Now What-Monthly Evangelism

 Now What?

Changed View-Monthly Evangelism

2 Corinthians 5:13-21

Question: Have you ever had your views changed?

Intro: Growing up as someone that has always enjoyed politics, law, and government, I have leaned conservative in those beliefs. It probably started in Third Grade in Mrs. Ford’s class when we did class elections and I ran on the Republican ticket for the office of Class President. I lost in the primary and was selected as the vice presidential running mate for the Republican candidate. We lost in the general election, but I was appointed by the Class President as the Treasurer of his Cabinet. Can you believe I remember all of this from Third Grade? I know some people are thinking that I am a nerd and I totally embrace that title. I also will admit that I tried to start the impeachment process on our class president because he was always in trouble. 

Now, you are probably wondering where the changed perspective is coming in? Well, as I have matured I have found that as a Christian it is hard to be either conservative or liberal. Jesus was not anti-political, he was anti-controlling. This is not meant to be a political devotional, but we are dealing with more and more people that dive into identity politics. We will find more people that identify with a political affiliation more so than any other status. We must learn to be compassionate, selfless, kind, and respectful. Evangelism requires the ability to be empathetic, to talk less, and encourage beyond what we are capable of doing. Evangelism is not about us, it is about others finding Jesus. It has to be about developing an identity that reflects Christ more so than any other entity we associate with in this life.

2 Corinthians 5:13-21: 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Crazy Change, v.13-15: One of the biggest changes that happened in my life was when we accepted the call to foster children. The first placement that we had had little to no time for preparation. Morgan and I were getting ready to leave to go watch a basketball game when we received a phone call about a placement being needed for three boys. We made a decision in 30 minutes to open our home for 18 months to three pretty amazing little boys. Within a week of those boys returning home, we brought in a brother and sister who are now officially our own adopted children. 

Evangelism can be just like these scenarios. Short notice with no real time to think but only to react. This is why I believe that Paul writes in another epistle to ready in and out of season to proclaim the Gospel. Our preparation starts with having the mindset to always be looking to honor and glorify God in everything we say and do. When we submit to an obedient lifestyle before God, we should no longer reflect our old selves, but be a reflection of the new creation that we are in Christ. For lack of a better analogy, we are walking billboards for Christ. Furthermore, we are no longer our old persons, but we are God’s. The word declares that we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to the authority of Christ. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives through me.

Re-evaluate, v.16-17: In a book I read called Lead Like “It” Matters, Craig Groeschel mentions that every leader must develop the ability to evaluate and re-evaluate programs and initiatives that they put into place. The understanding is that by taking an honest look at different plans it allows for leaders to understand why something may have: worked, didn’t work, partially worked, or just needs more time. Groeschel mentioned there can be various reasons why something worked or did not, so the evaluation process allows for true assessment. The re-evaluation process that we see here in Paul’s letter is the ability to navigate and understand how God views individuals.

When we submit to the calling of Christ in our lives, we should begin to develop a new perspective on people. As mentioned prior, we start to develop more empathy and understanding for people. Even though we may see the flaws, the “glasses” we start wearing allow us to see the potential of others through the blood of Christ. Furthermore, we will recognize that God gave us grace and mercy which is available to every person. Though God does not need us, He chooses to use us in His attempts to reach every person. We must begin to see that Christ died for every person, no matter how wicked a person may be in this life. God can redeem any person who is open to receiving His message of redemption.

We Have A Job, v.18-21: Every little kid wants to be a part of tasks that are being performed. They have a desire to help even if they cannot truly comprehend what is happening or are unable to physically provide any assistance. Still, they are eager to play a role in the project that is being performed. As believers, we need a willingness to participate in the expansion of God’s kingdom. Not only are we called to point others to Christ, we also play a role in the discipleship of new believers. This gift is available to all and we must be willing to share it with everyone.

The role of an ambassador is to represent the interests of their home country in a foreign land. As Christ’s ambassadors, we represent the interests of God in reconciling humanity back to Him. In this, we are acting not under the blanket of our own authority, but under the blanket of the authority established through the blood of Christ. Our job is to represent Christ well and to help others see the benefits of living a life under the covering of and submission to Christ.

The essence of this devotional is to encourage you to play an active role in evangelizing for the Kingdom of Christ. The design of “monthly evangelism” is to commit to one person per month to reach for the kingdom of God. Each one of us can probably think of a person right off the bat that we know that is not living a life committed to Christ. Now this person may not be our easiest conversion, but we can’t lose sight of the Great Commission. We must be willing to work to point others toward Christ, baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and make them disciples of the Lord. As we do this, we must be willing to be the reflection of Christ that promotes relatability and connection for each person.

Now What? I'm Starving-Weekly Devotions

 Now What?

