Author: Dena Green

“How to” Witness and Resources (Back to Basics Series)

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by Dena Green

Acts 1:8  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

You can live your life in front of others in such a way that they know you are a believer, whether it be a work, school or in your community interaction.  There is definitely a place to let our actions to speak louder than our words.  But I recently heard one of my favorite preachers say that “it is the power of the gospel that saves someone”.  We can equip ourselves with a few simple tools and the Word of God to share the gospel. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God will do the work.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association breaks down how to share the gospel into 4 simple steps.

  1. Tell them about God’s plan—peace and life. God loves you and wants you to experience the peace and life He offers. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). He has a plan for you.
  2. Share our problem—separation from God. Being at peace with God is not automatic. By nature, we are all separated from Him. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God is holy, but we are human and don’t measure up to His perfect standard. We are sinful, and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
  3. Talk about God’s remedy—the cross. God’s love bridges the gap of separation between you and Him. When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave, He paid the penalty for your sins. The Bible says, “‘He Himself bore our sins’ in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed’” (1 Peter 2:24).
  4. Our response—receive Christ. You cross the bridge into God’s family when you accept Christ’s free gift of salvation. The Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

To receive Christ, a person needs to do 4 things:

  • Admit you’re a sinner.
  • Ask forgiveness and be willing to turn away from your sins.
  • Believe that Christ died for you on the cross.
  • Receive Christ into your heart and life.

Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” Here’s a prayer you can pray to receive Christ:

pexels-photo-213316“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In your name, amen.”

There is more insight on witnessing available on the Billy Graham Evangelical Association website.

Our pastor recently shared the 3 Circles: LIFE CONVERSATION GUIDE app that is available on your smart phone and it would be a great tool to illustrate the gospel presentation above. Another phone app that is available is SHARE JESUS WITHOUT FEAR which give you steps to walk through when sharing the gospel.

Shake the fear that is holding you back.  To be successful at most things in life, we must equip ourselves and practice and then do.  It is no different with sharing the gospel.  Prepare yourself spiritually.  Get a plan.  Follow the Spirit’s leadership.  SHARE!  The truth of the Gospel is never wasted on anyone.  It is God who gives the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:5-9 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.  He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Romans 10:17  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 

Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation

Other resourses on witnessing:

3 Ways to Share the Gospel

3 Easy Ways to Share the Gospel

The Mathematics of Faith

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by Dena Green

2 Peter 1:3-8 – His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

God has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.  He granted his precious and very great promises that we may be partakers of his divine nature.

With my financial work background, I think of a grant as money given to an organization to be used in a certain way whether for research or to provide a good or service.  It is set aside for a specific purpose and is to be used for only that purpose.  It is for the betterment of society and to benefit a specific need for some individuals or group of people. (food pantry, classroom need, school band, social program, medical testing and research to name a few)

As related to the verses above, all of our needs are granted through Jesus Christ in order for us to glorify HIM.  He granted us precious and very great promises so that we may partake of his divine nature.

  • God gave us faith and we are to grow in that faith.
  • We are to make use of our faith.
  • Our faith is precious and came at a high price to Christ Jesus.

We are to keep adding to our faith –

  • Virtue
  • Knowledge
  • Self-control
  • Steadfastness
  • Godliness
  • Brotherly affection
  • Love

Just like funds given to an organization are to be utilized, we must use our faith.  Our lives will be spiritually richer and better off and those around us will benefit as well when we share and grow in our faith. Unlike a financial grant, the great and precious promises that God has granted to us are eternal.

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. Philippians 1:29

Back to Basics: Witnessing

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[I’ve got my mint green tea today. Dena has some precious truths and stories to tell. Grab your coffee and settle in to read with your journal and a pencil. ~ Editor]

by Dena Green

Philippians 1:3-5 “ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Jesus’ last words to the disciples at the end of the book of Matthew were to go and make disciples. To share the gospel with others. Just like Paul and Peter and Barnabas and so many others we read about in scripture, we as believers are to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. Paul called it a partnership in the gospel. These men lived in a much more hostile environment to the gospel than we do, and yet they boldly proclaimed the gospel.

pexels-photo-389401The thought of witnessing to others can be intimidating and scary to say the least. We can think of all kinds of excuses to not share with someone when we are not comfortable. I don’t really know what to say. I’m too shy. I’m just not comfortable doing that. I don’t want to offend them. What if they are ugly to me and reject me? What if they say no that they don’t want to be saved or they want to wait and think about it? What if I don’t say the right thing?

Let’s take the “I” and the “me” out of it. It is not about you or me when we share the gospel. It is about Jesus. A person is not rejecting you. They are rejecting Jesus, so we can’t take it personally.  Yes, rejection is very hard to take, but it is not our responsibility to decide who may or may not say no, only to share.

I Corinthians 1:4-6 says that we were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in us. This means we have been given everything we need in Christ, including the enablement to speak effectively for him. The enabling takes place the moment we accept Christ.

