Why We Give Away....

In Matthew 10:8 Jesus told his disciples, " Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye received, freely give." In the context of Matthew's gospel, these were affirming miracles demonstrating to Israel that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. But the theme of freely giving out what God has given us applies for a disciple of Jesus today. 

I have been given the gift of eternal life because of what Jesus Christ has done for me 2000 years ago on Calvary's cross. Although the religion of my youth taught me I had to work for eternal life - to earn it - the Bible teaches quite the opposite.

Ephesians 2:8-11 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." By the grace of God, Jesus paid the penalty of sin for all men. God made a way of escape through trusting in the finished work of his son, and I said yes to that nearly 28 years ago. I received that gift, and now I live to give it away to everyone around me. That's why we give away:

• Bibles, so others can read about this fantastic gift God wants to give to them.
• Gospel books, tracts, and DVDs, for the same reason.
• Halloween bags of candy with gospel tracts, using this holiday that so often celebrates darkness to point people to the Light of the World. 
• Hot chocolate & Christmas candy cane cards with the real meaning of Christmas attached.
• Our time, helping people around us with real-life problems, so they experience the goodness & kindness of God.
• Our money, to bless people around us & show the love of God to them.
• Finances for missionaries & ministries, so they can take the gift of eternal life all over the world.
• Time on the streets, reaching out with this gift to our neighbors & fellow human beings.
• Time on our knees, praying for the needs of our brothers & sisters in Christ, and for those who don't know Him (yet!).

So yeah, God gave me what I needed, not what I deserve, and tells me to go give it away. And this isn't something new, it is the history of the followers of Jesus since he spoke those words above to his disciples. If you found this website, I hope you received something like this from us. Most of all that you too would receive freely the life eternal God wants for you...it's still available, and still free.

Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."