All posts by Alan B. Zibluk

Did you want to buy Bitcoin at 3k last year what about now?

Did you want to buy Bitcoin at $3k last year, what about now?

Did you want to buy Bitcoin at $3k last year, what about now?

BTCUSD trading at around $17,000, what is the first question you would have asked yourself? Why didn’t I buy at $3,000 just 4 months earlier in August?

A week later as the markets reached there now historical high of over $20,000. Some of those questions would have in many cases hinted at frustration, disappointment and even anger in missing out on what many called “ a once in a generation” opportunity.

Those who did enjoy the notion of triumph, and were beneficiaries of the price rise would have had even greater hopes for future peaks. $50,000, $75,000 and even $100,000 to 1 Bitcoin in the coming year (2018) were forecasted. So now with the market on the edges of $3000 once again. What questions are being asked now? Or better yet what answers are we getting to the questions asked a year ago.

The questions the markets are asking now is where are those who thought they missed out on the opportunity? BTCUSD, and crypto coins in general has been the big bear market story of 2018, many speculators saw the initial rise of crypto’s as the dawn of a new age in finance and civilization, where no one establishment dicated the rules. Many may still believe this to be the case, however after falling $14,000 in value YTD even the biggest optimists are having there views tested. Have traders been scared off? Stopped out of positions, or eagerly awaiting the turnaround of turnarounds before running out of margin?

The rally in BTCUSD last year was spurred not by radical innovation, or a regulatory change, but by the herd. A lot of people wanting to believe, and betting on there beliefs. Recently, the belief has seen the volumes of selling reach there lowest since 2015, where BTCUSD traded below $300. However with most markets, the next thought is when will the bleeding stop? “It cannot go down forever”, where is it’s floor? As you can see from the chart above we are current trading at the support $3,035, and using the RSI we see it trading below 30, meaning oversold. Does this mean buyers are nearby? Like a boxing day sale where “70% off” is plastered across displays, and ques outside department stores at 6AM in the morning ready to ransack. On a daily time frame the 10/25 day moving averages show a potential upwards cross, which many see as the potential of a bullish run.

Now as Christmas arrives, and we prepare presents for our loved ones, and tell our children Santa has answered there wish. What about ours? Are we seeing the signs of a future bull run in crypto? With the opportunity at “70% off” its true value? Or will we enter the new year like most kids when they find out Santa doesn’t exist? Like a year ago, although the technicals may point to a pending rally, only the belief of the herd can see this be validated or shutdown. Whatever your view, this could be an interesting one to watch in the next few weeks.

 

Eliman Dambell

Tradeview Markets

 

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitcoin Price Weekly Analysis – BTC’s Short Term Rebound Likely

Bitcoin Price Weekly Analysis - BTC's Short Term Rebound Likely

Bitcoin Price Weekly Analysis – BTC’s Short Term Rebound Likely

Key Points

  • Bitcoin price traded to a new yearly low at $3,126 and later corrected a few points against the US Dollar.

  • There was a break above a key bearish trend line with resistance at $3,220 on the 4-hours chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken).

  • The pair may perhaps correct higher in the short term towards the $3,320 or $3,380 resistance.

Bitcoin price is forming a short term base near $3,120 against the US Dollar. BTC/USD is likely to test the $3,380-3,400 resistance zone before declining once again.

 

Bitcoin Price Analysis

This past week, bitcoin price remained in a slow and steady downtrend from the $3,640 high against the US Dollar. The BTC/USD pair traded lower and broke the $3,400 and $3,320 support levels. The decline gained pace and the price traded to a new yearly low at $3,126. Later, it consolidated above $3,126 for a few sessions before correcting higher. It moved above the $3,200 resistance, but it is well below the 100 simple moving average (4-hours).

During the rise, it almost broke the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the last slide from the $3,642 high to $3,126 low. Moreover, there was a break above a key bearish trend line with resistance at $3,220 on the 4-hours chart of the BTC/USD pair. However, it seems like buyers are struggling to gain pace above the $3,250 level. The first hurdle for buyers is near the $3,320 level (the previous support). The next is $3,380 and the 50% Fib retracement level of the last slide from the $3,642 high to $3,126 low. A successful break above $3,380 and the $3,400 is needed for buyers to gain bullish momentum.

