Evangelism | A People for His Name

"Three-Hundred-Million Years From Now"

August 29, 2011

Three-hundred-million years from now, what will be the only thing that will matter? Will it matter how much money you made? Will it matter what kind of car you drove? Will it matter who won the NCAA football and basketball titles this year? Will it matter who you took to the homecoming dance?

Three-hundred-million years from now, the only thing that will matter is whether you’re in Heaven or Hell. And if that is the only thing that will matter then, that should be one of our greatest concerns now. The real question then is: What are you doing of significance today that will matter three-hundred-million-plus years from now?

—Mark Cahill, One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven, 11

In Discipleship, Evangelism, Quotes

Twenty Years of Visitation Ministry!

August 19, 2011

In either late July or early August of 1991, I first went on door-to-door visitation for my current church. At that time, we would go out on Saturday mornings. We met first for a time of singing, prayer, and a brief challenge. Then, we would go out visiting in the neighborhoods around our church.

From 1991 until 2008, I was able to go on door-to-door evangelism virtually every time that we had visitation. A bout with Bell’s palsy prevented me from being involved with outreach for some time in 2008, but after recovering, I have been going on visitation regularly as my circumstances have allowed.

Over the years, by my records, I presented the challenge for visitation at least 10 times from 1993-2003. I have probably knocked on doors in our neighborhoods well over 2000 times over the past 20 years, handed out more than 1000 tracts, and witnessed at some length to several hundred people.

A small number of people have made professions of faith, and I have had some opportunities for ongoing discipleship. As the Lord sees fit, I hope to see more visible and lasting fruit in the years ahead.

I praise God for His grace that has directed, constrained, and enabled me to evangelize regularly in spite of my many failings over the years! I would like to encourage all believers to be involved actively in the outreach ministries of their own churches:

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt. 28:18-20).

In Discipleship, Evangelism, Testimony

God's Appeal For Repentance and Faith in Psalm 2

August 9, 2011

Tonight, I had the privilege of preaching an evangelistic message at Berean Baptist Church in Fountain Inn, SC. My message focused on a detailed exposition of Psalms 1-2. I praise God for giving me clarity today concerning a key point about Psalm 2 that I had not fully understood previously!

Psalm 2 begins with a record of rebellious kings and rulers who desire to throw off the authority of God and His anointed over them (2:1-3). It then records the angry response of the Father (2:4-6), followed by the Son’s declaration (2:7-9) and the psalmist’s closing appeal (2:10-12).

The psalmist directed the very authorities who were spoken of earlier as rebelling against God to be wise and be instructed (2:10). He then explained those directives by declaring that they would have to turn from rebelling against God to serving Him with fear and rejoicing with trembling (2:11). This complete reversal toward the Lord was an appeal for them to repent toward God.

The psalmist continued by demanding that they submit to and honor the Son and put their trust in Him (2:12). This reversal of their prior opposition to Him and call to entrust themselves to Him was a further appeal for their repentance toward God and an appeal to believe in the Son.

This analysis shows that Psalm 2 highlights God’s appeal for repentance and faith on the part of the very authorities who rebelled against Him and His Christ!

In Evangelism, Interpretation, Ministry, Preaching

Let us Make Known the Gospel to All!

August 8, 2011

Scripture has four verses that explicitly speak of the gospel with reference to all nations:

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt. 24:14).

“And the gospel must first be published among all nations” (Mk. 13:10).

“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed” (Gal. 3:8)

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6).

Galatians 3:8 quotes Genesis 12:3, which refers to all the families of the earth: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Mark 16:16 records that Jesus commanded gospel ministry to every individual: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Compiling the data from these references plainly reveals that God has ordained gospel ministry to all:

all nations (Matt. 24:14; Mk. 13:10; Gal. 3:8)
all families (Gen. 12:3)
every creature (Mk. 16:15)
those that dwell on the earth (Rev. 14:6)
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people (Rev. 14:6)

Let us therefore make known to all God’s desire to bless all through the gospel!

In Evangelism, Gospel

Upcoming Evangelistic Services

August 1, 2011

Lord willing, I will be one of four preachers ministering in upcoming evangelistic services for Berean Baptist Church in Fountain Inn, SC. The services begin at 7pm this Sunday, August 6, and run through Wednesday, August 10.

I am scheduled to preach on Tuesday night, August 9. If you are near the Greenville area, I would like to invite you to try to bring some lost people to the services.

