The weather here has been pretty cold, and for an old guy like me, not good for outdoor witnessing. I used to ride the free buses downtown where I could hand out tracts and preach, but they do not run anymore. Once the weather gets better, our door-to-door evangelism effort can start. Until then, it looks like a local group of seed sowers are starting up a laundromat witnessing outreach. Sounds good when the weather is cold. Please let me know if you are interested and I will give you the details.
If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. (The Weight of Glory, 26)
This gospel presentation is great! Isn’t it true that you can take your life to understand, but is still something a child can present and a child can understand.
I am reading a book by Will Metzger, called, Tell the Truth. In it he quotes Tozer on the subject of the “me centered” evangelism out there that does not focus on opposition to sinful human nature. Tozer calls it, “the new cross”.
How many times have I heard “gospel” presentation saying just “accept” God or “confess” Him? Then the false convert can go on his way thinking he is saved and be innoculated against the real thing. The unbeliever should not be concerned about accepting God, but be concerned about Him “accepting” him!!!
The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self respect. To the self assertive, it says”come and assert yourself for Christ”. To the egoist it says, “come and do your boasting for the Lord”. To the thrill seeker it says, “come and enjoy the thrill of the abundant Christian life”. The idea behind the kind of thing may be sincere, bu ti sincerity does not save it from being false. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross. The cross is a symbol of death. it stand for the abrupt, violent end of a person. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him to newnesss of life. The corn must fall into the ground and die. God then bestows life, but not an improved old life. Whoever would posess it must pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God’s just sentence against him. How can this theology be translated in life? Simply, the non-Christian must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God’s stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die. Tozer, The Old Cross and the New, (Harrisburg, PA Christian Publications).
After my foot gets better after surgery, I will start some door to door evangelism. This will be done in the neighborhoods around the church. I am still praying about the details, but the concept is exciting to me and something that I believe is biblical and what God is leading me to do.
Paul describes this method of evangelism in Acts 20:20. “How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house”. Now to those who believe this may be a proof text interpretation and should be just an example of Paul teaching at house churches, look at the next verse. Acts 20:21 says, “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ”. So that is what I will be doing….testifying to the lost of repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are also planning on beginning an “Exploring Christianity” class at our church, and that maybe a good follow up to those interested in persuing Christianity further.
I have heard it many times that living a good Christian life and sharing your testimony is a great way to evangelize. But if this is true, then what difference would it make if you are a Christian, a Muslim, a Mormon or a Buddist? I personally know people of all these faiths that are “good” people and have a testimony.
I was reading Charles Spurgeons devotional this afternoon, and he refers to this… if you live life as a Christian, you will be persecuted, not commended.
If you follow Christ, you shall have all the dogs of the world yelping at your heels. If you would live so as to stand the test of the last tribunal, depend upon it the world will not speak well of you. He who has the friendship of the world is an enemy to God; but if you are true and faithful to the Most High, men will resent your unflinching fidelity, since it is a testimony against their iniquities.
Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.) (December 28 PM). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
So share the gospel in and out of season….use the Word of God, the bible. For in the gospel, the “righteousness of God is revealed” NOT YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!
Charles Spurgeon’s devotional, Morning and Evening is a wonderful resource. Last night’s devotional was especially moving for me, and I would like to share it. May this encourage all of you who are sharing the gospel this Christmas season. That you will be, as a soul-winner, doing something that brings the happiest thing in the world.
“Call thy labourers, and give them their hire.”
–Matthew 20:8
God is a good paymaster; He pays His servants while at work as well as when they have done it; and one of His payments is this: an easy conscience. If you have spoken faithfully of Jesus to one person, when you go to bed at night you feel happy in thinking, “I have this day discharged my conscience of that man’s blood.” There is a great comfort in doing something for Jesus. Oh, what a happiness to place jewels in His crown, and give Him to see of the travail of His soul! There is also very great reward in watching the first buddings of conviction in a soul! To say of that girl in the class, “She is tender of heart, I do hope that there is the Lord’s work within.” To go home and pray over that boy, who said something in the afternoon which made you think he must know more of divine truth than you had feared! Oh, the joy of hope! But as for the joy of success! it is unspeakable. This joy, overwhelming as it is, is a hungry thing–you pine for more of it. To be a soul-winner is the happiest thing in the world. With every soul you bring to Christ, you get a new heaven upon earth. But who can conceive the bliss which awaits us above! Oh, how sweet is that sentence, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!” Do you know what the joy of Christ is over a saved sinner? This is the very joy which we are to possess in heaven. Yes, when He mounts the throne, you shall mount with Him. When the heavens ring with “Well done, well done,” you shall partake in the reward; you have toiled with Him, you have suffered with Him, you shall now reign with Him; you have sown with Him, you shall reap with Him; your face was covered with sweat like His, and your soul was grieved for the sins of men as His soul was, now shall your face be bright with heaven’s splendour as is His countenance, and now shall your soul be filled with beatific joys even as His soul is.
Well, we had a great time visiting family in Illinois and getting up at 3AM on Friday to witness to the Black Friday shoppers. There were incredible crowds in the hundreds at each store we went to. Some people had been camping out in front of Best Buy for 3 days before the doors opened for Black Friday, so we had tons of opportunities to hand out tracts and preach the gospel.
Our first stop was Kohls at 3:30am. We handed out tracts and I preached. The springboard used was a Christmas Quiz and I handed out $1 bills to the winners and a stuffed animal that I had bought last year after Christmas for 80% off and used it for the grand prize. Then I asked if Santa Claus were to determine if you were “naughty or nice” based on the 10 commandments, how do you think you would do? Everyone said..not very good. From there the gospel was preached. One of the employees confronted me about soliciting, and I told here that I as not selling anything, but was actually giving out money. Then towards the end of the presentation, the store manager came as asked me to move down to the other store, so we finished up in a few more minutes and moved on. There were some people that came up to us when we were done and thanked us for doing what we were doing.
We then moved to other stores as the morning progressed. I did preach in front of Gordmans until my amplification pooped out. Another place we went was Best Buy. There were huge crowds there and tons of police, so we just handed out tracts. The picture below was in the next morning paper and shows Connie handing out tracts to people in line at Best Buy. Looks like many are reading the tracts too!
