Is this your Savior? I pray you know Jesus like this today.
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
What is the gospel video
If it doesn't play visit please visit...
http://www.sbts.edu/resources/special-topics/what-is-the-gospel-2/
http://www.sbts.edu/resources/special-topics/what-is-the-gospel-2/
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Greatly puzzled, but sure like to listen? Mark 6:20
In my daily bible reading today Mark 6:20 caused me to pause and consider this thought...
Jesus had sent his disciples out and Herod heard about it (and the work they were doing of teaching and having authority over unclean spirits). People began to say Jesus was Elijah, or a prophet, but Herod believed he was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Herod had John killed a few verses later, but let me just look at these verses right now.
Mark 6 said...
17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[c]; yet he liked to listen to him.
The amplified bible puts it this way...
20For Herod had [a reverential] fear of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and [continually] kept him safe [under guard]. When he heard [John speak], he was much perplexed; and [yet] he heard him gladly.
Herod, hearing John the Baptist even speaking out against him and his marital status, had a reverential fear of John because he was a righteous and holy man. When John spoke, Herod although perplexed and puzzled was glad to hear him.
How is our walk of holiness and your verbal witness today?
1st - although Herod didn't "get" John, he reverentially feared and respected John because his witness was one of righteousness and holiness. Even though John spoke against him, his relationship, and even though his wife hated John so much that she put Herod in a position to ultimately have him beheaded, Herod even tried to protect John. What an amazing testimony, that John's life impacted Herod so much, that Herod even stood up for him, even though they didn't see eye to eye.
2nd - although Herod didn't "get" John, and his words were often condemning or against Herod, Herod liked listening to Him.
Let's us as Salvationists and followers of Jesus live such righteous and holy lives, that even though we would preach against the world and it's conduct, they would respect us and know that they "want us around" even when we don't see eye to eye. Let's be so true to the sharing of God's Word, both with His boldness and compassionate love, that even though we would speak against peoples behavior and conduct, they would still like to listen to us because we offer hope eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Is anyone puzzled by you? Is anyone listening to you?
How is your life of holiness and your verbal witness today?
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Jesus had sent his disciples out and Herod heard about it (and the work they were doing of teaching and having authority over unclean spirits). People began to say Jesus was Elijah, or a prophet, but Herod believed he was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Herod had John killed a few verses later, but let me just look at these verses right now.
Mark 6 said...
17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[c]; yet he liked to listen to him.
The amplified bible puts it this way...
20For Herod had [a reverential] fear of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and [continually] kept him safe [under guard]. When he heard [John speak], he was much perplexed; and [yet] he heard him gladly.
Herod, hearing John the Baptist even speaking out against him and his marital status, had a reverential fear of John because he was a righteous and holy man. When John spoke, Herod although perplexed and puzzled was glad to hear him.
How is our walk of holiness and your verbal witness today?
1st - although Herod didn't "get" John, he reverentially feared and respected John because his witness was one of righteousness and holiness. Even though John spoke against him, his relationship, and even though his wife hated John so much that she put Herod in a position to ultimately have him beheaded, Herod even tried to protect John. What an amazing testimony, that John's life impacted Herod so much, that Herod even stood up for him, even though they didn't see eye to eye.
2nd - although Herod didn't "get" John, and his words were often condemning or against Herod, Herod liked listening to Him.
Let's us as Salvationists and followers of Jesus live such righteous and holy lives, that even though we would preach against the world and it's conduct, they would respect us and know that they "want us around" even when we don't see eye to eye. Let's be so true to the sharing of God's Word, both with His boldness and compassionate love, that even though we would speak against peoples behavior and conduct, they would still like to listen to us because we offer hope eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Is anyone puzzled by you? Is anyone listening to you?
How is your life of holiness and your verbal witness today?
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Monday, February 14, 2011
"Know so, Think so" Evangelism plan
How about this for an evangelism plan?
Make a list of everyone you and put them in one of two categories.
One group is the "I know so" - they are a follower of Jesus. I would imagine this list will be people you know well, you have asked directly about thier faith, or have heard their testimony of saving faith in Jesus Christ. After seeing those on the "know so" list of saved friends and pray for them.
The second group on your "I think so" list. These are people you "think" are saved, maybe by simple comments they have made, maybe their talk of thier church affiliation, or thier witness of being such a great person causes you to "think" they are saved.
How about taking your "think so" list and intentionally start a conversation with them.
Maybe you can start with one of these.... You could say...
I prayed for you by name today and need to ask for your forgiveness for never actually asking you about your faith....
By the way you should also have a "don't know" list of aquaintances that you know at work or school or someone you usually bump into and only talk about the weather with.
You probably even and a "NO WAY" list that you don't think there's any way "that person" could be saved.
Now that you've got your lists, intentionally make a plan to start a conversation that will be important for thier soul and their eternal destination.
It is our duty as believers. We are a SALVATION ARMY!
Why not start a list today. Why not tell someone that Jesus can save them today?
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Make a list of everyone you and put them in one of two categories.
One group is the "I know so" - they are a follower of Jesus. I would imagine this list will be people you know well, you have asked directly about thier faith, or have heard their testimony of saving faith in Jesus Christ. After seeing those on the "know so" list of saved friends and pray for them.
The second group on your "I think so" list. These are people you "think" are saved, maybe by simple comments they have made, maybe their talk of thier church affiliation, or thier witness of being such a great person causes you to "think" they are saved.
How about taking your "think so" list and intentionally start a conversation with them.
Maybe you can start with one of these.... You could say...
I prayed for you by name today and need to ask for your forgiveness for never actually asking you about your faith....
- how's your soul?
- who is Jesus to you?
