We Americans love holidays . . . at least the idea of holidays. Unfortunately, we’re often better at how we celebrate than we are at understanding why we celebrate.

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Did you know that Father’s Day is way behind Mother’s Day in terms of what it will cost most of us? (In case you’re wondering, we spend an average of $90.89 on dads and $123.90 on moms.) I guess dads have to be more laid back in their expectations, as the most popular gift—and often the only one they get—is a Father’s Day card . . . sigh.

In America, this day to honor fathers was officially recognized in 1972 with President Nixon’s declaration that Father’s Day would henceforth be the third Sunday in June. But for believers, honoring our fathers is not optional. It is one of the “Top Ten” . . . Commandments, that is.

“Honor your father and mother” is a message rarely heard outside of the church today. I can hardly imagine a subject less on the radar of the average American than this one. God’s Word and commandments have not changed; we are still called to honor and respect our parents, not least our fathers, imperfect and flawed though they may be.

So here are my simple words of encouragement and appreciation to all the good dads who thanklessly, and without fanfare, go about doing their jobs day in and day out.

Thank you for loving us. Thank you for loving us even when we weren’t lovable! Thank you for loving us when we took that love for granted—even when we saw the hurt we would cause, and still disobediently went our own way.

Thank you for providing a home, food, and clothes for us. Thank you for going to work faithfully to take care of us. This responsibility must weigh heavily on your shoulders.

Thank you for the times you said no, for caring enough to discipline us instead of giving in to our every plea.

Thank you for setting rules and boundaries that taught us right from wrong, teaching us that breaking rules would have consequences. Thank you for counseling, listening, and reasoning with us.

Thank you for not holding on to us so tightly. Thanks for letting us fail now and then, giving us the chance to learn some hard lessons for ourselves.

Thank you for praying for us. For teaching us about God the Heavenly Father and for expressing to us your love for Him, pointing us to a Savior. Thanks for living out your faith out in ways we could see, for praying with us and praying for us.

Thank you for the sleepless nights, the prayers, the tears, the words you said, and the words you didn’t say!

Thank you that when we were rejected by others, or failed at school or sports, or weren’t the most attractive, or popular, or intelligent . . . we know you loved us still.

From your example we learned how God our Heavenly Father loves: always, unconditionally, and at times heartbreakingly! Thank you.

And may I say to my dear husband, Greg, thank you. Christopher and Jonathan would be the first to say they learned (and are learning) responsibility of fathering from your faithful example. You have been a steady signpost, a rock, consistent through the greatest joys and greatest sorrows of your life. You were, and are, a great dad; we love you.

But in closing, for those of you fathers who are getting this message late . . . it’s not too late. I realize there are no perfect fathers. We are all sinners in need of forgiveness. I pray you come to know by experience that the gospel is big and robust enough to redeem even the toughest of you. May you know the transforming love of a perfect Father. God Himself made the greatest sacrifice for you in sending His Son to die that you might live, and love, and face the challenges of fathering with His power working in you.

P.S. – Download a free resource card: 31 Specific Prayers for Your Children.

A Harvest Crusade is really just a “shot in the arm,” a catalyst to rally the troops, a call to battle. But the ongoing work of evangelism happens in churches. In fact, what’s needed in our churches today is an evangelistic culture.

This is not something that happens naturally; it happens supernaturally. Things always default to mediocrity—never to quality. That’s true of businesses, restaurants, stores, and even the church. If you see quality, and life, and an evangelistic culture, it is there because of effort.

And that effort starts with you as the pastor or ministry leader. You cannot take people any further than you yourself have gone. As Paul told Timothy, the farmer that labors must first be a partaker of the fruit (see 2 Timothy 2:6).

How can you have an evangelistic culture in your church?

1. If you want to start a fire in the pews, begin with the pulpit.

   If there is a mist in the pulpit, there will be a fog in the pews. C.H. Spurgeon said, “The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you. If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest, too. But if you are filled with an agony for them, if you cannot bear that they should be lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy, too. I hope you will get into such a state that you will dream about your child or your hearer perishing for lack of Christ, and start up at once and begin to cry, ‘O god, give me converts or I will die!’ Then you will have converts.”

