It’s been a month since my last update and a lot has happened since then. We had a good time while we were in New Mexico and were able to fellowship with some dear brethren in Christ and spend some time evangelizing and preaching. We were in a little town called Alamogordo. It’s a much smaller town then a city like Dallas. This made it a little more difficult to find area’s where people congregate to preach and share the gospel. However, aside from preaching at the mustang show that I mentioned in our last update we were to go to the local Earth Day festival. Each year in probably most cities there is an Earth Day event to “celebrate” the earth and promote “green” technology and things like that. In some parts of the country this day is almost like a religion to many people. It didn’t seem like that was the case in Alamogordo but it was good to be around a lot of people to share with. Myself and two other brothers went to the event. It was held on the Zoo grounds with Police there so we opted not to open air preach and instead talked to people one on one and passed out gospel tracts. I actually spent almost all my time there talking to just one man. I went and talked to a man who was the organizer/promoter for a traveling basket ball team called the “Harlem Trotters”. They are a like the Harlem Globe Trotters and travel the country putting on basket ball shows. Come to find out the father of the man I was talking to was recently converted and delivered from being a drunk. So this man was open to what I had to share. He listened and even had what seemed to be serious questions about the Lord. As we finished our conversation he asked me if I’d like to come to their basket ball game the next evening and pray for the team. I told him I would come if I could preach to them! He thought about if for a minute and said that would be fine. He gave me a couple free tickets to their basket ball game for the following night. The next day myself and a brother named Tracy arrived at the game early so we could preach to them before the game. Because they were busy we got pushed back and were told we could share with the team during half time. So Tracy and I continued to pray and were able to go into their locker room during the half time. It seemed like the Lord really blessed our time. We had the attention of the whole team and were able to preach the gospel to them. I’m not sure that’s what they were expecting. They were probably expecting someone to come and tell them how they could “do all things through Christ” how “Christ could make them successful in their endeavors”…ect. Not sure but that’s usually what happens at these type of events. Instead we preached on the vanity of life, the foolishness of dreams and aspirations and worldly glory, how God views sin, how God views THEIR sin, and the wonderful grace of God to provided redemption through His Son Jesus Christ. It certainly wasn’t a half time pep rally but we prayed God would use us to bring some sobriety to their lives and cause them to think on Jesus Christ and His eternal kingdom. A couple of the guys seemed to really listen and were even thankful at the end. They had to leave because half time was over so Tracy and I spent some time praying for them before we left. We were able to leave them with some Gospel tracts and some video and audio sermons. It really was a blessed time. It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord can open the doors to preach in places you would never think of.
One of the prayers I’ve been praying much lately is that God would lead me to people that He’s been working in. Those whom God Himself is drawing. Not that we’re not to preach to all types of people as the Lord brings them into our path but just specifically that God would bring in my path those who have softer hearts towards the Gospel. The Lord definitely answered my pray. One day while I was driving around with my son looking for a place to preach we pulled into a park I had not seen before. After I pulled in I started talking with a man and soon our conversation turned towards Christ. He said he was born again years ago but since then has practically led a life apart from the Lord. His marriage had just ended and he had lost his job. He was wondering what to do about his situation while at the park and then we pulled up. It was definitely the Lord. I was able to talk with him about Christ and invited him to the house where we were staying at. He came over a couple times and we were able to spend some time ministering to him. We encouraged him to meet some of the other brethren there and we started meeting with him weekly to go through the scriptures. While we were there we saw a definite change in his life as he began to agree with God’s word about his condition and what he needed to do. One of the brothers there is continuing to meet with him on a weekly basis. We’re praying for a complete work in his life.
Another time I was at Walmart checking out. I began talking with the man behind me. He was trying to quit morphine which he had been on for many years to deal with back problems. I shared with him how Christ had delivered me and my wife from heroin and other drugs. We talked all the way out to his car. He had been reading the bible but from what he’d told me I wouldn’t say he was born again. He just broke down in his car and began confessing all the horrible things he’s done in his life. Most of his grief seem to be from realizing the hurt he had caused others. Though that is obviously important I tried to direct his focus from others to God. Helping him see that it was God who he had offended and ultimately sinned against. That it was God whom he needed to be forgiven and accepted by. I was able to share the gospel with him and pray for him. Unfortunately he didn’t live in that city and was only passing through. Lord-willing God will water that seed and continue to give it increase.
