Live the Word

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace  and truth" (John 1:14, ESV).      

This weekend, I was blessed to bring a message to the ladies at the North Carolina state convention Women's Prayer Evangelism Conference. Their theme was Stepping Out from Romans 10:13-15 (how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news). When we look at John's gospel, we can see how the gospel spread as Jesus walked though life.

Here are the main points, one taken from every chapter in John:

Live the Word: 21 Ways to Step Out for Jesus!

1. Be inviting - Andrew, Philip, Nathanael were invited to come to Jesus and we are to do the same, 1:37-51

2. Be involved - Jesus took time to go to wedding and be with people so we need to take time to be in the community, 2:1-11

3. Be available - Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and Jesus took time for him so we are to be available for others, 3:1-22

4. Be missional - Jesus crossed cultural boundaries with Samaritan woman so we are to try to get to know others who are not like us, 4:1-45

5. Be expecting - Jesus healed the man at the pool and we must remember to expect miracles, 5:1-17

6. Be giving - the boy brought his five loves and two fish to give and Jesus multiplied it so we are to give what we have for use in His kingdom 6:1-15

7. Be intentional - Jesus is intentional about where He goes, what He says, and who He spends time with so we are to intentionally develop relationships with those who do not know Him  (reference 7:35)

8. Be forgiving - Jesus forgives woman caught in adultery and we are to forgive others, 8:1-11

9. Be looking - Jesus healed a blind man and now he can see. We can look for opportunities to share about Christ.

10. Be shepherding - Jesus is the good shepherd and we are to model being a shepherd by feeding people spiritually and caring for their needs, 10:1-21

11. Be Life - Jesus is Life and we are to represent life and hope to others, 11:1-27

12. Be sacrificial - Mary anointed Jesus with expensive perfume and we are to give sacrificially for the work of the Lord, 12:1-8

13. Be serving - Jesus washes the feet of the disciples and we are to out-serve those we work with, 13:1-20

14. Be Truth - Jesus was Truth and we are the speak Truth and stand for Truth, 14:1-14

15. Be fruitful - Jesus is vine and we are branches. We are to stay connected to Him and reproduce fruit in our lives, 15:1-17

16. Be loving - Jesus tells of the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who convicts of sin. We share the love of the Lord through all we say and do.

17. Be prayerful - Jesus prays for the world and we are to pray for people to come to know Him.

18. Be open - Jesus was open to what He was teaching. We are to be open to questions and not be in secret about what we believe,18:19-24

19. Be real - The crucifixion shows that life is not easy. We don't have to hide our struggles or our imperfections or try to be perfect. Let people see how Jesus helps us through tough times.

20. Be sharing - The women saw that the tomb was empty and went to share the good news with others. We need to share the gospel story, 20:18

21. Be testimonial - John has testified to the gospel, we are to testify and share our stories of what Jesus is doing in our lives, 21:24

Let's look for ways we can Live the Word this week! You are gifted2go!

Simplifying Womanhood in a Complicated World

I have been told many times that I have the gift of simple. It is the gift of taking complicated things and making them simple, or uncomplicated. That is the whole plan with the W conference coming to Southern Seminary the weekend before Thanksgiving.

We at Southern Seminary are pretty pumped about it. Mary Kassian will be teaching her new book, Girls Gone Wise. Heather Payne, formerly with Point of Grace, will be leading us in worship, and we have some awesome breakout leaders and breakouts. All designed to help you simplify your life in this crazy, mixed-up world that we live in. Think of it as the conference for young women that will sort out what the Bible says and how to live it out as a woman in today's culture.

Check out all the info on the provided link. http://events.sbts.edu/wconference. We would love to have you come and bring your friends. Pray that God would do a mighty work before, during, and after this conference. We'd like to see the world changed...one woman at a time.

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise" (Ephesians 5:15, ESV).