Sinner Friends

"Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained saying, 'This Man receives sinners and eats with them" (Luke 15:1-2).

I am intrigued by the responses I have received whenever I have shared my faith with sinners:

• Businessman: "You are right; I need to give my spiritual life more attention."
• Man who had sex change: "Would you pray for me?"
• Carpenter: "I realize God is trying to get my attention."
• Airline agent: "I would rather not talk about it."
• Another airline agent: "I can't thank you enough for sharing with me today."
• Restaurant hostess: "Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sin."

Luke 15 is one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. Once again, Jesus upset the religious status quo, this time by reaching out and befriending sinners and tax collectors. The local tax collectors were not held in high esteem, to say the least. They were the scum at the bottom of the barrel.

But Jesus went out of His way to make a point about who He esteems. He shares three stories: the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), and the lost son (Luke 15:11-32). It's as if Jesus cares more about the lost than the found.

Why? Because His mission is clear: seek and save the lost (Luke19:10).
Why? Because Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (Mark 2:17).
Why? Because God is love (1 John 4:7-8).

That's right... Jesus loves sinners. He can't help Himself... it's part of His holy DNA. After all, He saved you and me, and He loves us enough to having left His holy heaven to demonstrate His great love. Each and every day God's Holy Spirit is drawing sinners of all kinds: liars, cursers, sex addicts, homosexuals, robbers and cheats to His love. These He esteems!

Here's our challenge. Are we mature and complete enough in our faith to befriend sinners on His behalf? Having received God's magnificent love, do we love enough to share Him with sinners? OR, will we stay in our holy huddles, our churches and our small groups praying for God to send someone else?

Go ahead... ask Jesus for more 'sinner-friends.' It's why He rose again.

Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

7,000 decisions for Christ in two weeks!

May 18, 2010
As I write this, I am on a seven-hour train ride in India on my way home. I wish you could have been here and have seen the desperate and passionate spiritual hunger of the people in these remote areas of India. As soon as I return to the office, I'll unpack the videos and photos of this tremendous hunger and provide links for you to see it for yourselves.

THANK YOU for your faithful prayers. Pastor Darrell Dobbelmann and myself just finished two five-day Gospel and Healing Festivals. Around 7,000 people made decisions to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! We praise God for this fruit! In addition, 23 fresh-water wells were drilled at villages that did not have clean drinking water, and we held dedication services for four newly built churches.

These churches mark the first Christian worship facilities in these villages. We also conducted two Ignite the Fire Training Seminars where over 400 pastors and Christian leaders received encouragement and equipping over the course of each three-day seminar.

Darrell felt that the Lord had showed him that someone would testify of a tumor dissolving that night. Sure enough, after we prayed for the sick, a bubbling and smiling woman came to the platform and told us about a tumor that she had for two years. After prayer that night, the tumor disappeared! Many others testified of having years of chronic body pain that had instantly vanished.

As Darrell and I return home, we are both tired from a busy schedule in 110-125 degree heat, and grateful for the spiritual satisfaction of taking part in this mission for God's glory! Thanks again for your prayers and financial support. Together, we are making a difference!

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

Hell, yes!

"but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh" (Jude 1:23, NKJ).

OK, it's time for some serious talk. Remember the compulsory talk you had with your kids about the 'birds and the bees'? It was a killer, but it had to be done. So here's another 'hot' topic... hell.

Watch this video The Bible makes over 150 references to a real hell; Jesus often talked about it. Our doctrinal statements validate it, but do we really believe in it? After all, talking about an eternal place of separation from God is a very uncomfortable subject.

When you hear about the reality of hell, do you discount the messenger and label the message as radical or imbalanced? Or are you challenged to be more intentional about sharing your faith with those who do not know Jesus? We tend to avoid that which makes us uncomfortable: writing our own wills, getting regular physical check-ups, talking about death, or sharing our faith. But thinking about hell is something we should never avoid, because souls are at stake.

Thinking about hell actually motivates us to share our faith with more urgency. In fact, General William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army, was quoted as wishing that everyone could dangle over hell for one hour, held only by a single thread, for then we would live differently.

Statistics tell us that around 87.5% of Americans believe in heaven, but only 74.6% believe in hell (Word Press poll). But I'm guessing that the people who believe in the existence of a real Biblical hell are a lot less. Why? It's simple. Our actions sometimes defy our doctrine. For instance, what if our neighbor's house were on fire and we knew we should save them, but we didn't. Every second someone dies and a soul goes into eternity. And every month that we live without sharing our faith reinforces our denial of an eternity that includes both heaven and hell.

If you knew your unsaved friend would certainly die in 24 hours, wouldn't you at least try to lead them to the cross of Christ? (Hint: Our answer to this question helps us know what we really believe.) Wouldn't a doctor be held liable if he knew you had cancer and didn't tell you? How would you feel? Questions like these help us know what we confess to believe.

Here's the point. Jesus told us that our world is suffering from a terminal disease... sin. He has entrusted us as His followers with an assignment to lovingly warn the world about the effects of its sin. But His command goes unfulfilled when we choose to be silent. I, myself, am ashamed to know how many opportunities I have intentionally missed. Thank God for His grace in helping me become a more effective and intentional witness.

It's time we begin to take action on our beliefs.
It's time to cherish each of our days as a gift best lived for God and for others.
It's time to celebrate Easter everyday by telling others how Jesus has changed our lives.
It's time to make hell mad ...and heaven glad!

Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

P.S. General William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army, was quoted as wishing that everyone could dangle over hell for one hour, held only by a single thread, for then we would live differently. Perhaps this powerful video on a man's journey to hell and back will have a similar effect. It's called "23 minutes in Hell"

Returning to the Great Harvest

Once again I'm leaving for the great harvest field of India. My heart is filled with great anticipation for thousands of people to be saved and healed by the power of the one true God, Jesus Christ.

Will you please pray daily for the Oasis team as we travel May 4-18?

Prayer is the best investment you can make. We desperately need prayer to cover us, our families, our health, our protection, and our spirits. Pray that the strong anointing of the Holy Spirit will rest on Darrell Dobbelmann, myself, and the Oasis team as we minister with the people of India.

In this two-week trip, we will...

• Conduct two 5-day open-air Gospel and Healing Festivals
• Facilitate two 3-day Ignite the Fire Training Seminars for Pastors and Christian Leaders
• Dedicate four newly constructed church buildings
• Dedicate 20 fresh-water wells that have been drilled in villages without clean running water
• And interview three more national evangelists, for a total of 30

Would you also pray for the final funding for our national evangelists? One of our goals this year is to have support raised for 30 full-time national evangelists from India. Each evangelist is currently winning an average of 7,500 people per year to the Lord--around $1 a soul. We now have funding for 29-1/2. We only need to raise another $3,750. If God would lead you to be a part of making this happen, please call us at 763-425-9355 or visit oasisworldministries.org/donate.

Thanks for your prayers. For specific prayer requests, visit oasisworldministries.org/prayerrequests.

As we pray for others, God begins to send His favor back to us!

Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org