2. If you want to see people come to Christ, you must articulate the gospel.

   You might say, “But I’m a pastor, not an evangelist!” That may be true, but Paul told timothy to “do the work of an evangelist.” You need to specifically break down the gospel and explain it to people. Try to imagine that you are a nonbeliever hearing it for the first time. Use language a person will understand.

   There are certain elements that must be in play for the gospel to be the gospel. We need to tell people they are separated from God by sin, that Jesus died for that sin, and that if they repent and turn to Him, they can be saved. Our message is “Christ and Him crucified.”

   Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation.” There is power in the simple message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

   You need to start giving invitations for people to come to Christ. This takes a commitment, because there is always the possibility of failure. But there is an even greater possibility of success. It’s worth the risk. At the end of your message should be an evangelistic “hook.” No matter what the topic, there is always a way to wrap it up evangelistically. The key is to transition to the cross. Preach this part of your message with urgency, “as a dying man to dying men.” You must trust that God will bless His Word and convict people of sin.

   When Peter was preaching on Pentecost they were “cut to the heart,” and they said, “What shall we do?” In Acts 2:38–41, Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

   Like Peter, you must be intentional in your invitation, preaching for a decision.

3. You must be clear in your invitation.

   This is where it breaks down for most preachers. I have heard pastors and speakers give excellent messages with a call to Christ. Then it all falls apart in “the mechanics” of it. People do not understand what you are asking them to do.

   By the way, there are many ways to skin a cat. There are a lot of ways to ask people to respond to your invitation. You can have people stand up and pray, you can have them pray with you and then send them to a room for follow-up, you can have them come forward to the front and lead them in prayer. The main thing is that we call them to Christ. There needs to be a “moment of decision.” We don’t have the specifics of an invitation in Scripture. But we have many instances of people repenting and believing in large numbers.

   This is a good time to get out of “preach mode” and be conversational. Use the vernacular, as though you were speaking to a person one on one.

4. You must have a follow-up system in place.

   I’m talking about counselors who have been trained to encourage new believers. If a church does not have a follow-up ministry for new converts, something is not right. A church that does not have a constant flow of new believers will stagnate. New converts are the lifeblood of the church. We have a choice: evangelize or fossilize.

5. You must start and maintain an evangelistic culture.

   People always return to mediocrity, so you must not let this culture die. Our crusade can help, but ongoing evangelism is something you must do in your church. Your people must invite other to church! In almost all cases, new converts at our crusades end up in the church of the person who brought them.

   If you just announce the crusade and put out invitations, you might see some growth. But if you urge and exhort your people to bring nonbelievers, it will grow.

If you are thinking, “That just won’t work in our church!” then change the culture of your church so it will. Do a series on the importance of sharing one’s faith. When we were in Australia for a crusade, we were told that “invitations” were something that didn’t work there, but God can and did work in Australia just like He does here.

Let’s all pray for an evangelistic culture in our churches.

National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 7. Make plans to be part of this important opportunity to pray for our nation.

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Its foundation represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.

The National Day of Prayer has great significance for us as a nation as it enables us to recall and to teach the way in which our founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions. It stands as a call for us to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for our leaders and His grace upon us as a people.

Every year, local, state, and federal observances were held from sunrise in Maine to sunset in Hawaii, uniting Americans from all socio-economic, political and ethnic backgrounds in prayer for our nation. It is estimated that over two million people attended more than 30,000 observances—organized by approximately 40,000 volunteers. At state capitols, county courthouses, on the steps of city halls, and in schools, businesses, churches and homes, people stopped their activities and gathered for prayer.

If your local church is not hosting this event and you want to know of the nearest location to participate, please go to nationaldayofprayer.org.

“True prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but taking hold of His willingness.” —Greg Laurie

Many women of the Bible offer examples of what priorities we should have as Christian women today.

Here are five matriarchs who model God’s will for our lives.

Hannah, a Woman of Prayer: Hannah poured out her heart before the Lord in faithful and earnest prayer (see 1 Samuel 1–2).

Mary, a Woman of Worship: Mary of Bethany chose to sit at the feet of Jesus as a devoted worshipper (see Luke 10:38–42; Mark 14:3–9).

Esther, a Woman of Courage: Esther showed courage as she willingly risked her life for her people (see the Book of Esther).

