Leftovers: Only For Eating

Ready for a quick trip down memory lane? Sweet, let's go. When I was growing up, one of my favorite foods was... (wait for it...) leftovers. Yes, we were the family that it was totally legit to eat the leftover lasagna from supper for breakfast the next day. I remember in middle school we were writing our "Newsletter" and did a survey of our tiny student body of their favorite "after school snack." There was one write-in vote for "Leftovers." Fortunately for me,  the surveys were anonymous and when everyone literally laughed out loud at the ridiculousness (practicality?) of the thought, I never owned up that twas I who wrote that as my favorite snack.

Let's be honest, somethings are better leftover. My top picks: Homemade macaroni and cheese, chicken and dumplings, pizza, egg casserole, strawberry pretzel salad, German potato salad and anything involving chocolate. (Ok, chocolate is good fresh, leftover or licked off a plate-- anything goes in that category.) Hold on... now I gotta run and take a snack break. (Just kidding) 

As much as I still adore leftovers,  I do know someone who isn't the biggest fan... God. He doesn't want our leftovers. And sometimes, that can be hard! Most of us deal with some, all or a combination of the following on a daily basis: spouse, work, kids, bills, church, community activities, parents, siblings, homework, exercise, grocery shopping, sleep, (insert your own daily activities here). So the question is: Where does God fit?

Unlike our "shoved-to-the-back-of-the-fridge-leftovers," God should be at the front of the list for a priority of things in our life. Exodus 23:19 says  “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God." Now don't miss construe what I am saying here. God DOES understand that we aren't always going to be on our A-game, peppy as Saturday Night Live Spartan Cheerleaders. However, he does expect the BEST or "Firstfruits" of ourselves to be dedicated to him.

"Firstfruits" is mentioned in the NIV 31 times... "Leftover" is only mentioned once. To me, that is an indication of what God expects from us. We can give the most and best of ourselves daily by our actions and our thoughts. I don't know about you, but if I put off something until the end of the day, the less likely it is going to get done. Example: If I wait to have my quiet time with the Lord until after supper, something seems to be more likely to come up or cause distraction. Plus, I might be weary from the days hoopla and chaos, so I won't be my "best." I try to pray before I even get out of bed in the morning, asking God that whatever I do that day it may be to his glory. After all: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) 

Another and more "touchy" area of "firstfruits" and the non-leftovers issue is the idea of money, especially tithing. No where in the Bible does it say "Each time you get paid, wait til the end of that money then give me whatever you have leftover. Yep, that'll be fine." Instead it says "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." (Proverbs 3:9-10) This is the great news-- God isn't asking to tithe back to Him because He "said so" and is on a power trip. Instead He has made us a PROMISE that if we show this act of faith and reverence to Him by giving our "firstfruits" He will let the returns overflow! If that's not motivation to cut a check, I don't know what is! 

Bottom line: God doesn't want our leftovers, whether it is in devotion, energy, love, money or service. He desires our firstfruits. Yes, it seems as if much is asked of us, but oh beloved, SO much more is given! It is our privilege to serve him in this way. “We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree." (Nehemiah 10:35)

Are you representing a beautiful, ripe, sweet piece of fruit right off the tree or a wilted lettuce salad leftover from the day(s) before? God desires our firstfruits, not our tupperware-clad-back-of-the-fridge leftovers. It tastes sweet to Him-- but oh-so-sweeter for us!

To the Glory of God,

SGK 

"As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything." - 2 Chronicles 31:5

All We Need is Love... And a Towel

Well, the learnin' continues in my classes this week... We were charged to respond to the following prompt, regarding our ability to listen, love and represent Christ via servant evangelism... Really got me to thinking and digging deeply into my heart! 

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In McRaney, page 128 he states "The questions and issues for lost people have changed. I am not sure that we are listening to the questions any longer. Is it possible that in our efforts to communicate we are simply shouting our answers at a higher pitch?" He further states on page 131, "Could it also be true that if we do not love one another, people will struggle to know that we are His disciples? And even worse, whether Jesus is the one real God?" Based on the Servant Evangelism approach, how do you respond to these statements? Do you agree or disagree?

