EVANGELISM QUESTION 1: BIBLE EXAMPLES

 

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

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week I did a post on “The Divine Intervention Show”, a take-off on the show “Intervention” about drug and alcohol addicts that are facing death if they don’t get help from intervention specialists to overcome their addictions. The Divine Intervention Show, on the other hand, would be about people facing spiritual death if they don’t get help from divine intervention specialists filled with God’s Holy Spirit, leading them to give their lives to Jesus.
     Now I’m back to the seven-post series about evangelism questions to try to shed a bright light on some very important specifics to introduce Jesus to unsaved family members, friends, and others. My first post is entitled, “Evangelism Question 1: Bible Examples.” I want us to look at key Bible, or scriptural examples of what evangelism is all about.

First, let’s define evangelism:

• The Cambridge Dictionary defines evangelism as “the activity of persuading people to become Christians, often by traveling around and telling people about your beliefs”. A pertinent Bible verse explaining evangelism is found in 2 Corinthians 5:11, “Therefore since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people.” This Bible verse doesn’t use the exact word evangelism, but it clearly defines it by using the phrase, “persuade people”.

Next, let’s define an evangelist:

• The Cambridge Dictionary defines an evangelist as “a person who tries to persuade people to become Christians, often by traveling around and organizing religious meetings”. So, evangelism is “the ACTIVITY of persuading people” . . . and an evangelist is “the PERSON who tries to persuade people to become Christians.
• Ephesians 4:11 talks about the ministries of Jesus, including using the specific term “evangelist”. Here it is: “And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.” Paul specifically used the term “evangelist”.

     Now, let’s look at whether only a trained and gifted “evangelist” is authorized to do evangelism, or to “persuade people to become Christians”. D.T. Niles, in his book “That They Might Have Life” declared the following well known statement:

• “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” I know that quote isn’t directly taken from the Bible . . . but isn’t it the very essence of evangelism . . . “one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread?”

     Jesus didn’t just commission trained evangelists to go out, organize evangelistic meetings, and persuade people to become Christians. Acts 1:8 is one of several Bible passages where He commissioned ordinary fishermen, tax collectors, and various other untrained people to do the work of evangelism. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
     Please, please recognize the power we have as Christians when we are filled with the Holy Spirit as were the disciples in Acts! I realize that a couple places in Acts have examples of people speaking in tongues . . . and there are groups of people that emphasize speaking in tongues as being the catalyst by which all Holy Spirit power is manifested. But the filling and power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t come exclusively to those who speak in tongues. Let’s look at tongues just a little bit to clarify:

• Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:4: “The person who speaks in another tongue builds himself up.” So, tongues are generally to build a person up in his or her personal faith.
• Paul then wrote in verse 39, “do not forbid speaking in other tongues.”
• BUT, Paul wrote in verse 19 about public church gatherings, “I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others, than ten thousand words in another tongue.”
• So, I think it’s safe to say that tongues can serve a purpose, just like many other Bible-based practices. Tongues can never, however, be the foundation piece that we stand on to be able to do evangelism.

     The Holy Spirit’s power inside us doesn’t come exclusively from speaking in tongues. It comes from the following sources:

1. First, the Holy Spirit’s power comes inside us immediately when we confess and turn from our sins, and do as Paul wrote in Romans10:9, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
2. Second, the Holy Spirit’s power comes to each of us after we commit our lives to Christ, and each of us is now a “temple” of God, filled with His Holy Spirit.
• In 1 Corinthians 3:16 Paul states emphatically to Christians, “Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in You?” God’s temple isn’t just the one in Jerusalem built by Solomon. And it’s definitely not the church structures where Christians meet. God’s temple is you and I, individually and collectively, where God’s great Holy Spirit power now resides.
3. Third, the Holy Spirit’s power comes from having a close, intimate relationship with God and His love. James wrote in James 4:8, Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” I think the Bible is plain. Closeness to God is the greatest catalyst toward having tremendous Holy Spirit power, including great power for you and I . . . to be evangelists.

See you next time,
Arlen

THE DIVINE INTERVENTION SHOW!

 

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

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. I was planning, and am still planning, on doing a seven-week series on “Evangelism Questions”. But something else grabbed my attention. I mentioned two days ago in a Facebook post, “The Missing X-Factor”, where I referenced the “Intervention” TV show about drug and alcohol addicts that are virtually on the last leg of life due to their addictions. Their loved ones are desperate to the point they called the show to give them help to literally save the lives of their family members.
     You will likely think I’m a little bit, in mental health speak, too “religiously preoccupied”, but when watching the Intervention TV show, it reminded me of another “death” that is far more diabolical than the earthly death feared by the families of the addicts in the show. It’s eternal death in hell.
     I think with all my heart that Satan wants to minimize in our minds and hearts the impact of this death. He wants us to put off thinking about it so long that we die before we find the answer to turn around to avoid it.
     I’m proposing another TV show. It’s called “The Divine Intervention Show!” The focus of this show will be about loved ones so concerned about the fate of their family members heading toward eternal death in hell, that they also call on a team. They call on a team of “Divine Intervention Specialists”. These specialists are filled with God’s Holy Spirit, and they have a direct line to God through the Spirit that help them with the supernatural intervention that is needed to turn the afflicted family member around.
     One thing that struck me about the current Intervention show is that God was rarely mentioned by the Intervention team, and if so, it was only in passing. Then, if the family member agreed to take up the Intervention specialist offer to go for treatment, the family member was sent by plane to the treatment center destination. At the airport they were greeted by treatment professionals, I didn’t see "God" being mentioned in treatment direction, and He wasn’t referenced at all in any of the names of the treatment centers.
     It reminded me very much of the Dr. Phil Show, who follows the same pattern. Dr. Phil offers treatment, all expenses paid to many of his guests, and may mention God in passing, but rarely does so. The show is almost exclusively about secular self-help strategies that can be good to some degree, but they don’t reach the root of the problem, which is sin.
     The Divine Intervention Show, on the other hand would address sin straight up. Sin is, after all, the driving factor in addictions, dysfunctions, violence, and a myriad of other maladies leading to eternal death.
     Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.”
     None of us want our family members to go on the broad road to destruction and eternal death. Let’s cry out for Divine Intervention and divine intervention specialists, if you will, to help turn them around to accompany us on the narrow road. It’s the only thing that will save their lives!

See you next time,
Arlen

EVANGELISM QUESTIONS: INTRODUCTION

 

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

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week I finished the seven-week “Steps to God” series. I really enjoyed making the series based largely on The Roman Road to salvation plan to discuss some basic principles of the gospel. I want to start another 7-week series I have entitled “Evangelism Questions”.
     I want to qualify the fact that I’m not a trained Bible scholar with a degree from an accredited Bible college. I am, however, a longtime Christian layman of over 44 years, and have read the Bible through many, many times. I believe that gives me some credibility in addressing evangelism and soulwinning tips.
     I pray that you find the posts meaningful, but more importantly, that they sway you to take one of two actions:

Action 1: If you don’t already know Jesus as your personal Savior, I pray that you will give Him consideration as someone that can radically change your life.

