Election, Free Will and Evangelism

If man comes to Christ through only free will, and not through the sovereign election of God, then that means when you (if you are a Christian) witness to someone, if they do not accept Christ, it is at least partially your fault, because if you had done a better job presenting the gospel, they might have come to Christ. So therefore, their eternal damnation could be in part because you did not do a good job evangelizing. So therefore, from that perspective, we are partially responsible for someone's salvation or damnation. If the lost person is free to choose or reject the gospel, and if it is completely up to them alone, then if the Christian who is witnessing to them doesn't present the gospel in a way that persuades that lost person to want to accept it, then that Christian presenting the gospel is at least partially at fault, because if they had done a better job, that lost person might have been saved. When a Christian witnesses to people and presents the gospel to them, and people do not respond – if that Christian really thought that it really depended on them (the fact that the lost person didn’t respond), it is feasible that the Christian could possibly even become extremely depressed and, in guilt and anguish...well, I could even imagine an extreme instance where a Christian who believed that, might even go home and pull out a knife and plunge it into their heart because they were such a failure, and because that lost person, or those lost people, going to Hell would be partially their fault, because their gospel presentation was not compelling enough.

On the other hand, if salvation is up to God's sovereign election, then when we witness to someone, all we are responsible for is to tell them, and we don't have to worry about the outcome, because that is up to God.

Ultimately, the salvation of souls depends upon the Lord God, and he has graciously given us the opportunity of being instruments in the accomplishment of his work. We (if we are born again, regenerated Christians whose lives have been radically transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit) are called to partner with Him and share in the great and glorious work of the Great Commission. We get the easy part (telling), and He does the rest. No higher calling could any individual ever have than being a co-worker with the Lord.

The Most Important Message In The World

TheMostImportantMessageInTheWorld

Witnessing and Discipleship

OK, so I have not posted any new articles in the last five months. I have been very busy, and financial situations and working long hours have been much of the reason that I have not posted anything new in quite a while.

Anyway, I wanted to attempt to address what I believe are two big problems in the Christian church today: (1) the lack of a desire for personal evangelism, and (2) the lack of discipling new believers.

The first point I just want to touch on briefly. It seems that most Christians (at least American Christians) are more interested in going to Christian concerts, or going to a “healing service,” or reading books on how God is going to prosper them and make them happier, than they are about the fact that people are dying and going to Hell every day.

A while back, I sent emails to the Pastors of all the churches in the area that I could find an email for, asking them if there was anyone at their church that I could go out witnessing with. Only one church answered me back, and that Pastor merely forwarded my email to the Youth Pastor. I ended up meeting with the Youth Pastor, and basically, he told me they already had a ‘youth evangelism’ program at their church, where they would invite young people to their church to play games, etc., and if I wanted to go out on the streets and do evangelism, I needed to go back to my own church and talk to my own Pastor about that. So, in other words, none of the churches in the area that I contacted were interested in going out soul winning with me.

A friend of mine (that I used to go witnessing with) would go various places to witness to people, and, though he would ask people in his church to go with him, usually the only one who would go with him was his dad.

Another friend of mine goes with his wife every week (at a time when I’m working) to join with members of a certain local church to go witnessing to people downtown. Though the church has something like 1,000 or more members, only about 3-8 people from that church go downtown to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only three to eight people, out of more than a thousand? That is only a tiny percentage!

“…according to Zondervan Church Source, 97 percent of church members have no involvement in any sort of evangelism. A survey by Christianity Today found that only 1 percent of their readership had witnessed to someone “recently.” Does anything strike you as being wrong with this picture? This does not sound like the people I read about in the New Testament who had so much zeal that they were willing to die for our Lord.” (p. 55, “One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven,” by Mark Cahill.)

So, the first problem is that most American Christians are too involved with worldly issues; too interested in their own comfort, pleasure, wealth, luxury and materialism; too self-absorbed and selfishly interested in their own health and wealth to be overly concerned about the fact that most people in the world are on their way to Hell. They are willing to sit in a pew at their church for an hour to be entertained, but that is all.

The next problem goes one step beyond that.

The Bible says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Notice that it doesn’t say, “Go and make converts,” but instead, “Go and make disciples.” The extremely small percentage of American Christians who are willing to go out and witness to the lost usually end up handing out gospel tracts, or standing on a corner and do street-preaching. They may talk to one or more persons for a short while. And they may even lead that person in a “prayer of salvation.” But after that, the person is usually left on their own.

If someone is led to Christ, they become ‘born again,’ as Jesus said in John 3:3. They become a brand new creation, as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says. But if a mother has a baby, and she merely lays that baby down in the street somewhere and leaves it, how likely is it that the baby is going to survive on its own? Now, when a person surrenders their life to Christ so that their life is drastically transformed, God the Holy Spirit comes to live inside that person, and becomes a Guide and a Comforter and a Teacher for that person. So, indeed, a new Christian does have the Holy Spirit to help them. Nevertheless, God did not mean for Christians to lead someone to Christ and then just leave them. That’s why Matthew 28 says “go and make disciples.”