- if you died tonight where would you spend eternity?
- What do you think happens when you die?
- (If a church goer) what does your church teach about getting to heaven or a relationship with God?
By the way you should also have a "don't know" list of aquaintances that you know at work or school or someone you usually bump into and only talk about the weather with.
You probably even and a "NO WAY" list that you don't think there's any way "that person" could be saved.
Now that you've got your lists, intentionally make a plan to start a conversation that will be important for thier soul and their eternal destination.
It is our duty as believers. We are a SALVATION ARMY!
Why not start a list today. Why not tell someone that Jesus can save them today?
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
7 Tips for Encouraging New Believers in Evangelism - repost from evangelism.net
CLICK HERE FOR EVANGELISM.NET ARTICLE
The problem here is that we tend to see evangelism and discipleship as two completely separate things. Yet, it is not about two separate sides of a coin. It is more about seeing both as being on the same side of the coin. Discipleship and evangelism are part of the same process. They are not the same thing, but to be healthy you can’t have one without the other.
Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19–20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The very notion of “make disciples” implies that you must both evangelize and then disciple those converts. The above verse describes disciples as persons who are taught to observe all of Christ’s commands. Therefore, as part of the discipling process, we need to teach new converts to evangelize.
You might be thinking, “How on earth do I get a new Christian to evangelize, when I can’t even get Christians who have been saved for 20 or 30 years to evangelize?” Or you might think, “How can I expect someone to evangelize who knows so little about his new faith?”
The truth is new believers are often the most excited about their faith. It has been said that new Christians lead more people to Christ than anyone else. They realize that they have been rescued from an eternity of torment and separation from God, and they are so grateful they want to shout it from the rooftops. Still, that doesn’t mean that we should leave them on their own, or that they don’t need some encouragement and guidance.
How can we encourage new believers in evangelism?
2.) Evangelize in teams—pair a more experienced evangelist with a newer convert. Whether it be witnessing in a park, church visitation, or simply visiting a friend you think would be open to the gospel, take along a new believer. Your experience will help them, and hopefully their newfound joy will encourage you.
3.) Pray with them for specific people who are not believers—praying for the lost increases our love for the lost.
4.) Realize that it is not about the numbers—God tells us to take the gospel to lost people, but it is God who does the saving, not us. With that in mind, we don’t need to feel like a failure if someone doesn’t trust Christ after we have shared the gospel (1 Cor. 3:6–8).
5.) Remind them that fear is normal—it is an experience that everyone deals with. The Apostle Paul even asked for prayer for boldness, something he would not have needed to ask for if he didn’t have fear.
As new believers learn to share the Gospel early on, it will help solidify their own faith, and build a strong foundation in evangelizing for the rest of their time one earth. Who might God be asking you to mentor in evangelism?
Okay, take out a penny. Toss it. Tails—focus on discipleship today. Heads—do some open-air evangelism.
Does the thought of flipping a coin make you uneasy? It probably should. Yet, if you think about it, we do almost that very thing. We don’t literally flip a coin, but people often tend to focus on either evangelism or discipleship. Neither is a bad thing. In fact, both are commanded. But the fact still remains that many of us find one easier than the other. What do you do if you’d rather teach a Sunday School Class than do open air evangelism? Can you evangelize so much that you lose sight of training new believers?
The problem here is that we tend to see evangelism and discipleship as two completely separate things. Yet, it is not about two separate sides of a coin. It is more about seeing both as being on the same side of the coin. Discipleship and evangelism are part of the same process. They are not the same thing, but to be healthy you can’t have one without the other.
Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19–20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The very notion of “make disciples” implies that you must both evangelize and then disciple those converts. The above verse describes disciples as persons who are taught to observe all of Christ’s commands. Therefore, as part of the discipling process, we need to teach new converts to evangelize.
You might be thinking, “How on earth do I get a new Christian to evangelize, when I can’t even get Christians who have been saved for 20 or 30 years to evangelize?” Or you might think, “How can I expect someone to evangelize who knows so little about his new faith?”
The truth is new believers are often the most excited about their faith. It has been said that new Christians lead more people to Christ than anyone else. They realize that they have been rescued from an eternity of torment and separation from God, and they are so grateful they want to shout it from the rooftops. Still, that doesn’t mean that we should leave them on their own, or that they don’t need some encouragement and guidance.
How can we encourage new believers in evangelism?
1.) Be an example—people are watching what you do, and they tend to pay more attention to what you do than what you say. When new believers see other believers evangelizing, it encourages them to do the same.
2.) Evangelize in teams—pair a more experienced evangelist with a newer convert. Whether it be witnessing in a park, church visitation, or simply visiting a friend you think would be open to the gospel, take along a new believer. Your experience will help them, and hopefully their newfound joy will encourage you.
3.) Pray with them for specific people who are not believers—praying for the lost increases our love for the lost.
4.) Realize that it is not about the numbers—God tells us to take the gospel to lost people, but it is God who does the saving, not us. With that in mind, we don’t need to feel like a failure if someone doesn’t trust Christ after we have shared the gospel (1 Cor. 3:6–8).
5.) Remind them that fear is normal—it is an experience that everyone deals with. The Apostle Paul even asked for prayer for boldness, something he would not have needed to ask for if he didn’t have fear.
6.) Tell them it is okay if they don’t have all the answers—It is okay to say, “I don’t know.” Unbelievers are more impressed by someone that admits they don’t know an answer than by someone who makes up an answer or acts like a know-it-all.
7.) Help them learn a basic method—there are many good methods, but having one basic method that they can always use is a must. It frees them up to talk and listen, instead of worrying about what to say next. (For more help on learning a method see EvanTell’s online training www.act111.org).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)