Workplace Evangelism

By Justin Edwards

This article was originally posted at The Speak:Truth Project

Something incredible happened at work today. Due to the nature of my job, opportunities to share the Gospel with people at work do not come very often.  Lately, I have tried to frame my conversations in a way that reveals I am a Christian (like inserting references to church into conversations, etc.), but I have not shared the Gospel with anyone – until today!

Several times  a year we have vendors come in to do service on our various laboratory instruments and equipment.  Back in the fall, we had one such vendor come in but I could not get around to swing into a spiritual conversation.  I tried to plant a few feelers to see where he was at spiritually (like where he might go to church), but they hit a dead end.  But today was a different story…

Just after “Joe” arrived today, I believe the Lord pressed upon me to share the Gospel with him. For about 20 minutes I fumbled over my thoughts, wrestling with how I might swing into a spiritual conversation.  After all, Joe was going to be here for a few hours and he was just getting started.  What was I to do if the conversation with south?  I finally came to my senses, then all the sudden I blurted out something about the situation in Japan concerning the nuke crisis.  Joe agreed that it was serious, but the conversation didn’t really go anywhere.

A few minutes later I asked if there were any nuclear stations where he lived, and there is one, and told him we have two in the Charlotte area.  He said it was a good thing there are no fault lines here, and I said I actually think there is, and in fact there were several tremors in NC in the past couple of weeks.  Joe then said there are earthquakes everywhere, volcanoes, etc., and the world seemed like it was falling apart.  He said he’s hearing other people say this as well. I thought to myself, “wow, here we go!”  Joe made mention of the Mayan calender and 2012, and I said I don’t think the Mayan calender has anything to do with it, but I believe Scripture does.

Long story short, I eventually got to the crux of the matter that 10 out of 10 people die, and it could happen instantly for any of us whether it’s a terrorist attack, natural disaster, etc.  I asked him what he thought would happen to him, what came for him after death, and Joe said he wasn’t sure.  He gave me a brief background of his Catholic upbringing, but hadn’t returned to the Catholic church since a young boy.  Joe said he knows he needs to believe in something, and I told him that while that is true, believing in the right thing is what matters.

From there we went through the 10 Commandments and the Gospel, and it was a wonderful conversation.  Joe had many questions and understood the predicament he is in.  He seemed astounded that eternal life is not something we have to wait for until we die, but that we can have eternal life now.  Joe understood just how much it would cost him to become a child of God, and he admitted it was a lot to think about.  Unfortunately, my colleague came in about this time and this interrupted the conversation, but we were able to get through the whole Gospel nevertheless.
A couple hours went by and Joe finished up his work.  I escorted him outside and along the way he said he wished we got to talk more, but he knew this wasn’t the end of the conversation.  I then had the opportunity to make clear that Jesus said,

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  – Matthew 11:28-30

And,

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:13-14

And finally,

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. – John 6:37

I explained to Joe that all who God draws and comes to Him, He will in no way cast them away.  Then Joe said,

I know, I can feel it.

It was so awesome to hear.  I may have been witnessing the Holy Spirit drawing Joe to Himself, and I told him,

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9

Wrapping up the conversation, I gave Joe a copy of Are You Ready? and It Will Cost You Everything
I asked him if he had a Bible to which he said “no, but I’m going to go with my daughter to get one.”  How cool is that?

Joe was so thankful we had this conversation and knew it was not coincidence.  He said for 3 years now he knew something wasn’t right, and it seemed like everything was coming together for him now.  Joe said he’d be in touch as I told him I was at his full disposal for questions, etc.  I can’t wait to hear from him to see what God is doing, and I pray soon I can call Joe my brother – what a glorious day that will be!

I hope this has encouraged you to share the Gospel in your own workplace.  It was an incredible experience and I’m so thankful God used me to speak the Truth to Joe.  Pray the Lord keeps you sensitive to your surroundings at work to look for opportunities to witness and the courage to do so, and try stepping out on faith to create those opportunities. See what can happen when you do?

Hallelujah, what a day!

If you would like to learn about some do’s and don’t for evangelism in the workplace, I found this article to be very helpful:  Evangelism in the Workplace – Do’s and Dont’s

"Increased Seismic Activity"

By Justin Edwards

In this incredible video revealing the extraordinary power of the Japan tsunami generated by the massive 8.9 earthquake, the news anchor and analyst comment:

Anchor: "We've seen a number of devastating earthquakes over the past few weeks...the terrible earthquake in Christchurch, now this in Tokyo - why are we seeing so much seismic activity now?"

Analyst: "Uh, I don't know that anybody can answer that, um, unfortunately, we don't know how to forecast when earthquakes are gonna happen..." 

I believe I can help them out with this unanswerable question rooted in the perspective of natural man:

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.- Matthew 24:7-8

My friends, as I mentioned in this post regarding the Christchurch devastation,

if an unexpected earthquake hit your town and you did not survive, what would that mean for you?

