Cool Christian Cartoons

Don't be a salesman. Be a witness.

You know how sometimes when we witness to our friends, colleagues or even family, they seem really 'closed to the Gospel'. It's like they just can't seem to understand what we are talking about or something. In such situations what do we do?

At times I've found myself trying to convince people that Jesus is the only way. I also know of people who, in their zeal to evangelise, bombard people with the Gospel so much so that heated debates and nasty arguments ensue. Well, that's just not how it's supposed to be.

We don't have to try to sell Jesus to our friends, shove him down our colleagues' throats or argue the cause with anyone.

In John 1:43-45, Jesus found Philip and said, "Follow me." Then Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." But Nathanael wasn't one to believe too soon. He said, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"

Doesn't Nathanael's cynicism remind you of some of the people you've witnessed to? They just won't believe immediately.

Well, interestingly enough, Philip didn't try and sell Jesus to Nathanael. He simply said, "Come and see."

May be we can take a cue from Philip. The next time we evangelise, we should remember to steer clear from heated debates and arguments and remember that our job is to tell people the truth and invite them to experience it. After all, it's the Holy Spirit who has to do the work of changing their hearts.

The Bible also says, that God chose us, we did not choose Him. John 15:16a - "You did not choose me, but I chose you."

Look at vs 47 to 50. Jesus already knew who Nathanael was. He had seen him under the fig tree even before Philip called him. Nathanael was already chosen by Jesus.

Similarly, God's eye is already on our friends, colleagues or whoever else we are witnessing to. So we are not working on our own to bring people into the kingdom. God is working with us!

Colours of the cross

Okay. So this isn't exactly a blog post per se but it's an interesting way to introduce Jesus to a friend or bring Him up in your conversations.

Our church's vision is to reach out to the people of our city through effective evangelism and it's been amazing how God has been showing people new ways of witnessing - door to door evangelism, concerts, house groups, hospital visits etc. So I was looking for a way to pass the vision on to my Sunday School kids and I found this on the Internet.

It's a little craft that can help children talk to their friends about Jesus. You know how kids just love little trinkets and key chains. Through this craft they can not only make these trinkets but also use them to tell others about their faith. Here's how it goes...

What you will need

* 6 Beads (Black, red, white, blue, green, gold or yellow)
* Thin cord or rawhide lace that will fit through your beads
* Clear glue

Directions

Step 1: Cut your cord. If you're making a necklace, start with three feet of cord. For a bookmark, bracelet, or key chain use one foot of cord. Place the gold bead onto one end of the cord and place in the center. See illustration.

Step 2: Put the cord ends together and pull them through the green bead. See illustration.

Step 3: Put the red bead onto one side of the cord, and the blue bead onto the other side. Pull them tight.

Step 4: Put the cord ends together again and pull them through the black bead. See illustration.

Step 5: Place a very small dot of clear drying glue onto the red and blue bead, at the center of the cross where they touch. Wedge your white bead between the red and blue bead so that the white bead's holes touch the sides of the red and blue bead where the glue was placed. Pull the string tightly and tie a knot against the top of the black bead.

Step 6: Tie the ends of the cord. Wrap the cord ends around your finger, and loop it through the hole, pull tight.

Now how to you use your trinket to talk about Jesus?

Each of the bead colours are intended to remind us of Biblical truths!

Black = Sin

The black bead reminds us of our sin which separates us from God and dooms us to eternal darkness.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Red = Christ’s blood

The red bead symbolizes Christ’s’ blood shed for you and me.
Romans 5:8-9 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us...we have been justified by his blood..."

White = Prayer of Repentance For Cleansing

The white bead represents the cleansing that occurs when a sinner repents and turns to God.
Psalm 51:1-2 "Have mercy on me, Oh God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."

Blue = Water/Spirit Baptism

The blue bead represents baptism.
Ephesians 4:5 "...one Lord, one faith, one baptism." We are baptized with water to identify ourselves with Jesus.
The Holy Spirit baptizes those who trust in Jesus and takes up residence in the believers heart.
"If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." Romans 8:9

Green = Christian Growth

The green bead represents growth in our faith.
Colossians 1:10 "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..."

