Today is my 22nd spiritual birthday. This morning, while at work, a telemarketer called. She was interested in selling me an employee handbook which handily summarizes employment law. After listening to her, I shared that we have a family business and, while we do follow the law, we haven’t run into any employee issues which would cause us to need such a reference. I did say I would take down her information and file it away in my contact list under “employment, guide, reference” so that I could pull up the info if we ever had a need for it.
Towards the end of the call, I knew, as a telemarketer, that she wouldn’t be asking me if there was anything else she could help me with (my normal cue to try and share the gospel) – but somehow she said something which enabled me to mention it was my birthday, but not my normal birthday, it was my spiritual birthday. I said I guess that was a bit weird, for a person to celebrate a spiritual birthday. She was trying to say “no it isn’t” but wasn’t really coming up with the words (because, think about it, the average non-believer DOES think it VERY weird to celebrate a spiritual birthday!). I then said that the birthday commemorates the day I was saved. I asked if she knew where she would spend eternity – heaven or hell. She said she hoped she knew. I asked where, and she said she hoped heaven.
I said there was a short test a person could take to see if that was true, and asked if she had ever taken the good person test. She hadn’t, and she was open.
Over the next fifteen minutes we discussed the law (she was guilty of breaking the commandments we discussed). When she acknowledged taking God’s name in vain, I asked if she had any children (she sounded like she was perhaps middle-aged). She said she did. I said she had hopefully never taken God’s name in vain in front of her children (generally, even unbelievers will try to control their cursing of God when they are around their children) – and she said, unfortunately, she HAD done it around her children. It’s interesting that, to date, every person I have asked that (swearing around their children) has said they have done it.
She was open to the gospel, and I able to share with her the plan of salvation (the key being repentance)...
Monday, October 23, 2006
A Christian Headed for Hell??
We had a weekend ministry trip last week. Before leaving on the trip, I needed to activate a data package for my cell phone. At the end of the customer service phone call, the rep asked me if there was anything else she could help me with.
I said that there was – but that it wasn’t related to the cell phone - - - did she have just a minute for another question? She said she did.
I asked her if she had ever taken the good person test – she hadn’t. But, after I asked, she said that she considers herself to be a good person. We then took a look at the ten commandments, and she readily admitted breaking the ones we discussed (lying, stealing, blasphemy, and murder of the heart).
When I, with a heart of compassion (because I’m guilty of these same crimes before God), summarized her condition before God (that God would see her as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderer at heart), she agreed with me.
I asked her if she were to die, and God judged her by His 10 commandments, as He says He will, would she be innocent or guilty. She said she’d be guilty (as would everyone, I said – because we’ve ALL broken His commandments).
I then asked if she would go to heaven or hell. She paused for a second, and said, “hell.”
I asked her if that concerned her, and she said it did.
Over the next ten minutes I shared the gospel with her and discussed what the Lord Jesus did for her – and what she must do in order to receive His gift (simply knowing about Jesus isn’t good enough – in the same way that knowing a parachute would save you does a person no good as they jump out of a plane – they must actually strap the parachute on!). As we talked, I found out that she not only attends church, but she reads her Bible daily (THAT was amazing!), and is attending a “Purpose Driven Life” Bible Study.
Here is a lady attending a Purpose Driven Life Bible Study that readily admitted she is heading for hell! How could this be?!?
I encouraged her to instead begin studying the book of John and to seek to learn as much as she can about Jesus, and what He has done for her, and what He requires of her. I encouraged her to seek after Jesus until she can say “I know I am headed for heaven – because of what Jesus has done for me.”
She was grateful I shared with her, and I was grateful the Lord opened the door for me to share.
I said that there was – but that it wasn’t related to the cell phone - - - did she have just a minute for another question? She said she did.
I asked her if she had ever taken the good person test – she hadn’t. But, after I asked, she said that she considers herself to be a good person. We then took a look at the ten commandments, and she readily admitted breaking the ones we discussed (lying, stealing, blasphemy, and murder of the heart).
