When they find out that I am a Christian, I don't want it to take them by surprise.  Instead, I am hoping that when I finally have an opportunity to share my faith, or when someone tells them that "Nina is a Christian," that their  response will be something along the lines of "that makes perfect sense" or "I should have known" or even, "that  does not surprise me at all."  Unfortunately, that is not always the case for Christians.  In fact, and I'm ashamed to admit it, sometimes the response is the absolute opposite.  Sometimes the response is an emphatic, "there is NO WAY he or she could be a Christian."  Doesn't the thought of that just choke you up or cause a big knot to develop in the back of your throat like the ones you felt when you were a little kid fighting back the big cry?  That’s because it hurts and you feel helpless in this situation.  
     Have you ever had that experience?  The one where you worked on the same job or attended the same school with someone, you know them from a distance, but you do not know them personally.  You see them day in and day out.  You see how they respond to people on a daily basis.  You notice that they can often be rude and maybe even a little snarky for no apparent reason. You witness their vulgar sense of humor and inappropriate comments. Even further, you shudder at the bite of their bitter sarcasm as it pricks innocent co-workers and customers.  In your heart, because you feel they could use some TLC or as Erica Campbell puts it "a little mo' Jesus," you pray for them - that one day they would find Jesus.  
     Then, to your surprise, you find out that they profess Christ.   You resist the urge to be “Christian Judgey,” but  you are floored by the idea that your acquaintance, colleague, or coworker is a Christian.  With everything within you, you fight the urge not to judge, but you are baffled, confused, perplexed, and bewildered.  
      This blog is not a commentary on how Christian’s should or should not behave.  Instead, it is more of a call to reflect upon how we demonstrate to the world what it is like to be a Christians.  Here’s the thing, we don’t always have an opportunity to  do one-on-one, face-to-face evangelism as we share our faith.  Many times, our lives are the books or the words that the world reads.  I think the greater message here is not that you are a Christian and you see another Christian act “out of character,” but instead it is about the message that Christians send to “non-believers” when we act out of Character?  
     This is also not a call for us to create some “cookie cutter” standard for which all of us ought to adhere to; that has already been established.  Christ is the standard. However, there are certain evidences, or as the Bible says, fruit we produce that let the world know we belong to Jesus.  
      I hope that my fruit reveal what type of tree I am and when they find out that I am a Christian, I don't want them to be  surprised. 

     Evangelism is so important to life.   I started to say “evangelism is important to the church” or “evangelism is important to our faith,” but it goes so much deeper than that.  The message of the gospel is important to life.   It saves lives (both naturally and spiritually), it gives people hope, and it shares the love of God our father to a dying world.  This message of authentic evangelism is the bedrock of our faith.  Without evangelism there is no growth in Christianity…and we are seeing the first fruits and emergence of this in today’s society.
     Truth be told, Christians don’t evangelize anymore.  Instead we try to bring people to church in hopes that the pastor or preacher will evangelize them.  When we do invite someone to church, it’s usually someone who as already accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of his or her life.  As we studied Thom Rainer's “I Will” in bible study, we had the opportunity to discuss this same exact point.  We, you and I, have a whole lot of undercover Christians on our jobs AND we are empowered when we meet one.   Once we find out that one of our co-workers is a Christian, we feel like we could do cartwheels.   A sense of excitement swells up inside of us that is near impossible  to contain.  We think to ourselves, "musician, cue the music...I feel a shout coming on."  Yet, somehow, we contain our selves.  After all, we are professionals.  I mean, we could literally stand at the water cooler or snack machine share Christ "with another Christian" all day long.  We even lose track of time and have to rush off to our next assignment because we’ve been so enamored with our newfound knowledge.   I woud even venture to say that this “new knowledge” is so exciting that we can’t wait to home to tell our families about the events at the water cooler.  
On the other hand, we would hardly open our mouths to share Christ with someone we are certain doesn’t know Christ.  
Why is that? 
     When we offer Christ, we are offering life, and hope, and joy, and peace…Literally.   Personally, I just couldn't do life without Christ.   He is my LIFE.  We have something that the world needs to live in this life and after.
     The church should be filled with evangelist.   Everyone is an evangelist.  I feel like Oprah.  You’re an evangelist, you’re an evangelist, you’re an evangelist, EVERYBODY IS AN EVANGELIST!   Wait, but why isn’t everyone excited?
     Walk with me through this analogy of the church as our campaign headquarters.  This is where you come to get fed…motivated…updated…encouraged…this is where you plan, collaborate, strategize, and prepare for the mission.   At the campaign headquarters, everyone knows the mission and the focus.  Get our candidate elected.   The questions loom in everyone’s mind “how we are going to win over those undecided, those who are our opponents, what is it going to take to win this election?” This is where you get your assignment.  Are you going to be answering calls?  Are you going to be knocking on doors?  Are you the spokesperson? 
     Are you following the analogy?  The church is where the sheep gets fed for the purpose of going into the harvest.   Sadly, we have a whole lot of plump sheep while the harvest rots.  In Luke 9:1-2, Jesus did a few things:

1. He called His disciples (the sheep)
2. He fed them (gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases)
3. Give them their assignment (Preach the kingdom of God)
4. Sent them out

     Check it out for yourself:  “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.  And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.” In Luke 9:1-2; 9:6
     Jesus purpose for calling the twelve was to prepare them to do ministry.   Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.  His disciples were with him for much of that time. They had seen enough and had been fed enough.  It was time for them to begin their internship. It was time for them to put into practice what they had seen and heard during their time with Christ.  So it is with us.  We have to get out their and share our faith.  We cannot complain about the decline in Christianity if we are not doing our part.   

     What hinders you from sharing your faith? 
​Eat (come and be fed).  Pray (for those that God will send in your path).  Go (share your faith)
​
Let’s start an evangelism movement. Eat. Pray. Go
 

This blog represents part of the notes from my last sermon "edited to fit your screen."  It is my second blog on the topic of leaving a legacy.  The concept of legacy is profoundly powerful and significant, and worth revisiting.  By definition, it is “anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor:”  To put it simply, it’s what we pass along to the next generation. Our legacy is our gift to future generations.
 
As we live and exist we are currently creating and cultivating our legacy.  I like to believe that we can be intentional about the legacy we choose to leave for those who come behind us.  Stop and think for a moment—really think.  If today were your last day, what type legacy would you want to leave behind?  Are you cultivating the legacy you wish to leave behind?  If not, what are you willing to do to make sure that you leave a legacy that will positively impact generations.  Truth be told, a long list of titles in front of or behind your name is not your legacy.   The amount of money you leave in the bank after you pass on is not your legacy.   A legacy is the seeds you plant to feed, shelter, and nurture generations that you may NEVER see.  Some will leave a good legacy and some will leave a negative legacy….but we all will leave a legacy.
 
Let’s take a couple steps back.  Before we can really delve into our legacy, we must realize that we are a part of a rich and powerful legacy that was established from the beginning of time.   I am not trying to stroke your ego right now but I want you to know the truth of who you are.   You are the heritage of the Lord—Love, peace, joy, humility, compassion, faithfulness, goodness, grace, and mercy.  That is the cloth you are cut from --the finest cloth.  You come from good stock.  You breathe the breath of God.     Galatians 3:29 tells us that “if you belong to Christ then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”
 
But, did you know that a legacy is not ONLY what you past on for the future, but it is ALSO what you pass on from your past.  We must remember where God has brought us.  We weren’t always where we are.  Sometimes our legacy of perfection is unreal.  I guess if we tell ourselves that we’ve had a perfect past long enough, we actually start believing it.    But, when our children cross the same rivers that we had to cross over they DROWN because we didn’t tell them how we made it over…we didn’t warn them about the pitfalls, …we didn’t show them the secret routes and detours.
 
