Window of Opportunity

Posted on July 5, 2019 by jesustrek

Sometimes you can be late and get away with it; sometimes you can’t.

According to the Associated Press, near midnight on the evening of June 30, 1997, United Airlines flight 728 from Chicago was bound for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and as happens it was behind schedule. Unfortunately the Harrisburg airport had informed the airlines that the lone airport runway would be closed from 11:30pm to 6:30am for construction.

The pilot of flight 728 believed that he could land before the runway closed, but when he radioed the control tower he was refused permission to do so. The plane was ordered to fly all the way back to Chicago so as not to disrupt other flight schedules. The airline put the 101 passengers up in hotels and gave them $25 travel certificates, and the next morning the 101 made the trip to Harrisburg one more time. Yes, they were angry.

A window of opportunity is just that. Never assume everything will be okay if you miss the cutoff time. Sometimes, as here, it just makes life harder; other times, we never get a second chance. So it is with the opportunity for salvation.

“…I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”—2 Corinthians 6:2

 

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Talking to Strangers

Posted on July 1, 2019 by jesustrek

Sometimes we get the idea that it is of no use to try to initiate a conversation about Jesus with someone we have just met. We have come to believe that we need to develop a long-term relationship with someone before having such a conversation. While developing relationships in order to share the gospel is something we should strive for, let’s not dismiss the value of a meaningful conversation with someone we have just met.

Most of the people in the crowd on the day of Pentecost had never met the apostles, but about 3,000 of them accepted the gospel message that was preached. The woman that Jesus encountered at the well in John 4 was receptive to the words of this person she had just met. The Philippian jailor believed and obeyed the instructions he received from Paul and Silas, even though he did not know them well.

So let’s not be afraid to initiate conversations about Jesus with people we have just met. This method of evangelism has been known to actually work!

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”—Colossians 4:5

 

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Evangelism Plan

Posted on June 28, 2019 by jesustrek

There is a story told about a fellow who was involved in one of those get-rich-quick multi-level marketing programs. He was so excited about the concept that he tried to apply this business model to the evangelistic efforts in his church. He explained—“You don’t have to lead anyone to Christ personally. You just need to sign up ten people, who will in turn sign up ten people…”

Unfortunately, evangelism doesn’t work that way. Evangelism takes place when followers of Christ personally share the gospel message with others. It’s just as simple as that.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”—Acts 1:8

 

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Giving Them What They Want

Posted on June 27, 2019 by jesustrek

A former business associate of President Donald Trump says that Trump was successful in business because of his strategy. Trump explains it this way–“I see what people want, and I give it to them.”

That may be a great philosophy to succeed in business, but it is a terrible strategy for church leaders. A leader’s job is not to give people what they want, but to give people what they need. And what they desperately need is the undiluted Word of God!

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”—2 Timothy 4:2-4

Don’t give them what they want; give them what they need!

 

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Dangerous Snake!

Posted on June 26, 2019 by jesustrek

Great-grandma kills venomous snake with a shovel

I just read about a 73-year-old woman who noticed a snake on the patio of her apartment. Investigating the serpent more closely, she saw the unmistakable hood that let her know that the snake she was dealing with was a deadly cobra. Mindful of the danger that this creature posed to the children in the apartment complex, she got a shovel and killed the snake.

What really intrigued me about this incident was that it did not take place in India. Nor did it happen in Australia. It was in Pennsylvania! That’s not where you would normally expect to find a cobra roaming free!

Officials noted that several poisonous snakes had previously been removed from a nearby apartment. There is speculation that this cobra may have escaped from its negligent owner.

Officials frown upon citizens taking these kind of situations into their own hands. It is much safer to call the proper authorities to come and deal with such dangerous problems. However, the woman is to be commended for acting in such a way as to protect innocent children from harm.

The Bible warns us that Satan is like a dangerous snake. He is found in unexpected places. He threatens people everywhere. The danger that the devil poses to humans is not to be taken lightly. He must be recognized for the harm he can inflict on unsuspecting people. He must be vigorously opposed. We must stop at nothing to battle against the devil and protect the people we love.

