Are You One of the Nine?

This past year, and currently, we are on deputation as USA Church Planters.  The Lord has burdened our hearts to plant churches in areas where the gospel is not being preached.  This experience has allowed us to travel to over 90 different churches to present the ministry in 11 different states so far!  We are living differently than we ever have in that we have no home of our own, we are traveling constantly, and living out of suitcases!

The great joy in all of this has been that we have been able to see God do so many miracles!  Miracles for us in answered prayer and provision, and miracles in the lives of others as we hear their testimonies and how God has worked in their lives.

The title of this posting is, “Are You One of the Nine?”  Jesus asked this question in Luke 17:17, “And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”  You see, He had just cleansed 10 people, but only one came back to thank Him.  I pondered this question because we see so many folks make a profession for Christ, and then there are a select few whose life change after salvation is awe inspiring for the glory of God!

Today, there are two specific testimonies that stand out in my heart – I believe that in both these cases, these Christians are like the “one” who went back to thank God…

The first testimony on my heart is that of one of my grandsons, Corban. 
He just turned 9 and has such a tremendous zeal for reaching the lost!  Everywhere he goes he asks those he comes in contact with the simple question, “Do you know Jesus?”  He will proceed to give them the gospel and warn them of the danger if they reject the salvation that Jesus purchased with His own blood on the Cross of Calvary!  Over the Christmas holiday we had the joy of spending time with our youngest son and daughter-in-law in North Carolina, (Corban is their son), and it brought us such joy to see the Lord working in our grandson’s life and heart!  He received a new Bible for Christmas, and one day he had the choice of going out in the rain and cold to shop (not a boy’s favorite thing) or stay home and play with his new gifts he received at Christmas.  At first he wanted to stay home, but then he remembered his new Bible, and decided he wanted to go and take his Bible along so that he could witness to the folks he would meet along the way!  Wow! 

The second testimony that has, to me, shown the great power of the gospel comes from a gal I met at a church we recently visited.  I met this young wife and asked her how long she had been attending the church, which I typically ask folks at churches we visit.  This opens the door for me to ask about their salvation, and ultimately a possibility to present the gospel if they are not yet saved.  As she began to share her testimony, I could see the excitement, joy, and love that she has for the Lord.  You see, she had been in the entertainment industry – on
 the road to success as she had several contracts with a major cable premium station (HBO, Starz, etc.), and she met the man that would become her husband; He was a saved man and began inviting her to church.  At first, she resisted, believing, in her words, that "the building would collapse" if she entered!  After she attended the church for six months she received the Lord as her Saviour.  The work He did in her heart was miraculous!  She immediately cancelled all her contracts because she said that it is impossible to be in the industry without having to make some type of compromise – “even using the Lord’s Name in vain as part of the script is still using His name in vain…and I couldn’t do it!”  She has since been able to reach others that worked with her in the entertainment industry for Christ and even has a very unique ministry to reach them with the Gospel.

In both these cases, the gospel changed their lives in such a way that I am sure not only pleases the Lord but also prompts others to see that God does miracles even today!  I would hope to be as these “ones” and not as the other “nine.”  What about you?  If you’ve trusted the Lord as your Saviour, and have been healed by His stripes, are you one of the ones that return to the Lord to thank Him?  Do you show the Lord your love and appreciation for Him and the salvation He purchased for you with His blood?  Or…are you one of the nine?
If in your heart you realize that perhaps you have been like one of the nine, it is not too late today to go to the Lord and thank Him for all He has done and to begin showing your love and appreciation for Him with your life.  “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”  Mark 12:30-31 

When you love the Lord with all that you are, you will love others.



Have a wonderful day!

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