Sunday, July 31, 2022

DISCIPLESHIP POINT 1: WORLD-CLASS CHRISTIANS, TRAINED BY WORLD-CLASS SHEPHERDS"

 


“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week we talked about the final destination of political leaders and commentators. In today’s culture, I feel we are looking too much toward leaders and commentators, or influencers to save us. The concern is that most of the ones that we look toward are in a real sense lost themselves . . . if they haven’t given over their lives to Jesus. By that post, I was in no way saying that Christians should not involve themselves in politics. I was saying, however, that politics in all cases should take a backseat to the seeking of God’s direction for our lives.
     Today and in the coming weeks I want to explore a concern that I pray about daily, or almost daily, and that is discipleship. I entitled my first post, “Discipleship Point 1: World-Class Christians, Trained by World-Class Shepherds?” I realize the impact the lack of meaningful discipleship in my own life has had, and I want to shed some light on the topic.
     I plan to let the Holy Spirit guide me with this next series of posts about discipleship, and likely as I go in the future when I do a series. In the past when I did a series about a topic, I tried to outline and title every session ahead of time, but I often felt God changing my direction in most of them. This time I plan to pray and allow His wonderful Holy Spirit to guide me as I go.
     Are you like me? Are you always looking for that elusive guide, or coach, if you will, to speak into my life his experience and knowledge . . . a guide or coach that has been through life’s battles, and has become an expert in how to train others to become better disciples to face life’s battles.
     Last week was the Track and Field World Championships. I was drawn to watching certain world-class athletes, some that won, and some that didn’t win. I looked mainly at United States athletes, because I’m from the United States, although there were others, like Armand Duplantis from Sweden, who set an all-time world record in pole vaulting at 21 feet 4¼ inches. I was especially drawn to watching and exploring Sydney McGlaughlin, who set a world record in the 400-meter hurdles.
     Track and field championships have been around for over two thousand years, even before Christ was born. Track and field in most recent times, like the Olympics, that measure precise times and distances, has been around for over 100 years. So to be the best in that span of over 100 years is a phenomenal accomplishment. All of us have heard the term “blood, sweat, and tears”. That’s what these athletes go through most days in the year.
     I watched a video of Sydney McGlaughlin, an outspoken Christian, where she wept with the pressure of being the best in the world ever in her event, but being scrutinized every step of the way about her Christianity, her biracial heritage, and her social media presence. Last week after Sydney set the best time ever in a 400-meter hurdle race, she gave glory to God and cited Hebrews 4:16, “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” She said she meditated on this verse before and during the race.
     Sydney, at 22 years of age, didn’t get to where she is at by happenstance. She had coaches at every point along the way. She started with a high school coach. Then a college coach. And most recently professional coaches, currently Bob Kersee, the most prolific world-class hurdles coach in United States history. He is the husband of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, one of the most accomplished women track and field athletes of all time.
     I’ve touched on this topic repeatedly, so many of you might get tired of it, and may not even like it. But, I firmly believe we are missing a specific mark in discipleship. Here it is: Why is it that Christianity, by far the most important race anyone can ever run, has taken a backseat to so many other endeavors?
     And I will end my post by emphatically asking: Why is it not our goal to train world-class Christians by world-class shepherds?

So, until I see you next time, keep sharing the wonderful love of Jesus,
Arlen

Sunday, July 24, 2022

THE FINAL DESTINATION OF POLITICAL LEADERS AND COMMENTATORS?