Looking at the chart, BTC price could correct higher towards $3,380, but more upsides won’t be easy. On the downside, the $3,200 and $3,126 levels are decent supports, followed by $3,000.
 

Looking at the technical indicators:

4-hours MACD – The MACD for BTC/USD is slowly moving in the bullish zone.

4-hours RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI is just near the 50 level.

Major Support Level – $3,200

Major Resistance Level – $3,400

 

AAYUSH JINDAL | DECEMBER 16, 2018 | 5:00 AM

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Is Bitcoin dying? Not so fast Researchers refute predictions of Crypto Market Demise

Is Bitcoin dying? Not so fast, Researchers refute predictions of Crypto Market Demise

Is Bitcoin dying? Not so fast, Researchers refute predictions of Crypto Market Demise

Each time the cryptocurrency market crashes, social media is filled with predictions of BTC slipping to zero and plenty of people saying “I told you so.” 2018’s bear market has caused many to flee from the cryptocurrency space and emboldened people like economist Nouriel Roubini who has been a harsh critic of Bitcoin and altcoins for years.

He’s called Bitcoin the mother of all scams, has referred to the cryptocurrency market as a “sinking cesspool” and just last week he tweeted that The sector is on its last legs. “If it all sounds funereal it is because Bitcoin and all other crypto-currencies are on the way a funeral march!”

Even some known Bitcoin and cryptocurrency advocates have recently made some remarks that could be taken in a negative light. In the last few weeks, Bitcoin bull and billionaire investor Mike Novogratz said that the ICO market was dead and the young crypto millionaire Erik Finman said the digital asset was in trouble.

Despite all the doom and gloom that has resulted from this extended bear market, researchers from the University of Cambridge who took part in the second Global Cryptoasset Benchmarking Study have some positive news regarding the future price of Bitcoin and the overall health of the cryptocurrency market.

They think that cryptocurrency is here to stay and that there are too many planned developments for the market to fall apart now.

“Statements proclaiming the death of the crypto-asset industry have been made after every global ecosystem bubble,” the researchers stated. “While it is true that the 2017 bubble was the largest in bitcoin’s history, the market capitalization of both bitcoin and the crypto-asset ecosystem still exceeds its January 2017 levels–prior to the start of the bubble.”

The study found that the burst bubble might have caused a delay in the development of many projects, but the industry has pushed forward and many projects may make breakthroughs sooner rather than later. “The speculation of the death of the market and ecosystem has been greatly exaggerated, and so it seems likely that the future expansion plans of industry participants will, at most, be delayed.”

As the community awaits institutional powerhouses like Goldman Sachs to enter the scene and projects like Bakkt to cause a flood of billions to rush into the crypto space, many teams continue to work on the useful applications that will actually usher in adoption and bring cryptocurrency to the masses.

 

By Stephen Brown – December 15, 2018

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

God is Holy God is Love

Can God be both Holy and loving?

Written by Joy on 17/01/2016

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: GodHolinessLove


Do idols belong in the temple of God? We are the temple of the living God, as God himself says, ‘I will live with these people and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ The Lord also says, ‘Leave them and stay away! Don’t touch anything that isn’t clean. Then I will welcome you and be your Father. You will be my sons and my daughters, as surely as I am God, the All-Powerful.’

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

Many say God’s holiness makes him judgmental, demanding a very high moral standard. Others say if God is loving, then he won’t condemn anyone but all will go to Heaven. Are God’s holiness and love opposite extremes?

God’s Holiness

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” (1 John 1:5).

Holiness (pictured here as light) is God’s nature. It unifies all his other characteristics. He is perfectly good, perfectly righteous, perfectly merciful, perfectly faithful, etc. All of his actions are determined by this purity that sets him apart from all others. “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.” (Leviticus 10:3)

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty. The whole earth is filled with his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)

God’s Purity

It is in the presence of God’s pure, holy light that we become aware of our sin. Isaiah said, “I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips…” (Isaiah 6:5) Even our good deeds are filthy compared to the purity of God’s holiness. (Isaiah 64:6Romans 3:23) God does not judge sin out of cruelty: “…His eyes are too pure to look on evil or tolerate wrongdoing.” (Habakkuk 1:13) Yet, the holy mercy and love of God provided a way for Isaiah to be purified (Isaiah 6:6-7) and he does the same for us.

God’s Holy Love

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8).