Action 2: If you are already a Christian, I pray that you will be swayed by these posts to consider reaching out more and more to introduce Jesus to the people in your family, circle of friends, and others.

So, here we go with a basic introduction outline to the seven-week series entitled “Evangelism Questions”.

Week 1. Evangelism Question 1: Bible Examples of Evangelism

• We’ll discuss Bible characters who Introduced Jesus to other people, and the effectiveness of their actions.

Week 2. Evangelism Question 2: Mass Evangelism Effectiveness

• Evangelism crusades led by evangelists were very prominent in the past. Many older people remember the “tent revivals” held prominently in their communities. A few ministries still hold them. They are an example of “mass evangelism”. We’ll discuss whether we think that holding mass evangelism crusades are an effective method of introducing Jesus to people . . . or are mass evangelism crusades the easy way out?

Week 3. Evangelism Question 3: One-On-One Evangelism Effectiveness

• One-on-one evangelism is intimidating to some. It’s intimidating to me. Does one-on-one evangelism have to be intimidating?

Week 4. Evangelism Question 4: Gospel Tract Evangelism Effectiveness

• Some believers are active in distributing gospel tracts to share their faith with others. Other believers don’t distribute gospel tracts. What do you think about gospel tract effectiveness to introduce Jesus to people?

Week 5. Evangelism Question 5: Christian Clothing and Jewelry Effectiveness in Evangelism

• Some believers feel comfortable, and others uncomfortable wearing and sharing their faith literally, “on their sleeves”. Where do you stand with wearing clothing and jewelry with a Christian message?

Week 6. Evangelism Question 6: Gospel Sharing Plan Effectiveness

• Some people state their fear of the fact that many leaders encourage using a specific plan for evangelism. For example: Some encourage using “The Roman Road”, which I use to some degree, to share systematically the gospel with unbelievers. What do you think about using a gospel sharing plan to introduce Jesus to people?

Week 7. Evangelism Question 7: Scripture Memorization Effectiveness in Evangelism

• Some people state their fear of the fact that many leaders encourage scripture memorization to be able to share specific important scripture verses with unbelievers. What do you think about using memorized scriptures to introduce Jesus to people?

     So, there you have it. I’m greatly looking forward to the next seven weeks as we go through the seven “Evangelism Questions” posts.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 7: TRANSFORMED!

 

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

Hello Friends: 

     We have today pictures and examples of transformation. You’ll see pictures of people and things that look normal at first. But after a life-changing alteration by an outside force, they were completely transformed into superheroes to save the world. Most of you will readily recognize Clark Kent transformed into Superman. 

     The second is a picture of the Transformer toy and comic book/movie character, Optimus Prime. Instead of explaining what a Transformer toy is, for those of you who don’t know, I put the link of a very humorous YouTube video about an automatic transformation of the Optimus Prime Transformer. I hope you like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0SEYM9jHVg

     The title of my Soulwinnersr.us post is obvious. It’s "Steps to God 7: Transformed!" You will likely say to me that in no way can the transformation of a person be as dramatic as the transformation of Clark Kent into Superman, or a non-descript semi-truck into Optimus Prime. I’m here to say, however, that it’s exponentially greater than both!
     Many of us have the false notion that to become a Christian is to accede to becoming a boring person, or even a “bore”. I think that many churches have made becoming a Christian non-attractive by their rules and traditions. The church’s, I’ll call, “four-wall mentality” of being “God’s House” is archaic and quite frankly untrue. The church is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit living inside of us individually and collectively, not inside the four walls of a church building. Another truth is that God is just waiting to unlock creativity, passion, friendship, and love within us that we never thought possible.
     I’m not talking about manufactured excitement that many of us think about when we think of a church that is “alive”. I’m talking about deep and profound mental insight that we never had before. Paul encouraged in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed by this age, but transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
     What happens when you and I are transformed by the renewing of our minds. I’ll list some examples:

1. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.” Imagine us being transformed to becoming a light on a hill, that can’t be hidden, that others are able to follow, and navigate by!
2. Paul said in Ephesians 2:7, “He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” We aren’t subject to just a little bit of grace and love, but grace and love that is so huge that it can’t even be measured.
3. Jesus said in John 15:15, “I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.” Jesus isn’t withholding any blessing or insight from us. He’s making known “everything” He heard directly from God.
4. Lastly, Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:16-21 about the great transformative power and love God gives us through Jesus, “I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

     All I can say is, “WOW!" Does that sound like a dull and limiting existence, or an exciting and limitless experience? Also, the transformative power we have as Christians is not only for our own benefit, but also to transform us into superheroes to save our world!
     This is my final Steps to God post. I pray that you found them meaningful. I keep joking with my wife that I’m going downstairs to make my “un-viral video”. That’s OK. My goal in the first place for my Soulwinnersr.us website wasn’t for my videos to become viral. I make the videos to motivate myself first, and perhaps encourage a few others along the way, to join me in the exciting adventure of soulwinning.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 6: SEALING THE DEAL!

 

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

Hello Friends:

     When I asked Dee to marry me, after she agreed we started making arrangements. But one of the most important steps was to obtain a marriage license. We had to have it approved by a judge with signatures by a court official and a minister that made it official and binding. In essence we sealed the deal of our marriage.
     I’ve been using the tenets of the Roman Road gospel as the basis for most of my seven-post series, with a few other important Bible principles sprinkled in. This sixth post about “Sealing the Deal” is the absolute most important contract we will ever encounter. I want to stress again its vital importance.
     The deal is between two parties, just like the written one here. It, however, is not with a human person, company, or government entity. It’s between you and God only. No one else is involved in the transaction, although there are those standing by our sides, perhaps not physically but in spirit, cheering on the deal. Then we can readily imagine a great roar of approval, perhaps applause, and even a great deal of angelic singing in heaven after the deal is complete.
     So, let’s move on to the precursors and specifics of the deal. We’ve talked about some of them in previous posts:

1. Recognize our sin. We talked about this in two posts. The first post, “A Veil Over Our Hearts”, is where we determine to do right, but the path to doing right is veiled from us. We don’t even recognize that we have sin getting in our way. My second post, “Help, I Need Somebody”, is the realization that “we need somebody, not just anybody”, but the “somebody” is still not revealed to us. Paul uncovers the barrier directly to us in plain words in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The recognition of sin as a barrier to God is our first step.
2. Understand the wages of our sin: I referenced it in the post “Unwanted Wages”. Paul in Romans 6:23 stated, “For the wages of sin is death. . .” This isn’t just a physical death, but scripture is clear that it also includes a spiritual death. This death, according to the Bible, results in an eternity in hell with eternal pain and suffering. We all want the best for our lives, right? Acknowledging that we don’t want to live in pain for eternity is the second step.
3. Accept the gift of God: We talked about this gift, or offer if you will, in a previous post, “An Offer We Can’t Refuse”. After we acknowledge the wages of sin written about in the first part of Romans 6:23, we immediately observe the wonderful gift that God is reaching out His hand to offer us. Here’s the offer, “BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God didn’t leave us long to ponder the dire consequences of our sin before He immediately made us aware of His offer of the gift of eternal life.
4. The nature of God’s gift: The gift offered to us is eternal life “in Christ Jesus our Lord” that we just talked about, but how and why did it come about? It came about, as Paul wrote in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ bridged the gap that we couldn’t bridge ourselves.
5. Sacrifice for our sins: We often talk about the sacrifice of soldiers who die defending the freedom that we have in America. They’re held up as heroes, and rightfully so. But Christ’s sacrifice was exponentially greater. His sacrifice on the cross was for everyone, not just Americans, so that we all can have the freedom Jesus mentioned in John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus then said a little later in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”

