Ripe Fruit at Men of Simplicity (MOS) Meeting   

I love fruit. Living in the Northwest allows us to enjoy a variety of fruits, picked ripe and sold right after harvest. The joy of eating fruit is accentuated when it is ripe. However, harvesting ripe fruit for the Kingdom of Christ is an even greater joy in my life.  

At our second Men of Simplicity meeting on September 15th, I experienced the joy of a spiritual harvest. That evening, God opened the door for me to speak with a young man who was visiting for the first time. Ripe is simply the best word to describe his spiritual readiness. He had been searching and had come up empty with everything else. He knew he was a sinner and had made a mess of his life. He also knew of Jesus, and His death, burial and resurrection. When I asked if he had ever made a decision to trust in Jesus Christ and be born again, his response got my attention: "That's why I am here. I need to find out how to do that." The Lord led me to the Old Testament story that Jesus referenced when explaining to Nicodemus that he needed to be born again. "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up" John 3:14. (If you have not read Numbers 21:4-9 in a while, I encourage you to do so.)  

From that story, I explained to the young man that just like Israel: we have all sinned and face death because of our sin; we have to realize that we need God's help and that we can't stop or escape death on our own; and, we have to trust in God's way to be freed from death, the penalty of sin. That is why Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross. The young man listened like a dry sponge. Then he simply said, "I need to do that." Ripe fruit was harvested, and he was saved. Praising Jesus! 

Staples office supply store is known for the "easy button," a simple little gadget that, when pushed, plays the recording: "Now that was easy!" But, easy is not a concept compatible with being a follower of Christ.  There is no "easy button" for discipleship or evangelism.  

Paul explained to Timothy, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" 2 Timothy 3:12.  Jesus explained, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you" John 15:18.  He went on to explain, "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you;" John 15:20.

At a recent pastors conference, Mike challenged pastors to disciple believers today with the same realistic expectations of suffering and persecution as Jesus and Paul gave to those they equipped as followers.  Why?  Because unrealistic expectations affect one's response to future realities of suffering and hardship. Leaders are not equipping Christians well when they present an "easy button" mentality to the Christian walk.  While this message was challenging, pastors received it heartily.  One pastor commented, ". . . your messages were so timely... It was apparent to everyone that you love pastors and want to see us fall more in love with Jesus."   

SYATP Rally -- Tri-Cities, WA

Most teens are surrounded by lost people and have their greatest potential influence for the Kingdom of Christ during their school years.  With that in mind, Mike challenged students at a recent See You at The Pole

From Ephesians 6:18-20, Mike stressed the importance of prayer in this missionary effort.  He asked students to identify three adults from their church whom they could invite to pray for them as they seek to be campus missionaries this year.  Ron Shelby, youth pastor at Richland Baptist, shared that the "worship night was very impactful and our youth girls who made commitments are pursuing their prayer warriors, and it will be exciting to see how the Lord moves!"   

Simply Devoted to Christ! Mike & Debbie