Why are You a Christian?

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

If someone asked you, “Are you a Christian?”, what would you say? Probably “Yes.” But what if they asked, “Why?”

That’s where a lot of us have problems. I could be stumped if someone asked me that and tempted to say something like, “Well, my parents raised me as a Christian” or even, “Because I believe in God.” But lots of people believe in God, and what if my parents had raised me wrong? No, that is not the reason I am a Christian. When it really comes down to it, what would I say? What would you say?

The True Definition of a Christian. The reason you are a Christian is not because you do good things like go to church or read the Bible. It is not because you were raised in a “Christian” home or nation. It’s not even because you believe in the concept of God. It is because you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the King that will reign for eternity. Your faith in Jesus is what makes you a Christian—pure and simple.

The Proof. Look at this contrast of two men as proof. Jesus was hanging on the cross between two criminals. Can you picture them? Neither of these men were “good” people, but they had very different attitudes toward Jesus. The one made fun of Jesus, saying, “Aren’t you supposed to be the Messiah? Prove it!” But the other one was deeply humble and replied, “We deserve to die; this man doesn’t.” Then he turned and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). That’s the clincher: He truly believed that Jesus was the Son of God. And Jesus’ response is the proof that salvation is by faith alone: “I assure you today, you will be with Me in paradise’" (Luke 23:43).

Let It Sink In. Your salvation—eternal life when you die and the complete forgiveness of your sins—is not a matter of good deeds, family heritage, or general belief in God. It is founded on your belief that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He will come back to bring you into His great kingdom. Let this simple fact be the answer to those who ask you why you are a Christian and give you great peace.

Apply It: Explain to someone this week the true definition of a Christian.

So this week, let us pray that:

• We would understand the true definition of a Christian
• We would be able to share it with someone else
• Global Media Outreach would look to Jesus for its direction and example

THANK YOU so much for your prayers. God loves you!

The One Cure for Loneliness

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls'" (Matthew 11:28,29).

You ever feel lonely? I do. It’s amazing how you can still be lonely even if you are surrounded by people. It proves that the hole is only filled from feeling truly understood and accepted: from being unconditionally loved. So often I—and maybe you—try to fill the gap with things that do not fill at all. It’s like pouring water in your car’s gas tank and expecting it to go. Maybe you’ve been trying to fill the gap with success or relationships. But you still can’t shake the loneliness.

Jesus wants to fill that gap. The Bible talks about the concept of “a friend that sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). The picture is of a friend who is committed to you through thick and thin. Imagine going through a really hard time where everyone leaves you, but your one friend stands by your side and says, “I love you. I’m committed to you ‘til the end, and I’m never going to leave.” That’s the kind of friendship Jesus offers you.

Jesus never leaves His friends. When people criticized his disciples, He stood up for them. When they did stupid things, He was patient with them. Even when they abandoned Him at His death, He came back to show them He was resurrected. But the greatest act of His friendship was taking on the worst death possible to save their lives. He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Did you know that you are one His friends if you believe in Him? Jesus is the one that is never going to leave you, criticize you, or misunderstand you—and He wants to be your best friend.

Just starting talking to Him today. Tell Him how you feel. Tell Him what you need help with. Ask Him your questions. If you call out to Him, He will answer you. His friendship is the gasoline that will truly fill your tank.

So this week, let us pray that:

• Jesus will become your best friend
• We will be good friends to others
• God will pour out His Spirit on all those coming to the Global Media Outreach sites

THANK YOU so much for your prayers. God loves you!

May God bless you.

What to Do When You're Doubting

When in Doubt… There are a million different endings to that phrase, but God’s message to you is When in Doubt, Don’t Fear. Joshua was a guy in the Old Testament who had just inherited the nation of Israel from Moses, and his task was to get about a million people to cross over the desert and into their promised land. Also, there were giant warriors in the land that he would have to defeat—and everybody was to afraid to go. Talk about a time when you would be kept up at night and want to turn back! But God’s message to Joshua over and over again is: “This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

When You Are Afraid The uncertainty of life can be very scary sometimes. Mortgages, family problems, health issues: they all cause us stress. In addition, normally the things God asks you to do are outside of the lines of what you think you can do. They are too big. But that gives Him a chance to show how He can do anything, despite all of your weaknesses. He didn’t tell Joshua, “Don’t be afraid, because I have made you a great leader.” Or, “Don’t be afraid, because the enemy is weak.” No, He said, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). Basically, Don’t be afraid, because I have it under control.

So your mainstay is not your abilities, but God’s presence. What are you facing? Foreclosure? Divorce? Kids going astray? Job or relationship difficulties? If you just depend on yourself, stress is inevitable, because everyone deep down doesn’t believe they have what it takes. And you don’t! But with God, He can supply what you need. Paul said, “And I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Take a moment right now and release your doubt to God. Let it go like the tide of the ocean goes back into the sea. And in its place, take in the security that God is completely by your side. Remember, He promises: “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). When in doubt, don’t fear.

So, this week, let us pray and ask God to

• Help us not to fear, but to trust Him with our lives
• Let us be a true example of Jesus to others
• Give Global Media Outreach creative ideas to reach more people

THANK YOU so much for your prayers.

May God bless you.

The old has gone, the new has come!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Have you ever seen someone with a radical transformation? You might see before-and-after photos of a person who has gone through a huge change. Or maybe you hadn’t seen a friend in a while and when you do, they have totally changed for the better. “What did you do?!” you ask. “Well let me tell you…” they reply.