If someone comes up to a professional artist and asks the artist, “How can I become an artist?” and the artist merely presents to that person the concept of how to paint a picture, a mere explanation like that is not going to help that person very much. He may try painting or drawing a few times and might get discouraged, since he has not had any training or support to be successful. On the other hand, if that professional artist takes the person “under his wing” as an apprentice, he will teach that person all he knows and give that person practical on-the-job training.

So the same is largely true of a brand new Christian. A well-meaning person may have given him a tract and explained the concept of getting saved. He may have even led him in the ‘Sinner’s Prayer,’ and then left. How successful will the new Christian be in his spiritual growth? He may even go to a church a few times but then may get discouraged and quit. What is missing? The answer: Discipleship. The soul winner should have invested much more time with the new Christian, invited him to a Bible Study, offered his phone number or email to answer any questions, invited him over to his house, etc., until that ‘baby Christian’ had matured. The soul winner should have helped him find a good church or invited him to his own church, and even made sure he had a way to get to the church. He should have sat with him in church, answered any questions the new Christian might have about the service, make sure he is enrolled in any discipleship class the church has (and, if the church does not have any discipleship class for new Christians, then one should be started), visited with him later or given him a phone call during the week, and made him feel welcome, loved and cared about.

Soul winning is more than just a numbers game. It has to do with the eternal future of a human being. Will the person wind up in Heaven or Hell? The soul winner should give 100%, starting from leading the lost person to salvation, to preparing and teaching the new Christian to go out and be a soul winner himself.

This may come as a shock, but a drug dealer can provide an example of how to disciple someone. First the drug dealer makes his potential convert a friend. He spends time with him, shows the person his lifestyle and a good time. Soon he introduces the person to drugs---just a little at first. He teaches him how to use the drugs, and soon the person is hooked. When the drugs get too expensive for the person, the drug dealer teaches the person how to sell drugs, thus making the person a fully educated drug dealer himself. Of course, this is a negative example, but if this plan of friendship, habit and education can be used for evil, why can’t it be used for good as well?

If the soul winner would follow similar steps with evangelism (i.e., friendship, caring, utilizing habit/routine and education, accompanied with lots of prayer), it seems that we would then have a lot more Christian soul winners, as well as full churches.

Mark Cahill: Lukewarm no more!

I will get back to the lessons on Islam, but I wanted to share this excellent video.

Hindrances to World Evangelism

by Kim Harrington

"Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen." (Mark 16:14)


"Depending on how you define the term, there are anywhere between 1500 and 3900 unreached "people groups" in the world today, and approximately two and a half billion people who are as yet totally unevangelized. "Unreached" is not the same as "unsaved." Unreached means that, at this time, there is no availability of the Gospel within a reasonable distance, within the framework of their own language and culture. Essentially, it means there is no way of them getting saved today, short of a sovereign visitation of God.

In addition to this, there are many millions of people who are technically within "reached" or "evangelized" areas who have, nevertheless, never heard the name of Jesus Christ. Finally, there are multitudes of people who know something of the Christian religion, who may even belong to some church or another, but have never heard the saving Gospel, who don't know that Jesus died for them, and that they can have assurance of eternal life through faith in Him.

Bottom line: a whole lot of people who have yet to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The situation is far from hopeless, however. There are over five million Bible-believing congregations in the world today. If you divided the unreached people groups among the evangelical churches of the world, even using the inflated estimate of 3900 such peoples, you'd have 1282 fellowships of believers to every unreached people group. It shouldn't be too hard to handle when you think of it like that, right?

But let's get even more reasonable. We know that not most of the Christians found in those congregations are not likely to become missionaries, so what if we tallied up just those who were of prime missionary age, say, 18-35 years old... If just one out of two hundred of these young people went on the mission field, that would still be eight full-time missionaries for every unreached people, tribe, and tongue in the entire world. Personally, I think we could do better than that, but we're trying to be as reasonable and conservative as we can.

Why then are there still so many unreached people in the world? Why has it taken the church of Jesus Christ so long to get around to actually accomplishing the Great Commission--to go into all the world and preach the Gospel? This was exactly the question asked of one of Hudson Taylor's young missionaries to inland China in the last century. Upon being told the story of Jesus, a man asked, "When did this happen?" "Over eighteen hundred years ago," the missionary replied. "Why did it take you so long to get here--what of all my ancestors who have perished in the meantime?"

Good question. And applicable to this very day. In spite of the intensive drives of many denominations and missions organizations in the last ten years to "reach the world by the year 2000" or evangelize the "Ten-forty Window," in spite of worldwide prayer efforts for "strategic cities" and specific people groups, the statistics remain much the same.

Ralph Winter, founder of the U.S. Center for World Missions, recently confirmed something that I, from my own more limited perspective, had suspected for some time. He noted that, "The world Christian movement has largely stalled in relation to the Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist bloc of unreached peoples." Well folks, those three religions comprise the lion's share of the unreached peoples--if we're stalled there, we're stalled! Not much progress is being made. We're talking and teaching and researching the lost peoples of the world, but no extra missionaries are being sent forth. It's a clear case of too much talk and not enough action.

