A Heart for Evangelism

After a very tough week, I decided to rent a movie and stop by a local fast food restaurant to grab a bite to eat. I had a coupon for this restaurant, so it made this idea even better. While I was waiting in line, I met a man who had just completed his work for the day. He was planning to grab some dinner and go home to relax. We did the normal small talk that everyone does while waiting in line. However, he said something that stuck with me.

The man told me that he would like to grab a few beers when he gets home. He did not mean anything negative by this, but I was struck that he relied on alcohol to calm down and relieve his sorrows. Why was I struck by this statement? I responded to him by saying that I typically watch a television show and pray. I was struck more by my response than his original comment.

God reminded me that I am His son, and that He desires everyone to come to know Him personally. I had a great opportunity to tell the man that I rely on God each and every day. Now, I watch a television show to help me relax at the end of the day, but my source of strength is God Almighty. It is through prayer and reading God's word that I find the strength and encouragement to make it through the day. I wonder what would have happened if I told the man exactly what I just told each of you.

I was reminded this week that life is indeed hard, but it is also very short. We may only have one chance to share the Gospel or show God's love to individuals. This is why it is so important that we develop a mindset focused on evangelism. I think a lot of us go through each and every day focused on ourselves instead of on serving God through evangelism. Many of us do not have a heart for evangelism.

It is very sad when we think about it since God has done such a great work in our lives. He has saved us from Hell and provided for our needs on multiple occasions. Take a moment and think back to one of those moments. Do you have that thought in mind? Why then are we different from those who do not know Jesus Christ personally? The difference is that someone cared about us so much to tell us that God loves us and that we are sinners. It is through the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross that we came to know Jesus Christ personally.

If we could get a heart for evangelism and discipleship, then we would see this world change. I added discipleship into the last sentence because I believe it is essential for older Christians to teach new converts about living righteously and following God. In order to develop a heart of evangelism, one must be reminded of who he/she once was and realize that people each day are dying without knowing Jesus Christ personally. This will change our mindset that is focused on us, rather than on others. You don't think so? Ok, when was the last time you thought about who you once were and that there are people around you each day that do not know Jesus Christ? My prayer is that you already have a heart for evangelism, but I realized that I need to improve in this area. I ask that you would pray for me that God would develop this heart in my life.

I will have an upcoming opportunity to share the Gospel on one day as Southwestern fulfills the Take the Hill campaign. This campaign is designed to present the Gospel to every person within an immediate radius of the campus. I am so thankful for a school that places an emphasis on evangelism. Please pray for us as we go out and share the Gospel. Pray for the people we encounter as well that their hearts will be open to hearing God's word. Lastly, pray that we, as a campus, develop a heart for evangelism.

I realize that some of my posts are not easy to digest. Please realize that I am speaking as much to myself as I am to each of you, but the way I see it is that we can relax on evangelism and discipleship when we get to Heaven. Now is not the time to sit on the sideline. We need to get in the game, and we are not limited on the number of people that can be on the court or field. There is an open invitation to serve Jesus Christ. Will you let Him lead you?

Prayer in America

I recently watched an episode of "NBC Nightly News," and Brian Williams mentioned that Americans pray for other countries when tragedies occur especially when a similar tragedy has occurred in America. The tragedy Williams was referring to was the mine disaster in Chile, where a group of miners may be trapped underground until Christmas. America has dealt with this type of tragedy in the past. However, I thought it was interesting Williams said that Americans pray!*

Now, I know that America is a country founded on Christianity and the idea of religious freedom, but I am unsure if the people of our country pray. If they do, are they praying to the God of the Bible or do they have their belief in another god?

I am writing this to make us (Christians) think. We profess to be believers in Jesus Christ, but how often do we forget that He is our intercessor to the One who is above all and conquered all. Jesus Christ is how we can communicate with our Heavenly Father, God Almighty!

I believe that if we pray to see people/souls come to know Jesus Christ personally, it will dramatically change us, America and the World. As you finish reading this post, ask God to allow you to witness to someone today and for us to see more people come to know Him. I know that it is difficult to do and can be frightening, but remember that God is with you and He will provide the words. However, he does expect us to prepare, so think back on when you came to know Jesus Christ as your personal savior and read your Bible to be able to show the person scripture (Romans is a great book for this!).

I am not going to post the Salvation message at this time because every Christian should know this message. However, I am more than willing and would love to tell you the message if you have never heard it before. My e-mail address is chad_rowell06@yahoo.com, and I will respond as quickly as I can. My fear is that there are Christians in our churches today that do not know how to share the gospel with someone else. If I give you that message and you are a Christian, is there a challenge for you to study and learn more? I believe I would be hindering you from doing more for God. Remember, prayer is powerful and changes things.

Lastly, I would like to give you a quick update of my life in Texas so far. The Dallas/Ft. Worth area hit a record high Monday with 107 degrees. I remained inside for a majority of the day, but I still made it to the gym to do a little exercise. I am currently looking for a church to serve at. I have visited two so far, and both were great! I'm attempting to plug-in soon, but I am praying over where God would have me serve. Please keep me in your prayers. Feel free to post any comments on the blog or e-mail me at the address above.

God bless,
Chad

*I should note that I am not upset with Brian Williams at all. I believe he is an excellent news anchor, and I enjoy watching "NBC Nightly News."

It's about time!

If you know me, you may recall that I have been talking about starting this blog since I graduated from Berry College in May. After a summer with the National Park Service at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, I find myself in Fort Worth, Texas attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

My hope for this blog is to keep my friends and family members informed of my new adventure in Texas, but also as a way to encourage anyone who reads the blog. God is already teaching me so much, and I know the lessons are going to be even greater and more fruitful in the future.

I've titled this blog, "Following God in Texas," because I have followed Him to the great state of Texas. I am here because of Him, and He will continue to lead me in the direction He would have me go. I do not know what the next three to four years has in store, but I do know it will be blest by God.

As I finish my first blog post, my suggestion to each of you is to follow God wherever He leads. If you struggle with allowing God to lead you, I believe you are probably one of two types of people. If not, forgive me for making this assumption. These types of people come from moments in my life when I was in that position.

The first type is someone who claims he/she is unable to hear God's direction on his/her life. I realize there are multiple views of how God speaks to each of us, but there is one view I know for certain. That view is that God speaks to us through His Word, the Holy Bible. If you are not studying and praying to God, how do you expect God to communicate with you?

The second type is someone who feels God calling them to do something, but they allow outside hindrances to prevent them from stepping out on faith. If this type of person describes you, I greatly encourage you to pray and seek God's face on where He is leading you. If you know that He is, follow Him. I would like to tell you that following Him is not easy and is a challenge, but it is the most important task you can undertake in your life. Think about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave on the cross to glorify His heavenly father, but more importantly to pay the price for each of our sins. He suffered on account of us, and all God is asking us to do is follow Him and tell others about Him. One of our Deans said the other day at orientation that being in God's will is the safest place to be. I hope that is exactly where you are. If not, pray to God and ask Him to lead you.