In our society, we no longer live to leave a legacy.   We live and work for the comforts of here and now.   This is evident in the way that we build our homes and make our car and our clothes and our shoes.  We live in a toss and go society – a disposable society.    No one takes the time to build anymore – we simply assemble.  Furniture used to last for generations and become antiques.   Have you ever stopped to realize that this generation will have very few antique pieces?  Why? Because we don’t keep anything or make anything worth keeping.  It is only made for our current pleasure.  We want instant gratification.  We just want it to look good to people who don’t understand our heritage and our legacy.  We want it to look good – we don’t’ care about substance as long as it looks good.
 
Psalms 127 1:1-2 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
 
It takes time to build a home that will last decades.  In the same way, it takes time to build a spiritual home that can be passed on to future generations.  
 
What will your legacy be? 

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.." -1 Corinthians 2:9-11


The New Oxford American Dictionary defines squad as "a small group of people having a particular task."  In today's popular culture, a squad can also be defined as a group of people with a common identity, bond, and purpose.   The original "God Squad" was a bunch of flawed, unpolished misfits that JESUS chose to be with him.  Notice that Jesus chose these guys--despite their flaws.   Let's dig even deeper, before Jesus chose this group of" flawed, unpolished misfits" he prayed.   

Luke 6:12-13 says "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;"

You mean to tell me that Jesus prayed about his squad choice -- ALL NIGHT and this is what he came up with?   Matthew was a tax collector, perhaps one of the most hated occupations of the time; Peter was an unstable, emotional wreck; James was known as “James the Less,” which, no matter how you put it must have been a commentary on his character; James and John, who were known as "sons of thunder" were known for their explosive temper, and we all know about Judas and Thomas.    

The fact that when Jesus decided to put together his squad, He did not immediately go to the people with power and influence speaks volumes.   He was establishing the precedence that kingdom of heaven is for the Jews and Gentiles alike, the rich and the poor, the orphan and the parented, those who are abase and those who abound.

Here's the thing, these guys were willing to drop everything on a dime to follow Jesus, and they did.  Matthew was making mad money as a tax collector when he walked away from it to follow Jesus.   This SQUAD quickly began to learn Jesus’ SQUAD GOAL.  They spent time with him and learned of him.  They learned his desires, his heart, his passion, his purpose AND his secrets.  I've heard on many occasions people say, "If you want to know me, spend time with me."  This is true!   When we are in a close relationship with God he begins to reveal his heart to us and give us a glimpse of his desires and his will.   In essence, we become a part of His squad, His inner circle, His crew.  He doesn't reveal himself to everyone.   When referring to the secret things of God, the scriptures tell us in
​2 Corinthians 2:10, "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."  Oh to know him, know him!  To be so connected with him to the extent that he reveals himself to you and shares his plans with you.  

So what does this all mean?  This means that no matter where you find yourself - bad temper, and emotional wreck, "YOU NAME HERE the less," cheater, bad reputation, or something else, God can still use you on his SQUAD!   The question is, are you willing to walk away from everything for the cause of Christ?  If you answered yes, WELCOME TO THE SQUAD --The God Squad. 

 #SquadGoals

I am Gia Roberts and I am all about that life, and that is -- The Lifestyle of the Believer!