When I, with a heart of compassion (because I’m guilty of these same crimes before God), summarized her condition before God (that God would see her as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderer at heart), she agreed with me.
I asked her if she were to die, and God judged her by His 10 commandments, as He says He will, would she be innocent or guilty. She said she’d be guilty (as would everyone, I said – because we’ve ALL broken His commandments).
I then asked if she would go to heaven or hell. She paused for a second, and said, “hell.”
I asked her if that concerned her, and she said it did.
Over the next ten minutes I shared the gospel with her and discussed what the Lord Jesus did for her – and what she must do in order to receive His gift (simply knowing about Jesus isn’t good enough – in the same way that knowing a parachute would save you does a person no good as they jump out of a plane – they must actually strap the parachute on!). As we talked, I found out that she not only attends church, but she reads her Bible daily (THAT was amazing!), and is attending a “Purpose Driven Life” Bible Study.
Here is a lady attending a Purpose Driven Life Bible Study that readily admitted she is heading for hell! How could this be?!?
I encouraged her to instead begin studying the book of John and to seek to learn as much as she can about Jesus, and what He has done for her, and what He requires of her. I encouraged her to seek after Jesus until she can say “I know I am headed for heaven – because of what Jesus has done for me.”
She was grateful I shared with her, and I was grateful the Lord opened the door for me to share.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
The Effectiveness and History of Gospel Tract Distribution
Is it good to give out gospel tracts? Are they the most effective way to share with the lost? What about the people and churches that do not believe tracts are worthwhile – but instead believe that it is better to use relationships to share the gospel?
Starting off, I want to say that, truly, the best way to share the gospel is to sit down with someone and share with them. Unfortunately, that would tremendously limit our ability to witness to the lost! So often, the deceptions of Satan involve taking a little bit of truth and mixing error with it. Such is the case with those who only believe in “relationship evangelism”. They have taken the truth that it IS truly best to share in person with a lost person, and ignored the fact that a wonderful secondary method of sharing the gospel is giving the person a gospel tract to read!
For those that believe relationship evangelism is the ONLY way to share the gospel, I would ask how many relationships have you started over the past month? How many have you then shared the gospel with?
When it isn’t possible to sit down and share with someone, I firmly believe the next best way to share the gospel with that person is via a gospel tract. You can then, in essence, share with them through the text later on (if they read it). Over the course of the past year, our family has handed tracts to hundred’s of people with whom we didn’t have time to build a relationship: at many stores (workers and customers), restaurants (to workers and people that were waiting to be served and even patrons at various tables!), the County Fair (we shared personally with hundred’s, but gave out Gospel tracts to thousands that we didn’t have time to build a relationship with), people on the street, people who were out exercising – many, many people! While we have desired to share more with each person, time was too limiting. Instead, we were able to give them a tract and encourage them to read it later.
When a delivery person was at our house the other day we only had a few minutes with him during the unloading process. Not enough time to build a relationship. However, I asked him if he had ever been given a million dollar bill – and he said once, a long time ago, for a promotion – but he didn’t have it anymore and would love another one. I asked him if he likes to read and he said he does. I then gave him a gospel of John (one of the best tracts available since it is strictly God’s Word!) with a million dollar bill in it. He sincerely thanked me, promised to read it, and put it in the bib pocket of his overalls.
Think of it this way… Did God only communicate to us in verbal form only? No. He also communicated to us in written form through His Word. Tracts are a great example of communicating with others through the written word.
Are Tracts Effective? YES!
It is definitely important that you find “good” tracts (ones that include a clear gospel message; we have liked some of the ones from www.LivingWaters.com – but, it is more important that you find ones you like than ones we like!)
A missionary we know that is currently serving the Lord overseas – when he was younger - repented of his sin and trusted Jesus after picking a soggy tract up off of a country road, bringing it home, drying it out, and then reading it. Curiosity is an incredible driving force in people!