     So, there we have from the Bible “Steps to God” that I outlined in my five previous posts. Now, how do we seal the deal? We’ve already concluded that the contract isn’t a physical one where our signature on a piece of paper is the binding factor. We’ll discuss two components of the deal:

1. Proximity of the two parties entering into the agreement. Before getting married Dee and I met together often, took classes with our pastor, made the decision to get married, then sealed the deal with a signed marriage contract and wedding ceremony. In the same way God draws near to us, or wants to draw near to us, or enter close proximity with each of us: 

“See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8.

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble”. Psalm 46:1

“The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

2. Taking action to enter the relationship. At one point I needed to take the step, as scared as I was, to ask Dee to marry me. I really didn’t know exactly how she was going to respond. In the same way, it’s scary to take a leap of faith to trust God, who is so foreign to most of us, and ask Him to enter a personal, intimate relationship with us. We’ve learned from the Bible, however, that God is very close, and just waiting for our invitation. Romans 10:13 states, "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

     The above listed occurrences we talked about in “steps to God”, occur somewhat naturally. We only realize their significance after the fact. But when we come to the end of ourselves and realize that we can’t draw close to God with our own power, we are invited heartily by God to take action to call on His name to save us.
     Romans 10:9 states, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” When I was a young Christian, I didn’t know the impact the name of Jesus really had. I now understand the great power taking the action of confessing His name has in my life and the lives of others. It makes me want to proclaim His name more and more.
     So, “sealing the deal” of beginning a relationship with God can be somewhat intimidating. Most of us already know that fact by the response we get from family members and friends when we tell them about Jesus. Some of them have said to me, “Arlen, I don’t want to hear about that.” They think I’ve gone off the deep end into religious fanaticism. If so, I’m in very good company. Paul and the apostles met with the same opposition. But the Bible verses about the “broad” and “narrow” roads spurs me on. We’ll talk more about that in my final “Steps to God” post.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 5: SCROOGE NO MORE-GIFT OF A SECOND CHANCE!

 

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

Hello Friends: 
     Last week was the fourth installment of the seven-post series “Steps to God”. I shared the post, “An Offer We Can’t Refuse!”. It used a takeoff on a memorable Godfather quote . . . but exponentially more important than the quote, is the offer made to each of us by God that is far better than we can even conceive or think about.
     The fifth post is entitled, “Scrooge No More-Gift of a Second Chance!”. I reference the great story A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens which details the life of the fictional character Ebenezer Scrooge. Many of us probably know the basics of the story, and many of us from time to time have been called “a scrooge”, called somebody else “a scrooge”, or at the least said “bah-humbug”.
     The Christmas Carol story about Ebenezer Scrooge is a wonderful example of the gift of a second chance, or a before and after story. The television and media industries have repeatedly and successfully used the gift of a second chance, or before and after themes. Even “Extreme Home Makeover”, and “Decked Out”, the show that I’m transfixed on now about transforming backyards into backyard decked paradises, are about turning a drab, dull, and difficult existence into an exciting, meaningful existence.
     What was the state of Ebenezer Scrooge before being given his second chance?

1. Scrooge was a very cantankerous, “bah-humbug” type of old man, especially around Christmas. He didn’t see the bright side of anything, except when it came to making and saving money. He treated his nephew Fred with disdain when Fred invited him to the family Christmas party.
2. Scrooge was a cold-hearted miser. He hated the thought of Christmas, a time where he was expected to use his hard-earned money to give gifts, and he cringed at the thought of giving to a charity fund to feed the hungry. He treated Bob Cratchit, his overworked and underpaid banking employee, as a necessary evil. Being kind to Cratchit on account of Tiny Tim, Cratchit’s disabled son, didn’t even cross his mind.

     How did Scrooge’s gift of a second chance come about? (Note: I want to qualify, first, by saying that I typically am not into talking about ghosts. I hope and pray you see the reasoning behind me talking about the ghosts in the lives of this fictional character.)

1. The Ghost of Christmas Past: This ghost showed Scrooge that his typical happy life as a young man turned sour with the usual unloving gestures of his father at Christmastime, the death of his favorite aunt at Christmastime, and the spurned love of Belle, who left him one Christmas many years prior, after she could not put up with his overwhelming love of money. Scrooge saw his past as one with nostalgia and deep regret.
2. The Ghost of Christmas Present: This ghost showed Scrooge how his greed and selfishness hurt others, particularly Cratchit, who couldn’t afford on the salary provided by Scrooge to provide adequate medical care for Tiny Tim. The ghost told Scrooge that Tiny Tim would die unless something changed financially for Cratchit to pay for medical care. Scrooge realized how much his heartless words and deeds hurt others.
3. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come: This ghost showed where Scrooge, without a radical transformation, would end up. He would end up in an overgrown grave, with unpaid servants stealing his belongings, with debtors relieved at his passing, and with Tiny Tim dying because of Cratchit’s inability to pay for medical care. Scrooge saw this and begged the ghost fervently for another chance. A few moments later he woke up in his bed on Christmas morning and was so overjoyed with the possibility of a new start, that he immediately got up and went to the store and got Christmas gifts for Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family members, went joyfully to his nephew Fred’s Christmas party, and gave generously to the charity fund.

     I used story of Ebenezer Scrooge because of the supernatural and transformational power it describes. More importantly, You and I, with God’s HOLY GHOST power, are prime examples of wonderful before and after stories. Paul in Romans 6:23 wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” So, you and I can be living and breathing examples of the absolute best “Gift of a Second Chance”.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 4: AN OFFER WE CAN’T REFUSE!”

 

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

Hello Friends:
     Last week was the third installment of the seven-post series “Steps to God”. I shared the post, “Unwanted Wages!”. It was about a difficult realization what the Bible says about wages, in our lives and after our lives that are “unwanted”.
     The fourth post is about us accepting what I entitled, “An Offer We Can’t Refuse”. The title is a takeoff on the famous statement by Don Corleone, the Mafia boss in “The Godfather” movie in 1972. That movie still gives me nightmares with the vicious attacks made by Mafia crime families to get what they wanted. Just like I didn’t endorse the Beatles when quoting one of their songs, I’m for sure not in any way endorsing the Godfather movie. 
     Don Corleone made the statement, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse”, meaning the other person would acquiesce to his request, or face consequences. In the same way God is making us an offer we can’t refuse, but it’s not just to avoid consequences. God’s “offer” is one, if we accept it, that will bring us everlasting happiness and contentment, especially in heaven after we leave the heartaches that accompany living in a fallen and sinful world.
     Below is the offer, told repeatedly in different ways by Jesus and His disciples in the Bible:

• In John 15:15 Jesus said,

“I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends . . .”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have many real friends. Which of us can turn down the offer of having the best friend ever?

