"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
We found that the first mutual need every human has is the need for love. We must both give it and receive it. God lovingly set the benchmark at the cross.
The second common need we all share is the need to be needed. We crave to belong. Jesus invited us to be part of His family... those who are forgiven.
The third greatest need we all have is this: THE NEED TO BE ACCEPTED
I grew up in a Christian home having the loving acceptance of my mom and dad. With them I didn't have to prove anything. I knew I was accepted, so I was at rest. As a result, I have a lot of self-confidence and worth.
Some of us have a black cloud following us wherever we go. Someone important hurt or rejected us years ago, and we allow that memory to stay alive and well. We beat ourselves up for our failures, thinking no one else fails like I do. Some of the world's most successful people are also the most insecure. We can work ourselves silly trying to prove ourselves to people who really don't care about us.
But God said something absolutely amazing, "Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." He also said, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."
He is only waiting for us to call upon Him. He will accept us no matter how bad we've sinned. His grace is enough. His mercies are new every morning. God will never reject us when we humble our hearts before Him.
So why do we look to the world for its acceptance, when we already have acceptance from the King? We are accepted. Congratulations!
Now that we know that God has met our three most common needs to be loved, to belong and to be accepted, why not share this great news with someone who is still searching.
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The need to be needed
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Last week, we found that the first mutual need every human has is the need for love. We must both give it and receive it. God lovingly set the benchmark at the cross.
The second common need that we all share is this: the need to be needed.
All of our life is spent with a desire to belong. From trying out for 'the team' in Little League baseball, to applying for our first job, to helping our children 'grow up,' to leaving a legacy that has eternal value. Our need to be needed is intrinsic.
We all want our lives to have significance and purpose. For this Jesus died. He came to give us 'life, and life more abundantly' than the world alone can offer. He came to fulfill our destiny.
God so loved this fallen, broken world, that He NEEDED to do something.
And He did.
Now He needs us to be His voice in our families, and in our world. He needs us NOW. 'Today is the day of salvation.'
People don't need more dead religion. But they DO need hope. Our world is teetering like a drunken sailor. We weave back and forth, hoping against hope that the stock market will recover, that our kids will be loving, that our marriage will make it, that God will hold us.
Because God is love, He HAD TO HELP US. To ignore our plight would not be consistent with His character.
You and I can point people to the only one that can fulfill their need to be needed. God Himself invites us to belong to His family. He picked us for His team. How exciting is that!
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
P.S. Next week I'll conclude this three part series and share the third common need.
Last week, we found that the first mutual need every human has is the need for love. We must both give it and receive it. God lovingly set the benchmark at the cross.
The second common need that we all share is this: the need to be needed.
All of our life is spent with a desire to belong. From trying out for 'the team' in Little League baseball, to applying for our first job, to helping our children 'grow up,' to leaving a legacy that has eternal value. Our need to be needed is intrinsic.
We all want our lives to have significance and purpose. For this Jesus died. He came to give us 'life, and life more abundantly' than the world alone can offer. He came to fulfill our destiny.
God so loved this fallen, broken world, that He NEEDED to do something.
And He did.
Now He needs us to be His voice in our families, and in our world. He needs us NOW. 'Today is the day of salvation.'
People don't need more dead religion. But they DO need hope. Our world is teetering like a drunken sailor. We weave back and forth, hoping against hope that the stock market will recover, that our kids will be loving, that our marriage will make it, that God will hold us.
Because God is love, He HAD TO HELP US. To ignore our plight would not be consistent with His character.
You and I can point people to the only one that can fulfill their need to be needed. God Himself invites us to belong to His family. He picked us for His team. How exciting is that!
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
P.S. Next week I'll conclude this three part series and share the third common need.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Help bring "living water" and the gospel to Haiti
Our hearts are heavy as we see the effects of this horrible and tragic earthquake in Haiti. A week before the earthquake, I had purchased my ticket to visit Haiti from January 23-27 to scope out the possibility of drilling fresh-water wells and holding large gospel crusades in unreached areas of this island.
Now, the need has obviously aggravated tremendously. As I go to Haiti in the coming weeks, will you pray that God will lead me to the right places and connect me with the right people, so we can be a blessing to this country both physically and spiritually?
