For the past few years I would hear my friends talk about how the Jehovah Witnesses came knocking on their door only for them to either politely tell them to leave of just hide and wait them out.
I have been patient hoping I would be home when a JW or two would come knocking on my door.
Today was my day.
I was checking my email right around lunch time when I saw a full size pickup pull into my driveway. The way the truck pulled in I thought they were a little lost and was just using my driveway as a turn around. But the passenger door swung open first and then the driver's door and as a couple young men stepped out of the truck I knew it was the JW's.
I quickly turned to my right and grabbed a couple pamphlet tracts that go into more detail than the MDB's and I grabbed a hat (still had morning hair) and headed towards the front door.
My heart was racing a million miles and hour.
I opened the door (I think before they even had a chance to knock) and greeted them. One of the gentlemen gave me the quick, "We have some information we would like to talk with you about" line. It must have been a shock for them when I invited them to come on in the house.
We exchanged the introductions and then one of the young men (They both looked like they were in their late 20's or early 30's. Now that I'm almost 50 I can call them young men!) started talking about the world and it's condition today and asked me if I have ever thought about life after death, etc.
For the first 5 minutes or so I just let him talk. To be honest, I can't remember almost anything he was saying. It was like that Pink Floyd song, "Comfortably Numb" where the lyrics say, "Your lips move, but I can't hear what you're saying"
I was praying, "Lord, please slow my heart rate down. Please give me the wisdom and the words to say right now."
The young man said something about Jesus dying for the sin of everyone so, when they die, all could live in paradise.
Everyone, I said?
Yes.
What about Hitler? Do you guy's think Hitler is in paradise?
Well, that's for Jehovah to judge.
The conversation went back and forth about the real reason for Jesus' sacrificial death, propitiation, the reality (or not) about eternal punishment, works versus faith alone in Christ, living a godly life, etc.
It came to a point where I tried to give the good person test but, like they have been trained to do, they avoided the questions and went back to other points they were trying to make.
After about 15 minutes or so they told me that they would be happy to come back and discuss a single topic if I liked. I told them that would be cool. I said, how about we talk about faith alone in Christ alone for salvation? They said that would be fine.
I gave the the tracts I had and they said that they were genuinely thankful for the kindness I showed them in letting them into my home and having a civil conversation about spiritual things. They said they have had a lot of people scream and yell at them and slam doors in their faces.
They said they would come back in two or three weeks after I have recovered from my surgery next week. I said that would be fine. I don't know if they will come back or not.
I figure if I can try to show them that salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone I can also, by default, explain the Deity of Christ to them; show how Jesus is not a Archangel but is indeed God Himself.
The conversation didn't go as I thought it would go, but I'm sure it went the way it was supposed to go.
Stay tuned!
26 December 2009
24 December 2009
Christ; the ultimate gift to man.
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Isaiah 7:13-14
Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:21-23
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Luke 2:8-14
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
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Merry Christmas to all of my blog friends I have made over the past couple years!!
10 December 2009
What is missing?
From Leon Brown at Press On Until Glory
Every year, Christians are trained around the nation in order to learn how to share the gospel. You are familiar with the programs because they are many. Some programs are professed to be better than others. Are they really? The final determination is up to you!
But throughout these training sessions, I've noticed something is missing. Or to be more specific, I should say, the first step is missing.
It's extremely easy to gather 100 people into a room and tell them a certain formula to share the gospel. I've done it, and you've probably done it. Initially, it seems to help people. They are thankful that they are learning to share the gospel, and rightfully so. But once the training session is complete and they're on their own, sometimes the enthusiasm to share the gospel tappers off.
Why?
I believe it's because something is missing.
You know, just the other day I watched my interview with Dr. J.I. Packer. At one point, I asked him about evangelism. He told me that his African friends would think we are quite strange for talking about evangelism because they do it so frequently and so naturally. As I began to think about this, I wondered, "Why do they do it so frequently and so naturally?"
Many answers came to mind and this is one of them: Joy!
These African brothers have joy in the Lord. And as this joy builds inside of them, they cannot help but share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's kind of like a pot that boils over because it has too much water in it. Initially, the waters are calm, but as the pot heats up, the water come out the top.
The same thing can be said about sharing the gospel. Once the pot gets burning (the pot is you), the gospel will come out. It may not come out perfectly or even the way you'd want it to, but it comes out. (Remember, God works in spite of us often, so don't be discouraged if the gospel does not come out exactly 'like you planned.')
Moreover, sharing the gospel becomes natural. There are too many instances when non-believers will make this comment once they've heard the gospel or watched a video on YouTube: "Oh, I've heard that before."
Question: "Heard what before?"
They are not talking about the gospel insomuch as they are talking about the "formula" that was used to share the gospel. You're familiar with them. There is no need to name names. There are a bunch of them out there.
So, back to my original question. What's missing?
Instead of teaching someone how to share the gospel as a first step, as best as it is possible (and this is hard with a large group), let' see if they have joy in the Lord. I think it's too much to assume that they have joy just because they're there. Many people simply want an easy way out, and this includes Christians. People want a 1-2-3 step program. Whereas, evangelism, as I've had to learn, is so much more than that.
So, as we continue to train individuals in the body of Christ, as far as we are able, let the first step, or one of the first steps, be in talking to the trainee about joy...because if they have joy, chances are they've already been sharing the gospel, but they're coming to you to be refined, not initiated. Then, once the trainee leaves, he or she will continue to share the gospel (naturally, I might add) regardless of whether he/she thinks their local assembly is sharing Christ. Why?
Because they have joy! And joy about a particular subject is hard to keep to yourself! Thank God there is joy in Christ!
Every year, Christians are trained around the nation in order to learn how to share the gospel. You are familiar with the programs because they are many. Some programs are professed to be better than others. Are they really? The final determination is up to you!
But throughout these training sessions, I've noticed something is missing. Or to be more specific, I should say, the first step is missing.
It's extremely easy to gather 100 people into a room and tell them a certain formula to share the gospel. I've done it, and you've probably done it. Initially, it seems to help people. They are thankful that they are learning to share the gospel, and rightfully so. But once the training session is complete and they're on their own, sometimes the enthusiasm to share the gospel tappers off.
Why?
I believe it's because something is missing.
You know, just the other day I watched my interview with Dr. J.I. Packer. At one point, I asked him about evangelism. He told me that his African friends would think we are quite strange for talking about evangelism because they do it so frequently and so naturally. As I began to think about this, I wondered, "Why do they do it so frequently and so naturally?"
Many answers came to mind and this is one of them: Joy!
These African brothers have joy in the Lord. And as this joy builds inside of them, they cannot help but share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's kind of like a pot that boils over because it has too much water in it. Initially, the waters are calm, but as the pot heats up, the water come out the top.
The same thing can be said about sharing the gospel. Once the pot gets burning (the pot is you), the gospel will come out. It may not come out perfectly or even the way you'd want it to, but it comes out. (Remember, God works in spite of us often, so don't be discouraged if the gospel does not come out exactly 'like you planned.')
Moreover, sharing the gospel becomes natural. There are too many instances when non-believers will make this comment once they've heard the gospel or watched a video on YouTube: "Oh, I've heard that before."
Question: "Heard what before?"
They are not talking about the gospel insomuch as they are talking about the "formula" that was used to share the gospel. You're familiar with them. There is no need to name names. There are a bunch of them out there.
So, back to my original question. What's missing?
Instead of teaching someone how to share the gospel as a first step, as best as it is possible (and this is hard with a large group), let' see if they have joy in the Lord. I think it's too much to assume that they have joy just because they're there. Many people simply want an easy way out, and this includes Christians. People want a 1-2-3 step program. Whereas, evangelism, as I've had to learn, is so much more than that.
So, as we continue to train individuals in the body of Christ, as far as we are able, let the first step, or one of the first steps, be in talking to the trainee about joy...because if they have joy, chances are they've already been sharing the gospel, but they're coming to you to be refined, not initiated. Then, once the trainee leaves, he or she will continue to share the gospel (naturally, I might add) regardless of whether he/she thinks their local assembly is sharing Christ. Why?
Because they have joy! And joy about a particular subject is hard to keep to yourself! Thank God there is joy in Christ!
03 December 2009
When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?
From Proclaim the Truth
When I was in my early twenties, I found myself in a place of turmoil. My religious beliefs were no longer valid. They could not sustain me. Since I was merely religious and had not yet experienced true salvation, I was trusting in a false belief system that could not help me. Because of this reality, I was being tempted by Satan to abandoned Christianity altogether. One of the lies I began to buy into was the lie that said to me, “Christianity is not true. Look at all the strife and all of the denominations. Such a confused system of beliefs cannot be true.” For a season, I struggled with this question. This was resolved the moment I became truly saved and saw the light. However, the question lingers for those on the outside and so I want to approach this question, but from a different angle. I want to ask the question, when do Christians “go to the mat” for truth?
Here is my purpose: If we can say that there are truths in the Bible that are universally true and that cannot be compromised, then we must resolve that those truths require us to fight the good fight. We must fight that fight in love, but we must fight nonetheless to reserve, to conserve, and to proclaim that very truth. The natural result is that feelings will get hurt and that unsaved people will look on with the support of Satan to question this strife within visible Christianity. And yet, what else should we expect? True Christianity is always in a struggle with the false version being peddled by false converts. It is always the lie that is closest to the truth that is most difficult to contend with. And so, true Christians are always left with the task of proclaiming a truth that the world hates and that false Christians will chastise and diagnose as being hateful. The enormous irony is that true Christians are often ostracized as some strange religious sect despite preaching truth, while false Christians are living a lie and celebrated.
Because Christianity has been, and will continue to be invaded by tares (false Christians), we must understand that this is a battle we will always have to fight. And yet, it is not easy. It is not easy calling out friends and family, and other supposed Christians when they are preaching a false gospel. So, the question remains: when do we go to the mat and when do we remain silent? That is not an easy question to answer because the danger is always present that we become divisive in the name of truth. We have to be delicate and balanced. We have to go to the mat in love. We have to proclaim the truth, but try to do so in as winsome a way as possible. We will offend people because of the gospel, but we have to try to not be offensive in the way we do it. To my regret, I have not always done this correctly. All Christians will fail at this from time to time. But, it must be always on our mind as we seek to be salt and light.
I submit to you that any time truth is at stake in general, and the gospel in particular, we must go to the mat as if our very life depended on it. We must resolve in our minds that no matter whom we offend and no matter what the consequences, we will proclaim the truth. And we must do this while in the Word, while in prayer, and with love for the unregenerate in our hearts. And when we fail to do this in the right way – in a winsome way, in a loving way – we must repent and start anew. We must love the unregenerate even when the unregenerate hates us. It is a tall order to take up our cross and follow Jesus, but it is what we are called to do. So, we must go to the mat for truth. That is a given. And we must do it whenever truth is at stake. The question now before us is what truths in the Bible are so clearly evident, so obvious, and so crucial that we do not compromise them? That is a more difficult question and one I would like to spend some time discussing. I am going to spend a few weeks considering that question and will write again on it in the future.
Brian Dufala
Hat Tip - The Word Street Journal
When I was in my early twenties, I found myself in a place of turmoil. My religious beliefs were no longer valid. They could not sustain me. Since I was merely religious and had not yet experienced true salvation, I was trusting in a false belief system that could not help me. Because of this reality, I was being tempted by Satan to abandoned Christianity altogether. One of the lies I began to buy into was the lie that said to me, “Christianity is not true. Look at all the strife and all of the denominations. Such a confused system of beliefs cannot be true.” For a season, I struggled with this question. This was resolved the moment I became truly saved and saw the light. However, the question lingers for those on the outside and so I want to approach this question, but from a different angle. I want to ask the question, when do Christians “go to the mat” for truth?
Here is my purpose: If we can say that there are truths in the Bible that are universally true and that cannot be compromised, then we must resolve that those truths require us to fight the good fight. We must fight that fight in love, but we must fight nonetheless to reserve, to conserve, and to proclaim that very truth. The natural result is that feelings will get hurt and that unsaved people will look on with the support of Satan to question this strife within visible Christianity. And yet, what else should we expect? True Christianity is always in a struggle with the false version being peddled by false converts. It is always the lie that is closest to the truth that is most difficult to contend with. And so, true Christians are always left with the task of proclaiming a truth that the world hates and that false Christians will chastise and diagnose as being hateful. The enormous irony is that true Christians are often ostracized as some strange religious sect despite preaching truth, while false Christians are living a lie and celebrated.
Because Christianity has been, and will continue to be invaded by tares (false Christians), we must understand that this is a battle we will always have to fight. And yet, it is not easy. It is not easy calling out friends and family, and other supposed Christians when they are preaching a false gospel. So, the question remains: when do we go to the mat and when do we remain silent? That is not an easy question to answer because the danger is always present that we become divisive in the name of truth. We have to be delicate and balanced. We have to go to the mat in love. We have to proclaim the truth, but try to do so in as winsome a way as possible. We will offend people because of the gospel, but we have to try to not be offensive in the way we do it. To my regret, I have not always done this correctly. All Christians will fail at this from time to time. But, it must be always on our mind as we seek to be salt and light.
I submit to you that any time truth is at stake in general, and the gospel in particular, we must go to the mat as if our very life depended on it. We must resolve in our minds that no matter whom we offend and no matter what the consequences, we will proclaim the truth. And we must do this while in the Word, while in prayer, and with love for the unregenerate in our hearts. And when we fail to do this in the right way – in a winsome way, in a loving way – we must repent and start anew. We must love the unregenerate even when the unregenerate hates us. It is a tall order to take up our cross and follow Jesus, but it is what we are called to do. So, we must go to the mat for truth. That is a given. And we must do it whenever truth is at stake. The question now before us is what truths in the Bible are so clearly evident, so obvious, and so crucial that we do not compromise them? That is a more difficult question and one I would like to spend some time discussing. I am going to spend a few weeks considering that question and will write again on it in the future.