Selfish motives and wrong thinking limit human love. Real love doesn’t tolerate selfish, hurtful behavior. God is pure love! (1John 4:10,161 Corinthians 13:4-7) He desires holiness for his children: He wants us to be completely set apart for Him. What parent does not wish for a “perfect” life for their child? We lack the understanding and power to give that, but God does not. God wants to give us a new life, free from sin. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

God’s holiness does not limit or oppose his love; it defines it! “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” (1 John 4:18) Are you experiencing this perfect, holy love?


Pray this week:

God, please help me experience the reality of your Holiness and understand my need for your Perfect Love. Please purify me.


How can I, a constant sinner, be accepted by a Holy, perfect God?

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Number of Crypto Users Increase Despite 85 Market Correction

Number of Crypto Users Increase Despite 85% Market Correction

When all is said and done, people remained relatively loyal to bitcoin and crypto in 2018.

Crypto Says Goodbye to the Last 12 Months

This year has not been particularly kind to BTC, especially when compared with 2017, the year of the bitcoin boom. Last December, cryptocurrency enthusiasts and traders everywhere were treated with a special Christmas treat when bitcoin rose to just under $20,000 during the final weeks of the year. After a series of extensive price spikes throughout 2018, it appeared bitcoin had finally hit its mark.

But just a month later, bitcoin began to take a nasty fall, and that fall has never let up. At press time, bitcoin has lost virtually 85 percent of its previous value, and today, it’s trading for just over $3,400.

People Still Love Their Crypto

But that doesn’t mean people gave up on bitcoin and cryptocurrency altogether. A new report issued by the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance suggests that the number of “newbies” entering the crypto space in 2018 practically doubled from the numbers listed for 2017. Despite bitcoin’s record (and consistent) drops, BTC and crypto users shot up more than anyone likely anticipated.

The authors explain:

“Conforming with popular narratives, survey data indicates that most users – both established as well as new entrants – are individuals and not business clients. Individuals can by hobbyists, retail investors, consumers or users seeking a better investment or payment alternative… Growth rates were at their highest in 2017, and the number of new users’ accounts as well as ID-verified users continued to rapidly grow in 2018 as well.”

Will Bitcoin Return to Greatness?

The data suggests one hugely positive thing: that bitcoin is potentially in line for another rally. If users continued to flock to bitcoin even during times of extreme crisis, that could mean recovery is on the way in the coming months – especially if new customers continue to flock to the space. It’s a nice little push forward considering some analysts predict bitcoin to fall even further.

Data issued in the report show that the number of user accounts on digital exchanges nears the 150 million-mark for 2018. This is almost double the number of accounts in 2017, which was only at about 80 million. In addition, the number of ID-verified accounts sprung from about 20 million to 40 million between 2017 and now.

However, the study confirms that bitcoin is still largely being used for investing purposes rather than for commerce or making purchases. Volatility remains extremely high, which has prevented bitcoin from being used as a potential “money replacement” more often.

 

NICK MARINOFF · DECEMBER 13, 2018 · 12:07 AM

 

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

The Idolatry of People-Pleasing

What if I'm more afraid to displease important people than God?

Written by GodLife on 13/09/2016
Series: Weekly Devotional
Tags: Idolatry, Influence, Relationships, Submission
So now run away to your place. I said I would give you much honor, but the Lord has kept you from honor.

Numbers 24:11
A story in the Bible's book of Numbers shows how dangerous the desire to “please men” can be (Colossians 3:22). This story is mentioned a lot in the Bible. Each mention comes with a warning.

God wants us to take note: what can this story teach us about ourselves?

1. It is Dangerous To Look For God’s Permission And Not His Approval
Fearing Israel, King Balak sent for the prophet Balaam. God told Balaam not to go. King Balak persisted, so Balaam asked God again.

God seemed persuaded: he gave Balaam permission to go. On his journey, the donkey he was riding was blocked by an angel with a drawn sword. The donkey refused to keep going, angering Balaam so much that he beat the animal. Before he could kill her, God allowed the donkey to speak, warning him of the danger. God then opened Balaam’s eyes to see the angel standing ready to kill him!

Just as the donkey’s actions went against Balaam’s plan for her, Balaam himself had nearly been killed for resisting God. But Balaam presses again, and finds the permission, (not the approval), of God.

