Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song, images, and lyrics from Steve Green singing People Need the Lord … poignantly singing of how all Christians are called to share God’s life-changing Gospel with others who are lost or some who need to come back to The Lord.
Our Holy Calling As Gospel Witnesses
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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Timothy 1:8-9 [ESV] ... 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, …
… Paul charges Timothy to follow thru with the holy calling to share Christ which had been placed on Paul and Timothy by God’s Spirit.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2 Timothy 1:6-14 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… The Apostle Paul declares from scripture that NO ONE is righteous in this world.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:19-20 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Christ’s “Great Commission” and charge to all Christian disciples as He ascended back to Heaven after the resurrection.
Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [ESV] … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
… Jesus, when He ascended to heaven, called all disciples to be His witnesses.
Reference Passage : … Romans 1:16 [ESV] … 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
… The Apostle Paul showed that he was not afraid or embarrassed to witness his faith to anyone, just as we should be in our world.
Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:1 [ESV] … 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, …
… The Apostle Paul clearly declares the calling on all Christians to live lives worthy of His love thru our witness of His Gospel.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Alyson Kieda, uses a story of a convict, converted to Christ to witness his faith to other prisoners while in prison. … The ODB author wrote: Teenage gang leader Casey and his followers broke into homes and cars, robbed convenience stores, and fought other gangs. Eventually, Casey was arrested and sentenced. In prison, he became a “shot caller,” someone who handed out homemade knives during riots.
Sometime later, he was placed in solitary confinement. While daydreaming in his cell, Casey experienced a “movie” of sorts replaying key events of his life—and of Jesus, being led to and nailed to the cross and telling him, “I’m doing this for you.” Casey fell to the floor weeping and confessed his sins. Later, he shared his experience with a chaplain, who explained more about Jesus and gave him a Bible. “That was the start of my journey of faith,” Casey said. Eventually, he was released into the mainline prison population, where he was mistreated for his faith. But he felt at peace, because “[he] had found a new calling: telling other inmates about Jesus.”
I so identify with stories like this ODB entry; because, 35+ years ago, I was in a “sin prison” of my own making and angrily rejecting any Christian who tried to witness to me. But thru a wondrous set of events [too long to describe here], God hounded me and finally broke me to surrender my life to Him. And now, somewhat like the Apostle Paul called a disciple, Timothy, I have been called to help others to find the truth of the Gospel in Christ and develop an abiding relationship with our Lord, … being freed from the prison of sin as I was so many years ago.
And during this Holy Week, I pray we all heed the calling on all our lives as witnesses to God’s love in Christ, … from the Scriptures above, …sharing God’s love and grace, thru Christ’s Great Commission, and helping others find the freedom they can have by surrendering their lives to our Lord. Yes, … as Steve Green sings in the linked song, so many “People Need the Lord.”
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for showing me the way to find freedom from my sin nature in my relationship with You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to take every opportunity the Lord will give us to share the Gospel with those who need His love and saving grace. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>
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