Which Way, God???

Around 27 years ago I found myself at a major life crossroads. This humongous decision had to be made soon…is it the will of God for me to go to Seminary after graduating from college, or not? It may be different circumstances, but I know that you too have made difficult life direction choices. So, you can relate to this crossroads I was at.

In the USA, when a man is called to preach, it is pretty much a no-brainer that he goes to Seminary, especially given the particular denomination I started ministry in. So, I set my plan, which was a good and Biblical plan, that when I graduated from college I would go to Seminary. I even had a school picked out. This was in the fall of 1990. About 2 years later, in the summer before my last semester of college, “something” began to “whisper” to me on my insides. In strange ways I began to sense God revealing to me that it was NOT His will for me to attend Seminary. For weeks I deflected this as satan messing with me, or that it was my flesh, or that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. This whisper then began to evolve into a “direct force” that began to annoy me. Again, I deflected it. Over the next few weeks this direct force began to evolve into a “pressure” that “felt” like “something” was “squeezing” me from my insides. I began to be miserable, and the thought of moving forward in my plan to attend Seminary began to “feel” like it was the last thing in the world I was supposed to do. Again, I deflected all of this and fought it. This “squeezing” was now keeping me up at night, and stressing me out, and interrupting my appetite. Then, it finally hit me, “Could this ACTUALLY be God Himself speaking to me and saying to me it was NOT His will for me to go to Seminary?”   

To make this story more condensed, I will say the summer when all of this took place (1992) was not a pleasant summer at all! After several weeks of prayer, fasting, and falling on my face before God, I knew, that I knew, that I knew, that God had revealed His will to me…I was to leave school, not go to Seminary, and enter full-time evangelism. My mentors, and friends, and my mom, were very concerned about this decision (and rightfully so), but at this point all they could do was pray for me and wish me the best.

Well…if you are expecting me to say that after I made this decision final and public that huge doors opened for my evangelistic ministry, and that I never had doubts about this decision again, you would be incorrect. After this decision I still had doubts, and satan conducted target practice on me for the next couple of years about this decision. However, as the days and the weeks and the months and the years went by, and I followed Jesus one day at a time, it became clear not just to me, but to everyone else, that it actually was God who spoke to me back then. Now, 27 years later, without a doubt, it was the right decision for me personally! Today, as I write, I am 100% confident I heard from God way back then and that I obeyed Him and made the right choice!

Now, by sharing this story, I am in no way saying to anyone, “Don’t go to Seminary!” Actually what I am saying, and what I have suggested to dozens of young preachers over the years, is to plan on attending Seminary or a Bible School and if God doesn’t want you to go, He will make it clear…perhaps even “painfully” clear. I encourage every person to get as much education as the Lord reveals they are to get…plan to go, and let God open or close the door!

We all encounter important crossroads in our walk with Jesus Christ that require hard decisions. The following are some practical Biblical principles I have learned (and am still learning) that we can use when making decisions about God’s will for our lives:

• Intimate Direction: a former mentor once told me, “God is more concerned with us as human beings than as human doings.” God’s will and direction for us is revealed as a byproduct of our “being” in an intimate love relationship with Jesus Christ. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best…” (Philippians 1:9-10).

• Mysterious Call: It may be vague at first, and somewhat “quiet” and intangible, but it is not uncommon for God to be a bit mysterious when He first begins to “call” us to serve Him. Now, by “call” I am not necessarily referring to a preacher or vocational ministry, but rather to every Christian. Each of us has an area of service, and how are we to know where and when God wants us to serve Him if He doesn’t somehow tell us or “call” us. “For it is God who works [calls] in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).

• Desires: The Lord uses our desires to guide us. Now, not every “desire” we have equates with the will of God. We need to lay our desires at the cross, and if our desires are not aligned with God’s will, He will adjust our desires, if we let Him. God can use our desires as motivation to do His will. What do you desire to do for the Lord that will bring glory to Him, and will impact others for Christ, and will bring satisfaction to you? “I will run in the way of your commandments, when you enlarge my heart [desires]” (Psalm 119:32). 

• Gift Match: Each Christian has at least one spiritual gift. Many Christians have several gifts mixed together, and one or more of these gifts will be the dominant gifts, supplemented by the others. What are your spiritual gifts? If you don’t know, I suggest you take a spiritual gifts test, which you should be able to locate through your church. Your spiritual gifts will fit and match with numbers 2 & 3 above…your call to ministry service and your desires will fit with your spiritual gifts. “He…gave gifts to men [Christians]” (Ephesians 4:8).