Brian Dufala
Hat Tip - The Word Street Journal
01 December 2009
Jesus' Use of the Law in Evangelism - Massimo Lorenzini
Our Lord Jesus provides us with a very simple and striking example how to use the law of God in evangelism in his confrontation with the rich young ruler.
The Rich Young Ruler, Mark 10:17-27(2)
17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
19 "You know the commandments, 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.' "
20 And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up."
21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
22 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!"
24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?"
27 Looking at them, Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."
Jesus would have failed personal evangelism class in most Bible colleges and seminaries.
Our text describes a young man who looked like the hottest evangelistic prospect the Lord had encountered. He was ripe. He was eager. There was no way he would get away without receiving eternal life.
But he did.
Instead of getting him to make a decision, in a sense Jesus chased him off. He failed to draw the net. He failed to sign the young man up. Should we allow our ideas of evangelism to indict Jesus? Or might we need to allow His example to critique contemporary evangelism? Christ's confrontation of this young man gives us much-needed insight into reaching the lost.
The rich young ruler was, humanly speaking, an ideal prospect for conversion. He was young, had prominence (a ruler), was wealthy (v. 22), was moral, was enthusiastic for spiritual things ("came running"), was bold (out on the road, v. 17), he was respectful (knelt before Him, v. 17). On top of all this he was begging to know how to be saved!
Wouldn't any evangelist just love to open his Bible and show him the plan of salvation? The rich young ruler would make a fine trophy to the soul-winner. He was just ripe for today's decisional methods of evangelism.
But Jesus had the nerve to rebuke him, discuss the ten commandments with him, demand immense sacrifice, and then let him get away.
What was He thinking?!
Jesus had two motives for the way he handled the rich young ruler: (1) love for the lost, v.21; (2) even greater love for God, v.18.
Continue reading here
The Rich Young Ruler, Mark 10:17-27(2)
17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
19 "You know the commandments, 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.' "
20 And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up."
21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
22 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!"
24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?"
27 Looking at them, Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."
Jesus would have failed personal evangelism class in most Bible colleges and seminaries.
Our text describes a young man who looked like the hottest evangelistic prospect the Lord had encountered. He was ripe. He was eager. There was no way he would get away without receiving eternal life.
But he did.
Instead of getting him to make a decision, in a sense Jesus chased him off. He failed to draw the net. He failed to sign the young man up. Should we allow our ideas of evangelism to indict Jesus? Or might we need to allow His example to critique contemporary evangelism? Christ's confrontation of this young man gives us much-needed insight into reaching the lost.
The rich young ruler was, humanly speaking, an ideal prospect for conversion. He was young, had prominence (a ruler), was wealthy (v. 22), was moral, was enthusiastic for spiritual things ("came running"), was bold (out on the road, v. 17), he was respectful (knelt before Him, v. 17). On top of all this he was begging to know how to be saved!
Wouldn't any evangelist just love to open his Bible and show him the plan of salvation? The rich young ruler would make a fine trophy to the soul-winner. He was just ripe for today's decisional methods of evangelism.
But Jesus had the nerve to rebuke him, discuss the ten commandments with him, demand immense sacrifice, and then let him get away.
What was He thinking?!
Jesus had two motives for the way he handled the rich young ruler: (1) love for the lost, v.21; (2) even greater love for God, v.18.
Continue reading here
30 November 2009
The Trinity
“This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).
The Old Testament constantly insists that there is only one God, the self-revealed Creator, who must be worshiped and loved exclusively (Deut. 6:4-5; Isa. 44:6– 45:25). The New Testament agrees (Mark 12:29-30; 1 Cor. 8:4; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5) but speaks of three personal agents, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, working together in the manner of a team to bring about salvation (Rom. 8; Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:2). The historic formulation of the Trinity (derived from the Latin word trinitas, meaning “threeness”) seeks to circumscribe and safeguard this mystery (not explain it; that is beyond us), and it confronts us with perhaps the most difficult thought that the human mind has ever been asked to handle.
It is not easy; but it is true.
The doctrine springs from the facts that the New Testament historians report, and from the revelatory teaching that, humanly speaking, grew out of these facts. Jesus, who prayed to His Father and taught His disciples to do the same, convinced them that He was personally divine, and belief in His divinity and in the rightness of offering him worship and prayer is basic to New Testament faith (John 20:28-31; cf. 1:18; Acts 7:59; Rom. 9:5; 10:9-13; 2 Cor. 12:7-9; Phil. 2:5-6; Col. 1:15-17; 2:9; Heb. 1:1-12; 1 Pet. 3:15). Jesus promised to send another Paraclete (He himself having been the first one), and Paraclete signifies a many-sided personal ministry as counselor, advocate, helper, comforter, ally, supporter (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15). This other Paraclete, who came at Pentecost to fulfill this promised ministry, was the Holy Spirit, recognized from the start as a third divine person: to lie to him, said Peter not long after Pentecost, is to lie to God (Acts 5:3-4).
So Christ prescribed baptism “in the name (singular: one God, one name) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—the three persons who are the one God to whom Christians commit themselves (Matt. 28:19). So we meet the three persons in the account of Jesus’ own baptism: the Father acknowledged the Son, and the Spirit showed his presence in the Son’s life and ministry (Mark 1:9-11).
So we read the trinitarian blessing of 2 Corinthians 13:14, and the prayer for grace and peace from the Father, the Spirit, and Jesus Christ in Revelation 1:4-5 (would John have put the Spirit between the Father and the Son if he had not regarded the Spirit as divine in the same sense as they are?). These are some of the more striking examples of the trinitarian outlook and emphasis of the New Testament. Though the technical language of historic trinitarianism is not found there, trinitarian faith and thinking are present throughout its pages, and in that sense the Trinity must be acknowledged as a biblical doctrine: an eternal truth about God which, though never explicit in the Old Testament, is plain and clear in the New.
The basic assertion of this doctrine is that the unity of the one God is complex.
The three personal “subsistences” (as they are called) are coequal and coeternal centers of self-awareness, each being “I” in relation to two who are “you” and each partaking of the full divine essence (the “stuff” of deity, if we may dare to call it that) along with the other two. They are not three roles played by one person (that is modalism), nor are they three gods in a cluster (that is tritheism); the one God (“he”) is also, and equally, “they,” and “they” are always together and always cooperating, with the Father initiating, the Son complying, and the Spirit executing the will of both, which is his will also. This is the truth about God that was revealed through the words and works of Jesus, and that undergirds the reality of salvation as the New Testament sets it forth.
The practical importance of the doctrine of the Trinity is that it requires us to pay equal attention, and give equal honor, to all three persons in the unity of their gracious ministry to us. That ministry is the subject matter of the gospel, which, as Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus shows, cannot be stated without bringing in their distinct roles in God’s plan of grace (John 3:1-15; note especially vv. 3, 5-8, 13-15, and John’s expository comments, which NIV renders as part of the conversation itself, vv. 16-21).
All non-Trinitarian formulations of the Christian message are by biblical standards inadequate and indeed fundamentally false, and will naturally tend to pull Christian lives out of shape.
Excerpt from Concise Theology
by J.I. Packer
The Old Testament constantly insists that there is only one God, the self-revealed Creator, who must be worshiped and loved exclusively (Deut. 6:4-5; Isa. 44:6– 45:25). The New Testament agrees (Mark 12:29-30; 1 Cor. 8:4; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5) but speaks of three personal agents, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, working together in the manner of a team to bring about salvation (Rom. 8; Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:2). The historic formulation of the Trinity (derived from the Latin word trinitas, meaning “threeness”) seeks to circumscribe and safeguard this mystery (not explain it; that is beyond us), and it confronts us with perhaps the most difficult thought that the human mind has ever been asked to handle.
It is not easy; but it is true.
The doctrine springs from the facts that the New Testament historians report, and from the revelatory teaching that, humanly speaking, grew out of these facts. Jesus, who prayed to His Father and taught His disciples to do the same, convinced them that He was personally divine, and belief in His divinity and in the rightness of offering him worship and prayer is basic to New Testament faith (John 20:28-31; cf. 1:18; Acts 7:59; Rom. 9:5; 10:9-13; 2 Cor. 12:7-9; Phil. 2:5-6; Col. 1:15-17; 2:9; Heb. 1:1-12; 1 Pet. 3:15). Jesus promised to send another Paraclete (He himself having been the first one), and Paraclete signifies a many-sided personal ministry as counselor, advocate, helper, comforter, ally, supporter (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15). This other Paraclete, who came at Pentecost to fulfill this promised ministry, was the Holy Spirit, recognized from the start as a third divine person: to lie to him, said Peter not long after Pentecost, is to lie to God (Acts 5:3-4).
So Christ prescribed baptism “in the name (singular: one God, one name) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—the three persons who are the one God to whom Christians commit themselves (Matt. 28:19). So we meet the three persons in the account of Jesus’ own baptism: the Father acknowledged the Son, and the Spirit showed his presence in the Son’s life and ministry (Mark 1:9-11).
So we read the trinitarian blessing of 2 Corinthians 13:14, and the prayer for grace and peace from the Father, the Spirit, and Jesus Christ in Revelation 1:4-5 (would John have put the Spirit between the Father and the Son if he had not regarded the Spirit as divine in the same sense as they are?). These are some of the more striking examples of the trinitarian outlook and emphasis of the New Testament. Though the technical language of historic trinitarianism is not found there, trinitarian faith and thinking are present throughout its pages, and in that sense the Trinity must be acknowledged as a biblical doctrine: an eternal truth about God which, though never explicit in the Old Testament, is plain and clear in the New.
The basic assertion of this doctrine is that the unity of the one God is complex.
The three personal “subsistences” (as they are called) are coequal and coeternal centers of self-awareness, each being “I” in relation to two who are “you” and each partaking of the full divine essence (the “stuff” of deity, if we may dare to call it that) along with the other two. They are not three roles played by one person (that is modalism), nor are they three gods in a cluster (that is tritheism); the one God (“he”) is also, and equally, “they,” and “they” are always together and always cooperating, with the Father initiating, the Son complying, and the Spirit executing the will of both, which is his will also. This is the truth about God that was revealed through the words and works of Jesus, and that undergirds the reality of salvation as the New Testament sets it forth.
The practical importance of the doctrine of the Trinity is that it requires us to pay equal attention, and give equal honor, to all three persons in the unity of their gracious ministry to us. That ministry is the subject matter of the gospel, which, as Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus shows, cannot be stated without bringing in their distinct roles in God’s plan of grace (John 3:1-15; note especially vv. 3, 5-8, 13-15, and John’s expository comments, which NIV renders as part of the conversation itself, vv. 16-21).
All non-Trinitarian formulations of the Christian message are by biblical standards inadequate and indeed fundamentally false, and will naturally tend to pull Christian lives out of shape.
Excerpt from Concise Theology
by J.I. Packer
25 November 2009
Ten-Pound Christians
"So he called ten of his servants--and gave them ten pounds. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'" Luke 19:13
We are doing business in this world for Christ. Each one of us has something of His--a pound which He has entrusted to us--to trade with as His agent. Our life itself, with all its powers, its endowments, its opportunities, its privileges, its blessings, its possibilities--is 'our pound'.
Our life is not our own. We are not in this world merely to have a good time for a few years. Life is a trust. We are not done with it either, when we have lived it through to its last day. We must render an account of it to Him who gave it to us. Our business is to gather gains, through our trading with our Lord's money. We are required to make the most that is possible of our life!
"The first came forward and said--Master, your pound has earned ten more pounds!" Luke 19:16
We always find a few of these ten-pound Christians among the followers of Christ. They are those Christians who, from the very beginning, through divine grace--strive to reach the best things attainable in life. They are not content with being merely saved from sin's guilt, with being mere members of the church. They make their consecration to Christ complete, keeping nothing back. They set their ideal of obedience to their Lord--at the mark of perfectness, and are not slack in their striving, until they reach the mark in heaven. They seek to follow Christ entirely, fully, with their whole heart. They accept every duty--without regard to its cost. They seek to be like Christ, imitating Him in all the elements of His character. They give their whole energy to the work and service of Christ. They lie, like John, on the Master's bosom, and their souls are struck through, as it were, with the Master's loving spirit.
These ten-pound Christians grow at last--into a Christ-likeness, a spiritual beauty, and a power of usefulness and influence, by which they are set apart among Christians, shining with brighter luster than other stars, in the galaxy of the church. Their one pound has made ten more pounds! Their high spiritual attainment has been won by their diligent and wise use of the one pound with which they began!
J.R. Miller
We are doing business in this world for Christ. Each one of us has something of His--a pound which He has entrusted to us--to trade with as His agent. Our life itself, with all its powers, its endowments, its opportunities, its privileges, its blessings, its possibilities--is 'our pound'.
Our life is not our own. We are not in this world merely to have a good time for a few years. Life is a trust. We are not done with it either, when we have lived it through to its last day. We must render an account of it to Him who gave it to us. Our business is to gather gains, through our trading with our Lord's money. We are required to make the most that is possible of our life!
