Posted: November 14th, 2009 under Evangelism, Quotations, Scripture.
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Just a quick thought here…If you’re not “sharing your faith” often, how do you know it is really yours?

Have you no concern in the slightest for the lost? I know we can tend to go to the other unhealthy extreme of allowing legalistic angst be the motive behind urges to give a tract or have a conversation with every single person around us, and that’s not what I’m trying to prompt you with; even evangelism can be an idol if we let it. But are you naturally trying in some way each day to reconcile sinners with God?

If you say you have a part in the Christian (“Christ-follower”) faith, you have been given a job to do: it is called the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18). Furthermore, take Paul’s example, and he told the Colossians “Him we preach, warning every man” (1:28). When was the last time you warned anyone with a word, a tract, a letter…something?

Posted: July 31st, 2009 under Challenge, Evangelism, Getting Started, Gospel Tracts.
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Posted: July 21st, 2009 under Challenge, Evangelism, Hope.
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“I have read of a Coast Guard crew summoned on a stormy night to rescue survivors from a sinking vessel. One member of the crew was fearful: ‘Captain,’ he moaned, ‘we’ll never get back.’ ‘We don’t have to come back,’ was the reply, ‘we only have to go.’” – Vance Havner

Posted: June 12th, 2009 under Evangelism, Learning & Growing, Quotations, World Missions.
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Underneath following the day’s inaugural events I have been challenged by recent comments by Paul Washer and, separately, Ingrid Schlueter on her SliceofLaodicea blog about the up-tick potential for real persecution coming to Christians in America.

Let me pose to you some of the same questions I have been trying to ask myself:

• Did you ever think you might one day get handcuffed, fingerprinted, and jailed for sharing the Gospel?
• Your plans for the future…what if they are all dashed because you lost your job because of your commitment to Jesus?
• If you ever did get arrested and convicted, have you thought how that would impact your current job and severely impact your prospects for finding other work?

These are scary questions, aren’t they? They would make the blood of any sane person run icy cold at the thought.  By the way, there are thousands of brothers and sisters in Christ who TODAY experience these things–and worse. Have you prayed for them lately?

While by no means trying to minimize (or sensationalize) what may lie ahead, it seemed to me most appropriate to take courage and comfort in Luther’s (translated) words.  Steve Green does a masterful job giving them voice:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Posted: January 21st, 2009 under Challenge, Current Events, Evangelism, Hope, State of the Church, The Church, World Events, World Missions.
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39And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
- Acts 10:39-43

In verses 39-41 Peter continues his summary of the Life and ministry of Jesus.  We Christians, at least in America it seems, often overlook sharing about Jesus’ life with those who are lost, tending to focus exclusively on the Cross and His resurrection.  (See Part I for details)

Verse 42 – When we provide a whole picture of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we can then easily, logically build on to show that He has taken His rightful place as the Ultimate Judge each of us will stand before.

Verse 43 – Here too, we tend to neglect referring to the prophets’ testimony of a coming Christ (remember, most unsaved people don’t know what “Christ” means, so “de-code” it for them).  Then Peter, in a crescendo of testimony, explains how it is men can be saved by this One He has described.

It would seem, then, to apply this to our sharing the Gospel, we would do well to model Peter’s approach (which is the Bible’s approach) of, at least summarily, not neglecting to tell people the entirety of the Gospel story:

I. Jesus’ earthly good deeds, healings, grace, truth, kindness, message, etc.
II. His death on the Cross
III. His resurrection to Glory (and appearances to many)
IV. His now being seated in the place of our final Judge
V. How the prophets, and all of Scripture, center on Jesus
VI. How, then we can be saved/our right response to Who God Is, and what He has done

Even if a person does not get saved at that moment, God may be using you to clear up some misconceptions or flat-out errors they picked up sometime in the past about the Lord.  So pray the Lord waters the seed!!

Posted: January 20th, 2009 under Evangelism, Getting Started, Scripture, Witness Encounters.
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