Often, we are not comfortable doing something unless, first, we try and then continue to practice it until we are comfortable doing it. Baby steps lead to bigger steps and more boldness. The same is true in witnessing and sharing the gospel. The very first time I sat down with someone to share the gospel, I was trembling with fear that I wouldn’t say the right thing or would leave something out. We must trust that Holy Spirit will go before us in everything we say. He is the one who does the work. We are the vessel that he uses. Follow his leading.

man-holiday-people-faceOne Sunday morning my sister followed the Holy Sprit’s prompting. Instead of attending church, she felt very strongly that she should go and talk to our daddy about his salvation. You see, he was dying with cancer. We had been praying for him for many, many years to come to Christ. He was harsh and hard to deal with and had rejected many attempts by others to share the gospel and the invitation to come to Christ.  But not that day. She was scared and anxious about what response she might get. But as she gently talked to him about his need for Jesus and about her concern for his eternity without Jesus, he said yes. Right there on the back porch swing, with her two little children beside her, she led him to Christ. My niece, who was very young at the time, said, “It’s easy Granddaddy, Mama will help you.” Just a little over three months later, my daddy stepped into eternity with Jesus.

There are so many people that we come in contact with every day that need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. People who are going to step into eternity without Jesus. We do need to prepare our hearts and be equipped to share the gospel. We will talk about that later.  Know that God has “enriched” us. We’ve got what it takes through HIM. Come on partner, let’s do this!

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Do You KNOW?

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Pastors will often ask the question “Do you know that you know that you are saved and that you will go to heaven when you die?”  I struggled with that question for many years.  “Am I really sure?” “Did I say all the right things when I prayed the sinner’s prayer?” “Did I leave anything out?”  I would sit in church services at invitation time and literally have a battle going on inside of me.

unashamedRecently, when our church had “Unashamed Sunday,” where people are invited to ask Jesus to be their savior and to be baptized that morning, I was reminded of those years of wondering and worrying and I rejoiced in the fact that I no longer toil over those questions. I DO know. YES! I have assurance of my salvation and I will go to heaven when I die. I no longer deal with those doubts.

I walked the church aisle when I was 13 years and I gave my heart to Jesus. I was baptized. I loved God’s word. I loved Bible study. I prayed. I wanted my life to reflect Christ. I lived my life as a Christ follower. But there was still that doubt that I couldn’t shake.

There came a point in life when I just needed to settle it. I didn’t want to say the sinner’s prayer again just to make sure. I wanted to KNOW. I began to look at what the Bible said about faith and salvation. I wrote scripture on cards and reminded myself what God’s word said. I kept the cards close and anytime doubt showed up I used the WORD of God to confirm my faith.

Romans 10:9-10 – Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Yes! I did that many years ago.

I familiarized myself with verses about faith and learned the definition of faith. Faith- complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

I John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ephesians 2:8- For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

Hebrews 11:1– Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

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Salvation comes from Jesus Christ alone through accepting the free gift of his blood sacrifice for our sins. Confess, repent and believe.  We don’t have do the right things, or say the right prayer.  We don’t earn it because it’s not of works.  “We must personally and fully rely on the death of Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins… The faith God requires of us for salvation is belief in what the Bible says about who Jesus is and what He accomplished and fully trusting in Jesus for that salvation[1].” Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The word of God, when I took hold of it every time a doubt entered my mind, cleared up any question of my salvation. It CONFIRMED my salvation.

The enemy would have us to walk in fear and doubt regarding Jesus and salvation. He can rob us of peace and assurance if we allow him to. But Jesus comes that we may have LIFE. And have it abundantly.  When we accept Jesus as our savior through faith, we are HIS!  We are sealed as His until that day that we get to see Him face to face. HE paid the price and we can’t add a thing to it.

“ For I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.” 2 Tim. 1:12

[1] https://gotquestions.org/definition-of-faith.html

Family “Get-together”

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by Dena Green

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Psalm 128:2

When we want to catch up with friends or family, what do we usually do?  We plan a dinner date or a cook-out or special meal at our home.  We celebrate holidays, birthdays, or special events with meals together.  When was the last time you invited the members of your household to a meal at your table?  TV off, cell phones and electronics put away, out of sight and hearing distance.

In the Bible,  many times we see Jesus having meals with people.  Meals with his disciples, his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  It is part of our Biblical heritage as meals together are mentioned all through the Bible.  God gave feasts for his people to observe “together” in remembrance of Him. Important things took place at meals.

Meals together are so important for a family. It is a time when we can teach our little ones table manners and how to act and behave at the table. They can see you pray as a family over a meal and realize the importance of giving thanks to the Lord for all he provides for us.  They learn concern and compassion for other as each person or only one shares something about their day, good or bad.  It is a place to connect as a family for a few minutes out of the day and for the kids to share with mom and dad about anything on their minds.

pexels-photo-48607Is meal time always pleasant?  Absolutely not!  Many times when our children were younger,  we came to the table and had tears and frustrated parents and moody teens.  Meltdowns occurred because they didn’t want to eat.   Big brother picked on little sisters and little sisters annoyed their teen siblings.  Some days, we wanted to throw in the towel and give up.  But many, many more times we came together and had belly laughs over something funny.  We laughed just because someone else was laughing and not really sure why.  We took time to pray for an upcoming test or a classmate going through a rough time. We prayed over family issues or a sick loved one.