Why is this so? How can the American church, while claiming to be partaking in fresh fire from on high, a modern-day "great awakening," be so impervious to the dire need of the lost multitudes of the world? Where is our conscience? What has distracted us from the primary purpose, the number one issue on the heart of God--world evangelism? Read on, and find out. But be prepared to be convicted and challenged. And please don't read on, only to harden your heart by putting off the plight of the unreached peoples once again. That would be a sin for which you may be held accountable at the judgment seat of Christ.

Theological Hindrances

Solid, Bible-believing Christians would hesitate to name faulty theology as one of the reasons they are not more burdened for world evangelism, but it is a major factor nonetheless. Many evangelicals and charismatics have quietly, thoughtlessly, bought into heretical doctrines by default. Let me explain.

Universalism is the heretical belief that everyone will ultimately be saved, or at least have some sort of chance to get right with God after this life. It has recurred throughout church history because even good Christian people often find eternal torment a little hard to accept. Surely God wouldn't allow so many innocent people to suffer such an extreme punishment as hell if they've never really heard a decent presentation of the Gospel? I once had to face off a class of outraged Bible college students for bringing up the subject of eternal punishment for those who've never heard the Gospel! These were...students preparing for the ministry who had not yet come to grips with the biblical doctrine of hell. Somehow, they seemed to believe that God would give an individual the benefit of the doubt, based on their sincerity, even though he or she was a sinner who didn't believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Annihilation is the belief that unsaved souls will be destroyed completely, will cease to exist entirely, rather than being subjected to eternal punishment. It is also unscriptural, yet many otherwise good Christians would rather believe in it than in hell and damnation. These doctrines aren't talked about, especially by name--our elders might get upset--but some believers secretly harbor them in the back of their minds. They simply cannot reconcile a just and loving God with such a outrageous doctrine as eternal punishment in the flaming inferno of hell. The Lord must have some contingency plan; surely He doesn't intend to send all those innocent people to such a fate? I t's unthinkable.

Furthermore, it makes us feel guilty for not having done more to save them, doesn't it? Surely the Lord is not going to hold us responsible for their souls! That watchman stuff was for Ezekiel, not for Christians in the age of grace. God certainly must understand how shy some of us are, or how little money we have to give to missions, or how ungifted we may be in evangelism... Let's face it, we'd be in serious trouble with the Lord if He was in earnest when He issued the Great Commission, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel."

Unfortunately for us, He gave every indication of being dead serious about it. He expects us to get the job done, regardless of how many have or haven't responded up until now, regardless of what we feel our limitations or conflicts to be. Certainly God is able to enable us to do what He clearly commanded us to do, just as He enabled Moses to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt, in spite of that man's initial objections.

Another common theological hindrance to world evangelism is Hyper-Calvinism. Again, we may not call it by name, but it goes along the lines of what a Baptist elder told William Carey when he first proposed a missions program for that denomination back in the 1790s. "Young man, sit down," the venerable officer said. "If God is pleased to save the heathen, He'll do it without your help or mine." We may acknowledge that God wants our help, but we have slippery ways of excusing ourselves when we fail. "I'm sorry, God, for not being obedient and witnessing to that individual, but I'm sure in Your foreknowledge You knew how I'd respond, and had already made other plans for reaching him..." Even if that were true, do you want to be the disobedient servant who never did his Master's will? We cannot hide behind God's sovereignty as an excuse for failing to do our own duty.

All of these doctrines are simply ways to excuse ourselves for our lack of zeal and obedience. Let's get honest and quit hiding behind them.



Selfish Hindrances

I'm going to throw a couple more fancy ten-dollar words at you again, but don't be put off by them. They are mere descriptions for things that we all may be guilty of to some degree or another.

The first is Hedonism, the preoccupation with pleasure and comfort. It has no doubt kept more people from the mission fields of the world than any other single factor. Most Americans wouldn't dream of giving up their present lifestyle with all its comforts and niceties--if anything they plan to go up in the world and be more comfortable still, not less so! I can't tell you how many times I've been asked, in reference to my own three-year stint in India, "How could you live in such primitive conditions?... did you have electricity, running water... why, I hear they don't even have normal toilets over there!" As a matter of fact, we did have electricity--well, most of the time--but there were many adjustments in lifestyle, nevertheless.

Sacrifice is a concept almost unknown to the present generation. Just twenty years ago we were sending out many more missionaries than we are today. They were more idealistic than practical, and they had a few rude awakenings, but for the most part, they got over it and managed to do a work for Jesus Christ.

The trend today seems to be towards short-term missionaries. It is very appealing because it involves a low level of commitment and a strictly limited sacrifice--the "missionary" always has the comfort of knowing he will be back home in a few weeks. Most don't even go through the challenge of learning the language of the host country with any degree of proficiency.

