please pray for Juan

This morning, there was a gentleman in our home doing some significant repairs. While Juan was working I intentionally offered him a cold drink as an opening to share the gospel. He politely listened, but I could immediately tell he wasn't interested. Yet, I kept going because it's the power of the gospel that brings people under the kind of conviction that leads them to faith in Christ. If I didn't share the entire gospel with him, how could he come under the conviction necessary to be saved? As I was sharing I was thinking of my recent message about the gospel ministry being a ministry of raising the dead. While I shared with Juan I was simultaneously asking the Holy Spirit to bring this dead man to life in Jesus Christ. Though he wasn't interested at all, I told Juan that if he ever wants to talk more about God's incredible love for him and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ he can just come over to the house and I'm happy to talk with him. I hope he one day takes me up on it.

Please pray for Juan to come to faith in Christ.

By the way, one other thing I was thinking when I went to share the gospel with Juan in my own house: our houses are no different than our church house. Just like we expect me as the pastor of NEHBC to present the gospel in our services in case there is anyone lost in the house, we should also expect each other to share the gospel with those that come into our houses. Our houses belong to Jesus Christ just like our church building does. We should not have a different expectation for what takes place at the church house than we do in our own house. Our houses are for Him and His agenda. As missionaries based in Houston, let's determine that at a minimum, no repair person should come into our homes with an intentional effort on our part to share the gospel with them. How much more obvious can Jesus be about whom He is wanting us to raise from the dead than by bringing people right into our houses!

NEHBC, let's be a living community of God that exists to make disciples from our city to the world, primarily through one-on-one encounters and church planting, because of the call of God to go and the cry of the lost to come!