Everyday Evangelism

Go and Tell!
Luke 14:23

Compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. --Luke 14:23

Many Christians believe that if they erect a beautiful building, put up numerous signs, and place ads in the newspaper the unsaved will flock to church.  While all of these things are vital and can be a great asset in bringing people to God’s house, it doesn’t always work that way.  There’s a forceful GO! in the gospel that makes us responsible for bringing our family, friends, neighbors and coworkers who don’t know Jesus to church.  We must reach out to all those in our paths who are lost and bring them in.

It was a common practice in D.L. Moody’s day for people to rent a church pew.  One Sunday morning, the 19-year-old preacher marched down the aisle with a motley crew of society’s outcasts trailing behind him.  He had rented four pews and was determined to fill them with those who were obviously in need of spiritual guidance.  Having taken the Savior’s message to GO! personally from Matthew 28:19, he literally “went out into the highways and gathered together…both bad and good” (Matthew 22:10).

Jesus’ command to go out into all places in the world does not just apply to missionaries in faraway places.  Don’t make the mistake of believing that the Great Commission doesn’t apply to you.  All children of God are to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Consider it a tragedy if our neighbors, coworkers, friends and, God forbid, our family members never hear the message of Christ because we never tell them!

Ask the Lord to place someone on your heart who is active in your life and doesn’t know Jesus to whom you can share the Good News.  Pray that God will bring people across your path that you can bring in.  Make it your goal this week to GO! search for those, both good and bad, that you can bring in.

DON’T JUST TELL THE LOST TO COME AND HEAR. THE SAVIOR CALLS US TO GO AND TELL.

Taken from A Daily Word from Pastor Graham
www.powerpoint.org

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Matthew 7:20

I once heard of a man who was stuck in traffic behind a lady who was talking on her cell-phone. This particular man was a professing Christian, and in fact, he was one of those who had bumper stickers all over his car proclaiming his faith. Christian bumper stickers that read, “Jesus is coming,” “Honk if you love Jesus,” and “Tithe if you love Jesus! Anybody can honk,” covered his car.

But, sitting behind this lady in traffic, he began to get a little panicked as he waited through two lights while she continued to talk on her phone and put on her makeup.

As a result, the guy started to get agitated and began yelling, shaking his fists, and honking his horn. The man began to race off around the lady and before he knew it, a police officer was behind him flashing his lights.

When the man pulled over, the police officer walked up to his window and said, “Sir, will you please get out of the car and come with me.”

The man replied, “What are you talking about? All I did was try to get through this traffic. You can’t pull me over for yelling at that woman!”

After checking his registration and driver’s license, he looked at the man and said, “Sir, you can go now.”

The man said, “You will never hear the end of this, sir. You pulled me over for no reason.”

The policeman responded, “I’ll tell you why I pulled you over, sir. When I saw your car with all the bumper stickers and the way you acted, I thought you must have stolen the car.”

Are you a living example of who Christ truly is, today? You are to be a witness to those around you of what God has done in your life. Every action and word that comes from you is looked upon by others. Be sure you are living a life that is pleasing to God and in turn your faithfulness will be evident to those who are watching.

Someone once said, “Your life is the only Bible some people will ever read.”  Ask yourself this: “What are others reading through my life?”

IF YOUR RELIGION HASN’T CHANGED YOUR LIFE, YOU HAD BETTER CHANGE YOUR RELIGION.

Taken from A Daily Word from Pastor Graham
www.powerpoint.org

Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. - Romans 12:2

When Nigerian believer Femi Adeyemi was a student in America, he was once asked, “In what ways do you see Americans compromising the Gospel? If you could use one word for your answer, what would it be?” Femi replied, “Worldliness. American Christians look no different from the world. When I look at the church, I see little difference between non-Christians and Christians. We talk and dress the same, tell the same jokes, watch the same talk shows, and the list of similarities goes on and on. . . . Americans sacrifice their families to achieve material comfort. Many seem unready for the cost of discipleship if it will bring pain.”

Worldliness, especially in our leisure choices, has invaded the church. Along these lines, Romans 12:1–2 urges us to draw a strong contrast. Unbelievers conform to the pattern of the world, which is evil and corrupt. “The whole world is a prisoner of sin” (Gal. 3:22). “Conform” means to be molded or shaped according to the world’s corrupt and godless standards.

