'Evangelism' Tagged Posts

'Evangelism' Tagged Posts

God’s Purpose Isn’t Ruined by Unbelief: Don’t Be Discouraged

It isn’t “The Parable of the SOILS” in Mt 13:1-23, but The Parable of the SOWER, as Jesus himself called it (v18). The importance of this title is to show that it was CHRIST’S word, or the gospel, that is sown and that it is HIS intention to sow seed on the soil (people) who will NOT believe, as well as on those who would. Jesus is not ambiguous. He clarifies that the gospel is able to be understood by…

We Must Live With This: Anathema

“Let anyone who has no love for the Lord be accursed.” (1 Cor 16:22, NET) This verse seems to dangle there with no immediately apparent connection to what precedes it or follows. Paul placed this thought in the very last handful of sentences in the first letter to the Corinthians. He’s given the readers some final punctuated reminders to end up his long epistle. It has a strength there, even if all alone. But maybe it’s not totally alone. It’s…

Proclaiming Christ in the Communist White House | A Letter from Jim

Ron Owens shares our experiences in Slovakia just after the Velvet Revolution. We had planned the trip when Communists were in charge, but everything changed, and we were privileged to be among the first Christian leaders in 42 years to openly proclaim Christ in theaters and meeting halls wherever we went. Read about our experiences in “The Communist White House.” I still am amazed when I recall those days. Thanks, Ron, for reminding me of that beautiful time. I think…

Giving Up Our Rights

Consider the formula: Giving up rights = Gospel advancement. Rights are those preferences and freedoms we enjoy as Christians related to what we eat, drink and enjoy and even some things that we are owed or deserve. To us in the West, willingly giving these up is an uncomfortable concept. However, in 1 Corinthians 9 we discover that Paul’s main method of evangelistic ministry was focused upon giving up his rights. Three are mentioned explicitly: the right to get married…

What Does it Mean to Believe in Christ?

To believe in Christ is to whole-heartedly, with mind and life, buy into the supreme value and status of Christ along with the system of truth and way of life He represents. Trust, or faith in Him, who has alone done what is necessary for our forgiveness and complete salvation now and forever, is a main tenet of that system. If a person says he believes in Christ, yet does not demonstrate that he has bought in fully through his…

What is the Gospel? A Look at the Message in Acts

What serious Bible reader hasn’t been a bit surprised by the way the apostles in Acts proclaim the gospel message? “Well, that’s not quite the way I would have done it,” he muses, turning the page. That’s at least how I began to reflect on the question “What is the gospel?” a few years ago. Now it seems to me that this is a highly important topic. Christianity (or “the Way,” if we’re going to be Acts-ian) has been very…

For Better Conversations

Good conversation went fugitive with the invasion of electronic media. Yet you long for it, and so do those in your circle of acquaintances. Believers in Christ ought to be excellent at it. Even our non-believing friends ought to leave us saying, “That was the best conversation I’ve had for months.” There is an art to develop in conversation, granted, but we should be committed to the process. In my view, it is attainable by any of us. Hint: Self…

What Does God Have To Do with It?

If people are converted to Christ it’s because God stooped to use inadequate people like you and me to confront them with the gospel. Like preaching to a corpse, however, we cannot cause life to invade dead souls, even if we have eloquent, logical, and emotive words. I heard of a preaching professor who took his students to a graveyard to make this very point. He stood them around the burial spot of a man and commanded them to preach…

Bread Out of Heaven? Can I Believe This?

Jesus denies that the children of Israel were given bread or manna from heaven by Moses. Jesus also does not attribute bread or manna from heaven as coming from his own Father. In John 6, Jesus makes this abundantly clear, even after the inquirers said correctly, “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it has been written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” They were quoting from Ex 16:21. How can this be true and not…

Reject

“The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (1 Peter 2:7-8). This is the One everyone else rejected, even when they saw Him in person and were sometimes two feet from His face. They looked the stone over and marked it unusable, not valuable, replaceable and inadequate. How could they stumble over the magnificent stone that means everything to us? How could someone like Christ be…

Our Relatives and Friends Without Christ

I once heard a professor say, “Tragedy is anything that happens to an unbeliever.” Believers have it better. In fact, all that happens to believers works out for good (Rom 8:28). The unbeliever’s supposed good times, the mercies that he receives which ought to lead him to repentance, will bring him pain. Mercies that are sinned against, augment future punishment. They are temporary mercies, but eternal loss. Among those who have mercy now are some in our own families without Christ.…

MOTIVE FOR EVANGELISM?

I was asked, “What should be the primary motivation for evangelism and missions: Love for Christ or love for the lost? The question is an impossible one to answer because it offers a false dichotomy. In the NT, love for others is the way we love God. “How can you say you love God if you do not love others?” James and John and Paul said. Both are always at play. For instance, Paul was so passionate about the lostness of his…