Elizabeth, a Woman of Faith: She believed that nothing is impossible with God (see Luke 1).

The Samaritan, a Woman of God’s Word: This woman accepted God’s Living Water and shared it with others (see John 4:1–42).

Take some time and read about these amazing women of the Bible. Allow their examples to better encourage you in aligning your priorities with His Word as He leads!

On next week’s radio program, Pastor Greg will answer a listener’s question about heavenly reunions, and his heartfelt answer is worth the listen. We wanted to share it with you early as a close friend of the ministry.

 

Thanks for being a Harvest Partner and sharing the hope of heaven with the world.

 

What does it mean to be a Christian? How do you become one? I’m glad you asked. First, let’s look at three ways you cannot become a child of God. That’s right. How not to become a Christian.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

You cannot be a Christian simply by being born into a Christian family. I’m amazed at how some people, when asked how they know they are Christians, will answer, “Because I think my grandfather was,” or, “Because my mother is a Christian.” It’s as though they believe their family somehow has Christian “genes.” Having Christian parents is a great privilege. It’s a wonderful thing to be raised with biblical values and to develop a Christian worldview. But you still must personally believe in Jesus. You cannot live off the faith of the family.

You cannot make yourself a Christian by your own will. Not only does faith have nothing to do with your family background, it has nothing to do with desire. You can’t just say, “From this moment on, I am a Christian!” Becoming a Christian involves putting your trust in God. God is the one who saves you, not yourself. It would be like a drowning person trying to save himself or herself. Becoming a Christian involves turning away from sin and trusting Jesus and Jesus alone for your salvation. It involves saying “yes” to God’s invitation to change your heart.

You cannot become a Christian by compulsion. No one in the world can make you a Christian. No minister or priest can make you a Christian by mere baptism or a sacrament. You cannot be reborn through a ceremony, or by reading a creed, or by standing up or sitting down, or by going forward, or by kneeling at a bench. None of these things, in and of themselves, will make you a Christian.

Now that we’ve covered how not to become a Christian, let’s look at how to become one. We find the answer in the verse quoted above: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Being a Christian is not merely following a creed, though it would include that. It is not merely believing certain truths, though it is that, too. It is receiving Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord.

There has to be a point when you are awakened to your spiritual need and say, “God, I know I’m a sinner. I know I don’t measure up. Your light has crept into the crevices of my life, and You have exposed my spiritual nakedness. You have shown me my vulnerability and my need. At the same time, I know I can’t become a Christian in my own strength. So I am coming to You on Your terms. I am turning from my sin. I believe that Your Son, Jesus, the Word who created all things, became a man and walked among us. I believe that He died on a cross for my sin. I put my trust in You. I choose to follow You.”

Becoming a Christian is not unlike having a gift offered to you. God is offering you a gift, but you need to accept it and open it to understand what it is.

In the same way, God has given each of us a gift, but it’s not any good until we open it. The gift is just sitting there.

Maybe you’re thinking, “I’ll get to it later. I know it’s there. It gives me a good feeling to know it is there. I just love the fact that it is there.” But wait a second. You need to receive it. You need to open this gift. Until you have done so, you are not experiencing what God has in store for you.

You can say, “I know Jesus is the Lord. I know He is the Creator of all things. I know He died on the cross. I know He has the answer to all my questions. I know He can forgive me of my sins. He is there knocking. It’s nice to know He’s right there.” But that’s not enough. A gift is only good if it’s being used. So reach out and receive the gift.

Your Christian family can’t do it for you. You can’t do it for yourself just by saying, “I believe in my own way.” You have to say, “Lord, I receive your gift of eternal life, happily and gladly. I trust in your promises and I choose to follow Jesus.”

Have you done that yet? If you are not sure, click KnowGod.org now.

Easter is for everyone, but it is not about bunnies or brightly colored eggs. It is about Jesus, and it is specifically about Jesus crucified and risen again from the dead.

I don’t know how you might describe your life this Easter. Maybe you are full of faith and looking forward to joining your family and friends at church and perhaps a special meal later in the day. If everything is going well for you, then praise God for that.

