Tonight was an amazing night at e3 Brazil!
Over a dozen people, some who hadn’t even been attending our e3 classes, made the commitment to give their hearts to Jesus and make Him Lord of their life! What an awesome moment!
At the end of the day, that’s what this is all about- not just our e3 program, but all ministry in general. To spread the Gospel and bring the good news to the world. Jesus made that His very last charge before He ascended into heaven as we see in Matthew 28:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
A person’s last words are usually profound and well-remembered. Jesus last words commissioned His people to go into all the nations and make disciples. Obviously He could have chosen any words to be His last, but He wanted us to always remember that this was most important; this was the ultimate mission for all of us on this earth- to spread the gospel and teach people to obey God’s Word.
I had just finished my lesson on “Holiness and Listening to the Voice of God” when we prayed and God revealed Himself as Lord to these young men and women. Immediately after class a young man came up to me with a question. He was one of those who had just given his heart to Jesus and while very excited, he was also a little worried. “How do I do this now? I have no idea how to live a holy life. I have never done it” I was touched by his transparency and sincerity.
I reminded him about one of the points in my message regarding holiness. You can study all throughout the Bible, and you will see the word holiness over and over. But what exactly is holiness? Many people would have you think that being holy is acting a certain way, or more specifically not acting a certain way, not doing certain things. But holiness is never dependent on our actions alone. No, holiness is an overflow of heart. It’s our actions that become manifest by the condition of our heart.
The best definition that I have heard of holiness came from my pastor many years ago. He defined it as this: Holiness is a love of Jesus that burns so strong in our heart, that it consumes everything else around it that is corrupt. Yes holiness is directly based on how much we love, not by what we do or don’t do. That is why Jesus told the Pharisees, when they asked him in Matthew 22, that the greatest commandment is to “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself” He knew that our love would be what dictated our actions. He even went on to say that later when he said that all of the law and prophets hang on these two commandments. So holiness is based on our love of Jesus and following that, our love of others. It shows the true condition of our heart.
As I sit here reflecting on the miraculous move of God on his people tonight at e3, I am so thankful for His love that draws us to Him and allows us to choose to love Him.
That’s it for tonight. One more night of e3 tomorrow. Waiting with great anticipation to see what God is going to do!
Ciao
Spectacular Andy! So happy to hear the fruit of your efforts is already being seen. Lauren and I continue to believe for miracles in the lives of those students. Thanks for being an amazing leader.