Mission Statement
With the help of the Holy Spirit, LINK UP TO LIFE is committed to:
- Advancing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and love of Christ.
- Putting hope into the people's hearts and giving Victory to those living in darkness.
- Illuminating the way of salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ.
- Opening the door to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, to pray and seek God, and know His will for their life by living in faith and surrender to Him.
- Financially helping those who have fallen into tough times and/or have fallen through the cracks through Link Up to Life Foundation
Biblical References
...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:15
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:5
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
Belief Statement
“The Bible, the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God without error in the original writings, and are the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.”
God
There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three manifestations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, the complete and final sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.
The Holy Spirit
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and during this age, to convict men of sin, regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service. Man – Man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
Salvation
The shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ by faith are born of the Holy Spirit and thus become children of God. The Return of Jesus Christ – The personal, pre-millennial, and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ is our hope and has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
Our Vision
LINK UP TO LIFE'S vision is to be an influence on a worldwide scale. We plan to accomplish this by committing our resources and using every form of media to persuade people of what is good and acceptable in the eyes of Almighty God.
Biblical References
Ask of Me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.
Psalms 2:8
... If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
Our Values
LINK UP TO LIFE'S ministry team believes every person will give an account to God of the deeds done in life, whether good or bad. We further believe that those called to the service of God will also give an accounting of the stewardship entrusted to them. Therefore, knowing the terror of God, we seek to persuade all to make peace with God through Jesus the Christ.
Biblical References
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:2
My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgement.
James 3:1 (NKJV)
Personal Testimony
Personal Testimony
One of our founders is Steven Lehenbauer, owner of Red Cactus Salsa. God has been working in Steven's life for many years; his personal testimony appears below.
Testimony: God Encounter: In the summer of 1992, while driving down Highway 70 in St. Louis as I had many times after a night of fun, I felt what was like a tap on the shoulder. It startled me and I looked around and then heard God speak to me very clearly. He said stop living my life the way I was, or I would soon be dead! This shook me tremendously and truly moved my heart. A couple of months before this encounter I had been invited by a friend to go to church in St. Louis. I enjoyed being there very much. I did not leave there completely changed, but I know that a seed was planted that day. God was ordering the steps to save my soul! Weeks after this experience on the highway in St. Louis, God again had a friend invite me to another church. It was the River of Life Family Church in Quincy, Illinois where I lived. Wow, God touched my heart in a big way that day. The power of worshiping God and feeling his presence made a permanent change in my life as soon as I stepped into the sanctuary. The worship and the sounds of a flute begin to overwhelm me with His presence and minister to my heart. The experiences I had known from my young years in church flooded my heart. God's loving Spirit had gripped my heart and was not going to let go. I did not want it to let go either. The love of God I felt was beyond words! It locked onto my heart, and I would never let go! From this day on, he would slowly begin to rearrange my life and begin a Spiritual Journey that would eternally change my life. I would find myself giving up my old ways and no longer desiring the same music and stuff. All the music CD's I owned were thrown away in the trash since I did not want anyone else to have the junk. I stopped drinking and no longer was going out on weekends and instead desired church life. These were not hard decisions, they just happened, and I liked it! My friends I had before would now go away and I would desire friends of Faith. Cool thing about my old friends is that at this change in my life, they all somehow had new paths. I remember three of my close friends ended up moving out of town. I really think God cleared my path to help me stay on course. On September 27, 1991, I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart at a Dallas Holm concert. This was the beginning of a Purpose Driven Life, giving me an awesome reason to live for.
Soon after giving my life to Christ, God would have me start a business called Red Cactus, “Americas Sweet” salsa. Twenty-five years later I would write a book of my story and personal journey with God and how He used the challenges of building a business, Red Cactus USA, and frailty of life to help me grow spiritually and in faith. It is a story of obedience and surrender to see His will and purposes thru with a business I knew nothing about. My challenge was to believe and stay in faith regardless of the storms of life, no matter how long the journey and how many times I would want to quit. It would become the platform for me to spread the gospel and life of faith, hope and love by writing my book entitled, “From the Cactus to the Cross.” As a company we have now helped raise tens of thousands of dollars to feed the hungry and change the lives of kids and adults with our message. In the book I want people to know that God is real and speaks to us daily if we know Him and are listening to His holy spirit. One question I have for all is do you know the true will of God for your life. If so, how do you know? I mention all through the book what I call, “God Encounters” and show how the voice of God is always speaking, teaching, and guiding my life.
I remember my first manufacturer told me it would be an act of God for me to succeed. They stated that if a sweet salsa were wanted by consumers, big companies would already be doing it. They said I would have to a build this sweet flavor profile from the ground up which would be costly and take years if it happened, stating that it would be near to impossible. They also said having crosses and scripture on my jars would never be allowed and it would be a matter of time before I would be challenged to take them off. I told them that it was God who inspired this journey and I would take this chance.
Selling only a few cases of Red Cactus “Americas Sweet” salsa at a time out of the trunk of my car I began calling on local stores. Initially the product was a success with stores, but God allowed me to hit a point in the beginning where I would find myself broke and almost homeless. Learning the life of surrender and humility was happening. The test were extreme, but He gave me a promise if I would faint not that the business would reap a big harvest someday and be a huge testimony. Years later after finally finishing the book I would lose my wife of 20 years to cancer leaving me devastated. I never saw myself being a single parent of 4 kids to raise. I am continually reminded of her strong faith during her last moments at home where she was pressing her handwritten index cards with healing scripture into her chest. Even in her toughest moment her faith was not wavering. She believed to the end and got her ultimate eternal reward to be in the arms of Jesus. Though my faith was stunned, her demonstration of faith encouraged me to press on toward the high goal of teaching people of His faithfulness even in the storms of life. Years later and staying true to His promise we would be selling truckloads over 25 states to the top retailers in the country like Walmart. But our ultimate goal has never been about selling salsa as much as witnessing of God’s faithfulness even through the storms of life.
Just as Job endured much to reach the place he finally did; I have been blessed again with a faith filled wife who is strong in God. Now, I have a family of 7 kids and 10 animals, something I never saw coming but God did. Together we would begin to spread our story of love and grace of God making His faithfulness known to all. My ministry, “Link up to Life” now has an audience that stretches over all 50 states. Only God could have brought this about. Each of us possess all it takes to do the will of God. By His spirit we can do all things. He who endures much will do much for the kingdom of God. God chose a business and something I never wanted to do to humble me and share His story. I hope you will give me a chance to share my story of Faith, Hope and Love to a people He has called me to share with. My only purpose is to help make Him famous and known to those hurting especially in a dark troubled world. Just Believe!
This in my journey called, "From the Cactus to the Cross". I would love to come to your church or place of meeting and speak of radical faith, tell stories and encourage all to serve Christ and know His ways, His word, pray and see Jesus lifted up and glorified.
Steven C. Lehenbauer, Founder Red Cactus USA, Link up to Life Ministries. Contact info:
email - [email protected]
phone: 217-653-8147
redcactussalsa.com and linkuptolife.org