Materialism has also hindered missionary activity in recent years. We love our money and the things that it can buy us. We need that new gadget, the latest computer, the most up-to-date microwave or cell-phone. Our love for more and more products and things keeps us strapped financially, so that we never have enough money to give substantially to the work of world evangelism. We're too busy spending money on ourselves to have much left over to help support a missionary and his family. We're much like the Southerners who hoarded gold and money during the Civil War while the troops on the front lines were lacking the basic necessities of life. They lost the war, and so will we if we do not change our ways. We will all feel the pain of defeat if the cause of world evangelism fails. We need to assess our priorities and do something about it.

Pastors, why is it that the missionary budget is always the first to feel the crunch if the offerings fall-off a little? Aren't there other, less strategic, ministries that can be put aside for a few months? How can we justify supporting an American evangelist with a television budget of hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, while ignoring the more simple, yet important, needs of missionaries on the front lines? The evangelist may be doing little more with his money than creating a super-star status for himself--the missionary is often on the very cutting edge of the battle for souls. I'm not against evangelists--I am simply arguing that we should put our money where it can do the most good for the kingdom of God, while supporting other worthwhile causes, as well.

Ignorance of the Task

The American Christian is subjected to a continual barrage of conflicting half-truths when it comes to the state of world evangelism today. In an effort to raise funds and demonstrate how effective they are, many organizations habitually overstate the progress they have made. Oftentimes it is simple carelessness, or omission of certain details that are deemed unimportant; sometimes it's overt misrepresentation. The city of Madras in southern India has been saved many times over, if the reports of all the various evangelists who have held successful crusades there can be believed. Nevertheless, Christians remain a small minority in that Hindu city. Others claim to have visited every home in India with the Gospel--more than once--but in fourteen years of ministering in that land I have yet to meet anyone who has been visited by one of these door-to-door evangelists.

From what the average Christian hears on Christian radio and television today, it must certainly be assumed that the whole world is reached already, that the job is being done by much more able people than ourselves. If there are still a few unreached people in India or China, then all those dynamic national evangelists and power-house preachers with their mass crusades will certainly have the job done within a few short years! That's the impression created, but unfortunately, it's not accurate.

If native workers were really getting the job done, the statistics wouldn't be as dismal as they are. Regardless of the well-presented arguments of some ministries, there is still a tremendous need for foreign missionaries in most fields of the world today.

Radio and television evangelism can be effective in sowing seeds of the Gospel, but there are severe limitations... (1) Few people own televisions or radios in developing countries. (2) The message is too often broadcast in English instead of the local languages. (3) Although many unchurched people listen to Christian radio, it is still a minute portion of the population as a whole--it stands to reason that Muslims are not gathering around to listen to a great deal of Christian programming. (4) The Bible says "Go ye therefore," not "send ye airwaves therefore." People do not get discipled and planted in the local church through radio and television ministries. These may be helpful in disseminating the knowledge of Christ in a general way, but someone still has to go in personally and consolidate any gains that are made.

You Can Make a Difference

As we said in the opening paragraphs, the need is tremendous, but we do have the resources to get the job done--in our generation, perhaps in a few short years--if only we'd begin to allocate the resources, both human and financial, to the all-important area of world evangelism. You can make a difference yourself, a big difference as a matter of fact, by getting personally involved in the world missionary.

You could go personally and really be on the front lines of the adventure. What more valuable and exciting way to spend your life than to be a part of winning unreached nations to Jesus Christ? Any sacrifice is worthwhile, considering the contribution you'd be making. An old friend of mine recently held a conference in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. He beamed with the satisfaction of a job well done as he looked out over a vast sea of faces that would never had known a personal relationship with Jesus had he not gone to minister in that war-torn district some twelve years ago. He made a difference and so can you.

You can help the cause of world evangelism by giving sacrificially to missionaries who are getting the job done. Give discriminately, find out about the missionaries you support, for the great majority of the world's Christian workers are involved in support ministries among already reached people, and although there may be a place for such ministries, you'll get more for your dollar by giving to front-line evangelistic work, no matter how humble the particular ministry may be at this time. Remember, it takes some time to get a foot in the door, but once an evangelist starts making headway among a particular unreached people, it can quickly become very fruitful. Get behind the missionaries who are on the cutting edge of evangelism and church-planting, so they don't have to worry about finances. The late Danny Ost, missionary to Mexico City, used to guarantee a soul for every dollar given. Inflation may have changed that figure since his day, but there are still many workers who are really getting the job done. Get behind them and share in the rewards, as well as the responsibility, for their success.

Third, you can pray. The Apostle Paul requested prayer all the time from the churches that he related to, so it must be effective. He wouldn't have just waste his breath, especially as those remarks are recorded in the Holy Scriptures! Prayer really can change things. Prayer was responsible for the fall of the Iron Curtain, and it can open other closed doors, as well. Pray for the workers you know, and pray for those blocs of people that are still so resistant: the Hindus, Muslim, and Buddhists mentioned earlier. Pray that more laborers may enter the field, full-time laborers who have taken the time to learn the language and the culture of the people they intend to minister to, well-supported laborers who don't have to spend half of their time trying to raise money to care for their families and underwrite their ministries.

