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"Thy word is a lamp unto my
feet, and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105
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When
Evangelism Becomes Real!
Did
you know there is a passage of scripture that lets us know when
you will have evangelism on your heart? For many it will be after
you die. Consider the following reading found in Luke 16:22-28:
…The
rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in
torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and
Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger
in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But
Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received
your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now
he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all
this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that
those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none
may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you,
father, to send him to my father's house— for I have five
brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this
place of torment.’ When those that are lost die, they
become concerned about evangelism.
I would
imagine those that are saved also think of many they loved that
are not living as the Lord instructed. It seems as though so many
that have obeyed God are deceived into thinking that all good
people, certainly people we love will be saved. Jesus tried to
warn us that this is not so. You remember He said as recorded in
Matthew 7:13-14ESV “Enter
by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that
leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are
many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads
to life, and those who find it are few. Then again
He said in Matthew 7:21-23KJV “Not
everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which
is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity.”
There are
those that don’t understand that our charge from the Lord is to
teach the word. It is the responsibility of the individual to
accept what the Lord teaches or to reject it. In the parable of
the sower, Jesus teaches us that the seed is the word of God. We
become the sower. Some people will listen and reject the message.
Some will begin to accept the message but turn back to the ways
of the world. Some will not even listen. But there are those that
will listen and obey God. Our job as Christians is to teach and
spread the word.
There
are many ways of teaching, and we do teach all of the time. When
you fail to attend the services of the church you are teaching
those around you that God is not important. But, the opposite is
true as well. Years ago in Briensburg, Kentucky, an elderly
couple walked to church services. They walked every time the
doors were open. A neighbor observed them doing this and decided
to investigate that which they thought was so important. He later
obeyed the gospel. Our children observe us at home and the way we
act before them teaches them more than Bible classes could. We
teach them by how we honor God in the home. That will stay with
them.
We
need to observe that we have the ability to teach what we have
experienced or what we know. One major mistake that causes
Christians not to share their faith is that they are afraid they
will be asked a question they cannot answer. If that is your
fear, I assure you that you will be asked such a question.
Some
years ago while in Indiana, a preacher for the Jehovah’s Witness
group challenged me with a question about Revelation 3:14. He
asked if I believed this passage. I answered that I believed the
entire Bible. Then he asked if I believed that Jesus was the
first thing God created. Obviously, I denied that Jesus was a
created being, but was God, the Son. We then looked at the
passage. It read, “And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and
true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;” KJV. At the
time I did not know how to answer that question. I told him I
would study the passage and have an answer for him if he would
come back the next week to continue our study. I also gave him a
passage to study (John 1:1-13). I told him it would give us a
topic to begin our study. Unfortunately, he declined. I did,
however, search out an answer for that passage.
Matthew
Henry: “The beginning of the creation of God, either
of the first creation, and so he is the beginning, that is, the
first cause, the Creator, and the Governor of it.”
I like the
way John Gill put it: “The beginning of the creation of God;
not the first creature that God made, but the first cause of the
creation; the first Parent, producer, and efficient cause of
every creature; the author of the old creation, who made all
things out of nothing in the beginning of time; and of the new
creation, the everlasting Father of, everyone that is made a new
creature; the Father of the world to come, or of the new age and
Gospel dispensation; the Maker of the new heaven and new earth;
and so a very fit person to be the Judge of the whole world, to
summon all nations before him, and pass the final sentence on
them.”
I
had my answer, but as I said he never returned. The point is, you
will be asked questions you can’t immediately answer. However,
there are helps and other Christians that can answer those
questions. Telling someone you don’t know the answer to their
question shows your truthfulness and honesty. Never be afraid of
a question that you do not know.
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Feature Two: an article by R.