• In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said,

“See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Which of us can turn down the greatest invitation ever to share a meal, and lifetime, with the best friend ever?

• In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said,

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Are you weary from the burdens you carry? Do you want to find rest and have help to carry your burdens? Which of us could ever turn down a request to have the best friend ever help us carry our heavy burdens?

• In John 10:10 Jesus said,

“I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”

Jesus isn’t talking here about a mundane, meaningless life. He’s talking about an abundant life that is almost beyond comprehension that lasts forever! Which of us can turn that down?

• In 1 Corinthians 2:9 Paul quoted Isaiah who said,

“What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived—God has prepared these things for those who love him.”

In this verse Paul quoted Isaiah one of the most hopeful promises ever made! Which of us can turn down what God has prepared for us that is so good that we can’t even conceive it in our minds?

• In John 14:2-3 Jesus said,

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms (Note: Most versions say “mansions”). If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.”

Which of us has ever dreamed of living in a spacious mansion designed exactly for us?

• Last, but not least, Revelation 21 and 22 tells about the wonders that await us in heaven. 

1. Revelation 21:1-4

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away."

2. Revelation 21:10-11

“He (an angel) then carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."

3. Revelation 21:18 

 "The building material of its wall was jasper and the city was pure gold clear as glass.”

4. Revelation 21:22-23

“I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb."

5. Revelation 22:1-3

“Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse."

     Wow! Imagine living in a city made of gold where there’s no sadness or suffering, and God and His Son Jesus provide the only light needed . . . forever!
     I could go on and on with many more Bible verses that tell us about the wonderful offer we have in front of us. But I hope and pray that these few have begun to open our eyes to, “An Offer We Can’t Refuse”.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 3: UNWANTED WAGES!

 

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

Hello Friends:

     Last week was the second installment of the seven-post series “Steps to God”. I shared the post, “Help, I Need Somebody”. It was about the realization that we can’t come to God using our own power and will. And for the veil over our hearts to be removed we need three identified sources outside ourselves. These sources are the three persons of the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The Bible shows that each person in the Trinity is very close to us, and just waiting for us to call out, “Help, I need somebody, not just anybody”.
     The third step to God I've identified is a rather difficult realization. Most people look forward to wages that they have coming to them at the end of a hard day, week, month, and year of work. But this third post is about “Unwanted Wages”. Wages that most of us would rather not think about.
     So, let’s look at wages a little bit. First, what I will call “wanted wages”:

• In John 3:14 John the Baptist told a group of soldiers, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” They were earning their wages by doing their job of protecting citizens, and likely arresting bad citizens. At least that's what they were supposed to be doing.
• Jesus said in Luke 10:7 about his disciples who he was sending into various towns, “Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages.” This means that a person doing his or her job of spreading the gospel should be paid accordingly.
• Paul reiterated Jesus’ wage theme in 1 Timothy 5:18, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain, and the worker is worthy of his wages.”

     Now let’s look at “unwanted wages”. The examples where the term wages that are "unwanted" are much fewer in the Bible than “wanted wages”:

• Solomon wrote in Proverbs 10:16, “The reward of the righteous is life; the wages of the wicked is punishment.”
• Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death . . . “ We might say, “I haven’t been wicked” . . . or “I haven’t sinned.”

     Let’s look at what the Bible says:

• “Wicked” people or “wickedness" is mentioned 353 times in the Bible.
• The Psalms alone mentions them 99 times.
• Proverbs mentions them 84 times.

     The writers of these books state repeatedly the dire consequences of wickedness, and the wonderful blessings of righteousness.
     Again, most of us don’t think of ourselves as wicked or sinful. The Bible disagrees. We are all born wicked and sinful, and we need help to overcome it.

     Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” He's saying, that according to God’s standard, we have all sinned and need a Savior to save us from our sins.
     Still not convinced. John wrote in 1 John 1:8, “If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
     You might still say, “So, I have sinned a little bit, but I’m not as wicked as that guy over there.” Paul’s words in Romans 6:23 are clear; everyone that sins have “the wages of death” awaiting them, no matter the degree of sinfulness.
     Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 about Satan giving the antichrist authority to perform “every wicked deception”. Paul makes it clear that all people not accepting “the love of the truth” to “be saved”, are controlled by Satan and his wickedness. What then are the “wages of sin”, which Paul described as “death” in Romans 6:23.
     Some theologians, prominent Bible teachers, and even one so-called friend of mine minimized the fact that death consists of eternal torment in hell. They say, “What we have on earth is what we get.” I was repeatedly told not to focus on the importance of salvation of the lost to avoid an eternal death in hell . . . but only to focus on the wonderful life we will all have here on earth and in heaven when we come to Jesus. I agree that coming to Jesus is a wonderful life compared to the loneliness and despair I felt without Him. But the Bible's very clear about what the wages of sin are.
     The prominent teacher, Tim Mackie, of the popular “Bible Project” website emphatically states there IS no literal hell, and that every person will end up in heaven at one time or another once they finally see the error of their ways. Mr. Mackie has a very large following who are being deceived as we speak.
     After all, pain and suffering comes with physical death, doesn't it. So, it's logical to assume that pain and suffering will accompany a spiritual death.
     Not being a Bible scholar, but only a layman I researched a literal hell as mentioned in the Bible. The numbers alone will make you think twice about a literal hell.

• The terms “hell”, “hellfire”, “hades”, and “sheol” are mentioned 54 times in the Bible.
• 31 times in the Old Testament. 
• 23 times in the New Testament. 
• 11 times directly by Jesus.

     Jesus also mentions in Matthew and Luke seven times that sinful people against him will be thrown into:

1. “Outer darkness” (3 times) . . . where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
2. A “blazing furnace” (2 times) . . . where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. 
3. A “place” (2 times) . . . where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

     My question is: “What other place would there be where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth except in a literal hell?”
     The term “Lake of fire” is mentioned 4 times in Revelation 19 and 20:

1. Revelation 19:20 says of the beast and false prophet, “Both of them were thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur."
2. Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” 
3. Revelation 20:14 says, “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”
4. Revelation 20:15 lastly says, “And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

     So, it’s very, very sad, but true according to the Bible. The “unwanted wages” each of us will receive if we don’t invite Jesus to save us from our sins is an eternal death in hell. BUT there’s good news coming! My post next week is about God making us “An Offer We Can’t Refuse!”.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 2: HELP, I NEED SOMEBODY!

