Category Archives: Gospel

Jan 21

Stop Talking About It!

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This past weekend over 1,600 people from across the southeast attended an annual event in Savannah, TN known as Evangelism University, including 21 of us from Karns. This is always one of our group’s favorite events of the year. EU is a weekend devoted to training high school students to be more evangelistic among their peers.

Students are typically given a booklet to take home and study with a friend. Over the course of the weekend, the students are led through the course themselves so they will better understand how to teach the material to their friends who have never obeyed the Gospel plan of Salvation.

On Saturday night I got to thinking about what it would look like if everyone in attendance made just one disciple for Jesus this year. What an incredible impact such an action would have on the Lord’s Kingdom. Unfortunately, some of us who attended will choose to let multiple opportunities pass us by this year for one reason or another.

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a).

Jesus has commissioned us to go into the world and make disciples. Notice this is not a suggestion for us to follow but rather a command for us to obey. What if all 1,600 who attended EU this year went back home and made one disciple for Christ? Just imagine the impact. Now, let’s not stop there. Imagine if each of you reading this made at least one disciple for Christ this year. How incredible would this be?

When are we, who claim to be disciples of Jesus, going to stop talking about being disciples and start acting like disciples? Jesus commanded us to GO, MAKE DISCIPLES and TEACH. What are we waiting for? There’s no better time than now. Jesus promised, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).

Let’s stop talking about making disciples for Christ and actually start making disciples. Why not make this the year we lead at least one lost soul to Jesus. Just imagine the impact!

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Aug 10

Dream Great Dreams Pt. 2: Dreams We Should Dream

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Yesterday I began a series on dreaming great dreams. If you did not have a chance to read part 1 click here. Today I would like to focus on the great dreams we should be dreaming as Christians. When we talk about dreaming BIG in the church we typically focus on expanding our buildings, adding new programs and finding various ways to make our congregations known in the community. While all of these are good dreams, I’m not quite sure they are what I would call great dreams. It seems to me, before we focus on the things above, we should be focusing on more personal things. Let me give you a few of the great dreams I think we as Christians should be dreaming.

We should dream for Christians to allow God’s glory to be seen through their lives. Jesus told His disciples to let their lights shine before men so that God would be glorified in Heaven (Matt. 5:16). Think about Paul, he was a good man. After his conversion to Christianity he went about doing many good things. However, he wasn’t just good; Paul’s life magnified the glory of God. That’s what our lives should do as well. Every day we need to be seeking out opportunities to do good (Gal. 6:10). Don’t wait for opportunities to appear, go make opportunities happen. Let your life magnify the glory of God. Sadly, most Christians fail when it comes to this. Our lives aren’t much different than the lives of non-Christians. Our dream should be for Christians to allow God’s glory to be seen through their lives.

We should dream for Christians to start taking the Gospel seriously. Many of you are probably wondering what I mean by this. I’m afraid Christians in the USA have Americanized the Gospel into what we want it to be. We have taken the words of Jesus and twisted them to mean what we want them to mean. Let me give you an example. Take the rich man who approached Jesus asking what he must do to be saved (Mk. 10:17-23). Jesus told him, “You know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother” (v.19). The man responded, “Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a boy” (v. 20). What Jesus said next must have rocked the man’s world. Jesus said, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (v. 21). What’s recorded next are some of the saddest words in all of scripture; “Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (v. 22). As Christians, we read this account and say, “Jesus was trying to teach the man about priorities. You got to get your priorities straight man.” My question is, “What if there is more to the words of Jesus? What if Jesus was serious?” Over and over I’m afraid we have taken the words of Jesus and made them into what we want them to say. Our dream should be for Christians to take the Gospel seriously.

We should dream for Christians to start seeking the Kingdom of God first. Just look around at the lives of so called Christians…one can see what’s important to them by the lifestyle they live. Jesus told His disciples, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). When I observe church attendance, church giving, church passion, efforts in discipleship making and biblical illiteracy, just to name a few, it’s pretty evident those of us who call ourselves Christians are not seeking God first in our lives. Our dream should be for Christians to start seeking the Kingdom of God first.

Tomorrow I will continue with a couple more of the great dreams Christians should be dreaming. I’d love to hear from you. What do you think Christians should be dreaming?

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Apr 19

A God-Sized Dream Pt. 2: Take Action

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Yesterday, I made a plea for Christians to start dreaming BIG dreams when it comes to making an impact in the Kingdom of God (click here to read yesterday’s post). Just as we dream of accomplishing BIG things in our personal lives, we should dream of accomplishing much bigger things in our spiritual lives. We need Christians to step up and dream God-sized dreams. Until we dream big like this, the church will never truly accomplish all God intended for her to accomplish.

