That Time of Year

Well it's that time of year again. The time of year where we start traveling...a lot. Right now we are gearing up for our trip to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, GA. I was looking at my schedule of the summer and writing down when I would be home. A week here, and few days in this month, and all of a sudden it's August, when we get ready for school. I'm not complaining mind you, but sometimes it seems a little overwhelming when you look at it all at once. The Lord is faithful and gives us the strength we need exactly when we need it. Please pray for us during our travels, that the Lord will keep us safe and would prepare our way to our destinations.

A Ready Answer

Today I was talking to a friend of mine who is a graduate of The Ezekiel Project School of Evangelism (TEPSE). He shared with me an experience that he had this past Sunday. He stopped off at a local gas station to fill up, as he went in to pay he left his Bible on the front seat. A man came in and asked whose car it was that was parked in front of the gas station. My friend said it was his and the man replied by asking him if he was a Christian, having seen the Bible. This stranger suddenly opened up to my friend about his problems. This man said that he heard a TV evangelist tell the audience that if they would send just some money to him their problems would go away. This man was frustrated and just wanted peace. My friend, who is a skilled evangelist, used some of his training he received while at TEPSE and asked a very poignant question to this hurting man. He asked him, “If you were to die tonight would you go to Heaven or Hell?” The man answered back that he was not sure. My friend then proceeded to share with this man how he could know for sure he was going to Heaven when he died. By God’s grace this man accepted Christ right there in the gas station. Even though my friend is not in the ministry has taken the things he has learned while here at TEP and applied them to his everyday life. He has fulfilled the commandment that the Apostle Peter lays out for in 1 Peter 3:15, “…always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…”

An open mind

In the school component of TEP, I have been teaching Systematic Theology 2. Specifically, we have just finished the doctrine of election. Growing up, I thought this was a bad word and knew that it was surrounded in contraversy. In contrast, as I've been working with Jon I realized that not everyone has had this experience. Jon told me that he hadn't thought about the doctrine much. As we studied this topic it was clear that he had a completely open mind as to what the Bible actually says about this subject. In past classes, it has taken a while clear up misunderstandings and confusions about this topic before moving on to a positive affirmation of what the Bible actually does say. But with Jon, we just dove right in with minimal bias. After a few minutes in became clear that election refers to God's choice that every person in Christ will go on to future blessings and rewards. How simple these matters are when we have Jon's attitude--"Hmm. I don't know. What does the Bible say?"