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

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week I started the seven-week series “Steps to God”. I shared a post about the first step toward God is realizing there lies “A Veil Over Our Hearts”. It was about the fact that a veil exists that covers, conceals, and disguises the gospel to our eyes and hearts. We might try to find God in various ways, but the veil isn’t easily removed, especially by our own efforts. Our hearts need to be primed and ready to give over to God what we thought we could do on our own. I gave the example of a veil covering my own heart.
     What’s the next step to God? I again will use my own life as an example. It’s the experience I know best how to explain. I finally came to the realization that I had no power in myself to find God. I came to the end of myself and my own devices. I needed somebody outside myself. So, I entitled my second post, “Help, I Need Somebody!” I used the words in the Beatles song “Help” to explain the process of coming to the end of ourselves, and realizing our desperate need for help, that “I need somebody, not just anybody”, as the words of the song say. (Note: Again, I want to say that by using the lyrics of the Beatles song I am in no way endorsing the Beatles, their lifestyles, or their spiritual beliefs.)
     I think God realizes that most of us need a time of struggling in life to come to the inevitable conclusion that we need help from outside sources to come to Him. But what are those outside sources? I think I have the answer. I think you’ll readily recognize the three sources I’ve identified:

1. God, the first person of the Trinity: Scripture repeatedly declares that God is very close to each of us at all times. All we need do is to call out to Him for help.
• The Bible declares in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble”. So, when we are in deep trouble, whether it is physically, emotionally, spiritually, or some combination of the three, God is right there to give us refuge, strength, and help.
• The Psalmist in Psalm 34:18 wrote, “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.”
• In the New Testament Paul declared to the Athenians in Acts 17:27, “He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us."
• So, it’s clear. God is very close to us at all times, and He is just waiting for us to call out to Him for help.
2. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity: It’s clear that Jesus is also very close to us, ready to answer when we call out to Him for help.
• John quoted Jesus in Revelation 3:20, “See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
• Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.”
• Paul wrote in Romans 5:6, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.”
• The writer of Hebrews 4:15-16 wrote, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 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.”
• So, you can see that Jesus, God’s Son, is just waiting for us to call out to him for help.
3. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity: God sent to us the Holy Spirit through Jesus to help us in our time of need. Jesus, as a human, was limited to some degree. But after he ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us, to live inside us, to help us. You can’t get any closer than that!
• Paul wrote in Romans 8:26, “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.”
• John quoted Jesus in John 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”
• So, it’s clear. God gives us great help through His Holy Spirit sent by Jesus, who lives inside us.

     These verses show exactly what happened to me on the day of Grandpa’s funeral in 1977 over 44 years ago. I was in deep trouble emotionally and spiritually. I cried out . . . to who or what I didn’t know at the time. I cried out as the Beatles song said, “Help, I need somebody, not just anybody”. The “somebody” I cried out to was God. He heard me, and by His Holy Spirit sent by Jesus, talked directly to my heart. The long wait was ended for the veil over my heart to be removed.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 1: A VEIL OVER OUR HEARTS

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

Hello Friends:

     Imagine trying to go someplace with a veil covering your eyes. It would be very treacherous, wouldn’t it? Unless you are like my brother, who is completely blind. He has gotten used to navigating familiar places without sight. But unfamiliar places are another story.
     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week we discussed that in the coming weeks I would be sharing a series entitled, “Steps To God”, following mostly the Roman Road to Salvation with a few sidebars along the way. My first post is entitled “Steps to God 1: A Veil Over Our Hearts”.
     What is a veil? Here are a couple meanings:

1. The common one is the veil for centuries worn by brides when getting married. The veil is meant to signify purity.
2. The curtain of the temple in the Old and New Testament of the Bible was known in older versions of the Bible as a veil. The curtain, or veil, was torn in two by a mighty earthquake during the crucifixion and death of Christ.

     But today, I’m talking about a veil with a different meaning. The dictionary definition of this veil is: “To cover, conceal, or disguise." Moses, in Exodus 34:33-35, used a veil to “cover, conceal, or disguise” his shining face after talking directly to God, because the people were so afraid to approach him as he was covered with God’s glory. Paul talks about this type of veil in 2 Corinthians. He wrote the following in Chapter 3:12-16:

“We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from gazing steadily until the end of the glory of what was being set aside, but their minds were hardened. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ. Yet still today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed." 

     Paul went on to write in 2 Corinthians 4:3:

“But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”

     Those are stern words. I’m going to tell the story of how I had a veil over my heart to the gospel. I’m telling it because it is what I experienced firsthand. I hope that you can identify with me in your own lives the veil over your hearts before coming to Christ. Here’s my story of a veil over my heart:

     “After high school and into my early 20’s I felt hopeless to find real meaning in my life. Right after high school I grew my hair long with a beard in my attempt to be what I call a hippie wannabe. I hung out with the drug and alcohol using crowd, and I dabbled in them myself. Maybe being an enlightened drug-using hippie would give me meaning.
     While living the hippie wannabe lifestyle I still felt empty inside, so while living in Wooster where I worked, I went to a local church. With my long hair and beard in a conservative, evangelical church I went forward at an altar call. I thought I found what would end my emptiness. I had some degree of excitement about what I did, but soon after, with little follow-up from the church, I was back hanging with the wrong crowd and again dabbling in drugs and alcohol. I do want to preface that I didn’t get too far into hard drugs because I was too much of a wimp, and it scared me out of my wits to think about getting caught and going to jail and even prison.
     So, I cleaned up my act, and started working very hard, got a very good job, and I started trying to buy happiness. I bought a top-of-the line sound system and a brand-new Camaro. I was also socking money away into my savings account. Maybe making good money and buying everything I wanted would stop my emptiness. A degree of contentment lasted for a short while, but it quickly faded back toward my empty feelings worse than before.
     I didn’t even realize it. I did all kinds of things to try to be relevant, to be enlightened and even spiritual. I strove to have positive outcomes, to meet my needs, many times to excess. I went through extended periods of time thinking I had things all figured out. I even went to church, and even went forward at an altar. But a veil over my heart remained.”

     So, how is a veil over our hearts removed? We’ll talk about it in the coming weeks.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD: INTRODUCTION

 

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

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week I shared a post about “Loyal Shepherds Who Will Lead You With Knowledge And Skill”. In the coming seven weeks I want to start sharing a 7-week series entitled, “Steps To God”. It, in essence, is following the Roman Road to salvation, with a few sidebars along the way. I want these posts to educate and encourage soulwinners, and also to enlighten unsaved people.    

     I’m walking through this journey with you, and I don’t claim to have all the answers, but Jesus and His Holy Spirit do have all the answers.