2. There is Danger in Getting Around God’s Purposes
Accompanying the messengers back to Midian, Balaam at first blesses Israel instead of cursing them. God had warned him to do only as he was told. (Numbers 22:20) Balak is furious. Later we’re told (Numbers 31:16) that Balaam taught the Midianite women to seduce the Israelite men into idolatry. (Numbers 25:1-3) Terrified by Balak, Balaam cunningly thought of a way to curse the Israelites without speaking the curse himself, still a violation of God's instructions.

3. The Outcome of the Fear of Man
Balaam’s conduct shows perversion in a believer's walk:

The “way of Balaam” (2 Peter 2:15) — “against” God. (Numbers 22:32) If it was to his advantage, Balaam didn’t fear taking God's mercy for granted. In his heart, he said, “God has said ‘no’ to this–maybe there's a way I can do it anyway.”
The “error of Balaam” (Jude 11) — failing to learn the lesson of the encounter. Balaam was physically stopped and even threatened.
The “doctrine of Balaam” (Revelation 2:14) — passing this attitude along. Balaam was willing to try to spoil the purpose of God.

Presumption leads to the error of trying to get around God’s will. This means we manipulate, teach or become a bad example, leading others down the same corrupt path. Balaam may have said the Lord was his God. But he had idolatry in his life all along: respect of human favor over God’s. How much will God allow if we presume upon His grace? Balaam’s idolatry led him to serve God’s enemies, curse himself (Numbers 23:9) and demonstrate God’s denial of his prayers (Numbers 23:10) in the manner of his death. (Numbers 31:8)

Pray this week:
Father, I surrender myself to you again. I want your way to prevail in my life. Protect me from presumptuous sin.

How can you know God’s good, pleasing and perfect will for your life?

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitcoin BTC Daily Price Forecast December 12

Bitcoin (BTC) Daily Price Forecast – December 12

Bitcoin (BTC) Daily Price Forecast – December 12

BTC/USD Medium-term Trend: Bearish

Resistance Levels: $6,800, $6,900, $7,000

Support levels: $3,300, $3,200, $3,100

Yesterday, December 11, the price of Bitcoin was in a bearish trend. In the last 48 hours, the price of Bitcoin had been in the bearish trend zone. The crypto's price had been fluctuating above the $3,400 price level. It was suggested that if the bears broke the $3,400 price level, the crypto will resume the downtrend and price is expected to test the $3,000 price level.

Today, the crypto's price is below the EMAs and price is fluctuating above the $3,400 price level. Meanwhile, the MACD line and the signal line are below the zero line which indicates a sell signal. Also, the BTC price is below the 12-day EMA and the 26-day EMA which indicates that price is likely to fall.

BTC/USD Short-term Trend: Bearish

On the 1-hour chart, the price of Bitcoin is in a bearish trend. In the bearish trend of yesterday, the crypto’s price fell to the low of $3,413.3 and commenced a bullish movement on the upside. The bulls broke the 12-day EMA but were resisted by the 26-day EMA and price fell back to the bearish trend zone.

Meanwhile, the price of Bitcoin is below the 12-day EMA and the 26-day EMA which indicates that price is likely to fall. The Relative Strength Index period 14 is level 37 which indicates that price is nearing the oversold region.

 

By Azeez M – December 12, 2018

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Ways God Meets Your Needs

Jesus promises to meet your needs

Written by Ruth on 11/12/2018

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: NeedFaithContentmentFaithfulness


Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

Do you trust God to meet your needs and direct your life His way, or demand them your way?

Today, let’s talk about a Bible character named Elizabeth as an example of how God meets our needs. 

Elizabeth's circumstances

Luke 1:5 – In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Luke 1:7 – But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. 

Elizabeth had a need which had consequences for her marriage as well as for her connection with other people around her – she could not have children. She had probably given up on this dream since she was now old enough that having a child was no longer possible. Yet, her deep need remained in her heart. While the Bible does not tell us this, I am sure she wept with her husband many times over this lack in their family.

When you have a need, what do you do about it? What do you think would happen if you would ask and trust Jesus to know and solve your need His way?

Elizabeth’s Faith

Luke 1:13 – But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 

Luke 1:24 – After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden…

When her husband returned home from his time of serving in the temple, Elizabeth must have been afraid because of the change in him – he could not speak. But he must have written God’s promise to him and her, because we know she knew all about what the angel had said to him.

Then it happened – she was pregnant! She was going to have a baby even when it was impossible because of her age. Did she hide herself because she did not want to be the subject of gossip in her town? How do you hide what Jesus is doing in your life?

