I love those moments in life that happen at the exact moment you need them to happen.
For those that put their trust in Jesus, we understand that such moments are divine.
These are moments that the God of the universe reaches down and fills our heart with His presence.
Last night was one of those moments.
It has been nearly two months since our last blog post. To be honest and transparent, I have felt inadequate to write down anything to post.
I have had nothing to say. At least nothing to say that would be encouraging. I have had a lot of thoughts over the last 6 weeks about things that would scare most of those that might read this post. The last few weeks have been tiring. There has been a spiritual battle that has suffocated me at times.
My integrity has been questioned. My motives have been questioned.
I am not perfect. I am broken. I am tired.
I am in need of something so much more than this world can offer.
Let’s go back to the moment of last night. We attended ResoundFest in Bethany, MO. This is a two day festival each June. We were looking forward to this year because some close friends of ours headlined last night; Building 429.
If you are not familiar with their music, I encourage you to check them out, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and go buy all of their music.
We met the guys from Building 429 nearly 8 years ago. Whenever they have a show close to Kansas City, we try to make it. Even though our time together is often short, we consider Jason Roy (lead singer) a good friend of ours and we are always encouraged by his heart and desire to follow Jesus.
As we listened to their show last night, I was flooded with so many emotions. The moment that God reached down and smiled on me was when our 7 year old daughter was standing next to her 4 year old brother, holding his hand, and singing along with Jason. She was worshiping the same Lord that I worship in her own way.
She has made Jesus her own. She was not worshiping her dad’s Jesus or her mom’s Jesus. She was worshiping her own Jesus.
I was in tears of thankfulness that she surrendered her life to Jesus at the young age of 6 this past December where it took me 29 years to realize my need for a savior.
I was humbled. I was encouraged. I was loved.
I began praying these words.
God, you took me from the ashes and gave me new life. You brought me out of the darkness into the light. Because of my desire to follow you, I am now witnessing my children worshiping Jesus at their young age. Generations will now be changed because you loved me when no one else did. Thank you Jesus for reminding me how much you love me.
The latest single from Building 429 is Unashamed. It was written with Romans 1:16 as the foundation.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.
In January, our pastor, Merle Mees, did a message within a series called Recalibrate. The entire message was wrapped around this passage and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can watch that message here. I promise, regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, you will be encouraged and challenged by this message.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that Jesus brings new life to those who believe in Him.
New life occurs when you have an encounter with Jesus.
The gospel reminds us that Jesus is sufficient therefore I will believe it, I will receive it, and I will share it.
Believe it. Receive It. Share it.
For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL.
I am unashamed to say that Jesus changed my life nearly 10 years ago. I am unashamed that I live a life surrendered to Jesus. I am unashamed that I was an addict but the chains of bondage were broken by Jesus. I am unashamed of who I was because it’s not who I am. I am unashamed that Jesus comes first in my life before my wife, my kids, this ministry, or my career.
I am unashamed to say that without Jesus, you will live a life apart from God, treading water, looking for happiness, and chasing things to fill the void within your soul. I am unashamed to tell you that you will never be healed fully from your hurt without Jesus. I am unashamed to say that at the end of each of our lives, there will be two destinations; heaven or hell. You have the option to accept Jesus or reject Jesus. That’s it. There is no other way to heaven.
These are not my words. I simply believe what the Bible says in John 14:6.
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
It will not matter how good of a person you are. It will not matter what your church attendance is. It will not matter that you sing in the choir. It will not matter that you have a Bible on your coffee table as a decoration. It will not matter that you throw some money in the offering plate every once in a while or if you write a check for 10% of your income each month.
The only thing that will matter is Jesus. Salvation is given to those who believe.
We were created to live in harmony with God. However, sin entered into the world. When we begin to believe that we can live by doing our own thing and being our own God, we begin to live in brokenness.
As followers of Jesus, it is time for us to stop living within our safe walls, smile and say we are doing fine. It is all a façade. Our families are broken. Our neighborhoods are broken. Our communities are broken. Our churches are broken.
We must go to the broken because we are broken ourselves. We must stop pretending everything is okay when everything is falling apart. I am in desperate need of a savior and I am so thankful that my eyes were opened to see, my ears open to hear, and my heart open to experience the ongoing power of the gospel when I made the decision to follow Jesus.
To those that have not made the decision to follow Jesus, today is the day that new life can begin for you.
To those that are following Jesus, I write this to encourage you to not be ashamed of what God has done in your life, what He is doing in your life, and what He has planned for you in your life. Embrace your brokenness to reach the broken.
Jason, it was great to see you as always. I look forward to the next time. Thank you for the reminder to not be ashamed of what Jesus has done in my life. Keep fighting the fight. 1 Timothy 6:12
Who will join me?
Unashamed,
Bryan
#iamunashamed #anguishedhearts