“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website.
     I’m a conservative Christian, but I frequently get letters from the Republican Party. I get them because in years past I wanted to vote in a primary, so I registered as a Republican. As you know, to vote in a primary election one must declare for one political party or the other. My conservative values mostly aligned with those of the Republican Party, so they perceived, from my party declaration, that I am indeed a Republican. Thus, the many letters.
     I admit that I get a little confused with the whole political . . . ‘thing.’ America and the world are so vast with so many people, with so many different political ideologies and opinions, that I usually steer away from trying to think too hard about them all. If I think too hard about them, my mind goes into what I will call . . . ‘political information overload.’
     With this political information overload, I’m so thankful that I have God and his Bible instruction manual to use for guidance and as a steadying influence. You see, the Bible firmly tells me what type of life I am to live, and I think God is personally telling me not to delve too deeply into debates, like political opinion debates. I realize that God calls leaders and experts to delve into these debates on my behalf. And I’m so grateful for them, and I will pray fervently for them.
     I realize some leaders and experts have political opinions very strongly against my own. But I must cling to the trust that God is 100% in control, which He states repeatedly in His Word. So, unless God calls me to state my political opinions, I plan to keep them to myself. And, again, I plan to pray fervently and have reverence for all leaders, even those with opinions strongly against my own.
     So, where does this post fit into the evangelism and soulwinning emphasis of the Soulwinnersr.us website? It fits in because God tells us to pray for our leaders, all of them, regardless of their political persuasion. But I mourn for people on both sides of the political aisle . . . IF, they haven’t personally committed their lives to Jesus.
     Also, these days we have many people, or pundits coming out of the woodwork to state their political opinions. Some are very dynamic, witty, and creative and have gained huge followings. Some, however, use what the Bible calls “foul” or “filthy” language, “obscene and foolish talking”, and “crude joking”. In these cases, I turn away from them immediately, no matter if they have what might be considered good conservative opinions.
     Many pundits or commentators I think speak out of fear, but mostly out of concern about the direction our country is taking. I agree with many of their opinions. But one thing is very certain. I have heard very few of them claim they have committed their lives to Jesus.
     So those of us with conservative Christian beliefs, I want you to think of your favorite political leader or commentator:
  • Jim Jordan
  • Greg Gutfeld
  • Matt Gaetz
  • Tucker Carlson
  • Sean Hannity
  • even, former President Trump.
     Then realize that the political leader or commentator, no matter how dynamic and popular they are, is heading toward the same final destination if they haven’t committed their lives to Jesus. It’s a sobering thought.

So, until I see you next time, keep sharing the wonderful love of Jesus,
Arlen

Sunday, July 17, 2022

EVANGELISM QUESTION 7: WHAT ABOUT THE WORD 'ALWAYS'?

 