For others, it might be a different story. Easter might be a reminder, like Christmas, of someone who is no longer with you. And with every year that passes, they are remembered and missed. So, for some, Easter is a bittersweet day.

Death can seem so cruel, so harsh, and so final. And that is exactly how the disciples felt when they saw the beaten, bloodied body of their Lord hanging on a Roman cross. Then, in addition to the crucifixion, a Roman soldier took his spear, thrust it into Jesus’ side, and out of it came blood and water.

There was no question about it. Christ had died. If the crucifixion hadn’t killed him, certainly the spear of the Roman soldier would have. The disciples thought it was over. They thought death had finished it.

If they would have thought back, they would have remembered this was the same Lord who had raised people from the dead. He raised the daughter of Jairus. He raised Lazarus after he already was in the process of decomposition.

And, if they would have thought back, they would have remembered that on the day that Lazarus was raised, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25 NKJV).

But it is hard to see through eyes that have been blinded by tears. So the disciples were shocked to find an angel waiting for them with the good news: “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him” (Mark 16:6 NKJV).

They thought He was dead. But He was alive again.

Because Jesus has died and has risen again, it means that we as believers do not have to be afraid of death. As 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us, “But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again” (NLT). Jesus has gone to the other side, He has returned, and He has the keys to death and hell (see Revelation 1:18).

It’s hard for us to accept that our bodies are wearing out. Yet the Bible says we will have new bodies one day: “We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us” (Romans 8:23 NLT).

You see, my body is not the real me. The real me is my soul, my spirit. This body will die. But my soul will live on.

One day, you may open up the newspaper and read that Greg Laurie has died. But don’t you believe a word of it, because at the moment you read that I have died, I will be more alive than I have ever been before—in the presence of God. And the same can be said for every believer.

Here is the message of Jesus: You are going to see your loved ones again. You will be with them. Not only are they a part of your past, but they are also part of your future.

He is the resurrection and the life, and if we believe in Him, though we were dead, yet shall we live.

To download a copy of Six Relevant Reminders about the Resurrection, click here.

Six Relevant Reminders about the Resurrection

So here are six tips for you and your family to remember as you celebrate this all important event and rejoice in what God has accomplished for you.

1. Without the Resurrection, our preaching and belief are in vain (see 1 Corinthians 15:14).
2. We would be condemned in our sins without the Resurrection (see 1 Corinthians 15:17).
3. There would be no Christianity and no church if Jesus had not risen from the dead (see 1 Corinthians 15:17).
4. We know that Jesus is God because He died and rose again (see Romans 1:4).
5. The Resurrection transforms the lives of those who believe in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:15–17).
6. We who believe have hope because of the resurrection of Christ (see 1 Peter 1:3).

I saw an advertisement in a computer magazine with a photo of a guy shaving. It asked the question “Is it an alarm or a calling that gets you out of bed in the morning?” That is a very good question. What do you live for? What makes you tick? What do you get up for in the morning?

All of us have something or someone we live for. Some passion, ideal, that drives us on, giving our lives purpose, some sense of meaning, raising it above the level of mere existence. We don’t want our lives on this earth to be some temporary “blip on the screen.”

Paul’s passion was Jesus. The apostle wrote, in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul of course used to be known as the notorious Christian killer, Saul of Tarsus. But Saul met the risen Lord on the Damascus road and had his life forever changed. Now he would serve Jesus with as much passion as he once served Satan. Can you imagine what a different world we’d live in if more Christians served the Lord with the same level of commitment that they used to serve the devil with?

There are two questions every believer should ask. Saul asked two questions on the day of his conversion. “Who are you, Lord?” and “What will you have me to do?” Those would be great questions for you to personally ask Jesus today. Let that calling to serve Him get you up in the morning instead of an alarm clock. He has a plan and purpose for you today!

If you would like to download this “How to Live for God Every Moment of Your Life” card, click here.

How to Live for God Every Moment of Your Life!

1. Seek to have the attitude of Christ each day (see Philippians 2:5-7).
2. Continue to walk in things you know to be true (see 2 Timothy 3:14).
3. Exchange your desires for God’s desires (see Psalm 37:4).

Have you ever wanted to be used by God?

I believe it is a God-given desire to want to serve the Lord. But maybe you’ve wondered what qualifications the Lord looks for in the life of a man or woman that He would use. In the Book of Joshua, we can find at least seven principles that apply to the person God uses.

