Comments on: The Gospel Gripped My Heart http://www.agenttimonline.com/2008/04/11/the-gospel-gripped-my-heart/ Agent Tim's blog. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:59:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6-beta3 By: Lydia http://www.agenttimonline.com/2008/04/11/the-gospel-gripped-my-heart/#comment-79442 Lydia Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:25:56 +0000 http://www.agenttimonline.com/2008/04/11/the-gospel-gripped-my-heart/#comment-79442 We have such a beautiful gospel! We have such a beautiful gospel!

]]> By: Nicole T. http://www.agenttimonline.com/2008/04/11/the-gospel-gripped-my-heart/#comment-78879 Nicole T. Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:56:14 +0000 http://www.agenttimonline.com/2008/04/11/the-gospel-gripped-my-heart/#comment-78879 Tim, Wow -- I hadn't been reading this site, but I checked it tonight and the latest two posts (this one and the next one) really struck me hard. In a good way. I was just reading (mentioned in a book I have) about these missionaries who went to a foreign country and lived with the people for years, showing kindness and basically preparing them for the Gospel -- kind of like what I've often tried to do because I didn't want to scare my friends off by the truth right away. But their work wasn't bearing any fruit. One day, it said that one of the chief men in the opposition against the missionaries walked in while one of the missionaries was working on a translation of the book of Matthew. The man asked the missionary what he was working on and when he answered he asked him to read it out loud. The part he was at was the crucifixion of Jesus, so he read it, and the man just started weeping. He asked the missionary, "Why have you never told us this before?" And thus began a revival there -- by the pure, not-watered-down, simple Truth of the Gospel. I've been thinking about this a lot lately -- witnessing the Gospel -- because in the books I'm reading (missionary biographies) the native Christians are beaten, jailed, mocked on the streets before crowds, tortured... and then they cannot go home afterwards for JOY! They cannot contain themselves for the honor God has blessed them with and they then preach the Gospel in the streets to whoever will hear or simply sing in praise to their God. And the people they preach to become the same way. They lose all their bad habits by God's Power alone, they seek full transformation and receive it, they lay down their lives and their all daily and take up their cross and follow Jesus wholeheartedly and unashamedly. I keep thinking, "Has the truth been that watered down in the U.S. that we can refrain from being the same way?" Why have I not been as ardent a follower of Jesus? Why has my safety, reputation, relationships, etc., been put before the Gospel and the honor of God's Name while there are those who would give up homes, loved ones, and life itself for this very same Cause and call it more than worthy still? Why is it they have incredible joy amidst such a war, and yet, we live in relative peace and experience such strife and weariness of soul? As far as the churches in my area (liberal Portland, OR) the church leaders drink (and brew their own beer with the idea of putting marijuana in it), smoke, swear (like you wouldn't believe), and use money given for ministry purposes to support these habits and the teaching of them to new, young members of the church. They even hand out free beer to get people to come to church! All I can say is: We have not grasped the truth, and in turn, we have not let the Gospel take hold of us and pierce our hearts as it must that we might know, truly, of its joys, and know and witness that all we need and all the world needs is Jesus. Is it no wonder that the world around us is no different? But this post and the next is so encouraging to me. We can be different -- we are and we will be. Our generation is not going to be like those before. We will know God. I sincerely believe that if we will let the Gospel take hold of us and grip our hearts, daily, then this world in turn will be taken hold of through our witness -- they will be taken hold of by His Life through our lives. I'll be praying for you and this conference and look forward to reading more about what God is doing. Thank you for sharing and God bless! Tim,
Wow — I hadn’t been reading this site, but I checked it tonight and the latest two posts (this one and the next one) really struck me hard. In a good way. I was just reading (mentioned in a book I have) about these missionaries who went to a foreign country and lived with the people for years, showing kindness and basically preparing them for the Gospel — kind of like what I’ve often tried to do because I didn’t want to scare my friends off by the truth right away. But their work wasn’t bearing any fruit. One day, it said that one of the chief men in the opposition against the missionaries walked in while one of the missionaries was working on a translation of the book of Matthew. The man asked the missionary what he was working on and when he answered he asked him to read it out loud. The part he was at was the crucifixion of Jesus, so he read it, and the man just started weeping. He asked the missionary, “Why have you never told us this before?” And thus began a revival there — by the pure, not-watered-down, simple Truth of the Gospel.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately — witnessing the Gospel — because in the books I’m reading (missionary biographies) the native Christians are beaten, jailed, mocked on the streets before crowds, tortured… and then they cannot go home afterwards for JOY! They cannot contain themselves for the honor God has blessed them with and they then preach the Gospel in the streets to whoever will hear or simply sing in praise to their God. And the people they preach to become the same way. They lose all their bad habits by God’s Power alone, they seek full transformation and receive it, they lay down their lives and their all daily and take up their cross and follow Jesus wholeheartedly and unashamedly. I keep thinking, “Has the truth been that watered down in the U.S. that we can refrain from being the same way?” Why have I not been as ardent a follower of Jesus? Why has my safety, reputation, relationships, etc., been put before the Gospel and the honor of God’s Name while there are those who would give up homes, loved ones, and life itself for this very same Cause and call it more than worthy still? Why is it they have incredible joy amidst such a war, and yet, we live in relative peace and experience such strife and weariness of soul? As far as the churches in my area (liberal Portland, OR) the church leaders drink (and brew their own beer with the idea of putting marijuana in it), smoke, swear (like you wouldn’t believe), and use money given for ministry purposes to support these habits and the teaching of them to new, young members of the church. They even hand out free beer to get people to come to church! All I can say is: We have not grasped the truth, and in turn, we have not let the Gospel take hold of us and pierce our hearts as it must that we might know, truly, of its joys, and know and witness that all we need and all the world needs is Jesus. Is it no wonder that the world around us is no different?
But this post and the next is so encouraging to me. We can be different — we are and we will be. Our generation is not going to be like those before. We will know God. I sincerely believe that if we will let the Gospel take hold of us and grip our hearts, daily, then this world in turn will be taken hold of through our witness — they will be taken hold of by His Life through our lives.
I’ll be praying for you and this conference and look forward to reading more about what God is doing.
Thank you for sharing and God bless!

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