Now that I know...

Some of you may know that the past 15 weeks, I've been taking a college class called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Honestly, I wasn't really interested in the class, mainly because it cost money to take it and I'm rather...well, cheap. My sister wanted to go check it out and I was willing, because the first 2 classes were free and sure enough, just after sitting in the first class, their trick of luring me in had worked. I decided I would enroll in the class and commit the next 15 weeks to this class, every Tuesday night in hopes to learn some interesting information.

Well, last night was the last class of the course and I not only left the class with interesting information, but a better understanding of God's heart. 

A heart for the nations. 

Yes, as a child, I would sing...

"Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. 

Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.

Jesus loves the little children of the world."

As I sang this song, I truly believed that Jesus loves every single person in the world, but I didn't realize that He wants me to be a part of His redemptive story by having a heart for the nations.

Now that the class is over and I've racked my brain of all the statistics, where does it leave me?

You would think I'd be at the finish line, with my arms lifted high in the air in celebration of this great course and being done with homework, but I'm not.

In actuality, I'm just at the starting gate. 

With all of this life changing information, I can't simply pass the baton off, but I have to keep running. 

With all of this information, I am held responsible to use it.

The truth is, the world will not come to know the truth of Jesus Christ with the mindset of, 

"well, I'll just sit here and everyone else can get busy telling people about Jesus."

You know why?

Because there is a good chance, a lot of other people are thinking the same thing, leaving no one to make disciples of all nations.

I hope all this doesn't sound like gibberish to you, but the main idea is this:

If we know that there are hurting and lost people out there, searching and longing for hope,

how can we possibly sit idle and do nothing about it?

It's completely different if we don't have a clue about what's going on in the world, but if we do, we are held responsible for doing something about it.

God calls us to love and to serve.

This class has opened my eyes to the importance of reaching out to others, whether overseas or at home, and sharing the hope we so dearly hold onto...Jesus Christ. What a privilege it is to know that God wants me a part of His team. He wants you to be a part of His team, too.

With that being said, I need you to do me a favor. Would you, please?

Will you pray that I hold onto all the information I have learned, instead of it going to waste?

Will you pray that I continue to hunger for God and His glory among the nations?

I would love for you to email me and ask me how my walk with the Lord and my quest to love the nations is going, that way I can be held accountable!

I really appreciate your prayers & accountability, but this isn't all about me...it's about you, too!

Will you declare with me, this.....

"Lord, by your grace and for your glory, I will commit my life to obeying your Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."), wherever and however you lead me."

We should trust, submit and follow.

The class coordinator warned us the first night of class...."this is going to change your life," and man, was he right! If you are interested in taking this class (which I highly recommend), check out www.perspectives.org to find a class near you. 

Thank you again for your prayers & accountability!

Don't forget to pray for the unreached people group of the day!

Here are some of my other posts talking about the Perspectives class:

Blessed to be a blessing

In the construction business 

Can you do me a favor?

Can you do me a favor?

 

You might have noticed something new to my page...

Notice it?

If not, look to the left of the screen...it's a blue box...yep there it is!

 

So here's the deal.

You may know that I'm taking the Perspectives class where we talk about fulfilling the Great Commission and where we fit in.

The class isn't just about being a missionary, but simply changing our mindset and looking outside of ourselves and our own little world and realize that there is a world out there that needs to know the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

In Matthew 28:10 Jesus tells the disciples and us, to go to the ends of the earth, teaching, baptizing and making disciples. God wants everyone, not just Americans or Africans, He wants everyone. All nations. All cultures. All ethnic groups. all people.

 In order for people to learn about this good news of grace, God wants to use you and me to spread it.

 

You may be thinking, "Chelsea, I am not going overseas. I have a career and family here. I'm not cut out to be a missionary."

 

I say, "Whoa, slow down. I'm not recruiting you to be a missionary, however, if that's what God is calling you to do, you need to do it, despite your concerns. When God calls you to do something, you better do it. It's a privilege to be called to further His kingdom and guess what? We are all called to tell people about Jesus. We just may not all be called to go overseas and that's perfectly okay, because surprisingly Christianity is growing faster in Africa and Latin America than it is here in America."

 

With that being said, there are still many unreached people groups that need to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

So I'm asking you a favor...

Even if you're not called to go overseas to spread the Gospel, will you pray that others who are called will be obedient?

Will you pray that the hearts of the unreached people groups will be open?

Will you pray that these people will have visions of Jesus?

Will you pray that they will feel God's presence in everyday life through a sunset or a bountiful harvest or the birth of a baby?

Will you pray that these people and missionaries will be protected from harm?

 

Everyday that box will change to a different people group. Maybe you would like to commit to praying for one specific group for the rest of the month or year. Perhaps you would like to pray for a different people group each day. Either way, these people groups need to know the good news that is life changing. God hears our prayers and we don't need to jump on plane to make a difference, we can make a difference by lifting these people up in prayer.

 

If you want to learn more about unreached people groups, just click on the box on the left side. The Joshua Project is dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission and discovering the unreached/least-reached people groups.

 

Will you pray for these precious people right now?

Go on...you know you want to.

Taking the dunk

So I've been praying about what I should blog about today and I finally figured it out (obviously haha). I only blog when I feel really led to write about something. Earlier I wasn't feeling tugged so I started reading other blogs and it hit me...the past 3 days there have been a lot of baptisms!

 

Baptism comes from the Greek word, baptisma which means washing. To Christians, it's more than just washing, it's a public display of how Jesus has washed your sins away and you are turning away from sin (repentance). Baptism doesn't save you, faith does, but it is important in our walk with God. You are giving your life to Jesus. You are trusting in Him. Because of His crucifixion and resurrection, you are saved from death and given eternal life! Romans 6:3-6 explains the importance of baptism very well..."Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—"

In fact, it's more than just a public display or symbol of repentance...it is a command. Matthew 28:19 (aka The Great Commission) says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." Notice those are red words in the Bible which means that's what Jesus said! He told his disciples this after He was raised from the dead. He wasn't just telling the disciples, but it's meant for every believer!

 

Saturday night at the worship service I went to, the pastor invited anyone who wanted to get baptized that night to come on down to the front. Let me tell you, I'm thinking there were at least 30 young adults...maybe closer to 50. I just know it was a lot for such a short amount of time! It was amazing!!  Yesterday at church, there were people getting baptized as well! Then today I was reading blogs and read about a mother who has 2 young daughters who got baptized yesterday too!

 

Getting baptized may seem intimidating, especially if you are getting dunked in front of hundreds of people, but it is such an awesome and rewarding thing to do, especially since Jesus calls us to do it! I'll never forget when my nieces and Goddaughter were baptized...it's such an amazing thing to experience. I even cry when I see strangers get baptized! There is so much power in it.

 

What is even cooler, is that Jesus not only calls us to do it, but He did it TOO! Luke 3:21-22 says, "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Isn't that awesome?! I think so.

 

“We may never be martyrs but we can die to self, to sin, to the world, to our plans and ambitions. That is the significance of baptism; we died with Christ and rose to new life” ~ Vance Haver

 

Have you been baptized? If so, tell me about it...I'd love to hear!

 

If you believe in what Jesus has done for you and have not been baptized, I encourage you to really think about it...talk to your pastor or a mentor or even me! Remember Jesus, himself, said to get baptized...so just do it! :)

 

Today's scripture for the year long Bible plan is Matthew chapters 27 & 28.