“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week my post was entitled “Evangelism Question 6: What About Wearing God On Your Sleeve?” We weighed the pros and cons of wearing clothing with Christian messages.
     This week my post is the last in the Evangelism Question series. I entitled it “Evangelism Question 7: What About the Word, ‘Always’?" I was planning to do a post this week to refocus on a post I did a little over a year ago entitled “Witness in Our Sleep.” But then I came upon the word “always” in 1 Peter 3:15 where Peter tells his listeners, “. . . always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you . . . “
     Synonyms for the word always are the following: consistently, constantly, continually, ever, forever, incessantly, invariably, night and day, perpetually, and unfailingly.
     In other words, we don’t get to take a break from a command to do something, ‘always’. I think churches and church leaders don’t stress the word ‘always’ enough, especially as it pertains to the verse mentioned in 1 Peter.
     Let’s look at twelve of the commands, or instructions in the almost one hundred times that the Bible writers encouraged their followers to do something, ‘always’, I’m not going to cite all the verses because that might take all day. All you have to do is to go to a computer or phone Bible app and search the word, ‘always’:
  1. Always pray to, seek, and keep our eyes on God. There are many, many verses about these, too numerous to mention them all.
  2. Always rejoice, praise, and give thanks to God. Again, too numerous to mention the verses.
  3. Always be reverent and fear God. This instruction is found in Proverbs 23:17, 28:14, and Philippians 2:12.
  4. Always let God guide us with help from His Holy Spirit. Psalm 16:8.
  5. Always learn, obey and keep God’s statutes and commands. Just read Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, to get an idea of the importance of this command. There are other commands, like The Great Commission command, that are largely ignored in today’s church.
  6. Always strive to have a clear conscience before God and man. Paul wrote this in Acts 24:16.
  7. Always excel in the Lord’s work. Paul instructs us to do this in 1 Corinthians 15:58.
  8. Always do good works. Dorcas in Acts 9:36 was commended for always doing good works, and was then restored from death to life by Peter through God’s Holy Spirit power.
  9. Always be confident that while we are alive in the body, we are away (physically) from the Lord. Paul several times in 2 Corinthians 4 and 5 refers to the importance of always recognizing Jesus’ death and resurrection, even saying we should “always carry the death of Jesus in our bodies.” I’m not claiming to know exactly what Paul is saying here, except that we are to realize that in this life we are heading toward physical death, as did Jesus, but that eternal life awaits us that will last forever.
  10. Always let our speech be gracious, seasoned with salt. Paul commanded this in Colossians 4:6.
  11. Always allow the peace of God to indwell us. 2 Thessalonians 3:16.
  12. And last, but not least, the verse that started my quest in the first place to explore the word ‘always’: Again, it’s found in 1 Peter 3:15. “. . .always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you . . ." Not just some of the time, but ‘always’.
     So, why doesn’t the church, and why don’t church leaders focus on these twelve, what I will call always commands? In my opinion, they should be almost obsessive about giving instruction and encouragement to always be ready, to be reverent, to excel, etc.,
     In almost every meeting. Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Philip, and many other early church leaders encouraged, and I will use an always synonym, 'incessantly' to do these twelve, and more ‘always’ commands.
     You might say to me, “Arlen, with this ‘always’ business, you’re heaping on me burdens that are too difficult for anyone to accomplish.” I’ll respond to that assertion by quoting John in 1 John 5:2-3: “By this, we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."
     To do God’s will and to keep His commands do not heap burdens on us. But they provide us tremendous freedom and liberty of knowing we are 'always’, in His will.

So, until I see you next time, keep sharing the wonderful love of Jesus,

Arlen

Friday, July 8, 2022

EVANGELISM QUESTION 6: WHAT ABOUT WEARING GOD ON YOUR SLEEVE?

 


“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week my post was “Evangelism Question 5: What About Using Gospel Tracts?” We weighed the pros and cons of using gospel tracts to share the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ.
     This week my post is “Evangelism Question 6: What About Wearing God On Your Sleeve?” It’s about the question of wearing clothing that have Christian messages on them. I currently have about 15-20 t-shirts with Christian messages. I’ve also worn out a number more and threw them away . . . and some of my current ones are wearing out. I have favorite ones and usually wear those more than others.
     I grew up Mennonite and my Dad was Amish. In my world, there was very little wearing of clothing with Christian messages. Although some people might make a point that Amish people with their clothing are a prime example of wearing God on their sleeves.
     I’m not sure why I ever started wearing t-shirts with Christian messages on them. I never thought of it as being wrong or bad. I thought of it as simply being open about my faith in Christ.
     Many people including Christians, however, do believe wearing Christian message apparel is wrong. They say openly that they think the person wearing it is pretentious and shallow. I want to explore that topic further by sharing two opposing points of view from online articles I’ve read. I don’t want to get too in-depth about it, and come down too strong on one side or the other. But I would love your opinions about both points of view.
  1. Point of View 1: In The Independent: Voice for Southern Utah, an unnamed guest contributor wrote an article in July 2017 entitled “Spiritual Activism: Do You Wear Religion on Your Sleeve?” The author questioned the motivation for people wearing apparel with Christian messages on them. He wrote, “It is always tempting to wear our religion on our sleeve, but do not confuse pithy sayings, faith t-shirts, and bumper stickers with spiritual transformation.” He went on to say, “We are to be in relationship, and our religious values should find us, even in our differences, being brought together rather than pushed apart. Otherwise, our faith is about self-validation, not relationship.” In other words, to this author t-shirts and car bumper stickers with Christian messages are more about self-validation and puts a wedge of separation between us and people that are lost who we are trying to share the gospel message with.
  2. Point of View 2: The Reformation21 website shared a different perspective. In September 2014 LBrown wrote “Wearing Christianity on Your Sleeve: What Helps Evangelism?” He quoted hip-hop artist Shai Linne’s lyrics in the rap song “Taste and See”. The lyrics say, "The world is not subtle, why should we be subliminal?" LBrown wrote "that it was a good question - why?" He wrote “I believe many Christians are conditioned to retreat into the cocoon of quietness. "Don't talk about religion," many people say. Therefore, to keep peace with our neighbor in the world, we embrace that mantra." But LBrown quoted Shai Linne’s rap song again, "The world is not subtle, why should we be subliminal?"
     I haven’t firmed up entirely my point of view on the matter of wearing God on my sleeve. I’ve had experiences where a particular t-shirt I wore caused people to ask about it, or comment on it positively. On the other hand, I haven’t been personally approached by anyone who said the Christian t-shirt I wore was offensive to them and commented on it negatively. At this point in time, until it’s proven to me that wearing t-shirts with a gospel message is wrong and harmful, I will likely continue to wear them.
     What about you. Where do you come down on the question of “wearing God on your sleeve”?

