Me, Blogging

I am going to be out of the bloggasphere (in case you have not noticed). I am getting a little too busy to blog. Keep up with the Parkison family at www.parkisonfamily.com This is Kellys blog and she posts quite often...mostly about Seth!

I may be back to blogging in the Fall.

BYE!

What do I say

We have finished 4 of 6 weeks of Becoming a Contagious Christian on Sunday evenings and I am so blessed to see many of you become more and more impassioned to share Jesus with others. One of the fears people have about evangelism is "what do I say". They fear that they will be un able to articulate an adequate response to a question when asked difficult questions about God and the Bible. They fear that they are not smart enough or articulate enough to provide people with the "right answers".

But what I always challenge people to do is not to attempt to answer all their technical questions...it will likely not do them much good anyway. The most important message you can provide to your lost friends is THE MESSAGE ABOUT JESUS. I want to challenge you that you have not witnessed to anyone unless you tell them the message about Jesus. You can talk about God, the Bible, creationism, religion, and a multitude of other wonderful topics.

But if you fail to tell them about Jesus, the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins, was buried, raised again on the third day...and now stands ready to forgive us of sin and reconcile us to God, if we will confess, repent, and turn to Him in Faith...you have not evangelized. You might have had a religious talk about Christian themes and what you believe about them. But the message of Jesus is the ONLY thing that will change their heart.

The Apostle Paul put it this way...

"I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Rom 1:16

Next time you wonder what to say to your un-churched friend...tell them the message about Jesus. IT HAS UNBELIEVABLE POWER.

Preach the Gospel "without words"?

It is a curious quote we hear quite often "at all times preach the Gospel, and when necessary use words". I am sure the person who first said that had grand intentions of challenging people to watch their lifestyle as it is related to being a witness. Certainly the effects of a bad lifestyle will tear down our credibility with others to the point that they will not listen to our words. But it is impossible to "preach" the Gospel and not use words. Words are necessary. Paul said to the church at Rome "faith comes from hearing the message". Not "seeing" the message, but hearing the message.

God has chosen, in his wisdom, to use human beings as the instruments of proclaiming his truth. But we must speak the message or it cannot be heard.Many people spend a large amount of time around non believers hoping that their lifestyle and manner of living will be a "witness". But a witness must speak or they are not a witness. At some point, you must open your mouth and speak the Words of the Gospel message to people if they are to respond.Live you life in a way that backs up your words. But don't miss the opportunity to SPEAK the message.

Who in your circle of influence has been noticing a difference in you? Maybe someone at work, at school, etc. Tell them what that difference is. Don't leave them to their curiosity. They cannot figure out the Gospel by watching you. Someone must TELL them. They must hear your words.

A Robber Gets the Gospel

If you dont think that there is power in the Gospel check out this video. I have had some unique witnessing experiences. But nothing like this.

Payday Someday

In preparation for my series thru the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 I made the comment in church that I was going to be preaching someone else's sermon which was the most famous sermon ever preached.  

When you think about the famous sermons of the 20th century there are lots of sermons that come to mind.  Certainly among them is a sermon by R G Lee entitled Payday Someday.  He died in the 70's but he preached this sermon over 1000 times in various locations.  Click here to watch it on youtube.  It is amazing that he preached this sermon from memory.  

Becoming a Contagious Christian

I became convinced a long time ago that evangelism was a function to which all Christians are called.  I know that some people view evangelism as a spiritual gift.  I do not agree with that statement.  While there are some people that are more gifted and skilled at sharing the Gospel than others, this does not mean that it is a spiritual gift.  There are even people that will be more successful at winning people to Jesus than others.  But to say that evangelism is a spiritual gift causes people who do not perceive themselves as gifted at evangelism to exclude themselves from the task.

One does not have to look far into Scripture to see that all believers are called to share their faith.  I believe that evangelism is a spiritual discipline to be practiced just like daily Bible reading, prayer, worship, and any other personal, spiritual discipline.  I have come to the conclusion that you cannot be a fully devoted follower of Jesus unless you are active at sharing your faith when you have the opportunity.

I know that this will inevitably make some people feel guilty and in adequate.  However, notice that I did not say that you had to lead people to Jesus to be a devoted believer.  After all, we cannot be responsible for how people respond to the Gospel message.  Our job is to share the message.  When we do this, people eventually start getting saved.

People don't get saved because I am a good evangelist.  They get saved because God works in their heart.  The great news is that I can be active with God as he is active in the hearts of others.

I believe that the Becoming a Contagious Christian Class on Sunday evenings is going to prepare people for sharing their faith.  I am so pleased that many people have committed to being involved in this.