As you pray, you may very well feel led to take up options number one and two, as well--to give more, and to possibly even go yourself to the mission field. There are certainly a lot worse ways you could spend your life and money.

We can reach this world. We just have to cast aside the hindrances and go for it."

The above article is from MasterBuilder.org

Also see:
Eleven Imperative Reasons for World Evangelism

“Did I firmly believe as millions say they do that the knowledge and practice of religion would mean to me everything, I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought, and my last image before sleep sank into unconsciousness. I should labor in its cause alone. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life of suffering. Earthly consequences should never stay my hand, nor seal my lips. Earth, its joys and griefs, would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon eternity slone, and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly miserable. I would go forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season, and my text would be, “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
-an Atheist’s statement

Dereliction of Duty?

“…when the Holy Spirit dwells within us, it’s not hard to worship our glorious and worthy Creator. It’s as natural for Christians to worship the Lord as it is for flowers to open their petals in the warm sunlight.

On the other hand, demonstrating our love for God thought our obedience to His will (John 14:15) doesn’t happen quite as naturally. It takes a concerted effort to obey the Great Commission and follow in Christ’s footsteps, seeking to save the lost. Nevertheless, our professed love and worship of God should show itself in a determined devotion to do His will.”

For those who are born-again Christians, “When was the last time you shared your faith with an unsaved person? When did you last meditate on the fact that all who die in their sins will be cast into a lake of fire? In his book The Coming Revival, Dr. Bill Bright notes that only 2 percent of American churchgoers share their faith with others. That is tragic. If the love of God dwells in us, how can we not be horrified by the fate of the lost? Yet, many professing Christians today are so locked into worship (with the volume turned high) that they seem to give little or no thought to the fate of the ungodly.

To make a very important point, I would like for you to consider the following scenario:

An experienced big-city firefighter was charged yesterday with grave neglect of duty. Prosecutors maintain that he abandoned his responsibility and betrayed the people of the city when he failed to release rescue equipment during a recent fire, resulting in the needless and tragic deaths of a family of five.

The lead prosecuting attorney said that for more than three minutes after arriving at the scene, the firefighter sat in his vehicle, wearing earphones and listening to a CD, while a family of five screamed to be rescued from the sixth floor of the burning building. Horrified bystanders reported that, as flames licked at the mother’s clothing, she cried out in terror and fell to her death, still clutching an infant in her arms.

The distraught onlookers also said that the father held two terrified children as he was engulfed by the massive flames. This terrifying drama took place in full view of the firefighter as he remained seated in the fire truck listening to the CD.

Eyewitnesses were sickened when they discovered that the reason the firefighter had remained in the locked emergency vehicle was simply to test a new high-tech CD player that he had purchased as a gift from the fire chief.

The chief immediately distanced himself from the defendant and dishonorably discharged him from the fire department. In a prepared statement, the chief said that there were no words to describe such a betrayal of those the firefighter was sworn to protect.

At the trial, the defense pleaded “no contest,” but added that the defendant had gone to great personal sacrifice to purchase the expensive gift for the chief, and he hoped that the judge would take that into account when passing sentence.

What do you think would be a fitting punishment for this firefighter’s serious crime---probation? Two years in jail? Twenty years? Life? Death? What sentence would you give the negligent firefighter?

Perhaps you’re saying, “That’s ridiculous. A firefighter would never do that.” Allow me to apply the parable: If you and I are not seeking to save the lost “with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 1:23), are we not, in effect, negligent firefighters? That’s a sobering question, isn’t it?

Am I saying that if we don’t evangelize we’re not saved? Of course not. But if we would expect a firefighter to make saving lives a priority, are we honest enough to judge ourselves by the same standard? Are we doing all we can to rescue the lost, or are we sitting passively in the pews while people perish?”

“After all, what the Bible tells us about the fate of the lost (Revelation 20:15) is pretty shocking.”

“Oswald J. Smith said, “Oh, my friends, we are loaded down with countless church activities, while the real work of the Church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected.” We have been gazing to the heavens while sinners are sinking into hell.

Worship is the highest calling of the Christian, and we can see in the book of Revelation that the Church will one day be consumed in worship before the throne of the Almighty. But when we look back at the book of Acts, we don’t find the Church consumed with worship. Instead, we find that those Christians were devoted to reaching the lost, to the point that they willingly gave their lives to preach the gospel.

Time is short. Let us not sit passively by during these crucial days of opportunity, drowning out the cries of a dying humanity with the sweet sounds of worship. Let us reevaluate our priorities, take off the earphones, unlock the doors, become equipped, and demonstrate the depth of our love for God by rescuing those who are about to perish.”
(pp. 1-3, “The Way of the Master,” by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort)


People Who Die Without Christ Jesus Go to Hell
by Tim Conway



There's only One Way for people to be saved from Hell

An imposition?