     There are three very important lessons I learned from the parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke chapter 15:
1.  You are so much more than where you are now and what you are doing with your life.
2. Everyone will not be happy about your comeback
​3.  God's grace is enough

    SNAPSHOT:  The prodigal son is a parable about a father who had two sons.  One of his sons came and requested his half of the inheritance, squandered it with reckless and riotous living.   After he spent all he had, there came a famine in the land and this son found himself working where he would feed the pigs.  At one point, he become so hungry and desperate, he began to eat what the pigs were eating.
     This brings us to our first point.  "You are so much more than where you are now and what you are doing with your life."   Even if you are not a "prodigal son,"  this still applies to you.   After the son found himself eating what the pigs ate and no one was giving him anything, the bible say in verse 17 "He came to himself."  That means, he had a sudden realization or that he came to his senses.  He said to himself, and I paraphrase, "My father has servants who are living better than I am right not. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me."   Okay, so here's my point.   I invite you to take an inventory of your life, your relationships, your family situation, your finances, and your job or academic status and realize that there is so much more for you.  You are sons and daughters of the King and heirs to the throne.   So ask yourself, "Why am I living like this when my father is the King and the ruler of everything?"   I need you to come to yourself and realize EVERYTHING that you ARE.   Whether or not you are living like royalty doesn't change the fact that you are a child of the King. 
     Secondly, knowing that everyone will not be happy about your comeback is half the battle.  The one thing that keeps most prodigals from coming home is that fact that they afraid of how everyone will react to them when if and when then come home.   The older brother was livid and incensed at his father's audacity to celebrate his brother who went out, spent his inheritance, and made a spectacle of himself.   In fact, he was so angry, "...he would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him." Luke 15:28  Here's my point:  If you want for a consensus from the masses for you to come home, you'll probably never return.   The Prodigal Son first came to his senses then said to himself "I will arise" Luke 15:18, then "he arose" Luke 15:20.   So if you are having are coming to your senses right now, then make up in your mind that you will arise--then ARISE.   No, everyone will not be happy for your return, but God is waiting for you.  He has been anticipating your return.   
     Finally,  God's grace is enough.  This is the most exciting point for me!   God's grace is more than enough.  "But when he was still a ways off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."   Luke 15:20.   This let's me know that his father [not the masses] was anticipating his return.  There was not wait time in verse 20 between when he arose and when his father saw him.   As soon as he arose, his father saw him and embraced him.  Unlike us, God does not how us accountable for our since once surrender our lives to Christ.   God, the father, is the single most important factor in your return and he is excited about you coming home.     

     I am a Christian.  I'm not perfect.  In fact, I am perfectly flawed.   It's my flaws that make me a perfect candidate for Christianity.   I am the reason Christ died.   He thought I was to die for!  
     I needed to say that for two reasons: First, I needed to say that to everyone who watches Christians, believers and non-believers alike, and have the idea in their minds that a Christian person is supposed to be perfect or flawless.  Perhaps you've never consciously​ verbalized those ideas, but maybe you have looked at someone who "claimed" to be a Christian and judged them harshly or maybe even unjustly because they did not live up to YOUR standards or expectations.   It is this fallacy in our thinking that causes Christians to walk around carrying heavy loads of hurts, disappointment, and fear; they are afraid that if you find out that they struggle in their walk with Christ that you will discredit them, their calling, or their ministry.  Matthew 6:14-15  "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
     Secondly, while I understand why we feel the need to communicate the idea that we are perfect, we are doing a disservice to the work of the kingdom.   In essence, we are making Christianity an exclusionary club that is only open to "perfect" people.  The bible tells us in 1 John 1:8-10 that "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
The Walls Groups sings a song that speaks to this idea.  Here are the lyrics:  
"This song is not for you, if you've never cried a river
Or had your heart broken in two
This song is not for you, if everyday you wake up
The skies are blue
But this is for anyone, no matter how you pray
The pain won't let you get through
But you try and you try
Still they lie, they say that it's over for you
If you're a miracle today and God has always made a way
If you have food to eat, a place to sleep and you really can't complain
This song is for you"

Here's my truth:   It's 2016 and today I am comfortable in my skin.  I didn't wake up one morning to find myself in this place.   In order for me to get to this place, God had to sit me down and remind me that I was created in HIS image.  It took a whole lot of reassurance from God before I knew my worth.    The world had knocked me down, told me I was not good enough, and would never amount to much of anything...BUT God!.  It took me realizing that I am not my past.  I am not what I did, or what my parents did.  I am not my finances, my neighborhood, or anyone's idea of who I should be.   I am comfortable in my skin, but it took God constantly refueling me when the enemy drained  me of everything I thought I knew.   So, when you see me walking in confidence, it's not perfection -it's God.   I am a Christian.  I'm not perfect.  I am perfectly flawed, but Christ died for my imperfections and that gives my life WORTH!

