Reaching Your Neighbors

Bert Elliot is a missionary friend of mine in Peru. He and his wife, Colleen, have given their lives to the people of that country. He told me that they often traveled up to tiny little villages in the jungle. And the simple Word of God got into those people's minds and hearts. Bert and Colleen began to see people come to the Lord and be baptized. They planted the Word of God. They started over 130 churches.

Jesus said in His Commission, "Go and preach the Gospel" and that's what they did. They just kept going and going, wherever they found a contact, there they were. People would say to them, "My cousin lives over in so-and-so village. Would you go over there?" So they would go with the contacts the Lord gave them, and the churches just multiplied.

Bert and Colleen shared the Good News Gospel with their neighbors, and you can do it, too! Proverbs 4:11-12 says, "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble."

Why don't you walk through your neighborhood today? Pray for each house as you pass it. Greet each family you see. The Lord will guide your steps and open doors for you to share His Good News. You will see fantastic things happen in your life. Try it!

Our Spiritual Act of Worship

Bert Elliot is one of my heroes. He's the brother of Jim Elliot, the famous missionary who was martyred in Ecuador in the 1950's. Bert told me that there came a time in his life when he wanted to discover the will of God. So he began to pray. He asked God to show him what he had in mind for his life.

Bert said, "If you can handle those big stars up there and the planets and keep them all in order, surely you can keep my life in order." So, in 1949 he and his wife were studying at Multnomah Bible College when a missionary, who worked in the jungle of Peru, visited the school. He invited Bert and his wife to go back with him, to work in the jungle. So they did. And that's where the Elliots have been ever since.

Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship." That's what Bert Elliot did with his life. And that's what you, too, can do with yours.

Offer yourself to God! He might take you halfway around the world, or He might leave you right where you are. But there's no question that He'll use your willingness to touch many hearts with the Good News of Jesus Christ! So let him do it!

How Well Does Jesus Know You?

Today I want to tell you another story of a couple missionaries who are my personal heroes. I think the world of them. Bert and Colleen Elliot. You've heard a lot about Bert's brother, Jim Elliot. Jim's the famous missionary who was martyred in Ecuador. But, his brother Bert's life has been very different.

I've often joked with Bert saying, "with due respect, if you want to become famous, become a martyr. If you want to be ignored, plant 130 churches." It's sort of a funny thing to me: If you get killed for Christ they'll make a movie and write a book, and perhaps rightly so, but the ironic thing is that you won't know about it because you're in heaven. But if you stay on earth and persist and plod on, you often don't get the same kind of attention.

Well, Bert and Colleen are one of those couples that faithfully plod along - even when they're not well-known. In heaven, I bet they are famous!

This couple went out to Peru as young newlyweds. They've planted over one hundred churches during their years in South America. And they are two of the most honorable, humble missionaries you could ever meet. They're just regular people who obey the Great Commission. Jesus said in Mark chapter 16, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

You don't have to go to the jungle to serve the Lord, but you have to reach out to people in your life. Who will you reach out to today?

Forgiveness Equals Love

I love hearing about people who've had a dramatic change in their lives, never to be the same again. The Bible tells us that this happened to the apostle Paul. He was gloriously transformed. Saul was his name before his conversion, and he was adamant in his relentless persecution of Christians. He wasn't nice guy, although he appeared that way to the outside. Intellectually, mentally, and socially, he was brilliant, but his heart was full of wickedness. Yet after his conversion, Paul became the greatest servant of God, probably in all of history!

Paul later wrote, "I'm ready to die for Christ. I want to experience his sufferings. I want to experience his resurrection. I'll do anything for my Lord Jesus Christ." Paul's passion and love for Christ came from knowing how much he'd been forgiven. The Bible says that "whoever is forgiven much loves much." Paul loved Jesus Christ because he knew how wicked his own heart was, and what the Lord had cleansed him from.

All of us have hearts that need to be forgiven and made complete. Perhaps you have an evil streak that no one else knows about. But God knows, and He wants to set you free through His Son, Jesus Christ. Will you receive this free gift? It's the gift of God that comes into your life when you open your heart to Jesus Christ. So, invite Him right now, receive Him, and your life will change.

The Problem of Pride

Have you ever been totally humiliated? Saul from Tarsus was! In the book of Acts we read about his most humiliating experience -- which also turned out to be the most important moment of his life.

It says Saul was riding on a mule to the town of Damascus, looking for Christians to persecute. Now, Paul was rich. A mule in those days was like a Mercedes Benz today. So he's trotting on his mule surrounded by all his assistants and body guards - and suddenly, he hears a voice like thunder. It's the Lord Jesus Christ telling Saul to stop persecuting Him.

Saul quickly realized he was nothing before Almighty God. Yes, it was humiliating; a major crisis. But it was a necessary humiliation for Saul to see the light of Christ.

I think many people resist Jesus out of sheer, unremitting pride. There is a tendency to say, "Who? Me? A sinner? No way am I a sinner." Paul certainly thought that way. But when he was converted, Paul met the power of God and his pride was extinguished. His life was gloriously changed from being a self-focused to a Christ-focused person.

When we let the Lord into our minds and hearts, it's a glorious experience! Don't let pride get in the way of an encounter with Christ and God himself. It's the most liberating way to live - it's the only way to truly live!