C. Oliver
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WHAT ONE DOES NOT NEED TO BE A SERVANT OF CHRIST
First,
you do not need to be eloquent in order to perform a great service
in the Lord’s cause. You might think that if you could speak in
such a manner as to hold audiences spellbound by your powers of
speech that you could render a great service for God. However, two
of the Lord’s servants were men who could not speak well. Moses
was a man who was “slow of speech and of a slow tongue”. Some spoke
of the great apostle Paul as being one whose speech was
“contemptible”. (1 Corinthians 10:10). For that matter, Paul did
not try to be eloquent, for he said when writing his first letter
to the Corinthians, in 1 Corinthians 2:1-4, “And I, brethren,
when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of
wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I
determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and
him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear,
and in much trembling. And my speech and my
preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom,
but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:” So
judging from the greatness of these two illustrious men of God,
you do not need to be eloquent in order to render a great service
as a teacher in the vineyard of the Lord.
I
have known of others who would like to do more than they are doing
in the church, but for lack of education they hesitate to take a
leading part. I am persuaded that while an education is desirable
it is not in any sense indispensable in rendering a great service
for the Lord. Neither do I mean by this to place a premium upon
ignorance, but I should like to point out that there are very many
well-informed men and women in the world who have had a very
limited formal education. Just because you do not have a formal
education does not mean that you cannot serve efficiently in the
Lord’s kingdom. I know of one dear old saint who has now passed on
to his reward who had a very limited formal education, however,
through his influence it is known that he was instrumental in
bringing at least thirty thousand—that is right, thirty thousand
souls to Christ. Furthermore, some of the greatest leaders among
men are men who have had very little formal education. Do not
think that just because you have a limited formal education that
you cannot do a worthy work for the Lord. I do believe that men
must qualify themselves. There are more ways than one in which
this may be done. Use the talent that you have, and the Lord will
bless you for it.
I
have heard people make statements something like this: “If I had a
million dollars I would do so and so for the Lord”. But suppose
you do not have a million dollars? Suppose you are not a rich man.
Must one be rich in order to be of value to the Lord’s cause?
Certainly not! It is not so much a question of how much you have
as to what you do with what you have. The poor widow of whom Jesus
spoke was certainly not rich, but the Lord recognized her
contribution as having been greater than any other contribution
that was made that day. Why? Simply because she took all she had
and gave it to the Lord.
Riches
are often perilous to spirituality and in many instances instead
of being a help they are a hinderance to those who are trying to
live a Christian life. When Jesus was here, he did not appeal to
the rich nearly so much as he appealed to the common man and to
the poor. You do not need to be rich in order to be of great value
to the Lord.
I
have also heard people say: “I do not have proper clothes to wear,
otherwise I would attend religious services regularly.” Fine
clothes are certainly not an essential requirement in one’s again
a Christian, The Lord looks upon the heart. This is not to say
that one need not give any attention to his dress, for the Bible
teaches that a man should dress modestly. While we should wear the
best we have to worship God, we certainly do not need find clothes
in order to be of service to the Lord. Those who are beautiful
within need not worry about outside appearances.
Some
use their health and say, “If I felt better, then I could live the
Christian life as one should, but I am so poorly that I simply do
not feel like being involved in the work of the church.” Is good
physical health essential to one’s being a Christian? Certainly
not, for we have several men in the Bible who are held up as great
men in the family of God, but who were very weak physically. One
such person was the beloved Gaius to whom the apostle John
addresses the book of 3rd John.
In verse two he wrote, “Beloved, I wish above all things that
thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” So,
while goo health is desirable, it certainly is not essential to
one’s being of great value in the Lord’ cause.
The
length of time a person has been a Christian is another excuse
some have used. They might say, “After I have been in the church
for a few more years, and get more experience as a church member,
then I will begin doing the things that I would like to do for the
Lord. Did not the apostle Paul “straightway” preach Christ after
he had been baptized? Must we wait to preach Christ? Can we not
explain to those to whom we are closest as to why we were baptized
into Christ? Why then should we wait? You as a Christian can begin
right now, right where you are, and teach Christ to others. As
someone has suggested, “You need not sing like angels, you need
not preach like Paul, but you can tell the gospel story, you can
tell he died for all.”