One of the things I’ve noticed as I’ve met different believers and something I shared with a brother while we were in New Mexico is there is a real lack of faith in many of the Saints of God. Sounds like a contradiction but it’s true. As Leonard Ravenhill once said many Christians are “unbelieving believers”. They believe on Christ for their salvation but seem to stop there and come short of all that God has for us in Christ. It also seems that many believers have an unhealthy or unbiblical focus on sin. Though we should understand sin for what it is and repent of it when we do sin our focus should be on the living Christ. It is when our eyes are on Him that we are able to overcome sin and walk in victory. 2 Peter 1:2-4 says:
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
God has given us everything we need for LIFE (abundant) and GODLINESS and it come through the knowledge of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s through knowing God. Life and Godliness do not come through our performance of religious duties or the continual looking at the sin in our fallen nature but through knowing God as He is. This passage also says God has given us exceeding great and precious promises that by these we may partake of the divine nature. It is through faith in God’s promises that we partake of and experience God more and are conformed into His image. God’s divine nature being manifested through us. It’s not dwelling on our own wretchedness or sin nature that causes us to grow in Christ. It is dwelling on Jesus and believing all that God has said in His word. And especially the promises He has given us in Christ. Doing this will bring the abundant LIFE that God has given us in Jesus Christ. . Remember back when you were converted? Seeing your sin brought you despair which led you to Christ. Seeing Christ brought you new life. It no different once one is a believer in Jesus which is why Paul exhorts the Colossians by telling them “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:” You started out in faith…walk day by day in faith….finish in faith. It’s such a simple truth that we so often miss that one way or the other greatly affects our growth in Christ.
After our time in New Mexico came to an end we headed back to Dallas to spend a few weeks helping my mother move and to get a trailer she had offered to get us. Getting a trailer really was an answer to prayer as it enables our family to have a place to stay, if needed, as we travel around the country. Here’s a couple pic’s of our family and the travel trailer before leaving Texas:
The Lord certainly directed our steps as we looked for a trailer. In fact, we had two trailers we were going to look at in different cities and the Lord quickened the name of one of the cities to my wife in the morning we were going to look. One was in Grandburry and one was in Justin. The city Justin was the city that God shared with my wife to go too. We ended up looking at the one in Grandbury first and then the one in Justin. As we pulled up to the one in Justin we were told it was just sold. It was a much nicer trailer and would have worked better for us than the one in the other city. But the man selling the trailer, Ken, said his friend had another one like it for sale so we decided to look more at the trailer. While I was looking at it my wife was talking to him and found out he was a new believer in Christ of about a year and half. He had a glow in his face as he talked about Jesus and how He had changed his life. We told him a little about our testimony and he asked if we would come in and share it with his family. We were able to share how the Lord had forgiven our sins through Christ and delivered us from drugs and the lifestyle that goes with it. Before going into his house he let me attach the trailer to our SUV so I could see how it pulls. I’ve never pulled any type of trailer so I wasn’t sure how it all worked or if our vehicle would do it. As we were driving Ken shared his testimony with me. It’s amazing to see how the Lord can reach anyone He wants to. Ken shared how he was unhappy with life and didn’t know what to do. He said he felt the need to go talk to a man who live close to them whom he knew. This man had never shared the gospel with Ken before. To make a long story short Ken ends up talking with this man who shares the Gospel with him. Ken repents and gets born again! No man preaching to him just God leading him to someone who will preach the Gospel to him in HIS timing. It was a wonderful thing to see this man, who’s over 6 feet tall and pretty built (he was a former weight lifter) shed tears when he was talking about how Christ had changed his life! It reminded me of the scripture in 1 Peter 1:8:
“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
That is one of the definite true marks of all who have experienced the saving Grace God in Jesus Christ. Though we’ve never seen Him..we love Him and rejoice with joy unspeakable! This Christ we at one time had only heard about becomes the Christ we know personally and fills us with His peace and joy.
Though we didn’t get a trailer that day we left rejoicing that we were able to know a brother in Christ and share in his joy in Christ. The great thing was the next day Ken calls and said the buyer of his trailer backed out and we could purchase it if we wanted to. We ended up purchasing the trailer for our travels.
DELIVERED FROM SEXUAL SIN
I wanted to share a testimony of a brother in Christ who recently was delivered from bondage to sexual sin. To me his deliverance powerfully show’s the truth of God’s word and is an example of thorough repentance. While I would never comfort people who are in bondage to any sin that they are God’s children it is true that sometimes God’s children can for a time fall away ; so to speak. I say for a time because those who are truly born of God, the Elect of God, overcome the world. What must be encouraged though is for one to make their “calling” and their “election” sure. The only sure place of assurance is having the witness of the Spirit of God and true faith in Christ that naturally produces a holy life. Well this brother who was genuinely converted had become in bondage to pornography. It was something he struggled with and made him miserable. I can remember talking with him and knowing that he was indeed truly grieved and wanted to overcome it. He was a brother I had been praying for and God had given me the faith to believe he would be delivered. Then one day he shares with me how God completely delivered him! He basically came to the end of himself and fell on His knees crying out to God for deliverance. God heard his prayer and completely set him free. I share this because I know there are many who want deliverance and freedom from different sorts of sins but are truly unwilling to lay helplessly before God and ask for mercy. Though their own efforts have never brought them freedom in the past they continue to seek it their own way instead of crying out to God for mercy in true repentance. Not only was this brother delivered from sexual sin but he immediately began removing and selling all the things that he had purchased and used to try to numb his conscience and that kept him entangled to the world. Mostly things to keep one entertained and put to sleep spiritually…movies, games, entertainment systems…ect. He knows that believers are called to live a simplistic life separated from the world. He truly believes, and I do as well, that God has delivered him in this eleventh hour of the time we live in.