• Confirmation: In various ways, God will surely confirm what He wants us to do and where He wants us to go. Through the Bible, and through trusted Christian friends, and through preachers, and through circumstances, and through unlimited ways (even through a donkey), God is able to speak to us and to confirm to us the direction He wants us to go in, and what He wants us to do. “Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam…” (Numbers 22:28). 

• Open Door: By open door I am not saying we should just to sit back, and wait, and expect God to open a door right in front of us. Sometimes, a door opens after we take the initiative to “knock” and pursue and explore. And, yes, God most definitely can open doors and “throw” opportunities right in front of us. It can be a combination of both. “What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open” (Isaiah 22:22b). “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

• Faith: At some point we have to step out in faith! It may be a logical step, or an illogical step, but ultimately faith is an absolute must! God has done His part by speaking to us and revealing His will to us. Now it is time for us to do our part and act…take the next step of faith! “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).

Seeking Him, His will, & His direction,

Scott Nute

Off to El Salvador, February 15-20

For the second time in our ministry, we have the privilege of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in the nation of El Salvador! Please join us in prayer for many lives to turn to Christ, and for the local churches to be strengthened and better equipped for ministry through our training system.

February 15^th-20^th our team will conduct Community Crusades in 3 regions of El Salvador! Our Latin Coordinator, Pastor Guillermo Grande (top right) has worked with the involved churches for several months preparing them in how to share their Christian faith, and how to bring their non-Christian and unchurched family and friends to these special events to hear the Gospel!

In connection to these events we have the opportunity to present the claims of Christ in several public schools! After encouraging the students to avoid harmful choices such as drugs and alcohol, we will share how Jesus is the only way for them to experience a fulfilling life! Then we’ll invite all the students, and the school faculty, to attend the outreach events and bring their families and friends.

Joining me on this project is bilingual Pastor Mike McGuire from Hobbs, NM! Mike will be speaking and sharing his testimony in both the crusades and the schools, and he will be interpreting for me in all of the events. Pray for God to use Pastor Mike in a mighty way!

Last year, through the first project we did in El Salvador, we conducted a stadium crusade with over 7,000 people attending (top left photo)…and 240 individuals came to Christ (like the people in the photos to the right)! God willing, we hope and pray to see many more lives transformed in El Salvador through these upcoming crusades and school programs. Your prayers would be appreciated!

For every $15.65 that is contributed to our ministry, we see ONE PERSON make a public commitment to Jesus Christ! If you would like to help Reach, Win, & Train people in El Salvador with the Good News of Jesus Christ, you can contribute a designated donation to “El Salvador Mission 2017.” Thank you for your help!

For El Salvador,

Scott Nute

Skeleton Hygiene

When I say the following things they may come across as strange, lazy, or downright blasphemous. But, I must be honest and tell you that…I am “tired” (synonyms: exasperated, irked, burned out, pooped, sick of, etc.) of being a human being! Here is what I mean:

I will turn 50 years old soon (February 2017). And, after spending the first 49 years being stuck in this human flesh that is filled with my skeleton, I am “tired” of…showering, shaving (at my age I shave my nose and ears as much as my face), eating, brushing teeth, flossing teeth, going to the bathroom (especially during the night), buying food, preparing food, eating food, drinking water, eating vegetables, cutting my hair, washing my hair, removing gray hairs (from my face, nose, ears and head), putting on deodorant, dealing with pimples (yes, even at age 50), drinking daily fiber to stay “regular,” yanking out rogue hairs across entire body (I refuse to be one of those old men growing “wings” on my eyebrows) taking a daily vitamin, exercising (not much of this done anymore), getting sick, allergies, going to the dentist, joints becoming stiff and stuck, muscles shrinking, former 6-pack abs now loosening flab, eyesight fading, skin wrinkling and spotting (on my face, neck, chest…basically all over) etc, etc, etc! And now, after dealing with all of these human hygiene and maintenance needs for the past 49 years, as if all of these were not enough, in a few weeks I have my first colonoscopy—hip hip hooray! I am certain this will be a thrilling experience that I will now look forward to having every 10 years (I will just add it to the list)!

Did you know by the time we are 50 years old the average person has taken close to 20,000 showers, and has eaten around 54,000 meals, and has gone to the bathroom over 100,000 times? In addition, out of the first 50 years we are on this planet we sleep around one-third of the time. Which means, we have rested our poor, tired, weary, fatigued, flesh and skeleton with over 16 years of sleep, which is over 6,000 days, and over 146,000 hours, and over 8,760,000 minutes, and over 525,600,000 seconds, of sleep! No wonder the spirit of God living in me has become “tired” of being stuck in my human skin and skeleton! Therefore, I am officially in a “brouhaha” with my flesh, bones, and my human hygiene! Enough of caring for this flesh! It makes no sense…if our flesh and our bones just age and die and end up being buried in the dirt anyway, why did God arrange it so we must spend a majority of our time on earth doing non-stop human hygiene and maintenance?

