Showing posts with label Steve Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Green. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Ambassadors & Cheerleaders - Now Think On This by Steve Martin


Ambassadors & Cheerleaders


“I have heard a message from the Lord, and an ambassador has been sent to the nations:
"Gather together, come against her, and rise up to battle!” (Jeremiah 49:14, NKJV)


Those who know the Lord have been called to be His ambassadors here on earth. We have been chosen for a high calling, something not to be taken lightly. We represent His Name, His authority, His life in those places and to those people He has placed us in and about.

Being an ambassador, as the dictionary says, is one who is “an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country.  It is a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.

This is not a choice we have, but a very specific duty and obligation the Lord Himself has given to each one of us. The choice we do have is whether we will carry out our duties and responsibilities or not, and to what extent.

When an ambassador is sent from his homeland to another country, to represent his government to that government and country he now works in, he doesn’t just decide to think and do what he believes he is to do. He has been sent to give the input from his sending President and the authorized leadership he walks under. Otherwise, he is not representing the rightful authority, but his own. That is not his purpose, nor his decision.

When Jesus sent out His disciples, as ambassadors, He gave them certain commands they were to follow.

“These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.

"Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” (Matthew 10:5-15, NKJV)

Because they represented the government and authority that Jesus had, they were required to follow His instructions and do as He Himself would have done.

We are to do the same. We are to be the ambassadors that the King of the Universe has sent us here to be.

In addition to being good ambassadors, we are also called to be cheerleaders. As those who are commonly found at sporting events, the ones who typically do the “Rah! Rah!” and “Go team go!” (but with a little more creatively than I just used…), they cheer on, whether for the ones just starting out in their first year on the soccer and football fields, or the professionals with years of experience. Cheerleaders are commonly walking the perimeter of the field, getting the crowd fired up in support of their home team. They bring encouragement.

As the psalmist wrote, we need cheering on. From Him personally, and through each other.

“Who will champion my cause against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers? If Adonai hadn’t helped me, I would soon have dwelt in the land of silence. When I said, “My foot is slipping!” your grace, Adonai, supported me. When my cares within me are many, your comforts cheer me up.” (Psalm 94:16-19, Complete Jewish Bible)

“First, I thank my God through Yeshua the Messiah for all of you, because the report of your trust is spreading throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit by spreading the Good News about his Son, is my witness that I regularly remember you in my prayers; and I always pray that somehow, now or in the future, I might, by God’s will, succeed in coming to visit you. For I long to see you, so that I might share with you some spiritual gift that can make you stronger —  or, to put it another way, so that by my being with you, we might, through the faith we share, encourage one another. (Romans 1:8-13, Complete Jewish Bible)


As ambassadors also, cheerleaders represent the owners of the sports team and must be physically fit to properly perform their cheers and encouragement for the team they also represent. So, we too must keep ourselves strong, and keep building one another up in His purposes and plans.

We often will find ourselves put in locations and events where we are called upon to cheer on our friends, our co-workers, our family, our nation. We have been chosen to share the light, the truth, that which will bring encouragement to those looking for such, so much needed in our times.

A spoken word here, a Scripture shared now, an acknowledgment of approval given to one who is discouraged – all of these can be done as we represent the King, being His ambassadors and His cheerleaders.

People need the Lord. (Thank you, Steve Green, for your song powerfully sung decades ago!) People need to hear good news, have good news, and abide by good news.

We have been called as ambassadors and given the job of being cheerleaders, to share with our neighbors and the nations the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His righteousness, honesty, truthfulness, and holiness that we all need currently.

Be a good ambassador, and cheer on while doing it!

Now think on this.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).


Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc.

If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families in Israel whom we consistently help monthly through our humanitarian work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.
  
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Now Think On This #416 - in the year of our Lord 04.24.19 – “Ambassadors & Cheerleaders – Wednesday 5:07 am


Friday, February 13, 2015

Construction Begins: DC Museum to Bring Bible Alive - CBN News

Museum of the Bible sketch

Construction Begins: DC Museum to Bring Bible Alive

WASHINGTON -- Washington, D.C. Is famous for its museums.  Some are dedicated to art, some to history, and a couple to air and spacecraft.  But soon the Bible will have its very own museum right in the heart of the nation’s capital.
 
Construction of the world’s largest Bible museum  began this week with an act of destruction, as a huge construction claw began ripping away at a building in the way of the future 430,000-square-foot structure.
The seven-story, $400,000,000 museum will tell the impact, history and narrative of the the holy book that Bible museum President Cary Summers called “the most read, most debated, most banned book in history."
 