Elizabeth’s Happiness

Luke 1:36 – And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 

Luke 1:39-41 – In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 

When Mary, a young woman who was also pregnant by a miracle, came to visit Elizabeth, however, Elizabeth began to rejoice in the miracle God had given her. But an interesting thing to see here is that Elizabeth was not jealous of Mary! Elizabeth did not want the honor Mary had received, she just remained glad of her own miracle.

When something good happens to you, and then you see something better happen to someone else, how do you respond to either God or the other person?

Elizabeth’s Faithfulness

Luke 1:57 – Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 

Luke 1:58-62 – And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but [Elizabeth] answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 

Elizabeth followed God’s plan for her child even though everyone around her urged her to do what tradition expected. Naming the child should have followed their rules, but God had said they should follow His plan instead.


Pray this week:

Lord Jesus, help me to be faithful to Your will for my life, no matter how impossible it seems, or how much others urge me to follow a different path.


When God asks you to do something that does not follow the traditions or plans others around you expect, how do you choose?
 

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitcoin price weekly analysis 11122018

Bitcoin price weekly analysis – 11.12.2018

Bitcoin price weekly analysis – 11.12.2018

Bitcoin price continued on plummeting throughout last week’s trading sessions, recording a week low of $3,277 last Friday. However, after the week low was recorded, the market began recovering slightly and the bulls managed to push bitcoin price above $3,600 on Sunday. Despite the 14% drop we witnessed last week, the market’s bears failed to pull bitcoin price below $3,192, which represents a critical support level, as per the current market conditions. If bitcoin price continues on recovering during the upcoming week, it won’t face significant resistance except near $4,282, which corresponds to the 76.4% Fibonacci retracement level.

Bitcoin price and the news:

In another disappointing week for cryptocurrency enthusiasts, the price of bitcoin continued on dropping to record a new low during 2018. As such, bitcoin price lost more than 50% of its market capital in less than a month. The bearish wave also affected Ripple (XRP), Stellar (XLM), Ethereum (ETH), EOS, Litecoin (LTC), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH), which witnessed 10-20% price drops during last week’s trading sessions.

Last week, the SEC announced that they are to postpone the ruling of Bitcoin’s ETF until late February. This did not help boost the confidence of crypto investors who seem to be reaching a point of capitulation.

The Bitcoin Network overall hash rate continued on dropping throughout the previous week. Bitcoin’s hash rate has been dropping since the beginning of November, even though it has been steadily rising all through 2018, recording historical highs last August. The reasons behind this decline include:

– Shutting down of mining operations by the Chinese government

– Hash power of mining facilities being redirected away from bitcoin to mine other cryptocurrencies

– Decline of mining profitability forced a considerable percentage of miners to cease mining operations entirely.

 

Red Ichimoku Cloud on the 1 day BTCUSD chart:

Let’s examine the 1 day BTCUSD chart from Bitfinex, while plotting the Ichimoku Cloud, the Williams Alligator’s SMAs, and the MACD indicator, as shown on the below chart. We can note the following:

– To identify key resistance and support levels as per the current market, we will plot Fibonacci retracements extending between a low of $3,192 and a high of $7,758. Last week, bitcoin price dropped significantly, after the market’s bears managed to breach the support level around $4,282, which corresponds to the 76.4% Fibonacci retracement. Now, the next significant support level lies around $3,192. Last week, bitcoin price began recovering after a low of $3,277 was recorded, which is around $90 higher than the critical support level around $3,192. On the upside, the market’s bulls will face significant resistance around $4,282 (previous support turns into resistance).

– The Ichimoku Cloud is exhibiting multiple bearish signals, which denotes that bitcoin price is most likely to continue on dropping during the upcoming week. The Ichimoku Cloud is red. Bitcoin price is way below the cloud (bearish signal). Also, the Conversion Line (blue line) has crossed below the Base Line (red line), which represents another bearish signal.

– The Williams Alligator’s SMAs are exhibiting a bearish alignment, as the teeth (red SMA) is between the jaw (blue SMA) from above, and the lips (green SMA) from below.

– The MACD indicator is in the negative territory, yet the blue MACD line has crossed above the red signal line.