I’m Starving-Weekly Devotions

1 Peter 2:1-3, Hebrews 4:12-13

Question: Have you been so hungry you would eat anything?

Intro: My wife would proclaim that I am a picky eater. Here is a list of things that I am willing to eat: green beans, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cooked cabbage, carrots, and more. Things I won’t eat: pickled beets (I tried and spit it back into my mother-in-law’s hand), tuna salad, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, sushi, just to name a few. If you noticed, the things I typically don’t like are condiments. They are food maskers, to help mask the taste of bland food. I tell my son that he doesn’t like salad, but it’s the only way to eat ranch without getting curious looks.

What we eat spiritually matters. We are not called to rely on masking our faith (Sunday church attendance). God desires us to grave fellowship with Him, to dig deeply into His word and prayer, and to develop unity with His Holy Spirit. We are not called to just eat the condiments of this spiritual life, but to develop a deeper appetite for the meat of God’s word.

Got Milk, 1 Peter. 2:1-3: “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”

The Got Milk? Campaign is still incredibly large today. To this day, this campaign uses professional athletes and musicians to promote the drinking of milk in cafeterias across America. Growing up, I remember seeing the likes of Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, and Mark McGwire promoting the drinking of milk in our own cafeteria at school. There is only one problem; I am not a fan of white milk and the chocolate milk at school was to be desired (Chocolate skim milk, ick). 

The goal was to rid America’s youth of sugary options that did not promote a healthy lifestyle. Milk was pushed to help students have a more nutritious option that helped build stronger bones and bodies. Young believers must make active choices to rid ourselves of the junk (sinful living) and begin to pursue pure things. We must be willing to change our diet in pursuit of drawing closer to God and seeing His plan for our lives come to fruition. 

With any good diet, if we are to be spiritually healthy we must remove things that reflect our old selves: anger, lying, hypocrisy, envy and gossip. Peter tells us that as new Christians, or young Christians, we must crave the Word of God like a newborn infant. Think of the infant; it cries until something is given to him. We too must earnestly seek God’s word as it provides nourishment to our souls as a newborn seeking milk to grow stronger and healthier. 

As we gain this access to this nourishment, we will start to see a craving for more of God’s Word. This will lead to a desire to seek avenues to grow on our own merit. Christians must learn to begin to feed themselves beyond being served at church by a pastor, small group leader, or an evangelist. Part of “crying out for nourishment” means that we begin to seek ways to pursue growth in ourselves. We must develop a consistent devotional life, find uplifting podcasts, and listen to music that points to Christ.

Down to the Bone, Hebrews 4:12-13: “12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

Have you ever cut yourself really deep? I did it two Christmases ago and it was not so fun, ha! Morgan bought new end tables and while she was gone I thought I would be a good husband and put them together. The metal legs were zip-tied together and I decided to use my new pocket knife to cut the zip-ties. (Such a bad idea). About the time I thought to myself that this was a bad idea, the knife slipped along the metal leg and I stabbed my hand. Oh my goodness, did that hurt. I started to look for super glue because I never go to the doctor’s office. In an attempt to find super glue, I started to look for gauze and tape to wrap my hand. I could not find either of these items so I used a folded up paper towel and painter’s tape to cover the wound. 

To make a long story short, I decided to go to the doctor’s office to get stitches and a tetanus shot. I was also hoping to do this all before my wife arrived back home. That failed and she ended up meeting me at the doctor’s office. There is so much more to this story overall, from my emergency contact to how my wife found out, but I will save that for another day.

We see here that the Word of God cuts us deep spiritually. The more we read God’s word, the more it begins to pierce us and change how we think and act. The word division is significant here because our mind and spirit work against each other. If we are truly committed to growing in our relationship with God, we must submit to the Word of God inserting its way into our hearts and transforming us into a new being. As long as we allow things of the world to influence our behaviors and thought process, we will never reach the fulfillment of God’s plan in our lives. The Word of God is meant to be a tool that cuts away the bad and mends us toward the will of God.

The more we study God’s Word the more we will become aware of issues that are hindering our growth in Christ. The Word of God is living and breathing, which means that it moves in our lives to redeem, transform, and renew us. We must learn to study the Word of God, meditate on it, and let it breathe transformation into our lives. As we develop a commitment to understanding God’s Word, we will begin to seek God’s wisdom, intervention, and guidance in all that we commit to do.

If you are a new Christian, understand that as babes of the faith that you need the presentation of God’s Word in ways that your spiritual stomach can tolerate as you consume it. Like a newborn’s digestive system can only handle the gentleness of mother’s milk, a newborn Christian must develop a tolerance for more substantial food. Be careful to not get overwhelmed in deeper studies to the point of developing a sense of confusion of the Word.