     Judgement is incarceration.   Not just to the person who is being judged, but also to the gifts, purpose, and talents that lay dormant within the prisoner. Moses was a murderer, David was an adulterer, Paul persecuted the church, YET God used them all mightily.   Lazarus was DEAD.  Ha!  God even used him to show forth his glory.   What a powerful thought.   
     Did you know that one of the enemy's greatest weapons is to remind you of your past?  Even though Christ has forgiven us of our sins, we still sometimes walk with our heads hung - too ashamed to show our face and present ourselves before the father.   By reminding us of our past, the enemy traps us into thinking that we are still wearing our old sin-stained garments, and are therefore not fit for kingdom duty.  
     While the fact that we are constantly beating ourselves up about our past is quite devastating, we have other believers who look down on us and repeatedly cast us down because we weren't "always" Christians as they supposedly were. If I'm not mistaken, the bible tells us that for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  Some of us have walked away from the faith because we feel unfit for duty.   I want to encourage you today by reminding you that once Christ has forgiven you, you are ready for duty.   I wouldn't put a baby behind the wheel of a macktruck, but I would certainly allow him to hold his own bottle or teach him how to build a tower on their own.    Then, as he grows, I would continue to give him more responsibility.  

There is work for you to do in the kingdom.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.   Go forth and turn this world upside down for the kingdom of God.   

Blessings my brothers and sister.  ​

This blog post is about us giving ourselves permission to be US...just as God created us!  Let's face it, this can be challenging for us as Christians because lessons of humility have been ingrained in us -- and in many cases rightly so.  Therefore, when God calls us out of our comfort zone and up from amongst the ordinary, humdrum, and mundane, we are challenged with this new idea of walking in the light of who we were created to be.  Here's a little fact about light:  It illuminates the darkness and accentuates the light that already exists. Therein lies the struggle.  If we give ourselves permission to be US, just as God created us, we automatically SHINE!   This goes against our previously taught lessons on humility -- Doesn't it?   Contrary.  When we let our light so shine before men, they WILL see our good works and glorify our father which is in heaven.  However, this light that we are talking about is the light of Christ and not our self-professed, self-confident, self-centered light.     God wants His light that is within us to shine.   Even the most confident individuals struggle with questions such as:  Will people think I am too full of myself if I walk in my calling?  Will I still be accepted by my peers?  Am I good enough to be called and/or used of God?  We ask ourselves: what if my light shines too brightly?  
Let's look at it this way.  We know that we are born in sin (Psalms 51:5)  However, when we accept Christ, we are made new. New creatures.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says that "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."  When we become new, we get that "light." As we continue to draw nigh to Christ our light shines brighter.  We begin to take on the character of Christ and His image is illuminated in us.  Christ and the world begins to see manifested evidence of who we were before He created us--the image of us that he pictured when we were conceived in the mind of Christ.  This makes the father proud.   Finally, we are walking, talking, maneuvering, and gesturing like the father.   Even further, we have special features/traits of the father that he did not gift anyone else with.  You are the only one who can write the way you write, sing the way you sing, dance the way you dance, minister the way you minister, etc...  Therefore, it is important for you to be you. Christ had YOU in mind when He created YOU not someone else!  Be you!  
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful,
I know that full well
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts,God!
How vast is the sum of them!"  Psalms 139:13-17

​Be you baby!   There is only one you....and this world needs the gift that you carry :-)