I completely and wholeheartedly agree with both of McRaney’s statements. Due to the changing of times, culture and introduction of social media, lost people are definitely asking different questions. The effectiveness of our ability to share the gospel with them goes back to the lessons from John 4 about listening and truly caring about the women at the well. If we don’t listen to what they are saying or care about their hearts or desires, we are living like the disciples instead of like Jesus. 

I believe it is a negative feedback cycle—the less we listen, the less we look like Jesus. The less we look like or follow the example of Jesus the more hypocritical we become. The more hypocritical we become, the less likely we will be able to genuinely reach the lost, they are pushed farther away and begin (or continue) to doubt the existence of Jesus Christ. And well, if we cannot reach the lost… then the Enemy has won. We are tools of the Holy Spirit, and we must practice servanthood evangelism in everything we do in order to allow a full work to be done via the gospel in others.

It really comes down to “ Practicing what we preach” as opposed to “Do as I say, not as I do.” Just as Dr. Wheeler said in the video: “We get mad at lost people acting like they are lost.” When we do that, we are not practicing servanthood evangelism or fulfilling the legacy of Christ. We have to understand that we too were once “eggs in the microwave.” We had to be cooked from the inside out until POW the Holy Spirit transformed us. Now, in our transformed (and continually transforming) state, we can help other “eggs” to be cooked from the inside out by truly loving on them, not judging, and essentially humbling ourselves to wash our feet. We can evangelize through love in our relationships.

Just as it says in Earley and Wheeler, people desire to be loved. If we are able to fulfill THAT need in the name of Christ by servanthood evangelism by simple acts of kindness, we might be opening a door and allowing the Holy Spirit to begin to cook them from the inside out.

I truly appreciated Dr. Wheeler’s additional comments in the videos this week. "Kindness is a language that mute can hear and the deaf can understand." What a powerful statement! And so true! By living a life of servanthood evangelism through love and kindness from opening the door for someone, to handing out balloons in a grocery store parking lot to sincerely listening to the concerns of a lost person’s heart, we are living out the message of who Jesus truly was. 

It is important to remember "You cannot divorce the message from the man." Never did Jesus preach one thing and practice another. We are representatives of Christ. In order to reach the lost, we must do so empathetically with love and kindness, living it in our daily lives. After all, the towel is our greatest tool. We can wash others feet—but we have to carry that towel with us at all times, not leave it at the bottom of the laundry hamper at home or shoved in a drawer. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, all we need is love... and a towel.

*****

So what do you think? Do you have your towel and basin ready? It is a humbling business-- but more rewarding than our hearts and minds can comprehend!

One foot at a time, 

SGK 

"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." John 13:12-17

Puppies & Potato Salad

This mission I have dubbed Operation: Commissary of Christ. Lace up your "army" boots. Put on your helmet. For we are not an Army of One, but rather An Army of the Son! AMERICA! 

It happened last Saturday and was very spur of the moment. I had just finished this week’s reading and viewing this weeks videos for my masters class a few hours before summoning the motivation to go to the commissary here on post at Fort Benning. I have discovered that while the commissary is a place of convenience to buy groceries at a decent price, it is rarely a place of peace or joy. As I drove to the commissary, I felt God tugging at my heart and the messages from my daily studies were ringing in my ears. I felt as if I had been transformed. I wasn’t just going into the commissary to get groceries. I was going as a representative of Christ. I began to pray for God to allow the Holy Spirit to work within me to be a servant evangelist while doing my grocery shopping. 

