Category: Reaching the Lost

Are You Listening?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Faith, Obedience, Power of Prayer, Reaching the Lost, Repentance1 Comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Acts 26 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Acts 26:9-16 ~ I once thought that I should do everything I could to oppose Jesus from Nazareth. I did this first in Jerusalem, and with the authority of the chief priests I put many of God’s people in jail. I even voted for them to be killed. I often had them punished in our meeting places, and I tried to make them give up their faith. In fact, I was so angry with them, that I went looking for them in foreign cities. King Agrippa, one day I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and permission of the chief priests. About noon I saw a light brighter than the sun. It flashed from heaven on me and on everyone traveling with me. We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice say to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me? It’s foolish to fight against me!” “Who are you?” I asked. Then the Lord answered, “I am Jesus! I am the one you are so cruel to. Now stand up. I have appeared to you, because I have chosen you to be my servant. You are to tell others what you have learned about me and what I will show you later.”

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I have chosen to share more verses than I usually do, because it tells such a story about how God has such an impact on a person’s life. I believe that some who may read this today might be much like Paul, and are fighting against God’s work. No I don’t think for a moment that any are out there killing Christians. But brother, or sister, I want you to know today that when you keep fighting against God and His will for your life, you are much like Paul. How long will you go on sinning? How long will you go on living a life opposed to that taught by God? How long will you live a life opposed to all that you were ever taught, and so opposite to all that your friends and family are telling you that they are praying for you to surrender to? Please take a moment to realize that God loves you so much that He allowed His one and only Son (Jesus) to die on a cruel cross in front of many people, as a gift to you. His sacrifice provides the means for you to turn around from your life of sin, accept Jesus as your Master and Lord, so that you can ultimately be with Him, and all other Christians that you know, at His throne in Glory one day. It took God speaking through a very bright light at noon time to get Paul’s attention. I pray that as you read this devotional today that this will be like that same bright light to you. Although you may question any power that I might have to speak to you, I know that God, through His written Word (as it is written in my Observation) and through His children (and I am a child of the King), is wanting more than anything else to see His children come home – leave your world of sin and opposition to Him and His bride (the church at large), and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, then to live a life dedicated to Him and His mission to reach the world, as He has done in reaching you and I. Are you listening? Are you willing to lay aside your selfish desires, accept Jesus as Lord and live for Him the rest of your life? Please email me back for more information or to pray with you about your decision. Additional biblical help is also available by clicking “

Work ‘Til Jesus Comes

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Obedience, Reaching the Lost, Share God’s Word, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Acts 1

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Acts 1:20-21 ~ …It also says, “Let someone else have his job.” So we need someone else to help us tell others that Jesus has been raised from death.

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In these verses Peter is quoting something from the book of Psalms, in reference to the job left vacant by Judas after he died. Today I will be attending the visitation of a saint who recently died. She and her husband have been active workers in the church ever since I could remember attending the local church. The question becomes, who will take her place? It is so easy for us to sit back and watch the work being done. It is so easy for us to quickly find excuses why we shouldn’t be busy about God’s work, and why we believe that God was not speaking to us when He said that “Now is the day of salvation” and that we should do all we can to spread the gospel and the love of Jesus. Am I doing all that I can in the work of the local church? Is there something else that God would have me do for His glory and edification?

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

I pray that God will raise up new workers for the local church and a new level of commitment. I pray that God will direct me to the work that He can most effectively achieve His purpose through what I might do. I pray for guidance not to accept ‘Positions’ just for the sake of seeing positions filled, but knowing that God will achieve His purpose through anything that I might commit to. I pray for those who have sat on the sidelines and watched others work diligently for the kingdom, that they will rise up and commit to the Master to work diligently until the day He calls them home. I pray that ‘

I Pledge Allegiance…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Obedience, Reaching the Lost, Righteousness, Thank You Jesus, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Acts 1