In Genesis 3:14-15 we read—“So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, ‘Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.’”

This is a prophecy about Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins, he defeated the devil once and for all. Oh, we still have some battles to fight. We need to resist Satan’s attempts to lure us away from God. But the war is over. Jesus wins! Let’s stay on the winning team! In the meantime, watch out for that dangerous snake, the devil!

 

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The Top 10 Reasons It’s Great to Be a Church Usher

Posted on June 25, 2019 by jesustrek

10. You get to wear a cool badge.

9. You don’t have to sit on a hard pew for the whole service.

8. You can slip out to the restroom if you need to, and nobody notices.

7. You get to tell people where to go.

6. You get to take money from people.

5. You don’t have to be as friendly as the greeters.

4. You get to eat a lot of breath mints.

3. If a screaming child bothers you, you can do something about it.

2. Preachers preach to the choir, not to the ushers.

1. You get to seat latecomers in the front row.

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”—Psalm 84:10

 

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Answered Prayer

Posted on June 21, 2019 by jesustrek

A story is told about a small church that was located close to a major highway. Sometimes during the church services, the church’s sound system would pick up the voice of a trucker using his CB radio. The truckers, of course, had no idea that their voices were being heard in a church meeting.

One Sunday, the preacher began a prayer by saying, “O Lord, we ask you to make your presence known to us today…”

He was immediately interrupted by a voice over the loudspeaker that said, “I’ll be right on down!”

Prayers aren’t always answered immediately, or in a dramatic fashion. But we know that God hears the prayers of his people, and he acts upon them in accordance with his will. That is enough to inspire us to keep on praying.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”—Ephesians 6:18

 

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Deeply Rooted

Posted on June 20, 2019 by jesustrek

For many years there has been a pear tree on the property of our church. Every year the tree produces an abundance of juicy, tasty pears. Neighbors often stop and ask if they may gather some of the pears. Sometimes people driving by will stop and ask permission to take some of the fruit home with them.

A recent storm blew through our town, knocking down many trees and limbs. The church’s pear tree was one of the casualties. Full of small, unripe pears, the tree blew over. Apparently it did not have much of a root system. From what I can see, it’s a wonder the tree has stood for as many years as it has.

If we don’t have a deeply rooted faith, it is highly likely that we will eventually become uprooted by one of life’s storms. We need to put down deep roots. We must study the Bible intently, obey God boldly, pray fervently, worship passionately and serve diligently. Put your roots down deep in the faith!

“…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…”—Ephesians 3:17-18

 

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Joy in Trials

Posted on June 19, 2019 by jesustrek

Sometimes I scan the congregation during Sunday morning worship services. I like to see the faces of people as they express their love to God with their singing.

I remember one time looking at the crowd and seeing the face of a young lady for whom my wife and I had been praying. She had been going through a terrible time. Through no fault of her own, she was experiencing a great sorrow in her life. No one would have blamed her if she had chosen not to sing that day.

However, I noticed that she was singing, and she was smiling as she did so. There was joy on her face as she sang along with the congregation “You’re a good, good Father!”

She understood that God was good no matter what she was going through. With her heavenly Father’s help, she would endure this trial and worship him every step of the way!

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”—James 1:2

 

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Important Job

Posted on June 18, 2019 by jesustrek

Charlie Plumb

Charlie Plumb was a U.S. Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. After flying 75 successful combat missions, Plumb’s plane was hit by an enemy missile, forcing him to eject and parachute into enemy territory.

He spent 6 years as a prisoner of war, but survived the ordeal and came back to the U.S. to resume his life. One day while he was sitting in a restaurant, a man came up to him and asked if he was Charlie Plumb.

“Yes,” he answered. “How do you know me?”

“I’m the guy who packed your parachute.”

Sometimes we forget about the importance of those behind-the-scenes jobs!

Your job in the church might not get you a lot of attention, but don’t ever doubt the importance of your work for the Lord.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”—1 Corinthians 12:27

 

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