There
are others I am sure waiting for a convenient time and an
appropriate opportunity. I doubt that it was a very convenient
thing for Paul and Silas to pray and sing praises while they were
in jail, but they did it just the same. I fear that we hear
entirely too much about convenience when it comes to serving the
Lord, We should not wait until it is convenient, but we should
make time for the Lord. Jesus said: “Seek ye first the kingdom
of heaven, and all these things shall be added
unto you.” So do not think to wait until you
have everything exactly as you would like to have them before you
begin to service the Lord, and to place him first in your life.
Put him first in your life right now, and all these other things
that seem to you so important now will be taken care of in due
time. Do not wait until some future date to do what the Lord
requires you to do now. You may think that you have some
justifiable reason for doing other than putting the Lord first in
your life, I am confident that you are wrong in such reasoning.
The Lord can use you just as you are, You may have some physical
handicap or you may not have many other qualifications that you
see others having, but this does not mean that the Lord cannot use
you as you are.
Eloquence,
education, riches, fine clothes, a perfectly healthy body, years
of experience and instruction, and having all things convenient
may be desirable, but these things certainly are not essential to
you being of great value to the Lord’s work. We need to work while
it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work.
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Feature
Three: Sandy's Women's Corner
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Editor's Note: You can read weekly
articles from Sandy at the following Web
site: abiblecommentary.com "Blog for Christian
Women"
HELPING ME
GROW
The
last few weeks have been a very busy time for us. We just moved to
a new city, new congregation, new lives. It’s good to be close to
family, but there is no doubt that it was difficult to leave
“home”.
For
the past twelve years, I have taught a Tuesday evening ladies’
class. Some of the ladies started with the first class and have
remained throughout the twelve years. Some have attended off and
on, and some have had to discontinue with the class for various
reasons. To say that I miss these ladies is an understatement. We
have shared many things, good and bad. We have studied a variety of
subjects, and they have challenged me as a teacher. I am especially
grateful for that.
I
have also taught a fourth and fifth grade class for about sixteen
years, and leaving those children was one of the hardest things I
have ever done. They were a joy to teach. I watched for sixteen
years as children moved from my class to the middle school class
and then to the teen class. I have seen many of them obey the
gospel, go off to college, become professionals, and marry. Sadly,
I have seen some of them never obey the gospel; and some have left
the church. Simply said, that makes me very sad.
There
are always special reminders from every class, but from the
children in this class that I left there is one that I will never
forget. He is a sort of shy fourth grader, eager to listen to a
Bible story, and anxious to raise his hand to answer questions. He
is all about sharing. If he gets there a little early, he likes to
share mints with the rest of the children. He leads sweet prayers,
and he is always willing to help with anything.
Last
fall, when the new fourth graders came in class, he sat on the
front row (no tables because of Covid). He read when called on, and
he raised his hand to answer questions, even when he didn’t really
know the answer. As class ended on that first Sunday, this sweet
boy came to me and said, “Thanks for class”. I thought that was a
little unusual. I don’t think I have ever had a student say that to
me. I thought no more about until Wednesday night when he did the
same thing. He has said “thanks for class” every class since he
became my student.
On
our last Sunday evening, this precious child brought me a gift.
When I opened it, I was delighted to see it was a flower pot with a
package of bulbs, lilies, to be planted in my new yard. But what
brought tears to my eyes was what was printed on the pot and
written in a card he had signed. It said, “Thanks for helping me
grow”.
This
should be the aim of every teacher—helping your students grow.
Whether they are children or adults, those who sit in our classes
should be strengthened by our teaching. James says, “Not many of
you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who
teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1 ESV).
If
you are a teacher, help your students to grow. Their spiritual
growth is partly in your hands. For some, it may be the only
spiritual training they receive.
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Feature Four:
Honor to Whom Honor
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As many of you know, my wife
and I have moved to Athens, Alabama to be close to family. There is
a brother in Christ at the Mt. Carmel congregation where I now
attend to whom my brother-in-law introduced me some months ago. He
is a most impressive man. I have not only been impressed with his
ability to seemingly make or fix just about anything, I have been
impressed with his knowledge of scripture. In that I have researched
and written a book about the Holy Spirit, I would like to share with
you something he wrote in this area of study. I was impressed with
his insight, and I asked his permission to share this.