It was the typical Saturday afternoon chaos at the store. But instead of adding to the chaos, I walked slower. I made eye contact with people. I smiled. I took at number and waited at the deli counter. The deli worker who started filling my order was named Brian. He looked very disheveled and overwhelmed. He had to ask me several times to remind him what I wanted; I did so with courtesy, patience and a smile (obviously brought by the Holy Spirit.) He kept apologizing and said with a sigh “It is just that time of day.” I maintained eye contact with him and told him sincerely that it was ok. When he filled my order, my heart was pounding and I knew what I had to do. I took my lunchmeat, looked right into his eyes and said “Thank you so much, Brian. You did a great job. May God bless you.” His entire face changed. It softened. You could see the gratitude. I am pretty sure that I purposely said it loud enough that the gruff old soldier standing in line beside me raised an eyebrow then cracked a smile as well. Operation: Commissary of Christ, Mission 1: Complete. 

I proceeded to the check out, with a genuine smile still on my face. I got in line of a cashier was dealing with a difficult customer who couldn’t find the potato salad he wanted. He was already checking out and my cashier went back to retrieve potato salad from the deli. You could the cashier was very upset, and obviously worried about my reaction. I just smiled as she apologized and told her to take all the time she needed. She returned with aforementioned potato salad, and I got a closer look at her. In addition to the stress written on her face, her right eyebrow was pierced and she was wearing a green shirt that said “I would smile more if you were less of an idiot.” OH SNAP.  My heart beat faster, and I asked God to show me what I could do for her. The potato salad issue was finally resolved and it was my turn to check out. I asked how she was doing and she replied, “I am working overtime today. I am so tired. It is not easy.” As she scanned my last item, I choked out “Well, I am getting ready to go home myself and eat supper. How can I pray for you? Oh, and what is your name?” 

Her reaction made my heart thud with glee. Just as it was with Brian, her face softened and she smiled. She stuttered for a few seconds caught off-guard, saying that her name was Meghan. I asked if I could pray for the remainder of her shift and for her to get some rest this weekend. Meghan’s face lit up, smiled even bigger and said that would be perfect. As I gathered my stuff to walk away, she looked right back at me and whispered “You have a very blessed day, ma’am.” I was flying! Thank you Holy Spirit! Operation: Commissary of Christ Mission 2: Complete. 

I did the same thing with my carryout associate. We struck up a conversation on the way to the car. As my groceries were loaded into my car, I continued to smile and asked her name and if I could pray for anything for her. A smile spread from ear to ear, and Brooke replied that she needed prayers for her and her mother to sell her puppies because they were expensive and costing the family money. Can do! As I realized as I got in my car to drive away, I still had her tip in my hand because I was so excited about her reaction. So I got out of my car, sprinted back up to the door and gave Brooke her tip. Her gratitude was overwhelming. Operation: Commissary of Christ Mission 3: Complete. 

It doesn't really matter if the folks you interact with have serious life issues that need praying for or if they just need sleep and help selling puppies. People want to be loved. They want to be cared for. By treating folks this way, we can represent Christ. Has your attitude reflected that of Christ today? I know we can't all be on our "A-game" accomplishing evangelistic missions through love 24/7, but do the most you can, where you are, with what you have... We have God... What more do we really need? 

Mission Accomplished (for today anyways), 

SGK 

"For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you." --Joshua 22:3

Gettin' Dirty

Last week for class (I know, it was a big week of learning!) we were discussing evangelism. In one of our books, "The Art of Personal Evangelism" by William McRaney, he said "dealing with lost people will cause us to get our hands dirty and sweaty just like tending to yard work. Part of evangelism is to clear up the misconceptions and misperceptions people have about the gospel. Dealing with people and evangelism is often messy." We were charged to react to the statement, and I thought it might be lucrative to close out my "testimony" section of this blog by showing how getting dirty (for others) and allowing Christ to do that with in us could be so incredibly beneficial and rewarding. 

