Well Someone's Gotta Say it....

To the avid followers of Unashamed Apparel and believers all around, peace be unto you! How goes it? It has been some time but you all have consistently been in my thoughts. My prayer is that your faith continuously lies within the promises of our heavenly father. If it be true, I am certain all is well with you and your families. SO, today we are going to dive into another “touchy” subject. BUT FIRST, LET ME WARN YOU, this is going to be a hard pill to swallow for many BUT, it is surely necessary! So, let's get into it.

Recently, a friend hit me up to inform me of an instance that had previously occurred. She is a part of a collegiate liturgical dance and mime group. They were scheduled to minister at a secular talent show in the coming months. Although this particular event was “open” to all types of performers, they were urged not to sign up because it was believed that their display would dampen the liveliness of the event. To many, this may seem completely rational because it is not technically a Christian event. One could even justify the rejection because there are specific times and places for such things. However, to me this is a very scary moment that should not be taken lightly. Paul’s letter to Ephesus tells us that our battle is not carnal, but spiritual. We are not able to see spirits, but we are indeed able to see the effects of spiritual attacks; which is why instances like this CANNOT be taken as a coincidence.  I believe that this exact scenario is becoming the bane of our existence as a body. We have become afraid to talk about JESUS. Plain and simple, cut and dry we just do not proclaim his name anymore! Yes you and I, the body of Christ, the called out ones, saints, ministers,  and pastors alike are NOT proclaiming his name to the “uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It’s important to recognize this as an issue within the body that needs to be addressed! So, here is its recognition. NOT TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE YOU CLAIM TO LOVE, FOLLOW, AND WORSHIP IS AN ISSUE. Ok, now that we have addressed the problem we have to ask why it is even a problem at all.

Think about it, we have received ETERNAL LIFE simply through confessing with our mouths and believing in our hearts! No, not through “good” works, not through our sacrifices, nor monetary donations, but through simply answering the call of the Lord. That aspect alone is surely MORE than enough! No, you say? Have you ever really considered what eternity actually means? Generally speaking, I believe that people (believers and nonbelievers) disregard the true meaning of the word. In short, once you pass from this life, there is another to be lived and there are two destinations in which you may possibly end up. If you accept him, he will accept you. If you reject him, he will reject you and your new life will be spent in hell forever. The bible is clear, the gospel according to John tells us Jesus’ sole purpose was to save us (John 3:16)! His life is the sacrifice for OUR SIN, so that we would be able to live eternally in heaven where there is no sickness, sorrow, hurt or pain. I mean what more do you really need? After all, Jesus Christ is the reason in which we came to follow him and call ourselves Christian’s right? Or did we just get “grandfathered” into the faith and came to Christ with unrealistic expectations? I think this is where a large portion of the problem lies. Many people come to him expecting their lives to magically transform into one with no more struggle; without any change of behavior or decision making. Some expect to attain massive amounts of wealth without even having a legit means of income. Many “Christians” make Christ convenient for their situation. We ALL know the ones who only speak about Jesus when they receive a “blessing”, but that is that a true display of the life of a believer? NEWS FLASH: God blesses the SINNER as well as the SAINT. There are plenty of people who serve other gods, proclaim other names, AND openly deny God; with “nice” things. So where is the separation? God can and will give you nice things, if you put him first. However, that seems to have become the sole purpose of many believers conversion to Christ, to simply attain “nice’ things and brag on social media about them. What happened to simply being thankful for waking up and having the activity of your limbs? You know those things we often take for granted. If you’ve ever been in church for more than 5 minutes you’ve heard the worship leader say “Come on y’all, this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalms 118:24).  Did you know that was actually scripture? It is so commonly used it almost loses its substance among believers. One day the Holy Spirit crept up on me in the shower, concerning this scripture. He said “For You!” For a second I was stuck, but then I thought about it. “For You” meaning this day I made just “For You” so rejoice because someone’s day was not made! Somebody’s purpose ran out last night and I’ve extended yours another day! So you need to rejoice because I have made this day FOR YOU!  (I’m almost done please keep rocking with me.)

Truthfully, everything is really nothing to God EXCEPT your soul’s eternity. God’s desire is that no man should perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Our belief in him should not be based on what he CAN do for us, but what he has ALREADY done for us! As believers it is our job to proclaim his name so that we can win souls for Christ. Believers and nonbelievers share common struggles but we always win because we have accepted Christ.

