.shockwave challenge - day 26

I called customer service at beachbody.com just a little while ago to check on an e-mail I had gotten from them about P90X.  While on the phone, I wanted to order some new resistance bands to beef up my workout some more, so my customer service rep, Frank, helped me do just that.  After he took care of my order, he asked if he could do anything else for me.  I knew the whole time I was talking to him that I was going to ask him the million dollar question and so I did!  He said he knew he wouldn't go to heaven because of the wrong things he's done.  I shared the gospel with him and asked if I could lead him in the prayer.  He said, "I would love that!"  As I started to lead him in the prayer he was suddenly aware that the call was being recorded and he could get in trouble with his job for saying it aloud.  I told him what to pray and he promised he would say it after we ended our call.  He thanked me for asking and told me that a few days ago someone had asked him a similar question and he'd given them the same answer.  He was under the impression that you must repent from every single one of your sins after you commit them in order to get into heaven and if you didn't repent before you died, then you wouldn't make it.  After hearing the true gospel, he was ready to confess Jesus as Lord!

Maybe you too could take advantage of a phone call today and share the gospel with the person on the other end.  It's a perfect way to do your shockwave challenge.  Let's be more aware of the opportunities that present themselves and seize them!  In Acts 3:12 (NLT), after Peter and John healed the lame man at the gate called Beautiful, a crowd gathered.  The verse says, "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd..."  Be on the lookout for opportunities and then do something with them!

.shockwave challenge - day 25

Wednesdays are usually a day where I would have to "on purpose" go out to meet someone to share the gospel.  I have been sharing my faith on such a regular basis now that I've been praying for God to bring people to me so that I can share with them.  I believe that the more open we are to sharing our faith, the more God will trust us to do just that and He will make sure opportunities come our way.  For example, about two weeks ago, we were sitting at home watching TV and we got a knock on the door.  Kristen answers the door to find that there are two kids selling candy bars.  Well, I bought one of their candy bars and then they proceeded to walk away.  After I shut the door, Kristen looked at me puzzled and asked, "Aren't you going to share the gospel with them?"  I laughed and said, "Yeah!"  Then I opened the door and stopped them halfway down the driveway.  They didn't know if they would go to heaven and so I shared the gospel with them and led them in the prayer of salvation.

Today, I ate lunch at home and didn't go anywhere other than work, so I had already decided I would have to go out somewhere after service tonight to do my shockwave challenge.  Well, guess who shows up to deliver a package?  The UPS guy!  So, I took advantage of the opportunity and shared the gospel with him.  He said he didn't know whether he'd go to heaven.  After further conversation, I discovered that he went to church and that he had already confessed Jesus as his savior.  I was able to encourage him that getting into heaven is based solely on confessing Jesus as Lord according to Romans 10:9.  Before he left, he thanked me profusely and said, "I needed that!"

We should never hesitate to share the gospel with others.  I don't know how many times this UPS guy has made deliveries to churches or the homes of Christians, yet how many of them have taken the time to share the gospel with him?  I know that there was a time when I wouldn't have either.  But today's a new day.  I'm a life-giver and I'm taking the shockwave challenge.  What about you?

.silenced by selfishness message

Here's the link to the message I did a few weeks ago on Shockwave.  Hope you're encouraged to let God create an explosion within you that results in a God kind of shockwave to your world!

Shockwave: Silenced by Selfishness

.shockwave challenge - day 24

After I left work today, I decided to stop by the park and hand out some invitations to church.  I approached a lady at the picnic tables and learned that she was already a believer. She asked me to pray for her family, so we caught hands right there and prayed together.  Afterward, I saw a group of 8 guys about to play basketball and I walked in and stopped them before their game to invite them to church and ask them the million dollar question.  One of the guys remembered being interviewed for a video we did for our Easter service this year about heaven and hell.  I found out later from Harry (one of the student interns that interviewed him) that he didn't want to receive Jesus that day, but he was so receptive today!!!  Seven of the guys prayed the prayer of salvation with me for the first time...and he was so pumped about praying that he placed his hand on my shoulder and grasped one of the other guys there as well.  You should have seen those guys after we said, "Amen!"  It was hilarious!  It was like they just won the NBA championship!  They were jumping and grabbing the rim and one of them said, "Did you see that?  I couldn't do that before!"  Ha!  Now, I'm not a proponent of "Jesus will make you run faster and jump higher," but something happened to that guy.