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I really appreciated McRaney’s analogy of getting our hands dirty and sweaty work when it comes to evangelism. I just revamped my front yard here on the military post (by myself.) Five large green trashcans of old yucky mulch and 39 bags of new mulch later, I understood the dirty sweaty work. I believe that anytime you are working with the heart of people, it is going to be dirty, especially when it involves something as delicate and personal as sharing the gospel. I am afraid some of the misconceptions include viewing evangelists/Christians as yard supply salespeople—that everything is a scam and over priced. The opposite is quite true. We need to be the folks that come by and clean up the garden of someone else, dirt under our fingernails, sweat dripping down our noses free of charge. Jesus has already paid that price for us. He was covered in sweat, dirt, blood and spit—so what is a little dirty sweat for us to endure?

As contemporary evangelists, we must sharpen our “tools” as our passion for Christ, knowledge of his word and a pure heart and head into those front and backyard jungles of non-believers. Then, enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, can take our metaphorical weed eaters, hedge clippers, shovels and rakes and start “cleaning.” Just as it says in the “Share Jesus without Fear” text, it depends on how many positive seeds have been planted for the gospel that will determine the time and effort involved in “cleaning up” the misconceptions and sharing the Good News. It is going to be a messy job. Just as it says in the Bible, we can help bear the burdens of others, and as the salty, light-driven gardeners, we might be called to dig in and clear out some of the rotten, painful, weedy, dark place so that Jesus can come into their hearts.

Our salvation and recovery testimonies not only help us to relate to those whose garden is still a little overgrown and untended, but it brings into the light our own past weeds in our life and how the power of Jesus got to work via other evangelists who witnessed to us in order to clean up our hearts. As I was writing my recovery testimony yesterday, I felt like Jesus didn’t just use a rake, shovel and a couple bags of mulch. By using my past church in Missouri and some extremely difficult life circumstances, he came into my heart/life, utilizing a huge weed whacker, about 10 bottles of Round up pesticide and a bulldozer to completely re-landscape/overhaul my heart.

I remember that I was initially very scared of the gospel and what it meant to be a Christian. That was my primary misconception. It reminds me of someone standing in my front yard (heart), looking at the weeds choking out the healthy beautiful flowers and saying “You know Sharita, things would be a lot more enjoyable and easier to handle if you would just clean this up.” (Clean this up= allow Jesus to lead me) But my distorted misconceptions about evangelism had me thinking that it was 1) A lot of work 2) A continual process that once you started it was futile to stop maintaining. Fortunately, Jesus and his bulldozer came into my heart and started plowing over the gross weeds and unhealthy dirt. Now, He has given me my own little shovel, rake and bottle of Round-Up that I can start helping my “neighbors” clean up their yards by getting down and dirty through the awesome and clean love of Christ!

*****

Are  you ready to get down and dirty for Christ? Let's break a sweat and share the Good News!

Dirt under my nails,

SGK

"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." --Colossians 1:28-29

More Than Cardboard

God is a resourceful dude. He made the earth out of nothing. He made man out of dirt. And he gave us cardboard. 

Whoa, Sharita-- random transition. Yes, I know. But after a school assignment last week (details below) I realized cardboard can be used for many different things. Little kids (myself included) use cardboard boxes as play houses, forts, sleds for the stairs (wear a helmet) and sometimes enjoy it more than what actually came in it. You can ship things in it, give gifts, level a wobbly table, house a litter of kittens in it, store memories, make a sign, he list is endless. 

But what I learned this week was a new kind of use for cardboard... To share your testimony. I was introduced to the concept of "Cardboard testimonies." I tell you what, it really spoke to my heart! When I watched the video, I realized it was so much more than cardboard. 

Instead of typing a book on here to describe it, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out the following link (or typing in "Cardboard Testimony" into YouTube.) It's not ushygushymushy sad... but it is very moving and incredibly empowering. (I admit it-- I cried the first time I watched this for class) It changed my heart from LUKEWARM to ON FIRE!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ&feature=player_embedded

My cardboard testimony could be a number of things... You read my "full" testimonies the last couple of days... But what would your cardboard testimony look like? If you would like to share, I would love to hear below in the comments section.  