Since December of last year (about the time I started this blog), I have given out between 1,000 and 2,000 gospel tracts. To date, I have not heard back from a single person that received a tract. Am I discouraged? NO! Seeds are being sown. I am not responsible for the sinner’s response; my responsibility is simply to share. (read Ezekiel 33:7-9 and see that God required the blood of the wicked at Ezekiel’s’ hand if he wouldn’t share)
If you doubt the effectiveness of tracts, I encourage you to download the MP3 titled “Miracle on George Street” and spend the next 10 minutes listening to it.
If your heart is soft you will be moved to tears. If you are not motivated to start passing out gospel tracts – then your heart is hard. Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, said, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that."
But, you say, I DO desire to see people saved – just not by handing out tracts. If you search your soul I believe the real reason you will find for not wanting to pass out gospel tracts is a fear of man. In Mark 8:38, Jesus said: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
The History of Gospel Tracts
Gospel tracts arrived soon after the invention of the printing press in the 1400’s. I haven’t been able to find out too much about their history, but did find an interesting article online that not only shares the History of Gospel Tracts, but also a number of amazing testimonies to their effectiveness. http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1994ii/Brown.html
Ways to Give Out Tracts
I’ve shared a number of ways that I use for giving out tracts already on the blog… Here are a few of the most common times I give out tracts:
- At stores/banks/restaurants
- When paying bills (I always include one or two in the envelope)
- With people that are waiting (whether in line, or sitting on a bench somewhere)
- To delivery people
One thing I try to be careful about is littering. I know a number of people who truly love the Lord and are seeking the lost recommend leaving tracts throughout buildings, on the floor, in restrooms, at payphones, etc. We have struggled with that issue ourselves, and can’t seem to get past the Scriptural commandment for us to obey authorities (Romans 13:1-2), and so I always try to hand a tract to a person – not leave one lying around in such a manner as would be considered littering. I do leave tracts with the tip if I eat at a restaurant, and I have left them on a person’s desk before, but I’m always careful to not litter. (once I left one on the windshield of a man’s truck at the grocery store, but I had just had a conversation with him)
I would also love to hear from any reader’s who are not currently passing out tracts. Why are you not? Are you willing to give them a try? Would you be willing to buy some?
I’d recommend you order pack of Million Dollar Bills, and the comic “Are You a Good Person”, or the plain text tract Are You Good Enough to Go To Heaven (which is VERY thorough), and then give the million dollar bills out with one of the more detailed tracts. It'll cost you about $25 for the tracts, but you will be equipped to share the gospel with about 200~300 people as a result. The weak link in the entire "chain" will be you (or me!) - are we willing to give these out and start conversations with people?
I use this blog as a personal journal, part of the goal being to encourage me when I'm discouraged in sharing with the lost. This post was primarily written to encourage and build up another. Anyone is free to report back and let us know how your, perhaps, first, tract distribution has gone...
Share with the lost!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
October's trip to the homeless shelter...
Today we (as a family - actually, the men in our family) went to the homeless shelter to help with the lunch chapel service. It is about a forty-five minute drive, and we arrived early so that we could setup for some music (we have some traditional "bluegrass" instruments that we use in sharing hymns).
The service is fairly traditional (starts with prayer, then some congregational hymns, followed by the special hymn that we shared, and then the message). I was able to preach today, and had a wonderful time. It was exciting in that the Lord impressed the message on my heart about a month ago. I love preparing messages when the Lord is flooding my heart with His message. Truthfully, there is no such thing as "message preparation" when the Lord isn't speaking to one's heart!
It is always amazing to seek to balance the Lord's love with His justice while sharing with the men. So many hard hearts, and so much pride - and yet there are so many wounded and hurting souls. My prayer is that I will never get in the way of what the Lord would want to accomplish.
After the service I had an opportunity to talk with some of the men (sometimes it is very hard to find men that will open up and share). The first ones I talked with were actually missionaries from foreign countries that were in our town for a missions conference. One man was from Papua New Guinea (and is serving as a missionary to the Solomon Islands), the other was from Colombia. They had a young man with them who was hosting them here in the States, and as he volunteers at the homeless shelter, and their missions conference didn't start until this evening, they came to see what the homeless shelter was like. I had a wonderful time fellowshipping with them.