Many people equate evangelism with imposition - someone imposing their religious views on another person as a ploy for power or control. But this idea is mistaken.


• To equate evangelism with imposition implies that Christianity is only subjectively true - true and binding for me, but not for others. Christianity is not man's subjective opinion. It is God's objective truth, regardless of our subjective opinions.


• To equate evangelism with imposition implies that Christians are able to convert people themselves, which is entirely false. In fact, of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the one least amenable to such imposition because of its theology of conversion.


• Humanity is so entrenched in sin that unless God's Spirit does the converting work Himself, none of us would ever repent and believe.


• Therefore, Christianity is actually unique among world religions for the impossibility of imposing its belief structure on others. Only God convinces people to repent and believe.

(from 9Marks.org)

Thinking about Evangelism

"Ever since the inception of the Billy Graham Crusades in the 50's, the rise of the ecumenical movement, and the proliferation of parachurch groups, evangelism has come to mean different things to different people. To some, doing evangelism means inviting people to a church service or a Crusade where they are urged to walk an aisle and pray a prayer. Indeed, many can scarcely imagine genuine conversions happening otherwise. To others, evangelism is much less a monologue and invitation than it is a dialogue and conversation. The thought of a speaker imposing his own seemingly speculative views on a helplessly captive audience is too much for some broad spirits to bear. For others, evangelism has become equated with initiating conversations with strangers, sharing gospel tracts, praying a prayer, and sometimes even downplaying the importance of theological development. Waiting for unbelievers to observe something different in Christians is perceived in some quarters as naïve and even lazy. Still others leave evangelism to the pros - pastors, seminary professors, youth leaders, and the like. After all, if evangelism is so important, who am I to try it?"
(from 9Marks.org)

True and False statements about evangelism

Christians should be a witness of Jesus Christ locally, regionally and throughout the world.

True.
Acts 1:8 - "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."


Evangelism should be sensitive and relevant to the recipient.

True.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 - "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you."


Evangelism should take place only if we have the time.

False.
Acts 5:42 - "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."


Evangelism should include the preaching of repentance and remission of sins.

True.
Luke 24:47 - "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."


Evangelism doesn't include showing your good works before mankind.

False.
Matthew 5:16 - "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."


The laborers are many, but the harvest of souls is few.

False.
Luke 10:1-2 - "After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."


An evangelist is rewarded by God based upon whether they establish or disciple new converts.

False.
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 - "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."

(adapted from "Evangelism Quiz" at http://www.christianet.com)


A friend e-mailed me the above photo, along with the link http://av8ng.blogspot.com/

Door-to-door evangelism

“The two fastest-growing church bodies in the United States and Canada, according to a newly published report, are ones whose beliefs are known to conflict with traditional Christian teaching.

Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, regarded by many Christians as cults, reported the largest membership increases in a year, according to the National Council of Churches’ 2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches.”
(From christianpost.com)

"Fact: Recent Mormon Church statistics show that they knock 1000 doors before they typically set up ONE study. (Mormon newsletter for missionaries shown to James Palmer of We Care Ministries by a Mormon Elder)

Fact: We Care Ministries under the direction of White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ in West Monroe, LA has found that on average, during their campaigns, someone is found home for every six doors knocked. A study is set up for every three doors where someone is found home. When studies are set up, one-half of these studies result in a baptism into Christ. This means that on average a conversion is made, a soul is saved for every 36 doors that are knocked on in We Care Campaigns.

The ratio of doors knocked to studies set up for We Care Ministries (one out of 18) compared to that of Mormons (one out of 1000) is striking. What we should see as embarrassing however, is the fact that in spite of their relatively unfruitful door-to-door evangelism, the Mormon Church is one of the fastest growing religious bodies in the U.S. today while churches of Christ have had essentially zero growth in the U.S. for many years. Mormon numbers have more than doubled in just over 20 years; Jehovah’s Witness numbers have increased 75% in the U.S. in the last 20 years. To what do the Mormons attribute their growth? Door-to-door evangelism. To what do the Jehovah’s Witnesses attribute their growth? Door-to-door evangelism."
(From Door-to-Door Evangelism Facts)

"In 1960, D. James Kennedy graduated from seminary and began preaching at the Coral Ridge Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL. After just eight months of ministry there, the congregation dwindled from 45 to 17 believers. Although he was very discouraged about what was happening, he would not give up. He realized the problem was that he lacked courage to confront unbelievers with the truth of the gospel. To his surprise, he was invited to Decatur, GA to conduct a gospel campaign for ten days. He preached each evening, but during the mornings and afternoons, he received training and visited homes, presenting the gospel door-to-door. Those experiences at the doorways of the unsaved would transform his ministry completely. After the evangelistic campaign he returned to the Coral Ridge Church, where he implemented the principles he had learned in Georgia—he called these principles “Evangelism Explosion”. By presenting unsaved men and women with the claims of the gospel on their doorsteps, the Coral Ridge Church grew from 17 individuals to over 2,000 in nine years . These simple door-to-door evangelistic principles would be the means of winning thousands to Christ in the United States and in 93 other lands throughout the world."
(from Plymouth Brethren. Originally from D. James Kennedy, Evangelism Explosion, Wheaton, IL, Tyndale House Publishers, 1977, p. 6.)

