Tag: love

One thing every Disciple Maker must do to make your message more effective!

Your actions speak so loud, I cannot hear what you are saying.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I pray that no one would ever say this about you.

What I hope that people would say about you is this!

Your actions speak so loud, I am so sure that God is real and you really know Him.

Don’t think that you have to be perfect in your behaviour for people to sense the presence of God around you.

God would reveal Himself through you if you do just one thing!

What is that one thing?

Treat EVERYONE you meet, as if your Heavenly Father sent them to you! or Love Everyone around you like you love yourself. Or Do to others what you want them to do to you. (Luke 6:31; Mark 12:31).

If you are born again, and the Holy Spirit lives in you, this one thing would get easier as you allow the Holy Spirit to take charge of your life.

I know that there are very many steps involved in allowing the Holy Spirit to take charge of your life. However, all those steps are for the Holy Spirit to do.

The Holy Spirit has been transforming all kinds of people to kind, loving, gentle people for thousands of years. He would do a good job with you.

Let me give you a quick tip!

Start by confessing to the Holy Spirit that you cannot love unconditionally without His help. Tell Him that you would not try. That you trust Him to do it in you. Tell Him that as He helps you, you will obey Him. (Phil 2:13).

Then watch the Holy Spirit do what He does best over the course of your life!

This same principle is what is needed in every aspect of our walk with God. We confess our weakness and surrender to the Holy Spirit’s leadership and we simply obey as He transforms our lives.

You can heal the sick, get victory over sin or habit, operate the gifts of the spirit, make disciples, transform cities all by the power of the Holy Spirit.

My biggest challenge all these years as the Holy Spirit has been working on me is that after learning a few things, I start thinking that “I’ve got this”. Then I fall flat on my face. So over time, I have come to learn that, I am never going to get it. I will always need to trust the Holy Spirit. Now it feels much easier in most areas.

Your Turn

How has it been for you? Please share with me in the comments section below.

Do you know the joy of loving your enemy?

Whenever I think of enemy, I think of the devil! But beyond that I think of the man and his gang that killed my dear mother (Story here). So when I read what Jesus says about loving your enemy I am so happy that I now know what it means!

““But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:27-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Naturally, it is absolutely impossible to love your enemy who wants you dead or who spits on you during a pandemic. It is impossible to do good to those who hate you. To do good to people who are trying to get you fired from your job. It is impossible to bless those who call you names, make fun of you and enjoy seeing you humiliated.

All these are impossible when you think that these people are different from you. When you think that these people are wicked and you are better. These things are impossible when you have not experienced the unconditional love of a Heavenly Father.

Friends, although this words are commands from Jesus, they are also what Jesus does inside us. This is a description of the kind of love that is available when we are united with Jesus.

There is great power in this kind of love. There is freedom, there is joy! To love your enemy is to want them to experience a heart that is free from hatred! These days, because of what Jesus has done in my heart, I know that I could be the one hating another person. If not for Jesus, I could be the one fighting for positions at work!

If you allow Jesus to love through you, and allow Jesus to reveal the truth about your unregenerate heart to you, love will flow from your heart to anyone who doesn’t know Jesus! You would pray for them and bless them because hatred and every other thing apart from love is poison!

Oh! It’s so good to experience and share the unconditional love of God!

Heaven on earth?

Sometimes we can get carried away dreaming about heaven and the afterlife that we forget the purpose that God has for us on earth! Does God have a purpose for earth and the people that live on earth?

Yes! There is a purpose for the earth and a purpose for everyone and everything on earth! That is why Jesus instructed His disciples and that means you and I (BiVo Ministers) to pray like this:

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew‬ ‭6:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God has a will for the earth! God wants the earth to be filled with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17)! If all the people in a place or community love one another unconditionally, the place would be like heaven! There would be peace, honesty, mutual respect, integrity, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, joy and many other good things!

We are the body of Christ on earth! We are the ones through whom that prayer will be answered! It is through you that Jesus wants to bring joy to the people who do not know Him! This is not a choice we have to make! It’s a mandate we have to fulfill as disciples of Jesus!

Everyday there is someone around you who can benefit from unconditional love! They don’t have to earn it! They just get prayers, kindness, forgiveness, a word of encouragement, a dinner invitation, a listening ear, a gospel presentation, a gift, a loving word of correction etc. Not because we want more members in church meetings, not because we were told to do so but because we are the body of Christ and we are the expression of Heaven on earth!

Let’s not wait for another person to make things better! Allow Jesus to move in you today to bring heaven to someone! You will soon notice that heaven on earth starts from within you! It’s not possible to love unconditionally for a while and not be at peace! By peace I mean inner peace!

It is still the will of God that we multiply (make disciples) and fill the earth! Let’s do it by His power!

