Sowing Seeds of Salvation
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Freely Give
Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, expressed this: “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:23-26). Not long ago, our church had a backyard get-together on a Wednesday night. We began by enjoying freshly cooked hamburgers and hotdogs, the smoke ever wafting in the air. Though our purpose for being there was yet to be realized, the open-air backyard setting made just being together as a family of faith such an enjoyable time. To fellowship in the Lord is sweet and meaningful; it’s something every believer needs and it serves to keep us strong in the faith. Next we sang a song of praise while we corralled our hearts and focused our minds for that which brought us together. The threatening rain had gone around us and the sky was beautifully adorned with a sunset that reminded us of the gracious God who provided a sinless Savior. The time had come and the three stood before us. Steam rose lazily off the water as the top was removed from the Jacuzzi. One by one, we prayed for them and one by one they stirred the waters where I baptized those who had placed their faith in Jesus: Rhonda, Grayson, Jonah. Jesus commanded us to keep this ordinance, to “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” It was our privilege to do so. The holy pantomime, the sermon without words, made an impact on those who were present without Jesus. After another song, I was privileged to explain the Scriptures in preparation for the second ordinance we would observe. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper were explained briefly, yet in detail. God masterfully interwove the Gospel message in each one of the ordinances revealing that He loves each of us and wants everyone to come to faith in our Lord Jesus. A prayer for salvation was prayed and five indicated that they had received Christ. What a holy moment before a watching God. By families we moved to observe the Lord’s Supper. Family after family walked to the place where the deacons and their wives were standing; one holding a plate of broken bread representing the body of Jesus that was broken on the cross, and the other holding the chalice of red grape juice representing the blood that was shed for the remission of our sins. Each believer, old and new, picked up a piece of bread and dipped it in the juice before eating it, being reminded by the deacon and his wife what each element stood for. In reverence, each family returned to their place with the full assurance that God loved them and had sent His Son to die in their place. Rarely are we so privileged to observe both ordinances in the same gathering. But there was something special about that evening, something holy and meaningful. The presence of the Lord was so real and the Spirit so present…and we were busy “proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes.” Why is that important? In post-Christian America, there are literally millions who don’t know our Jesus, who go to bed each night without hope, without peace, without everlasting life. Proclaiming Jesus’ death is Scripture’s way of saying we are to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is important because no other name has been given unto us by which we can be saved. No other name! There is hope and forgiveness and peace and life in Jesus alone. No where else can it be found. “Proclaiming His death until He comes” means until the very end, until the last second, giving everyone a chance to hear and receive our Jesus. As you pray today, ask the Lord to renew your passion for Him and for sharing Him with others. Pray for those in your life who live daily without Jesus in their worlds. Ask God to use you today in someone’s life: begin developing a sensitivity to the Spirit and to the lost, and to bringing the two together through Jesus Christ. After all, they need Jesus. Freely we have received Him, freely we should give. Copyright © 2008. Faith Matters by Dr. Ken Lovelace. All rights reserved. LPSFM 081007_071408 | www.KenLovelaceMinistries.com
Many years ago, when Grandpa died, Grandma felt all alone. So, she came to live with my family! What a joy! For many years we have enjoyed her presence, her experience, her wisdom. And now, living so far away from her, I miss her. Several years ago, when she reached her 90’s, she began to forget many things. But she never forgot about me. She prayed for me, and kept up with me. When Ken and I felt God calling us to the mission field, she encouraged us and supported us wholeheartedly. The last time I saw her, she told me that she probably would not see me again on this earth, or if she did, she may not remember me. “But God will always be with you, as will my love.” she said. That day, I took with me the special gift of her wedding ring, which I wear on my finger as a precious token of her love and support. Now Grandma is 96 years old. Little by little, her body is weakening and her memory is almost completely gone. But she has never forgotten her Creator, the One for Whom she has lived all of her life. Several months ago, she said to my mother, “Look there, out that window. Do you see? Do you see those people dressed in white, standing out in the yard? What a beautiful sight!” “No, I don’t see anything. They must be angels, Mom, waiting to take you with them to Heaven.” And Grandma smiled and nodded. What a wonderful new life she has to look forward to! Several days ago, I was walking with a Portuguese friend. We are very close friends, yet she does not yet believe in Jesus. While we were walking, she was telling me about her father, who died last year. “At the end,” she was saying, “it was terrible! My father was always weeping and screaming! At times, he would shout, ‘NO! THE DARKNESS! LET ME STAY!’ ’’ Then, with a wave of her hand, she added, “I’m sure it was just because of his medication...” She kept on talking, but I couldn't think of anything else except her father. My heart felt like it was ripping apart because of the desperation of this poor man in his final hours. What a contrast between him and Grandma, standing at death’s door! The truth is that all people, without Jesus, will experience this desperation in the moment they die, including my dear friend who told me this story. How can I just stand by and let her die that way...without hope, without peace, without anything? I want a better death for her. And I know the Someone who can give her a better life. I have to tell her...over and over again.