What I would like for you to consider today is very simple; what God-sized dreams are you dreaming? What is it right now that you are thinking about doing for the sake of the Kingdom of God that others might consider “ridiculously insane?” What’s stopping you from making your dream a reality? Consider the following verses Jesus spoke to His disciples:

• “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

• “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts
1:8)

• “Then he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
(Matt. 9:37-38)

• “You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:43-44).

• So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 7:12)

When you read those words of Jesus and think about what it is that He is saying, you can’t help but notice that each of those verses mentions an action that non-Christians and unbelievers might think is impossible. How can Jesus expect His followers to make disciples of all nations on the earth? How can He expect God to raise up more people in this day and age who are willing to give up what they are accustomed to in order to live and work in another country preaching the Gospel? Does Jesus really think a person can love their enemies to the extent that they are willing to pray for them? Did He actually think His followers could treat people, not the way they treated them, but the way they wished/wanted people to treat them?

You see friends, Jesus spoke the previously mentioned words to His followers because He fully expected them to accomplish those tasks. Jesus didn’t have small dreams for His people; He dreamed great BIG God-sized dreams. This was not based on wishful thinking on His part, but on the true belief that His people, Christians, could actually make these dreams a reality. Jesus dreamed BIG and expected achievement.

The very thing I am writing about today has been on my heart for some time now. I’m tired of just coasting by “hoping” to make an eternal difference here on earth. It’s time I started dreaming of all the ways I “CAN” make a difference for the Kingdom of God. It’s time this guy here started dreaming God-sized dreams. Will you join me in this endeavor?

I would love to hear from you about your God-sized dreams. What are you dreaming of doing to make an eternal impact that others might consider crazy or impossible? What can we do collectively that can only be accomplished with the help and strength of God?

Now stop dreaming and go out and do something about it! The early church did.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Jun 16

The Gospel and Honduras

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In a few days 32 of us from Karns will be traveling to Honduras for a medical/evangelistic mission campaign. This is nothing new for Karns or most churches for that matter. Mission trips are a part of most churches’ summer activities. However, have you considered why many people are willing to travel overseas and share the Gospel of Christ? Below are a few reasons why I want to go and be a part of this mission experience.

Evangelism Is A Command. Before Jesus left earth and ascended back to heaven after His resurrection from the dead, He told His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Matt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15). Jesus was not presenting an option to His disciples; He was presenting a command. This command was to go and share with others all Jesus had done through His death and resurrection. Jesus literally wanted His disciples to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) of the things they both had seen and heard. Friends, evangelism is a command we are expected to keep.

Evangelism Helps Save Others’ Souls. Perhaps the reason that Jesus stressed evangelism to His disciples was because He knew there was no other way to come to the Father except through Him (Jn. 14:6). Unless one repents of his sins, confesses Christ as the Son of God and is baptized into Christ, he will be eternally lost (Mk. 16:16). When we go about teaching others the Gospel plan of salvation, we help those individuals gain knowledge about a relationship with Jesus Christ. That knowledge can then lead a person to obedient faith. It is only through faith and obedience that one can come to have a relationship with Jesus. James said, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (Jam. 5:19-20). When we take time to evangelize, we can help others find a saving relationship with Jesus.

Evangelism Increases The Church. What most people fail to understand is that the church is not some fancy building people go to on Sundays, but rather the church is the people. When we go about teaching others the Gospel and they obey it, the church grows. Think about the early Christians in the book of Acts. They were very evangelistic. The Bible says that 3,000 people obeyed after the first sermon was preached (Acts 2:41). By our standards today, this would be a mega church; however, this was not good enough for the early Christians. Those 3,000 went out and proclaimed Christ to their friends and neighbors and the church continued to grow. After a great persecution was brought on the church in Jerusalem, the Christians were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). These Christians didn’t allow this persecution to be an excuse for quitting. Instead, they witnessed and testified concerning the Christ just as Jesus had told them (Acts 1:8). The church will grow when evangelism becomes a part of our daily lives as Christians.

Evangelism Brings About Joy. I do not know of any greater joy than seeing people obey the Gospel after having been taught the truth. The joy and excitement they show is priceless. I can’t count the number of young people I have witnessed put Christ on in baptism and come up out of the water with a sense joy and excitement. I recall one young person in particular who was so excited, he began to splash the water around him and yell, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” When that takes place, there is no greater joy! Of all the things that you and I could do, evangelism is one that can bring a great sense of joy to our lives.

I am excited about the work we will be doing in Honduras next week. However, we don’t have to go to Honduras to evangelize. We can simply walk across the street to our neighbors and talk with them about the Gospel. Have you taken time to share with others the story of Jesus and His love lately?

Now that’s Something to Think About!