Category Archives: Personal Evangelism

Sometimes it’s off the beaten path that the Lord leads

Posted on February 25, 2014 by | Comments Off on Sometimes it’s off the beaten path that the Lord leads

Canton-DowntownTowards the end of last week, I took a trip to Fayetteville, North Carolina.  On the way back to my home on Saturday, I had reached a point that I needed to stop for gas, a soda, and something to eat.  I decided to leave Interstate 40 and exit to a little town called Canton, roughly halfway between the North Carolina state line and Asheville, North Carolina.  After I paid for and pumped my gas, I decided to go into the store to go to the restroom and to buy some chips and drinks to take with me on the road.  Without realizing it, I was whistling the old church hymn, He Keeps Me Singing as I entered the convenience store.

As I approached the counter with my sodas and chips, the cashier told me she found it refreshing to have a customer in the store that was truly happy.  She shared with me that most of her customers are grouchy, inconsiderate, rude, or just indifferent.  Common courtesy and politeness were rare especially since most of her store’s business comes from travellers off Interstate 40.  As she rang my purchases up, she began to ask me questions about why I was travelling, where “home” was, and why I was in such a good mood.  Almost without thinking about it, a verse soon ran through my head: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15).

Since January, I have prayed that God would give me more opportunity and more guidance in opportunities to lead others to His mercy and grace.  I have only begun to truly learn to listen to His guidance in my efforts at personal evangelism. Taking the opportunity, I used the lady’s question about my good mood to be the beginning of a conversation about Jesus and how He alone was responsible for my good mood.  With the careful guidance of the Holy Spirit, I was led to share with her that as a Christian, no matter how bad things get here, I have a Lord and Savior that not only places a high value on me but how His plan is to come and get me.  I was led to share two passages: Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31) and In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:2-6). I’ve tried to memorize these two passages unsuccessfully for years, but on Saturday afternoon, I was able to say them with a precision that I probably will never be able to match again.

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Spiritual growth begins with personal evangelism

Posted on January 16, 2014 by | Comments Off on Spiritual growth begins with personal evangelism

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Since the middle of December, I have prayed and asked God to send a personal revival into my life. Although I had rededicated my life to the Lord Jesus Christ in 2006, I felt that I had reached a point in my spiritual walk where I only had two choices: spiritual growth or spiritual stagnation.  Although I did accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior in 1988, I had become spiritually stagnant.  There was no spiritual growth and at times, I had little to no excitement about the things of God.  Having been there once already in my life, I have no wish to turn back to that way of life.

This morning, I read a familiar passage of scripture: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:14-18). Now while I realize that it is talking about a particular church/stage of church growth, there is also an application that can be made to the individual believer.  This particular teaching within the book of Revelation was not a new idea recorded by John but is a continuation of the teachings from the Lord Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry: No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13).  The lukewarm church – and the lukewarm Christian – while still proclaiming love for Christ is also trying to appease the earthly desires of the flesh.

In December, I began praying for that personal revival, asking God to not only strengthen my walk with Him, but to allow me to become more passionate about my faith. I knew that I didn’t (and still don’t) want to become a lukewarm Christian; I never want to reach a point in my life where I am comfortable about who I am spiritually without any real wish to see further spiritual maturity. I’d much rather hear the Lord describe me as He did David, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will (Acts 13:22) than to have Him say So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth (Revelation 3:16). As I continued my personal Bible reading, I found great comfort in three verses I’ve probably read a few hundred times, When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek (Psalms 27:8), Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified (Psalms 40:16) and O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him (Psalms 34:8).  It’s not because I just discovered them for the first time – it is because I had come to the point that I was ready to listen to what the Lord, through His word, was trying to tell me.

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Personal evangelism: it is that important

Posted on January 8, 2014 by | Comments Off on Personal evangelism: it is that important

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On Sunday, at my church’s morning worship service, Pastor Alan Ramsey delivered a message called, “Rediscovering our call to go” where he discusses some reasons why older Christians are reluctant to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. All through the service I thought of the verse, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30). I have always found that verse interesting for several reasons but during yesterday’s message, I began it see this verse in a very different light. As I began drafting this devotional, I began thinking of all the people I came across in 2013 and asking myself a simple question: of all those that I met last year, which ones am I content to allow never to hear the gospel message – which people am I content to watch slide into a Christ-less eternity into Hell?

A few years back, I visited a church where the pastor was trying to encourage his congregation to witness to others.  He told them not to worry about those outside their comfort zone, but to focus on presenting the gospel to those who they felt most comfortable with.  Unfortunately this is not only unscriptural, this is also very bad advice for several other reasons. When Jesus gave the command to go, the book of Matthew records it as Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19).  No where in this verse does it say to stay within one’s comfort group.  In fact, this verse says just the opposite – to teach all nations – not just the ones we have the most in common with.  This idea is also present in the gospel of Mark where the Great Commission is also recorded: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). At the time of the writing of the gospels, the concept of a nation-state is not what it is today; a nation referred to what we would now consider as ethnic identity – so, we are to go and teach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to all people, regardless of their ethnic identity – a far cry from just witnessing within our comfort zone!

The fourth chapter of John has one of my favorite Bible stories. It is the woman at the well that, after admitting her sins, accepts the gift of salvation – the Living Water – Jesus offered her. Without any sort of Bible college training or even a Saturday soul winning seminar, she did what comes natural to anyone that has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior: The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him (John 4:28-30).  She wanted others to experience the saving grace of salvation that only the Lord Jesus Christ can bring. Without any thought of being embarrassed about what others would say or being rebuked by her family and friends, she simply went out and told others. As Jesus’ disciples questioned him for even speaking to the woman, he gave them a strong rebuke: Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together (John 4:35-36).

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