As the Lord brings it to mind, please pray for Spirit-filled skillfulness for us in proclaiming the Word and for the Lord to open the hearts of our hearers.

In Evangelism, Ministry, Prayer, Preaching

"We Do Not Get Our Doctrine From Acts"

July 31, 2011

I found the following on a site through searching on Google:

Luke is considered to be the author of the book of Acts. He wrote it around the year 61. We do not get our doctrine from Acts. It is a history of the transition from the Kingdom Gospel to our current Age of Grace dispensation.

(NOTE: The stoning of Stephen took place about 1 year after the nation of Israel rejected and crucified Jesus. Stephens message was of the Kingdom Gospel that Jesus came to fulfill. This was the rejection of the Holy Ghost that put the Kingdom Gospel on hold and ushered in the Age of Grace. In this dispensation we no longer require salvation through the nation of Israel. Now salvation is a free gift from God to all that “BELIEVE” in the Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that takes away the sins of the world. Jew and Gentile are now equal and can only be saved through the message that the Apostle Paul brings to us in Romans Thru Philemon)

—http://www.savedbygrace.com/acts.htm

I disagree strongly with a number of things that this source says.

First, concerning our doctrine, I find no Bible data that teaches me that the book of Acts is an exception to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine . . .”

Second, Acts 8:12 shows us that Philip preached the gospel of the kingdom of God in Samaria after Stephen’s stoning. The statement above, therefore, that his stoning “was the rejection of the Holy Ghost that put the Kingdom Gospel on hold . . .” is not supported by the Scripture.

Third, Paul says that he preached the kingdom of God throughout Asia (20:25) in his three years of ministry there (20:31). Furthermore, Luke summarizes Paul’s entire ministry in Rome with two statements that emphasize his proclamation of the kingdom of God (28:23, 31). These bibilical statements do not support a supposed “transition from the Kingdom Gospel to our current Age of Grace dispensation.”

Fourth, it appears that this site views the Pauline Epistles as of singular significance for our day. I do not find biblical justification for this view.

I wonder how many of God’s people over the years have received teaching similar to these statements from this site. Even for those who have not received direct teaching of this type, I wonder how many have through one means or another come to hold such views.

In Gospel, Interpretation, Quotes

The Gospel According to Philip, the Evangelist

July 30, 2011

The apostle Paul teaches the vital importance of the gifted men whom Christ gave as gifts to the Church:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Eph. 4:11-16).

This teaching shows that the Church will only be all that it should be when it receives aright the ministry of all these men.

Paul lists evangelists among the gifted men whom Christ gave to His Church. Because Scripture names only Philip specifically as an evangelist, information about him in that regard has unique significance for the perfection of God’s people. Moreover, because only Acts 8 gives us specific information about his gospel ministry, it has unique significance for us in our understanding of gospel ministry.

A thorough assessment of Acts 8 makes clear that verse 12 gives us vital information because it reveals what Philip preached as the gospel:

BGT Acts 8:12 ὅτε δὲ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Φιλίππῳ εὐαγγελιζομένῳ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐβαπτίζοντο ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες.

SCR Acts 8:12 ὅτε δὲ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Φιλίππῳ εὐαγγελιζομένῳ τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐβαπτίζοντο ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες.

NAU Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.

KJV Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Philip preached the gospel (euaggelizomai) about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. For the Church of Jesus Christ today to be all that God would have it to be, it must profit fully from this revelation about the gospel according to Philip, the evangelist.

In Biblical Greek, Biblical Languages, Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation

Proclaim the Good News of the Destruction of the Enemy!

July 26, 2011

First Chronicles 10 records Saul’s death and the events preceding and following it. Because he did not want to be abused by his uncircumcised enemies (10:4) after he had been wounded (10:3), Saul fell on his own sword and died (10:4-6). The Israelites who were with him deserted their cities and fled (10:7), resulting in the Philistines taking over the cities.

On the next day, the Philistines found the dead bodies of Saul and his sons (10:8). They stripped him, cut off his head, and took it and his armor and sent people around their land (10:9a-b) “to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people” (10:9c). They then “put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon” (10:10).

The LXX rendering of 10:9 is instructive:

LXE 1 Chronicles 10:9 And they stripped him, and took his head, and his armour, and sent them into the land of the Philistines round about, to proclaim the glad tidings to their idols, and to the people.