 

Bullish reversal signs on the 4 hour BTCUSD chart:

Now, let’s examine the 4 hour BTCUSD chart from Bitfinex, while plotting the Williams Alligator’s SMAs and MACD indicator. We will also keep the Fibonacci retracements we extended on the 1 day chart, as shown on the below chart. We can note the following:

– Right after the week low was recorded, a “bullish engulfing” candlestick pattern was formed on the chart (the pair of candlesticks highlighted by an ellipse on the above chart). This candlestick pattern serves as a bullish reversal signal denoting that bitcoin price can recover and attempt rising towards $4,282 during the upcoming week.

– Even though the Williams Alligator’s SMAs have been exhibiting a bearish alignment since the beginning of December, this alignment began to change on Sunday to form a bullish alignment. This serves as a bullish reversal signal that denotes that the bears are losing their market grip.

– The MACD is bullish. The MACD blue line has crossed above the signal red line and both are sloping in an upwards direction, which represent another bullish reversal signal.
 

Conclusion:

Bitcoin price continued on dropping during last week’s trading sessions. Even though the 1 day BTCUSD charts are still exhibiting multiple bearish indicators, analysis of the 4 hour BTCUSD charts shows multiple bullish reversal signals that indicate that bitcoin price is likely to recover during the upcoming week.

 

POSTED BY: TAMER SAMEEH DECEMBER 11, 2018

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Living and Teaching

 

A modern proverb states, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." However, for followers of Jesus, a lot of the "doing" is teaching. The Lord has directed His people to share His message of love with the world.

Written by Hope on 15/12/2013
Series: Weekly Devotional
Tags: Evangelism, Living, Teaching
"Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you." Matthew 28:19-20

A modern proverb states, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." However, for followers of Jesus, a lot of the "doing" is teaching. The Lord has directed His people to share His message of love with the world.

Right Living
While leading others in their faith, we must keep an eye on our own lives, making sure that we are living what we are teaching. Jesus said, "Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye" (Matthew 7:3-5). You will harm your disciples if you display a lifestyle of saying one thing while doing another. "Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did" (I John 2:6).

Bible-based Teaching
The Apostle Paul wrote to his disciple, Timothy, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right" (II Timothy 3:16). To properly lead another in godly growth, our foundation must be God's Word. "Those who obey God’s Word truly show how completely they love Him" (I John 2:5).

Follow Up Faithfully
When you commit to helping a new believer, don't give up on them. Many of the books of the New Testament exist because God didn't let His Apostles abandon the churches they'd planted throughout the region.

Instead, they wrote to them and visited them to ensure that they learned and obeyed God's Word. St. Paul called his fellow Christians in Philippi "…my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it" (Philippians 1:5). The Apostles' follow-up contributed to the amazing growth of the Early Church, and when you help a new believer, you are walking in the Apostles’ footsteps.

Prayer, Care, and Share Jesus
“Teaching How to Share the Gospel”
Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

People who have recently become believers are often in the "first love" stage of their relationship with Christ (Rev 2:4). They are in a good position to tell others about the gospel. As their spiritual leaders, we should teach them as soon as possible how to share their faith with others.

We suggest that you start by teaching your disciple some simple methods to share the gospel:

A proven tool for sharing the gospel verbally is the Four Spiritual Laws, which you will find at www.godlife.com/gospel.
To share Christ visually, consider using a simple diagram that explains Jesus as the "bridge" to life: http://www.navigators.org/Tools/Evangelism Resources/Tools/The Bridge to Life
A personal and powerful way for your disciple to share the love of Christ is through their personal testimony. (Rev 12:11) This will be fresh on their hearts, and we encourage you to have your disciple write out their testimony and practice sharing it with you.

A concise testimony that can be shared verbally in 3 to 5 minutes should follow this simple outline:

How was your life before you met Christ?
How did you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? (Give a brief summary of the gospel message)
How has your life changed since you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
Encourage your disciple, after presenting the gospel, to bring the person to a point of decision. Have them ask, “Would you like to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior right now?” If they are ready, lead them in a prayer acknowledging that Jesus died and rose from the dead, asking God's forgiveness for their sins, and inviting Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.

Teach your disciple not to lose heart if someone does not respond to the gospel right away. Your disciple should realize that their responsibility is just to share the gospel, and the Holy Spirit who brings understanding that leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Pray this week:
You will teach Bible-based truths.

What does it mean 'to live for Jesus?' If you're not sure, talk to a Christian and find out.

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member