On April 30th the news story broke regarding a Pentagon proposal to court martial anyone caught proselytizing. After talking to a few of my friends online about the potential of the proselytizing ban in the military, I thought it would be appropriate to clarify a few things such as:

1. What is proselytizing?
2. Who is effected by a ban on proselytizing?
3. What are the concerns for the Christian?
4. Why are government agencies concerned with proselytizing?

How important is it for the Christian to share his/her faith, and is it the same as proselytizing? The Bible says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the earth.’” (Matthew 18:18-20) And in another gospel Jesus says, “Go into the entire world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16) I think it is safe to say that it was very important to Jesus that his followers share their faith and make disciples (students) of everyone they knew and contacted at home and abroad. If you look at the book of Acts, Paul (Christianity’s first missionary) not only shares his faith with non-believers, but with Jews and other religious belief systems too.

According to several dictionary definitions, proselytism is the act of attempting to convert someone to a religious faith from another religious faith. An example might be an attempt through verbal discussion, subtle influence, preferential treatment, or any type of overt pressure or covert coercion, to convert a Buddhist to the Christian faith or a Christian to the Muslim faith. Although I do not know too many Christians who would consider coercion or pressure as a valid method, the rest of the definition is accurate in describing the behavior of the first century Christians. They did share their faith with other belief systems and led “non-believers” to convert from various religious beliefs to Christianity. So it is safe to say that they did, by this definition, proselytize, as well as share their faith with those who had no faith. The word “proselytize” has a negative connotation in our culture. But by definition Christians do share their faith with everyone, including other religions because, to the believer, it is a Biblical mandate.

Biblical Mandate

I believe that a ban on proselytizing would have the largest impact on the Christian community. Christians value the commitment to believe above many other religious systems. (Muslims seek converts, make declarations of faith and bear witness… much of which sounds similar to a Christian conversion but I am not certain the emphasis on it is as aggressive.) Due to the effort to ban “proselytizing” many see this as “Christian” persecution.
For the Christian believer, it is a mandate from scripture directly from Jesus Christ to bear witness or share the gospel to “the entire world” and to make disciples (students) of those who convert to Christianity. There are numerous ways for one to “bear witness”. Some methods are subtle (actually living out Biblical principals can be very powerful) and some are more direct (speaking directly to people about what Christ has done, who He is and what He can do for them) Although the methods vary, the fact is that every believer is encouraged to share his/her faith with others and make an effort to persuade them to follow Christ. The mandate is not new, and it includes what some may see as verbal proselytizing.

If this is a Biblical mandate, and I believe it is, then there is no other option for a Christian believer. Do not fear what man can do to you. Respect and fear God as the final word and authority, period.

Persecution for Witnessing

Persecution of those who witness or “proselytize” is not new either. Every original disciple, except John, was martyred because they preached the gospel (which means “good news”). A committed believer considers it an honor to suffer persecution of any kind, including death, while preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

To share their faith is an obedience issue. To understand the level of Christian commitment to this teaching, go to the Biblical account of the beginning of “proselytizing”. The book of Acts gives an account of how the disciples began to proselytize both Jewish and Gentile faiths through preaching and sharing their faith, one on one. To the point of death, they continued to share their faith. When one disciple would be killed, three others popped up in their place.

One of the most dynamic events in the book of Acts is the arrival of the Holy Spirit’s baptism. He arrived during the beginning of the church, for the expressed purpose of strengthening the believer to share their faith. This empowerment would experientially support the fact that it was God who was asking them to share their faith. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Although many (Russia and China, among others) have tried to regulate or silence the Christian belief and testimony, their attempt not only failed, but it seems persecution has a tendency to energize the true believers and invigorate the church, even if it is underground. No government in history has ever successfully stopped religious belief from spreading. It seems that Jesus’ prediction is true. He said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

The Name of Jesus

This naturally leads us to another point of contention with other religious beliefs: the authority of the name of Jesus. The Jewish faith and the Roman Empire persecuted (imprisoned or killed) those who preached in Jesus Name. (Actually the Roman government initially thought that the first Christians were Jews, since many of the first believers were Jewish, but the Jewish faith distanced themselves and said, in essence, “They are not Jews!” That is when Rome began to persecute or prosecute Christians, because they were not on the Roman list of accepted religions.) The name of Jesus has always been a sticking point among other belief systems. However, the offensiveness of the name of Jesus to other religions does not minimize its importance to the Christian.