Principle one: God uses people who realize they are weak. In Joshua 1, God told Joshua to “be strong and courageous” a total of three times in four verses. Why? It was probably because He knew Joshua was afraid—and understandably so.

Moses was gone. Now God had raised up Joshua to lead the people of Israel, and he hardly felt adequate for the task.

It isn’t a bad thing to discover that we are weak. In fact, it is quite good. As Warren Wiersbe has said, “You can never be too small for God to use—only too big.”

Principle two: God uses people who are faithful. Joshua had been Moses’ helper, or as the New King James Version puts it, “Moses’ assistant” (see Joshua 1:1). Joshua was the guy who was there to help Moses get the job done.

He had been born in Egypt and, along with Caleb, would be the only Israelite from the great exodus to survive the wilderness wandering and make it into the Promised Land. Joshua was a faithful man and a worthy successor to Moses.

Principle three: God uses people who study and live by His Word. God told Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night . . . ” (1:8 NKJV). If you want to be used by God, then you need to know the Word of God. “Meditate in it day and night,” God said to Joshua.

The word meditate means, “to ponder, to consider, to contemplate.” This is where you will have the authority when you are used by God.

Principle four: God uses the person who is patient and waits on His timing. Imagine wandering around the wilderness for 40 years, and finally you are on the brink of entering the Promised Land. Then God says, “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land . . . ‘ ” (1:11 NKJV).

We need to learn to wait on God’s timing, because there is a time and a way to do what God calls us to do.

Principle five: God uses the person who cares about lost souls. There was a lost soul to be saved before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, and her name was Rahab. God would not judge Jericho until Rahab had been reached and told what to do to avoid this judgment that was coming when the Israelites attacked.

God’s heart always is to save people. Every soul is precious to Him. God always cares about individuals, and so should we.

Principle six: God uses the person who sets himself or herself apart. Joshua told the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (3:5 NKJV). The word sanctify means, “to set yourself apart, to live a holy life.”

It comes down to this: if you want to be used by God, then you will want to live a life that is right before Him. You don’t need to be perfect. But you need to be someone who is attempting to live a godly life.

Principle seven: God uses the person who knows how to work with others. A good leader will communicate with and encourage the people with whom he or she works.

That is what Joshua did. He called the people together and encouraged them. They were about to undertake a very difficult task. It was going to take faith. He was saying to the people, “Hear what God is saying to you, and let’s move forward.”

Joshua was communicating with the people he was leading, and he was encouraging them. If you want to be used by God, then this is what you need to do.

The Bible says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV). Will you be that person He can use?

Click here to download a PDF of Seven Principles to Be Used card.

Getting lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas is something every Christian does. Rushing from mall to mall and sale to sale can trip you up. It can even cause you to lose sight of the reason you celebrate Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ—our Savior!

Because Jesus can become God’s only forgotten Son, instead of God’s only begotten Son, here are seven tips on how not to lose sight of Jesus this Christmas.

1. Read the Word. Nothing will remind you of the Christmas story like the Christmas story itself.
2. Remember to Pray! Pray for godly priorities, for unsaved family members, and for those in need.
3. Remember: Don’t replace worship with holiday work. Don’t get so busy in rushing from Christmas play, to Christmas service, to Christmas party that you forget to worship God. Don’t lose sight of your first love (Revelation 2:4).
4. Remember to meet with God’s people. Make time for you and your family to go to church. Jesus manifests His presence in a unique and special way when His people gather together in His name.
5. Remember to be about Your Father’s Business. Be sure that what you’re celebrating is of the Lord. Make sure that you’re not getting caught up in the world’s view of Christmas rather than the Word’s view of Christmas.
6. Remember Whom the celebration is for. As you decorate, shop, and plan, remember that Jesus Christ is the reason for it all.
7. Remember to repent and repeat. If you find yourself losing sight of Jesus this Christmas, simply repent—change your direction. Then repeat. Go back to that place where you lost Him. Chances are you need to get back into prayer, the Word, fellowship, and sharing the gospel with the unsaved.

Keep the message of Christmas near to you by placing this card in your back pocket, wallet, or purse.