“Godhead”
Johnny Hannah
“Some
thoughts to help us understand the nature of the three persons in
the Godhead.
Jesus,
the master teacher, used physical illustrations to teach spiritual
lessons in his parables, Let us use the same method to help us
understand the difficult matter of the three in the Godhead. The
three persons in the Godhead must have had three different
functions, while having full unity. We see in the physical creation
of the universe the three persons had their own specific part in the
creation story.
Consider the building of the
building:
First, there needs to be an
architect. Second, there is a builder. Third, there will be those
who do the finish work.
Now, consider the biblical
account of the creation:
· Gen. 1:1, God created the
heavens and the earth.
· John 1:1, Christ (the
Word) created everything.
· Gen. 1:2, the Spirit of
God moved on the face of the waters to bring order.
Thus,
we have God, the Father, the planner (architect,) Christ, the
builder, and the Holy Spirit, the finisher. NOTE: The universe is in
perfect unity. Thus we see the three in the Godhead with each having
a specific function in the creation of the physical universe.
Let us consider the creation
of the church, the spiritual world:
Eph.
1:4 tells us the church was planned before the foundation of the
world. Again, we see all three in the Godhead with a specific
function in the creation of the church:
· God, the Father: the
planner
· God, the Son: the builder
· God, the Holy Spirit: the
finisher
The
Holy Spirit followed Christ to help the apostles with the teaching
and confirming the Word. The Holy Spirit is to be with us as a helper
and a comforter, He abides in us as long as we desire His presence
and live in harmony with His word.
John 1:7, …As we walk in the
light as He is in the light….
Hebrews 10:26, But if we sin
willfully after we come to a knowledge of the truth there remains no
more sacrifice for sins.
Obviously,
the Holy Spirit will not abide in a person who is in rebellion to
His word. Remember, god made the heavens and earth in six days but
He is still working on me. Christ has gone to prepare for us a
mansion. Thought: Is it any wonder that Christ came to earth as a
carpenter’s son?”
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Feature
Five: Bible Question
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Feature
Five: Bible Question
What if I do
teach the word of God, but no one obeys the gospel? Will I be lost
because I did not produce any fruit? I am concerned about John
15:5-6.
“I am the vine,
ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a
branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and
cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
We need to
remember that our job as Christians is to teach. Jesus indicated
that when He gave us the parable of the Sower. It was the sower’s
(farmer’s) job to plant the seed. Paul further taught this when he
wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered;
but God gave the increase.” God is the one that gives the
increase. Our job is to plant the seed and water the seed. In other
words, teach fully God’s word.
In looking at
the “fruit” we are produce, notice what is written in Romans 7:4 “Wherefore,
my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of
Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him
who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto
God.” The question is, what is intended by the word
“fruit”? I believe that is answered in Galatians 5:22-23 “But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law.”
This is the
fruit every Christian is obligated to produce. We are to plant the
seed, which is the word of God; and water the seed in the hearts of
others. But our salvation does not depend on the actions of another.
We will be saved or lost depending on our obedience to God.
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The people who followed the
Lord were called the 12 decibels. The epistles were the wives of the
apostles. One of the opossums was St. Matthew who was, by
profession, a taximan.
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In
Closing:
Sandy and I
are now in Athens, Alabama. While everything is in the house, there
are still many boxes left to open. It is good to be close to my
sister again (after being in different parts of the country for
about 55 years). We are very fortunate to be members of a very
strong congregation, the Mt. Carmel congregation. Sandy has been
asked to teach the 4th and 5th grade
class and I had the honor to preach for the congregation on April 4th. This
is such an honor for both of us.
Basic
Bible Knowledge
About
the Holy Spirit Speech & Debate
$9.99
and may be purchased
from: A
Classroom Study
Christian Family Bookstore
Chattanooga,
Tennessee $10.00
Purchase from:
1-800-782-8175
Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes
www.theChristianFamilyBookstore.com 5280
West Alabama Christian
Drive
Montgomery, AL 36109
334-215-0251
lel@lads2leaders.com
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