"The first came forward and said--Master, your pound has earned ten more pounds!" Luke 19:16
We always find a few of these ten-pound Christians among the followers of Christ. They are those Christians who, from the very beginning, through divine grace--strive to reach the best things attainable in life. They are not content with being merely saved from sin's guilt, with being mere members of the church. They make their consecration to Christ complete, keeping nothing back. They set their ideal of obedience to their Lord--at the mark of perfectness, and are not slack in their striving, until they reach the mark in heaven. They seek to follow Christ entirely, fully, with their whole heart. They accept every duty--without regard to its cost. They seek to be like Christ, imitating Him in all the elements of His character. They give their whole energy to the work and service of Christ. They lie, like John, on the Master's bosom, and their souls are struck through, as it were, with the Master's loving spirit.
These ten-pound Christians grow at last--into a Christ-likeness, a spiritual beauty, and a power of usefulness and influence, by which they are set apart among Christians, shining with brighter luster than other stars, in the galaxy of the church. Their one pound has made ten more pounds! Their high spiritual attainment has been won by their diligent and wise use of the one pound with which they began!
J.R. Miller
23 November 2009
How are you being treated?
John 15:18-20
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
How's the world treating you, Christian?
Take a walk with me back in time a couple thousand years ago. Christians were routinely put in an arena with blood thirsty lions that were waiting to tear their limbs apart while spectators went crazy with delight. Why did these Christians allow this to happen? They could have simply renounced their faith and would have been set free. Backsliding wasn’t as common then as it is now so what was the motive to let a lion rip you apart?
How about trying to translate a Bible into the modern English language of the day as William Tyndale did in the 16th century? Tyndale’s final words as he was about to be burned at the stake? “Oh Lord, open the King of England’s eyes”.
Fast forward to July, 2005 - When 34-year old Jiang Zongxiu went to her neighboring market last June in Guizhou Province, China. Along with her mother-in-law, Jiang went through the marketplace, taking opportunities to hand out Bibles and Christian literature and telling people about Jesus. Only this day they had an encounter with the Chinese police.
The two Christian women were handcuffed together and brought to the police station. They were interrogated throughout the evening of the 17th. The next morning they were sentenced by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) to 15 days incarceration for "suspected spreading of rumor and disturbing the social order."
Jiang and her mother-in-law knew the risk of spreading Christian literature in communist China. Both had been active in their church for more than 10 years and dared to go forth. Even when they were arrested, interrogated and sentenced to serve 15 days, they were willing to accept the consequences of their actions - all from a government that claims to have "freedom of religion."
But it was not enough for the PSB to arrest and beat these two Christian women for the crime of passing our Christian literature. In the afternoon of June 18th, Mrs. Jiang Zongziu was pronounced dead by the PSB office of Tongzi County. They claimed she died of "natural causes." The fact is she was beaten to death.
Christian, when was the last time you shared your faith? No, I'm not talking about that fish on the back of your car. I'm talking about walking up to that friend, co-worker, brother, grandmother that you know is not saved and sharing the Gospel.
Have you resided yourself to just showing up to church on Sunday and keeping to your own little world? Has your witness become non-existent because at the mere mention of the name of Jesus a sinful world would stop smiling at you? Are you reluctant to mention the word ‘sin’ to a sinner because he might be offended? Are you afraid to mention the bloodstained cross because the world might laugh and spit in your face?
150,000 people will die worldwide today and a vast majority of those people are going to hell.
Who do you know in your own little world that needs a Saviour?
How's the world treating you, Christian?
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
How's the world treating you, Christian?
Take a walk with me back in time a couple thousand years ago. Christians were routinely put in an arena with blood thirsty lions that were waiting to tear their limbs apart while spectators went crazy with delight. Why did these Christians allow this to happen? They could have simply renounced their faith and would have been set free. Backsliding wasn’t as common then as it is now so what was the motive to let a lion rip you apart?
How about trying to translate a Bible into the modern English language of the day as William Tyndale did in the 16th century? Tyndale’s final words as he was about to be burned at the stake? “Oh Lord, open the King of England’s eyes”.
Fast forward to July, 2005 - When 34-year old Jiang Zongxiu went to her neighboring market last June in Guizhou Province, China. Along with her mother-in-law, Jiang went through the marketplace, taking opportunities to hand out Bibles and Christian literature and telling people about Jesus. Only this day they had an encounter with the Chinese police.
The two Christian women were handcuffed together and brought to the police station. They were interrogated throughout the evening of the 17th. The next morning they were sentenced by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) to 15 days incarceration for "suspected spreading of rumor and disturbing the social order."
Jiang and her mother-in-law knew the risk of spreading Christian literature in communist China. Both had been active in their church for more than 10 years and dared to go forth. Even when they were arrested, interrogated and sentenced to serve 15 days, they were willing to accept the consequences of their actions - all from a government that claims to have "freedom of religion."
But it was not enough for the PSB to arrest and beat these two Christian women for the crime of passing our Christian literature. In the afternoon of June 18th, Mrs. Jiang Zongziu was pronounced dead by the PSB office of Tongzi County. They claimed she died of "natural causes." The fact is she was beaten to death.
Christian, when was the last time you shared your faith? No, I'm not talking about that fish on the back of your car. I'm talking about walking up to that friend, co-worker, brother, grandmother that you know is not saved and sharing the Gospel.
Have you resided yourself to just showing up to church on Sunday and keeping to your own little world? Has your witness become non-existent because at the mere mention of the name of Jesus a sinful world would stop smiling at you? Are you reluctant to mention the word ‘sin’ to a sinner because he might be offended? Are you afraid to mention the bloodstained cross because the world might laugh and spit in your face?
150,000 people will die worldwide today and a vast majority of those people are going to hell.
Who do you know in your own little world that needs a Saviour?
How's the world treating you, Christian?
The Great Commission
Reconciliation by the blood, by the substitutionary sacrifice of the infinite Son of God,this is the message for our ministry: if we do not testify this it were better for us that we had never been born; for if we do not preach this constantly and incessantly, we have missed our main topic, we have failed in the great commission which our Master sent us to execute.
C.H. Spurgeon
C.H. Spurgeon
20 November 2009
17 November 2009
13 November 2009
11 November 2009
09 November 2009
Pride Fest: Team Member Perspective Take Five
Wayne teamed me up with his ministry partner who has a lot of experience with evangelism. I am shy and awkward around other people and my job was to walk with and stand and pray as my team mate introduced people to the Lord. My team mate approached a number of people and delivered "million dollar bills" and questioned and searched for open doors. My partner is very friendly, open and caring and does not intimidate people. It seemed to me that he was having more of an impact on people than he thought he was.
We went to one booth with two young women selling t-shirts and other small items. One of the women was named "L". My team mate began as usual and I prayed for an open door and that God would speak through him. He began to focus on "L" and she was speaking openly and honestly with him. During their chat it felt like there was electricity in the air around us and it became intense.
At a certain point it was like a lightning bolt came down, through my partner and into "L". I saw it, my team mate saw it and the woman's friend saw it. It shocked both of them and even me and her friend became very nervous and started moving things around on the table and trying to distract "L". She got up and walked outside and came back several times as though she didn't know what to do. I watched the friend while my partner kept talking with "L". I have known Wayne's ministry partner for several years and this was his voice but it didn't sound like him speaking. There was no hesitation at all and every word seemed to be chosen by God specifically for "L". This may sound overly dramatic and I can't say what really happened but this was what it felt like to me.
It was truly an awesome experience!
I know our people fairly well and their hearts do not contain hatred for anyone. They were there out of love and concern for people's souls. It had nothing to do with homosexuality. These were God's children they were talking with.
Here's the part that Wayne and my team mate don't know yet:
For the rest of the morning I felt lighter as though a burden had been lifted from me as my partner continued to approach other people. In our condensed, 4 session, Way of the Master class Wayne had asked us all to examine our hearts and ask "Am I doing enough?". The answer is clearly no. Went to most of his 8 part series and then to this festival with them.
My part was small but was a blessing to me!
I had a commitment to be at the Capitol at noon for a protest against corruption in government. Got there about 12:30 and said "Sorry for being late, was at the Gay pride festival." Jaws dropped and someone said "NO WAY".
This gave me the perfect opportunity to hand out 4 million dollars and explain what we were doing and why. Explained that we hadn't gone there to protest but to save souls. Told them about "Way of the Master" and the Ten Commandments and discussed it with them.
For most people this would not be a big deal but it was another cliff for me to jump from.
This was a great day for me!
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I know that you were way outside your comfort zone that Saturday. I praise God that you swallowed your fears and joined us in proclaiming the good news to the lost.
You went from a classroom environment on learning how to share your faith to actually watching someone share their faith to handing out tracts yourself.
We may be hearing about you open air preaching on the streets of Canton soon!
Thank you for your obedience and thank you for being a huge part of His Feet on the Street!!!
Dawg
We went to one booth with two young women selling t-shirts and other small items. One of the women was named "L". My team mate began as usual and I prayed for an open door and that God would speak through him. He began to focus on "L" and she was speaking openly and honestly with him. During their chat it felt like there was electricity in the air around us and it became intense.
At a certain point it was like a lightning bolt came down, through my partner and into "L". I saw it, my team mate saw it and the woman's friend saw it. It shocked both of them and even me and her friend became very nervous and started moving things around on the table and trying to distract "L". She got up and walked outside and came back several times as though she didn't know what to do. I watched the friend while my partner kept talking with "L". I have known Wayne's ministry partner for several years and this was his voice but it didn't sound like him speaking. There was no hesitation at all and every word seemed to be chosen by God specifically for "L". This may sound overly dramatic and I can't say what really happened but this was what it felt like to me.
It was truly an awesome experience!
I know our people fairly well and their hearts do not contain hatred for anyone. They were there out of love and concern for people's souls. It had nothing to do with homosexuality. These were God's children they were talking with.
Here's the part that Wayne and my team mate don't know yet:
For the rest of the morning I felt lighter as though a burden had been lifted from me as my partner continued to approach other people. In our condensed, 4 session, Way of the Master class Wayne had asked us all to examine our hearts and ask "Am I doing enough?". The answer is clearly no. Went to most of his 8 part series and then to this festival with them.
My part was small but was a blessing to me!
I had a commitment to be at the Capitol at noon for a protest against corruption in government. Got there about 12:30 and said "Sorry for being late, was at the Gay pride festival." Jaws dropped and someone said "NO WAY".
This gave me the perfect opportunity to hand out 4 million dollars and explain what we were doing and why. Explained that we hadn't gone there to protest but to save souls. Told them about "Way of the Master" and the Ten Commandments and discussed it with them.
For most people this would not be a big deal but it was another cliff for me to jump from.
This was a great day for me!
----------------------------------------------------------------
I know that you were way outside your comfort zone that Saturday. I praise God that you swallowed your fears and joined us in proclaiming the good news to the lost.
You went from a classroom environment on learning how to share your faith to actually watching someone share their faith to handing out tracts yourself.
We may be hearing about you open air preaching on the streets of Canton soon!
Thank you for your obedience and thank you for being a huge part of His Feet on the Street!!!
Dawg
07 November 2009
Pride Fest: Team Member Perspective Take Four
First and foremost I felt compelled to go and in any way possible proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Upon arriving at Piedmont Park I was struck by a number of issues. It was overwhelming to see the number of vendors situated around the park catering to the homosexual community. As we passed several of them I could feel the presence of Satan and that was a chilling experience in of itself.
However our purpose there was to spread the gospel and as we found out quickly was not easy to do. Nobody was really interested in talking about the true gospel nor were they happy to receive a track. However we continued to pass them out until ordered not to. Except for the Christians there trying their best to proclaim God’s Holy Word, it seemed as though there was a complete absence of the Holy Spirit. However we pressed on remembering the Great Commission.
I pray that someone, after reading a track, had second thoughts about their lifestyle and fell down on their knees to proclaim Christ as their Savior.
The ramped sin was everywhere and what bothered me the most was the exposure of little children accompanied by homosexuals as if to say to them this lifestyle is acceptable. As I walked I prayed and asked God to at least deliver the children to Jesus. I guess we will not know in this lifetime what, if any, impact we may have had, however I am comfortable that what we did was what God asked of us and I would do it again when needed.
Remembering always first we PRAY.
I think we always need to remember Psalm 114 and what God did for His people, He still performs miracles and that next person we talk to could be the one He is waiting for.
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Thank you for your obedience in helping us bring the gospel to a small section of the world last Saturday morning!
Your presence there was like having a patriarch among our midst!!
God bless you!
Dawg
Upon arriving at Piedmont Park I was struck by a number of issues. It was overwhelming to see the number of vendors situated around the park catering to the homosexual community. As we passed several of them I could feel the presence of Satan and that was a chilling experience in of itself.
However our purpose there was to spread the gospel and as we found out quickly was not easy to do. Nobody was really interested in talking about the true gospel nor were they happy to receive a track. However we continued to pass them out until ordered not to. Except for the Christians there trying their best to proclaim God’s Holy Word, it seemed as though there was a complete absence of the Holy Spirit. However we pressed on remembering the Great Commission.
I pray that someone, after reading a track, had second thoughts about their lifestyle and fell down on their knees to proclaim Christ as their Savior.
The ramped sin was everywhere and what bothered me the most was the exposure of little children accompanied by homosexuals as if to say to them this lifestyle is acceptable. As I walked I prayed and asked God to at least deliver the children to Jesus. I guess we will not know in this lifetime what, if any, impact we may have had, however I am comfortable that what we did was what God asked of us and I would do it again when needed.
Remembering always first we PRAY.
I think we always need to remember Psalm 114 and what God did for His people, He still performs miracles and that next person we talk to could be the one He is waiting for.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your obedience in helping us bring the gospel to a small section of the world last Saturday morning!
Your presence there was like having a patriarch among our midst!!
God bless you!