1. Post 1: “A Veil Over Our Hearts” 
• If we haven’t fully committed to Christ we have a veil over our hearts toward the gospel. We need the veil lifted/removed before we can move forward to see God clearly. We’ll discuss how that happens.
2. Post 2: “Help, I Need Somebody” 
• I use the words in the Beatles song “Help” to explain the process of coming to the end of ourselves, and realizing our desperate need for help, that “I need somebody, not just anybody”, as the words of the song say. (Note: By using the lyrics of the Beatles song I am in no way endorsing the Beatles, their lifestyles, or their spiritual beliefs.)
3. Post 3: “Unwanted Wages” 
• Only after realizing we desperately need someone to help us help, can we understand the “why” of needing help. It’s due to our sin, and the consequences, or wages of our sin.
4. Post 4: “An Offer We Can’t Refuse” 
• I’m using the quote from “The Godfather” movie where Don Corleone, a mafia boss, so famously said, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse”. (Note: I’m in no way endorsing “The Godfather” movie, but only the premise of the statement in relation to God.) God is making us an offer we can’t, or shouldn’t, refuse.
5. Post 5: “Scrooge No More” 
• We’ll discuss the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge in the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol”. We’ll remember the many gifts that Scrooge never accepted in his younger years that turned him into a crotchety old scrooge of a man. Then the change when he accepted the gift that was being offered to turn his life around. We too are offered a gift to turn our lives around.
6. Post 6: “Sealing the Deal”
• Instead of a written signed contract that we use in today’s world, the transaction between God and man is a verbal one of confession who Jesus is, and what we believe about His death and resurrection. It comes only after our recognition of the fact that we can no longer live without God’s help, so we seal the deal, or finalize the transaction between He and us.
7. Post 7: “Transformers” 
• As the famous transformer toys that many kids played with in the late 80’s and early 90’s that turned from vehicles to superheroes, after the deal is sealed, we in essence become transformed superheroes to save the day in the world in which we live, and in the lives of the people around us.

So, there you have it. I’m greatly looking forward to the next seven weeks as we go through the seven posts about “Steps to God”.

See you next time,
Arlen

LOYAL SHEPHERDS WHO WILL LEAD YOU WITH KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL

 

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

Hello Friends:

     Last week we capped off Pastor Aubrey Maye’s Pentecostal Witnessing book, Chapter 4. We discussed the mental attitudes we must have to be effective soulwinners. Also, the benefits of having a plan to share Jesus with people.
     This week I was a little stymied in direction. I prayed and I’m sharing a post about “Loyal Shepherds Who Will Lead You With Knowledge And Skill”, and I’m trusting God’s Holy Spirit to use it. It’s based on Jeremiah exhorting the scattered Israelites to return to God. Jeremiah then made a declaration directly from God in Chapter 3:15, where God said, “I will give you shepherds who are loyal to me, and they will lead you with knowledge and skill.”
     First, what leads to sheep being scattered? It’s likely due to shepherds that don’t really care about the sheep, and/or ones that don’t attain the knowledge and skill needed to lead and guide them effectively and safely. Think of the times that we had knowledgeable and skillful bosses. They knew each employee and the strengths each possessed to draw them in to move collectively toward getting the job done. 

     Then compare it to a boss that might have been promoted but doesn’t really have the best interests of the team or the goal in mind. That boss wants to exert authority and they usually make decisions to show that he or she is as my wife sometimes says, “are large and in in charge.” The employees under them usually are unsettled and in many cases scatter toward other jobs.
     Most people, me included, usually gravitate toward the boss that really cares, and has a great deal of knowledge and skill in guiding the needed processes toward getting the job done. The boss doesn’t even need to be the most personable person on the planet if they know what they’re doing and can encourage and draw in their employees to follow the path toward the goal.
     Why is it in churches that we don’t require, or at the least encourage those same types of qualities? We think that if a person has a somewhat dynamic personality with a degree of charisma, that he is a good fit to be the leader of a church.
     Think of the time of Saul and David. Saul was chosen to be the Israelite king. He was what today we might call “a man’s man”. The problem was that he was very insecure, had very poor judgement, was full of jealousy and rage, and he proved to be a very poor leader.
     Then comes David. He was the runt of his family. Everyone thought that Samuel would have chosen his bigger, more experienced brothers to be the next Israelite king in place of Saul. David was just a shepherd boy. Oh, but what they didn’t figure out was that this little shepherd boy was very knowledgeable and skillful in leading and guiding his flock, and in slaying imposing predators. He didn’t meet the “eye test”, but he certainly met the loyalty, knowledge, and skill test needed to be a good king of Israel.
     I’m not posting this to just dog the church as it exists. I understand the importance of loving and supporting the church body and its leaders. But as a layman and a longtime Christian, I am posing these questions with concerns that I think church leaders should consider moving forward.
     What is the motivation of someone wanting to be the shepherd of a group of people? Following are what I think are prerequisites of choosing shepherds of churches. They should:

1. Be loyal to God and His plan on earth. What is His plan? Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “I came to seek and save the lost.”
2. Embrace knowledge and skill to effectively lead the flock toward God’s goals as outlined in the Bible.
3. Protect the flock from danger.
4. Love the flock deeply with great passion and energy and go after sheep that are scattered. 
5. As the shepherd gets to know the traits of each sheep and lamb to keep them safe and in the fold, the Christian shepherd should also get to intimately know his sheep, to really know “what makes them tick”. In that way the sheep are naturally drawn toward him because they sense his great care for them. 

     One of my main reasons for sharing this post is because I know how important it is when we evangelize people in desperate need of Jesus, that we can direct them to safe havens with leaders that are very “loyal” to God, and they lead with great “knowledge and skill”.

See you next time,
Arlen

THE SOULWINNER’S MENTAL ATTITUDES AND PLAN! by Pastor Aubrey Maye

 

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

Hello Friends:

      Last week we discussed Pastor Aubrey Maye’s encouragement that all Holy Spirit filled believers can be soulwinners. He touched on the fact that telling our personal experience in committing to Jesus has a powerful effect on soulwinning, then he gave some personal requirements to become a soulwinner, like sharing our personal experience, the importance of living a consecrated and Holy Spirit filled life, having a dynamic and powerful prayer life, steadily studying and having a deep knowledge of God’s Word, and lastly . . . acquiring a deep compassion for lost souls.

      This week we’ll cap off Chapter 4 by talking about what Pastor Aubrey Maye said are the mental attitudes a soulwinner must possess to share Jesus with people. Then we’ll end the session with discussing the benefits of engaging in some personal training and developing a planned approach to soulwinning.

THE SOULWINNER’S MENTAL ATTITUDES

      Pastor Aubrey Maye emphasized there are certain positive mental attitudes which the Christian who would be a soulwinner must possess.

1. Be convinced that we should be soulwinners.
• Before we will ever be consistent and effective witnessing Christians, we must be firmly convinced that we should be soulwinners, and that the Holy Spirit living inside us empowers us be one. Then we can do so with great confidence.
2. Be convinced of the great need for personal evangelism. 
• We must become keenly aware of the possibility that there are people who will never be reached with the gospel unless you and I reach them.
• We must see the real value of a soul. Jesus said in Mark 8:36, “For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life” (or soul).
• We must see it’s worth the effort for us to win just one soul through personal evangelism.
• We must be convinced the Church will never be able to fulfill its responsibility to evangelize lost people of this generation unless there is a revival of personal evangelism.
• We must become interested in encouraging and training others to join us in this challenging work.
3. Be dependent on the Holy Spirit. 
• We should always keep in mind in doing personal evangelism that we aren’t presenting "a religion "; we’re presenting a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ. To do this effectively, we must learn to depend heavily upon the Spirit of God. Our ability to reason and to present the facts of salvation will be useless until we depend on and learn to work with the Holy Spirit in our witnessing.
• We must remember that only the Holy Spirit can bring true conviction of sin and genuine salvation in the heart of a sinner.
• We must become sensitive to the Spirit’s presence and expect Him to be there when we are dealing with lost souls.
• We must trust the Holy Spirit to guide and help us lead sinners through the plan of salvation.