As always, thanks for reading! Let’s take action! Join the conversation! Leave a comment! Become a disciple maker! Spread the love of Jesus everywhere!

A man reaps what he sows!

What comes to mind when you think of sowing and reaping? Some people think of negative seeds and hope they don’t reap multiples of negative harvest. Some think of positive seeds and hope for hundred fold return and a few think in terms of real seeds and harvest.

The apostle Paul made this statement in his epistle to the Galatians!

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:7-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As disciples of Jesus and BiVo Ministers we are reminded that many times we may not feel like reaching out in love to the people around us! You may be tempted to get tired of making sacrifices to connect with people at work. Let’s remember that seeds sown do not immediately turn into harvest. It takes time and nurture and the miracle working power of the Holy Spirit!

It takes discipline to be a fruitful disciple maker! Praise God we have a helper in the Holy Spirit. There are times when I have wondered if all that I’m doing is even making a difference. Then I sense the Holy Spirit saying, “it’s hard to see yourself grow. Have faith in God! Those seeds of love are blessing the people and they are changing you too”!

Sowing to please the flesh is yielding to the desires to do things that make you look good, feel good and get the glory! The aim of the flesh is self glory and preservation. These things don’t look bad to the natural person but to the disciple of Jesus they are destructive!

Sowing to please the spirit is doing things in obedience to the Holy Spirit. It’s is doing things that bring glory to Jesus! Things that showcase the love of God, the holiness and joy of the kingdom!

Let’s keep sowing to please the Spirit. Let’s meet the needs of the people around us and share the good news of the kingdom of God. If you are not currently making disciples then take the BiVo Minister Course today.

That they all may be one?

Jesus prayed a lot while he was in His body on earth. We don’t have a lot of His prayers recorded. So you can imagine how precious the few we have would be. Jesus prayed that all His disciples would be united.

““I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (‭‭John‬ ‭17:20-21‬ ‭NKJV)‬‬

As we in Canada celebrate the unity of the country, I think about the unity of the body of Christ and unity in general.

Unity is the by-product of unconditional love. It is what happens when God’s Kingdom comes on a community! Any time we move toward unity, it means that we are choosing to love. Although naturally our love is polluted with pride and selfish tendencies.

Unity starts from the individual. If I unite with Christ and allow Christ to live through me, then I am able to love those who are different from me and pray for those who hurt me.

Unity is not uniformity! When United we see each other’s differences and we celebrate them and use them to make the bond stronger!

As a disciple of Jesus, I must always pray and allow Jesus to use me to unite His body. This includes the multitudes who are yet to be added to the body! And continue to love and pray for those who choose not believe at this time. Jesus is available for all to enjoy!

Cannot be my disciple?

Yes you read it right! Following Jesus is not for everyone that say that they like His teachings! Not everyone that applies is accepted! To follow Jesus, there is a condition. Do you know what the condition for acceptance is?

The condition for acceptance by Jesus has many names but they all point to the same thing! Here are a few names:

  • Repent
  • Believe
  • Call on the Lord
  • Confess the Lord Jesus

All these terms mean that a disciple chooses willingly to abandon his or her life of self rulership to receive the supernatural and righteous life of Jesus. Which means that the disciple lives a life of unconditional love powered by the Holy Spirit and activated through simple obedience to Jesus! To be saved is to agree that you need a new life and that you accept the life and rulership of God through Jesus Christ.

Here is how Jesus puts it:

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:33)

Forsake ALL: what does that mean for you daily? For me it means going out of my way to express the love of Jesus to people around me by meeting their needs and sharing the good news of the kingdom! It’s unconditional love no matter how you spin it. This love is expressed differently in each disciple but it must always lead to an invitation for them to receive this life as well!

Many times theses days it’s just being a true friend to people around me, come rain come shine!

Please let me know how forsaking all that you have looks for you daily! Use the comments section below!

Do not criticize?

It’s really easy to see other people’s faults! It’s even sometimes easier to see their faults when you have a version of the same problem! These days everyone has a reason to call another person a fool, a bigot, proud, immoral, devilish, idol worshippers and the list goes on! My question is this! As disciples of Jesus, how do we bring a balance? What is the kingdom approach?

At one point Jesus says we are to first take out the plank from our own eyes before attempting to take out the speck from another person’s eyes (Matt 7:5) . At another point he says that the person who has no sin should be the first to throw a stone at the sinner (John 8:7)

Negative criticisms makes people want to defend themselves! It doesn’t open them up to correction. I remember reading in a book titled – How to make friends and influence people that even criminals see themselves in a positive light!

So what do we learn from Jesus? How can this truth help us to make disciples for Jesus? We choose not to criticize people even in our hearts! We make up our minds to always be prepared to be part of the solution as long as the people are open to discussion.