Dawg
06 November 2009
Pride Fest: Team Member Perspective Take Three
Although I enjoyed talking with everyone I encountered Saturday, I saw no conviction. I experienced hate in a couple of instances, although, I never once brought up any one's sexuality; it was because I brought up Jesus. But who knows, I planted the seed and the Holy Spirit does the rest as the Lord so chooses. My friend and I were able to talk with quite a few. She initiated almost every conversation. You rock!
The one young man who touched my heart was "Baby." He was working at a skateboard store across from the park. He had very long, thick dreadlocks and tattoos everywhere and he was very easy to talk to. At first, my Christian friend was talking to him and then she migrated to his co-worker. I continued talking with Baby. I was able to discuss The Commandments and Salvation with him. We talked about our sinful nature and Christ's love for us and many other things concerning Christ and Salvation. Baby had led a hard, tough life and wants to do better as an example for his daughter. Please pray with me for Baby. We talked for a good while and he listened!
God is loving. Look at David of the Bible. Think about all the mistakes he made, some of them horrible mistakes, but when he came to his senses he literally fell on his face and begged God's forgiveness (more than once!), and what happened, he was forgiven.
Or Paul, wow, look at his life before he was a Christian. He was one of the meanest, cruelest men of his time and when he came to Christ, God used him as one of the greatest men to ever proclaim the gospel.
God can take those most vile, cruelest conditions or people and make them into warriors that witness, minister and preach the Word to others. He takes the meekest and makes them bold in His Name. He takes Christians that are shy and makes them a comforter or an encourager. He takes the Christian that is frail and makes them strong.
This is why we witness about Christ and Salvation to others, no matter who they are, where they are, even in places most may not even want to hear. If someone doesn't want to hear, or dismisses the conversation, we thank them for their time and go on.
If someone listens and voices their point of view, we listen and continue telling them about the Christ of the Bible. We witness to people about Jesus Christ and Salvation as the Bible teaches us and because God expects us to as Christians.
We witness out of love for Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour first, and secondly out of love for God's creation, the man or woman you speak to, the child you may teach in Sunday School, the co-worker you see each day, the patient you tend to in the hospital, the young mother in front of you at the grocery store, and, yes, even the young gay man at the Pride festival, or the dude looking at the cool camaro at the local car show in front of Publix.
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You have come a long way in stepping out of your comfort zone!
As one whom God has gifted to encourage and comfort people you are able to use that gift in your one-to-one witnessing encounters that the lost can definitely sense in your interaction with them.
The one young man who touched my heart was "Baby." He was working at a skateboard store across from the park. He had very long, thick dreadlocks and tattoos everywhere and he was very easy to talk to. At first, my Christian friend was talking to him and then she migrated to his co-worker. I continued talking with Baby. I was able to discuss The Commandments and Salvation with him. We talked about our sinful nature and Christ's love for us and many other things concerning Christ and Salvation. Baby had led a hard, tough life and wants to do better as an example for his daughter. Please pray with me for Baby. We talked for a good while and he listened!
God is loving. Look at David of the Bible. Think about all the mistakes he made, some of them horrible mistakes, but when he came to his senses he literally fell on his face and begged God's forgiveness (more than once!), and what happened, he was forgiven.
Or Paul, wow, look at his life before he was a Christian. He was one of the meanest, cruelest men of his time and when he came to Christ, God used him as one of the greatest men to ever proclaim the gospel.
God can take those most vile, cruelest conditions or people and make them into warriors that witness, minister and preach the Word to others. He takes the meekest and makes them bold in His Name. He takes Christians that are shy and makes them a comforter or an encourager. He takes the Christian that is frail and makes them strong.
This is why we witness about Christ and Salvation to others, no matter who they are, where they are, even in places most may not even want to hear. If someone doesn't want to hear, or dismisses the conversation, we thank them for their time and go on.
If someone listens and voices their point of view, we listen and continue telling them about the Christ of the Bible. We witness to people about Jesus Christ and Salvation as the Bible teaches us and because God expects us to as Christians.
We witness out of love for Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour first, and secondly out of love for God's creation, the man or woman you speak to, the child you may teach in Sunday School, the co-worker you see each day, the patient you tend to in the hospital, the young mother in front of you at the grocery store, and, yes, even the young gay man at the Pride festival, or the dude looking at the cool camaro at the local car show in front of Publix.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
You have come a long way in stepping out of your comfort zone!
As one whom God has gifted to encourage and comfort people you are able to use that gift in your one-to-one witnessing encounters that the lost can definitely sense in your interaction with them.
It was awesome to see my 'better half' out on the streets sharing Christ with the lost!
Dawg
04 November 2009
Pride Fest: Team Member Perspective Take Two
My objective here is not to get into a philosophical debate about the validity of the Scriptures, nor do I speak to others to condemn others to eternal damnation. Yes, God accepts the sinner, but that does not mean that He accepts our sins. The Bible states that “all have sinned” and that “the wages of sin is death”. We do not convict - God's word convicts. God said it, which settles it. The topic is already covered.
The Bible also states that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to die for our sins that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus even said I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me.
Mark 16:15 – “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Jesus did not say he who is with out sin, Go! He just said Go. Peter, Paul, and the other disciples did not simply live by example - they went among the other sinners and let them know God loved them and wanted them to repent of their sins.
Although “Go” is a simple, two letter command that a dog could learn to obey, it is not always simple for Christians such as me.
Even as the smallest member of the body of Christ, I am required to obey God’s commandments – even when doing so is completely out of my comfort zone. My comfort zone consists of listening to others or talking to a single individual on a casual basis about sports, family, and showing concern for others while making them laugh or smile. It does not include writing coherently, speaking to large groups of people, or “boldly witnessing” about something as important as another person’s destiny throughout eternity.
I went to the festival on Saturday for the following reasons:
1. Jesus said “GO”, so I am required to obey. (This is a simple and straightforward command.) Like everyone else, I am imperfect, but I went.
2. God may love the sinner, but he does not love the sin and can not allow sin into Heaven.
3. There is a guaranteed way to heaven that everyone needs to know about.
4. There were a lot of people at the event. (It would not have mattered what the event was.)
Although I was just walking around talking to others, I was asked by a couple of people what I was protesting. My simple, honest answer was that I was not protesting anything. I was at the festival because it was an opportunity to talk to other people on an individual basis because I care about them.
Many people that you run into on the street may never enter the doors of a church - and will never ask you what is different about you in your life. They will not enter the gates of Heaven because no one bothered to talk to them about God. This is why I was there – Jesus said “Go”.
It is true that we, as Christian men and women, are not responsible for judging another person's heart - that is God's responsibility. We are, however, responsible for obeying His commandments. With love, we must simply let others know what the Bible says, that we care about them, and that everyone has the opportunity to come to Christ. Please keep in mind that we (or I) do a disservice to others when we do not tell them that their actions and attitudes could keep them out of heaven.
I heard someone say once “If you believe there is a Heaven and a Hell, how much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them about Jesus?”
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Thank you for you commitment to seek and share Christ with the lost. You have one of the biggest hearts for people that I have the privilege to know. You have been a huge blessing to me and my wife over the past couple years!
Thank you for letting God use you in the Great Commission!
Dawg
The Bible also states that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to die for our sins that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus even said I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me.
Mark 16:15 – “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Jesus did not say he who is with out sin, Go! He just said Go. Peter, Paul, and the other disciples did not simply live by example - they went among the other sinners and let them know God loved them and wanted them to repent of their sins.
Although “Go” is a simple, two letter command that a dog could learn to obey, it is not always simple for Christians such as me.
Even as the smallest member of the body of Christ, I am required to obey God’s commandments – even when doing so is completely out of my comfort zone. My comfort zone consists of listening to others or talking to a single individual on a casual basis about sports, family, and showing concern for others while making them laugh or smile. It does not include writing coherently, speaking to large groups of people, or “boldly witnessing” about something as important as another person’s destiny throughout eternity.
I went to the festival on Saturday for the following reasons:
1. Jesus said “GO”, so I am required to obey. (This is a simple and straightforward command.) Like everyone else, I am imperfect, but I went.
2. God may love the sinner, but he does not love the sin and can not allow sin into Heaven.
3. There is a guaranteed way to heaven that everyone needs to know about.
4. There were a lot of people at the event. (It would not have mattered what the event was.)
Although I was just walking around talking to others, I was asked by a couple of people what I was protesting. My simple, honest answer was that I was not protesting anything. I was at the festival because it was an opportunity to talk to other people on an individual basis because I care about them.
Many people that you run into on the street may never enter the doors of a church - and will never ask you what is different about you in your life. They will not enter the gates of Heaven because no one bothered to talk to them about God. This is why I was there – Jesus said “Go”.
It is true that we, as Christian men and women, are not responsible for judging another person's heart - that is God's responsibility. We are, however, responsible for obeying His commandments. With love, we must simply let others know what the Bible says, that we care about them, and that everyone has the opportunity to come to Christ. Please keep in mind that we (or I) do a disservice to others when we do not tell them that their actions and attitudes could keep them out of heaven.
I heard someone say once “If you believe there is a Heaven and a Hell, how much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them about Jesus?”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for you commitment to seek and share Christ with the lost. You have one of the biggest hearts for people that I have the privilege to know. You have been a huge blessing to me and my wife over the past couple years!
Thank you for letting God use you in the Great Commission!
Dawg
02 November 2009
Pride Fest: Team Member Perspective Take One
I took the Way of the Master course after a good friend recommended it. I expected it to be a how-to guide to teach me how to witness to the lost. As we moved through the lessons, the Lord captivated me, molded me, changed me & ignited a passion in me that has changed my walk in a profound way. He gave me the compassion I desired, the conviction I needed & the transformation He knew was necessary to reach out to others with the love of Christ.
I would challenge anyone that says they love the Lord but are doing little to introduce Him to others to take the course. If you are committed, it will change you to the core.
Piedmont Park Testimony:
Towards the end of my time in the park, I ventured onto the sidewalk outside the grounds to see about the people uninvolved with the festival. My trusted partner stayed behind & stood by a brother who was sharing directly from the Word with all who passed by. It was beautiful.
I noticed two young men across the road & up ahead of me. They stood in one spot & lingered on the sidewalk for some time. Truth be said, I was a bit intimidated by them. I finally crossed the street & began walking toward them while praying, “Lord, I’m gonna walk, you do the rest”.
I approached the two young men, gave a smile, shared a tract & introduced myself.
We got to talking about their “Christian background”– one stated that he was a Christian – “he went to church”. His friend listened as he explained that he had “done some time”, got into some bad deals but that he had decided to go the high road now. We moved into the 10 commandments & the Holy Spirit took over.
That young man never took his eyes off me except when he hung his head, recognizing that indeed he was headed for hell. I shared the gospel with him & by this time my partner joined us. He let us know that he knew it was time to repent, come clean with Christ & trust in Him wholly.
He shared that, yes, he would go home & get with the Lord that night and pull out his bible. We hugged & parted ways. (I’m not a hugger). It was so cool.
---------------------------------------------------- --------------
Thank you for your obedience to share the gospel to the lost. You have been huge blessing and encouragement to me and others during these last two months in the WOTM class.
This is just the beginning!
Keep up the great work in the Lord!!
God bless you,
Wayne
I would challenge anyone that says they love the Lord but are doing little to introduce Him to others to take the course. If you are committed, it will change you to the core.
Piedmont Park Testimony:
Towards the end of my time in the park, I ventured onto the sidewalk outside the grounds to see about the people uninvolved with the festival. My trusted partner stayed behind & stood by a brother who was sharing directly from the Word with all who passed by. It was beautiful.
I noticed two young men across the road & up ahead of me. They stood in one spot & lingered on the sidewalk for some time. Truth be said, I was a bit intimidated by them. I finally crossed the street & began walking toward them while praying, “Lord, I’m gonna walk, you do the rest”.
I approached the two young men, gave a smile, shared a tract & introduced myself.
We got to talking about their “Christian background”– one stated that he was a Christian – “he went to church”. His friend listened as he explained that he had “done some time”, got into some bad deals but that he had decided to go the high road now. We moved into the 10 commandments & the Holy Spirit took over.
That young man never took his eyes off me except when he hung his head, recognizing that indeed he was headed for hell. I shared the gospel with him & by this time my partner joined us. He let us know that he knew it was time to repent, come clean with Christ & trust in Him wholly.
He shared that, yes, he would go home & get with the Lord that night and pull out his bible. We hugged & parted ways. (I’m not a hugger). It was so cool.
---------------------------------------------------- --------------
Thank you for your obedience to share the gospel to the lost. You have been huge blessing and encouragement to me and others during these last two months in the WOTM class.
This is just the beginning!
Keep up the great work in the Lord!!
God bless you,
Wayne
01 November 2009
Mission Field: Pride Fest Atlanta, Ga.
This past Saturday, "His Feet on the Street" headed south to Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia to share the full gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to a community of lost souls. A weather system had been approaching in the days leading up to the Festival and it looked like Saturday would be a very wet day.
Friday, the night before the Festival, my ministry partner had come over to my house to help me go through our tracts and to make sure everything was in order for the big day. We had been praying for the last few weeks that God would use us to bring glory to His name.
Saturday morning I got up to a steady rain.
I feared that those who said they would/might come out to help us, would think better of spending the morning and part of the afternoon out in the rain.
Oh me of little faith.
Nine people in all (three of whom had never street witnessed before) were at the church parking lot ready to take the message of Christ to the lost.
Before we left the church parking lot, we circled up and prayed that God would use us mightily for His glory and for us to be meek as lambs but bold as lions in proclaiming the gospel.