As a final note... I just praise God for His incredible power to change lives so dramatically, radically, wholly and lovingly!! CAN I GET AN AMEN!?!?!

From Lukewarm to On Fire, 

SGK 

"Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God's presence at Jesus' baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement." 1 John 5:4-8

No Bologna Testimony (Part 2)

Here is a "Second helping" of my no bologna testimony. Below is my "recovery" testimony detailing a very challenging life experience-- but one that I am grateful occurred the way it did with a God who loved me to take my hand and lead me through it!

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My life seemed relatively normal until my senior year of college at Kansas State University. I was really involved in a variety of leadership and service organizations on campus. I was slotted to graduate with my bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 40 days. I had a job offer on the table for a great salary with a major agricultural corporation in a turkey processing plant in Missouri as HR Associate. I truly felt I had the world by the horns. I had just started to grow the courage to attend church by myself. I had always prayed for God to strengthen my faith and make me a more solid daughter in Christ. It is kind of funny how he answers our prayers. I had remained single throughout college, so when I met Brandon 40 days before graduation in March 2009, I didn’t think much about it. But soon I could tell this was different. He was a soldier with the United States Army, slotted to deploy the third time in August. God had destined us to fall in love. 

Brandon and I began to grow in Christ during the first couple of months of our long distance relationship as I had moved to Missouri to start my job  and he was still stationed in Kansas. We began doing Bible study on the phone each night, and his August deployment date was growing closer. In the meantime, my dad was having nerve issues and they were unable to diagnose his situation. My “dream” job at  quickly turned into a nightmare. It broke my heart. The Human Resource Manager and our nurse were compromising medical records of our employees at the turkey plant, which left several people permanently injured. The HR team treated me terribly, providing no training and no support for me. Some of the employees on the floor would sexually harass me daily. I was alone with no close friends, my family several hours away and my beloved preparing to deploy in a matter of weeks. 

I discovered hope and help in Jesus when he led me to Eternity Church. It was a tiny, newly planted church, but just what my heart needed for that rough time in my life. Brandon deployed on August 28, 2009. My job situation continued to deteriorate, as my hours were repeatedly changed with my shift ending in the middle of the night. On September 26, 2009, my little sister called me, hysterically crying to say she just found our Grandma Neva dead in her apartment. Grandma Neva wasn’t ill—it was very sudden. My parents had to “identify the body” because she had died a week earlier. My boss didn’t offer me support or guidance and forced me to take vacation time instead of allowing an appropriate amount of bereavement leave. Mom was so distraught that as the “problem solver” of the family, I took over. I planned the funeral, called the family, collected pictures for the slide show, wrote the poem for the program and sang at the funeral. I couldn’t tell Brandon what had happened for nearly a week as he was in Kuwait transitioning to Iraq and had no access to Internet or phone.

I returned to work after a week of dealing with death. A month later, my supervisor and the nurse finally got busted for their lack of integrity. Both were terminated, and I thought God had delivered me. But He wasn’t done yet. They cut our HR staff in half and took their sweet time rehiring folks, so we were working 12-16 hr shifts and weekends to accommodate for the next 6 months. The army couldn’t make up their mind if/when Brandon was going to get leave to come home, then my Grandad passed away on Christmas that year. Mom was terminated from her job after New Years in January 2010. I cried (ok, SOBBED) daily because of my job —but one thing remained strong—God’s love for me. He would pull me up each day with His word, my Church family and my beloved Brandon’s faith. 

Brandon returned for leave in April 2010 and we got engaged. My last day at work with my nightmarish job was May 13, 2010. (No tears on THAT day!) I moved back to Manhattan, KS and got a new job where I did not have to work the night shift, people appreciated me, 40 hrs per week was the max that I was allowed to work and sexual harassment was not an issue. Brandon returned home for good from Iraq on August 2, 2010 and we were married two months later. Today we celebrate eleven months of marriage.