As we know, the Bible says we are made in the image of God; however, we have all fallen away from the perfect reflection of His image. Meaning, we will not become the highest definition of being God’s image until our spirit—the Spirit of Jesus Christ that lives in us since we accepted Christ—is released from our flesh and bones at our death. Until then, you and I as Christians are stuck in our skin and skeleton, and we must continue on with our daily human hygiene and maintenance. Our human body hygiene illustrates our preoccupation with ourselves, which illustrates our sin! Yes, our human hygiene will serve as a daily remember of our sin; but, even more so, our human hygiene will serve as a daily reminder of God’s love and grace given through Jesus Christ as He was nailed on the cross to free us from our flesh and sin (if you don’t yet know Jesus Christ personally, here is how that can happen in your life right now)! Our human flesh and skeleton, and the constant hygiene, is a reminder that this life is just the first inning of an extra-inning, never ending, baseball game (my old baseball player illustration attempt)! When we enter Heaven, we will finally be free from our self-centered fallen-ness. We will then finally be able to love and serve God, and others, completely and unconditionally for eternity! Yes, a split second after death, our human flesh and skeleton hygiene is complete!

Do you ever feel like what I wrote above? At times are you “tired” of being a human? If so, you are in great company! Considered one of the greatest and most important Christians in the history of Christianity, the Apostle Paul himself talked about his feelings of weariness about being stuck in his human flesh and skeleton. In Romans chapter 7 Paul expresses his frustrations this way, “The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7: 14-15, 21-25).

So, in spite of my complaints and the arguments I have with my humanity, I will continue on in my flesh and skeleton, doing the mandatory hygiene. I will, by God’s grace, continue to daily apply and live out these additional words from Paul, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.” (Philippians 1:21-24).

With fading flesh and an aging skeleton—and with an ever-living spirit—I am sincerely yours,

Scott Nute

God’s Back Door

There is a story told of an outbreak of fleas that happened in one of the Nazi concentration camps during World War II. This was a women’s concentration camp called Ravensbruk. Between 1939 and 1945 over 130,000 women passed through this camp, with over 50,000 dying from disease, starvation, overwork, or the gas chamber. One of the survivors was a Dutch Christian woman named Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie and her family had been hiding Jews in their home in the Netherlands to protect them from the Nazis. When they were caught for helping these Jewish people, Corrie and her family were sent to concentration camps. Corrie and her sister Betsy were placed in the same barracks. The flea outbreak in their barracks compounded the unimaginable suffering the women were experiencing. Then something unexplainable happened. The Nazi guards stopped going into that particular barracks because of the severity of the flea outbreak and quarantine. This gave Corrie the freedom to have Bible studies for all of the women in their barracks, and she led many of these ladies to Jesus Christ! God used those fleas to protect the women from more potential abuse from the Nazi guards. More so, God used those fleas to save their souls and to preserve their lives! By his mighty power God used the apparent “negative” circumstance of those fleas as a “back door” to keep the Nazis from going in the front door of their barracks!

Sometimes God will use a “back door” to fulfill His plan for our lives! To our human logic, these back doors make no sense at all, back doors such as cancer, poverty, injuries, abuse, and fleas. It seems that our human nature drifts constantly toward a strong yearning to control our lives, to remain in comfort, and to understand more than we are meant to understand. Because God loves us, if He can’t get our attention by knocking on the front door, He may, by His grace, come pounding on the back door. I have a personal example:

Years ago, I was a dedicated professional baseball player in the minor league system of the Detroit Tigers. I had settled it in my heart to make it to the Major Leagues at any cost. God was using the baseball platform to reach people for Christ, so it made “sense” to me to work hard, and make it to the major leagues, and be able to reach many people for Christ along the way. During the second year of my pro baseball career I had a freak injury to my pitching shoulder that, for the most part, nailed shut the door for me to continue in baseball…this was a major life disappointment that left me lost!