When we arrived at the Park we were almost immediately picked out by an Atlanta police woman (My cross was an attention getter) who asked us if we were there to protest. We assured her in no way were we there to protest. She asked us why we were here at the Park and we filled her in with our plans. She looked us up and down and headed on her way.
We partnered up and headed out.
My wife (the strawberry blonde in the above photo)and her team-mate faced a little persecution with the first person they interacted with. After attempting to hand out a Million Dollar Bill tract, a young man told them that he didn't want their tract and that he was going to "beat the @#$* out of them all the way out of the park".
Not in the least deterred, they had several great conversations after the incident and handed out quite a few more tracts.
I had teamed up with my son and, along with the cross, we made our way along the perimeter of the park when we were approached by three young men. They asked us if we had "gotten one of these?" The young men knew why we were there and were having a little fun with us. They had spotted our cross and came over to ask if we were with Project Ezra group. After talking with them for a few minutes I asked if I could take their picture for our blog and they said absolutely as long as they could hold the cross in the picture.
These guys had just driven five hours from Charlotte, NC. to proclaim the name of Christ at Pride Fest!! Way to go guys!!!
My son and I spent the next hour handing out tracts while walking the Park until we came up to an area where vendors had set up their booths. In the near distance I saw my wife and her team-mate along with two other members of our group in what seemed like a discussion with an gentleman. As we got closer one of the team members came over to me and said that the gentleman that they were talking to was the Festival director. The director told us that we could not pass out tracts inside the Park during the Festival. He told us that 'Pride Fest' had a contract with the City of Atlanta and that no outside (non-vendors) groups or persons could distribute any materials inside the Festival.
He was kind enough to tell us that we were free to be inside the Park and mingle and have conversations with whoever we wanted and could give that person a tract during the conversation. We just couldn't stand around and hand them out. we were told that even the vendors had to conform to this rule (Vendors could only hand out literature or pamphlets from their booths).
Ok. That's fine. As a group we had probably already handed out a couple hundred tracts by the time we were told to stop.
We re-grouped and divided up again.
That's when I ran into Bill Adams from Revival-USA ministries.
Bill was standing at the corner of Piedmont and 12th street preparing to do a little preaching. Bill had told us that this was his 8th or 9th Pride Fest and has about seen it all there. Bill also had a lawyer on call and ready to help any one of us out if there were any free speech problems with law enforcement.
We also got to talk with Keith Higgins from "Saved From What Ministries"
What a blessing it was to talk to these godly men who dedicate their lives to the preaching of the gospel!
My son and I continued on our way toward one of the main entrances of the Park at 14th street. That's where we ran into a group from a church who was very wrong in their understanding of the Scriptures. This group was holding up signs in rainbow colors telling the people coming to the Festival that Jesus loved them and accepted them just as they are.
My partner in the ministry got a chance to talk to one of the members of this church. He talked for about an hour and told me about the conversation on the way back home.
My partner (the dark haired fellow) told me that this man didn't believe in the Trinity (Although, oddly enough, Trinity was the first word of the churches name). He didn't believe in Hell. He didn't believe the Bible was the inspired Word of God. He didn't believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. My partner told me that the current Bible study that this man was having in his Sunday school was about how the Bible was full of errors and was proven to be wrong (on different portions of Scripture) by some priest in the 16th century.
My partner refuted, corrected and rebuked (lovingly) from Scripture everything the man tried to throw at him.
Folks, know your Bible!! The more you study God's Word the more you can easily spot and refute counterfeit Christianity.
I'm real glad that my partner got to engage this man. My partner was able to take this man through the Law and share with him the magnificent gospel. One of the other members of the team said that he thought that hour long conversation served two purposes. One, the man got to hear the real gospel and two, he was hindered for about an hour from spreading his false message to the folks coming into the Park.
Speaking of the Park...this entrance on 14th street turned out to be a great spot for giving out the Obama Million Dollar Bills!! The Obama bills were a big hit. I overheard one woman tell another how cute Obama looked on bill. As she turned over the bill and starting reading the back she said, "Ugh..this has got something about Jesus on the back".
But you know what she did?
She stuck that tract right into her pocket book! Why? Because it had Obama on it. She was going to keep that tract because of who was on the front. Perhaps one day she may get saved because of what's on the back!
The picture below is the 14th street entrance to the Park. One of my team-mates called it the road that led to destruction - -
Rightly so I guess -
But here's the great thing...a lot of the folks that went into that Park went in there being warned that they were on the wrong road.
There are many more stories to tell and I have asked a few of the team-mates to put down their own words of the day and share them with you for encouragement.
So a big thank you to those of you who came out in the rain and gave up part of your day to share the good of the gospel with a lost community of people who may have never heard otherwise.
Thank you for being His feet on the street!
Friday, the night before the Festival, my ministry partner had come over to my house to help me go through our tracts and to make sure everything was in order for the big day. We had been praying for the last few weeks that God would use us to bring glory to His name.
Saturday morning I got up to a steady rain.
I feared that those who said they would/might come out to help us, would think better of spending the morning and part of the afternoon out in the rain.
Oh me of little faith.
Nine people in all (three of whom had never street witnessed before) were at the church parking lot ready to take the message of Christ to the lost.
Before we left the church parking lot, we circled up and prayed that God would use us mightily for His glory and for us to be meek as lambs but bold as lions in proclaiming the gospel.
When we arrived at the Park we were almost immediately picked out by an Atlanta police woman (My cross was an attention getter) who asked us if we were there to protest. We assured her in no way were we there to protest. She asked us why we were here at the Park and we filled her in with our plans. She looked us up and down and headed on her way.
We partnered up and headed out.
My wife (the strawberry blonde in the above photo)and her team-mate faced a little persecution with the first person they interacted with. After attempting to hand out a Million Dollar Bill tract, a young man told them that he didn't want their tract and that he was going to "beat the @#$* out of them all the way out of the park".
Not in the least deterred, they had several great conversations after the incident and handed out quite a few more tracts.
I had teamed up with my son and, along with the cross, we made our way along the perimeter of the park when we were approached by three young men. They asked us if we had "gotten one of these?" The young men knew why we were there and were having a little fun with us. They had spotted our cross and came over to ask if we were with Project Ezra group. After talking with them for a few minutes I asked if I could take their picture for our blog and they said absolutely as long as they could hold the cross in the picture.
These guys had just driven five hours from Charlotte, NC. to proclaim the name of Christ at Pride Fest!! Way to go guys!!!
My son and I spent the next hour handing out tracts while walking the Park until we came up to an area where vendors had set up their booths. In the near distance I saw my wife and her team-mate along with two other members of our group in what seemed like a discussion with an gentleman. As we got closer one of the team members came over to me and said that the gentleman that they were talking to was the Festival director. The director told us that we could not pass out tracts inside the Park during the Festival. He told us that 'Pride Fest' had a contract with the City of Atlanta and that no outside (non-vendors) groups or persons could distribute any materials inside the Festival.
He was kind enough to tell us that we were free to be inside the Park and mingle and have conversations with whoever we wanted and could give that person a tract during the conversation. We just couldn't stand around and hand them out. we were told that even the vendors had to conform to this rule (Vendors could only hand out literature or pamphlets from their booths).
Ok. That's fine. As a group we had probably already handed out a couple hundred tracts by the time we were told to stop.
We re-grouped and divided up again.
That's when I ran into Bill Adams from Revival-USA ministries.
Bill was standing at the corner of Piedmont and 12th street preparing to do a little preaching. Bill had told us that this was his 8th or 9th Pride Fest and has about seen it all there. Bill also had a lawyer on call and ready to help any one of us out if there were any free speech problems with law enforcement.
We also got to talk with Keith Higgins from "Saved From What Ministries"
What a blessing it was to talk to these godly men who dedicate their lives to the preaching of the gospel!
My son and I continued on our way toward one of the main entrances of the Park at 14th street. That's where we ran into a group from a church who was very wrong in their understanding of the Scriptures. This group was holding up signs in rainbow colors telling the people coming to the Festival that Jesus loved them and accepted them just as they are.
My partner in the ministry got a chance to talk to one of the members of this church. He talked for about an hour and told me about the conversation on the way back home.
My partner (the dark haired fellow) told me that this man didn't believe in the Trinity (Although, oddly enough, Trinity was the first word of the churches name). He didn't believe in Hell. He didn't believe the Bible was the inspired Word of God. He didn't believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. My partner told me that the current Bible study that this man was having in his Sunday school was about how the Bible was full of errors and was proven to be wrong (on different portions of Scripture) by some priest in the 16th century.
My partner refuted, corrected and rebuked (lovingly) from Scripture everything the man tried to throw at him.
Folks, know your Bible!! The more you study God's Word the more you can easily spot and refute counterfeit Christianity.
I'm real glad that my partner got to engage this man. My partner was able to take this man through the Law and share with him the magnificent gospel. One of the other members of the team said that he thought that hour long conversation served two purposes. One, the man got to hear the real gospel and two, he was hindered for about an hour from spreading his false message to the folks coming into the Park.
Speaking of the Park...this entrance on 14th street turned out to be a great spot for giving out the Obama Million Dollar Bills!! The Obama bills were a big hit. I overheard one woman tell another how cute Obama looked on bill. As she turned over the bill and starting reading the back she said, "Ugh..this has got something about Jesus on the back".
But you know what she did?
She stuck that tract right into her pocket book! Why? Because it had Obama on it. She was going to keep that tract because of who was on the front. Perhaps one day she may get saved because of what's on the back!
The picture below is the 14th street entrance to the Park. One of my team-mates called it the road that led to destruction - -
Rightly so I guess -
But here's the great thing...a lot of the folks that went into that Park went in there being warned that they were on the wrong road.
There are many more stories to tell and I have asked a few of the team-mates to put down their own words of the day and share them with you for encouragement.
So a big thank you to those of you who came out in the rain and gave up part of your day to share the good of the gospel with a lost community of people who may have never heard otherwise.
Thank you for being His feet on the street!
27 October 2009
Pride Festival - Oct 31st!
"His Feet on the Street" evangelism team will be joining "Saved From What Ministries" this Saturday at Piedmont Park for the annual Pride Festival.
Please consider joining us this Saturday as we go and share the good news of the gospel. if you can't join us, please be in prayer for us.
I realize that this is Halloween and many folks have kids to get ready for the night. This is why we are leaving early so we can get back early.
We will be leaving from the parking lot of First Baptist Canton at 8:30 am sharp!
We should get down to the Park no later than 9:30 am. We will meet up with "Saved From What Ministries" and then spread out inside the Park. We plan on leaving Piedmont Park at 1:00pm so every one will have time to get little ones ready for the evening.
When: Saturday, October 31st
Where: Piedmont Park, Atlanta
Time: Leave FBC at 8:30 am sharp!
Speaking of Halloween - Don't forget to have tracts ready for the kids when they come to your house! This is the only time of the year where potentially 100's of kids could come knocking at your door. This is a perfect opportunity to put a tract into their little bags when you give them candy.
23 October 2009
19 October 2009
Car Show Evangelism
Whew –
Cold, windy and threat of rain was the order of the day at the last Car Show of the year this past Saturday.
I don’t think the temperature ever made it past 50 degrees (we got to do something about this global warming thing!) while we were there.
Despite the not so friendly outdoor one-to-one witnessing conditions, we had several folks come out to help fulfill the Great Commission and take the gospel to where people are gathered.
Several of the evangelists with us Saturday are taking the Way of the Master class for the first time. We had just completed week six of the WOTM Basic Training Course and the Car Show was the perfect venue for some of the new evangelists to get their feet wet with some spiritual conversations.
Everything was in place and everybody got to the meeting place on time and we were ready to go…….but I forgot my camera!!
D’oh!
Oh, well……
I hope to get some stories from the ‘first-timers’ to post sometime this week. This way we can have their point of view from Saturday and hopefully encourage others out there who are a little intimidated to share their faith.
I had conversations with several folks, but one conversation that stands out is one with a 15 year old boy who attended a local church (I think the church is an emergent church but I can’t say for sure).
When asked the million dollar question (When you die, where do you think you will spend eternity?) he said, “Hopefully Heaven.”
When I asked him if he were to die today and stand before God, what would be the reason God would let him into Heaven?
He didn’t have an answer.
I went through the Law and showed him how God sees him; a lying, thieving, blaspheming adulterer at heart.
He admitted that if God were to sentence him after being found guilty of breaking His Law, he would go to hell.
“Does that concern you? Here you are, 15 years old, and you’re going to hell when you die.”
I asked him what he thought hell was like.
He said, “It’s probably like being in a house on fire with no way to escape.”
I said that was a pretty good description. But now imagine that you can’t escape forever. I said if that is what you think hell is like, it’s going to be a million times worse.
I said, “All liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. No blasphemer, thief or adulterer will inherit the Kingdom of God.”
His mouth was stopped and I took him through God’s wonderful grace. I implored him to repent and trust Christ today before it was too late.
We left this young man and had several other conversations before I caught up with some of the other new evangelists.
A couple of the newbies were very bold in their witnessing. I hope to get some of their conversations to this blog over the next few days.
Praise God for the turnout of those who wanted to glorify God in their obedience to sharing the gospel. Praise God for the folks he set us up to talk to. Praise God for His Word that will not return void!
Praise God for atoning blood of Jesus Christ!
Cold, windy and threat of rain was the order of the day at the last Car Show of the year this past Saturday.
I don’t think the temperature ever made it past 50 degrees (we got to do something about this global warming thing!) while we were there.
Despite the not so friendly outdoor one-to-one witnessing conditions, we had several folks come out to help fulfill the Great Commission and take the gospel to where people are gathered.