Please don't think such a tragedy could not happen to you. After all, 10 out of 10 people die, and your time will come whether by natural death or something as devastating as a major earthquake, or a car accident the next time you hit the pavement. Click here to find out where you might spend the rest of eternity. There is nothing more critical than knowing the answer to this question.

To my born again brethren...

Please continue reading for Project Challenge #1 - Tsunami at The Speak:Truth Project

Devastating Photos of Christchurch Earthquake

By Justin Edwards

Source: Guardian.co.uk

The aftermath from the earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand on Tuesday is devastating. Please take some time to view these photos and pray for the city of 350,000 and all who lost loved ones in the destruction. This is also a good time to ask yourself an important question:

if an unexpected earthquake hit your town and you did not survive, what would that mean for you?

Please don't think such a tragedy could not happen to you. After all, 10 out of 10 people die, and your time will come whether by natural death or something as devastating as a major earthquake, or a car accident the next time you hit the pavement. Click here to find out where you might spend the rest of eternity. There is nothing more critical than knowing the answer to this question.

(HT: John Samson for posting link to photos)

World in Chaos

By Justin Edwards

Headlines on Drudge show the world in chaos:

Egyptian protests continue

NATIONS MUST SPEAK WITH 'ONE VOICE'

Rockets fired at Israel...

Oil Rallies to $100...

LIBYAN OFFICIAL: Al Qaeda sets up Islamic emirate -- run by former Gitmo prisoner...

Saudi's $36 billion bid to beat unrest... 

King offers financial package as opposition calls 'day of rage'...

Nervous China puts security apparatus into overdrive...

Egypt protesters set cars alight in Cairo...  

Ahmadinejad: Mideast leaders should heed calls for change...

Greek riot police, protesters clash during strike...

Thousands protest against high food prices in India...

Christchurch Crumbles: New Zealand Imposes Curfew...

80% of city without water... 

Gaddafi loses more Libyan cities...     

The World Isn't Going to End

By Michael G. Mickey

It isn't the first of its kind to be seen by me in the aftermath of destructive earthquakes that have struck Haiti, Chile and Turkey to name a few recently, but an Associated Press article on the topic of global earthquake activity indicates that what's going on of late is "probably just coincidence".

Coincidence? I highly doubt it.

Jesus Christ said of the last days, as recorded in Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, and Luke 21:11, great earthquakes in diverse places would play a recurring role in demonstrating to believers the time of His return was drawing near, along with famines, pestilences, nation rising against nation and more. I'd be remiss not to point out that the news of our world today is rife with evidence of Christ's return drawing near, to the extent I want to caution everyone who reads these words against believing any of these indicators to be the product of mere coincidence.

Only three paragraphs in length, the AP article touched on an aspect of the killer quakes of today that would make them far more noteworthy than at any recorded time in history, even if these quakes weren't becoming more frequent and violent in intensity. The effects of these quakes, according to the article, "illustrate how increased construction up and down the world's fault lines can translate into massive casualties." Why do we see increased construction in earthquake-prone regions of the world? Because of a soaring global population necessitating it, in my humble opinion.

On March 9, 2009 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the Earth's human population to be 6,807,300,000. Three sources project that number to soar to at least 9,149,984,000 by the year 2050 which is going to naturally raise the populations of areas prone to earthquakes, increasing property destruction and casualties if and when future quakes occur. Logically, even if those who claim earthquake activity isn't rising around the world are correct (and I don't believe they are based on information I've read), the impact earthquakes are going to have on mankind is going to increase all the time from this point forward, highlighting the accuracy of Christ's end times prophecy on this topic.

Looking beyond earthquakes briefly, the more people there are, the greater demand there is going to be for food. With hunger and famine already a critical concern in many regions of the globe, how much more dramatic is that crisis going to become with every passing year? Ditto where pestilences are concerned. The more dense human population becomes, the greater impact communicable disease is going to have on our world. Again, Christ's end times prophecies make perfect sense of what we see taking place in the world around us, as even casual examination of these facts reflects.

Bob Holdsworth, an expert in tectonics at Durham University, is quoted in the AP article as saying, "I can definitely tell you that the world is not coming to an end."

What would I say in response to Mr. Holdsworth?

"While I can definitely tell you that the world is not coming to an end, the end of the world as we presently know it definitely is."

Peace in the Middle East? Not this Life Time

By Hal Lindsey
The Hal Lindsey Report

On this week's edition of "The Hal Lindsey Report," Iran seems to be mounting a full-court press. Last week, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to Syria. He met with Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Hamas' founder Khaled Meshal.

The week before, Iran concluded a mutual defense pact with the Arab state of Qatar. That's a little tricky for the United States because Qatar is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Central Command and our largest airbase outside the US mainland.

Also last month, Syria's Foreign Minister became the first Syrian official to publicly threaten Israel's population centers. Following suit, Hezbollah's Nasrallah got very specific in his threats, too. Not to be outdone, when Ahmadinejad got back home, he once again threatened to "eradicate [Israel] once and for all."

