Are You Looking for Jesus?

Recently, while looking at Matt. 28:5-10, I was confronted with something I had not noticed before and its direct link with witnessing.

Verse 5
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking  for Jesus who has been crucified.”

If you want to see Jesus, you must first start looking for Him. I wonder if these women had any idea what they would find when they went to the tomb? When we look for Jesus, we will always find more than we can comprehend.

Verse 6
He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

Don’t look for Jesus in the grave.  He is not dead and He has nothing to do with dead things. His desire is to bring life. With that in mind we all have to ask, “Is my Jesus dead and on the cross, or is He alive and actually desiring my attention?”

Verse 7
Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.

This is an amazing truth!  Not only were these women were shown how they could find Jesus, but how we can, too. The importance of this point is that the path that we must take to see Jesus requires us to tell others that He is alive.

When we move beyond out church building and into the streets, we can anticipate having a fresh encounter with our savior. The more you begin to share Jesus with others, the more you will receive from Him.

Looking Beyond the Need

As a street evangelist, I am continually looking for opportunities in which to minister. However, this ministry can be overwhelming when you constantly hear about all of the needs that exist. As people come to us asking for food, clothes, furniture, and the like, we must remember our main purpose as Christians. There are certain things, above and beyond the current and the physical, which we must do. Let’s take a look at Acts 3:4-6 (NKJV). As a little background, Peter and John are headed to the temple for prayer. On their way, a crippled man asks Peter for money and Peter’s response is one, not only of compassion, but of power. Now, let’s take a closer look to see how this story should affect the sharing our faith.

Verse 4: And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
Just like the Good Samaritan, Peter and John made a decision to look at the crippled man. Do you take the time to look at people, fixing your eyes on them, looking to see what needs you can detect? Or are you afraid to look at them and see for yourself all the people around you who are in great need of help? Peter and John not only looked at the crippled man, but they also got his attention. We must gain the attention of those we are sharing the Gospel with. However, our message and mission cannot stop there.

Verse 5: So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
Many will take a small step of faith, once they look at us, hoping that in some way we might be able to help them. As small as this seems, this step allows us to share the Scripture, furthering the growth of this faith within them. In almost all cases, they are never looking for eternal life, but we must clean our spiritual eyes so that we might see the needs that their spirit seeks.

Verse 6, part one: Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have…”
There is no way we will ever possess enough silver or gold to meet all the needs around us. Think of it this way: any rich man could easily walk through the neighborhoods we visit and, with the wave of his magic pen, give money and goods to the people of that area. However, when he leaves the premises, the people left behind are still crippled. When we minister to them in the name of Jesus, they have an opportunity to grab hold of the message of Jesus Christ and receive all that He has to offer them, which includes the ability to rise up and walk. Using a little silver and gold can get people’s attention, but will you take the next step once they are looking at you?

Verse 6, part two: “…but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
What do we have to give them that is more valuable than all the treasure on this earth? The answer is faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith in Jesus is the foundation for our authority. Now, we can speak to those who are crippled and say, “Rise up and walk.” The same people who are asking us to do their walking for them can end up having an encounter with Jesus, producing the ability to walk on their own in Christ.

Summary
Sharing our faith is truly an honor and privilege that we have as Christians. Remember, we have what the lost and the hurting need! We can help people physically to the best of our ability, but we must take just as much time (if not more) to care for their much deeper spiritual needs. We serve a God that offers eternal life and so much more. We can direct them to the One that supplies all of our needs – spiritual, physical, and emotional. I pray that this not only informs you of why we witness, but that it births within you a desire and a boldness to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ like never before. Go forth and execute His Word!

Are You Qualified to Carry Out the Great Commission?

Ultimately, every Christian who has made a decision to follow Christ must be willing to proclaim the Great Commission.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

This was the last request our Lord made before ascending into the heavens.  He gave those who wished to follow Him one final instruction; GO.

Do you believe you are qualified to carry out the Great Commission?

With over twenty five years of experience, I have found that most believers do not believe they are qualified to preach the Good News. Most Christians believe they need to be a professional preacher, pastor or evangelist. However, as you study the Bible you will come to an entirely different conclusion.

Jesus did have some qualifications but it is not what you might expect. As you study Matthew Chapter 28, you will find three (3) common qualifications for those He chose to proclaim the Gospel.

Let’s first read  Matthew 28:1-10, 16-17  and see if you can spot these qualifications;

…Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.  And behold a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.  And His appearance was like lightning, and his garment was white as snow;  and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.  And the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.  Come, see the place where He was lying.  And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.  And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report to His disciples.  And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them.  And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.  Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to my brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see Me….But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated.  And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.

When Jesus delivered His speech to those He chose to carry out the Great Commission in verse 19 (see above), He was not just addressing a random group of people.  He was talking to those referred to in the passage above.  He gave His authority to these individuals who possessed these same characteristics.

Three Qualifications For Those Who Desire To Carry The Great Commission (Matthew 28)

They were all looking for the risen Christ.

A.  Vs. 5:    … for I know you are looking for Jesus…

B.  Vs.7:      …there you shall see Him…

C.  Vs.10:   … and there they shall see me…

D.  Vs.17:   … and when they saw Him…

Jesus had just been crucified, but this group took the step of faith and began the search for the
Risen Christ and did not give up until they saw Him.  You will never be qualified to be His witness
unless you have first witnessed the Resurrected Christ.  Have you seen the risen Jesus?

Once they saw Him, they worshiped Him.

A.  Vs. 9:      …and they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him…

B.  Vs. 17:   … and when they saw Him, they worshiped Him…

Mankind was created to worship the One True God.  When these early witnesses laid eyes on the
Risen Christ, they recognized that they were in the presence of God  Himself.  Those that want
to be His witness must worship Jesus as God in the flesh.

