The Price

God knows how to teach His children. He knows. He has spoken to me through many things in my life. Through creation He comforts me with His beauty. Through animals He teaches me about obedience, unconditional love and being what we were meant to be. But sometimes God has to teach me about sin. Most often He teaches me about sin through people.


There are some things in this life we do well and other things we do not do well. Sick children bring me to a crying heap at His feet. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death..." People dance around this verse daily not realizing the weight of it. God means what He says. Today I met a dying child who is dying from the wages of sin. But not his own. You see, this child was born into the results of sin of another which caused him to be so. He will most certainly die from it and soon.

I saw the effect this had on everyone around. You see, while we choose our sin we do not get to choose the consequences. Sin is LIFE ALTERING! Adam and Eve had no idea the Pandora's Box they were about to open. Neither do we when we sin. Sin leaves a legacy. It leaves an inheritance of death and pain and misery. Death to life as we knew it. Death to relationships. Death to opportunities. Death to a future-physical and spiritual. The wages of sin is death.

I cannot tell you the weight of sadness that threatened to overwhelm me as I saw the toll this had taken on so many lives. I know it was only a small taste of what God feels as He looks on a world of hurting people. I wanted to take the pain away, but I am not enough! And I cannot erase what has been done.

BUT GOD, I love those words, can make beauty from ashes. He can make good from evil and yes, He can make life from death. You see, while I saw incredible pain, I also saw a root of hope rising from the pain and I knew my Lord was at work. He has been at work since the first sin. He made clothes for Adam and Eve from the skin of an animal when their efforts to cover their sin was futile. The first blood sacrifice. He made a way for sinners to be sinless through His Son's righteousness and He made a way from Life to death through the death of His own Son who paid the wages of sin for me. For us. He, the Innocent, who knew no sin died for our sins just as this child was dying for someone else' sin. 

I do not understand it. I watch it everyday and I don't know how God could love us so much to watch His Son suffer. It is a hard thing to bear. It is life changing. Death is the enemy of God unless you know the One who Lives. Then your death has been conquered and you will live forever. There is a Savior!

The entire verse reads, "For the wages of sin [is] death, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." It is a free gift. It is available to ALL who will take it for we ALL need it. "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23. The truth is ALL of us have sinned and we ourselves and possibly many around us will die for our own sin. It started with Adam and Eve, and it continues today.

But Jesus made a way to end the effects of sin. When He was on the cross just before He gave up His spirit He said, "It is finished." Teleo-Blue Letter Bible defines the word as such:

1) to bring to a close, to finish, to end

a) passed, finished

2) to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)

a) with special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command

b) with reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, and generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfil

3) to pay

a) of tribute

Christ died, GAVE up His spirit to complete what He said He would do, what God proclaimed He would do at that first sin," And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." Genesis 3:15. God had a plan to deal with sin. That plan has not changed. While I may want to take away the pain of sin, I cannot.  Even if I offered to die in this child's place I could not save one soul. But Jesus' sacrifice was perfect and just what was required.  You can't be punished again for what has been forgiven. This gift is forever, eternal.

Please understand, your sin will be the death of you and most likely others. Repent from your sin-turn to Jesus and away from the very thing that is killing you. His blood will cover your sin and you will surely be forgiven. Every drop of His spilled blood sets thousands of captives free. There was enough for you. Stop struggling! Take the free gift of God-Life through Jesus Christ today.

"And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. Amen." Romans 16:20.

To God be the glory,
Jamie

The Great Commission vs Opposition

Today has begun with an interesting turn of events.  We showed up at the church, prayed up for the kids, packed up the things needed for the Backyard Bible Clubs, and loaded up the cars and headed up to the apartment complex we were scheduled to be with. 

We stepped out of the cars and the apartment manager, a woman who claims Jesus as her Savior, met us at the curb.  The posters we placed were gone.  The Fair Housing representative have been contacted from a complaintant.  Not only were we not allowed to come in, the office manager is now under fire and has been warned about saying, "Thank You, Jesus" or "in Jesus' Name" while on the premises.  This dear lady had gone shopping and bought snacks for the kids.  I don't know if you know much about the apartment community, but a manager caring like this does not happen often.

I cried on the way back to the church.  I know there are kids there who were expecting us to come and who were upset because they didn't get to "Party With Jesus" like the flyers said.  One man said that his family had come to the Easter Egg Hunt outreach.  The kids were excited to see the church van and now we cannot have a Bible Club there.  When we returned to the church, we prayed for those kids and for the apartment manager and for God to remove the roadblocks to the gospel in that neighborhood.

Because God loves me, a good friend and fellow ministry leader for Mercy Abounds, Jeremy Vinson, reminded me of a certain verse to meditate on.   "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12 I will tell you, we didn't leave the church without a plan. 

I respectfully ask that you share this blog with your prayer warriors and those you know with certainty care about the salvation of these children.  We need God to protect us as we go into these neighborhoods and we need Him to stop the opposition or tell us how to get around it.  We also need God to strengthen the Brethren so that we stand in the armor of God and get ready for this fight.  Pray that they will not be lukewarm but on fire for God and passionate for winning the souls of these kids and their families. 

Tomorrow night is our weekly outreach for the church.  While we are at another apartment complex, the church and a representative from Mercy Abounds will be going to this same complex we weren't allowed to go to and personally apologize for not being able to keep our word.  The youth will take with them New Testaments that would've been given away to those who would've participated.  Inside each New Testament is contact information on our church Green Acres Baptist and this ministry, Mercy Abounds.  If anyone volunteers to let us come to thier home to do the club, we can. 

We not only have the permission of Christ to go into all the world but a command to do so. Despite the opposition, we are to carry out the Great Commission. There are lives literally depending on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Please pray for us as we endeavor to carry out that command and the calling Christ has given this ministry. 

Everywhere I look lately I become aware of the apartment complexes and neighborhoods and I think, "There are kids there who don't know Christ."  It is a heavy burden but a welcome one.  Remember also while we can't get in, neither can the children get out.  I was reminded of Paul and Silas singing in the basement of the prison and how God broke into that place fulfilling His promise to inhabit the praise of His people.  Faye and I prayed that while we sang His praises at this complex with these children that He would do the same thing again.  Won't you pray with us?  Please share this blog with those you know will pray.

"For greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city..." Chris Tomlin "God of This City". http://youtu.be/c6iAlnKc20Y

To God be the Glory,
Jamie