As believers, on the other hand, we are to offer ourselves as “living sacrifices” to God, a picture of worship and self-denial. We don’t accomplish this by our own knowledge or willpower, but rather our minds are transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit. As a result, we know God’s will, act in holy ways, and please Him in leisure and every other area of life.

The 1 John passage similarly portrays love of the world and love of the Father as polar opposites (cf. James 4:4). The former can only last temporarily, the latter lasts for eternity. “The world” consists of “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does” (1 John 2:16). The world is characterized by pride, covetousness, greed, vanity and selfishness.

Would an outside observer see any differences between the way you practice leisure and the way unbelievers do? Reflect on this question today, meditating on how to be salt and light in this area and asking the Holy Spirit to bring important issues to your mind.

From Today in the Word
Moody Bible Institute

Honest Evangelism
Psalm 51

Cleanse me from my sin . . . then I will teach transgressors Your ways. --Psalm 51:2, 13

If Christians were more honest about their own sinfulness, they would be more effective in reaching non-believers for Christ.

Philip Yancey told of a prostitute, sick and without food, who asked an inner-city Christian worker for help. When he suggested that she should go to a church, she replied, "Church! Why would I go there? They'd make me feel worse than I already do!"

We who go to church regularly tend to put on a happy face or look pious on Sunday morning. This may give the impression that we never struggle with temptation or fall short of the high standard we profess. No wonder many street people or down-and-outers who visit church get the feeling that they are the only bad ones there.

This is not to suggest that we should make public all our sinful thoughts and actions. Rather, the solution to this situation begins with total honesty about ourselves like that expressed by David in Psalm 51. If we admit to ourselves our own sinful tendencies and recognize our own capacity for evil, we will not convey a holier-than-thou attitude. Down-and-out sinners will sense this, and God will then be able to use us to "teach transgressors [His] ways" (Psalm 51:13). –Herbert Vander Lugt

Prayer
Lord Jesus, help us to be honest about our sin
and our need of Your grace. Help us to be
the kind of people who draw others to You.

To know the potential for sin in our own heart gives us a more sympathetic heart for sinners.

From Our Daily Bread
RBC Ministries

Mark 1:21-38 

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news. - Isaiah 52:7

Joseph Pulitzer, the 19th-century newspaper baron and founder of the Pulitzer Prize, believed in the power of the press. Not only was Pulitzer convinced that a newspaper ought to be one of the most powerful institutions on earth, he believed that its influence ought to extend beyond the earth. Pulitzer once conceived a scheme to erect a sign so large that it would be visible on the planet Mars. He planned to use it to advertise his newspaper.

Pulitzer was right about one thing: good news can have a global impact. That's especially true when the message being spread is the Good News of the Gospel. In the New Testament the term that is translated “gospel” literally means “good news.” The verbal form is the word from which we get the term, “evangelize.” To evangelize is to proclaim the Good News. Another term used in the New Testament to speak of the proclamation of the Gospel is a word that meant to act as a herald.

Jesus came to announce the good news of God's grace and the offer of forgiveness. Although He performed many miracles, He did not see working miracles as His primary mission. When Jesus was being pursued by those who were chiefly interested in the healings He had performed, He did not stay behind and bask in their acclaim. Instead, He took His disciples to the next village and continued to proclaim the Gospel without delay.

Miracles were an important part of Jesus' ministry but they served a particular function. Their purpose was to authenticate Jesus as God's chosen Messiah and to highlight His message. If we had needed only a miracle worker, God could have sent one of the prophets. We needed much more. What makes the Gospel “good news” is its message that Jesus Christ came to give His life on behalf of sinners. Divine healing may provide health for a lifetime, but only Jesus can make us whole for all eternity.

Jesus' determination not to be a distraction from His primary mission of proclaiming the gospel helps us to put our own lives in perspective. The health of the body is indeed important, but the health of the soul is most important of all.

Have you allowed other important responsibilities to distract you from the responsibility of sharing the good news about Jesus Christ with others? We're busy, and it's easy to get distracted by obligations and concerns that crowd their way into our world. Make a list of people you know that you have not yet had an opportunity to speak to about Jesus Christ. Now choose the name of the person on the list you are most likely to see in the next week. Pray daily for the Spirit to give you an opportunity to share what Jesus has done for you.

From Today in the Word
Moody Bible Institute