As tragic as this is, we are praying that God will use this as a catalyst to turn many Haitians away from voodoo and other ungodliness and draw them to the mercy of Jesus!
I hope we can help drill many fresh-water wells and conduct a gospel crusade where thousands will turn from their sin and confess Jesus as their Lord.
Thank you for your prayers.
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
P.S. If you would like to help bring "living water" and the gospel to the people of Haiti, please enter a donation of your choice. Donate>
Monday, January 11, 2010
The need to be loved
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Now that it's a new year, let's explore three common needs that every human being has no matter what race, culture, socio-economic class, education or religion. We all are in the same boat.
Here's the first of the three common needs: the need to be loved.
The majority of today's songs are about love: the desire to give it and the need to receive it. I grew up on the Diana Ross song, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love." In the 70's it was the hippie’s mantra, 'make love, not war.' In Christian circles we have heard of the 'hole in our heart that only God can fill.' It's true that no husband or wife can completely fulfill us. No career or amount of money can satisfy us completely.
But God is not just something we add to our lives. He IS our lives. Without His love, nothing works right. We are hard-wired to depend on His love completely. Without it, our canoe is going upstream without a paddle. There is no hope.
But "God SO LOVED THE WORLD."
Love isn't just a cute song or catchy phrase. Love always costs big-time. Few are willing to make the commitment to a love that is 'unconditional.' That's why God's love is so attractive, it's perfect. LOVE DEMANDS SACRIFICE and God demonstrated it for us.
Now Jesus invites us to return His love by loving Him, and also loving what He loves--other people! It's easy to love people that are kind and easy going. But the test of our love comes when it costs us. Dying to our expectations is painful, but necessary. That's what makes it unconditional.
So let's thankfully receive His lavish love for us.
And let's freely offer His love to people that irritate us, ignore us, or irk us.
Jesus did... and still does!
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
Now that it's a new year, let's explore three common needs that every human being has no matter what race, culture, socio-economic class, education or religion. We all are in the same boat.
Here's the first of the three common needs: the need to be loved.
The majority of today's songs are about love: the desire to give it and the need to receive it. I grew up on the Diana Ross song, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love." In the 70's it was the hippie’s mantra, 'make love, not war.' In Christian circles we have heard of the 'hole in our heart that only God can fill.' It's true that no husband or wife can completely fulfill us. No career or amount of money can satisfy us completely.
But God is not just something we add to our lives. He IS our lives. Without His love, nothing works right. We are hard-wired to depend on His love completely. Without it, our canoe is going upstream without a paddle. There is no hope.
But "God SO LOVED THE WORLD."
Love isn't just a cute song or catchy phrase. Love always costs big-time. Few are willing to make the commitment to a love that is 'unconditional.' That's why God's love is so attractive, it's perfect. LOVE DEMANDS SACRIFICE and God demonstrated it for us.
Now Jesus invites us to return His love by loving Him, and also loving what He loves--other people! It's easy to love people that are kind and easy going. But the test of our love comes when it costs us. Dying to our expectations is painful, but necessary. That's what makes it unconditional.
So let's thankfully receive His lavish love for us.
And let's freely offer His love to people that irritate us, ignore us, or irk us.
Jesus did... and still does!
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sweet and Sour Evangelism
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?" (Matthew 5:13a).
Sweet and sour chicken. Sweet and sour gumballs. Why do people eat things that are sweet and sour? Amazingly, they taste good. Why do people do crazy things like bungee jumping? I think it's because people like the thrill combined with the risk.
Likewise, I am convinced that sharing my faith takes the boredom out of Christianity! It's both risky and thrilling at the same time, and it also counts for eternity.
On Saturdays, I often partner with churches to train people how to share their testimony using a powerful new tool called, "One-Minute Witness."
After the initial training and a time practicing, we travel to a local gas station, knock 25-cents off per gallon of gas, and in no time at all, we have lines at every pump. This provides us with a one-minute opportunity to share our faith. It's what I call a Gas Buy-Down Event.
The first 15 minutes is kind of "sour." It's all risk at this point: we're scared stiff, we stutter, our palms are clammy, and we wonder just how we got roped into doing this. Yet, there is a little thrill in sight when something wonderful happens...