Several of the evangelists with us Saturday are taking the Way of the Master class for the first time. We had just completed week six of the WOTM Basic Training Course and the Car Show was the perfect venue for some of the new evangelists to get their feet wet with some spiritual conversations.
Everything was in place and everybody got to the meeting place on time and we were ready to go…….but I forgot my camera!!
D’oh!
Oh, well……
I hope to get some stories from the ‘first-timers’ to post sometime this week. This way we can have their point of view from Saturday and hopefully encourage others out there who are a little intimidated to share their faith.
I had conversations with several folks, but one conversation that stands out is one with a 15 year old boy who attended a local church (I think the church is an emergent church but I can’t say for sure).
When asked the million dollar question (When you die, where do you think you will spend eternity?) he said, “Hopefully Heaven.”
When I asked him if he were to die today and stand before God, what would be the reason God would let him into Heaven?
He didn’t have an answer.
I went through the Law and showed him how God sees him; a lying, thieving, blaspheming adulterer at heart.
He admitted that if God were to sentence him after being found guilty of breaking His Law, he would go to hell.
“Does that concern you? Here you are, 15 years old, and you’re going to hell when you die.”
I asked him what he thought hell was like.
He said, “It’s probably like being in a house on fire with no way to escape.”
I said that was a pretty good description. But now imagine that you can’t escape forever. I said if that is what you think hell is like, it’s going to be a million times worse.
I said, “All liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. No blasphemer, thief or adulterer will inherit the Kingdom of God.”
His mouth was stopped and I took him through God’s wonderful grace. I implored him to repent and trust Christ today before it was too late.
We left this young man and had several other conversations before I caught up with some of the other new evangelists.
A couple of the newbies were very bold in their witnessing. I hope to get some of their conversations to this blog over the next few days.
Praise God for the turnout of those who wanted to glorify God in their obedience to sharing the gospel. Praise God for the folks he set us up to talk to. Praise God for His Word that will not return void!
Praise God for atoning blood of Jesus Christ!
13 October 2009
Last Car Show this Saturday in Canton! ** (TIME CHANGED TO 3-5pm)
This Saturday the last Car Show of the year will be held at the Riverstone shopping center.
If you would like to come out and witness with us we would love for you to join us.
Perhaps you are a little shy about talking to strangers; no problem! You can help us hand out gospel tracts!
Perhaps you are a little shy about talking to strangers; no problem! You can help us hand out gospel tracts!
Still a little shy about doing that? No problem!
Come out and pray for us as we talk to folks.
Date: Saturday, October, 17th
Where to meet: In front of Hibbetts Sports store in the Riverstone complex.
What time: From 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm.
12 October 2009
Spurgeon moment
From the cross of Calvary--where the bleeding hands of Jesus drop mercy--the cry comes, "Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth!" From Calvary's summit, where Jesus cries, "It is finished!" I hear a shout, "Look unto Me, and be saved!"
But there comes a vile cry from our soul, "No, look to yourself! Look to yourself!" Ah, look to yourself--and you will certainly be damned! As long as you look to yourself--there is no hope for you. It is not a consideration of what you are--but a consideration of what Christ is, that can save you. You must look away from yourself, and to Jesus!
Oh! there are many who quite misunderstand the gospel; they think that their good works qualify them to come to Christ; whereas SIN is the only qualification for man to come to Jesus!
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor--but the sick!" Matthew 9:12
~ Charles Spurgeon
But there comes a vile cry from our soul, "No, look to yourself! Look to yourself!" Ah, look to yourself--and you will certainly be damned! As long as you look to yourself--there is no hope for you. It is not a consideration of what you are--but a consideration of what Christ is, that can save you. You must look away from yourself, and to Jesus!
Oh! there are many who quite misunderstand the gospel; they think that their good works qualify them to come to Christ; whereas SIN is the only qualification for man to come to Jesus!
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor--but the sick!" Matthew 9:12
~ Charles Spurgeon
09 October 2009
All powerful
A new convert was reading his Bible when he called out, “Wow! Praise the Lord!”
A liberal minister heard him, and asked him what the noise was about. The young Christian replied with great enthusiasm, “This is incredible. It says here that God performed a miracle of deliverance by opening up the Red Sea for the Jews to march through!”
The minister replied, “Owing to tidal patterns around that time of year, the Red Sea was a swamp that was only three inches deep.”
Somewhat subdued, the young man continued reading, but soon exclaimed, “Wow! Praise the Lord!”
“What’s the matter now?” asked the minister. The Christian replied, “God has just drowned the whole Egyptian army in three inches of water!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Many times when witnessing to an unbeliever, he will try to knock you off your horse with tales of evolution, seemingly 'contradictions' in the Bible and fantastic unbelievable events (Noah's Ark, Jonah and the great fish, etc).
If you know a little apologetics you would like use to defend God's Word, by all means do so; but never at the expense of sharing the gospel.
It's easy to get wrapped up defending God's Word and forget all about the reason your sharing your faith to begin with; reaching the lost.
Apologetics are wonderful and biblical, but if we fail to share the gospel with the person we are talking to then we miss the opportunity to offer that person God's awesome plan of salvation.
Dawg
A liberal minister heard him, and asked him what the noise was about. The young Christian replied with great enthusiasm, “This is incredible. It says here that God performed a miracle of deliverance by opening up the Red Sea for the Jews to march through!”
The minister replied, “Owing to tidal patterns around that time of year, the Red Sea was a swamp that was only three inches deep.”
Somewhat subdued, the young man continued reading, but soon exclaimed, “Wow! Praise the Lord!”
“What’s the matter now?” asked the minister. The Christian replied, “God has just drowned the whole Egyptian army in three inches of water!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Many times when witnessing to an unbeliever, he will try to knock you off your horse with tales of evolution, seemingly 'contradictions' in the Bible and fantastic unbelievable events (Noah's Ark, Jonah and the great fish, etc).
If you know a little apologetics you would like use to defend God's Word, by all means do so; but never at the expense of sharing the gospel.
It's easy to get wrapped up defending God's Word and forget all about the reason your sharing your faith to begin with; reaching the lost.
Apologetics are wonderful and biblical, but if we fail to share the gospel with the person we are talking to then we miss the opportunity to offer that person God's awesome plan of salvation.
Dawg
03 October 2009
What happened to you last year inspired us….
Today my faithful witnessing partner and I headed to Jasper, Georgia to hand out tracts and do some one-to-one witnessing at the annual Marble Festival.
I arrived a few minutes ahead of my buddy so I laid down my cross and box of tracts and stood around looking for familiar faces that might come out to join us. While I was scanning the crowd and trying to pick out any one I might know, I heard someone say, “Wayne, is that you?” I turned to see who was asking and recognized a face from a church my wife and I attended years ago right after the Lord saved me.
I gave a quick hug to the lady and asked how she had been doing. She proceeded to tell me how her life has been upside down over the last few years. She painted a sad tale of life after divorce, no job, no transportation and now living with a grandparent. It seems she has battled with alcohol and her own personal demons over the years and didn’t seem to have too much hope for her life.
I began to explain to her why I was out at the Festival; giving folks the hope of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. She told me that she still believed in God and was trying to take classes on catechism at the local Catholic church. We had a good long conversation about that. We talked about Mary. We talked about works salvation. We talked about papal infallibility. We had a long talk about the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I asked her if she liked to read. She said she loves to read. I told her for some reason I was compelled to bring along a book with me today written by Mark Cahill called, “One Heartbeat Away”. I gave her the book as gift and told her to read this book after she had done her daily Bible reading. She thanked me for giving her the book and we said our goodbyes.
That was a perfect God thing.
My buddy said she might be the only reason we were supposed to come out here today.
Well, she could have been….but God was about to lay upon my buddy and me a blessing I will never forget.
Here’s the set up - -
Last year at the Marble Festival, while we were giving out tracts and doing one-to-one witnessing, the Festival director approached one of my team mates and told him that we could not solicit in the area we were in. My team mate came over to me and told me what was going on and I told him not to worry as we were on a public street that had been shut down for through traffic for the people to walk towards the entrance of the Festival. I went over to the director (whom I knew personally) and asked him why he was so angry about us handing out the tracts.
He told me that we were soliciting on private property and if we didn’t stop he was going to call the local police. I told him that we were not soliciting but giving away gospel tracts and besides, we were on a public street more than 200 feet from the entrance to the Festival.
He told us again, this time with a red and mad face, that if we didn’t leave he was calling the police. I told him to do what he felt he needed to do, we were not leaving.
About ten minutes later the local police shows up and had a long discussion with the director. I told my team to keep passing out tracts and talking to folks. After the policeman was finished talking with the director he walked over to where I was and let me give “my side” of the story.
The officer told me that, yes, we had a Constitutional right to free speech and he was not challenging me on that. He told me that we did have a right to be where we were but asked if we could move to the other side of the street so “this spark would not become a fire”.
I agreed to move my team to the other side of the street. We still had lots of tracts to be given out and I didn’t want to waste time arguing with the law about who was right and who was wrong.
God used the move to our advantage and we were able to hand out all our tracts and talk to more people than where we previously were.
Now….you’re up to speed.
Back to today –
As we left my friend with her new book we were going to set up my cross on the sidewalk that the police told us to go to last year. As we were making our way up the hill I noticed an older gentleman giving out little Bibles at the very same place we were told to move from last year.
As we got closer to him I saw boxes of Bibles stacked up next to a canopy tent that some folks had set up in the yard in front of the street that we were told to move from last year. I walked over to the men standing at the canopy and asked them if they were the ones giving out the Bibles. The fellow said yes we are, and were giving out gospel tracts as well.
Sweet!!
I introduced myself and my partner and he said his name was Scott and introduced us to his buddy Gary. I told him that it was on this very spot last year that we had the police called on us by the Festival director and we had to move across the street.
Scott said, “We know.”
I look at him dumbfounded.
Scott said Gary, while he was leaving the Festival last year, saw what happened to you guys and told our church. Scott said what happened to you guys last year inspired us to come out here and set up to witness, hand out tracts and open air preach!
I said you guys have been open air preaching already? Scott said yes, about every 30 minutes since 10am. (Well, I’m glad I had my sunglasses on at this point because I started tearing up.) You have been out here since 10am? Yup, our whole Sunday school class; we have the afternoon shift.
I asked Scott if he had a run in with the Festival director yet. He said it doesn’t matter this year. I asked why? Scott said the owner of the yard they had set up in gave them permission use it as they needed.
Praise God!!
Scott told us to set up anywhere we wanted in the yard and join them.
We did.
God used us mightily to hand out hundreds of tracts and witness to dozens of people over the next several hours.
We met two evangelists in our area who love the Lord and love to preach the gospel.
God was glorified today and I was privileged and humbled to be used by Him!!
Man, we serve a great, great God!!
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
I arrived a few minutes ahead of my buddy so I laid down my cross and box of tracts and stood around looking for familiar faces that might come out to join us. While I was scanning the crowd and trying to pick out any one I might know, I heard someone say, “Wayne, is that you?” I turned to see who was asking and recognized a face from a church my wife and I attended years ago right after the Lord saved me.
I gave a quick hug to the lady and asked how she had been doing. She proceeded to tell me how her life has been upside down over the last few years. She painted a sad tale of life after divorce, no job, no transportation and now living with a grandparent. It seems she has battled with alcohol and her own personal demons over the years and didn’t seem to have too much hope for her life.
I began to explain to her why I was out at the Festival; giving folks the hope of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. She told me that she still believed in God and was trying to take classes on catechism at the local Catholic church. We had a good long conversation about that. We talked about Mary. We talked about works salvation. We talked about papal infallibility. We had a long talk about the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I asked her if she liked to read. She said she loves to read. I told her for some reason I was compelled to bring along a book with me today written by Mark Cahill called, “One Heartbeat Away”. I gave her the book as gift and told her to read this book after she had done her daily Bible reading. She thanked me for giving her the book and we said our goodbyes.
That was a perfect God thing.
My buddy said she might be the only reason we were supposed to come out here today.
Well, she could have been….but God was about to lay upon my buddy and me a blessing I will never forget.
Here’s the set up - -
Last year at the Marble Festival, while we were giving out tracts and doing one-to-one witnessing, the Festival director approached one of my team mates and told him that we could not solicit in the area we were in. My team mate came over to me and told me what was going on and I told him not to worry as we were on a public street that had been shut down for through traffic for the people to walk towards the entrance of the Festival. I went over to the director (whom I knew personally) and asked him why he was so angry about us handing out the tracts.
He told me that we were soliciting on private property and if we didn’t stop he was going to call the local police. I told him that we were not soliciting but giving away gospel tracts and besides, we were on a public street more than 200 feet from the entrance to the Festival.
He told us again, this time with a red and mad face, that if we didn’t leave he was calling the police. I told him to do what he felt he needed to do, we were not leaving.
About ten minutes later the local police shows up and had a long discussion with the director. I told my team to keep passing out tracts and talking to folks. After the policeman was finished talking with the director he walked over to where I was and let me give “my side” of the story.
The officer told me that, yes, we had a Constitutional right to free speech and he was not challenging me on that. He told me that we did have a right to be where we were but asked if we could move to the other side of the street so “this spark would not become a fire”.
I agreed to move my team to the other side of the street. We still had lots of tracts to be given out and I didn’t want to waste time arguing with the law about who was right and who was wrong.
God used the move to our advantage and we were able to hand out all our tracts and talk to more people than where we previously were.
Now….you’re up to speed.
Back to today –
As we left my friend with her new book we were going to set up my cross on the sidewalk that the police told us to go to last year. As we were making our way up the hill I noticed an older gentleman giving out little Bibles at the very same place we were told to move from last year.
