Jesus is my Lord

It is a strange thing for me to walk into a brothel and find signs on the doors of the prostitutes that read “Jesus is my Lord!” or to see verses hanging on the walls of the rooms where the women do their “business”. I am also shocked to see such things as men holding their bibles as they drink in the bar and still clutching them as they walk into the rooms with the half naked girls.I am also amazed when I hear that 50% of Nigerians are Christians. I guess the narrow road grew pretty wide as it came through Nigeria! The problem is, Christianity to Nigerians, and many other people around the world, is just a label you claim. In Nigeria, you are Christian or Muslim. Much like in America, we are Democrat or Republican. There is no true knowledge of the life changing power of the Holy Spirit.Every week, I ask ladies in the brothels if they are Christians, they say yes, and then I ask them how they know that. I get varied answers at this point. Then I ask if I can read the scriptures to them. They usually agree, so then I open the scriptures up to 1 John 2:3-6. I then read it to them, “And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”I then point out to the ladies that they just said that they know Christ, but then I ask them if they are following His commandments. They have to agree that they are not. I then ask them what the scripture just said about them. They have to conclude then that they are liars, and do not know Christ. One woman the other day said to me with sincere shock on her face, “I am a liar, because I fornicate every day!”Then I read Matthew 7:21-23 where Christ tells us that many will call out to him on the day of judgement and list all they did in His name and Christ will say, “I never knew you, get away from me, you who break God’s law” I explain to the ladies that I am not pointing out the fact that they are lost to judge them, but to prepare them for judgement. I tell them that today God is offering Grace and forgiveness, but one day we will stand before Christ to be judged by Him. On that day, it will be to late to choose to change our ways. It will be too late to ask for forgiveness. On that day, those of us who have not trusted Christ for our salvation will only face God’s wrath.Then I tell the ladies, that God loves them so much that He sent His only Son to die on a cruel cross so that they could trust in His blood for salvation. When they choose to trust Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells them and empowers them to want to obey God’s commandments. He changes them from the inside out.Last week we met a Muslim man in the brothels on his way out of a room with a woman. I asked him how many prayers and ritual cleansings would it take to wash the sin of adultery out of his heart. He looked down in shame and I told him that he knew as well as I knew that nothing in the Muslim faith could do that. Only the blood of Christ Jesus works from the inside out. It is the same for these ladies, and every single one of us. We need a savior that can reach into our hearts and cleanse us from within.Amazingly enough, we have a savior like that in Jesus Christ. Not only does he offer to cleanse us white as snow, but He offers to make us Children of the most high God and co-heirs with Christ.Sometimes, I get discouraged and think what do I have to say to these women, or they share their problems with me and I am overwhelmed and haven’t a clue what to say. Then I hear the Holy Spirit nudging me with this simple message, “Preach Christ, Preach Christ! He is enough!”