I am excited and encouraged to share with you!

Yesterday I interacted with a friend who just returned from some weeks abroad. While in that unnamed neighboring county (that has been impact by atheism, socialism, and poverty) he and his team of 12+ shared the gospel with over 350 souls and over 300 people decided to give their lives to Jesus. Such amazingly wonderful news. Now, nationals of that nation are going back to connect these new believers in Jesus with the Word, Spirit, and community… This friend of mine, who went abroad as a gospeler, is close to my age.

Today I had a similarly fantastic interaction with a friend of mine who is a dentist. He is closer to the age of a grandchild of mine. He recently graduated from dental school and is now licensed in two US states. How is he spending his time? He is volunteering with a local humanitarian Christian organization and offering his medical/dental services for free to the neediest, most underserved people in our region.

I know these men, one “old” and one “young,” because they both sometimes go out and share the gospel with our Jesus Outreach Teams in greater Portland. Both men not only help people physically, but they also communicate Jesus’ message wherever they go.

The first man is a retired business executive who could be enjoying Margaritaville somewhere or simply golfing his brains out. But, instead, he serves his family, the addicted at the downtown mission and goes out and shares Jesus with internationals on our local team and abroad. He could be ‘making bank’ as a financial consultant or investor. Instead, he serves the poor and the broken. What an example he is.

The second man is intelligent, single, attractive, multilingual, and most personable. He could be getting rich as a young dentist and wooing women who want to marry a professional man who provides security. But no. He is out serving, giving his time and skills to those with nothing, for free, in Jesus’ name. When not doing that, he is with our team or another, taking the Good News to pre-Christians. What a role model he is.

The first man is well situated and has options but works as a humble evangelist. The second man is full of earthly potential but elects to be an unpaid minister of Jesus’ reconciliation.

“Wonderful.” you say, “That’s great.” “Good on them. I am glad that these talented, educated men of privilege are working as slaves of God. But my situation is different. I am not especially intelligent or educated, I am poor, unwell and lack the options of the elite. My life is so modest by comparison.” My response is this: I feel you and Jesus calls all of us to fully submit to His Lordship on a day to day, moment by moment basis. No person, young or old; rich or poor; healthy or ill; preliterate of graduate school educated, is free from the challenge of God to serve Him unreservedly.

How does this apply to you?
#1) If you are living outside of relationship with God, you must submit your life to Him and start imitating Jesus in every single area of your life. To not do so is folly. (Click on “Jesus” in this site to learn how to submit to Jesus.)
#2) If you are a Jesus follower and you have been wooed into believing that this life is about your comfort and security, you must repent and begin to serve diligently in Jesus’ Kingdom.
#3) You and I are not exempt. We will all, very shortly, stand before God and give account for how we invested our time, abilities, finances, relationships, sexuality… Invest your life in service to God and His purposes.

Now, in conclusion, read the words of Jesus (below) and ask yourself, “Who am I in this story?” and “What will I do now?”

“He (Jesus) looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4