For the Christian believer, to serve under the authority of this name is non-negotiable. And the name of Jesus, to a committed believer, is not only precious, but according to Biblical teaching His name is the banner under which every believer must do ministry. It is not simply a magic word that a believer must use at the end of prayers. It is the authority by which we do what we do. The Jewish leadership would ask, “By what authority do you do this?” And the first century Christian would say, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” (Acts 4:7-10)

Peter made this statement, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11) A quote from the gospel of John records Jesus saying, “I am the way and the truth and the light. No one comes to the father but through me.” (John 14:6) Here one sees the exclusivity of the Christian faith. Exclusivity is not solely a Christian thing. Other belief systems are equally exclusive. The bottom-line here is that one either believes the claims of Jesus Christ and his disciples, or they do not. Consider the words of John, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18) Anyone who has EVER watched TV knows that exclusivity is a point of contention with our culture.

Coercion

Although coercion can be found in Christian history, it is NOT the Biblical way of sharing your faith. Coercion is not a Biblical mandate but it is human effort to accomplish the work of the Holy Spirit. When men began to use their own authority to coerce belief, Christianity became a bully and not a choice. Any Biblical scholar worth his salt will tell you that to be a Christian, from the very beginning, has been a choice for every individual. The choice cannot be made FOR the individual. And this is one of the contentious points in our culture.

Many in our country value the ability to worship as each person sees fit. And the thought that a military or government agency may have a very powerful political influence to coerce others to “go along” with the Christian belief takes away the choice each person has. Military rank can be coercive without too much effort, so military officers must be careful not to apply any pressure that would favor one religious belief over another, if they want to remain a military officer. Employer position can also exert religious pressure without too much effort. If someone feels they are left out of the loop just because they do not share the same faith, it is a point of contention.

Here are some points for the believer to remember:

1. The Bible and therefore God is the true authority in my life. Neither the Uniform Code of Military Justice nor Supreme Court law holds a candle to the Bible’s authority.
2. Sharing your faith is a mandate, not an option.
3. By definition, Christians proselytize. Get over it, truth is truth.
4. Historically, the name of Jesus was offensive to other religions as well as governments. You must not allow atheists, other religions, or the opinion of the Federal Government to intimidate you into being ashamed of that name. Jesus is the banner over every believer’s ministry. His name is my authority.
5. Various forms of persecution may come for the Christian. We need to determine, before it happens, what we are willing to do and what we are willing to sacrifice for our testimony. The first century Christians gave up everything for the privilege of sharing their faith. They were even honored to die for the sake of the gospel of Christ. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)
6. Belief in Jesus is a choice! It has always been a choice. Coercion is never an acceptable method of bearing witness.
7. Finally, and this is my own commitment. Regardless of their efforts to silence the Christian message, I will never allow an atheist to determine what I will share about the gospel of Christ. Their choice not to believe is exactly that, their choice.

I am sitting at my computer in the quiet moment before I go to bed for the night.  Just a few short hours ago my house was a blur of hectic activity.  My daughter, her husband and kids were all here.  They came for a short visit.  While they were handling business during the day, we had the joy of being with our grandchildren.  Every morning I would hear the voices of my grandchildren calling from their rooms…”Pop!”  ”Pop!”  They were behind one of those safety gates that kept them from escaping and rolling down the stairs…they wanted me to come get them.

So every morning I would come up the stairs to find bright little faces happy to see me and ready to get going for the day.  It was so much fun!  I would take them downstairs and make breakfast while they stood on a step stool observing and wanting to be involved.  ”Can I crack the egg Pop?”  ”Well…maybe you can stir and pour…cracking eggs is pretty hard to do.”  (Actually, I think she could have cracked them just fine…it’s getting them into the bowl that would have been more difficult.)  But we had a blast.

