Hello Friends! We've been traveling, singing and sharing the Gospel of Christ all over this country for four years now. As a music evangelist, I have a unique perspective on church. We're serving in different churches every week. This includes all different denominations as well as non-denominational churches and inter-denominational functions. It's very interesting to see the differences, as well as note the similarities in worship styles and ideals in the church today. I did not go into this ministry with any expectations, I mean to say, I answered the call the Lord placed on my life with a resounding "yes"! I excitedly embarked on the work the Lord had for me to do with whole-hearted eagerness because I truly love what He is calling us too. Singing and sharing the Word of the Lord is something I've always felt drawn to do. Having that in mind, I pray daily, that the Lord would have me share His message and nothing more. Not share my agenda or personal opinion, but share His words wherever we go. I pray the Holy Spirit would fill-up my being so I can be an effective tool for His Kingdom. I also read the Holy Bible daily, and then study and listen to Biblical material to prepare for our ministry time and to grown in my own faith. That truly is my daily focus.
With that being said, I felt led to share some thoughts for us to consider as Christ followers today. Here are some questions for you to ask yourself;
1. Do you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life?
2. If your answer is no, then why do you think that is?
3. Do you think you feel Him occasionally but not consistently?
4. If you feel and hear from the Holy Spirit do you follow His leading?
5. Do you think it is important to be sensitive and obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit?
*6. Are you actively growing and maturing in your Christian faith?
In the United States, approximately 70.6% of the total population claim to be Christians in 2014 according to the Pew Research Foundation. I won't break down further the number of peoples who belong to this or that denomination or particular line of thinking. I'm just going to assume for the purpose of this blog, these folks are believers and followers of Jesus Christ and believers of His word the Holy Bible. In the societal time in which we live in, making that assumption may be a mistake, but lets not quibble that detail now, lets just go with this thought process.
If a very certain majority of the people in this country believe this way, why is our government, (a representation of it's people), passing un-biblical laws? Why are so many of our churches empty and closing? Why are there people in our churches acting and speaking against biblical fundamentals? Ah the questions could go on and on here. Clearly this is a widespread topic that is much too big of a bite for me to chew on all at once. The answer of course is sin, disobedience to the Holy Spirit of God.
What can be done about these problems is the same answer as to *question number 6 above *. The answer is a very real presence of the Holy Spirit in our personal, every day lives, AND an obedience to His leading. This very large important subject is an umbrella under which I would like to point out just a couple of things for us to consider. As Christ followers, we need to be both encouragers and witnesses.
We need to be encouraging fellow believers including our Pastors. Spurning one another on in the faith. We should be attending church services, praying with and for each other, corporately worshiping together and giving of both our time and money offerings. We should be uplifting our Pastors and praying for them daily. We should seek ways to cooperate and be good teammates with our church leaders and fellow Christians, for we really are on the same team! We are not called to criticize our Pastors or each other or secretly plot against one another. We are not called to tear down but to build one another up.
So should we also be witnessing to our family and friends about the saving power of Jesus. Telling people one person at a time, what the Lord has done for us and what He can do for them. Inviting them to church is a great start. Be a friend to them. Show love, forgiveness and kindness, all the while remembering you are a representation of Jesus and acting accordingly.
As a final thought, I remind you that none of us are perfect. We will make mistakes, the key is to daily invite the Holy Spirit to be present in your life, and then listen and obey His prompting. Daily prayer and reading of His word is crucial to growth and maturity in your personal walk with the Lord. This is how we learn and become sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Now make it a point to plant a seed for Christ today. Go today and encourage and witness in the hopes of expanding the Kingdom of God one soul at a time! I pray for you today to invite and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Take care and God bless!
Prayerfully Yours,
Pudgy Girl
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