As we got closer to him I saw boxes of Bibles stacked up next to a canopy tent that some folks had set up in the yard in front of the street that we were told to move from last year. I walked over to the men standing at the canopy and asked them if they were the ones giving out the Bibles. The fellow said yes we are, and were giving out gospel tracts as well.
Sweet!!
I introduced myself and my partner and he said his name was Scott and introduced us to his buddy Gary. I told him that it was on this very spot last year that we had the police called on us by the Festival director and we had to move across the street.
Scott said, “We know.”
I look at him dumbfounded.
Scott said Gary, while he was leaving the Festival last year, saw what happened to you guys and told our church. Scott said what happened to you guys last year inspired us to come out here and set up to witness, hand out tracts and open air preach!
I said you guys have been open air preaching already? Scott said yes, about every 30 minutes since 10am. (Well, I’m glad I had my sunglasses on at this point because I started tearing up.) You have been out here since 10am? Yup, our whole Sunday school class; we have the afternoon shift.
I asked Scott if he had a run in with the Festival director yet. He said it doesn’t matter this year. I asked why? Scott said the owner of the yard they had set up in gave them permission use it as they needed.
Praise God!!
Scott told us to set up anywhere we wanted in the yard and join them.
We did.
God used us mightily to hand out hundreds of tracts and witness to dozens of people over the next several hours.
We met two evangelists in our area who love the Lord and love to preach the gospel.
God was glorified today and I was privileged and humbled to be used by Him!!
Man, we serve a great, great God!!
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
28 September 2009
Marble Festival - Jasper Georgia
It's that time of year again when thousands of people flock to Jasper, Georgia for the annual Marble Festival.
This Saturday, October 3rd, will be an excellent opportunity to participate in the Great Commission with us as we hand out tracts and share the gospel one-to-one with people who may have never heard the good news before.
Please consider joining 'His Feet on the Street' as we engage people about their spiritual beliefs, find out where people believe they are going when they die, hand out some tracts and personally share the gospel!
Where : Lee Newton Park (Directions on the above link)
When : 2-5 pm
We will meet at the paying entrance to the Festival.
Note: We will NOT be going into the Festival grounds. We will meet at 2pm outside the paying entrance and group up 2x2 to hand out tracts and witness on the public sidewalks just outside the grounds. Hundreds of people will walk these sidewalks to and from the Festival.
If you have any questions, please email me at waynedawg@tds.net
This Saturday, October 3rd, will be an excellent opportunity to participate in the Great Commission with us as we hand out tracts and share the gospel one-to-one with people who may have never heard the good news before.Please consider joining 'His Feet on the Street' as we engage people about their spiritual beliefs, find out where people believe they are going when they die, hand out some tracts and personally share the gospel!
Where : Lee Newton Park (Directions on the above link)
When : 2-5 pm
We will meet at the paying entrance to the Festival.
Note: We will NOT be going into the Festival grounds. We will meet at 2pm outside the paying entrance and group up 2x2 to hand out tracts and witness on the public sidewalks just outside the grounds. Hundreds of people will walk these sidewalks to and from the Festival.
If you have any questions, please email me at waynedawg@tds.net
21 September 2009
Prison bound
Asking for prayers please....
My faithful witnessing partner and I will be headed to Atlanta this Thursday to spend three days evangelising in a metro area prison. We won't know which prison we will be at until Thursday.
We are asking for you to please pray for us to be bold and faithful to present the full Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray that God is already at work in the hearts of those we will be witnessing to. Pray that God breaks the hard heart with His law and mends the broken heart with His perfect Gospel.
Please, while you're at it, pray for our team that will be sharing the Gospel on October 3rd at the local Marble Festival in Jasper, Ga. Last year we had the local law enforcement called on us for 'soliciting' and trespassing on private property.
None of the charges were true of course. We were not soliciting but giving away free Gospel tracts and we were doing so on public sidewalks. In the end God had His way and we gave Him all the glory for that!
My faithful witnessing partner and I will be headed to Atlanta this Thursday to spend three days evangelising in a metro area prison. We won't know which prison we will be at until Thursday.
We are asking for you to please pray for us to be bold and faithful to present the full Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray that God is already at work in the hearts of those we will be witnessing to. Pray that God breaks the hard heart with His law and mends the broken heart with His perfect Gospel.
Please, while you're at it, pray for our team that will be sharing the Gospel on October 3rd at the local Marble Festival in Jasper, Ga. Last year we had the local law enforcement called on us for 'soliciting' and trespassing on private property.
None of the charges were true of course. We were not soliciting but giving away free Gospel tracts and we were doing so on public sidewalks. In the end God had His way and we gave Him all the glory for that!
Ministry Spotlight
I want to give a shout out to an evangelism website that not only is passionate about personal evangelism, but also provides a schedule for upcoming events in the metro Atlanta area.
Saved From What? Ministries is based in the Lawrenceville area but has evangelism events scheduled throughout the state of Georgia as well as a few venues outside the state.
Keith Higgens leads up this incredible team of fired up evangelists and I had the privilege of being under his leadership in Atlanta a couple weeks ago during ‘The 500’.
Please give this site a look over and check the out schedule for upcoming events, the videos and his blog.
Saved From What? Ministries is based in the Lawrenceville area but has evangelism events scheduled throughout the state of Georgia as well as a few venues outside the state.
Keith Higgens leads up this incredible team of fired up evangelists and I had the privilege of being under his leadership in Atlanta a couple weeks ago during ‘The 500’.
Please give this site a look over and check the out schedule for upcoming events, the videos and his blog.
15 September 2009
Four Corners
“Yet remember, though He condescendeth to reason, to persuade, to [call], and to beseech, still His Gospel hath in it all the dignity and force of a command. If we would preach it in these days as Christ did, we must proclaim it as a command from God, attended with a divine sanction and not to be neglected, save at the infinite peril of a soul…
’Repent ye’ is as much a command of God as ‘Thou shalt not steal.’”
–C.H. Spurgeon
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was the rolling marquee that greeted my group as we walked into the 'Four Corners' area of Atlanta.
The marquee said something like this, "First Baptist church of Atlanta welcomes The 500 evangelists ready to go minister the Gospel in fulfilling the Great Commission."
The marquee was a huge encouragement for our group of about 30 or so that had made our way from the “Deeper” conference to the heart of Atlanta to share the Gospel with the lost.
After everyone had made their way to the meeting point in front of the Hard Rock Café, we gathered together for prayer and headed out in pairs or groups of three.
My team included my oldest son and my always faithful witnessing partner from the last couple years.
We were able to talk to several folks over the next few hours and hand out a lot of tracts.
We met one interesting older woman who believed that she had never committed a sin that would keep her out of Heaven. When pressed on this, she said that the only sin she had ever committed was telling ‘little white lies’. She assured me that the only reason she even told these lies was to protect people of keep harm from coming to them.
I asked her if she had ever taken anything that was not hers…. No.
I asked her if she had ever used God’s name in vain…. No.
Always kept the Sabbath day…. Yes.
Always put God first….Yes. Always loved God with your heart, soul, strength and mind…Yes.
Ever committed adultery….No….lusted after anyone….No.
Always honored her father and mother…Yes.
Ever hated anyone….No.
I said ma’am, you may be the most perfect person I have ever met in my life! Then I asked her if she had ever coveted anything; ever wanted something that wasn’t hers.
Yes…….but I didn’t take it.
AHA! (no I didn’t really say that)
I said ma’am, the Bible says that if you break just one of the Commandments you are guilty of breaking them all. I then gave her the link in the chain analogy.
I asked her if she were to die today and stand before God, would she be innocent or guilty of breaking God’s Law. She said innocent because she has never committed a sin that would keep her out of Heaven.
I explained to her that God is holy and just and must punish all sin, no matter how trite or meaningless that sin seemed to her.
She then told me to believe what I wanted to believe and she would believe what she wanted to believe. I told her it’s not a matter of if I believe it or not, what matters if it is true or not. Either the Bible is correct and God will punish sin or the Bible is not truthful concerning the nature of God and His holiness.
That’s when she looked down the street and told me that she was waiting on the bus and that it should be here any minute.
I tried to take a little more time by explaining to her that there was nothing she could do to earn her way into Heaven by trying to be a good person. I told her that if there was something that she could do that could earn her way into Heaven, then she could have reason to boast about her salvation. I explained to her that only by repenting of her sins and putting her faith alone in Christ could God accept her and allow her in His Kingdom.
She again told me to believe what I wanted to believe and she would do the same.
I asked her to make sure she carefully read the Gospel tract tonight and consider thoughtfully everything we talked about.
We shook hands and departed.
We had many more conversations and I trust that God’s Word will not return void with the people we spoke to but accomplish His perfect will concerning them.
’Repent ye’ is as much a command of God as ‘Thou shalt not steal.’”
–C.H. Spurgeon
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was the rolling marquee that greeted my group as we walked into the 'Four Corners' area of Atlanta.
The marquee said something like this, "First Baptist church of Atlanta welcomes The 500 evangelists ready to go minister the Gospel in fulfilling the Great Commission."
The marquee was a huge encouragement for our group of about 30 or so that had made our way from the “Deeper” conference to the heart of Atlanta to share the Gospel with the lost.
After everyone had made their way to the meeting point in front of the Hard Rock Café, we gathered together for prayer and headed out in pairs or groups of three.
My team included my oldest son and my always faithful witnessing partner from the last couple years.
We were able to talk to several folks over the next few hours and hand out a lot of tracts.
We met one interesting older woman who believed that she had never committed a sin that would keep her out of Heaven. When pressed on this, she said that the only sin she had ever committed was telling ‘little white lies’. She assured me that the only reason she even told these lies was to protect people of keep harm from coming to them.
I asked her if she had ever taken anything that was not hers…. No.
I asked her if she had ever used God’s name in vain…. No.
Always kept the Sabbath day…. Yes.
Always put God first….Yes. Always loved God with your heart, soul, strength and mind…Yes.
Ever committed adultery….No….lusted after anyone….No.
Always honored her father and mother…Yes.
Ever hated anyone….No.
I said ma’am, you may be the most perfect person I have ever met in my life! Then I asked her if she had ever coveted anything; ever wanted something that wasn’t hers.
Yes…….but I didn’t take it.
AHA! (no I didn’t really say that)
I said ma’am, the Bible says that if you break just one of the Commandments you are guilty of breaking them all. I then gave her the link in the chain analogy.
I asked her if she were to die today and stand before God, would she be innocent or guilty of breaking God’s Law. She said innocent because she has never committed a sin that would keep her out of Heaven.
I explained to her that God is holy and just and must punish all sin, no matter how trite or meaningless that sin seemed to her.
She then told me to believe what I wanted to believe and she would believe what she wanted to believe. I told her it’s not a matter of if I believe it or not, what matters if it is true or not. Either the Bible is correct and God will punish sin or the Bible is not truthful concerning the nature of God and His holiness.
That’s when she looked down the street and told me that she was waiting on the bus and that it should be here any minute.
I tried to take a little more time by explaining to her that there was nothing she could do to earn her way into Heaven by trying to be a good person. I told her that if there was something that she could do that could earn her way into Heaven, then she could have reason to boast about her salvation. I explained to her that only by repenting of her sins and putting her faith alone in Christ could God accept her and allow her in His Kingdom.
She again told me to believe what I wanted to believe and she would do the same.
I asked her to make sure she carefully read the Gospel tract tonight and consider thoughtfully everything we talked about.
We shook hands and departed.
We had many more conversations and I trust that God’s Word will not return void with the people we spoke to but accomplish His perfect will concerning them.
10 September 2009
Deeper!
I'm sure I won't be posting anything until at least Sunday. My oldest son and I will be heading down to Woodstock, Georgia to attend the Deeper conference tomorrow morning.
The conference itself will be awesome, but what I am really looking forward to is participating in the 500.
About 500 street preachers and evangelists will head down to Atlanta after the Saturday conference to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the masses. I will be on team #1 which will be stationed at the 'Four Corners' area that includes the Hard Rock Cafe and Hooters.
Please be in prayer for the 500. Pray that thousands will hear the Gospel and that God will save many for His glory.
Dawg
The conference itself will be awesome, but what I am really looking forward to is participating in the 500.
About 500 street preachers and evangelists will head down to Atlanta after the Saturday conference to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the masses. I will be on team #1 which will be stationed at the 'Four Corners' area that includes the Hard Rock Cafe and Hooters.
Please be in prayer for the 500. Pray that thousands will hear the Gospel and that God will save many for His glory.
Dawg
06 September 2009
Hey Wayne, was that you I saw holding a cross....
That was the beginning of a Facebook posting on my wall Friday evening when I got on-line to do a quick check of my email before hitting the sack.
I took off work a little early Friday and went home to quickly change into some shorts and a t-shirt before heading down to Town Lake parkway to debut the cross for the first time.
I'll have to admit that during the 35 minute drive to this high traffic spot I was getting second thoughts about just standing in one spot for an hour holding a cross that said, "Are You Ready".
I don't know if the enemy was giving me the doubts or if it was my flesh telling me how foolish this was going to look to lots of people.
When I got to the location I took out the cross, centered up the horizontal beam and tightened down the wing nut. I nervously (why was I nervous???) walked over to the public side walk and faced east toward the onslaught of vehicles traveling toward me.
I was shaking. I was already sweating. I held up the cross and proceeded to stand in that one spot for the next hour.
Several times over the next hour I counted the number of cars that passed me in one minutes time as they traveled the 35-45 mph down the parkway...55...58...49...63...61...59...61.