THE SOULWINNER'S PERSONAL TRAINING

      Pastor Aubrey Maye wrote that in New Testament times witnessing and personal evangelism seemed to be the normal thing for Spirit-filled Christians to do. This was the example set before them and it was what they had been taught.

      Since most twentieth century, and I will say now twenty-first century Christians have not had this example or teaching, they will need help to get started. There is a need for training.

      Pastor Maye wrote that we need a plan for personal evangelism. He emphasized the benefits of having a plan:

1. A plan will give us confidence.
• One of the major problems for the average Christian in talking to others about Christ is fear. This fear can be greatly alleviated by having the confidence of knowing what to say and which Scriptures to use.
• Remember that most Christians experience some fear when they begin witnessing to the unsaved. You mustn’t allow this initial fear to overcome your determination to become a soulwinner. You can overcome much of this fear by learning well a soulwinning plan.
2. A plan will enable us to present the gospel systematically.
• By learning a plan, we’ll be able to explain the way of salvation clearly and simply to the unsaved person. This is very important because most unsaved people don’t know what the Bible teaches about being saved. They may have certain ideas about conversion; but when it comes to what the Bible teaches, most of them don't have a clear understanding.
• Our goal is to present the simple, Bible plan of salvation in such a way as to bring about the following desired results in the sinner:
• (1) Genuine conviction of sin.
• (2) Genuine repentance.
• (3) Genuine faith in Christ as his or her Savior.
3. A plan will eliminate blundering and haphazardness. 
• By having a plan, we will be less likely to antagonize the unsaved person. If the prospect who doesn’t get saved, is left in a good attitude, there’s a good chance that you can deal with him or her again sometime.
• Careless, haphazard attempts at personal evangelism can close the door to future opportunities. 
4. A plan will help avoid the following problems: 
• Learning a plan will immediately eliminate the excuse of not knowing what to say.
• It will help us to avoid the prospect's unrelated questions and other attempts to get away from the subject of his or her salvation.

      We need to remember that we aren’t the pastor. We’re soulwinners, so it isn’t necessary to answer many of the questions which the unsaved ask. We’re there to present Christ and should stick to the subject.

SOME PRECAUTIONS

      Pastor Maye gave the following precautions when evangelizing. 

1. Never argue when attempting to win someone to Christ.
• When the conversation deteriorates to the point of argument, we have lost the opportunity to win the person to Christ.
• It’s better to change the subject completely than to destroy our future chances of winning the person by hardening him or her against us through an argument.
• We need to remember that there are many unsaved people who enjoy talking and arguing about religion, so we should try to avoid this.
2. Don't condemn the person with whom we are dealing.
• We must trust the Spirit and the Word of God to bring condemnation to the sinner for his or her wrong doings. We aren’t the judge. We’re there to help, not to embitter them by making harsh personal judgments.
• The Word of God is adequate for this task. The writer of Hebrews 4:12 wrote: "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
3. Don't criticize what the individual believes.
• If we disagree with some belief they express, it would be better to simply avoid the issue for the time being. The first need is salvation. Beliefs of the unsaved person can best be dealt with after conversion.
• If they have serious difficulties, it would probably be wise to direct them to our pastor, even after conversion.
4. Don't criticize the church mentioned by the person and what the church believes, even though sometimes we’ll be asked our opinion of them.

      Pastor Maye wrote before concluding Chapter 4, it should again be pointed out that although a plan is important, our own spiritual condition is more important.

      Pastor Maye encouraged remembering again the verse from Daniel 12:3: “Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

       And lastly, Pastor Maye reiterated, “You can be a soulwinner!”

See you next time,

Arlen

YOU CAN BE A SOULWINNER!

 

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

Hello Friends:

Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. I’m continuing with the "Pentecostal Witnessing" book, written by Pastor Aubrey Maye, to encourage myself and others to witness to others the wonderful saving power of Jesus Christ. Today’s post is entitled “You Can Be A Soulwinner!” based on Chapter 4. We’re going to just cover the first part of the chapter.

Daniel 12:3 captures well a very important reason to win souls. Daniel wrote, “Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Which of us don’t want to shine like the heavens and stars?

Pastor Maye wrote that being a Christian gives us the privilege and responsibility of being a witness for Christ. He said we can witness simply telling others what Jesus Christ has done in our own lives. Pastor Maye said simply telling others what Jesus has done for us, “is witnessing in its pure and simple form”, and “it has brought thousands of sinners under conviction of sin.”

He wrote, "With the proper preparation and dedication, we can tell an unsaved person not only what Christ has done for us, but also show from the Scripture what Christ has done for them, and how they can receive the same experience that we have.”

Pastor Maye wrote, “Some people have the idea that to be a personal soulwinner, we have to memorize a great amount of Scripture, but it simply isn’t true." We’ll touch on that briefly later in the post.

THE SOULWINNER’S PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Personal experience of salvation.
• We must have a vital personal experience of salvation, a deep knowledge that our sins were forgiven and that we have peace with God.
• In Luke 10:17-20 Jesus told his disciples that were rejoicing because of what they had accomplished on their missionary journeys, more important was the fact that their names were written in heaven. Jesus was encouraging them that to have a deep personal experience of salvation leading toward heaven is very much more important than anything else in sharing the gospel.
2. Consecrated and Spirit-filled life.
• Merriam Webster defines consecrated as, “Dedicated to a sacred purpose.” We can’t be half-hearted in what we believe.
• Along with consecration to a sacred purpose, we must rely on the Holy Spirit in us to give us the power to share the gospel.
3. Prayer life.
• A dynamic and powerful prayer life is essential to have the spiritual strength to witness. Pastor Maye said that private devotional prayer and intercessory prayer for the lost are musts for us to be effective soulwinners.
• He said, "Prayer is our lifeline to give us victory over sin, and to give us courage to keep at the task of witnessing.” Prayer also renews our compassion for the lost.
4.  Bible Study. 
• Pastor Maye said it isn’t necessary to commit to memory a great amount of Scripture to be a soulwinner. But it is definitely necessary to diligently study the Bible “to show ourselves approved” as Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15.
• Pastor Maye wrote that the Word of God is truly the “sword of the Spirit" for the soulwinner (Ephesians 6:17), and that we must learn to use it skillfully and confidently as our chief weapon to win souls.
5. Love for souls.
• Pastor Maye wrote that a genuine love for lost souls is born out of the above-mentioned prayer life, and the study of God’s Word. 
• He wrote that as we deepen our experience in God, we’ll also deepen our compassion for the unsaved. 
• When we become more like Jesus, it’s only natural that we’ll look on the needs of the lost like Jesus did in Matthew 9:36-38 where Matthew wrote, “When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” ‘

Pastor Maye wrote, “There’s no substitute for real love in the life of a soulwinner.” He went on, “Cold hearts in Christians are prone to make still lips when it comes to witnessing. You can be a soulwinner: But you must first love lost souls.”