"Door-to-door evangelism is one of the few ways that each family in a city can be reached with the gospel. The Lord has effectively used this method throughout the history of the church, from the time of the early church (Acts 20:20) to the modern day. Today, church leaders are calling for renewed efforts in teaching and training Christians how to use door-to-door evangelism, proving the timelessness of this evangelistic method. In a study of the fastest growing 576 Southern Baptist churches in the U.S., Southern Baptist researcher Dr. Thomas Rainer concluded that traditional door-to-door evangelism was still a very useful evangelistic method. In the churches surveyed, 50.2% of these churches ranked weekly door-to-door evangelism as one of their most effective evangelistic tools. Bill Hohenstreet, of Post Falls Baptist Church in Post Falls, Idaho states that door-to-door visitation was critical to their evangelistic outreach. He explained that their primary outreach efforts were door-to-door, cold-call visitation, and Tuesday evening visitation using a prospect list. This church of two hundred saw forty-eight individuals come to faith in Jesus Christ and baptized in 1996. “Churches that rated door-to-door evangelism highly did not believe that it was any less effective or resistance to visits was any greater than in years past.” (Thomas Rainer, Effective Evangelistic Churches, Nashville, TN, Broadman, 1996, p. 20). Churches throughout the United States are beginning to find that consistent evangelistic visitation, when followed up with literature, Bible study, and hospitality are effective means in winning the lost to Christ. Nevertheless, door-to-door evangelism is not without its critics. Since 1973 church growth experts have unwisely labeled this method as old-fashioned and ineffective in modern society. However, recent studies have challenged the validity of these widely-held convictions of church growth researchers. Thomas Rainer, who conducted a survey of the fastest growing churches, speaks of this issue when he writes, “But what about the studies of growing churches which made the conclusion that traditional door-to-door evangelism was on the decline? The research of those studies was based on growing churches, not necessarily churches that were increasing in size by conversion growth. In fact, many of the churches were hardly growing at all through new converts, but by Christians who were leaving one church to join another. Additionally, the other studies rarely looked at more than forty to fifty churches; our research is based upon a study of over 500 churches.” (Thomas Rainer, Effective Evangelistic Churches, Nashville, TN, Broadman, 1996, p. 19, 41). The results of this recent study have soundly contradicted the tenaciously-held beliefs of church growth experts. This fact has caused concern among many church leaders, and has led them to re-examine their evangelistic methods. Many are beginning to see that traditional methods are indeed Biblical, important, and effective means for producing conversion growth in churches."
(To read the rest of the article, go to: Plymouth Brethren.)

Witnessing

Aim for Repentance Rather than a Decision
By Ray Comfort

"As you witness, divorce yourself from the thought that you are merely seeking “decisions for Christ.” What we should be seeking is repentance within the heart. This is the purpose of the Law, to bring the knowledge of sin. How can a man repent if he doesn’t know what sin is? If there is no repentance, there is no salvation. Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Many don’t understand that the salvation of a soul is not a resolution to change a way of life, but “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” The modern concept of success in evangelism is to relate how many people were “saved” (that is, how many prayed the “sinner’s prayer”). This produces a “no decisions, no success” mentality. This shouldn’t be, because Christians who seek decisions in evangelism become discouraged after a time of witnessing if “no one came to the Lord.” The Bible tells us that as we sow the good seed of the gospel, one sows and another reaps. If you faithfully sow the seed, someone will reap. If you reap, it is because someone has sown in the past, but it is God who causes the seed to grow. If His hand is not on the person you are leading in a prayer of committal, if there is not God-given repentance, then you will end up with a stillbirth on your hands, and that is nothing to rejoice about. We should measure our success by how faithfully we sowed the seed. In that way, we will avoid becoming discouraged."

“If you have not repented, you will not see the inside of the kingdom of God.” Billy Graham

"Solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21)

How do I reach my neighbors with the gospel?
By Ray Comfort

"Neighbors are like family. We don’t want to offend them unnecessarily, because we have to live with them. We need to be rich in good works toward all men, but especially our neighbors. The Bible reveals that this is a legitimate means of evangelism. Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). It is God’s will that "with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15).

Sinners may disagree with what you believe, but seeing your good works makes them think, "I don’t believe what he believes, but he sure does. He certainly is sincere in his faith." A friendly wave, a gift for no reason, fresh-baked goods, etc., can pave the way for evangelism. Offer to mow your neighbor's lawn or help do some painting. Volunteer to pick up their mail and newspaper while they’re on vacation. Compliment them on their landscaping and ask for gardening tips. Invite them over for a barbecue or dessert. Pray for an opportunity to share the gospel, and be prepared for it when it comes."