Your meal time may not look the same as other families’, but find what works for yours.  Be deliberate and persistent. Don’t feel overwhelmed or guilty.  If you don’t feel you have time, start with just one meal and work toward it becoming a habit. This is an important investment in your family and the dividends will be well worth your efforts.  Even secular studies report the positive benefits for a family that connects during at least a couple of meals each week. Check out this Washington Post article.

As a mom, I fought against distractions and activities to have meals around our dinner table as a family, and we managed to get together at least a few times each week in spite of school events and other activities. Even now, with older and two married children, we try as often as we can to catch up with one another with a meal at our house.  We have the best times together! If you feed them, they will come!

Psalm 127:4-5  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 

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Whispered Lies From the Enemy

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by Dena Green

I recently spoke with a lady about some issues she was going through in life.  She was at a point of having to make some adjustments because of a medical condition and wasn’t really looking forward to those changes.  We chatted on about growing older and how we don’t like to make those changes in our life but they are necessary.  The conversation turned a corner when we began to talk about the Lord and where she was in her relationship with Him.  Big tears welled up in her eyes and she shared that she had regrets about some bad decisions that she had made in her past.  She didn’t feel that God could forgive her and that He condemned her for all of the “things” in her past.  She felt unworthy of His forgiveness.

This precious lady was a believer.  She knew Jesus, but was so wrapped in self-condemnation, that she hadn’t truly grasped the truth of HIS forgiveness.  She had believed Satan every time he whispered an ugly lie.  She walked into church thinking, “If they only knew, they wouldn’t even want me to be here.”

Oh my, how the Holy Spirit met with us that day!  He began to bring to mind scriptures that this precious soul needed to hear.

She needed to hear that Jesus forgave her sins…no matter what or how many.

I John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I Cor. 6:11 – “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

She needed to be reminded that Jesus doesn’t condemn her and that she is not to walk in self-condemnation. 

In John 8:11, Jesus told the woman caught in adultery that he didn’t condemn her and to “go and sin no more”.  This lady was so relieved that Jesus didn’t condemn her for her past.

She needed to embrace and receive the freedom of forgiveness and to walk in that freedom.

John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

She needed to listen to voice of truth and not the whispered lies of the enemy.  She needed to hear the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kiss and destroy.  I came that they may have live and have it abundantly.”

My new friend received healing that day for the sins that she was afraid to confess.  The Lord restored her heart and she forgave herself.  She gained freedom in knowing that Jesus forgave her sin and didn’t hold it against her.  Her tears of pain quickly changed to tears of joy and she left with the joy of the Lord shining on her face.

Have you lost sight of the truth about past sin?  Do you need to be reminded that no matter what, your sin is forgiven?  Do you need to be reminded that you are a daughter of THE KING.  He loves you and He paid the price for your sin.  You don’t have to carry the burden of sin and self-condemnation.  You can walk in freedom by leaving it all with Jesus.  Don’t let the enemy rob you of that freedom.  Listen to the voice of truth in I John 1:9 rather than the whispered lies of the enemy.

“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.”   Isaiah 61:3

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Taste and See…

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by Dena Green

Free stock photo of spoon, glass, honey, jar

God’s Word  is “…sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” Psalm 19:10

My husband and I became beekeepers a few years ago.  It sounded like a fun hobby with the great benefit of having the delicious honey to eat and share with family and friends.

We quickly found out that there was much work involved in getting the honey from the hive to the jar.  The honey does not just flow from the hive straight into the jar. We have to open the hives on a regular basis to check for anything that might harm the bees and to make sure they are healthy and producing honey. After removing the honey from the hives to extract it from the frames, we have to uncap, or remove the wax that holds the honey in the frames.  That’s when you see the beautiful, golden honey. The frames are then put into the the extractor or centrifuge and spun so that all of the honey is removed.  After that, we can open the spout on the holding tank and the pure, sweet honey can flow into the jars.

The Bible says that God’s word is sweeter than honey and the drippings from the honey comb! If you have ever “tasted” God’s word for yourself, you know this is true.

To taste the sweetness of His word, we must take the time to “uncap” the word and hear what the Lord is saying. Be patient.  Pray, read, study, be still, listen.  Partaking of the Word takes time and some preparation on our part.  What joy we can experience when the Lord reveals Himself to us in a new way, or answers a question that we have wrestled with. He may speak peace to your heart over a situation in your life or give you a word to share with someone else. There may be a revelation of unconfessed sin in our life that we need to address. Whatever our need or desire, God’s “holding tank,” His word, is full and just waiting for us to come and get some of the sweetness.

Psalm 34:8- “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.”

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