a “crumb” from Jesus is better than anything this world can offer (Matt 15:21-28)

Focus Verse: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” – Matthew 15:8 

This morning I was reading the prayer from our BSF Lesson 16 (BSFblog). As I was reading, I was glad to see the BSF worldview that no one is excluded from the Gospel. "Jesus, You are the Savior of the world...No one is beyond the reach of Your compassion and deliverance." Over the past week, I've been seeing preaching that challenges this notion the "God so loved the world (John 3:16)" and he desires that "none should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)". It's from "great Bible teachers" but is nonsense in that it claims the "highest view of God" but missing his heart. 

All this makes me grateful for reading God's Master Plan for Evangelism, the point is it's always person to person. Jesus healed many and influenced many but he poured himself into 12 guys (even though one was a betrayer). 

"the Church proclaims the changed world as the consequence of changed men... It is this conviction, grounded in the Good News that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself," that makes evangelism immensely more than a theory or a slogan. It brings it into focus as a necessity."

Yesterday I got an email calling for the church to mentor people recovering from the lies of addiction. I recognized my friend Kevin. He's a successful lawyer, judge, and mentor to Rolando. I met Rolando at MNTC Alpha in 2020 where he said "yes" to Jesus and I have personally been witness to his life transformation. He went to long term treatment where I helped him study for his GED (via https://www.ixl.com/)

Here's an email I sent to my Monday night prayer group back on June 7, 2021 praising God for Rolando

"See attached prayer list for tonight (updated as of 6/2).

We have been having an amazing time at Teen Challenge. Over 15 men prayed with Nicky at the end of "how can I have faith." Pray for the team as we have Holy Spirit week Tues, Friday, Saturday (Rob, Ron, Duke, Ben). Praise God for the Alpha graduate volunteers ( Nate, Rodney, David).

I got to see Rolando (Alpha/TC graduate) yesterday at church and had breakfast with him and his mentor. Praise God he works at schools sharing his testimony, this week after a three-hour session, he led 25 people to Christ. Rolando is going to college in September and received a $27,000 scholarship - he is also in the running for a George Floyd memorial scholarship. Please keep Rolando in your prayers. 

Pray for the next team of volunteers at Alpha TC and for all campuses to have an Alpha team. "

Bible Study Fellowship has a question every week, "how you have seen God’s activity during the week. How has He provided, answered, comforted, restored, guided, etc.?"

Disciples, making disciples, making disciples. I'm grateful for many who work diligently, creating opportunities for many to be healed, fed, and nurtured in Christ. As God was in Christ reconciling the world, he has also made us his ambassadors and we get to recognize the person we are serving is the Almighty Himself (Matt 25:40).