Speak Up

There are no trifles in the moral universe of God.  Speak but one true word today and it shall go on ringing on through the ages. –Pushon

Zechariah 8:16, “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:”

If we don’t speak the truth who will? Lift up your voice and let it be heard because today may be the last day you can tell anyone about the Saviour! Don’t let the day pass by without sharing what He has done for you. Whether it’s about the day He saved you or what He is doing in and through your life now. Speak up and praise Him for what He has done, He is doing, and what He will do in you and through you!

ON THE HILL

Proclaim the Word wherever God opens the door.

Acts 17:22, Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

Paul had been converted and began proclaiming the Gospel to whomever and wherever God opened the door. In prisons, on boats, in synagogues, on Mar’s Hill, and any other place God opened the door to preach, he went through them with boldness proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel.

This morning we can proclaim the Gospel by being an example to your neighbors, to our family, and to our church family by GETTING UP, GETTING READY, and GOING TO CHURCH. While Paul literally preached on the hill, you can be a light set on a hill to those around you! Will you make the difference in anyone’s life this morning?   

PREACH

We preach to reach each of those in need of the Saviour.

1 Corinthians 1:18, For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

            While some think we need some new methods to get the lost man to trust Christ, the Bible proclaims it’s by preaching that they will get saved. It’s not by the music, social networking, dramas, or dancing in the House of God that a lost sinner will see their need of the Saviour; it’s by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

            Not only does the lost sinner need to hear preaching but the saints of God need to hear it long after they get saved as well. They need to be in church hearing the Word taught so they will grow and learn. They need to be there to get settled in their walk with Christ.

            What excuse do you have for not coming to church? What keeps you from following God’s Word? Make plans today to be in church tomorrow!

PREACHERS- PREACH

We want new ministers in the pulpit and new people in the pews.  We want people quickened by the Spirit of God. - D.L. Moody

2 Timothy 4:2, Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

            If we want this world to repent and follow the Lord, we must get back to what the Word of God tells us to do. We cannot continue in our lax, lazy Christianity and expect sinners to vote for the principles found in the Bible. We cannot expect sinners to stand for righteousness. We must get back to preaching Jesus Christ; death, burial, and resurrection— conquering death, hell and the grave. We must preach— His blood. We must preach—His Book. We must preach—His Second Coming.

            That’s what the preacher must do but there is a responsibility for those in the pews as well. They must GET UP, GET READY, and GO hear the message God has prepared in the hearts of His preachers! Then and only then will we see a difference in the world we live in. Then and only then will we see a turning back to the God of the Bible.   

            So, preachers—preach! People in the pews—get up and go! And let’s make a difference in the world we live in!

IMPORTANT: PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL

           Preaching is the means by which one is able to understand how to get to Heaven.

1 Corinthians 1:18, For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

            The most important message you will ever hear is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the message for you to repent of your sins and trust Jesus Christ as Saviour. Have you heard it? Did you believe it? Did you act upon it? Did you get saved? If so, it’s because some one preached the Word of God to you.

SPEAK UP TODAY!

Living without telling someone about Jesus isn’t really living at all!

Mark 16:15, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

            No one has the guarantee of life tomorrow. All we have is today to invest in the lives of lost, dying and hurting people with the Word of God. So, with that being said, if you knew you couldn’t tell anyone about Jesus tomorrow, who would you tell about Jesus today? Get to it!

TIME TO MULTIPLY THE CHURCHES

The day is short, the labor long, the workers are idle, and reward is great, and the Master is urgent. -Talmud

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19

As we see in the Book of Acts, there is a huge change going on in the first few chapters. People are getting saved! In one verse it says, “And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women”. (Acts 5:14) But what jumps off the page to me is in Acts 9:31, Luke shares with us that God multiplied the churches! “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”

If He did it then… He can do it now!

Rise up Christian Soldiers! Proclaim the name above all other names! Proclaim Jesus to this lost, dying, and hurting world! If we lift Him up, He will draw all men unto Himself! Amen!

GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH!

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Acts 5:42

Notice what it says in the verse above, “…they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Why didn’t they teach home economics or shop class? Why not a class on business or how to balance a checkbook? They didn’t teach and preach those things because those things won’t get anyone to Heaven!

And then look where they did it at, “…in the temple, and every house.” This temple is our modern day church. It was the central place of worship. So they came to the temple to worship the Lord while begin taught and preached to. Not only did they come to the temple but they started at home! What a challenge for you and I! It’s not up to the church to teach our kids, it’s yours and mine Mom and Dad!

Lastly, look at how often they did it, “And daily…” In their homes and in the temple they met daily to worship the Lord Jesus by teaching and preaching about the death, burial, and resurrection. 

This morning, GET UP, GET READY, and TO GO TO CHURCH! But before you leave the house, will you teach and preach Jesus?

TELL SOMEONE TODAY!

When you accept Christ, you will have the power to confess Him. - D.L. Moody

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8

How do you share what Jesus has done for you with others? Is it by your lifestyle? Is it by letter? Is it by email? Is it person to person? Every child of God has the power to share the Gospel message with others. If you’re not sharing, it’s a pretty good sign you’re not possessing. Make your calling and election sure by exposing yourself to the Word of God!

GO OUT AND TELL THE WORLD!

      You will never make a missionary of the person who does no good at home. He that will not serve the Lord in the Sunday school at home will not win children to Christ in China. –Spurgeon

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15

       As the colt carried Jesus into Jerusalem, you and I need to carry Him into the world! We need to carry Him across the Street, across the State, and across the Sea. There should not be any place He is not shared… your next door neighbor needs to hear along with the nation down under!

GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH!

Teaching about our Saviour begins in the home and continues in the church!

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Acts 5:42

            If you aren’t practicing at home what you preach and teach at church then maybe you don’t believe what you say you do. That doesn’t mean we need to stop teaching and preaching at church. What it means is we need to repent and get right with the Lord! We need to first be teaching and preaching at home then GETTING UP, GETTING READY, and GOING TO CHURCH…prepared to worship the Lord in spirit and truth!

IF YOU DON’T TELL THEM, WHO WILL?

Preach not because you want to say something but because you have something to say.- ME

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Some say, “Pastor, I’m not a preacher”, but I say, “Oh, yes you are!” You preach a sermon by the life you live to your spouse, to your children, to your co-workers, to extended family, and even to the person checking you out in the Walmart line. So what are preaching to them?

Child of God, GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH today to learn about your Saviour! That way you will always “…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

SO YOU’RE CALLED TO PREACH?

To love to preach is one thing-to love those to whom we preach, quite another. –Cecil

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 1 Timothy 3:1

Pastoring is more than preaching. It's bible study and prayer, it's soul winning, hospital visits, late night calls, discipleship, mentoring, leading by example, counseling, financial decisions, and the list goes on and on.

If you feel as if the Lord is calling you to pastor, don’t end up like some. Some have a wonderful message that challenges the congregation. However, to actually put legs on what they preach—forget it! To actually get in a car to go visit someone in the hospital, they don’t have enough time. To make a phone call checking in on a shut in is too hard. It is beneath them to knock on a door and tell someone about Jesus. Instead of being a pastor—they are nothing more than a hireling waiting for their next pay check.

So if you’re called to preach, then start serving the Lord by serving from the heart!