They were ready to “GO” whenever He instructed them to go.

A.   Vs. 7:    …go and tell His disciples…

B.   Vs. 8:     …and they departed quickly…

C.   Vs.10:   …go and take word…

D.  Vs.16:   …and the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee…

Our journey with our Lord does not end with worship.  When we complete our time of worship we
must understand that, as long as we live on this planet, our duty is to “go into all the world and
preach the Gospel.”  Are you ready to go?

SUMMARY

The time to evangelize is NOW.  America is in serious trouble. Our politicians cannot save us,
our judicial system cannot save us, but our Risen Savior can save us. We need a revival to break forth
throughout this great land and you are a key ingredient.

We constantly pray for a revival as if it is something the Lord is withholding from us. We pray, “Please Lord  bring us a revival” when the truth of the matter is that we are already carrying a revival . Did you forget that He is inside you?  Did you not understand that when we tell nonbelievers about Him that revival breaks out one person at a time?

For over twenty five years as I have taken the gospel to people on the streets of America, I have seen “individual” revivals take place and it is not because I am something special.. Any believer who has seen the risen Christ, worshiped Him and is willing to go, as He has commanded us to do, can experience the same results, one soul at a time.

You can be the witness God has called you to be.  You can see revival break forth right before your eyes, one soul at a time. The question is, are you ready?

Mardi Gras Outreach 2009

Once again we will be joining Scott Hinkle Outreach Ministries on a return to New Orleans for Mardi Gras 2009. The dates are February 19-25, 2009 (Scott’s dates differ from ours because we leave a day earlier and return a day later).

Scott Hinkle has brought the Good News to urban, rural, inner city and suburban communities of our nation for over 30 years. He’s a proven veteran of New Orleans outreaches and we’re proud to serve under his ministry. Our group in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area will be headed up by Inky Garza.

General info and the application from Scott’s website can be found below (forms are in .pdf format)

General Information
Important Information
APPLICATION
Medical Statement
Things to Bring
Prayer Guide

We will once again have a rebuild/restore construction team ministering during the outreach. There are opportunities for serving in this area as well.

Let’s begin to pray and prepare for another powerful time of harvest on the streets of New Orleans. The Lord will use you and you will not go home the same! Make the sacrifice that will leave a mark for eternity.

Prayer meetings start about a month before we go on Friday nights. If you have any questions please contact us for more info.

Mardi Gras 06 Outreach Video

This video was filmed during our Mardi Gras outreach with Scott Hinkle Outreach Ministries in 2006.

As you watch this video, you should become strongly aware that;

1. If you desire to find a place to share your faith, this outreach provides an excellent opportunity.

2. Many in our nation are searching for something that will buy them peace and joy. Our job is to direct them to the Prince of Peace.

Bonus: Mardi Gras 06 Trailer

Freaker’s Ball 2002 Outreach Video

We joined with the Victory Home of Dallas and took the gospel of Jesus Christ to the concert goers of Smirnoff Music Center on October 31, 2002. We passed out hot dogs and hot chocolate, but ran out early in the evening. However, God showed up feeding the crowds with spiritual food when a spontaneous concert of worship broke out among the evangelism teams. It was truly an amazing scene!

One of my frustrations has always been, “If only the world could experience true worship, then they would experience God and be drawn into His presence.” Well, that is exactly what happened. Hundreds were leaving to find their cars and yet were drawn over to us because of the worship that was taking place. There were quite a few people that allowed us to pray with them and a few who gave their lives to the Lord.

As the worship continued, people kept coming up to us asking what was in the hot chocolate we were serving. They really thought it was spiked. This was a book of Acts experience as we had to explain to them just like Peter did in Acts when he said, “These men are not drunk with wine.”

One young man was so overwhelmed by the presence of God that he literally left his friends to join with us in worship. His friends kept telling him that they were leaving and that he needed to come or they we’re going to leave him there. He did not care. He remained with us till the end of the concert and ended up staying at the Victory Home for the night.

Many times we try to make it easy for someone to get saved. However, the Bible is very clear that Christ requires us to “take up the cross and follow Him. ” This young man lived in Denton and had no idea what he was going to do when his friends left him. The presence of God was so real that he could not pull himself away. He will never be the same again! It is truly an amazing experience to serve God and then to see Him show Himself to those that seek.

Deep Ellum 2004 Outreach Video

For many years a group of us went down to Deep Ellum near downtown Dallas in order to share the Gospel. Every time we went, we had divine appointments with many who had no understanding of who Jesus really is.

Today, Deep Ellum is no longer the “spot” that it used to be; however, what a blessing it was to serve Christ when it was.

Mardi Gras 2003 Outreach Video

This video was filmed 2 years prior to the destruction of Katrina. One of the most obvious aspects of this outreach was the blasphemy towards God and the church which consumed this Mardi Gras.

The blasphemy can be seen in this video by the men carrying a “golden calf”, mockery of the church and the 10 Commandments, and the promotion of the forbidden fruit.

While these actions can be upsetting, we must look past them and reach out to those who mock the Lord. They may not listen, but we must tell them.

Rescue and Recovery Training: Nov. 22, 2008

Straight out of the teaching The Rise of God’s Rescue and Recovery Units comes a class aimed at those who have heard the alarms sounding. Training will be conducted by men and women of God who have received specific insights concerning personal evangelism. The class will be held on Saturday November 22, 2008 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 noon.

If you are not content with sitting in church pews while our nation crumbles and want to answer His call, please join us:

Rescue and Recovery Training
Market Research Dallas Building
2723 Valley View Lane
Dallas, TX 75243

EHW Romans 9:28 Shirts

The EHW CafePress store has been updated. Check out the newest logo tees featuring the verse Romans 9:28 along with Executing His Word logo. [Read more]

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