That is the kind of testimony people are looking for about Jesus Christ. You can preach do’s and don’ts until you’re blue in the face, but until someone sees a truly changed life, they may not listen. But if they see your life radically changed by Jesus, they will definitely want to know what happened to you. And then you can tell them. Have you heard about Jesus? He has absolutely saved my life.

But sometimes we get scared and keep it to ourselves. How mean would it be if you ran into a friend with health issues and, just having figured out to solve your own, you refused to tell her the secret? But that’s what some of us do with Jesus. He is the one who has greatly changed our lives—and not ourselves—but we see others in need and don’t tell them the cure. Psalm 107:2 says, “Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others He has redeemed you from your enemies.” In the Proverbs, God gives us this warning: “Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. Don’t excuse yourself by saying, ‘Look, we didn’t know.’ For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve” (Proverbs 24:11,12).

What You Can Say? Just tell the truth. I once was this way, and now I am not. And the only change is that I accepted Jesus as my Savior and He has turned my life around. It’s the truth, and it’s not that hard to say. They will be so attracted to your changed life that they will consider your claims of Jesus. And if they are willing, you can tell them of this promise in the Bible: “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Romans 10:13). And you can lead them in the life change that you experienced.

Don’t be afraid to let people see your before-and-after photos. Your testimony is one of the greatest things you have. Don’t hide the before or the after. Ask God to help you use it for His glory.

So, this week, let us pray and ask God to

• Help us reach more people for Jesus Christ
• Give you and each of us more boldness to tell others about Christ
• Bless your friends and family

THANK YOU so much for your prayers! God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life.

May God bless you.

What sin won't Jesus forgive?

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

The Ultimate Stain-Remover Have you ever gotten a stain on your shirt that you thought would never come out? I’ll never be able to wear this again, you think. But then you use a stain remover, and it miraculously comes out. That is a small picture of the power of Jesus’ blood to cover your sins. Ephesians 1:7 says, “He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.” No matter what you have done, your life is not ruined if you let Jesus forgive you entirely.

Because that’s what He wants to do. The problem is many people do not believe this deep down. Maybe you think that there are things you have done that are just too bad for God to forgive. You come to God with a sin-stain on your shirt and say, “There’s just no way You can get this out.” But Jesus takes one look at that stain and it as if He says, “You have no idea how powerful My blood is.” He told us His guarantee in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Notice the words faithful and all. Faithful means He will forgive you every time you ask, and all means He will make you completely clean.

A Worst-Case Scenario Have you ever seen how on TV, stain-remover commercials show the worst-case scenarios? Paul was a worst-case scenario for God’s forgiveness. He went around helping to kill Christians—God’s own children. But God not only forgave Paul completely, He gave him one of the greatest callings on earth: telling the Gentiles about Jesus and launching the Christian Church. If you wonder if God can forgive you and still use you for His glory, Paul is proof. Paul later wrote of God’s incredible love and forgiveness, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

What stain do you have that you think Jesus can’t cover? Take it to Him today and ask Him to forgive you. He shed His blood so that He can cover your sin and make you completely clean.

So, this week, let us pray and

• Confess our sins to God and ask Him to forgive those sins in the name and power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
• Ask God to touch one person in our lives -- and give us boldness to tell them of the forgiveness they can receive in Jesus Christ!
• Ask God to protect our staff at Global Media Outreach and help us reach even more people for Jesus Christ

THANK YOU so much for your prayers for our ministry.

May God bless you.

Forgiveness of sin

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

We must learn to forgive each other. Because nobody is perfect—not me, not you. The word “forgive” means “to release — to let go.” If you want to have a relationship that lasts more than 6 months, you’ve got to learn how to let things go. Otherwise, it’s loneliness and bitterness for me and you. You see, relationships are like cars. Sometimes they need repair. Wear and tear, constant mileage, accidents: cars need attention to keep working. And just because you have to take it to the shop and spend some money doesn’t mean you should abandon the car. It has years and years more to go; it just needs a little work done from time to time.

Relationships are just like that. Sometimes it’s just taking the car in for a regular service—like asking, “Have I done anything to offend you? How can I be better? I love you.” Or maybe it’s something more serious—like a major offense. But if you want the relationship to last, you have to make things right. You have to forgive from your heart. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

If you want God to forgive you, you have to forgive others. There’s no way around that. Jesus said, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14,15). God is not going to forgive you for your many sins if you are not willing to forgive someone their relatively few sins against you. What if your child refused to share his cookie with his brother but expected you to give him most of your dinner? You wouldn’t want to teach him that kind of behavior.

God wants us to forgive each other, because He has forgiven us. Who do you need to forgive? Maybe it’s a relative you don’t even see anymore; maybe it’s your best friend or spouse. No matter who it is, the same action is necessary. It’s not always easy, but it is rewarding. Forgiveness will free you from the burden of bitterness and help you have lasting relationships. It will also allow you to receive God’s forgiveness. Take a moment today and ask God to help you forgive all those who have wronged you and thank Him for His incredible forgiveness.

So, this week, let us pray and

• Thank God for His forgiving all our sins in Jesus Christ
• Ask God to help us forgive others who may have sinned against us
• Ask God to give Global Media Outreach wisdom on how to reach even more people for Jesus Christ

THANK YOU so much for your prayers! 

May God bless you