it started. I drove to his house, picked him up, and took him back past my house to his place of employment. We pushed his car out of his parking place, hooked up the jumper cables, and I told him to get in and attempt to start the car, to which he looked at me and said, “I forgot to bring my keys!” We unhooked the car, pushed it back into the parking spot, traveled past my house to his, he ran into the house and came back out, we traveled past my house to his car, pushed it out, hooked up the jumper cables and I told him … READ MORE

One day, as a young believer, I was in the lunchroom, where I worked, and one of my coworkers asked me a question. He asked, “You want to be a preacher, let me asked you a question, ‘Can a prostitute be saved?'” I replied, “God can save anyone.” His response was “Then save one for me this Saturday!” Everyone in the lunchroom began to laugh, and the Lord gave me this response, “I cannot save anyone, but if you bring her to me, I will share with her the gospel message, and we will see if the Lord will choose to open her heart to that message and if she will accept the salvation offered to her through Christ.” He then began to attempt to explain the purpose of his question was not to get a response but a reaction from me. I look back at that response and am responded of Peter’s teaching in 1 Peter 4:14-16. When people look at us who or what do they see? In 1 Peter 4:14-16, Peter offered a specific example of the type of suffering a follower of Christ might face. In this passage he says if you are “insulted” because people … READ MORE

In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” This is a great question, who do you say Jesus is, and how do we determine who He is? The world says, he was a good man, or that he was a teacher. The real question is twofold: One, who does God say that He is, and second, Do I accept what God says about Him? Peter says it very well, in Matthew 16:16, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The time for us to realize who He is, is now! This recognition makes Jesus our Savior, as well as our Lord. One day, every person who has ever lived or ever will, will come to understand the Jesus that the Father sent to the earth to provide redemption for all who will receive Him. Jesus is more than our “buddy” He is the Lord of the universe, and all will acknowledge that one day according to Philippians 2:11. There is an important point to make from that verse; while all people will acknowledge Him as LORD, not all will recognize Him as Savior. The time to do that is now my … READ MORE