So, until I see you next time, keep sharing the wonderful love of Jesus,
Arlen

Friday, July 1, 2022

EVANGELISM QUESTION 5: WHAT ABOUT USING GOSPEL TRACTS?

 


“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. It’s been about two to three weeks since we discussed “Evangelism Question 4: Is It Time to Open Up?” Last week I did a “Let’s Roll!” post to encourage myself, and other Christians, to take life-saving action to prevent lost people from going to an eternity in hell. This week I want to discuss the strategy of using gospel tracts to share the gospel with other people. I entitled the post “Evangelism Question 5: What About Using Gospel Tracts?”
     Gospel tracts have been around for many, many years. Companies and individual people, like myself, develop them to make it easier to share the wonderful gospel message with lost people. Here are some examples of gospel tracts I have, some I’ve used, and some I haven’t used.
     Today we’re going to share a few pros and cons of using gospel tracts.

Pros of using gospel tracts:
  1. Gospel tracts contain God’s written Word. The Bible is clear that God’s Word will not return “void”, and it will “accomplish” what it says. Isaiah 55:11.
  2. Gospel tracts can establish a point of connection to another person and make it easier to share with that person. Especially if we’re uncomfortable sharing specifics without something written to lean on as a reference.
  3. Gospel tracts given to a lost person will allow that person to take it with them to mull over later.
Cons of using gospel tracts:
  1. Gospel tracts can be very impersonal, especially if just left lying in public places. Let’s be real! How often have you and I kept, and taken to heart, a tract that was just left lying in a public place?
  2. Piggybacking off the previous con, giving a gospel tract to someone with no interpersonal interaction doesn’t allow that person to experience up close and personal the Holy Spirit living inside of you and me as Christians.
  3. Tracts can oftentimes be long and wordy. If you’re a non-reader, like me, and have many pieces of literature and mailings to read each day, a gospel tract may seem like just one more piece of junk mail to be discarded.
     Have you ever used gospel tracts to share the gospel? What was your experience like? Were you scared? Do you feel they helped, or hindered you?
     I’d like to hear what you think. I know that many of you are watching my videos but have never responded to me about them, except perhaps a “Like”, which I appreciate. Maybe you think by responding I’m going to hold you accountable in some way to begin evangelizing. I’m pretty easy-going about things . . . and I can certainly identify with your feelings. I went many, many years with very little reaching out to others with the gospel. I’m trying to change that in myself.
     I’ll be honest. I do want evangelization of the lost to have a snowball effect . . . where more and more Christians feel an urging in their soul to do it, perhaps by using gospel tracts . . . or just by interpersonal engagement without tracts.
     What choice do Christians have when thinking about loved family members, friends, and others heading downhill toward hell? I realize that many people, including some church and ministry leaders, are these days trying to minimize the reality of a literal hell. But that’s a discussion for another day.

So, until I see you next time, keep sharing the wonderful love of Jesus,
Arlen