BGT 1 Chronicles 10:9 καὶ ἐξέδυσαν αὐτὸν καὶ ἔλαβον τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέστειλαν εἰς γῆν ἀλλοφύλων κύκλῳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίσασθαι τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν καὶ τῷ λαῷ

Because their enemy had been destroyed, the Philistines sent people out to proclaim that good news to both their idols and their people. The verb used here (εὐαγγελίζομαι) is used in the NT for preaching the good news of Jesus Christ (e.g., Acts 14:7).

The great enemy of mankind, Satan, has been destroyed (cf. Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8). We should continually be praising and thanking our God for His destroying Satan through the work of His Son, and we should be proclaiming His doing so as good news throughout and to the whole world (cf. Acts 10:36-43, especially 10:38)!

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation

"God is No Respecter of Persons"

June 27, 2011

To convince the apostle Peter that He was no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), God acted miraculously in a remarkable way. First, he sent an angel to inform Cornelius, a Gentile centurion, that He had heard his prayers and remembered his alms (10:3-6; 22; 30-32; 11:13-14). Because He had done so, the angel directed Cornelius to send people to summon Peter to come and present to him the words by which he and his entire house would be saved (11:14).

Meanwhile, God granted Peter a supernatural vision (10:9-16; 11:5-10) to show him that he was not to “call any man common or unclean” (10:28). What’s more, the striking events in the vision were repeated three times (10:16; 11:10), undoubtedly, to emphasize to Peter what God had done.

God then arranged that the men whom Cornelius sent to Peter would arrive at Peter’s place immediately after he had the vision (10:17; 11:11). After this, the Holy Spirit spoke directly to Peter to inform him that He had sent the three men who were seeking him (10:19) and that therefore he was to go with them without any doubting (10:20; 11:12).

Meeting Peter, these men told him how Cornelius had been directed by the angel to send for him (10:22). After going with them and arriving at Cornelius’ house, Peter received from Cornelius a second report of his encounter with the angel and his actions because of that encounter (10:30-32).

Peter thus had three supernatural indicators given to him that God wanted him to be at Cornelius’ home at that time to minister to him: (1) his vision; (2) the Spirit’s speaking to him; and (3) the report of the angel’s directing Cornelius to summon him. Because of the cumulative effect that the remarkable supernatural work of God to direct him in this manner had upon him, Peter opened his gospel message to Cornelius by saying, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him” (10:34-35).

The opening words of Peter’s message show that he was now fully convinced that God is impartial in His dealings with all people. As the readers of Acts, we are given an even stronger presentation of this truth than Peter was because we are given multiple accounts of not only the three supernatural events prior to Peter’s message but also of how the Spirit supernaturally concluded Peter’s message (10:44-46; 11:15; 15:8). Through our reading of how God thus gave these Gentiles the gift of the Holy Spirit, we learn that God unmistakably testified to the salvation of Cornelius and all those who were with him on that occasion (15:8).

Moreover, Luke informs us through Peter’s later testimony that God “put no difference between [the apostles, who were all Jewish] and [these Gentiles], purifying their hearts by faith” (15:9). We, therefore, have every reason to be convinced even more than Peter was that God is no respecter of persons!

He accepts in every nation the people who fear Him and work righteousness, and He desires that believers give such people the words by which they will be saved. Let us be diligent, therefore, to be impartial concerning whom we are willing to go to and witness to them “the word of the gospel” (15:7).

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation

Saved by Grace through Faith

June 26, 2011

At the Jerusalem Council, Peter rehearsed God’s working in the Gentiles at Caesarea to save them as definitive evidence that Gentiles do not need to be circumcised and commanded to keep the Mosaic Law in order to be saved (Acts 15:1-11). Rather, he said that God purified their hearts by faith (15:9) and that they (and the other Gentiles who had become believers up to the time of the Council) would be saved “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” (15:11).

Later, James added that Peter had “declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name” (15:14). Based on these authoritative statements by these two top church leaders on that crucial occasion in church history, we understand the following concerning the salvation of people:

People must hear the word of the Gospel to be saved by grace through faith. (15:7).
People must believe the word of the Gospel that they hear to be saved by grace through faith (15:7).
People who hear and believe the word of the Gospel are saved by grace through faith so that they will be a people for His name (15:14).

In Evangelism

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