WHO AM I LIFTING UP?

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

“Jesus said, ‘And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.’“ John 12:32

Sharing my faith is an expression of who I am. Moreover, it's an expression of who I
believe Jesus is. If I don't share my faith, what value do I put on Jesus and His salvation? If I won the lottery, would I tell someone? If I had just found out that I was going to be a grandfather (which I have) wouldn't I tell people about my beautiful granddaughter (which I do)? We “exclaim” about things we are excited about. When I share my faith, I must be careful I don't make it about the church I go to or my pastor and his ability to preach and connect with people. I was contemplating how I share the Gospel a while back and I realized how much I bragged on our church, our pastor, and our praise team. I did a fine job promoting the church, but I left out the focus. I was convicted of this after I was sharing about our church with a gentleman and his wife (a pastor that had moved into the area). They ended up coming to church to worship with us. I suppose they enjoyed it just as much as I said they would because they continued to come. But there was one particular service where the Lord began dealing with my heart and I went to the man and repented for making it about the wrong thing. He never thought twice about it, until he shared it with a friend of his who also found conviction. The main focus is sharing Jesus because the church may let you down, the pastor may fail, and the worship team can fall apart. Jesus is the one that draws all men to Himself. He is the one changing lives. He is the one healing, delivering and setting us free. He is the reason we celebrate. Our focus should be on Christ and His love. After all, He chose us. He created us in His image. We are able to think, reason, love and have a choice in how we act because we are created in that image. I choose each day whether I serve the god of our culture or the God who created all things, “that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossian1:16-17. God is so much greater than the sum of our thinking and understanding. To give Him anything less than everything, keeps us from experiencing His fullness and faithfulness. He is faithful to His word even when I am not faithful to mine. He is faithful to His character when He provides a way for me to live when I should die in my transgressions. God is faithful to His promises forever even if I forget.

Do you have more to say about the church you attend. or Jesus, the foundation on which it is established?