A Lifestyle of Making Disciples and Spreading the Gospel

What is a lifestyle? If you live your life a certain way for a couple of weeks, does that consider as your lifestyle? The definition from dictionary.com says that, a Lifestyle is "A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group." Are you living a lifestyle that God desires you to have as a student? As a worker? As the Kingdom Ambassador? If not, isn't it our choice to toss the old wine skin away first, before He could give us that new and shiny wine skin? Laziness... that's the biggest part of my old wine skin, which I have to get rid off. What are yours?

Recently I have been pondering on this question:
"Are you living the lifestyle that God desires you to have?"

Surely, I haven't been living up to the best of my life as a student, as a cell group leader, and as an example to others. I have been studying, but obviously I haven't give out my best to strive for higher success. Just look at my grades, you'll see what I'm talking about. Surely, this is not the way God wants me to live as a student. Just yesterday, after class I went back to my apartment, and Brian, the leader of GTM (the new name of our house church), was talking about this. I pretty much summed up what he said yesterday, and it really stirred up our hearts. There were Karen, Ruth, Nancy (a non-believer), and I. Brian not just talked about it, he gave us some practical guidelines as to how we can study more effectively and more efficiently. Ex. Sleep before 1am, no more cooking huge meals after 12am. (We often do that... fried rice, korean bbq, sushi, pizzokie, crepe, baked cheese potato...etc *drools*)

Besides living a good lifestyle of student, we must live a GENERAL lifestyle of making disciples and spreading the gospel. Here's what happened this week...

NANCY
Last night, because our night class got canceled last night, I invited Nancy to eat dinner with us. We went to BJ's... yum...

Nancy has been hanging out with us (Me, Brian, Karen, and Ruth) on and off for a few weeks now. Because she has class with me, Brian, and Karen, we often study together. We have been praying for her salvation, for she is an atheist, and doesn't believe that there is God. Of course, tonight's purpose is to share more about God with her, and simply show her God's love. During the dinner, we found out that her birthday is actually this Sunday! After dinner, we went to Ralphs to get her a birthday cake. It was a pretty and delicious strawberry muse cake! We celebrated her birthday and we all prayed for her one by one. We asked her what's her prayer request, and she said, "Just have a happy and successful life." After cake time, Brian started the conversation about whether she believes in God, Bible, and creation. She said she believes in evolution, and does not believe in God. We listened, as Brian was explaining to Nancy, how evolution doesn't make sense, and that many parts were made up by scientists and are totally fake. Anyways, he explained a lot about creation and evolution. Even though after he shared for over an hour, Nancy still believed in evolution. We all shared with her about the gospel, and praying in our hearts that God would move in her heart. Which He did! Brian said to her, "Right now, you are looking at Christianity from outside of the window. But, I want to you come inside and look around, and if you don't like it you can leave." I can tell from her expression that she really is thinking about it, and I know that God is moving. Afterwards we chilled and shared a lot of the funny, embarrassing, scary, unforgettable moments in our lives with each others. It was a fun night, we all enjoyed each others' accompany. Nancy left a facebook msg that night on all of our facebooks. I could tell that, what we did was really special for her, and I truly believe that she will accept God soon. We planted the seed, God, it's Your turn to stir up the soil and make it grow. :)

Afterthoughts: I think it's good that Brian is doing this for Nancy, especially when he is being baked by God right now, in the oven. He makes the effort to come to our apartment to pray and read the Words with us, even though he doesn't feel God these few weeks, and it's really hard for him. Please keep him in your prayers if you will. It is truly important to keep our leaders in our daily prayers and cover them with the prayer shield. Yes, Jack and Annie, you guys are in my constant prayers. <3

ANNA
Friday morning, class ended 30 minutes earlier. My friend Anna, then has an hour gap before her next class, which she has no idea how to kill. (Kill the time, get it?) "Help that person to make that time useful!" A phrase popped into my mind. Ok, I shall take her to breakfast, though she has already eaten. Anna has been sharing with me about how clueless she is about her future after graduation. She is a senior right now, and she doesn't know what she likes to do, what her talents are, and what she wants in the future. (Someone's gonna say, "I told you, women don't know what they want.") I really want to help her, so I sat her down and gave her a lot of encouragement. First of all, I asked her to set a list of goals. For right now, her one and only goal is to graduate from UCR. I felt that, throughout the entire conversation, I was led by the Holy Spirit. I knew exactly what to say, and how to put them into words. (Whereas afterwards, when I shared with Karen and Brian about it, my words were stuttered.) She asked me, "What are you going to do after you graduate?" I told her, I have changed my mind, and now I wanted to take over my dad's business in the future. Just last month, or two months ago, I told her how I wanted to become a music therapist, but because of my parents I'm stuck in the Business Major. Also, how I don't want to take over the family business, for I don't even have interests in chairs! She asked why all of a sudden I changed my mind. I started to share with her about the end time, about the two networks that Pastor David shared with us. That we must work hard in whatever position we're placed, for us students, we have to study hard, so then we can help building God's kingdom. She is a very teachable person. So, I said, "If you have absolutely no idea what you want to do, then look into positions that have the biggest influence in the network systems we live in." She thought about it and said, "Education". I challenged her a bit and asked, "What positions in education?" She said, "Principals? But I don't think it's possible for me." I then used Banning's sermon, "Dreamers". To encourage her to dream big, not be bound by the reality, because the God that we believe in, does NOT live in the reality. In His dictionary, the word "impossible" does not exist. There's only, "I'm possible"! (Wow, that's a good one!) She was totally pumped up and excited after this conversation. She couldn't even sit still anymore, and said, "Wow, God is so amazing!!!!" I asked her to write down a list of positions that have great impact over the world, and look into those. Because she was going to be late, I didn't have time to say a prayer for her.

I pray for her right now, Father. That Your kingdom come and Your will be done. Use Anna as Your vessel, for she is submissive and pure in heart. Lord, it is Your will to see her whole family to surrender their lives to You, to understand the true meaning of being a Christian, to live a life that's empowered by Your Holy Spirit, and to increase in the intimacy with You, my Lord. I pray over this family right now, Lord, that You may open up their eyes and ear, through Anna, through me, so they may not be blinded and deft anymore by the enemy. I love you my Lord. Empower Anna, pour down Your wisdom unto her, and draw her closer to You. Thank You for giving me this precious opportunity to help a sister. Your timing is always perfect, I trust You. I pray all these in the Name of the Son of God, amen.


After I came back from breakfast, I went on MSN and talked to a few friends whom I haven't spoke to for a long time. Gave them some words of encouragements, challenges (for believers), and showed them God's love. I realized how many people out there are crying out for help, for encouragements, for comfort, and for love. Also, I've realized how much I love to encourage people, to help people, and to love people. I was listening to Bill Johnson's sermon, "Living in the Perfect Love", and he said, "If you say you love God, whom you can't see, but hate your brother, whom you can see. Then you are lying." How exactly do we know we have the love of God inside of us, it's by loving those who cannot pay us back. Give yourself a check, when you get a chance. :) Oh, and go listen to that sermon, you can download that from ibethel.org. It's amazing!

Love ya'll,
-sala<3