Y’all remember the 12 right? Yeah Jesus’ homie’s! Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot. These were the very FIRST followers of Christ Jesus our Lord. They literally walked and talked with him on this earth. These men were also eyewitnesses of the miracles he performed. It is safe to say they were indeed fortunate to have had those experiences. That scripture I mentioned earlier (Acts 1:8) was the “commissioning” and final words from Jesus to them just before he ascended. They were instructed to go out and proclaim his name throughout the entire earth. I mean, how hard could it be? They did literally walk with Jesus so it’s not like they couldn't validate what he did (although many of his miracles were done in public so there would be no need for validation), or validate who he said he was because Jesus ALWAYS proved himself. The bible proves itself to be true when it says “what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc.1:9) Those same men struggled with the exact issue that is plaguing the modern day church; some instances even occurred while Jesus was still on earth!

I want to make this perfectly clear, just like the disciples I HAVE DROPPED THE BALL SEVERAL TIMES. If you watched the video then you heard about the lady in Florida this past summer, who I had the opportunity to pour into and did not. Humans are imperfect beings, the bible declares that we “all fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23); BUT those instances in which we drop the ball simply CANNOT supersede the instances in which we proclaim the name of the Lord. Pastor Delores Ford Edwards, preached a message at my church a few months back during our Pastor's anniversary entitled “Don’t forget to remember”. Her message was centered around how the children of Israel forgot who delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh. Those same people even BUILT A MEMORIAL and as soon as a test came they turned to idols and forgot about God. Idolizing seems to be the easiest way to stir the anger of the Lord. The point is we cannot forget who he is and what his purpose for coming to earth was. That is why we should follow him. He died for us, so we should live for him!

 

PRACTICAL PROPOSAL

 

If the word of the lord is not practical then it serves no purpose. He gives us the word for confirmation and comfort! Here is my practical proposal for the issue.

 

  1. Be Bold & Never Fear; There’s no rain on the forecast- Did you know the God that delivered the Israelites from Egypt is the same one who saved your soul? Did you know that he is sovereign and is still on the throne? The forecast may show a sunny day, but God has the power to bring forth the rain. Christ was killed because of who he was. You follow him so you will be persecuted as well (Matt. 10:22). Did you know ALL of Jesus’ disciples were martyred? If they can endure, so can we! Know that God will also prove himself in one way or another. I’m reminded of one of my favorite stories (1 Kings: 18). If you want to talk about being bold, check out my guy Elijah! When the persecution, ridicule, and mocking comes about; know you’re doing something right and give glory to God! For comfort read Psalms 23!
  1. Join an outreach ministry- Talking about him in church is not enough so we need more opportunities to talk about him. Jesus’ commission to the disciples said “and to the uttermost parts of the earth” that tell us that Jesus is for everybody ALTHOUGH many will not accept him it is still our duty to proclaim his name. Please understand that talking about God does not necessarily mean preaching, once you accept Jesus he gives you the Holy Ghost which will guide in how you should go about proclaiming in whatever situation you’re in. We have to get outside the church walls! If you’re in Baltimore, MD or surrounding area my church Faith Center Baltimore would love to have you. Stop by on Sundays at 10 am. 1410 Bush St. Baltimore, MD 21230.
  1. Trust in his promise- It’s simple, God is who he says he is and he does what he said he would do, never doubt it! A great example of God’s promise is the story of Abram! You can find that in the very first book of the bible, go check it out! 

Did you know that we have an intercessory team here at Unashamed Apparel? Well, now you know! All of your prayer requests are sent to them! Can I tell you that they really are about that prayer life? Like, they are “BOUT IT BOUT IT”! So let it be known, we care and want to see the Lord’s will fulfilled in your life! Do NOT hesitate to send us your requests for prayer at Unashamedappare00@gmail.com.

 Family, my prayer is that this message has touched your heart and intrigued your thoughts in some way. If so, let me know, I’d love to hear from you! If I can do it, than you can too! Remember to love today, tomorrow, and the next like Jesus did; unconditionally.

 

Be sure to like, rate, comment and subscribe to the YouTube channel!  There will be many more episodes and blogs to come! Also, go and visit UnashamedApparel.com to grab any of our items, I guarantee you’ll see something you like. In fact, just go ahead and take 15% of your total order! Use promo code “Unashamed” for the entire month of December!

 

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ALL PRAISE GLORY & HONOR TO THE ONE WHO SAVED MY LIFE!

 

All the best,

Jordan J. Green-Ellis