O Death, where is your sting? But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
Several years ago, after coming home from the foreign mission field, we began searching for a house here in the Dallas area. It was an overwhelming process! We found a house we liked, and put a bid on it. Bracken and Brooklyn were particularly excited about it. However, several days later, we discovered that our bid was totally rejected. We were a little sad, when Bracken reminded us, Knowing that we had chosen the neighborhood carefully, I looked doubtfully at Bracken. He continued, “Maybe THAT neighborhood was full of Christians. Maybe God wants us in a neighborhood where we can really minister and tell others about Jesus.” From then on, we began re-directing our praying:
It wasn’t long before we were moving into a different house—one of God’s choosing. We really had no idea about the neighborhood, but we liked the house. Shortly after our “move-in”, we began knocking on doors, wanting to get to know our neighbors. Apparently, the word was already out that we were a Christian family—and that Ken was a pastor. Doors shut in our faces, almost as quickly as they opened. A little discouraged, the children and I brightened one day when we saw a sign out in front of one neighbor’s yard: FREE KITTENS. Great! We could go in, look at the kittens, and become acquainted with our neighbors in this way! We eagerly went up to the front door and knocked. When the lady answered, we smiled, and I said, “Do you have free kittens?” The lady inspected all of us and looked at me over her glasses. “Are you here to choose a kitten?” she asked me gruffly. “Well, not exactly…” I responded, “…but we’d love to meet you and SEE the kittens.” “YOU CAN’T SEE ‘EM UNLESS YOU WANT ONE!” the lady yelled, and she slammed the door in our faces. As we were walking away, the children were discouraged. “No one wants to meet us, Mom. That was rude! Why do we care about people like that?!” We stopped right there on the sidewalk, and prayed that God would give us His kind of love for our neighbors—even the rude ones. We prayed that God would begin to literally OPEN some doors so that we could get to know our neighbors. We wanted so much for them to get to know Jesus. This was the beginning of many prayers! For years we have prayed, asking God to show us how to be a witness to our neighbors. If we saw an ambulance in front of someone’s house, Ken would quickly go to the home and ask if he could pray with the family. If we saw a child outside, we would introduce ourselves and our children. We held Bible studies in our home. No neighbors came. We had garage sales. Few neighbors came. We even had parties in our front yard, inviting our neighbors. They stared—some even came over to see what was going on…but no one lingered. Finally, after so many years of praying, God opened wide the neighbors’ doors, and they started coming! We held a Summer Bible School for kids in our own front yard, and invited the teens over to play basketball in our back yard. We sweated, we swatted mosquitoes, and we prayed. Every day brought more kids and teens! It was so exciting to tell these children about Jesus when they had never even heard about Him! During that week, we talked about the birth of Jesus… “Do you know why we celebrate Christmas?” I asked. No one knew… “Do you know what gifts the wise men brought to Jesus?” I asked. No one knew…someone guessed…diapers? A Bible? “Do you know that God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to earth to die for you?” Astounded, everyone stared. One girl responded, “I never knew…God loves me? But…why?” We ended our week with Christ’s crucifixion, and His resurrection. We carried crosses, we wrapped each other as Jesus’ body was wrapped in the tomb. We burst out of those wrappings and cried “HE IS RISEN!” We celebrated Easter in the middle of August! Now, ever since that week, it has been a joy to have our neighbor kids and teens in our home. On Wednesday nights, they begin coming, even an hour early, to hear stories from the Bible. I love to sit among them and listen to their reactions as Ken tells them truths from God’s Word. We have had the privilege of leading many of them to salvation in Christ, and now we are discipling them through God’s Word. I remember a few weeks ago, Ken was telling them about Adam and Eve, and how Eve disobeyed, and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. One neighbor kid, a new boy, stood up excitedly, “Wait! Wait! I know this story! She eats that poison apple, and falls into a deep sleep, then the prince comes…” Another neighbor kid jumps up and yells, “Sit down, you fool! That’s a fairy tale! THIS is a story from the Bible!” Though they are an irreverent bunch, they hold God’s Word as truth, and with reverence. They have taught me a lot—about the hopelessness of a life without Christ, and about how obvious and bright TRUTH is in a world of darkness. Oh, how I love them! Oh, how I long for them to know and follow the Truth! Oh, God, let this be a new generation for You—breaking away from the darkness and ignorance that plagues our country. Let these kids someday raise families for You. Just the other day, Ken walked out the front door to get something from the car. A man’s voice sounded from across the street, “Hello, Pastor!” Ken raised his hand and smiled, in surprise, as he realized that one of the neighbor kid’s dads had actually spoken a kind word. Then, at another time, and without warning, there was a knock at our door. We gulped as we saw the “kitten lady” standing out front. Ken answered the door while we all stood silently by. She stammered around a minute, then she said, “We are putting up a nativity set in our yard for Christmas… could you tell us where to put the shepherds? Where does the Bible say that the animals stood? And the wise men?” It’s a start, don’t you think? We won’t stop praying for these parents, these adults of our neighborhood. Perhaps someday soon, they will come to Bible study with their children. Then they will hear of the Truth and Hope—the Savior that loves them so much. They will learn to read His Word for themselves. Thank You Father, for saving us from that first house so many years ago—it was in the wrong neighborhood. Thank You for this house, this neighborhood, this calling. Thank You for sending us. Copyright © 2008 by Lygia Lovelace. All rights reserved. | www.KenLovelaceMinistries.com
