We at Speaking Louder Ministries believe that we have "come to the kingdom for such a time as this." We feel an urgency like never before to step forward and fulfill our part of the Great Commission. Our desire is to reach out to the lost and the hurting with the good news of the gospel and in doing so, inspire and give other believers the opportunity to be the heart and hands of Jesus in their communities. We have chosen to fully engage ourselves in the kingdom work of Christ and as we come together as believers with one accord, we hope to see God's amazing grace poured out in these end times.'
For years now, I have had the honor and privilege to be able to share the good news of Jesus Christ and His love, but there is urgency in my heart like never before. As a believer, I realize that we have been given a gift: the hope of eternal life with the very One who conquered our sin on the cross and took it upon Himself, the terrible death that we deserved. Being a father (allow me to emphasize), I am understanding a little more what it must have been like to have your Son cry out, and the Father turn away. This is because our sins, the sins of this world, were all placed on Jesus at that moment on the cross.
Jesus the Son of God was perfect, never sinning, and that is what it took: a perfect sacrifice to bare our shame. Jesus, at the most vulnerable time where true colors would shine, being beaten, mocked, spit upon, hanging from the cross, still uttered those beautiful words of unconditional love, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." These are words that ring loudly when petty situations arrive where someone has "wronged" me and I can't sleep because of how upset I am. This is where I long to have an ounce of the compassion and love that Christ has displayed immeasurably to us. Not until we see with the eyes of our Savior will we truly be able to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Without love, how can we truly be burdened for those who have never experienced that hope and peace in their life?
This is where I stand...convicted yet excited about what the Lord has done in my life personally. I don't want to stand on stage night after night, without being on my face beforehand truly crying out for those that have come to the show. There is an opportunity everyday to encourage, evangelize, or exhort someone. I am not taking this lightly. We have opportunities to be used by the living God on a daily basis. He doesn't need us, but He desires to use us and we get to participate with Him strictly because of His grace and the fact that He loves us so much. He has given us such a precious gift of His Son, so why do we hold back? Why don't we shout it out from the rooftops? If we are being the image of Christ and showing love, then we've done what we have been called to do. Always in love, that is the key.
God has blessed us with a platform that we intend to use for reaching as many people as we can with the good news about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We will do this in two ways; first will be to offer free shows that will be crusade style events. These events will be open to everyone, so that anyone who wishes will have the opportunity to come to Christ. Free bibles and discipleship booklets will be given out to all new believers. There will be volunteer ministry teams that are present to pray with and encourage the people who have come forward to except Jesus, or to rededicate themselves to Him. These team members will exchange information with the people that come forward, and this information will then be distributed to one of the participating churches to follow up as soon as possible.
Secondly, we desire to bring an awareness about the less fortunate people in our communities and find ways to meet their most basic needs. To accomplish this, we intend to come alongside the local churches and be a catalyst to help them in their quests to engage their communities in meaningful ways everyday. All believers are called to reflect the light of Jesus in this dark and perverse world; we are the church, every one of us, real people being the heart and hands of Christ to all. There is an old saying that, "actions speak louder than words," so when we show love to those around us, we are actually demonstrating a key truth of the Gospel, that God loves everyone unconditionally. The scriptures teach us that love is above all else and everything we do must be done in love because without it, everything is done in vain (1Cor 13).
To be successful in these tasks, we understand that we will need to be in constant prayer and seek God's direction in all things. We are willing to listen to the Holy Spirit and add to or take away plans and ideas as He sees fit. We acknowledge that as we minister, all glory goes to God. We are simply doing what He asks us to do and are blessed to be a part of what the Spirit is doing.
Jesus said to him, "'you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for all who believe.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
"1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
