I had the pleasure of recently being interviewed by Jeromy from Lantern Media & Ministry regarding evangelism. Join us in this packed discussion where we talk about the state of evangelism in modern America, who it's for, why it's important and how to get started!
Check out Jeromy's Ministry
Balaam wanted something, and even though he pretended to be holy in speech, have good intent, and a desire for God's will, he only took on this appearance for his own agenda. He believed he could use God to get what he wants. While thinking, he was going to use God, God instead used Balaam. Instead of cursing Israel like Balaam desired, he ends up speaking some of the greatest blessings over Israel!
We may say we're nothing like Balaam. But how often have we twisted God's word for our own fleshly desires? Sometimes God's way is not enough for us, and try to pull every string imaginable to get past it and work Him into our own will. And when our donkey throws us off and doors are closed, we act confused! But what if God is only trying to protect us from ourselves?
Torah Portion: Balak | בלק
Have you ever thought you were following God, only to end up in a dry place? Even though you were sure you heard His voice, now you're doubting. "Did I hear wrong? Did I sin? Did God forsake me? God couldn't have possibly led me here!"
But what if what you're facing is a test: And how you respond in your next move will either yield blessing or curse for you. Will you trust God for a miracle of Living Water, even though it's dry right now? Or will you complain?
It's easy to act godly when all is going well, but it is when we are pressured that our true character is revealed. Moses, in his pressures, disobeyed God by striking the rock instead of speaking to it. But the meaning of what he did was much greater than what he himself could ever imagine. Christ was that rock that was struck throughout history, but will you be the one to speak instead?
Torah Portion: Statute | Chukat | חוקת
A survey by Barna-Group reports that 47% of practicing Christian millennials agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. This shocking statistic is a part of a larger cultural shift away from tolerance. As the world around us grows more intolerant of opinions that are different, and as people are more and more greatly offended each day by opposing views, Christians are finding it hard, and even questioning the importance of telling others about Jesus.
Evangelism is why we all believe. It is what many disciples and men of God died for. It is the reason nations like America and much of the western world has been blessed in past time. And today, we bury it as "wrong"? This calls for serious intervention: If in our spiritual circles we do not start shifting more focus to this command given by Yeshua, our children may pay the price.
This video was recorded in 2019. Some references in the video to the near-past should be interpreted as the distant past due to the time of recording.
What is your heartstyle? The Pharisees in Yeshua's day had a large flaw: They were "clean" in their presentation, yet their hearts were evil. This compromise of men is still very much alive today, even among believers. Has our movements of clean eating, commandment keeping believers sometimes become more focused on the outward lifestyle, neglecting the inward heartstyle?
Perhaps, instead of trying to first fix an outward appearance, we should work from the inside-out, focusing on a clean heart. We cannot do this on our own, we must rely on Holy Spirit's empowerment!
Are you His Bride? Will you water every camel and follow Eliezer back to a foreign land like Rebecca did for her bridegroom? It is the season for an outpouring of God's Spirit more than ever. The Holy Spirit has descended upon the Earth to gather the Bride of Christ, test her heart, adorn her, and lead her to her Bridegroom.
Many are living in the gift of Truth given at the first Pentecost; or the Gift of Spirit given at the second. But His bride will be equally yoked, and will walk in both the power of the Spirit, and discernment of the Truth.
The trumpet will soon blow, and it will become too late to be adorned for your Husband. Get ready! For He is coming!
This year, I got COVID! When I did, I completely lost my sense of taste, and the Father spoke to me about it. He is calling a new breed of believer: Those who will be the salt of the Earth, never losing their flavor! Are you the type of person that people want to taste like or be around, because of the attraction of the Holy Spirit? We must taste different from the world - not lukewarm or compromising - but full of love and flavor.
What's the real reason Jonah ran? Sometimes it's not just about running from a calling, but running from a people you don't truly want to see reached - because they're unclean, they're unrighteous and most undeserving. Jonah thought of himself as more holy, more righteous and more deserving than Nineveh. Since he saw himself as better, he decided to ignore God's call. Ironically, Jonah would end up in the same place as the sins of that unclean people.
The story of Jonah may just be the very reason many of us aren't motivated to reach the world with the gospel. The world is undeserving and unclean anyway, right? We might as well watch it burn! But alongside the story of Jonah runs a parallel story of Jesus: Where Jonah ran away, Jesus ran to. Discover the beautiful Jonah journey of Christ in this teaching.
Raising kids is hard as it is. And now many are falling away from the faith as they grow up. But why? While there are many reasons, and it certainly isn't always the fault of parents, sometimes it is, and sometimes the reason is apparent: Whether the gospel truly is preached and lived, or whether something else is.
When you study the greatest miracles of the Bible, you discover a pattern: Most of them took place between people with great disunity. Whether it's Jesus & the Samaritans, Peter & Cornelius or even the upper room of Acts 2. Holy Spirit is unifying, destroying the barriers of worldly disunity, and was sent to reverse the curse. If we're willing to go where and to whom Jesus went, we may see what Jesus saw!