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Acts 1:6-8 ~ While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?” Jesus said to them, “You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Back when the apostles first received this command, we are to understand that this was a future statement intended not just for the apostles but for all on whom the Spirit of God falls. Later in Scripture we are taught that the Spirit comes upon all who seek forgiveness of sin and call upon the name of Jesus as Lord (Christians). The church as we know it today is made up of Christians, therefore the command that was given to the apostles and to all on whom the Spirit falls, is to tell everyone about Jesus. Are we successful in following that command today? I’m sure that we can easily look upon ourselves and quickly respond that we could be doing a whole lot more. However, it seems to me like Luke is telling us that to those on who the Holy Spirit falls, they will be given power, and they will then tell everyone about Jesus. So I believe that the question this morning is not how well are we doing at spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but more along the lines of, how is our relationship with the Father? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? If you have – are you maturing a relationship with Him and giving Him full reign of Your life so that His Holy Spirit might use you to tell everyone about His love and saving grace? To be a citizen of this country, one must swear allegiance to the country and could therefore become eligible to represent this country in battle. Have you sworn allegiance to the Maker of the Universe, the King of all kings, your Creator, so that through His Holy Spirit He might find you eligible to represent Him before a lost and dying world, a battle against the foes of this world?

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

In Your Word you have told us that You sometime use the ‘foolishness of preaching’ to reach the lost. In this passage You have shared through Luke that You will give us the power of Your Holy Spirit and use us (Christians) to share the love of Christ with a lost world. Father, I feel so unworthy of such an honor, but I dare not question You. Thank You for giving me the liberty of representing You to the lost. May I never be a stumbling block to the work of Your Holy Spirit. May I represent You well so that those that I speak to or have dealings with will witness the love of the Father, and have an uncontrollable desire to want to know You as Lord and Savior. Thank You for convicting me of my sin and finding me worthy to use as Your instrument in this wicked world.

Who Should You Invite?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Evangelism, Obedience, Reaching the LostLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke 14 

OBSERVATION

Luke 14:16-23 ~ A man once gave a great banquet and invited a lot of guests. When the banquet was ready, he sent a servant to tell the guests, “Everything is ready! Please come.” One guest after another started making excuses. The first one said, “I bought some land, and I’ve got to look it over. Please excuse me.” Another guest said, “I bought five teams of oxen, and I need to try them out. Please excuse me.” Still another guest said, “I have just gotten married, and I can’t be there.” The servant told his master what happened, and the master became so angry that he said, “Go as fast as you can to every street and alley in town! Bring in everyone who is poor or crippled or blind or lame.” When the servant returned, he said, “Master, I’ve done what you told me, and there is still plenty of room for more people.” His master then told him, “Go out along the back roads and fence rows and make people come in, so that my house will be full. Not one of the guests I first invited will get even a bite of my food!”

APPLICATION

I have a few more verses than usual today because this story really sent a message home to me. In my last devotional I was touched to invite friends to dinner that can’t afford to return the favor. In this story I was convicted to invite non-Christians to church, and not just because that’s the one place where they are more lightly to hear the Word of God and be convicted of their sin, but because often we will waste our time inviting and re-inviting those who profess to be Christians yet they find every excuse possible to avoid being in church with fellow believers. Now, if I also don’t see ‘fruit’ in these self-proclaimed ‘Christians’ then I need to treat them as non-Christians and witness to them as I would any other non-Christian. I sometime believe that Christians who have accepted the Lord at some stage in their lives, and have no real relationship with the Master, feel like they have their ticket punched and therefore they feel like they have no real need to be bombarded by Christians trying to get them in church or committed to some outreach, or even in-reach program of the church. Jesus came to minister to, and win the hearts of the ‘sick’ (sinners). As we busy ourselves in God’s work, let us therefore be about the Father’s work and minister to the ‘sick’.

PRAYER

Lord I feel like I will need introduction, or leadership direction, to the lost around me, because as Christians we tend to hang mostly with Christians. Please help me to be keenly aware of the unsaved and then give me opportunities to minister to them, invite them to Your house, pray for them, show them Your love, and help them to understand their lost condition and the need for a Savior that will secure their eternal destiny. Yes, I understand that we also have a need within the church for ministry to the brothers and sisters that already know You, but I am even more convinced that there is a greater need to win the lost and truly minister to the sin-sick of my community. I can only do this through Your love, direction and power, Lord, so please be my guide, protector and strength through each and every day as opportunities are presented to me.