A Cellist in the Tuba Section

When I was in high school, I saw one couple that, whether or not the intentions included "missionary dating", the consequences certainly showed me one reason why evangedating is not the right idea. Lisa* and Peter* (names have been changed) met somewhere, school or a club or something, and started dating. Peter, who was very involved in his church, began to bring Lisa to services with him, and I often saw them in service together with the rest of Peter's family. Lisa started getting really involved, coming to more and more events with Peter, until she wasn't anymore. I found out that Peter had broken things off, telling her that he had started noticing other girls, and he thought it would be best if they took a break. He hadn't cheated on her, and from hearing the story second-hand, I was impressed with his honesty and figured she'd respect such a thing, and they could still be friends.However, that's not how Lisa saw things. She stopped coming to church...

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (ESV). When someone believes in Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in that person, and gives that person their unique set of spiritual gifts. Each follower of Jesus has different sets of spiritual gifts, even though the same Holy Spirit lives in all followers of Jesus. These gifts are given so that we can each use our spiritual gifts to share the good news of Jesus with the world around us. Some examples of spiritual gifts are: healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, encouragement, teaching, evangelism, and many others. God wants us to use these gifts for His purposes of growing his kingdom, not for our own selfish gain. He also doesn't want us to be jealous for the gifts others have ...

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (ESV) I think so often, we look at this passage and we assume that preaching to all the nations means we need to go to a third-world country somewhere with a rainforest or cannibalistic tribes who need to experience Jesus. However, everyone you interact with needs Jesus, so your mission field right now may be your school, the place where you work, your home, the local library, or even the grocery store. God will open amazing opportunities for you wherever He has placed you in this season. Don't be so caught up with discovering some future mission that you miss the mission He has for you today. And if you don't see results today or next month or in ten years, don't be discouraged. Sometimes we never get to see the fruit...