2 Kings

[copy paste from an encouraging (meaning the intention, not the result) email I sent]

Hey guys! How y'all doing? (That is how kevjumba starts his videos btw. lol. >.>)

Anyways, today I wanted to encourage you in two ways; to read the Bible and to spend time with non-Christian friends for chances to share Jesus with them.

So, obviously, spending time in God's word is very beneficial to us. Not only do we get the priviledge of reading about what God has done in the past and the ability to praise Him for that, but it is also a way that we can draw closer to Him in our own relationship with Him. As you read His word and pray, His Spirit reveals things to us. I've only been regularly reading the Bible for a couple years now, but I have managed to read the whole way through once already*. But every time you read a passage you get more out of it. Today I was reading 2 Kings, which when I think of I think "oh, a bunch of lines about how bad these kings were and just the endless cycle of them rising and falling to their sin... boring." I got to Chapter 5 about Naaman. I have read this chapter like a million times**. But is a great story of the gospel (to Gentiles no less).

Additionally in chapter 7 of 2 Kings there is a seige and a famine and there were four leperous men. So, figuring that they'll die in the city where there is no food, or at the gate by the war they decide to go and surrender to the Aramaens. If they spare them then they live, if not, well they were gonna die anyways. They go and guess what? God had scared them away by making them hear an army and so there were no soldiers in the camp. The menhad gone at dusk and found in the first tent food and treasure and so they took some and hid it. They went to another tent and found the same. "Then they said to each other, "We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let's go at once and report to the royal palace." They had found food to live as well as treasure. They could have taken it all and kept it to themselves, but they knew this was not right. Others are dying too. They could take it all and run since at sunrise the city would see that the camp is empty, or they could tell everyone and save them too. This is a day of good news, instead of dying they lived and had the chance to save others. In the same way we  also were dying, but God saved us. There are tons of others dying. Is it right to keep Jesus to ourselves?

Thought: can you tell others about Jesus if you don't know anyone that isn't Christian?

Yesterday I spent a lot of time with a few of my non-Christian friends, a class mate, a friend I made through Frosh week last year, my future housemate in September and my classmate's friend. It was a really good time getting to hang out with them and get to know them better. About halfway through the day I got really really tempted. I mean we were downtown and that's pretty wild on Canada Day, so I just had to stop and pray for the Spirit, for protection, for strength as I spend time with my friends. It was really good. xP. The fireworks were awesome and ya, my friend saw this guy holding a sign "the wages of sin is death" and had a handful of tracts and had a young son who was kind of being made to help hand out tracts, so he asked me about that situation. We also ran into some guys handing out Million dollar bills! xP With the gospel on the back. Haha. My friends thought that was really cool (I really want one. lol). So, you can pray for my friends as I continue to look for opportunities and proper timing to keep sharing the gospel with them relationally (which is often more effective than just telling strangers the gospel (not that God can't use that as well)).

Ya, so, sorry for the long email, but even in the Old Testament there is so much encouragement both that Jesus has died for our sins and become our righteousness by faith, but also examples of how we shouldn't be keeping the good news to ourselves, but sharing it with those who also need it.

Keep Building up the Body! (and Expanding the Kingdom as God gives you opportunities!)

D.Fa



Optional Email Extensions:

*I felt really convicted to get on a reading plan, so the first year I read the whole New Testament and Psalms, and the following year I read the whole Old Testament. I was at C4C's WinterConference two Christmases ago at one session about 'how to read the Bible' the speaker really encouraged me 'if you haven't read the whole Bible I encourage you to get a plan and read the whole thing this year', a quick first time through. This combined with another session on 'why the old testament is awesome' about how we see the gospel even in the OT in types that are like foreshadowing of what is to come through Jesus and so I was encouraged me to read the Old Testament as a goal for the following year. And this year I'm on a Bible in a year plan. But really, the NT is made sooooo much better once you see how it has been God's plan since the beggining and you see how the whole OT points to Jesus.

**It is one of the stories for the VBS we did in Brooklyn two years ago and I had to breifly mention it when acting then Adam talked about it. Last year in Scarbourough I had to tell the story. Alicia made me read it like a million times and internalize it and be able to integrate the gospel into it (which isn't hard.) Naaman has leprosy even as a commander of armies. He has a little servant girl who was kidnapped from Israel. She tells him about Elisha the prophet. Go to him and he'll heal you! So he goes and is told, by Elisha's servant, to wash in the Jordan river 7 times. He's infuriated that Elisha didn't come to the door and wave his hands and call God to heal him. Rebuke time from his servant! "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he tells you, 'wash and be cleansed'!" It is no big challenge. So, having been reminded that he wants to be healed, he goes and does it and is healed and praises God! In the same way our sin is a disease we cannot cure ourselves of, but by Jesus' death we don't need to do any great thing, we just need to accept God's forgiveness and turn back to Him. I think this is partially why it is so hard for people to come to know God, they feel they need to do something big to make up for it. Hence why people think other religions make sense; they need to do something to be forgiven. But God has already done it and there is no way as sinners we can ever pay for our sin!