CBN News recently spoke to Steve Green, the museum’s founder.
Steve Green - Museum of the Bible Founder

“Our idea and our desire is to tell the Bible story in such an engaging way that people will want to spend hours in the museum,” Green said.
Green’s family not only runs the mega-business Hobby Lobby, but also owns one of the largest collection of Bible artifacts in the world.  Most will find a home in the new museum, along with many hi-tech, innovative displays to bring God’s Word to life.  
 
“When we think of the word ‘museum,’ sometimes you think of old and dusty,” Green said.  “But what we will be doing is making this technologically advanced, where that it is very engaging and interactive, where that somebody could have a customized tour if they wanted to.”
The museum is set to open in 2017, just a few hundred yards from the National Mall and the most famous Smithsonian attractions, like the popular National Air and Space Museum.  

Monday, August 26, 2013

Ahava Love Letter - "They Are Loved Also" (Steve Martin)

                        
              “They Are Loved Also”
  
“…who desires all men to be saved and to come 
to the knowledge of the truth.(1 Timothy 2:4, NAS)

Dear family of friends,

On my regular, early morning drive to my 7 am - 4 pm accounting job on Monday, Aug. 26, 2013, I was listening as usual to a Paul Wilbur CD. His latest is entitled “Your Great Name”, and the song “Who Can Compare” was coming almost full volume out of the auto speakers. I am so grateful to Paul and his Messianic music shared over these past decades. (Our Ahava Love Band really enjoys playing his music.) What a gift from the Lord he is to so many!

When I turned onto the College Street exit in uptown Charlotte, the Lord spoke to me to drive on Tryon Street, the site of the weekend’s LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite) festival. According to the Charlotte Observer’s news story on Aug. 24, 2013, at least 55,000 were expected. It had been 19 years since something like this took place in Charlotte. Honestly, my heart’s cry was that it would not have been at all.

For that Saturday night I had bought two tickets in May for the Lion King play uptown, as a Mother’s Day gift for my good wife Laurie, not knowing at the time that this event was scheduled to go on then also.

With an hour to kill before the play, after our Irish restaurant dinner, I walked her around the blocks that I normally do during lunch, showing her the sights of the beautiful city. I pointed out the new ballpark under construction, the church park where I found Little Orphan Chuckie a few days earlier (see my Ahava Love Letter  “Little Orphan Chuckie”) and some of my prayer locations along the way – the fountains, the eating establishments, the gathering places of people.

When the need for a bathroom came up, I tried to determine the best way around the festival, which was a few blocks away from our walk location. But the nearest one was right through the activity. “OK Lord, this should be interesting” was my thought.

As a married couple now for 36 years, we still on occasion hold hands as we walk. So we did thus on this little adventure also. We weren’t the only ones holding hands.

My heart was silently praying for these whom the Lord Jesus Christ loves too, and died for also. As I see it, we have to go where they are, because they aren’t coming to our nice, comfortable church pews. Isn’t that what our Savior and Messiah Yeshua did, our Prime Example of expressing the Father’s love? To go where the people are? Yes it is.

As Steve Green sang, “People Need The Love.” Yes they do. All shapes, kinds, and genders. They need the Lord as much as we do in our daily lives. Who will share His love with them, if not those who already know Him? As so we walked amongst them.

Charlotte, NC skyline (Photo by Steve Martin)

When I drove that next Monday morning, I purposely turned then onto Tryon Street, heading north on the same blocks where the pride of ungodliness had occurred just a day earlier. I put down the windows and played really loud Paul Wilbur’s song, “Who Is Like You O Lord.” The lyrics “All creation declares, none can compare to the greatness of our God” holds true for those who know Him now, and for those who will, if we just have the love and courage the Holy Spirit, Ruach HaKodesh, puts in our hearts. I wanted to declare His love and rulership into the air that morning, where other spirits have tried to rule. We can take that authority as believers in the King of kings and Lord of lords.

It still holds true today, as the Jewish believer Johanan (the Apostle John) wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, centuries before,

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him.” (John 3:16-18 The Message Bible)


They need to hear this, in a loving way, even as we were presented the Gospel, when we lived in sin. My prayer is that some of us will be brave enough to share His love, so that they come to know Him too, and not remain in their lifestyle. There is certainly a life worth living, but it is found only in Him.

Ahava (love in Hebrew) to my family of friends,

Steve Martin
Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858.

Please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless Israel with our humanitarian ministry. 

Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.