While not all are called to sell their home and travel from place to place we are certainly all called to live a simple life free from the entanglements of this world. It would do well for professing believers, like this brother, to take inventory of their life and see what they spend there time on and how it either agrees or disagrees with the word of God. Though many may not be in bondage to sexual sin there are many who are in bondage to other forms of entertainment or activities that consume their time and keep them from seeking “those things which are above”. (Col 3:1) Dear reader, it would do you well in this late hour to do the same before God and make your calling and election sure. Don’t make the mistake many others do by judging themselves by others instead of judging themselves by the word of God.
TO DETROIT
On Monday we left Texas and are currently on our way to Detroit to fellowship and preach with a brother name Jim. Brother Jim has a web site called www.fleebabylon.com . Lord-willing, while we’re there, we plan on preaching at one of the largest gatherings of Muslims in the country. It’s an annual event which I believe is held in or near Dearborn MI. We figured it would take us about three days to get to Detroit if we took our time. However, here it is Friday and I’m sitting in Kentucky writing this update (about half way there). When we left the Dallas area we drove from maybe an hour and a half and one of the trailer tires blows out on the highway. We called AAA - which didn’t cover the trailer - but they did call a guy from firestone name Billy out to change our tire. Then we tried to start the car but the car wouldn’t start! Apparently you’re not supposed to leave the hazard lights on when the car is off because it drains your battery. So after we got a jump start and had the tire changed we were back on our way. We had traveled about 45 minutes down the highway and another trailer tire blows out! Now I’m thinking were in more trouble because we’re in between cities and we don’t have a spare tire because we just put it on the trailer. I called AAA again and they sent out the same firestone guy. I made sure he brought two tires so I would have another spare. It took him about an hour to get to us. He was surprised to be changing our tire again. I told him that since he had come out twice the Lord must want me to talk to him about Jesus. He told me if I had talked to him the first time I probably wouldn’t have had to have him come back out! I did get to share with him and he was very open. He really did listen and seem as if the Lord had brought another person in my path whom he had been working in. The man said he had been born again when he was 17. Like many he had walked an aisle, said a prayer, and then led a life with NO visible fruit. He was a false convert. I gave him a tract and went over some scriptures with him. He invited me to call him if I come back through. He finished changing our tire and we were back on the road. We stopped in Arkansas at a R.V park and stayed the night. At about two in the morning Ethan started having trouble breathing. Sometimes he gets asthma attacks when he gets sick. We gave him some asthma medicine but it wasn’t working but was getting worse. I took him to the local hospital and they gave him some breathing treatments. It still wasn’t working too well so they admitted him and he stayed there the next two days. Thankfully he got better and we were on our way again. We drove for about 45 minutes and another trailer tire blew out!! This time it was one of the new tires we had just put on. This was starting to get a little overwhelming. Thankfully we had our flat next to an auto place and a man changed our tire for us. I then pulled into a tire place to have them look at the tires. The first two tires were old and they think the third one was just a bad tire. I went ahead and had the other tires replaced as well. I then went to an RV place and had them look at the travel trailer. They said there was nothing wrong and didn’t know why we were having all these flats. We continued on and at about 2 am found ourselves in the middle of a really bad storm with high winds. Never having driven a trailer before it was kinda nerve wracking and dangerous. We pulled over at a RV park and decided to stay there for the night. So currently we’re in Bowling Green KY and have spent yesterday and today at the RV park getting some rest before we head out tomorrow morning. Lord-willing we’ll be able to drive the last 8 hours tomorrow and make it to Jim’s place.
I have to say by the time we where admitting Ethan to the hospital and then having the third flat tire I was beginning to wonder if we were in God’s will and was flooded with all sorts of thoughts of doubt. Not just about going to Detroit but also our family living out of a travel trailer with no permanent home. (Lisa wrote some of the same thoughts I had on her blog yesterday: www.LisaScott.weebly.com ) I realize these were just fiery darts from the wicked one in the midst of our trials. I truly believe, though God allowed, our current trials were Satan seeking to hinder us. I was reminded of how Paul, when seeking to visit the Thessalonians, was hindered by Satan (1 Thes 2:18). The Lord also reminded me how the Apostle Paul suffered all kinds of things, even shipwreck, as he obeyed the will of God for his life. Just because God called him somewhere didn’t guarantee his safe passage or an easy journey. Paul also stated he had no permanent dwelling place (1 Cor 4:11) Not that this is everyone’s call but this seems to be the call of God for us at this time. The Lord greatly comforted me with these verses. The thing is these are truths that I already know and have experienced. But just because you’ve walked victoriously in a trial and know scriptural truth on a subject does not guarantee you’ll walk victoriously every time. We must daily walk with the Lord allowing Him to mold us into the image of Christ through every trial we experience. And certainly the trials ahead of all of us are only going to increase (with greater consequences) as the days get more evil and God begins to intensify His judgments on this earth. Let us be like Paul and realize in all trials, weaknesses, persecutions..ect are opportunities that in our weakness Christ can be strong. (1 Cor 12:9,10) It really is a blessed place to be where the power of Christ can rest upon you and God can be glorified.
If you will, please keep us in prayer as we continue our travels north and for God to continue to enable us to preach boldly as He leads.
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