Gold = Eternal life

The gold bead represents eternal life with Jesus in Heaven.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

So what are you waiting for? Share your Colours of Christ's Cross with a friend!

7 reasons to get yourself a prayer partner

I have lots of great Christian friends who pray for me, encourage me and that's wonderful. But around the first week of February this year, I found my first prayer partner (or rather she found me).

Now four months down the line, I have truly seen the fruit of our prayers and God's abundant blessings in my life. So I thought I'd share with you some of the reasons you should get a prayer partner (that is if you don't already have one).

1. For starters, Jesus said that if "two" of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven (Matthew 18: 19). My prayer partner and I have agreed in prayer on several occasions and seen God work, whether it was for our job situations, healing or even provision for a member of our housegroup.

2. A while ago I went through a dry spell in my prayer life and it wasn't my mother, my friends or even my pastor who helped me out of it. It was my prayer partner!

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 is so true. It says, Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

3. Everyone of us face trials and sometimes we fall into temptation. No doubt, we can confess our sins to God but it is also important for us to come clean before someone mature in the Lord that we can trust. In James 5:16 it says, Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

4. Having a prayer partner has also helped me open up to correction. We are both part of the serving team in our church. There was this time I was slacking and it was my prayer partner who corrected me for not being on time on Sunday mornings. It was a blessing to have someone look out for me -- somewhat like what the Bible talks about in Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

5. The Bible tells us to encourage each other and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). I remember this one time we met at a park to pray. I had had a really rough day and was feeling so down that I just couldn't pray by myself. That's when she prayed with me and at the end of the half hour we spent together, my spirit was so lifted up. I was laughing and joking like nothing bad had happened.

Another time, she was going through a trial in her life and God gave me a word for her that helped her not to give up in that situation.

6. In Romans 1: 12, Paul writes to the Roman church that he longs to see them so that "you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith". A couple of weeks ago I was telling my prayer partner that I really wanted something to happen for me but I didn't have the faith to believe for it. Impossible as the situation seemed, her faith encouraged me to believe and not doubt. Today, that thing still hasn't happened, but I know that I know that God is going to do it!

7. And the last one. This one isn't exactly a reason to have a prayer partner but rather a word of advice :p - Never give into gossip. Proverbs 20:19 says, A gossip tells secrets, so don't hang around with someone who talks too much.

It's easy, when you are sharing with each other things that happened in church, at your workplace etc, to start gossiping - may be even unknowingly. But now that you are aware of this, you can stop your conversations from becoming gossip sessions.

Hope does not disappoint!

One of my favourite scriptures from the time I was a child was Jeremiah 29:11 which says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Surprisingly enough, I never realised what this verse actually meant.

It's amazing how God doesn't just have wonderful things planned for our futures but He also gives us the hope to believe for those wonderful things!

Have you ever had times in your life when you felt like you didn't want to hope for something to happen because if it didn't happen, your hopes would be shattered?

I'm reminded of a situation I was in about two years ago where I was afraid to hope because I didn't want to be disappointed.

I wanted to go on a holiday and had applied for my US visa. Before my interview, I kept hearing negative things from people like "they don't generally give visas to unmarried girls because you might go there, get a job and never come back!" or "you have to have a bank balance of ...". Funny as it may seem, as I kept listening to these things, I didn't want to set my heart on getting that visa. But the day before my interview, I spoke to my pastor's wife and she said she would believe with me not just for my visa to be granted but for a 10-year multiple-entry visa. Suddenly, I was filled with hope to believe for that. And right enough, God worked it out for me.

As Christians, we must hope. We don't have to be skeptical like everyone else. You know why? Because we hope in Jesus. And the best part is -- those who hope in Him will not be disappointed (Isaiah 49:23). Hope does not disappoint us (Romans 5:5).