The house next door lay empty for some time. I prayed almost daily that God would send a Christian family to live there—one we could relate to and spend quality time with . I envisioned a house full of lots of angelic children, a mom I could talk to and share Bible verses with…and that’s what I prayed for. One day a moving van pulled up in front of the house. How exciting! Several angelic- looking children stepped out of the truck with their dad. My children ran out quickly to meet our new neighbors. “It’s two boys and a girl, Mom! Come and meet them!” encouraged my daughter after she had introduced herself. That’s when I first met Thorn. He was a fine-looking boy of about 10, with big brown eyes. As Thorn’s dad introduced himself and his children, I looked around a little sadly for a mom. Though in the months to come, she would come in and out of their lives, there was no mom to be seen on that day. As the weeks passed, we got to know Thorn better and better. He was determined to commit mischief throughout the neighborhood! He became infamous for knocking over trash cans, paint balling houses, and vandalizing yards. Though he’s been gone now for several years, we still remember Thorn fondly by the holes in our bushes, the fluorescent pink paint stains on our siding and one particularly memorable experience…
By the time Thorn was done, we were soaked, as were our customers, our tables, and our patience! Day after day we had conflict with Thorn. Fights among kids would break out in our yard—with Thorn in the middle of it. Bad language flew frequently in our hearing, causing us to keep our children away from Thorn. The police even came to our door on occasion, looking for Thorn. He was basically, as one neighbor expressed to me, “a neighborhood nightmare”. Because Thorn knew that he had done things against us, he avoided us. I couldn’t get him to even acknowledge me when he was walking along or riding by on his bike. “What can we do, Lord?” I asked Him. “How can we be a witness to Thorn and his family if we are always at odds with him? Show me how we can love him—with Your kind of love.” Only God could know that hard-hearted Thorn would respond to a mother’s tender care. A mother’s love seemed to be lacking in his life, and surprisingly, that’s how God used us to minister to him. One day, I was walking by the window and happened to see Thorn “wipe-out” on his bike. He was in the middle of the road, holding his knee, and I could see by the expression on his face, that he was trying not to cry. Just then, the Spirit spoke to my heart, “You go now. Wash his knee and bandage it.” I hesitated. “Give him a band-aid, Lord? A band-aid? What will he think of me? He won’t accept it—he already thinks we’re strange. He’ll tell his gang of neighborhood troublemakers—they’ll laugh and make fun--that’s just not going to work!” But at that moment, thankfully, I chose to obey the prompting of the Spirit. “…Thorn?” I said as I slowly approached him. He didn’t look up, but I could hear muffled sniffles coming from his sleeve. I took a deep breath, and knelt down. “Oh, look. I’m so sorry you fell. This must really hurt. Let me help you.” As I began cleaning his wound and applying medicine and a band-aid, he looked into my face. He didn’t say much that day, but the door to his heart began to open. A few months later, we had another garage sale. I drew in a quick breath as I saw Thorn boldly approaching our yard. We all stood in silence as he began looking at the items on our tables. I wondered if he was planning another water attack! I was amazed when Thorn began talking to us, as if we were his friends. He and my husband were carrying on a conversation, and before I knew it, Thorn was listening intently as Ken was drawing on paper a child’s presentation of the Gospel. Thorn was now 11 years old, and I prayed fervently in those moments for his salvation. I wish I could have been in heaven that day. When Thorn prayed and asked Jesus to be His Lord and Savior, I know the angels sang their loudest! All of us Lovelace’s rejoiced and praised God for this precious new birth! I wish I could say that Thorn was completely good after that, but like all of us, he still struggled with his old nature. I do know, however, that he had definitely begun his journey with Christ. How do I know? One day, a friend of ours introduced herself to Thorn. I hesitated, to see if he would actually speak to her. He, in turn, introduced himself to her. “My name is Jesse.” I stared at him in surprise. My friend, knowing his reputation and his story, looked at him and smiled sweetly. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Jesse. That sure is a nice name.” He glanced sideways at me. Then he smiled. “Yeah, it’s my other name. I’ve decided I like it better…” Jesse and his family moved away a few years ago. I often wonder about him and pray for him. Truthfully, when I see the holes in our bushes, I smile, remembering. I marvel at the work God did in Thorn…I marvel at the work He does in all of us! And, I praise God that a skinned knee and a band-aid led one troubled boy to the Kingdom.
“…and do you not realize that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?” Copyright © 2008 by Lygia Lovelace. All rights reserved. | www.KenLovelaceMinistries.com
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