How should I witness to my coworkers?
By Ray Comfort

"When we interact with people on a daily basis, we have many opportunities for sharing our faith. First, be sure you are respectful to your employer and set a good example in your work ethic by working "as to the Lord" (Colossians 3:23).

When others around you grumble and complain, if you have a calm, forgiving, steadfast spirit, it will make an impression. As you respond in a Christ-like way to angry coworkers and stressful circumstances, people will see a difference in your life. Always be friendly and courteous, and show genuine interest in your coworkers’ lives. Invite them out to lunch to get better acquainted. Share their joys and sorrows by congratulating them in their good times and offering to pray for them in their bad times.

Be sure you do pray for them, then follow up by asking them about the situation you prayed for. They will be moved by your concern. If coworkers are discussing what they did during the previous weekend, you can share your excitement about attending church services or a special church event. Ask others if they have any plans for celebrating Christmas or Easter; be nonjudgmental of their answer, but be ready (if asked) to explain why you celebrate as you do.

Displaying a favorite Scripture or a devotional calendar, or reading your Bible during lunchtime, may prompt others to inquire about your faith. Bringing home-baked goods or leaving a small gift with a note on a coworker’s desk can sometimes have a greater impact than a thousand eloquent sermons. We can show our faith by our works. Others may not like a tree of righteousness, but they cannot help but like its fruit. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel, being careful not to infringe on your boss’s time."

"For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men." (1 Peter 2:15)

The Gospel: witnessing on the street

British man witnessing to Thai man in the U.K.

Witnessing to teens

"There are three words translated "Hell" in Scripture:

Gehenna (Greek): The place of punishment (Matthew 5:22,29; 10:28)
Hades (Greek): The abode of the dead (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 16:23)
Sheol (Hebrew): The grave (Psalm 9:17; 16:10)

There are those who accept that Hell is a place of punishment, but believe that the punishment is to be annihilated---to cease conscious existence. They can't conceive that the punishment of the wicked will be conscious and eternal. If they are correct, then a man like Adolph Hitler, who was responsible for the deaths of millions, is being "punished" merely with eternal sleep. His fate is simply to return to the non-existent state he was in before he was born, where he doesn't even know that he is being punished.

However, Scripture paints a different story. The rich man who found himself in Hell (Luke 16:19-31) was conscious. He was able to feel pain, to thirst, and to experience remorse. He wasn't asleep in the grave; he was in a place of "torment." If Hell is a place of knowing nothing or a reference to the grave into which we go at death, Jesus' statements about Hell make no sense.

He said that if your hand, foot, or eye causes you to sin, it would be better to remove it than to "go into Hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:43-48).

The Bible refers to the fate of the unsaved with such fearful words as the following:

- "Shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2)
- "Everlasting punishment" (Matthew 25:46)
- "Weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:51)
- "Fire unquenchable" (Luke 3:17)
- "Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish" (Romans 2:8,9)
- "Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thessalonians
1:9:
- "Eternal fire...the blackness of darkness forever" (Jude 7,13)
Revelation 14:10,11 tells us the final, eternal destiny of the sinner: "he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone...the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever: and they have no rest day or night."

From LivingWaters.com and http://fishthe.net/good-person.htm

Modern Evangelism

Kids Witnessing to Adults

Hell's Best Kept Secret

I knew a guy who told me at the gym one day, "I've been walking with the Lord about a year now." Apparently, he attended a very large Baptist church. However, he was a male stripper, and he saw nothing wrong with that. That shocked me. How can you be a male stripper, and yet, at the same time, consider yourself a Christian? Seems to me there's a huge contradiction there. Kind of reminds me of Hustler magazine's Larry Flynt, who claimed, years ago, to be "born again," yet continued to publish the pornography magazine.

Walking forward in a church service, or repeating some words in a prayer, does not magically save a person from Hell. Claiming that you are a Christian, and then going out and living wickedly, is a contradiction. If the heart is not changed, then the person was never truly born again...no matter what they may claim.

"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:16-23)

"He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."
"Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." (Mark 4:2-8, 13-20)

Why do some of those making a decision for Christ fall away from the faith? What is the principle that Spurgeon, Wesley, Whitefield, etc., used to reach the lost? Why has the modern Church, and modern evangelists, neglected it?

Pink Hair Plane Talk

Witnessing at 25,000 feet above the ground.

Gay Pride outreach, West Hollywood

Notice that (in contrast to, for example, those of the Westboro Baptist Church who hold up signs saying "God Hates Fags") he does not condescendingly tell them, "You homosexuals are all going to Hell!" Instead, he takes them through four of the Ten Commandments, which every single one of us has broken, and shows them that every one of us is a sinner (i.e., every one of us has lied, lusted, gossiped, stolen, cheated, cursed, used God's Name in vain, committed adultery or fornication, gotten drunk, hated, etc.), and that the only hope we have of escaping Hell is through Jesus Christ, Who loved us so much that He died for our sins. If we repent (not just regret, but turn away) of our sins and surrender to Christ Jesus, we can then have eternal life in Paradise.

This Atheist understands Christianity better than some Christians do!