Trusting in God can reap great rewards

[newbeliever02072005]

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to share something that is happening at the moment in my neck of the woods. Get your popcorn and pull up a chair


I'd like to share about a revival coming to our church on May 22nd. This is going to be my first revival and I am very excited to see what it is all about. The pastor and leaders of the church have started a contest up between the Sunday School classes. It's called "Fetch Em', Feed Em'....for the Future." It started this last Sunday and will go on till the revival date the 22nd. Each of the classes get points for different things such as bringing your bible, being faithful in attendance in all services from now till the 22nd and bringing guests. This is the key point of the contest is to bring guests. The hope of the pastor is to bring people in so that the message of God's loving sacrafice of His Son to us can be preached.

The past few sermons that have been preached have been about how a revival can happen. Revival only can happen if God's faithful christians do the work of bringing the message of the Lord. We can NOT be sitting in church saying and praying to God "God please bring a revival" then expect it to happen. The question presented to us was "Is God waiting on me or am I waiting on God?" (Isaiah 30:18) Makes you really think when you ask yourself this question. I think we all know the answer to this question....we need to be waiting on God. God has a plan and when He reveals His plan to us in our heart we must act upon it. (Psalm 118:8) So, where is the desire of your soul? Should it be to the name of God or to man(or to ourselves)? The Lord is good to the man that waits on Him. Be patient in the Lord (Psalm 123). How long do we wait?....answer: for however long it takes. So, the point is that we need to pay close attention to those little things tugging at our hearts. Listen to them and put into action.

Now to give you a brief background about myself. I am very shy and have a very difficult time speaking and doing things in front of people. Mostly due to my lack of confidence in myself and the things that I can do. Most of the time I can have something nagging at me and I'll drop the ball so to speak because I am so afraid to just take and do. Since becoming a new believer in the Lord Jesus Christ I have been getting lesson after lesson on trusting in the Lord. I have noticed that if I just give it all to the Lord and accept what His plan for my situation is....I end up with blessings 10x's more then I expected. If I don't take the time to listen to God and instead listen to the bad things (thoughts) that creep into my head I don't receive any blessings.

Ok, back to the revival. Since finding out about this I kept getting this nagging feeling of inviting my neice and her family with me to church. I kept ignoring it. Not wanting to pay attention to it. Mainly because I knew that they would most likely not be receptive to it. That it had a potential of causing some tension amongst others in the family. I didn't want to deal with it. But the sermons that I have been hearing in church about, it is our repsonsiblty to do what we can for the Lord. We can NOT sit and wait on God. I was getting it. I am to invite my neice and her family. Stop leaning on my own understanding and trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5).

Monday afternoon I got the courage up to listen to what God was laying on my heart and called my neice. I invited her and the girls out for Sunday School and to my surprise they accepted my invitation. They are set to come and hear the message of God. How awesome is that? What I wonder is, if everyone of us that sits in church would find that courage up to invite someone out to church could the possibility of a nation wide revival happen?

Oh yea, another blessing that I might receive out of this obedience to God is. With my neice and her girls coming to church her husband may come to. I had asked my husband if he would come to church so that he can keep my neice's husband company. He is so positive that her husband wont come that he doesn't have to worry about keeping him company. After being presistant to get an answer, he finally said to me he would think about it. He said the same thing to me when I got baptized....."I'll think about it" then he came and watched me. This was his very first visit into a church. I have a feeling that its going to be a long road ahead before he decides to accept Jesus into his heart. But, getting him inside of a church once in a while along the way is going to be a great thing.


Anyway, I just wanted to share with you this story and hopefully it will inspire some of you to invite someone to church with you.....a friend, a family member, a neighbor or even an aquaintence. Remember, sometimes it might take some presistence, patiences and time. But, if you listen and be open to the names that is laid on your heart, God will bless you for being obedient to His will...to His Plan.

God Bless!
newbeliever

 

[mesue]

I am praying for you husband and your nieces. And for your churches Revival Sunday

Let us know how it goes.

 

[ZiSunka]

Revivals are great. But most people who get saved hear about the gospel from friends, coworkers and neighbors who are saved. Around here, when churches hold revival meetings, the only folks who attend are members of the church or Christians from other churches. One or two unsaved people from the community may attend one time, but I could count on one hand all the people I've seen saved at a revival.

I urge your church to not just rehash the old Moody-style tent meeting. People have too many things to do in too limited an amount of time these days. Folks used to show up at Moody's meetings because they were entertaining in a world that had very little entertainment for the common man. And even Moody used to go to where the people were, he didn't expect them to come to his church just to hear him preach.

Go into your community and follow the teachings of Christ. THAT is the way to lead people to salvation! Actions really do speak louder than words.

 

[newbeliever02072005]

Revivals are great. But most people who get saved hear about the gospel from friends, coworkers and neighbors who are saved. Around here, when churches hold revival meetings, the only folks who attend are members of the church or Christians from other churches. One or two unsaved people from the community may attend one time, but I could count on one hand all the people I've seen saved at a revival.

Those "buts" we need to elimatate that word from our vocabulary. Does it matter the amount of people are saved at a revival? The lives of one or one hundred people is important in the eyes of the Lord.

I urge your church to not just rehash the old Moody-style tent meeting.

What are these Moody-style revivals like. I haven't a clue.

People have too many things to do in too limited an amount of time these days.

Are you explaining this as to a reason why a christian cannot go and invite someone to a revival?

Folks used to show up at Moody's meetings because they were entertaining in a world that had very little entertainment for the common man.

They have talked about this in my church. They would have people standing outside of the church listening to the preacher speaking because there wasn't enough seats in the church to hold everyone. Wouldn't it be great if that happened in our communities today?

And even Moody used to go to where the people were, he didn't expect them to come to his church just to hear him preach.

Moody was a preacher (hope I remembered that correctly)? If this is true, I can understand him doing that. That is one of the things preachers do, right? Their full time job in life is to minister to the people in God's place of business......everywhere

Go into your community and follow the teachings of Christ. THAT is the way to lead people to salvation! Actions really do speak louder than words.

ABSOLUTELY, I agree 100%. This is how I became a believer in the Lord Jesus Chrisit. Seeing the actions of christians in my community got me to want what they had. Their actions made me overcome my fears and atleast make the step into the doors of the church to hear the message of Christ. So, yes by all means, go out in your community and be a great example of Christs teachings, you just NEVER know who is watching you. How IMPORTANT your actions are to a non believer.



In short, I am on fire for the Lord at the moment. I can't get enough of Him. When we as ...(wow, just realized that I am part of that "we" ).. christians ask God to bring revival or help us bring lost souls to Him, we HAVE to be willing to work for the Lord in ANY way we can. If it is just inviting one person to church then DO it. Don't listen to the "buts" rather listen to what God is revealing on our heart, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to us.


God Bless!
newbeliever

 

[newbeliever02072005]

Lamentations

3:25....The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.

3:26....It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.