It's all happening across the Middle East. And it's also happening inside Israel. Last week, the Palestinian Authority's spiritual leader issued a fatwa (religious edict) against Palestinians who work on Jewish construction sites. He called them 'traitors' who should be imprisoned. If they take it seriously, that would mean thousands more Palestinians unemployed.

Sheikh Taysar Tamimi didn't stop there, though. He also included Arabs who work on Jewish archaeological digs, especially those that might support Israel's claims to the land. Tamimi said that those archaeological zones are deviously intended to "judaize Jerusalem." He also accused Binyamin Netanyahu, all Jewish rabbis, and all extremist organizations of lying by asserting that Jerusalem was a Jewish city. I wonder if he includes King David in that group?

I suppose that's why PA President Mahmoud Abbas is now threatening a "religious war" over Israel's intention to declare the burial sites of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebeccah, Leah, and Rachel (in Hebron and Bethlehem) as "National Heritage" sites. The designation is a technical move that allows the Israeli government to appropriate money to the restoration and upkeep of those monuments. But the Muslims don't see it that way. They have apparently decided that the patriarchs buried in those tombs were really Muslims, so the Jews have no business being there. The Cave of the Patriarchs is Judaism's second holiest site after the Temple Mount. Rachel's Tomb is the third. Remember how testy the Muslims get over the Dome of the Rock? It only ranks as their third holiest site and they're willing to trigger World War III over it, yet the Jews are supposed to just walk away from Abraham's grave!

Now can you see why there will never be lasting, authentic peace in Israel until Jesus comes? There is no room for compromise on either side. And we Americans and Westerners just cannot understand it.

Last week's gigantic earthquake in Chile startled a world still grappling with the aftermath of the Haitian quake. Although Chile's greater affluence and more stringent building codes prevented the massive casualties experienced in Haiti, this quake spawned tsunamis that wreaked havoc along the coast. They even reached Japan and Russia. And while Japan was bracing for the tsunami, it suffered its own magnitude 7 earthquake!

Newsweek magazine recently asked the question: "Are Earthquakes Getting Worse?" Opinions vary, but one thing is certain. Jesus said that two of the "signs" of the last days would be "great earthquakes in various places" and "fearful sights." A "sign" is something that can be seen or heard. At no point in history have we been able to "see and hear" like we can today. Because of the advent of television, satellites, and the internet, we are able to see and hear "fearful sights" virtually as they happen. No more reading about them in the newspaper several weeks after they occurred. Today, we are always "on the scene." And in the last few years, we've been "on the scene" of great earthquakes all over the world - from the United States to the Indian Ocean to Iran to China to Italy to Haiti to Chile to Japan, and the list goes on.

And one of the results of being "on the scene" as soon as the tremors begin or the wave crashes is the enormous increase in anxiety and perplexity throughout the world - just as Jesus warned.

This week, I'll share with you the ten signs of the final days of this Age that Jesus detailed in Luke's Gospel. You will be stunned at how familiar they are. You see them on the news everyday!

Chile Quake: The Earth's Axis Moved

By Michael G. Mickey

And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven (Luke 21:11).

In the immediate aftermath of Chile's 8.8 magnitude earthquake, many around the globe held their collective breath waiting to see how much the Pacific Ocean had been jostled by it, millions fearing the quake may have unleashed a gigantic tsunami that was racing quietly toward the coastlines of their nations where it would later rush ashore to claim many lives and destroy tremendous amounts of property.

By the grace of God, no severely damaging tsunami waves crashed on distant shores, but what we are today learning may have taken place as a result of the quake is almost beyond comprehension in scope, more lasting than even a catastrophic tsunami event would have been.

SPACE.com is reporting that the Chile quake "may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet." Richard Gross, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California is quoted in the article as saying the length of an "Earth day" may have been shortened by 1.26 milliseconds. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of change but we're talking about the earth's axis being moved!

As quoted in scripture above, Christ said events like the one we just saw in Chile are but the "beginnings of sorrows", events of this magnitude qualifying as red flag indicators of His return drawing near.

If you're reading this and you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, it's past time to begin considering to do so. It's such an easy thing to do, something you must do to have any hope whatsoever of living in a world where there will be no death, sorrow, pain or crying (Revelation 21:4). And who wouldn't want to live in a world like that?

The Clock Is Ticking

Make no mistake about it, on many fronts the prophetic indicators of Christ's return are manifesting in the world around us, seemingly more often and more dramatically all the time. In the prophetic future, perhaps even today, Christ is going to call His Church to meet Him in the air, after which seven years of tribulation will be visited upon mankind the likes of which has never been seen before in human history, the culmination of which will be the visible, physical, bodily return of Christ to the earth to establish His kingdom at Armageddon.

If you're not a Christian? My prayer is you will choose Jesus Christ today. This is no time to be indecisive concerning where you want to spend eternity. The midnight hour is fast approaching and you can't afford to be left behind.