I was equally enthusiastic about their decision to accept Christ, so I immediately began looking around for anyone else to talk to!  There was no one around, but after I got in my car to leave, I saw a young lady walking toward the Community Center, so I rolled down my window and got her attention.  She wasn't sure that she'd go to heaven, so I led her to Jesus right there...true drive-by evangelism!

It took me about 15 minutes to make a short trip through the park and talk to people and as a result, 8 people were saved.  Could you give God a few minutes of your time to share the gospel with someone today?  There's nothing to lose!

.shockwave challenge

Three weeks ago, I issued the Shockwave Challenge to our church:  Share the gospel with at least one person a day.  For the past three weeks, I have done just that.  I have prayed with 25 people to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  I met one lady in Wal-Mart who didn't know she was going to heaven when she died.  When I asked her if she would like to know, she said, "Of course!  How do you know for sure?"  I presented the gospel to her and she called upon the name of JESUS!  I met five guys at the park one Sunday afternoon and after I asked them if they needed prayer, one of them said, "Yeah, you can pray that we'll go to heaven!"  How about an open door of opportunity!  They all thought that you get into heaven by doing good works.  After I shared the true gospel with them, they all trusted Jesus as their only way into heaven.


I've had the opportunity to pray for so many strangers and their needs.  I've prayed for family members with cancer, people with physical ailments and financial needs and I've seen God prove Himself faithful to His word.  He said that He would be with us as we go into all the world and preach the gospel and that He would confirm His word with signs following.  I've seen Him do that time and time again.  I prayed with one lady who had just broken her hand and was scheduled to have surgery the next day.  After I prayed for her, she could move her fingers with no pain.  John 14:12 says that believers can do the same works as Jesus.  It's time for those who believe in Jesus to start being Jesus to their world!


I'm committed to the Shockwave Challenge.  Will you?  Let's see what God can do when His body actually takes Him at His word and steps out in faith to reach others.


For some excellent outreach resources, including a script of how to lead someone to Jesus, go here!

.to save a life

I watched the movie To Save a Life a few weeks ago.  I have to admit that I was completely blown away by this film.  I was expecting another Christian movie with subpar acting and film quality and what I got was an excellent flick with superb acting and Hollywood film quality.  In many of the Christian films I've seen, the themes and plots have been great, but it's been hard to get past the production quality and acting.  Kudos to everyone involved and to writer Jim Britts for the compelling theme that has revolutionized my youth ministry.  We are in the middle of doing a series based on the film right now and we've already seen change in how our students treat each other and how they want to impact their schools with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  If you haven't seen the movie, go rent it or better yet, BUY IT TODAY!

http://www.tosavealifemovie.com/

.1981

1981, in my estimation, is probably the most historic year ever. The first IBM PC was introduced. The DeLorean sports car was invented, thus making way for one of the greatest movies of all time, Back to the Future. Pac Man was introduced in the US. The first space shuttle, Columbia, launched. MTV made its first appearance. Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married.

Of all these events, none comes close to matching the greatest event of all. My wife, Kristen Alissa Forrester (Barbour) was born. On this day, 29 years ago, she made her first appearance. I was 19 months old then. I don't remember what I was doing or where I was, but I do know that my soul-mate and best friend breathed her first breath and would ultimately take my breath away. She made her grand entrance into this world and would later make her entrance into mine. She left her fingerprints on a piece of paper and later would leave an imprint on my life. I'm a better man, a better husband and a better father as a result of what happened on August 11, 1981.

Happy Birthday, Kristen! I love you with an undying love!