I’m not saying that we should not speak out against evil or sin! What I believe the scriptures is saying is that if we are ever going to be the light to a dark world, we must be willing to accept first that without Jesus we would be as lost and as wicked as any wicked person!

Jesus is the solution to the moral problem of the human heart! The immoral behavior of people or sin is the problem of the world! Jesus therefore must be introduced to everyone so that we can have progress in our fight against all the terrible things going on in our world.

If you know that the reason you are kind is because you got help, you would be less inclined to criticize someone else who doesn’t have the same help!

Preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God and Jesus as the only way is an urgent and very important task! Let’s not delay by point fingers at the people we should be serving!

Please share your thoughts below!

Do you know your Super Power?

What sets you apart? What is it that you have that will make people say I want to know her secret? What did Jesus have on earth? What was His Super Power?

Jesus had all powers and still has all powers! But the summary of it all is Love! Yes that is it! Unconditional Love and Faith in God! Everyone wants to be loved! Respected for who they are. They want to be judged by their intentions and valued!

You will be set apart if you allow Jesus to express His super powers through you! I’m always asking the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself through me! And I find that the first step to being used by God is love! When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are filled with love! You are filled with compassion! You embody all of Jesus! The world around you would wonder why you have so much peace, hope, joy and love!

I remember reading about Smith Wigglesworth when he was still a plumber! One of the rich people he was working for was convicted by the peace and joy that she could feel around him!

What makes you stand out? It is Christ in you!(Col 1:27) Your super power is Jesus in you! He manifests in many ways but the most basic and universal way is love (John 13:35). It is by love that all the people would know that we are the disciples of Jesus!

Jesus wants to work love in and through you and I . So that every one that knows you would wonder how you and other disciples like you can love like that!

Jesus! Please live freely through me! It’s by obedience! I choose to obey your instructions Lord!

Share your thoughts please in the comments section below.

Just say hello!

Why is it so hard to make friends? Being able to make friends is a great skill to have. I am always intrigued by how easy it is for children to make friends. They meet someone at a game console at the airport and before you know it they are playing together. Making friends shouldn’t be so hard!

I think the reason we find it difficult as adults is because we think too much about it.

How does he see me? Would she think I want something? Are they religious? Would they accept me? Will they want to come to visit me every day?

If you love someone, then it doesn’t matter how they respond at first. When they realize that you love them and want the best for them, they would relax a bit!

Recently one of our neighbors knocked on our door to say hello. She said she was wondering what would happen but she knocked all the same and now we are better friends.

It’s true that a few people don’t want to talk but I find that more people want to be loved than you can imagine.

Say hello! Introduce yourself and give your neighbor a complement. That is where it all starts.

Yes it takes time to develop friendships. We have been spending some time with our neighbors. We feel blessed each time we connect because we are exchanging love.

The time you invest into loving someone is never lost. It’s an investment. This investment is not necessarily returned by the person on whom the love was directed. It is multiplied to you by God just like the earth returns seed sown!

Go out and love someone today, tomorrow and everyday! Say hello! Especially to your neighbors with whom you can build a long term relationship. Jesus loves your neighbors and we are His hands and feet. The only way people around us will believe that Jesus loves them is when they feel His love through His disciples.

Do you have an interesting story about saying hello to a stranger or neighbor? Please share in the comments section below!

Let’s focus on Love

Who needs love the most? A nice, good looking person or a rough looking, angry looking person?

Most of us are more attracted to nice looking, kind and smiling people. And we tend to scowl at people who scowl at or are rude to us. My guess is that we are attracted to nice looking and smiling people because we figure that they would love us or they would not hurt us.

However, the truth is that, the people that need love the most are those who look rough, sad or angry. I believe they are feeling down because they are low on true unconditional love.

A lot of people around us are low on love. Even the nice looking, smiling person may be low on love. However, if they are still able to put on a smile, they may still have some type of love to run on.

Unconditional love is a desiring the best for the other without regards to how it benefits you. When we have a lot of this coming our way, we seem to have some of it to give out too.

So if we are ever going to see our world changed, we must load up on unconditional love. This is the king of love that God has for us. God loves you because He is God and He is love. There is no condition for the love of God.

As a disciple of Jesus, load up on love by spending time meditating of God’s love and connect with a mature believer who has practiced loving unconditional love. Then go out and love the people you meet without conditions.

When a person is low on true love, they will be very afraid to accept your love because they cannot be sure that it is without conditions. They may react in anger, push you away or raise up some invisibles fences.

If your love is unconditional, then you will keep loving them. Keep loving them. It may take up to a year or two or even five. Keep loving them. This is what Jesus want’s to do. We are His body on earth.

Of course all true love starts with prayer. Here is a sample prayer I use. Oh Lord please love John Doe through me today. He really needs some of the love you are pouring on me daily. I receive more grace to reflect your love to him. Thank you dear Lord.

Read more about loving your neighbor as yourself