Likewise, as you grow, don’t stick to the simplicity of the Word of God. Be willing to dig deeper and study God’s Word in more profound ways that will stretch and grow your individual faith. God wants so much more for you and as you develop more reliance on His leading and understanding, you will see the Holy Spirit reveal more depths of God’s Word. Commit today to studying God’s Word on a daily basis in a variety of ways so that you will find yourself hungering for more of God’s Word.

Blessings,

Nick Engleman

As always, if you have any questions about this devotional, or would like to know more about Jesus, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at nengleman902@gmail.com, or by phone at 417-808-1049.

Now What? Daily Repentance

Now What?

Daily Repentance-Right Feeling

2 Corinthians 7:9-11

Question: Have you ever felt like you knew something was right?

Intro: One of the best feelings in sports is when you hit a baseball right in the perfect spot of the bat, especially a wood bat. It is almost as if you did not hit anything at all. The ball explodes off the bat and there is no negative feedback from the ball making contact with the bat. It flies off the bat and many times this is the no doubt home run that a hitter hits in the game. As a hitter you know you performed everything exactly right. To be honest, it is hard to explain this moment to someone that is a non-baseball player. 

Spiritually, the feeling that one has when they come to the realization that God is real and that Jesus is His son is freeing. When an individual steps into this realm of humility and forgiveness, the weight is removed. However, this is something each believer must decide to do as an active step in pursuit of a lifestyle of repentance. Jesus told the disciples that if they desired to be His followers that each of them must deny themselves, pick up their own cross, and live like him, daily. (Luke 9:23)

2 Corinthians 7:9-11: 9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. 10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 11 Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.

Sorrow

Sorrow is deep sadness that many times cannot be explained in words. It is this emotional weight that bogs us down to a point that can hinder our ability to move forward and function properly. However, here is the thing about sorrow. Sorrow can actually have an effect on us that can lead to positive change. If you are mourning the loss of someone close to you, that change can mean learning to live without that person in your life. But the sorrow that is discussed here by Paul is meant to express a desire to change something negative in us to something new and promising.

Without remorse, there is no self-recognition that something must be changed within us. Paul writes to the Corinthians here that he rejoices in the fact that they feel sorry for their actions. He is not doing this because he finds it comical, but he is recognizing that they are self-aware in that they must make some changes to reach the standards established by God through the blood of Christ. This is the recognition that they are developing a deeper connection with God as they are becoming more in tune with their actions that are not pleasing to God.

What we should see is a correction of course to continue the pursuit of the path that leads to God’s righteousness. When you feel sorrow for your sins, it is evident that you recognize that God is convicting you to redirect your own desires and actions. It is important that we see this as a need to lean on salvation through Christ and find our worth in what God says about us. This is not meant to be viewed as condemnation, but a renewal of body, mind, and spirit.

As we live in Godly sorrow, it is not about self-defamation, but self-denial and living through the anointing of the blood of Christ. Furthermore, we take daily action to live our lives under the covering of the blood of Christ. Sorrow of this magnitude is realizing that we must make a daily commitment to live in the salvation of Christ.

Serious

If you know me, you will know that I am a very serious person and would never hide behind sarcasm. Okay, if you really know me, you would know that my sarcasm typically is so strong that people sometimes cannot tell whether I am being serious or not. I really enjoy taking advantage of gullible people. (FYI, gullible is not in the dictionary). 

Now, something to know about Paul is that he was someone that wrote with a little bit of sarcasm in his letters. This is not one of those times. Paul is genuinely encouraging the readers for their willingness to become serious about their relationship with God. He sees that they have taken measures to live a life of cleanliness and righteousness before God. They have committed to God’s standards.

As for us it means we must develop a willingness to live our lives wanting what God wants. In this verse, Paul celebrates the Corinthians because of their seriousness to make things right with God. They do not waver away from what God wants for them, but they press on in their faith. Paul’s statement here is to commend them for their faith and actions to pursue a better walk with God. Likewise, we must develop this same sort of zeal to commit to the same daily standard.

When you become serious about your relationship with God, you begin to push and work to find yourself approved in God’s eyes. Part of daily repentance is working beyond the sin of your past and your present to pursue God’s love. It always requires an assertive effort to be honest with your own struggles and your strengths. God does not expect you to be perfect, but he desires obedience, effort, and tenacity in your pursuit of His love and righteousness. Once forgiven, God expects you to take this new life seriously. He expects daily repentance and renewal of your own life.

The point of this new series is to create a practical design to help you to continue to push deeper and further in your relationship with God through the blood of Christ. These should be simple ways to increase your desire to live a life as a believer in Christ. 

Disclaimer: In the coming weeks, each one of these five practices were developed by Ythology founder Jeff Grenell from Minneapolis, MN. I developed my own devotional content tied to his five practical actions of faith that all believers should commit to in their individual walks with Christ.