I can imagine my father (the heavenly one) hearing my call.  ”Abba…father… come be with me.”  Don’t you think he hears and wants to come?  The scripture makes a statement that sounds like a question.  ”How great is the love the father has lavished upon us.”  He loves to hear you call him and looks forward to teaching you everything you need to know to live a good and fruitful life.  Only one thing is needed…a willingness to call out to him.  All he needs is your attention and he can do miraculous things in you.  Why don’t you call him?  He’s waiting.

Diverse! Unique! Amazing!! That’s who we are as LifeSpring women.

We are women who are about the Father’s business in our church, community, state, nation, and our world. We are career women and stay at home moms. We serve in our church and outside of our church. We are multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-taskers. We are ordinary and extraordinary. We are women of faith, believing the promises of God over our circumstances, trusting Jesus and living life joyfully. And most of all, we have tremendous thankfulness in our hearts for the great grace that God has given to us as followers and disciples of Jesus Christ.

Our prayer is that everything we do FOR Him comes from a heart of knowing Him, loving Him and then serving Him. Our ladies know how to do this so well! We have a rich history of women who have put their hands to the plow to bless, educate, rescue, feed and resource others here in our neighborhood and around the world. How amazing it is when we join forces and do together what we could not accomplish on our own.

Our Mission Statement

The mission of the LifeSpring! Women’s Department is to touch the lives of women by the transforming power of Jesus Christ, discipling them to follow His example, training them to minister to others, and providing them specific ways to serve Him.

Statement of Purpose

1. Reaching women through the transforming power and love of Jesus Christ.

2. Discipling women to follow Christ’s example and live overcoming lives.

3. Building wholeness and balance, both spiritually and mentally, through consistent prayer and study of God’s Word.

4. Providing an atmosphere for women to develop their gifts, abilities, and lasting relationships.

5. Training women to find their places of ministry and effectively touch their world for Christ.

Saw this on Facebook today and just had to share with you here. I guarantee that you will be blessed!

Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing!” Why would God do this? Why would he want us to bear his fruit? (Fruit being stuff like: compassion, peace, joy etc.)

Here’s a thought! The reason we bear fruit is so that those who cannot…may benefit. If you follow the line of thought in the New Testament, God is saying, “I love this world and I don’t want any to die away from me!” The fruit or blessing is for any who would take it! It becomes hope for those who see nothing good in our future, peace for the home that knows nothing but turmoil, “real love” for someone who is looking for it in all the wrong places. A church should be an orchard that their neighbors benefit from.

This line of thought may change your motivation for seeking God. We should seek God so that our sons and daughters will know God. We should seek God so that our neighbors will have a chance to come to him. We should seek God to BECOME the blessing we others need.

Bottom line: Spend time with God and you will bear fruit.  Share it!

BECAUSE GOD SAID TO GO TO CHURCH!

” Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25  We need to be in church.  It is clear that God doesn’t want us to go it alone.  He created a place for you to hear him, to be encouraged and to participate in His plan.  There are so many other things that could be said about going to church but I think you get the point from these ten points!  Wake up!  Get up!  Stand up…and be counted…as a part of the church.  :)

HELL WILL NOT OVERCOME THE CHURCH…HER STRENGTH IS IN HER BUILDER.

“…and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  Matthew 16:18  It is in the Church that we find identity. Here in this body we become something that we were not before.  And it is here that we gain strength from our builder.  As you look around this world today…many things are uncertain.  Here is something that you can be certain about.  The church that Jesus began to build over 2,000 year ago will not be overcome by anyone or anything!  It will not be overcome by death, the grave or all of the minions of hell.  What Jesus is building will stand an onslaught of anything.  We find strength in God and in each other.

JESUS IS THE BUILDER OF THE CHURCH.

18 “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…”  Matthew 16:18  People make all the theological noise about Peter.  Is Peter the foundation of the church… yes, all the disciples were the very first stone to go down as Jesus was building the church.  You are stones too.  But I think the power of this scripture is who the builder is.  It is Jesus who is putting this thing together.  You can say all you want about not trusting the church or not wanting to be around organized religion…but the church will be built by Jesus Christ.  Participate or not, it will still be built.  Like it or not, it is still his creation.

THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO MAKE UP THE CHURCH ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN!