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Tag: evangelism

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Identifying Our Enemies – Consider the Heart

““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48)

Who is my enemy? That is the question of the day right; or is it? For people, identifying our enemy is simple as evaluating a person’s intentions toward us. If a person is running toward you with a gun or knife, he is your enemy right? Well, maybe; their intent depends on how they are holding the weapon and what they are saying too. They may be running past you and away from an attacking enemy; on the other hand, they may be pointing the gun or knife at you as they are running toward you – usually, it’s not hard to ascertain their intent. An invading army is a more obvious enemy while a sinister group of leaders may veil their true intent to harm you with deceptive words and promises. If they intend to harm our peace, our families, our livelihoods or our future we usually deem them to be enemies.

But are they really?

In the quoted section of His sermon on the mount, Jesus pointed the listener to a problem not in the scriptures but in the way the listener interprets them. When we read the Bible context is important, often people pull verses out of the context into which they’ve been nested and develop a doctrine, belief or principal which is not biblical; but the local context is not always the only one to consider. For example, Jesus begins this teaching with a quote from (Lev.19:18), “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord;” and contrasts it with another quote from Moses in (Deut. 23:3-6) where the Israelites were commanded to never seek the peace or prosperity of the Ammonites or Moabites because of the way they treated them as they journeyed through the wilderness away from Egypt and towards the land of promise. The people apparently interpreted those commands to mean love those who agree with you or are like you in terms of national and religious identity and hate or despise those who do not. In (v.46-47) Jesus makes it clear to His audience (then and now) that it is no great act of love to love those who love you rather, to truly offer neighborly love, love those who curse, hate, use, persecute and despise you.

That’s what Jesus did!

Lately, I have been struggling with the question of how to handle my perceived enemies maybe you have been struggling similarly. To be honest, my eyes and ears inform me that I live in a world void of justice, sense, decency, morality – void of everything but hope in Jesus. The world seems to have declared the right to be wrong and the wrong to be right or, put another way – good to be evil and evil to be good. Trust me, I could list my grievances here and chances are that many of you would see it the same as I do but to do so would only fan the flame without arriving at an answer to my question: who is my (our) enemy?

The best way to get to the answer is to consider the question from Jesus’ perspective and to get that, I would direct your attention to the words He spoke just before He was persecuted and killed – “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”” (John 12:31–32) Satan, is the one Jesus called “the ruler of this world.”

Satan is the great deceiver who darkens the minds of people like Judas which betrayed the Lord for worthless coin. Through His Son, God has “delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Colossians 1:13) As the apostle Paul made clear in (Ephesians 6:12): “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Taken with what we read in (Romans 5:10) “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life;” we get an understanding that the enemy of Christ was and is the prince of darkness.

Unpacking (Romans 5:10) we see that when we were literally hateful adversaries of Jesus Christ and captive servants of Satan (John 8:43-44) Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). Jesus died for people conducting themselves as His enemies. Why? Because He did not perceive people to be the enemy to be defeated rather, His war was against the enemy within us – the darkness of the deceiver and knowing that Jesus came to set the captive free should change the way we see those who are adversarial, hateful and worse to us.

The answer to a world full of people who seem to hate God, His word, His people and His church is to love them anyway – not to agree with their foibles or join them in those activities which oppose God; nor to compromise for the sake of our own peace or shrink back from our mission of preaching the gospel and discipling the believer. In order to be effective in evangelizing we must do what God did when He chose David to be king of Israel – “look upon the(ir) hearts.” (1 Sam. 16:7) It’s a common saying but we need to remember that every person is someone for whom Christ Jesus died and if we can see them for their need rather than for what they’ve done we have a chance of reaching them. Above all, we have a chance of sidestepping the bitterness which will no doubt fill our hearts if we let the iniquity abounding in the world today cause our hearts to grow cold (Matt. 24:12).

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The Amazing Resurrection of Jesus Christ

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”  [Luke 24:1–9]

     It was the third day since Jesus had been among His followers; the third day since His arrest at Gethsemane, the third day since His suffering on our part had begun – where were His disciples and those women who loved Him dearly?  They were in Jerusalem mourning His death.  Had they forgotten the words of their Master spoken just days earlier? Had they forgotten that He said, “On the third day I WILL rise again?” Had they forgotten or did they just fail to believe what He said?

To be fair to His followers, what Jesus said about His suffering and death was unconscionable – unthinkable, unreasonable and unacceptable; they could not bear the thought of their Teacher and friend being treated in the ways that Jesus had described He would be; but it was after all Jesus who told them – shouldn’t they have believed? 

The Proof of the Resurrection of Christ…

The fact that Christ’s closest followers were still in Jerusalem is an important one for this reason – had they believed that He would rise again they should have been well on their way back to Galilee. It was on their way to Gethsemane Matthew writes, where Jesus spoke the following words [Matthew 26:30–32]:

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ [Zech. 13:7]

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.””

Jesus did not command them to go to Galilee but He suggested to them that they’d find Him there.  A point that the angel confirmed to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome “and certain other women with them” in the gospel of Mark [16:7]:

“But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.””

If you had believed the words of Christ concerning His resurrection where would you have been?

I say this to you for a reason this morning.  You see, from that time till now there have been those who suggested that Jesus’ own disciples and followers had taken His body and hidden it so as to create the illusion of His resurrection.  Had they believed – perhaps; but seeing as they did not yet believe – that they didn’t even understand the point (see John 20:9) concerning Christ’s resurrection; seeing as the women were coming to complete the burial process begun two days earlier – seeing as they came to the tomb that day to anoint a corpse and not to see a risen Savior it can then be safely ruled out that the resurrection of Jesus was a hoax.

And just where were the men while the women went to anoint the body of the Lord? They were where the risen Lord would soon meet them – in the same secret place wherein they shared the last supper with Him in fear of the Jews, behind locked doors (John 20:19)

Jesus’ followers were in Jerusalem and He did not scold them for their lack of faith – He met them where they were.

The Witnesses of the Resurrected Christ…

     There were many witnesses of the resurrection and the resurrected; among them the angels and the empty tomb, these bore witness to both the resurrection and the resurrected.  The Apostle Matthew wrote [28:2] “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.” The angel opened the tomb and heralded the message of the resurrection to all who came to look in (Luke 24:6; Matt 28:6):

“He is not here, but is risen, as He said!”

The empty tomb, the folded grave clothes these became evidence supporting the announcement of the heralding angel’s – the same who had announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds 33 years earlier were now announcing that He who had been killed and who was dead, was now alive!  Good news – Christ is alive! The Angel rolled the stone away for one reason – so that we could look in and see the evidence of the resurrection.

Consider this as well – Jesus died before a crowd but He rose before no one. No one bears witness to His walking out of the tomb, through (not past) the boulder that sealed it back into the land of the living. Perhaps the guards who had been stationed at the tomb since just after the Lord’s body was placed in it (Matt. 27:62-65) saw the actual resurrection; they no doubt saw something (Matt. 28:4), something which overwhelmed their senses, something which was so significant that the chief priests and elders felt it necessary to bribe the guards to tell a lie, [Matt. 28:13]: ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’

“We operate every day with the principle that truth may be established on the testimony of eyewitnesses. We punish criminals even when we did not see the crime being committed, precisely because the evidence gives away the truth of the matter“[i] – in the case of the risen Savior there are many witnesses both to the empty tomb AND the risen Savior:

  1. He appeared to the women who had come to anoint His body for burial [Matt. 28:5-10]:

“But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.””

  • He appeared to Mary alone at the tomb [Mark 16:9]:

“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” (see John 20:11-18)

  • He appeared to Cleopas and another disciple whom I suspect was his wife Mary on the road to Emmaus [Luke 24:15-16]:

“So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” [for the larger context see Luke 24:13-35]

  • He appeared to Peter [Luke 24:33-34]:

“So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!””  This is not the appearance at the sea of Galilee recorded in John 21 but another otherwise unmentioned meeting.

  • He appeared to the remaining apostles [John 20:19-20]:

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

The Bible says that later Thomas (John 20:26-28) and a number of others adding up to over 500 more witnesses spoken of in [1 Cor. 15:5-6]:

“…and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.”

Why mention all of these witnesses? Because the Bible states that a case is substantiated by the witness of two or more people (Deut. 19:15); in the account of Christ’s resurrection there were many more than 2 or 3 who saw Him alive AFTER His death, burial and resurrection.

The Attitudes concerning the Resurrection of Christ…

 There were many emotions and attitudes at work during the period of Christ’s suffering, death burial and resurrection as you might imagine – there was fear, then grief and heartbreak at His suffering and death.  Then hopelessness as expressed by the two on the Emmaus road [Luke 24:21]:

“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.”

These two represent the disappointment and hopelessness felt by all who totally misunderstood why Christ came; in their understanding of the old testament scriptures they “saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross”[ii] they didn’t fully understand until Jesus explained it to them on the road home (v.27; 32). Let me tell you that Jesus meets people at the point of their despair and hopelessness [v31] says,

“Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”

When Thomas later handled Jesus his hopelessness and doubt was also changed and He exclaimed [John 20:28]:

 “My Lord and my God!””

The Bible says that after their eyes had been opened the two from Emmaus rushed back to Jerusalem over 7 miles away to tell the others the good news – they had seen and spoken with the Savior but before they could tell them that the disciples also had news that Peter had seen the Savior – Unbelief was turned to joy unspeakable when the disciples saw for themselves the risen Lord in the upper room – hope fulfilled has a way of doing that. [Luke 24:41] tells us that “they still did not believe for joy;” but that is the “I can’t believe it’s you!” kind of joy that comes when one is coming to terms with something amazing!

There aren’t many places more heartbreaking than a children’s hospital cancer ward; there, children who ought to be out playing and enjoying life are isolated, medicated and otherwise treated for their menacing life-threatening illness.  David Jeremiah told the story recently of a woman who with her Christian drama team went into such a place to put on a show for the kids – the drama was to be a musical reenactment of C.S.Lewis’ classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The children piled in and kept coming in wheel chairs, crutches one even on a gurney; there were so many kids that portions of the set had to be removed to accommodate them all; still the kids were nearly right next to the actors.

In one scene the Witch of Narnia kills the lion Aslan.  The children were silent except for their soft weeping – many of the children were crying.  You see, Aslan is in the story is symbolic of Jesus Christ – kind, loving, strong, brave and the lion was dying to save the life of another.

The tears and weeping of the children brought the activity director alongside the representative of the troupe and she was furious exclaiming that the children were already suffering enough without such a thing. The troupe director calmed her down and the scene continued to unfold –two girls, sisters singing and weeping in front of the body of their dead friend Aslan who at that same moment was rising up again alive!  The excitement and joy of that moment was electric as the children celebrated even poking their neighbor’s young and old alike saying “did you see!!!????He is alive!!” The director said that at that moment it was as if she were present at the very resurrection of Christ Himself – expressing that she imagined this is how it was when Christ arose victoriously over death and the grave.

Unbelief gave way to unspeakable joy the day Christ arose.

The Reason for the Resurrection…

What is the reason for the resurrection? Joy? Believability? No Jesus didn’t give His life and take it back again so that you’d necessarily be happy – that’s a benefit. Neither did He lay His life down and take it up again just to prove the point that He could.  No, the reason for Jesus’ death burial and resurrection is much more profound:

All mankind was “dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).”

All mankind needs the forgiveness of God because all have sinned against Him (Rom. 3:23) and anyone, if they will live for God need new life.

You see, Jesus’ death is the key to the forgiveness of God. 

The Bible says in [Hebrews 9:22] “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” “It is the blood” says God in [Lev.17:11] that makes atonement for the soul.”

According to the word of God it is Christ’s blood that paid the price to rescue, save, deliver, ransom, and forgive us [1 Peter 1:18–19]: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” He laid His life down as [Heb. 2:9] says “…that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”

If Jesus’ death and specifically, His shed blood is the key to God’s forgiveness then His resurrection is the key to our new and eternal life.

[1 Corinthians 15:20–23]: “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

The scripture declares [Eph. 2:4-7]: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus died so that we might be forgiven and rose so that the life we have from Him we can share with Him forever.

Earlier I said that Jesus met His followers where they were.

Today, he is meeting you where you are.

Today he is meeting with the skeptic, the addict, the cynic and the sinner – He is saying, “Come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave” of your sin or your addiction and your doubt. He came to rescue and save not to judge and condemn (John 3:16-17) but that time is coming.

Jesus’ empty tomb proves that death does not have the last word.

The Lord said in [John 11:25]:

 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Adding in (v.26)

“Do you believe this?”

That is the question of all questions on this day. Your unbelief does not change the truth that Jesus is Risen but your belief in the risen Son of God will change your life…. Do you believe?

The women who came to anoint the body of Jesus had to believe the angels report; the disciples who heard the women’s account had to believe the women; and we who have heard today and you who would have eternal life must believe the report of the disciples in the Word of God – Christ IS risen; risen indeed!!!

[i] Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (p. 173). Leominster: Day One Publications.

[ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Lk 24:13). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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Missional Christianity – Intervening for Jesus

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” (1 Corinthians 9:19–23, NKJV)

Evangelism is the God directed and Spirit empowered effort of lovingly conveying the gospel of grace to people with the intention of leading them to faith in Jesus Christ.

A writer for Christianity Today wrote:

“Evangelism always involves a bloody cross and an empty tomb. It always involves Jesus’ death on the cross for our sin and in our place. Those facts are a constant. Without that message, there is no evangelism since there is no good news. Evangelism is transcultural and universal, and it goes throughout every era of time.” Evangelism is every follower of the Lord Jesus Christ inviting others to trust, follow and believe in the risen Lord.

But the “how” concerning our approach to people is varied because people are not all cut from the same cultural cloth – even in America. Not only that but “different personalities communicate differently” such is true not only for the hearer but for the speaker as well.

The Apostle Paul certainly varied his approach – he took the approach of the Intellectual approach with the “Epicureans and Stoics” of Athens in (Acts 17); he took the Testimonial Approach with King Agrippa in (Acts 26:1-23) as well as with his own countrymen in (Acts 22:1-21) and often in his teaching and preaching he took a Direct and confrontational approach in communicating the gospel.

In the passage of (1 Cor. 9:19-23) we encounter Paul mid discussion begun in (chapter 8) concerning the consuming of meat offered to idols. His point was that even though believers were free to eat such meat because they understood that the Lord God was the provider of all such food and that an idol has no power not all believers had such an understanding; thus the more mature believers were to deny themselves of such meat for the sake of the weaker brother. He declared in (v.8) that their liberty might become a stumbling block to the weaker brother – a lack of concern over this issue was declared to be sin against Christ (v.12). In [v.13] we read,

“Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

The principal of self denial concerning food which Paul taught in that section led to a personal illustration concerning self denial in his ministry for the sake of those he was trying to reach. The attitude he details in the following verses should be our approach to everything we do in our lives – esteeming others as better than ourselves requires self-denial.

In (Chapter 9) Paul reflects on his “rights” as an apostle to share in the material blessing of those to whom he ministers (v.11-12) declaring in the second half of (v.12):

“Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.”

Paul had the right to compensation for his service as an Apostle, He had the right to expect to be cared for by the people to whom he ministered but for their sake and the gospel he refused to demand those rights. Instead he who was already a doulos (bondservant) of the Lord became a dŏulŏō (a servant) to all men. He saw himself as a “debtor to all men, to Greeks and Barbarians, to the wise and the unwise” (Romans 1:15); he was eager to share the gospel with everyone. His purpose in denying himself was to lead more people to a life saving and changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

 Paul did not give up His freedom in Christ to become a slave to those he was trying to reach but in his freedom he gave up His rights for their sake and the gospel.

A Missional Mentality…

(v. 22) “I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some.”

In his missionary journeys, Paul met many people from many different backgrounds – but he found common ground with them. He made it his effort not to deliberately insult them in his efforts to reach them but that does not mean he compromised his beliefs, forsook his moral convictions or sacrificed a biblical doctrine in his efforts to bring them to Jesus.

Paul met people where they were just like Jesus did; this needs to be more than something we say and nod our heads at today – it needs to be something believers practice in their efforts to reach people for Christ.

Four groups are listed in the previous verses:

  • Jews in general (His Countrymen). (v.20a)

The word translated “Jew” in (v.20) referred to the national distinction of being from the region of the Jews. I think that to a point Paul, in trying to reach the Jews drew from the undeniable fact that he was one of them. He had things in common with them, in (Philippians 3:4-6) we read that Paul was “circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin and a Hebrew of the Hebrews.”

Beyond the commonality of nationality Paul, in his effort to gain a hearing among the Jews he allowed Timothy to be circumcised in [Acts 16:1-3] “Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.” Had Timothy not been circumcised the Jews in the region where they were going would have been insulted and likely would never have listened to Paul’s gospel message.

  • Those “Under the Law.” (The Religious) (v.20b)

Not every Jew was a practicing believer thus the distinction between “Jew” in (v.20) and “those under the Law” in (v.21). Paul was formerly a well trained Pharisee and blameless with regard to keeping the Law of Moses (Phil. 3:6) so in his efforts to reach those of this group he was careful – he did nothing to compromise the truth that justification came through Jesus Christ.

Even so, when among them, Paul “behaved as a Jew in matters of moral indifference. For instance, he ate the foods which the Jewish people ate and refrained from eating such things as pork which were forbidden to them (see I Cor. 8). Perhaps Paul also refrained from working on the Sabbath day, realizing that if he did this, the gospel might gain a more ready hearing from the people.” [i]

  • Those “Without the Law.” (The Irreligious) (v.21)

Those without the law is not a reference to “outlaws” – Paul didn’t become a bank robber so that he could reach bank robbers; “those without the law” is a reference to gentiles or simply those who were not Jews or Jewish proselytes. In true missionary fashion Paul, when he was with this group of people adapted to the culture and customs to the degree that the Lord would allow. Paul specified a caveat or limitation to how far he would go in honoring and keeping the customs of the people with the words in parenthesis in (v.21): “(not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ).” He recognized a responsibility to honor, serve and obey the Lord Jesus before the gentiles – because of His love for the Savior.

  • The spiritually weak. (V.22)

Paul was also patient with immature believers such as those he mentions may have been offended by the food that more spiritually mature believers understand they are free to eat. The goal with regards to the weaker brother was not justification – Paul was most likely not trying to “win” them in the sense of salvation but rather the goal was the sanctification and maturing of the weaker brother or sister.

In each instance Paul spent his effort doing whatever he could to gain some for Jesus – that is what a good witness does: “A good witness tries to build bridges, not walls” [ii]towards those he or she is trying to reach. In the past many efforts have been made to reach people for the Lord – radio evangelism used to be popular and still has its place, the “bus ministry” of the seventies was another as was meeting based evangelism such as tent revivals and the large meetings like those of Billy Graham but today the trend is toward home based evangelism but as important as these strategies are for large group evangelism souls are still reached one at a time. Every believer carries the personal responsibility to by all means strive to gain people for Jesus.

This responsibility causes certain fear and anxiety in the hearts of some believers today so as I conclude today I would like to briefly direct your attention to Six Approaches to Evangelism taken from a book by Bill Hybels titled “Becoming a contagious Christian:”

1. Direct Approach (Confrontational)

This is the Apostle Peter’s approach in Acts 2, boldly proclaiming the Gospel to whoever would hear. Evangelists who use the direct approach are often equipped with Gospel tracts and ask questions like, “If you were to die tonight, are you 100% sure that you would go to heaven?”

Direct evangelists get straight to the point, preach Christ, and seek a response.

2. Intellectual Approach

The intellectual approach to evangelism is what Paul modeled in Acts 17 when he reasoned with philosophers and the deep thinkers of Athens and is today practiced by apologists and other logical thinkers.

If you are a person who likes ideas, evidence, logical thinking, and Christian Apologetics, you might be an intellectual evangelist.

3. Testimonial Approach

Personal stories of transformation carry a unique weight and often do things that facts alone cannot do. Evangelists who thrive with the testimonial approach tell powerful stories of Christ’s saving work in their lives.

This is clearly seen in the blind man of (John 9) who was healed by Jesus and then testified about Christ, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see!”

4. Interpersonal Approach

Not everybody is drawn to knowing apologetics or sharing their Christian testimony. For those who have the natural ability to relate to people and love being with others, the interpersonal approach to evangelism is a natural way to share Christ. You know you can be effective with the interpersonal approach when you are able to share your faith with others out of a growing friendship.

5. Invitational Approach

The invitational approach is similar to the interpersonal approach, but as its name suggests, thrives on inviting people to events like a church service, a retreat, or a Bible study. This is one of the most natural ways newer believers are able to reach out to others even if they may not have the right words to say.

(ex) The Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well in John 4.

6. Service Approach

If you naturally notice the needs of others and enjoy serving them, you might prefer the service approach to evangelism. People who prefer this approach often enjoy sharing the love of Christ through deed over word. People with the gift of hospitality often fall into this approach.

The biblical example of this approach is Tabitha (also known as Dorcas) in Acts 9:36-42. She is described as “full of good works and acts of charity,” which used her gift of making clothing for God’s glory.

I suggest that none of these is based so much on your comfort in the moment as it is on the situation in which you find yourself.

This morning I mentioned that because people are different, we can “be as creative as the Lord leads us to be in reaching them.”  What works for one may not work for the next one but there is nevertheless a common thread running through whatever way you attempt to “win” a person to Christ and that thread is the word of God.

We should never forget that “the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to ALL who believe!” (Romans 1:16) and that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) However you begin your effort to reach an unbeliever it MUST involve the word of God about the Word of God – the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Intervention is necessary to reach others for Christ. Unless a Christian cares enough to take a chance in sharing the Gospel of Christ, the lost will likely die without hope, separated from God. There is always risk involved when you share Jesus. But agape love and trust in the Holy Spirit will enable the Christian to exercise the intervention of personal witnessing.

I’ll never forget what an emergency nurse told me one day: “I want to thank you for teaching me how to share Jesus. Reaching those who don’t know Christ reminds me of doing CPR in the emergency room. My ER training tells me that when they bring in a patient who’s not breathing and whose heart isn’t beating, Do something! Even if you don’t know what to do. Do something! If you don’t, they’re gone.”

Even when we’re not sure of what to do, we must trust the Holy Spirit and love enough to intervene. Sharing Christ is vital to those around us.” Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pp. 86-8[iii]

[i] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1778). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 601). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[iii] Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.

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A Light in the Darkness – Sharing the Things Which Make Peace with God Possible

Our celebration concerning the resurrection of Christ, like the ancient Jewish celebration of Passover has certainly changed over the generations since Jesus rose from the grave.  In years past, the occasion has been marked by much tradition – sunrise services, special attire (bows, dresses and suits) along with the more secular aspects of the day – Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets full of chocolates and other seasonal candies as well as family get-togethers; but this year it will be different.

This year it will be like the first Passover in this one way: we will all be “staying safe and sheltering in place.” Just like the Israelites in Egyptian captivity, shut in their homes awaiting the deliverance of God from a plague He was using to set His people free (see Exodus 12:13), we will be shut in our homes awaiting deliverance from a plague as well. For those of us who have believed in the resurrected Lord, the passion week, including Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday will be a time to reflect on the salvation made available to us through the suffering, death and resurrection of our Savior – a time to consider the things which made for our peace.

This year, we will not be able to rely on our pastors and special “in house” church services to share the important message of this season with people who would otherwise not come to church. Even if some church doors ARE open, it is doubtful but that a few of the faithful will attend; the unbelieving, because of the pandemic will most likely stay home as ordered. Now it is up to you (as it really always has been) to share either from across the yard, over the phone, through an email or by a text message – the importance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that what He did, He did for your neighbor too (good or bad); now is the time to let your light shine in the darkness. Perhaps you could start by asking them this simple question:

“What does Easter mean to you?” After giving them time to respond, you might tell them that it made peace with God possible for you and then ask them, “Do you know the things that have been done on your behalf to make peace between you and God?”

You could then tell them what Isaiah the prophet said of Jesus over seven hundred years before Jesus did those things:

“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. “For the Lord God will help Me; therefore, I will not be disgraced; therefore, I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.” [Isa. 50:4-7]

Plucked beard, beaten back, spit covered face…this is only part of the price that was paid for your peace with God. Jesus Christ, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, weeping as He went, was coming there to die on an instrument of torture…for you.  He wept not at the apparent futility of His sacrifice nor in fear of His imminent suffering and death. His tears fell with understanding – He knew what His people (the Israelites) would have to suffer in the future because of their present rejection of His gracious sacrifice (see Luke 19:43-44); likewise, He knows what you will have to suffer for your rejection as well.

Amid the noise of the crowd upon the celebration of the Passover, one Man riding on the foal of a donkey entered into Jerusalem with tears in His eyes – His face was set like flint; His destination: the cross of Golgotha there to fulfill His Father’s will in making peace possible to all who will allow Him to apply His blood to their lives. This is the passion of the Christ – He loved His Father so much as to die at His command for us:

“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)

“…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6)

Point them to Him “… who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

It was God’s plan and will that His Son should come and die in our place and for our sins to make redemption from God and peace with God possible for ALL who would believe in Jesus Christ.

Ask them, “Now that you know the things that made for your peace………will you receive it?”

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Giving Till it Hurts

This is Rudy Vargas and he is an unusual man.

Rudy is the pastor of a ministry called Heaven Scent Baptist Mission. His is a mission what goes to people most people reading this would NEVER go to. Forgive me but first of all, way too many ministries expect the people to come to them – to their churches.

Rudy goes.

Rudy was an inmate in the Texas correctional system, now he ministers from the outside to those he formerly ministered to on the inside. Offering those who want to go deeper with the Lord a rigorous study of Biblical doctrines so that they may rightly divide (rightly understand and teach) the Word of God. Corresponding with those men, Rudy encourages their study and rewards those who complete the program with a certificate and a Bible.

Rudy was also on the streets for a time as a homeless person, now he ministers to the same in the city of Victoria Texas. Weekly, he ministers to those he finds on the streets; once a week (at least) he and his wife (Julie) prepare sack lunches for the homeless which they take to the people on the street sharing the “bread of life” with them first and then the food and at various times also clothing that has been collected.

Rudy was once a troubled youth, now he ministers to at risk kids, showing them the love of Jesus, leading them to faith in Christ and then discipling them to live out their faith in Jesus Christ. His ministry to these youth, mostly junior and senior high school age, is the only Christian influence some of them are exposed to.

The Lord is making a difference in lives through Rudy Vargas; so why am I bringing him to your attention today?

Rudy’s ministry is not brick and mortar – he works from his home office; in addition to that, Rudy does not receive the benefit of tithes and offerings from which to conduct ministry. Unlike most full time ministers, he receives no compensation nevertheless, from his own “mites” he serves the Lord by serving others; like the widow of (Matt. 12:41-44) Rudy does not give from his excess but from his own poverty.

This is how Rudy describes his ministry to his Facebook subscribers:

” We are a faith based and Jesus Christ centered non profit 501c3 organization, with a three fold function. First we are a congregation, and assembly (Church) of Bible Believing Christians, who come together on the basis of the Bible. We have a youth mission, in which we reach out to, and disciple young people, to nurture them in their faith, guiding them towards a Christ centered life. Our team of disciples, built from the ground up, discipling others to be apart of Jesus Christ’s mission to the world. Second we are a Street Ministry that takes the gospel to those who might not be reached by other Christian organizations, feeding the homeless as we minister, and counsel the less fortunate with God’s holy word. And thirdly we are a Prison Ministry, going into the prisons, reaching out to those who have quite often been forgotten, or discarded by their families, and society. Offering Bible correspondence courses, providing Authorized King James Bible’s upon completion, certifying them as inside ministry team members in order to continue the mission from the inside. All for the glory of God our Savior, and to touch those with the love of Christ Jesus, who died for our sins, and with the hope of leading others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, helping them change their lives as we have. Bringing hope to the hopeless in this world. ”

I am writing in hopes that as some of you read it you’ll send up a prayer for this brother in Christ. Additionally, I am writing so that some of you might share a word of encouragement with Rudy and I am writing in the hopes that a few of you might even consider helping this ministry materially. You can contact Rudy by searching on Facebook for Heaven Scent Baptist Mission or by clicking the group link https://www.facebook.com/groups/301237056957743

If you are led to help materially you can do so through PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/tortugaink

Additionally, if you can help and don’t want to use paypal, please message me directly on The Text Messages Facebook page for other ways to help.

Please like and share this post to get the word out….

Thanks.

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The Calling of the Everyday Christian

Nearly eight billion faces, each representing a story and a soul – every last one of them different in so many ways. Some are homeless, some are addicted to anything from food, drink and sex to any one or more of a number of drugs; some are single parents trying to make it work; some are happy and some are stressed and frustrated even suicidal, everyone of them believes in something even if they call it nothing. Atheists, deists, pious, self-righteous; Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian – people who look like you and people who don’t.

As a Christian witness where do YOU draw the line? Who is there in your life or in your day to day routine that you WILL NOT reach out to?

Why? Who were you and what were you doing when someone told you about the One who loved you anyways?

Last week we talked about loving, forgiving and serving others like Jesus loves, forgives and takes care of us; is there someone in your life for whom you could not do that?

After having heard how Jesus willingly set aside His rights and prerogatives as God (see Philippians 2:5-11) for the sake of those He came to save and that those rescued and redeemed by Him are called to do the same thing many believers would quickly say: “Yes, but he is Jesus, I am not.”

After hearing the command of the Lord after He had set aside His robe, filled a basin with water and washed the dirty feet of those who followed Him that they who believe in Him are to “do likewise” (John 13:15) many believers would quickly say: “Yes, but He is Jesus, I am not.”

After hearing that believers should love others (including those who don’t love them) as Christ loved them (John 5:12, Matthew 5:44) and that they should forgive as the Lord has forgiven them (Ephesians 4:32), many believers would say: “Yes, but He is Jesus, I am not!” as if those commands and instructions are beneath our dignity and beyond our own spiritual experience.

What does that even mean – “He is Jesus, I am not“?

Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, holy, perfect, sinless – the creator of all things! If anyone had the right to decline setting aside their rights it was Jesus! If anyone had the right to say: “I am not loved by them, neither will Iove them” it was Jesus! If anyone ought to have been served rather than serve or had the right to refuse to stoop to the level of washing the filth from another persons feet – it was Jesus! But He did NOT claim His rights – He did all of those things which many believers today could NEVER bring themselves to do.

When we attempt to excuse ourselves from the call of the everyday Christian with words like “He is Jesus, I am not” we are not saying, “I can’t do it” in reality we are saying “I won’t!” Such are not merely overwhelmed by the thought of obeying, rather, they literally cannot find it in themselves to love the unlovable, to forgive the unforgivable or to minister to the “undesirable.”

My friends, selfless living is what you and I are called to as everyday followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the greatest example of Christ to show us how, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God to encourage, empower and enable us to do as Jesus did and we have the examples of people just like us who have been “Christ” to the “least of these” to prove that it is possible for the redeemed to act like it.

Would you be willing to go outside of your comfort zone to reach the ones you haven’t spoken to about the love of God in Christ Jesus? Let us all TRULY model the mind of Christ today – the world is waiting and the Lord is worthy.

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Sent

As a general rule, I don’t like to get my hands dirty but that doesn’t mean I avoid getting them dirty.

For example, I love chicken wings and ribs but I hate having the buffalo and barbecue sauce all over my hands; does that stop me from eating wings and ribs – no way! There are also times when I need to work on my lawnmower or SUV but I hate getting my hands filthy from the work. In those times, there is the additional apprehension of not being fully sure as to HOW to fix what’s broken and sometimes that uneasiness will cause me to stall for a little while but because I need to get them fixed, eventually, I jump in, get my hands dirty and give it my best shot.

The reason I mention a few of my quirks to you is not to give you a better understanding of who I am but of who we are; you see, sometimes we as Christians attempt to avoid getting our hands dirty when it comes to reaching the world around us for Jesus.

In a recent Barna research survey on the subject, polls indicated that because of peer pressure, Millennials in general believe that it is wrong to share their faith with those who believe something else. Be that as it may, it has been my experience that MOST believers – Elders, Boomers, Millennials and Gen X-ers are reluctant to share their faith no matter how important they believe sharing it is. Based on that observation, let me ask you what Paul asked his Roman audience in [Romans 10 :14-15]:

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!””

The fact IS that every believer has been sent on mission to seek and save that which IS lost. Jesus said in [John 20:21]:

“Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

On the day of His resurrection, as the sun was going down and He appeared to His disciples (see John 20:19-23), their part in the ongoing redemptive mission of His Father was the only thing on the Lord’s mind.

The men were afraid when they saw Him so He declared peace to them and showed them the wounds that made perfect peace with God possible – wounds which the living Lord bore to prove His power over death. Those wounds, and His words, coupled with the great joy of His followers at the Lord’s appearing would make the formerly fearful followers of Christ some of the most courageous witnesses for the Lord that the world has ever known.

In the New Testament, on at least four occasions Jesus or someone speaking about Him made a do as I did statement to believers: In [John 13:34] the Lord Jesus told us to love others in the same way that He has loved us. In (John 13:15) after washing the apostles feet, the Lord instructed believers beginning with those disciples, to serve others as He has served us. In (Colossians 3:13) we are instructed to forgive others as the Lord Jesus Christ as forgiven us (Jesus said as much in Matthew 6:14-15); and in (John 20:21) as we just read above, Jesus sends His followers both in that day and in our own, in the same way and for the same purpose as He was sent by God.

In what ways are the ways that God sent His Son similar to the way His Son is sending us?

Donald McLeod suggested some similarities in his book titled, A Faith to Live By: Understanding Christian Doctrine; there he wrote:

“[Jesus] did not, as incarnate, live a life of detachment – He lived a life of involvement. He lived where he could see human sin, hear human swearing (cursing) and blasphemy, see human diseases and observe human mortality, poverty and squalor. His mission was fully incarnational (and intentional) because He taught men by coming alongside them, becoming one of them and sharing in their environment and their problems.”

Jesus was NOT afraid to get His hands dirty. His mission was to become like us, to live among us and to be involved with us ultimately dying for us so that those who would believe could find forgiveness from and be reconciled to God and so that those who believed on His name would live forever in the presence of God.

To be sent by Him as He Himself was sent is to be as involved in the lives of those around us as He was and is in ours.

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