God wants us to hope, not in our own abilities, wealth or the influence of others (1 Timothy 6:17), but in HIM. He wants us to hope continually like David in Psalm 71:14 - But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

Sometimes it's difficult for us to hope for something good, especially when our situation tells us otherwise. In 2 Kings 4: 8-36, the Shunammite woman seemed to have that problem.

She had shown great hospitality to Elisha and Elisha wanted to bless her. So he asked Gehazi what can be done for her. Gehazi then told Elisha that the woman's husband was old and she didn't have a son. So Elisha told the woman, "About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms." But the Shunammite woman had already given up hope. So she said, "No, my lord. Don't mislead your servant, O man of God!"

She did not want Elisha to raise her hopes for fear that they might crash. That's why, when her son died she told Elisha, "Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"

Lucky for Elisha, He had given her a word from God. Therefore, he knew that God would keep His word. And right enough, God raised the boy back to life.

Just like Elisha, when we hope in the Lord, we will never be put to shame (Psalm 25:3).

Don't give up; don't believe the lies of the devil. He wants to rob you of your hope. He wants you to be pessimistic. In fact, he wants you to live in dread, fearing the worst. Don't give into the devil's plan. Keep hoping in Jesus, wait patiently (Romans 8:25) and be joyful (Romans 12:12) because our God never lets us down.

Face the truth!

I was really blessed by this article I read by Joyce Meyer. It's on a subject very close to my heart and in fact, is the theme of my first blog post - Offload the garbage!

Hope you are blessed reading this:

Face the Truth!
by Joyce Meyer

Today, people everywhere are struggling through life with damaged emotions. They’ve endured a lot of negative things, causing untold damage that needs to be dealt with. But all too often, these hurts are simply swept under the rug in an attempt to make them go away.

Through my own life experiences and from many years of helping others through this process, I’ve discovered that although God wants to help those who really want emotional healing, there are some very important steps these individuals must take for themselves. If you want to receive emotional healing, one of the first steps you must take is to face the truth. You can’t be set free while living in denial. You can’t pretend that certain negative things didn’t happen to you.

I’ve come to realize that we’re experts at building walls and stuffing things into dark corners, pretending they never happened.

I spent the first eighteen years of my life in an abusive environment, but as soon as I got away from that situation, I acted as though nothing was wrong. I never told anyone what had gone on in my private life.

Why don’t we want to bring things like that into the open? We’re afraid of what people will think. We’re afraid of being rejected, misunderstood, or unloved by those we care about or that they might have a different opinion of us if they really knew all about us.

The next step toward emotional healing is confessing your faults. I think there’s a place for eventually sharing with someone else the things that have occurred in our lives. There’s something about verbalizing it to another person that does wonders for us—but use wisdom. Choose someone you know you can trust. Be sure that by sharing your story with someone else, you don’t simply put your burden on that individual’s shoulders. Also, don’t go on a digging expedition, trying to dig up old hurts and offenses that have been buried and forgotten.

When I finally worked up the courage to share with someone what had happened early in my life, I actually began shaking violently in fear. It was an emotional reaction to the things I’d kept buried within me for so long. Now when I talk about my past, it’s as though I’m talking about somebody else’s problems. Because I’ve been healed and restored, my past doesn’t bother me anymore.

Finally, you must assume some personal responsibility. Some people are trapped in denial, afraid of what might happen if others find out the truth. But as long as they deny the past, they’re never going to be free from it.

Nobody can be set free from a problem until they’re willing to admit they have one. An alcoholic, drug addict or anyone who’s lost control of their life is doomed to suffer until they’re able to say, “I’ve got a problem, and I need help with it.”

Even though our problems may have been brought upon us because of something done against our will, we have no excuse for allowing the problem to persist, grow and even take control over our entire life. Our past experiences may have made us the way we are, but we don’t have to stay that way. We can take the initiative by taking positive steps to change things—and we can ask for God’s help. Whatever your problem may be, face it, consider confessing it to a trusted friend, and then admit it to yourself.

Face the truth—it can be the beginning of a happier life!