Bikes & Brown Coffee
“I just wanna speak the name of Jesus, over every heart and every mind.
Cause I know there is peace within Your presence. I speak Jesus.”
If you want people to know Jesus, you have to be willing to tell them about Jesus.
If you want to hear from God, you have to be willing to come to Him more.
These two things seem so simple, and yet distractions and fear make them so hard.
We are surrounded by friends, family, coworkers and so many strangers who don’t know the truth about who Jesus is.
Jesus brings hope, light and salvation. He shows perfect love and brings peace from the troubles of the world. We have such good news to give people.
Why is it so hard?
Personally, I am easily distracted. I have a hard time focusing on God’s word and spending time with Him.
Sometimes, I feel like I don’t want to tell people about Jesus and my relationship with Him because of how they may react, or scrutinize my actions when they know I am a Christian. After all, I try to live a righteous life, but I am fully human. I make mistakes.
Last week, I started out hopeful for what God was doing. This time, I felt ready to go out and serve Him with fewer distractions. But then I wrecked my bike and hurt my arm. I quickly went from feeling like I was 60% helpful to maybe 25% helpful.
Although my arm was not broken (thank goodness), it was and is still sore. So I couldn’t help out in even basic cleaning or unloading the car. It gave me such a bad attitude last Tuesday that my boss needed to pray for me while we were in the village.
I was losing hope in my purpose and plan for where God had called me.
I have been in Cambodia for one month. In this time, I have discovered the best frappe from Brown Coffee and, more importantly, have seen Jesus begin to spread like wildfire.
Last week, we had 15 baptisms. These people declared their belief in Jesus and will spend eternity in Heaven.
But how would they know about Jesus if no one said yes to God?
If Shannon, Vikki, Sreymom and Peach had said no to God over 2 years ago, they wouldn’t be seeing God’s fruitfulness today.
Reaching people with the good news of Jesus takes time. They’ve had to build relationships and overcome setbacks bigger than a bruised elbow.
These people are some of the most connected to God people I have ever met.
They spend time in His presence and make selfless sacrifices of time and money to allow the truth of Jesus to break down walls.
From them, I see how to trust God with my future AND my every day. It is so remarkable to watch them follow Jesus.
Through the example of my team and my experience in Cambodia in general, I have learned three main things:
1. If God says go, go. 2. Pray God gives you the courage to act boldly in His name. 3. Don’t lose hope.
If God says go, go: I fully believe that God’s plan will be done whether we say yes or not. He is bigger than us and our disobedience. But when you say yes, you get to see God work in unforgettable ways. 2 Timothy 2:13— "If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” Even when we doubt, even when we fail, God keeps His promises. When we ARE faithful God’s faithfulness helps us bear fruit.
Pray God gives you the courage to act boldy in His name: I was told recently if you want God to speak to you, you have to give Him the opportunity. Spend time with Jesus, read his word, and soak in his wisdom. Pray that when an opportunity arrives for you to share Jesus or step out in faith, God will give you the strength to do it. Acts 4:31— “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” As the disciples and apostles prayed, God answered them. He gave them the boldness and courage they needed. Even when we don’t see it, God is working. If we’re willing to spend time with Him, He will give us the boldness needed to share our faith with others.
Don’t lose hope: The Bobbs have been doing ministry in Cambodia for over two years. To say they have faced seasons of difficulty is an understatement. But they remain faithful. They continue to trust that God provides and they trust He brought them here for a purpose. Romans 12:12— "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." More people are joining the kingdom of God because they said yes to God. Now I get to be a part of seeing God’s goodness because of their faithfulness. I have bad days, but as I remain hopeful, God reminds me He is good, and He is working.
As God continues to move in your life, the enemy will work harder to fight you.
The enemy may tell you you’re unqualified, unwanted, and throw all of your insecurities at you to distract you from serving others. The enemy may cause hurt to your mental or physical health, your family, or your friendships.
In the Khmer villages, the new believers sometimes get sick soon after they accept Christ. They face so much negativity from those around them as they go against their culture. Whatever is thrown at them, or you, is an effort to make you lose hope and faith in God.
Luckily, the bible is full of verses to use in our defense.
One of my favorites is 1 Timothy 4:10— “We work and struggle for this: Our hope is set on the living God, who is the savior of all people, especially those who believe.”
God is always present and always near. We can’t lose hope. We have to trust that God has a plan and a purpose for the trials.
Last Wednesday, I joined in on an evening of worship and prayer. Nothing else mattered in this time except for Jesus.
I wasn’t checking the time or worrying about what was next. I was just resting in God’s presence.
In that moment, he held me. He helped me let go of my fears, selfishness and negative attitude. He met me where I was to show me how much He cares for me.
I was not miraculously healed from my arm pain and all doubt that night, but God helped me have a better attitude. I was able to be less worried about a schedule and how things were “supposed” to go. I had the freedom simply trust Him and live in the moment.
The next day, 15 people were baptized. I’m thankful God prepared my heart to celebrate His goodness that day and all the days to come.
Friends, people need to know who Jesus is. Let’s use the words and power of God to overcome any lies the enemy tells us.
If we can allow the peace of God’s presence to overtake us, we can speak the name of Jesus to everyone.
