Go into all the world and preach the Gospel of Christ...

Good Morning!


This morning before work, we turned on the Christian channel and Keith Moore from Branson was on.  He was talking about Mark 16:15 The Great Commission.  What is the Great Commission?  Well, Jesus's last words according to Mark was that we are to go into where we live, work, go to school, the movies, the store, etc. and tell them about who Jesus is.  Who is He to you?  Is he just some guy everyone talks about but you don't know him?  Is he real?  Is he in the Bible?  Yep, I know it's because of Christmas that he is here.  Or do you really know him and have a personal real relationship with God's Son, Jesus. 


When I was a kid, we had a Sunday school bus that came and picked us up, okay, sometimes we skipped and went to the park for 3 hours until it looked good, but we did actually go most of the time!  For me, I wanted to know this Jesus who didn't judge me, they said He would love me no matter what I ever did and he would always love me if I just asked him into my heart.  Well, I wanted to be loved always, I wanted someone to believe in me, I failed in school, I never felt like I measured up- those were devil tools to get me to fail and screw up!  So, I asked Jesus into my heart about age 10 or so.  The bus quit coming, but my conversion was ever so slowly stuck in place. This Jesus loved ME!  HE LOVED ME!   Soon, we moved out into the country and I met friends who wrestled with this notion.  One friend, Joe, told me what was important in life and it has stuck with me since- over 30+ years!  God first, than your wife, family, job and you last.  Now if you start with your thumb and do them in order, you find a Thumbs up on God, the next points to your spouse, the 3rd and tallest your children, then your job, and lastly you.  Your pinky can't carry all that weight of life on its own, it needs the others to help. Funny thing is, you don't have to get your life right before you know Jesus, He loves you messed up, broken, prideful, arrogant, fallen, He will help you fix all those things into a beautiful new person, if you let Him and let yourself. 


All that was to say is God uses us and we don't have to be in a church to do His business, in fact, all the world is outside your door. It's not about a building, it's about building relationships. 


Do you know your neighbors? Do you talk with the person that is behind you at the check out line at the store, not butting into their conversation though, but just saying HI, how are YOU today?  What about those that are in line with you at the Post Office?  What about that person peddling on the street corner or panhandling, give and it will be returned as something else in a blessing. 




We had some friends we knew in Nebraska stop by yesterday, Tom and Sandi, they were on the NE Awana Missionaries team but then God moved and as He moved, they moved and God has given them this great commission as Awana Missionaries here in the Panhandle of Florida.  They have about 100 churches and desire God to grow more Awana clubs and grow the smaller ones bigger, for clubs that are struggling to get back to the roots of Awana- can you pray that for them?  Here are words to pray if you don't know what to pray,

"Lord Jesus, I ask in your name, that you would give Tom and Sandi, the peace and strength, finances and hopes that it takes to do this mission, that clubs would grow abundantly but you would also prepare a team for them that can help lighten their load. Lord Jesus, that you would do a mighty work in those clubs that are striving and those that are just getting by, we know that "your word never returns in void", strengthen the ministries Lord Jesus.  In your precious name, Amen!"


Steve and I are praying for the ministering angels to release the monies that they need to grow their own ministry.  That money is here on earth and not in heaven.  The devil has a hold of it and we want it back!  Tom and Sandi have to have support because they are missionaries and they are trained but Awana does not support them.  They are called to be missionaries and called to serve the children.  There are clubs all over the world, in the least expected places too!  They also do a prison ministry to help fathers and children learn and stick together.  They have a family Awana also.  It is one of the kewlest ministries I have ever been blessed to work with. 

Did you know they have 7 clubs in the UAE (United Arab Emirants), they use to have one in Israel too! 

If you want to look for yourself, click on the link and go to http://awanainternational.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AI_Homepage


Awana is a Bible club for boys and girls, ages 2-18 yo.  It is a non-denominational club that has been around for over 50 years.  It helps children and adults learn the Bible through Bible memory, Bible study and games.  Children earn bucks when they check in and when they complete the memory verses.  The clubs host an Awana store where children (clubbers) can buy stuff to take home.  They also can attend a Bible quizzing and/or Awana Games once a year. 

Our visit with Tom and Sandi was wonderful!  It seems that the same time that God moved them, God moved us too!  


While our mission is different, it's also the same.  We are to be out in the world bringing in new people to the kingdom.  Who do you talk to outside the Sunday check off box?  Who knows that you are a Christ follower?  Who knows you are a radical Christ follower?  Being a Christian doesn't always mean sitting in a church and doing very little, it means reading the Word of God, then telling others about the Word in ways that others want to meet you Jesus friend. 


Today, we are praying for divine appointments to meet others and God to open hearts and minds!  We pray that God sends you divine appts and you do your very best to listen to God and them. 


His Peace today!


   

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