<\/p>\n
1 Corinthians 7:29a<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u2026But this I say, brethren, the time is short\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n At Rolling Hills Covenant Church where I attend church they have a \u201cDiscipleship Pathway.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The initial step of this pathway is a program called \u201cRooted.\u201d\u00a0 It is a ten week shared journey that God definitely uses to grow us all, the mature to greater maturity and the neophyte to a growth in confidence of the faith we are called to.\u00a0 Rooted was brought by the Mariner\u2019s Church (Irvine, CA) from Africa to their home church.\u00a0 They saw that the Lord bless Rooted as a catalyst for growth in their congregation.\u00a0 They then began to share it with other churches that have also witnessed God using Rooted to bless Christians.\u00a0 Rooted is not an end or a necessity, but a blessing to help us.\u00a0 It is based in God\u2019s Word and in the support and beauty of Christians journeying together and sharing epiphanies from God\u2019s Word with the Holy Spirit being the Maestro of gained knowledge in a concert of God\u2019s mutual and shared love.<\/p>\n In this program, at the Celebration Dinner (the graduation dinner) there comes a time for card board testimonies.\u00a0 Card board testimonies are when those who have just \u201cgraduated\u201d Rooted have an opportunity to write a short testimony onto a large cardboard placard that describes what God has done for them through the Rooted journey.\u00a0 An example would be that on the front side of the cardboard a person may write \u201cOut of fellowship \u2013 lonely.\u201d\u00a0 On the back side of the cardboard they may write \u201cNot lonely, in a small group family.\u201d\u00a0 In front of those assembled the front is shared with those present for a few seconds and then the card board is flipped and the back is shown.\u00a0 It is purposely concise to present a potent expression of what they have come to know and how they experienced God\u2019s hand on this journey.\u00a0 It is a very brief moment to try to relay a powerful message of truth.<\/p>\n Family, I have very often heard people, even Christians, speak disparagingly about people who hold up their own \u201ccard board testimonies\u201d in the street.\u00a0 A comment about these \u201cstreet preachers\u201d is that their message often seems angry, hurtful or not helpful.\u00a0 People will say that the love of God is not in their message.\u00a0 Too many often discard this ministry as unproductive and even against God\u2019s will.\u00a0 I disagree.<\/p>\n Before I came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord I remember passing more than one street preacher.\u00a0 Mostly I remember the signs they held up.\u00a0 Yes, sometimes harsh, but mostly true, whether understood or not. \u201cRepent and be saved\u201d is true.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cRepent or go to Hell\u201d is true.\u00a0 \u201cJesus is the only way\u201d and \u201cJesus saves\u201d is true.\u00a0 I think the sign that got my attention was the one \u201cRepent or go to Hell.\u201d\u00a0 At that time, not being saved, I had a sense of hopelessness.\u00a0 I did not lie to myself and say that I was okay with God.\u00a0 I did not disregard guilt by hiding behind the mantra that \u201cI am only human.\u201d\u00a0 Family, I had done many bad things.\u00a0 I was not a \u201cgood guy.\u201d I truly did not believe that God would ever accept me.\u00a0 I thought that I had done bad and would probably continue to do so.\u00a0 I was certain that in the end, the bad I had done would outweigh the good that I had done.\u00a0\u00a0 I had no knowledge of the grace that God offered to mankind through Jesus.\u00a0 So some of these street preacher signs attached themselves to me and became what I thought were specters to haunt me.\u00a0 They were used by the Holy Spirit to convict me.\u00a0 Family some unidentified preachers had roles in the Lord drawing me to His salvation.<\/p>\n These street preachers have only a moment to put the truth of God\u2019s Word into somebody.\u00a0 They hold up signs with short concise messages with the same urgency of those who graduate from Rooted.\u00a0 They want the readers to, in a passing moment, understand their message.\u00a0 Thus \u201cRepent and be saved\u201d works. \u201cRepent or go to Hell\u201d and \u201cJesus saves\u201d work.\u00a0 Family, instead of criticizing these street preachers we should pray for them.\u00a0 If we don\u2019t like how they express themselves, then we should pray for them.\u00a0 Family, they are our family, let\u2019s give them a thumbs up and a smile.\u00a0 Say \u201cpraise the Lord\u201d to them.\u00a0 Encourage them in their ministry.\u00a0 Don\u2019t criticize the Lord\u2019s servant (Romans 14:4<\/strong>), pray for them (1 Timothy 2:1<\/strong>) and love them (John 13:35, 1 John 4:7-8<\/strong>).\u00a0 They are doing what God has called them to do.\u00a0 When we are tempted to criticize, let us think about the last time we were desperate to share the Gospel\u2026and actually did.\u00a0 That will humble most of us.<\/p>\n Card board testimonies at Rooted graduations are a blessing, and if we have the right attitude, so can the \u201ccard board testimonies\u201d of many street preachers also be.\u00a0 Again, if we think the message too harsh, then love and pray for the minister.\u00a0 Or even, come beside them and hold up your cardboard testimony of the love of God, and then you will experience the rejection and ridicule that they receive as they stand in public and witness for God.\u00a0 Don\u2019t want to?\u00a0 Hmm.<\/p>\n Praise God for His mercy and grace to all of us.\u00a0 All of us are a work in progress. Praise God who has made us all His work (Titus 2:14<\/strong>).\u00a0 Praise God!<\/p>\n Psalm 150:6<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/em><\/p>\n Micah 7:7<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Micah 6:8<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 1 Corinthians 7:29a\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u2026But this I say, brethren, the time is short\u2026\u201d At Rolling Hills Covenant Church where I attend church they have a \u201cDiscipleship Pathway.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The initial step of this pathway is a program called \u201cRooted.\u201d\u00a0 It is a ten week shared journey that God definitely uses to grow us all, the mature to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[100,94,17,711,10,2036],"class_list":["post-949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-john","tag-micah","tag-psalm","tag-revelation","tag-romans","tag-timothy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=949"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949\/revisions\/952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}