If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box 414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)

Please share this Ahava Love Letter with your friends.
Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
            martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin  and  Love For His People   

Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople and ahavaloveletter 


Full website: www.loveforhispeople.org

YouTube: Steve Martin (loveforhispeopleinc)

Ahava Love Letter #72   “They Are Loved Also”  ©2013 Steve Martin 
Date: In the year of our Lord 2013 (08/26/13 Monday at 7:35 am in Charlotte, NC)

All previous editions of Ahava Love Letter can be found on this Blog:


Here are the last few:

Oskars Needed Again? (#71)
Little Orphan Chuckie (#70)
Demons & Fire Trucks (#69)
I Like Mike (#68)
Disappointed with Small Beginnings? (#67)
Rise Again (#66)
The Cities (#65)
How can You Mend A Broken Heart (#64)
Anxious (#63)
Hidden (#62)
Get Back in the Boat (#61)

Need Money? (#60)

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Ahava Love Letter (#48) - "Back To The Future"


 
Ahava Love Letter

"Back To The Future"

 
“And He said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)

Dear family of friends,

The year 1980 was a good one, looking back now from my comfortable rocking chair I am sitting in. That young family of Laurie and I, numbering four, with our two wee ones Josh and Ben, headed east on I80 in northern Illinois, in our brown, four door Chevy Nova. We were moving to our new frontier land of Michigan.  

Our main purpose was for us to be involved with a church called Shiloh Fellowship in East Lansing (renamed around 1983 to New Covenant Christian Church.) My “other job”, to help pay the bills of course, was going to be at a Canon retail copier dealer, Hasselbring-Clark. Though my heart was to be working full time in a “real job” with a Christian ministry, this was the Lord’s plan for me now - to work in the “secular marketplace” while living my life as a believer. Someday I was hoping to have that “real job” with a ministry. 

As office manager of the business, headed by Ellis and Noelle Clark, together we experienced its growth multiply from around 15 staff members to over 50, covering seven years. The day I left, exactly seven years to the day in August of 1987, was the start of the next 26 years of administrative, accounting and adventurous work with seven ministries. The Lord was giving me some of the desires He had put in my heart since I was a young Roman Catholic boy. 

In the summer of 2010, having traveled to Israel 10 times, plus China, India, and Trinidad/Tobago once each, I left my secure, full time, full benefits, well paying ministry position as a USA Director to start “Love For His People, Inc.” from scratch. I thought it would be a “step up” in the plan of the Lord. From His perspective, it was. From mine? Well, not exactly. To tell you the full story, I would need to write 50 “Ahava Love Letters”.  (I know you want me to keep this short.) 

These past three years He has taught me to continually give thanks, pray daily (literally) for our daily bread, and appreciate the quiet times with Him. (Those I had plenty of, as work didn’t materialize to “fill my time.”) 

Over this past “desert” period, in addition to having our small "Love For His People" ministry, I sought to connect with another ministry for full time employment. Surely this was the Lord’s plan too – to bring my experience, skills and character to one of the local Charlotte, NC ministries of INSP TV, Billy Graham Evangelical Association, Sid Roth’s Messianic Vision, Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse, MorningStar with Rick Joyner, or the Charlotte Rescue Mission. I think I remembered them all where I applied/interviewed at! And then there were the "out of town" ones too, which included Israel.

I have discovered though, that after working those many years with seven ministries (Derek Prince Ministries, Mahesh Chavda Ministries/All Nations Church, Vision For Israel, Covenant Keepers, Samaritan's Purse, Charlotte Rescue Mission and Antioch International Church) that the Lord has put me back in the "marketplace." I now know why. 
 

People “out there” need the Lord! Just as Steve Green sings his beautiful song, “People Need the Lord.”  (YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccU-87Km-M ) 

Jesus (Yeshua) has given me His love for those I now work with at an organization in uptown Charlotte, as an accountant. It is this realization that they need Him too, as I have come to know Him. So much of His love and provision, that brings excitement to my soul and spirit.  

And as my good pastor and friend, Peter Wyns of Antioch International Church has said, “I have received my next marching orders.” 

And yes, you guessed it. I am headed “back to the future.” 

Ahava to my family of friends, 

Steve Martin

Founder/President 

P.S. Lest you might think otherwise, our ministry of Love For His People, Inc. certainly continues!
 

Love For His People, Inc. truly appreciates your generous support. Please consider sending a monthly charitable gift of $5-$25 each month to help us bless Messianic Jews in Israel. You can send checks to the address below. Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)
©2013 Steve  Martin      Love For His People, Inc.  12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134     

 
Facebook pages: Steve Martin  and  Love For His People  
 
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople and ahavaloveletter   


YouTube: loveforhispeopleinc 

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858.  Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.
 
Ahava Love Letter #48   Date: In the year of our Lord 2013 (04/01/13)