Next week we’ll finish Chapter 4, which includes the mental attitudes a soulwinner must have to share Jesus with people. Then we’ll cap off the session with the benefits of engaging in some personal training and developing a planned approach to soulwinning.

See you next time,

Arlen

HAPPY NEW YEAR! PENTECOSTAL WITNESSING, CHAPTER 3: PRESENT-DAY EVANGELISM, by Aubrey Maye

 

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

Hello Friends:

Happy New Year from the Soulwinnersr.us website. I started the website almost a year ago, and I pray that God blesses our efforts greatly of soulwinning in the New Year of 2022, and the Holy Spirit inspires us to introduce Jesus to people in new and exciting ways.

I entitled my post today “Happy New Year! Pentecostal Witnessing, Chapter 3: Present-Day Evangelism” by Aubrey Maye. I was going to do another post on “The Current Anti-Evangelism Wave”, but I want to do a more positive post to start the New Year.

By the way, I wrote to Pastor Aubrey Maye, and he called me this week from Chesapeake, Virginia. I was excited, and He was pleased that I was using his book that he wrote so many years ago. Pastor May said he's currently 83 years old, and he wrote the book at the age of 27 about 56 years ago, which is amazing to me. So, let’s start off the New Year with a bang on Chapter 3 of this wonderful little book!

Pastor Maye encouraged us in Chapter 3 not to be too critical of our current evangelism methods, BUT, that there’s great value in being honest with ourselves in taking an objective look at the following points related to evangelism:

• “What's being done.”
• “What can be done.”
• “What MUST BE DONE now and in the future.”.

He said “after an honest look at ourselves, we'll probably do one of three things: 

1. Attempt to justify our failures in evangelism by blaming the evil conditions of this generation.
2. Attempt to shift the responsibility of evangelism to others.
3. Rise to the task with new determination and faith.

He said, “For the sake of this lost generation, may God help us to do number three.”

Pastor Maye said that after the initial exciting wave of evangelism and Holy Spirit power at Pentecost, there were centuries of a waning in the spiritual life of the church, and of open evangelism. He said evangelism leading to conversions was replaced by rituals.

The 15th century finally ushered in the Protestant Reformation, with Martin Luther and others who turned the tide back somewhat to the right direction, but there was still a significant lack of evangelistic efforts. A focus on evangelism didn’t return until the 17th and 18th centuries with the appearance of such men as John Wesley and George Whitefield.

So, after about 1500 years of darkness with little spiritual focus, Wesley and Whitefield had great evangelistic success in England and America with thousands of lost souls saved, just like in the time of Jesus and the Early Church. It was said of Whitefield that he started preaching from a hillside, down into an open field that can still be seen today. It's estimated that he preached across the field to up to 20,000 people at one time . . . with no sound system! Periods of evangelism, however, waxed and waned in the next couple hundred years after Wesley and Whitfield.

Wesley and Whitefield were noted for mass evangelism meetings, preaching to thousands of people at a time. Mass evangelism meetings were called various names through a couple centuries: “Revival meetings”, "camp meetings", and "city-wide crusades”, to name a few, and they were greatly used by God to bring multitudes of men and women to Christ.

But mass evangelism had its limitations. Pastor Maye said that personal soulwinning among Christians was a very important supplement to mass evangelism?

Pastor Maye addressed present ideas about personal evangelism and soulwinning by considering three keys that we talked about two weeks ago:

1. Soulwinning should not be limited to a few key people like a pastor or an evangelist.
• The job to evangelize should also fall on every spirit-filled Christian to "proclaim" to others the Good News of salvation.
• Pastor Maye wrote that pastors are somewhat to blame for their lack of emphasis on personal responsibility, and encouraging and teaching their flock to evangelize.
• Pastor Maye wrote, "Do we really believe that the responsibility of personal evangelism and the great power of the Holy Spirit ended for good at the end of the era of the Early Church in Acts?"
2. Soulwinning is not limited to certain places. 
• Soulwinning doesn’t have to occur in a church building, a meeting hall, or a revival tent. Most unsaved people won't darken the door of a church, or a revival meeting hall or tent.
• We need to go to them as Jesus and the Early Church did. Pastor Maye wrote, “We have no choice! The Church has been commissioned.” He said, “Many churches, instead of growing, are actually dying because they're shackled by this church building-centered concept of evangelism.”
• Pastor Maye wrote that mass revival meetings are important, but more important is an emphasis on personal evangelism.
3. Soulwinning is not limited to certain times. 
• Evangelism isn’t just a seasonal affair, and we don’t have to wait until the calendar says we’re ready to evangelize.
• Pastor Maye wrote, “Someone has recently suggested that most of us are so busy today working IN the church that we no longer have time for the work OF the Church . . . which is soulwinning.” Pastor Maye wrote, “We usually find time to do those things that we really want to do.

We must want earnestly to introduce Jesus to people in our communities. When we find ourselves so busy that we have little time for any evangelism and no time to train and organize our churches for soulwinning out among the unsaved, we wonder what's happened since Luke said: "Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." Acts 2:47.

Pastor Maye discussed the following four points:

1. “We must stop losing the battle to win lost souls.”
• The church is making strides in many areas such as Christian education, music, and other areas, but we’re losing the battle to reach the rising, ever-growing population that don't know Jesus.
• Cult groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons are growing faster than the Christian church because of their emphasis on personal outreach. 
• If any group reaches out to their community it should be a group of spirit-filled believers.
2. “The church is at a crossroads.”
• The present-day Church is faced with two alternatives.
• The First Alternative: We can continue the present pattern depending largely upon the revival meetings and other pulpit evangelism which is becoming less and less effective in reaching the sinner (because the sinners don't come). OR . . .
• The Second Alternative: We can dedicate ourselves to the training of personal soulwinners, pray for a renewal of Pentecostal power and boldness like in Acts 4:29-31, and take the Church to the lost.
• In order to accomplish this, there may have to be some changes made in local church programs.
• Necessary steps will have to be taken to put the primary purpose of the Church in its proper perspective – “that the saving of lost souls comes first!”
3. "Personal evangelism must be revived!"
• Personal evangelism is encouraged in a few churches, but most times it isn’t encouraged or emphasized at all. Sometimes the youth only are taught and encouraged to evangelize. While it’s a good thing to teach and encourage youth to witness to the lost, evangelism can’t be delegated solely to the youth. It’s the responsibility of the entire Church body.
4. "A revival of personal evangelism has tremendous potential." Following are some key points about the tremendous potential of personal evangelism:
• Personal evangelism can be entered into wholeheartedly because such outreach is overwhelmingly supported by the New Testament.
• Personal evangelism offers the one possibility for a local congregation to actually present the gospel to every person in the community who will listen.
• Personal evangelism not only helps reach the lost, but the lives of individual Christians will be greatly changed, and their experiences deepened as they begin to share their experience of knowing Christ personally with the unsaved.

In conclusion, Pastor Maye wrote that revival won’t come easily. It will only come as the direct result of deliberate prayer, hard work, and action on the part of God's people.

See you next time,

Arlen