'AND YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES!"

...AT WHAT POINT IN OUR LIVES DOES BEING GOD'S WITNESS RISE TO BEING AT THE VERY TOP OF OUR PERSONAL LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT PRIORITIES IN ALL OF OUR MOST URGENT ENDEAVORS?

...AT THE END OF OUR LIFE WILL BEING GOD'S WITNESS BE RECOGNIZED AS A QUALITY THAT DEFINES US, AND IS MOST DESCRIPTIVE WHEN OUR LEGACY IS EULOGIZED?

...IN ALL HONESTY???
......I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS VERY MOMENT TO CHALLENGE ALL MY READERS... [AS IF I HAVE VERY MANY?  LOL!]...TO TAKE A PERSONAL INVENTORY  AS TO HOW MUCH OF OUR TIME, ENERGY, AND EVEN DESIRES ARE DEVOTED TO BEING AN AVID PASSIONATE WITNESS FOR OUR HEAVENLY FATHER AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF HIS KINGDOM???

HOW MUCH IMPORTANCE DO WE PLACE ON THE SALVATION OF ANOTHERS SOUL?


"For john truly baptised with water;but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

When they were therefore come together, they asked of him saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times of the seasons, which the Father hath put into His own power.

But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the Earth.

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven...

...But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your you men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

And on my servants and handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy:

And I will show wonders in Heaven above, and signs in the Earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!

AND NOW, AFTER PASSING THE AGE OF 50 YEARS OF LIVING AND HAVING MADE A MULTITUDE OF MISTAKES IN MY LIFE...IT IS MY HOPE TO HAVE GAINED SOME WISDOM ALONG THE WAY!

IN THESE SCRIPTURES FROM THE BOOK OF ACTS, WE ARE GIVEN A LIST OF PRIORITIES AND PROMISES...

FOR THE PROFESSED BELIEVER, THESE PRIORITIES ARE IN FACT COMMANDMENTS OR A COMMISSION...THEOLOGIANS AND BIBLE SCHOLARS REFER TO IT AS THE FINAL COMMISSION, ISSUED TO US BY JESUS HIMSELF AT HIS ASCENSION.

YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES...TO YOUR FAMILY FIRST {JERUSALEM} THEN YOUR COMMUNITY {JUDEA} AND THEN YOUR NEIGHBORS AND ASSOCIATES {SAMARIA} AND THEN TO OUR PLANET {THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE WORLD}

That brings me back to this vision, my perfect world scenario that I've been telling you about...

"AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS!"

I so want to have another shot at getting it right with my wife and kids and now grandkids...and beginning there at home equipping the saints for the work of the ministry for the edification of the Body of Christ...

Yes My first concern is for the eternal souls and their eternal destination of my family...Then we become the nucleus of a local body of Christ, a Church and very possibly a "TRIBULATION FORCE" to have the resources and the ability to carry out that final commission to the most beloved of all of God's precious creation...

Mankind in all of its diversity of race, gender, culture, religion, regardless of sexual orientation, or political persuasion...To the Jew first, and then the Gentile...both bond and free...

God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and to the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord!...For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God!...None are righteous, not one, for all of our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags in the sight of God.

What I'm trying to say, is that none of us is better than the next person, no matter what our social economical background or national origin, physical abilities or appearance, station in life or lack there of has nothing to do with our worthiness in receiving Gods favor or watchcare over our lives.

...We have gotten so caught up in pursuing success and the elusive American dream that we have lost sight of whats important and that is why we see so many fractured dysfunctional families and broken people in our midst today.

...When God gave me the opportunity to start a Church in my Younger days...That is why we made it the priority of our congregation to reach out to what most folks consider to be the dregs of our society...

...That is why I believe That God continues to burden my heart for the outcasts and unlovely...unfortunately we see many Churches today more concerned with the concept of growing mega churches, filled with the beautiful, talented, successful members of our society and culture and we devote massive amounts of money and resources to that end and I'm afraid that many of those folks will be ill equipped to deal with the realities that are surely to come when Jesus returns for His Bride.

Thats why I believe in this vision that God has given me,because this isn't just a plan and a formula for keeping me and mine from the danger ahead but more importantly that we will be equipped with the natural means to minister to those around us that are surely going to be in desperate need of our help...

AND THE MIRACULOUS PART OF IT IS THAT GOD WILL BE GIVING US THE THE SUPERNATURAL POWER AND EQUIPMENT THAT WE WILL BE IN DESPERATE NEED OF TO PULL IT OFF!

THE SCRIPTURES PROMISE THAT GOD IS A REWARDER OF THOSE THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM!

JUST LOOK AROUND AND SEE HOW ANXIOUS SO MANY PEOPLE ARE TODAY OVER ALL OF UNCERTAINTY OF OUR TIMES???

WE ARE SLAVES TO OUR BILLS AND MORTGAGES...WE ARE OVERDOSED AND ADDICTED TO CREDIT...UNHAPPY AND STRESSED TO THE MAX OVER TEMPORAL AND WORLDLY MATTERS INSTEAD OF FILLED WITH JOY AND ANTICIPATION OVER WHAT ALL OF THESE THINGS MEAN IN LIGHT OF WHAT THE SCRIPTURE TEACHES US ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS BEHIND THE SIGNS OF THESE TIMES.

SOON AND VERY SOON, WE ARE GOING TO SEE THE KING...DOES THAT STRIKE TERROR INTO YOUR VERY BEING, OR BRING JOY INTO YOUR HEARTS?

...IN CONCLUSION...LET ME LEAVE YOU WITH SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

...I SUBMIT THEREFORE THAT THE WAY WE LIVE OUR LIVES AND THE THINGS THAT WE SPEND OUR ENERGY ON SAYS FAR MORE TO OUR WORLD THAN ANY WORDS WE WILL EVER UTTER!!!


WHAT THE WORLD WANTS...NOW... MORE THAN EVER IN ANY TIME IN RECORDED HISTORY...

WHAT IT NEEDS MOST!!!

IS FOR US TO SHOW THEM BY OUR ACTIONS AND OUR DEEDS, RATHER THAN TELLING THEM WITH EMPTY WORDS AND PIOUS PLATITUDES!

SHOW ME DON'T TELL ME!

"THE GREATEST SERMON I HAVE EVER KNOWN HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MY EARS...IT WAS DELIVERED WITHIN THE HEARING OF MY CRYBALLS...AND OH HOW THEY DID WEEP!"