Around the fourth customer, we get our legs and some confidence, and we actually begin to enjoy the "sweet" part of this. The butterflies leave and a holy thrill takes over. We feel a sense of accomplishment when we share our testimony without stuttering and gas customers actually thank us. It's sort of like learning how to ride a bike for the first time. Victory sets in and another fear has been defeated.
When my desire to see others hear about Christ becomes greater than my fear of sharing my faith, then I am motivated to act. The fear is still there, but now I know what to say, and I can confidently enjoy both the "sweet and sour" parts of sharing my faith.
Tired of dried up religion? Learn to share your faith. It will add new spice to your life... God guarantees it.
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
Sweet and sour chicken. Sweet and sour gumballs. Why do people eat things that are sweet and sour? Amazingly, they taste good. Why do people do crazy things like bungee jumping? I think it's because people like the thrill combined with the risk.
Likewise, I am convinced that sharing my faith takes the boredom out of Christianity! It's both risky and thrilling at the same time, and it also counts for eternity.
On Saturdays, I often partner with churches to train people how to share their testimony using a powerful new tool called, "One-Minute Witness."
After the initial training and a time practicing, we travel to a local gas station, knock 25-cents off per gallon of gas, and in no time at all, we have lines at every pump. This provides us with a one-minute opportunity to share our faith. It's what I call a Gas Buy-Down Event.
The first 15 minutes is kind of "sour." It's all risk at this point: we're scared stiff, we stutter, our palms are clammy, and we wonder just how we got roped into doing this. Yet, there is a little thrill in sight when something wonderful happens...
Around the fourth customer, we get our legs and some confidence, and we actually begin to enjoy the "sweet" part of this. The butterflies leave and a holy thrill takes over. We feel a sense of accomplishment when we share our testimony without stuttering and gas customers actually thank us. It's sort of like learning how to ride a bike for the first time. Victory sets in and another fear has been defeated.
When my desire to see others hear about Christ becomes greater than my fear of sharing my faith, then I am motivated to act. The fear is still there, but now I know what to say, and I can confidently enjoy both the "sweet and sour" parts of sharing my faith.
Tired of dried up religion? Learn to share your faith. It will add new spice to your life... God guarantees it.
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
11,840 decisions for Christ at the Nagaland Festival
We just returned from our largest open-air Gospel & Healing Festival in our 14-year history! Over 11,840 decision cards were signed, mostly being young adults, as they streamed to the stadium stage. It was five glorious meetings in the mountains of Kohima, Nagaland, India.
Nearly 100 churches came together in unity to support this great move of God in their city. Local press covered the festival daily. Eleven choirs beautifully sang the high praises of God during the five services. The crowd of tens of thousands sat quietly and intently listened to God's Word being preached, then they flooded the altar area beyond capacity to receive Christ.
During the first three days, it rained hard until the festival began, and then the rain suddenly stopped. One night clouds settled in so thick that I could only see the first few rows of people as I preached. For 20 minutes, the clouds blocked our vision of each other, but not of God. When the clouds lifted, the people were still there, hinged to every word!
At the end of each service, we prayed for the sick, and saw many testify to God's healing each night. The blind, the deaf, and those whose bodies were racked with pain, were now heal by the power of Jesus!
We also spent a week in Hyderabad meeting with the 19 Oasis Indian national evangelists and their wives for a time of training and encouragement. Each weekend, evangelists travel to remote villages and conduct three-day festivals. During our stay in India, we took part at some of these mini-festivals. While I was at one of them the electricity went out, and I was amazed that our national evangelist kept on preaching in the darkness. He never lost his cadence and people continued to listen. After 10 minutes, the power resumed, and the people were still intently listening.
Photos of the Oasis September trip to India>
Please pray for our national evangelists. Each one averages around 7,000 or more decisions for Christ each year. We have 19 national evangelists on staff, but only 15 are funded. For $7,200/year, you can support a full-time evangelist's salary, their festival expenses each weekend, and the purchase of lighting and a PA system. With thousands coming to know Christ through their work, this is a great bargain--that's around $1 per decision for Christ.
My vision is to add 10 more national evangelists next year, so this is a huge step of faith for Oasis World Ministries. If God would direct you to become involved, please respond as He leads.
Thank you for your prayers and support that help make this possible. Together, we are making an eternal difference!