In retrospect, I think that bizarre shoulder injury to my pitching arm was the only way I would have stopped playing baseball. It was an unusual injury that happened in an unusual way at an unusual time. If I am to be honest with you, I will tell you that there is NO WAY I would have left pro baseball to go into Christian ministry if God had told me to do so using a more obvious and “conventional” front door approach. If He had, or if He did (which He very well may have knocked on the front doors and I missed His knocking) speak to me in a more subtle, non-career-ending-injury approach, I would have dismissed it! I would have ignored it, or explained it away, or I may have simply disobeyed God because I wanted to do what I wanted to do in pro baseball. As God used those fleas in the women’s barracks as a back door to protect Corrie Ten Boom and the women from the Nazis, so God used that injury as a back door to shake me into finally considering life without baseball. Now, 27 years after that back door freak injury to my pitching shoulder, I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten on my knees and thanked God for allowing me to get injured. Long story short…the back door of that career-ending injury was used of God to release me from plan B, pro baseball, to plan A — vocational ministry!

A wise mentor once asked me, “is there any reason for you to not to do the obvious?” He was right in that particular instance, and in a good number of situations doing the obvious may well be the will of God. I think many times God will lead us to do the “obvious.” However, the “danger” about getting into a long-term Christian pattern of always doing the “obvious” and continually dismissing the non-obvious, opens us up to this dangerous thing—our sinful, controlling, comfortable, human nature! Our nature, even those of us who love God, can become very routine and busy, and without even realizing it our obvious routine can become a way of us being “lord” over our lives instead of Jesus Christ.

So…that “thing” that we continually dismiss as not being God’s will for us, well, that “thing” may be the very “thing” that God has for us, but…we may miss it if we are not careful. The last “thing” we could ever imagine ourselves doing, that “thing” may be the very thing we were created to do! Is there “something(s)” you dismiss as not God’s will for you without giving it a second thought? Could it be going on a mission trip, or leaving your career to take a salary cut to enter vocational ministry? Maybe it is breaking up with the person you are dating, the person that you are in love with, because it is not the best person God has for you? Maybe it is giving and tithing more, or starting to give for the first time? Maybe it is serving in ministry somewhere? Maybe it is simply letting God have the deepest part of your life?

Are there any front doors that God is, and has been, knocking on in our lives that we missed and may be currently missing? Has God now begun to use a back door?

For God’s front & back doors,

Scott Nute

Revival in NM & Divine Door to the Philippines

God is alive and well in the deserts of New Mexico! Here is the report of what the Lord did last week in the “Harvest Festival” we conducted in Logan, New Mexico, as well as details about our project next week in the Philippines.

With a population of approximately 900 people, the town of Logan had the seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread all over their community! Logan First Baptist Church, which has a Sunday church attendance of 120 people, prayed and prepared for several weeks for this event that happened October 16-19. A total of 33 people made a public decision for Jesus Christ, and out of those, 18 were first time salvation decisions! One was an 8-year-old boy, and when I asked him what his decision was, he said he accepted Jesus. I then asked him, “If you just accepted Jesus, then where is He right now?” He pointed to his left side and said, “Oh, Jesus is right here by my side…and He is in my heart too!” Their church has begun the follow-up of each person who made a life-changing decision for Christ!

Next week, I leave for our next international mission! November 7-13, I will be in Manila, Philippines, a city of 12,000,000 people. We are conducting FIVE strategic Community Crusades throughout a targeted region of Manila. Our Philippine event director has trained 100 leaders, 20 from each area, for these events, and these leaders are ready for both pre-event personal evangelism and post-event follow-up of the people who turn to Christ! Plus, as extensions of these Community Crusades, I will be speaking in several public schools for DRUG AWARENESS PROGRAMS.

Marijuana and “shabu,” which in the USA is called methamphetamine, are widely used by youth in Manila, and I will address the dangers of such drugs. What is different about some third-world countries, such as the Philippines, is that we are able to proclaim the GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST in the public schools! From 1993-2005, the Philippines held the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest high school in the world! God willing, we will be sharing the Message of THE CROSS with between 10,000-20,000 students, of which 80% are not born-again Christians!

This is an enormous open door to lead thousands of young people to Jesus Christ! In the photo below, from Manila in 2012, I am speaking to 5,000 students, one-half of that school’s population. Then, in the photo above, students in Manila are responding to Jesus Christ through a personal prayer of repentance and faith! God willing, next week we will see many more young people turn to Christ—and you can help us reach them!

You can help us to SAVE SOULS & CHANGE LIVES next week in the Philippines! Your gift designated to “Philippines Mission 2016” will help us to reach many families, and thousands of students, with the love of Jesus Christ! Plus, we are providing training & giving resources to the 100 church leaders mobilized for these events. You can give online with no credit card transaction fees at www.scottnute.org! And, you can give on your mobile by texting GIVE to 832-271-3353. Thank you for your help!

On to Asia with the Good News,

Scott Nute