I stood there motionless with my baseball cap and sunglasses. Sometimes traffic would stop at the light and then the vehicles would start stacking up. Occupants of the cars and trucks would just sit there and look at me and the cross.
Sometimes someone would toot the horn and without moving my head I would follow with my eyes and they would give me a 'thumbs up'. One person appeared to give me the finger.
After about 15-20 minutes a group of kids (13-14 years old) with skateboards in tow came walking towards me. As they were about to pass me on the sidewalk, one kid asked the question; "Ready for what?"
Eternity I answered.
He said he wasn't ready for eternity. I asked him if he would like to know how to be ready for eternity and he said he didn't plan on dying today. I asked him if he knew when he was going to die and he answered by asking me if I was smarter than a fifth grader.
That got a good laugh from his buds and they hurried on past the crazy guy with the cross.
Time seemed to go by pretty fast as I stood there. I kept my mind busy with prayers for the people who saw the sign as well as reciting some Scriptures that seemed to just pop up.
At the end of the hour I folded up the cross and headed back to the car. Much later that evening when I checked my emails, I came across one that said, "Hey Wayne, was that you I saw standing on Town Lake parkway with a cross that said, "are you ready"?
Yes, that was me. I didn't think I would be recognized with the ball cap and the sunglasses. Not that I was trying to hide...I just wanted the cross to be the focus; not me.
Over 3,200 folks in cars and trucks and motorcycles saw the question.
Not a bad debut!
I took off work a little early Friday and went home to quickly change into some shorts and a t-shirt before heading down to Town Lake parkway to debut the cross for the first time.
I'll have to admit that during the 35 minute drive to this high traffic spot I was getting second thoughts about just standing in one spot for an hour holding a cross that said, "Are You Ready".
I don't know if the enemy was giving me the doubts or if it was my flesh telling me how foolish this was going to look to lots of people.
When I got to the location I took out the cross, centered up the horizontal beam and tightened down the wing nut. I nervously (why was I nervous???) walked over to the public side walk and faced east toward the onslaught of vehicles traveling toward me.
I was shaking. I was already sweating. I held up the cross and proceeded to stand in that one spot for the next hour.
Several times over the next hour I counted the number of cars that passed me in one minutes time as they traveled the 35-45 mph down the parkway...55...58...49...63...61...59...61.
I stood there motionless with my baseball cap and sunglasses. Sometimes traffic would stop at the light and then the vehicles would start stacking up. Occupants of the cars and trucks would just sit there and look at me and the cross.
Sometimes someone would toot the horn and without moving my head I would follow with my eyes and they would give me a 'thumbs up'. One person appeared to give me the finger.
After about 15-20 minutes a group of kids (13-14 years old) with skateboards in tow came walking towards me. As they were about to pass me on the sidewalk, one kid asked the question; "Ready for what?"
Eternity I answered.
He said he wasn't ready for eternity. I asked him if he would like to know how to be ready for eternity and he said he didn't plan on dying today. I asked him if he knew when he was going to die and he answered by asking me if I was smarter than a fifth grader.
That got a good laugh from his buds and they hurried on past the crazy guy with the cross.
Time seemed to go by pretty fast as I stood there. I kept my mind busy with prayers for the people who saw the sign as well as reciting some Scriptures that seemed to just pop up.
At the end of the hour I folded up the cross and headed back to the car. Much later that evening when I checked my emails, I came across one that said, "Hey Wayne, was that you I saw standing on Town Lake parkway with a cross that said, "are you ready"?
Yes, that was me. I didn't think I would be recognized with the ball cap and the sunglasses. Not that I was trying to hide...I just wanted the cross to be the focus; not me.
Over 3,200 folks in cars and trucks and motorcycles saw the question.
Not a bad debut!
03 September 2009
Holiness
“In proportion as a church is holy, in that proportion will its testimony for Christ be powerful.”
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon
01 September 2009
Rejection Collection Challenge -
Challenge from Ray Comfort
When giving out tracts, the law of averages means that with every rejection you are getting closer to being accepted, and it indicates that you are doing something to reach the lost. One sure way to get no rejections is to do nothing to reach the lost. No one will reject you, and one sure way to get rejections is to try to reach the lost.
So, I changed my attitude recently and when my first rejection came, I was expecting it. Instead of it being like a sword through my sensitive little heart, I said, "Great. Thanks!" and thought, "There's my first one...I was expecting it." The experience made me laugh.
Here's a challenge for those of you who are as sensitive as me. We will send a free Season Three to the person who gets the most rejections between now and September 10th. Just count the tracts you give out, keep a count of the rejections, and then work out the percentage of rejections.
Don't forget to send the statistics to us
along with your name and address:
rejectioncollection@livingwaters.com
When giving out tracts, the law of averages means that with every rejection you are getting closer to being accepted, and it indicates that you are doing something to reach the lost. One sure way to get no rejections is to do nothing to reach the lost. No one will reject you, and one sure way to get rejections is to try to reach the lost.
So, I changed my attitude recently and when my first rejection came, I was expecting it. Instead of it being like a sword through my sensitive little heart, I said, "Great. Thanks!" and thought, "There's my first one...I was expecting it." The experience made me laugh.
Here's a challenge for those of you who are as sensitive as me. We will send a free Season Three to the person who gets the most rejections between now and September 10th. Just count the tracts you give out, keep a count of the rejections, and then work out the percentage of rejections.
Don't forget to send the statistics to us
along with your name and address:
rejectioncollection@livingwaters.com
29 August 2009
"Are You Ready" - Ready!
After reading about a couple passionate street preachers (Tony Miano from the LawMan Chronicles and Paul Latour from The Word Street Journal) and their zeal for creating an evangelism tool with the words, "Are You Ready" boldly painted on 4' by 3' cross, I knew that this ole North Georgia boy could find a few uses for such a tool in the deep south.
I gave a call to one of my witnessing partners who has all the tools Tim the 'Toolman' Taylor could ever dream to have and set up at his house to cut some boards and drill a hole. A couple other of my witnessing buds came by and supervised the project.
We didn't get to do the lettering last week as someone : ) forgot to bring the stencils.
My goal was to have my wife (the steady hand ) paint the letters on this morning and I would go down to a busy section of road and debut the cross.
Unfortunately a kidney stone had other plans for me today.
After a few hours of unwanted pain I got the materials together for my wife to put on the lettering. She did a great job but the time had already slipped away from me and the goal of heading down to a busy road in Woodstock, Ga.
That's Ok....next Saturday!
I gave a call to one of my witnessing partners who has all the tools Tim the 'Toolman' Taylor could ever dream to have and set up at his house to cut some boards and drill a hole. A couple other of my witnessing buds came by and supervised the project.
We didn't get to do the lettering last week as someone : ) forgot to bring the stencils.
My goal was to have my wife (the steady hand ) paint the letters on this morning and I would go down to a busy section of road and debut the cross.
Unfortunately a kidney stone had other plans for me today.
After a few hours of unwanted pain I got the materials together for my wife to put on the lettering. She did a great job but the time had already slipped away from me and the goal of heading down to a busy road in Woodstock, Ga.
That's Ok....next Saturday!
27 August 2009
What would Ted Kennedy say to us now?
From Tony the Law Man
Do you profess to be a Christian, yet after hearing the news of Kennedy's death do you see it as an opportunity to celebrate, or to tell an off-colored joke, or to make a political statement? Well, if as a professing Christian you don't regularly share your faith with the lost, this would certainly explain why. After all, it's what comes out of the mouth that reveals the condition of the heart.
And for those Christians who are obedient to Christ's command to preach the gospel to the entire world, if you too are making light of Kennedy's death, don't you see the hypocrisy in the behavior?
While pundits and others from every political and spiritual persuasion will have much to say over the next several days about Ted Kennedy's life and legacy, if Ted Kennedy could say anything to us right now it would be this.
"Don't miss heaven."
Ted Kennedy's understanding of who God is and what God requires of every person is now perfect. No longer limited by the fallibility of a finite human mind as we are presently, Ted Kennedy's theology is now perfect. Regardless of where you believe Ted Kennedy is at this moment, I am confident that his plea to his fellow man would be, "Don't miss heaven."
My hope is that as he made the long and painful journey from life to death to eternity, Ted Kennedy came to genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although I saw Ted Kennedy as an enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ, my hope is that I will one-day see Ted Kennedy in heaven.
Lord, help me to love my enemies.
What about you? Where will you spend eternity? Have you ever thought about it? Do you care?
You will one-day die and stand before the Creator, Almighty God, whom you've denied and mocked. He will judge you according to the perfect, moral standard of His Law. If He finds you guilty of so much as one lie, or one theft, or one greedy desire, or one selfish act, or one lustful look, or one hateful thought, or one blasphemous utterance; He will find you guilty of breaking His Law. The sentence you will receive will be just and good: eternity in Hell.
Your arguments against the righteous justice of Almighty God, my King, are irrelevant. My King is sovereign. You are not. And any man who tries to defend himself before the Great White Throne of the Creator and Judge of the Universe has a fool for a client.
God, who is rich in mercy, who is loving and kind, has provided only one way for you to escape His just and holy wrath. This is your only hope, whether you believe it or not.
Two thousand years ago, God the Father sent His Son to Earth in the person of Jesus Christ--fully-God and fully-Man, but without sin. Unlike you and me, He never once violated the Law of God in thought, word, or deed. He couldn't. He was God in the flesh--the sinless Lamb of God. He was born of a virgin, just as the prophet said He would be, 750 years before His birth.
Thirty to thirty-three years into that earthly existence He voluntarily went to the cross. He suffered, shed His innocent blood, and died a horrific death. The Bible says that he was so badly beaten and mutilated that He could barely be recognized as human. He suffered and died, taking upon Himself the punishment you and I rightly deserve for violating God's Law. Three days later He rose from the dead and forever defeated sin and death. Unlike the false gods of every other religion on the planet, Jesus Christ is alive and He will return at a time of the Father's choosing.
What He commands of you is that you repent--that you turn away from and forsake your sin; and that you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Jesus said that unless a person is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God. If God causes you to be born again, then when you die and stand before Him, instead of receiving what you deserve for breaking God's Law (which is eternity in hell), you will receive what you don't deserve (which is grace, and mercy, and everlasting life in heaven, with Jesus Christ).
So, repent and believe the gospel while my King has given you time. Please, I beg of you, don't miss heaven.
I believe Ted Kennedy would agree.
Do you profess to be a Christian, yet after hearing the news of Kennedy's death do you see it as an opportunity to celebrate, or to tell an off-colored joke, or to make a political statement? Well, if as a professing Christian you don't regularly share your faith with the lost, this would certainly explain why. After all, it's what comes out of the mouth that reveals the condition of the heart.
And for those Christians who are obedient to Christ's command to preach the gospel to the entire world, if you too are making light of Kennedy's death, don't you see the hypocrisy in the behavior?
While pundits and others from every political and spiritual persuasion will have much to say over the next several days about Ted Kennedy's life and legacy, if Ted Kennedy could say anything to us right now it would be this.
"Don't miss heaven."
Ted Kennedy's understanding of who God is and what God requires of every person is now perfect. No longer limited by the fallibility of a finite human mind as we are presently, Ted Kennedy's theology is now perfect. Regardless of where you believe Ted Kennedy is at this moment, I am confident that his plea to his fellow man would be, "Don't miss heaven."
My hope is that as he made the long and painful journey from life to death to eternity, Ted Kennedy came to genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although I saw Ted Kennedy as an enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ, my hope is that I will one-day see Ted Kennedy in heaven.
Lord, help me to love my enemies.
What about you? Where will you spend eternity? Have you ever thought about it? Do you care?
You will one-day die and stand before the Creator, Almighty God, whom you've denied and mocked. He will judge you according to the perfect, moral standard of His Law. If He finds you guilty of so much as one lie, or one theft, or one greedy desire, or one selfish act, or one lustful look, or one hateful thought, or one blasphemous utterance; He will find you guilty of breaking His Law. The sentence you will receive will be just and good: eternity in Hell.
Your arguments against the righteous justice of Almighty God, my King, are irrelevant. My King is sovereign. You are not. And any man who tries to defend himself before the Great White Throne of the Creator and Judge of the Universe has a fool for a client.
God, who is rich in mercy, who is loving and kind, has provided only one way for you to escape His just and holy wrath. This is your only hope, whether you believe it or not.
Two thousand years ago, God the Father sent His Son to Earth in the person of Jesus Christ--fully-God and fully-Man, but without sin. Unlike you and me, He never once violated the Law of God in thought, word, or deed. He couldn't. He was God in the flesh--the sinless Lamb of God. He was born of a virgin, just as the prophet said He would be, 750 years before His birth.
Thirty to thirty-three years into that earthly existence He voluntarily went to the cross. He suffered, shed His innocent blood, and died a horrific death. The Bible says that he was so badly beaten and mutilated that He could barely be recognized as human. He suffered and died, taking upon Himself the punishment you and I rightly deserve for violating God's Law. Three days later He rose from the dead and forever defeated sin and death. Unlike the false gods of every other religion on the planet, Jesus Christ is alive and He will return at a time of the Father's choosing.
What He commands of you is that you repent--that you turn away from and forsake your sin; and that you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Jesus said that unless a person is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God. If God causes you to be born again, then when you die and stand before Him, instead of receiving what you deserve for breaking God's Law (which is eternity in hell), you will receive what you don't deserve (which is grace, and mercy, and everlasting life in heaven, with Jesus Christ).
So, repent and believe the gospel while my King has given you time. Please, I beg of you, don't miss heaven.
I believe Ted Kennedy would agree.
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