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
Nearly 100 churches came together in unity to support this great move of God in their city. Local press covered the festival daily. Eleven choirs beautifully sang the high praises of God during the five services. The crowd of tens of thousands sat quietly and intently listened to God's Word being preached, then they flooded the altar area beyond capacity to receive Christ.
During the first three days, it rained hard until the festival began, and then the rain suddenly stopped. One night clouds settled in so thick that I could only see the first few rows of people as I preached. For 20 minutes, the clouds blocked our vision of each other, but not of God. When the clouds lifted, the people were still there, hinged to every word!
At the end of each service, we prayed for the sick, and saw many testify to God's healing each night. The blind, the deaf, and those whose bodies were racked with pain, were now heal by the power of Jesus!
We also spent a week in Hyderabad meeting with the 19 Oasis Indian national evangelists and their wives for a time of training and encouragement. Each weekend, evangelists travel to remote villages and conduct three-day festivals. During our stay in India, we took part at some of these mini-festivals. While I was at one of them the electricity went out, and I was amazed that our national evangelist kept on preaching in the darkness. He never lost his cadence and people continued to listen. After 10 minutes, the power resumed, and the people were still intently listening.
Photos of the Oasis September trip to India>
Please pray for our national evangelists. Each one averages around 7,000 or more decisions for Christ each year. We have 19 national evangelists on staff, but only 15 are funded. For $7,200/year, you can support a full-time evangelist's salary, their festival expenses each weekend, and the purchase of lighting and a PA system. With thousands coming to know Christ through their work, this is a great bargain--that's around $1 per decision for Christ.
My vision is to add 10 more national evangelists next year, so this is a huge step of faith for Oasis World Ministries. If God would direct you to become involved, please respond as He leads.
Thank you for your prayers and support that help make this possible. Together, we are making an eternal difference!
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tough talk for my flesh
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).
I've had enough!
Enough of my lame excuses for why I don't share my faith. Enough of the weak and tired reasons I give to the Holy Spirit, as to think I could talk Him out of His passionate pursuit of a searching soul.
"Come on Tom, step it up... be real with God. After all, He sees past these flimsy arguments every time. Who are you really fooling?"
I (well, actually my flesh) can be pretty convincing. Listen to these six excuses...
1. It's not the right time now... maybe later. So when IS the right time?
"Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).
2. I'm afraid. What if I'm rejected? And your point? Are you the first to be rejected?
"If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you" (1 Peter 4:14).
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 5:18).
3. I don't know what to say. Of course you don't. But He does.
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).
4. I'm not prayed up enough. And when will that time come? "Be ready in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2).
5. I don't really feel like it. I can't be on top of my game everyday. Says who? Love pushes past feelings. Do I always feel like going to work?
"For the love of Christ compels us..." (2 Corinthians 6:14).
6. There's plenty of time... I'll get around to it. Maybe for me there is, but what if they're running out of time?
"Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." (2 Corinthians 6:11).
My flesh needs some tough talk now and then. It's OK... I'll live. And actually I will be much happier when the Spirit is ruling me instead of my flesh.
Thanks for Your patience, Lord.... keep up the good work.
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
I've had enough!
Enough of my lame excuses for why I don't share my faith. Enough of the weak and tired reasons I give to the Holy Spirit, as to think I could talk Him out of His passionate pursuit of a searching soul.
"Come on Tom, step it up... be real with God. After all, He sees past these flimsy arguments every time. Who are you really fooling?"
I (well, actually my flesh) can be pretty convincing. Listen to these six excuses...
1. It's not the right time now... maybe later. So when IS the right time?
"Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).
2. I'm afraid. What if I'm rejected? And your point? Are you the first to be rejected?
"If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you" (1 Peter 4:14).
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 5:18).
3. I don't know what to say. Of course you don't. But He does.
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).
4. I'm not prayed up enough. And when will that time come? "Be ready in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2).
5. I don't really feel like it. I can't be on top of my game everyday. Says who? Love pushes past feelings. Do I always feel like going to work?
"For the love of Christ compels us..." (2 Corinthians 6:14).
6. There's plenty of time... I'll get around to it. Maybe for me there is, but what if they're running out of time?
"Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." (2 Corinthians 6:11).
My flesh needs some tough talk now and then. It's OK... I'll live. And actually I will be much happier when the Spirit is ruling me instead of my flesh.
Thanks for Your patience, Lord.... keep up the good work.
Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org
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