Discipline of Witness

I just heard the most fantastic sermon on witnessing. Here is a gathering of my notes-


We were enslaved in sin, now God owns us. Meaning when I feel fear of man coming upon me I can push it away with the knowledge that I am not my own.


It doesn't matter if I evangelize in a certain way or if I make Christianity look good! God does the work! I am just planting the seed. What ground it falls into is all up to Him who made us. I don't know about you but that is a comforting thought!


One of my greatest temptations with sharing the Gospel is that I desire to rush things. I want it in my timing and I really really want to see results quickly! Sometimes we just don't see any result at all and that is the way our Father wants it. We must remember that God intended us to speak out but the way he uses our speech it is up to Him and we can trust that it is already going according to His plan.


If you think about it when someone is in the army they will spend most of their time in training right? Oh yes, the fighting may be exciting and worthwhile but he/she has to train and work very hard. It is the same way for us! The prospect of witnessing to someone is appealing but if we don't focus on the way we handle the relationships we have at present how will we glorify God when we meet someone in need?


We should never feel mundane in our daily life! We are training and preparing for the work we do for God. Honestly I want to practice as much as I can.


Many times I have told myself not to do something a certain way and then failed miserably. I have found that trusting my own heart is NOT wise at all. It must be purified and molded by God's hands only. Not by my own!

XoXo

Faith Mae

Discipline of Good Deeds

I personally have never thought of doing God's work as 'good deeds.' However Barbara gracefully showed me that they are submission's industry. So if we have been working on submitting we can tie this chapter right in.

Would it not be wonderful to be known for service? We all see people around us who are like this. Always ready to do something for others. Not to mention going out of their way to assist. Here are some things to keep in mind-

Our appearance- Dressing for the occasion. Not shabby but also not appearing too 'classy' to serve.

Our means- Using our recourses. Money, talents, knowledge. Anything that could be of help.

Our purpose- For the 'sake' of the church. For the 'sake' of the world! For God's glory.

Jesus has us perfectly supplied to do good things for everyone. Not only is this for His glory but for our own mind. If we are thinking about others, how can we think about ourselves?

I don't know about you but there are a few people I would not be inclined to shower my goodness on.

Now what? Yes, change of heart. But how?

I read the coolest thing. Write down all the things you would do for someone who you really desired to help.

1-Bake cookies

2-Ask them over for coffee

3-Offer to babysit And so on.

I think first we must decide who it is that we would NEVER do this for. Our neighbors? Co-workers? Friends? Family?

This woman Linda made a list almost like the one above. Gradually she did each thing and was blown away by the response she received. Her judgment had shadowed the truth. The family she served and got to know was indeed going through hard times. However Linda pushing away her pride made for a very special relationship. A year later Linda was crying not because of something these people had done but because they were moving out of state.

Notice how God blessed both sides of the story! Do we ever think well I'm going through so much right now I just can't serve anyone? I never thought about the fact that I'm feeding my own soul by doing the work of God.

We have so many privileges. So much to be thankful for. And because of that the opportunities are endless.

XoXo

Faith Mae