Written by: Scott Evans

Paul is writing this letter to Timothy and is quick to remind us of his past calling himself the “Chief of sinners.”  You may remember that Paul persecuted Christians and did so with great enthusiasm!  However, Paul is also quick to claim God’s mercy.  Paul’s conversion shows unquestionably that God is a merciful God, His grace can reach anyone and only God can transform a heart.

Have you ever felt like the “Chief of sinners”? I find it interesting that Paul does not say he was the chief of sinners but that he is the chief of sinners.  I have, at times in my life, felt like the chief of sinners.  I have done numerous things in life that I wish I could forget about.  However, like Paul, I too have received mercy, grace and forgiveness from a loving, compassionate God and I continue to receive it every single day.

Jesus saves sinners and I, as a sinner, am very glad He does!  As Charles Stanley puts it; “The apostle received God’s complete forgiveness — and so can you.”  Jesus Christ is in the business of changing hearts but it is a work in progress.  I have never been able to figure out why Christians hesitate to talk about or admit to sinning.  No one on this earth is perfect.  We all sin and need Christ’s forgiveness on a regular basis.  I am for certain not what I should be but, Praise God, I’m not what I was!

Please join all of us here at Final Harvest in praying for those injured and the families of those who tragically lost their lives in the senseless shootings in Parkland, FL.  We do not begin to have the answers to the questions of why but we know that, even in the face of tragedy, we serve a God who we love, even in those moments that we don’t understand.

Hello!  This is Scott Evans and I am the manager of the Final Harvest Blog.  I also am a writer for a Christian Magazine and I wanted to share an upcoming article I wrote on the blog today.  I hope you are encouraged by it.  Here it is

Have you ever had a mentor?  You may ask; what is a mentor? Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, who has been defining words since 1828, defines mentor this way; “to teach or give advice or guidance to someone.”

Throughout my life I have enjoyed the mentoring of many people.  As I was building my career in business, I looked to many trusted people who “took me under their wing” and showed me the “ropes” of the business world.  They were mentors for sure.  After I gained some experience of my own, I became a mentor to young men and women just beginning their own careers in business.

However, today I am talking about spiritual mentors.  These are some of the most important people you will find on this earth!  They are Christians who take an interest in your spiritual well-being.  They invest their time, impart their knowledge and wisdom and encourage you to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.  Along with my first spiritual mentors, my parents, I have been extremely fortunate to have three key spiritual mentors that impacted my life tremendously.  The first was when I was a child.  My Sunday School teacher was an incredibly wise and understanding older lady who loved kids and taught me all of those wonderful Bible Stories.  She made them come alive and kept me interested in learning more about those great stories and the people who were the central characters of them.  The second mentor in my life was an older gentleman, who was a deacon in my church, that I got to know when I was a senior in high school.  Again, he took an interest in me and in my spiritual growth.  The most influential spiritual mentor that I had was a man that attended my church when I lived in Pennsylvania.  He was also an older man who had been a missionary to Africa and truly loved the Lord and the Bible.  He and his wife were retired and lived only a short distance from me.  We spent hours talking over coffee, eating lunches, going on walks, participating in Bible Studies, etc.  We shared a loved of Christ and Southern Gospel Music.  He always offered Godly counsel and often did it without me even realizing he was doing so.  He truly impacted my life in ways that he will never know.

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This quote (and I unfortunately do not know who to credit it to) says so much in so few words.  What happens inside of the church building each Sunday will seldom change the world.  Each individual Christian is charged with telling others about the life-saving and life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

As Final Harvest, we love to go out and minister anywhere that the Lord opens the doors for us.  However, we realize that our ministry extends far beyond our concerts.  For each of us individually, it is in the people we deal with in business.  It is with the people we encounter in restaurants.  It is with our family and our friends.  It is with the stranger that we pass on the street. We strive to show Christ in all we do.

YOUR ministry is the same.  You may have a ministry within your church, you may teach a Sunday School Class, sing in a choir or on a worship team or serve in a leadership position within the church and ALL of those things are great!  BUT, your ministry also extends to your co-workers, your neighbors, your community, your family, those you do business with and those who you encounter, even for a moment, in everyday life.  You too should strive to show Christ in all you do.

Please allow us to encourage you today to share the LOVE of CHRIST at every opportunity, not only through the words you speak but also through the actions that you do.  Reflect HIM in all you do and allow CHRIST to shine through you today!

We love the picture that this song paints in our mind.  One of the greatest lyrics ever written and no one ever expressed it better in song than the Original Talleys with Kirk, Roger and Debra.  The picture of what Jesus did on the Cross for us can only result in worshipping the great I Am and simply saying in our own hearts, “Hallelujah, Praise The Lamb.”

We’ve all been there!  That perfect situation that we are convinced is right for us, that never comes to pass.  Perhaps it is that perfect person that you are certain you are destined to spend the rest of your life with that doesn’t feel the same way about you.  Perhaps, it is that job or promotion that you know in your heart is right for you, but it goes to someone else.  Perhaps the business deal or loan that is exactly what you need, falls though.  Perhaps everything is going great, then you get a surprise diagnosis from the doctor that changes everything.

Surprises happen!  Life is full of them!  Something they are pretty hard to take.  In fact, sometimes they stink!  Sometimes we can only shake our head and say, “why God?  Why would you not give me something that is so perfectly suited for me?”  Oh Lord, forgive me when I whine!

The words above are the lyrics to a song written by Zane King and Charles Isbell several years ago but oh, what a reminder and message and what a tremendous song!  We see things in the here and now!  God sees things from beginning to end.  God has a will and a plan for each of our lives and God’s will is perfect!  What may seem a perfect scenario to us, may in fact, not be a part of His Master Plan.  Following our plan can often interfere and get in the way of God’s will.

May this be our prayer for God to keep us in His will so we don’t get in His way!  We may never understand the reasons why on this earth but we can rest assured that God is in full control, He knows what He is doing and He is working out His Master Plan in our lives in everything He allows, or doesn’t allow!  We serve a loving Savior who we can ALWAYS depend on to do what is best for us!  Praise God!

We shared this song on our Facebook Live video yesterday (you can view the video below and hear the song).  This verse holds a tremendous truth as it rejoices in the fact that when our Savior and Lord was nailed to the Cross, our sin was nailed to that Cross right along with Him.  Not just part of our sin but all of our sin; past, present and future was nailed to the Cross and Jesus Christ died that day on the Cross for every sin and every sinner in what was the greatest act of LOVE of all time.  A sinless Savior dying to make a way for each and every person and sinner to be saved!

Not only does Jesus Christ forgive us of our sins, but He also forgets the sin once we have confessed it to Him!  Psalm 103: 12 states: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” and Hebrews 8:12 goes on to say: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”

What a merciful and loving Savior we serve!  He not only forgives our sin and saves our soul but He forgets the sin and never remembers it again!  The best news?  God is still in the business of forgiving sins!!!  If you have never given your heart to Christ and have never asked for forgiveness of your sins, you can do that today, right where you are.  Just bow your head, admit, from your heart, that you are a sinner and need God and ask Him to forgive you and come into your heart and life.  God will forgive you and save you right there in that moment and you too can sing along with us as we sing “my sin, not in part but the whole.  Is nailed to the Cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!”

We love this Bible verse and the message!  The Lord’s purpose will ALWAYS prevail!