Wednesday: Called

Happy Salvation Wednesday, my dear brothers and sisters. Yes, it is hump day, the old middle of the work week, and Salvation Wednesday on this line. A message of Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ is needed ... and needed over and over again ... for we never really know who is saved. I remember asking Pastor, Dr. Richard Denison, my pastor at the time, if he was saved ... later he told the flock that he was taken aback at first by my asking this, but later realized that I love him and cared enough about him to ask. So often we do not ask a friend or even a family member if they are born again because we do not want to upset them. Brothers and sisters, the place to really work on salvation for our Lord Jesus should be under your own roof ... AMEN.

So today please pray for God to open the hearts and minds of those whose paths we cross to receive a word on Salvation from us, and for God to use us to help lead the unsaved to His feet. Please note, we and us = you and me. Also pray today for Oliver Ogden, Bill Sanders, Jill Smith, Dolores Lehman, all who need prayers for healing.

Called: This week I have been writing about our Lord Jesus calling His disciples and about His healing and how our sins can cause us to be crippled, and let me add that our sins can even cause us to be sick. You know when Jesus called His disciples He did not call perfect people, lets face it, there were none to call. But back in those days, a tax collector was not considered a good person but Jesus called Levi who was sitting at his tax booth. "Follow Me," Jesus said. And he calls the sinners to work for Him. Folks, while many a man or woman got a great start in life and then went into the fields working for Jesus, a lot of workers in the field were called after they had, well after they, well after we, were sort of at the bottom. I have heard people say about me, YOU PREACH? And yes once in a while I hear people talking behind my back saying ... I remember him when he did -- and on and on it goes. Funny how God forgives us but man while saying they forgive don't forget and once in a while they get that chance to gossip a tad and bring things up.

You might be saying to yourself, I am not worthy of working for Jesus, I am not worthy of telling others about Jesus. Folks, listen for the call from Jesus. Quoting Jesus on this one. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance." (Luke 5: 31/32 NIV) Please remember this, when Jesus calls us, and we answer the call, if we start by asking Him to clean us of our sins, we are clean ... we are again healthy, we have been to Doctor Jesus and now are clean workers in His fields.

Now I mentioned about messages on Salvation ... One of the most important things that we who are on the road for Jesus do is offer a call for Salvation during or at the end of each service. While I was growing up I do not recall one time our pastor at the United Brethren had a call for salvation, sometimes referred to as an altar call. Not once, and when I got out of high school and starting not going to church after my mamma died, I truly knew about the Lord, but did not really know Him. After I was saved and starting going to concerts with Brotherhood, Couriers, and Jacobs Brothers, I heard the message over and over again ... and the more I heard the messages of Salvation the more I wanted to hear. My dear friends, it is so important to hear that message. I pray I will never forget to have that call at the end of one of our concerts or at our services at the Bridges.

So today I ask you the question ... Are you saved? Do you know Jesus personally? Have You been to the Altar of Jesus? Are you washed in the blood that was shed for you on the Cross by Jesus? If you were called today to work for Jesus, would you go? (And you have already been called.) If you do not understand what I am talking about, if you are not sure about your salvation, please, do not wait one minute longer. Please get out your Bible and read ...

Romans 3: 23 -- We are all sinners.
Romans 6: 23 -- There is a price to pay for sin.
Matthew 9: 13 -- we need to repent.
John 3: 16 -- God Loves us:
Romans 5: 8 -- Christ paid the price for our sins
Romans 10: 9/10 and 1 John 5: 10/13 -- You must believe in Him

Then I also ask that you call me, 717 691 8200. This is my home phone, if I am not here I will call you back, leave your number. I am serious about this.. If you are not sure if you are saved, "Born Again", if you are not sure if you die today that you would get into heaven ... CALL AT ONCE ... We have a network of pastors on this line, pastors and workers for our Lord Jesus that would love to talk to you, as I would. Please, please do not go on if you are just not sure. Remember to take on our Lord Jesus. YOU MUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS, not just ask to be forgiven. To get you started today will you pray this sinners prayer with me ... Lets start by cleaning up our act right now ... Even the saved on this line might need a "wash job" with the blood of Jesus. LETS' DO IT ...

Dear Father in Heaven, please forgive me of my sins, all of them, right up to this very minute. Lord then please, please help me to repent, I am a sinner and I really want to repent and walk with you. I do believe You are the one and only way I can get into Heaven, for You died for me and You have gone on before me. I believe that, dear Lord. I also today ask that You get my room ready and make me so I can get into it. Forgive me, Lord, forgive me, Lord. And Lord, help me tell others about Your love and saving grace. And, Lord, help me find Christian friends, Christian buddies, and help me read and understand the word from my Bible. I ask all of this in the name of the one who died for me, Jesus ... Amen.

One of the best ways to get started working in those fields of harvest and serving the Lord is to just share those blessings He has given you. If you bring home ten cans of food, put one back for the food bank, if you make a hundred dollars, give some away to help others. YOU CANNOT OUT-GIVE THE LORD ... and you can test Him on this one. Even if you get food from a food bank or food pantry, share some of that. Yes, sharing your blessings is a great thing to do. To quote again Pastor Richard Denison, "we are blessed to be a blessing." And remember this ... I love ya ... dan.

Tomorrow: What do you have in common with your car?