What Would You Do?

Let's say that you were in a situation where you could share the gospel or be quiet. Let's say that sharing it would lead to your death. It would also mean eternal life for someone else. Would you shut up or keep talking?

Thousands upon thousands of Christians worldwide are faced with this question regularly. I know what the right answer is, but am afraid that i would mess up. Would you give up your life to change someone else's outcome for eternity? If someone else gave their life for you to hear the gospel message, would you listen. Jesus did, and the apostles did too.

Matthew: died by sword or axe in Ethiopia.

Mark: died by being dragged by a horse through the streets of Alexandria, Egypt.

Luke: hanged in Greece.

Peter: crucified upside down, said he wasn't worthy to die like Jesus.

James the Just: Thrown off of the temple roof (100 ft up) and didn't die, then beat with a club. This is said to be the same temple in Matthew 4 that satan tempted Jesus on. James was also close to 94 years old when this happened.

James son of Zebedee: beheaded, it is said that the guard got saved and also beheaded after hearing him defend his faith in Christ.

Bartholomew (Nathan): flayed by a whip to death in what is now Turkey.

Andrew: crucified on x shaped cross. Reported to have said, "I have long desired and expected this happy hour."

Jude: shot with arrows

Matthias: stoned and beheaded

Barnabas: stoned in Salonica

Paul: tortured and beheaded in Italy

Phillip: crucified

Steven: stoned

John: boiled in oil in Greece (and lived, supposedly unharmed :), sent into slavery, then released and became bishop.

These were some of the more well known desciples. There were and are countless others from then and now. Think about them next time you feel uncomfortable sharing the gospel. Chances are, none of these things would ever happen to you. If you want to know what the gospel is about contact me on the blog. Or check out this site: http://www.lostseed.com/meet-jesus/get-saved.php

So not worthy,

tony

sources: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=death+of+the+apostles+of+jesus&aq=1&oq=death+of+the+apostles&aqi=g2

Mighty to Save

One of Lainey's favorite songs is Mighty to Save. I love hearing her sing it. There is something about a little 2 year old sounding voice saying, " foreva, autor of balbation... my God is mighty to save he is mighty to save." I wish you could hear it. This song truly moves me everytime i hear it because it is just so true. He is mighty to save...to save us from anything. So many times we think of just being "Saved" in the say the sinner's prayer sense, but he is really beyond that. He opens the doors to our lives in a nick of time and can save us from anything going on in our lives. He can move mountains. I think back to some kids in our youth group that were just not like "normal" kids. I found out that they weren't. God is mighty to save because when these kids gave their lives to him, they got a future of hope. Some of them may have ended up in jail, in depression, in dead end exploitive relationships, or just dead. God is Mighty to save and i am awed at how he can fill in hurts with an abundance of His grace, mercy, and love. Now these un "normal" kids are leaders in the group. They were once the misled, confused, obnoxious, disturbing students and God's grace has transformed lives once again. I can't wait to see what God is planning in their lives. I am proud of them as i am all my students.

Waiting-

tony

p.s. If you have never heard mighty to save check it out on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08YZF87OBQ

God Was Here

I was in a bathroom and noticed some writing on the wall. People have a need to feel noticed. "John was here" That is what it said, and when you think of it, lots of places say "_______ was here." Do we really need to let people know where we were and come on, a bathroom, wow...no way John; you were really in a bathroom at a rest area? Why not save the graffiti for the really special places, like the top of Mt. Everest, or the Grand Canyon. Maybe even at the homeless shelter you might volunteer at or something like that. (just a disclaimer, i don't endorse actually doing this, i'm just speaking tongue in cheek) This week our students went to camp. I expected a couple of kids to make decisions to get closer to God, but i never expected 2o% of them to get saved. It was awesome! God truly was there and i wanted to write it in the bathrooms of the college campus that we were at, but didn't. It was great five got saved and several others made choices to make missions part of their lives. That was just as awesome to me as the decisions to surrender to Jesus. God was there, God was here and will continue to be. Don't doubt that He can't work on a person or situation. The greater the sinner, the greater his grace.
His forever,
tony