I am glad I have a personal relationship with Jesus today because no matter how sad, lonely, depressed, heartbroken or unsure I was, He was always there with me, to walk with me, talk with me, listen and carry me through my darkest hours. He delivered me from the most painful year of my life. I am a stronger and more faithful person because of it, and thankful to Him that he helped me through it. May I share how something like this can happen to you? 

*****

When has God carried you through a tough time in your life? What does your recovery testimony look like? I would be blessed to hear it... Feel free to comment below. How can you use your testimony to spread the Good News? 

Thankful for His Love. 

SGK

"He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:42-43

No Bologna Testimony (Part 1)

In my evangelism class for school this week, we were charged to write down our testimonies. I learned that Apparently there are two basic types of testimonies, conversion testimony and recovery testimony. (Talk about getting your educational money's worth! YAY learning stuff!) Rumor has it that sharing your personal testimony is an effective way to share the gospel. These  were not only great for me to capture on paper, but really revealed the love and grace of God in my life. So here goes Part 1 of my No Bologna Testimony. (Today is my "Conversation Testimony)

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I have not always been a Christian. I grew up in a loving household, but not what many would call a “Christian” family. My parents had high moral standards and loved us dearly, but we didn’t pray or attend church on a regular basis. Dad worked on the farm seven days a week and mom was trying to raise two little girls essentially by herself, so faith wasn’t a huge priority. I knew God existed, but really didn’t have much concern for the topic.

At the beginning of my elementary school career, my mom started sending us to Sapulpa, Oklahoma each summer for about a week to spend time with my Grandad and my Great Grandma Thrasher. Grandma Thrasher was a feisty old gal and was a devout Christian for her entire life. Folks at Faith Baptist Church called her “Sweet Miss Bessie.” During our weeklong excursion in Oklahoma, we would attend Vacation Bible School. I realized I needed Jesus and received Him into my life during the summer when I was 12 years old. We were sitting in the pew at VBS and the preacher asked us to close our eyes. He began to pray and the next thing I knew my little sister and I were standing at the front of the church, bawling our faces off, and asking to receive Jesus in our life. It was a true act of God, and one of the most memorable days of my life.

Grandma Thrasher was thrilled and called my parents to let them know the good news. Our parents drove down the following weekend to watch my sister Kathleen and I get baptized on Father’s Day in 1997. The biggest change I noticed in my life was a new comfort in my future. When I was very young, I was terrified of dying. I had night terrors about not waking up in the morning, and after becoming saved and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior, those fears were alleviated. Even as a 12-year-old girl, I knew that if I did die before I woke up the next morning, I knew where I was going. I was no longer scared of the unknown.

I also started wondering what it meant to truly BE a Christian. I began to pray before I went to sleep each night and turned to God as I continued to grow through middle school, high school and college. As a new baby Christian, I didn’t know it all right away. In fact I still don’t. I am still growing in His love. But I noticed that my concern for others and interest in Scripture quotes grew throughout the years. I began to be convicted when I sinned and asked for strength and forgiveness when I fell short. The comfort that God has given me since that amazing summer is really quite difficult to express in words.

My beloved Grandma Thrasher continued to watch us grow from a distance and although they took her driver’s license away when she was 98 years old, she continued to attend church, pray for us and can more vegetables than we could ever eat. When she passed away my freshman year of college, two months shy of her 104th birthday, I was able to sing at her funeral, on that same stage where I was saved and baptized. I understood the profound meaning of the words of the song “At the Cross.” At the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day! I was comforted by knowing that we would someday be reunited. My life was forever changed by that remarkable woman of God in my Grandma Thrasher. She helped me to understand how that the sacrifice that took place on the cross could offer me such a joy, hope and a future. May I share how something like this can happen to you?

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Do you have  testimony you would like to share? I would love to hear it! Please comment below if you so desire... Or share it with a non-believer you know-- it will plant a seed that could save their life! 

No Denyin' this Testifyin', 

SGK 

"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." 1 John 4:14