Jesus – Page 6 – John Markum

3 Ways to Lose your Soul

Posted on March 1, 2011 by johnmarkum

New series: 3 Ways to lose your soul

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” – Matthew 16:26. Everyone has faith… Some put theirs in a list of do’s and don’ts . Some in money. Some in people. But what if the things that we’ve been living our lives for are all empty? What if the very things that we have put our faith in are the same things that will make us lose it all… even our soul? And more importantly: How do we avoid losing our soul?

Join us on Saturday nights for some real soul searching. Begins March 5th, 6 pm. To know more about The Awakening, go to: www.qcawakening.com

Blessings,

John

Challenge #3: Share Christ

Posted on February 21, 2011 by johnmarkum

Edgewood Challenge #3: Share Christ: Lead one person to the Lord.

This is one that I am particularly excited about! This task may seem daunting to many of my readers so I want to give you 3 levels of evangelism and ask each of you to graduate through all 3 levels as you have opportunities to do so.

1) Pray

Anyone can pray. Make a short list of people that are already in your sphere of influence that are far from God and need to experience new life in Christ. Pray for them daily by name. Ask God to soften their heart and to give you the opportunity to take the next step with them.

2) Pursue

This requires you to open your mouth and say something to them. It only has to be as awkward as you want to make it. We offer invite cards to many of our services (including The Awakening on Saturday nights, and Elevate on Sunday mornings for teens). Use an invite card and simply say something like, “It would really mean a lot to me if you came to this with me this week. I hope you’ll at least consider it.” Maybe they will come. Maybe they’ll be impacted by the Gospel. Maybe they’ll give their life to Christ right then and there. Don’t underestimate the power of a sincere invitation. The “Pursue” level can be summed up in 2 words “Invest” in your relationships, and “Invite” them to a worship experience.

3) Pursuade

Given the opportunity, you should always be willing to “give an answer for the hope that is within you.” You don’t have to know a ton of Scripture, though knowing a few verses can definitely help. Bottom line though is share your faith-changing experience of when you came to Christ, and give them an opportunity to do the same. Edgewood is working on some classes in the near future to help you do that and feel less awkward about it. In the meantime, just tell them how you gave your life to Christ.

I believe that as our church becomes faithful in sharing Christ, that we will soon begin to hear countless stories of life change. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessings,

John

God isn’t Angry

Posted on November 29, 2010 by johnmarkum

As a follower of Christ, there have been times where I felt like I was a huge disappointment… to God, my family, myself. “How could God ever bless my life? I mean, look at me! He must be so angry at me. I wouldn’t blame Him. I’m angry at ‘me’ too.”

I’m so grateful that God tells us in Isaiah 55, “So high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.” God doesn’t look at us the same way we look at each other, or even ourselves. As followers of Jesus we will fall, but we are never out for the count because “the Lord upholds us with His hand.” In 1 John 1 and 2, the Apostle John writes to other brothers and sisters in Christ and challenges them to live to the potential that God has placed in them. He tells us to “walk in the light as He is in the light.” But he acknowledges that we will occasionally fail, and in 1 John 1:9 gives us the answer to our sin as followers of Jesus, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from every wickedness.” James tells us that if we will “draw near to God” He will “draw near to you.” God has already poured His anger on His Son Jesus Christ, for our sin. We are free from God’s righteous anger. Because of Jesus, we now have access to God and His love, mercy, forgiveness, and healing.

I can be at my best with God in a matter of minutes when I come to Him for forgiveness and healing. We don’t have to live in fear of the anger of God. We just need to focus on being in a right relationship with the One who took the wrath of God on Himself for us. By doing this, we will “be in the light, as He is in the light.”

Blessings,

John