However, our goal in being there is to share with the lost, so after a wonderful few minutes we brought the conversation to a close and I moved on, looking for those that were open. I talked with one gentleman for a few minutes, but then he got up to join the food line.
As the men were eating I tried to start a conversation with one table, and while doing so a gentleman at the next table over called me over with a question about what we were talking about. I spent the rest of the time talking with this man (Steve) - who turned out to be a believer who was excited about his walk with the Lord, and is learning and growing every day. He spends most of his time reading God's Word - and is at the homeless shelter while he awaits surgery and medical treatment for several conditions that he has. We talked about his testimony (how he met the Lord), the importance of staying in the Word on a daily basis, along with where he was currently reading and what the Lord was showing him. We had a nice time of fellowship and sharing, and then it was time to leave.
I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to share one-on-one with a lost person that was seeking the Lord, but I was able to share with the entire group (about 50-60 men) during the service. Praise the Lord for His grace during the message - and may the Spirit be moving in hearts...
The service is fairly traditional (starts with prayer, then some congregational hymns, followed by the special hymn that we shared, and then the message). I was able to preach today, and had a wonderful time. It was exciting in that the Lord impressed the message on my heart about a month ago. I love preparing messages when the Lord is flooding my heart with His message. Truthfully, there is no such thing as "message preparation" when the Lord isn't speaking to one's heart!
It is always amazing to seek to balance the Lord's love with His justice while sharing with the men. So many hard hearts, and so much pride - and yet there are so many wounded and hurting souls. My prayer is that I will never get in the way of what the Lord would want to accomplish.
After the service I had an opportunity to talk with some of the men (sometimes it is very hard to find men that will open up and share). The first ones I talked with were actually missionaries from foreign countries that were in our town for a missions conference. One man was from Papua New Guinea (and is serving as a missionary to the Solomon Islands), the other was from Colombia. They had a young man with them who was hosting them here in the States, and as he volunteers at the homeless shelter, and their missions conference didn't start until this evening, they came to see what the homeless shelter was like. I had a wonderful time fellowshipping with them.
However, our goal in being there is to share with the lost, so after a wonderful few minutes we brought the conversation to a close and I moved on, looking for those that were open. I talked with one gentleman for a few minutes, but then he got up to join the food line.
As the men were eating I tried to start a conversation with one table, and while doing so a gentleman at the next table over called me over with a question about what we were talking about. I spent the rest of the time talking with this man (Steve) - who turned out to be a believer who was excited about his walk with the Lord, and is learning and growing every day. He spends most of his time reading God's Word - and is at the homeless shelter while he awaits surgery and medical treatment for several conditions that he has. We talked about his testimony (how he met the Lord), the importance of staying in the Word on a daily basis, along with where he was currently reading and what the Lord was showing him. We had a nice time of fellowship and sharing, and then it was time to leave.
I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to share one-on-one with a lost person that was seeking the Lord, but I was able to share with the entire group (about 50-60 men) during the service. Praise the Lord for His grace during the message - and may the Spirit be moving in hearts...
An update...
It seems like it has been forever since I posted. However, the purpose of my blog is not the usual purpose that people have when they blog. My goal in creating this blog was primarily that it would serve as a journal for me – a journal that is a testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ! A journal that would be a source of encouragement when I was discouraged about sharing the Lord with the lost. As such, I haven’t had time to make postings over the past few weeks.
Personally, I was on the road for a month-long ministry trip. I had opportunities to share the gospel through speaking with many, and was even able to speak on the subject of evangelism a number of times. I was able to pass out quite a few tracts. I wish I had come back with many stories about personal witnessing encounters, but I don’t have many stories. I do feel I missed some opportunities to share the gospel – and I have been repenting before the Lord of that.
I have compiled an article about the effectiveness of gospel tracts (primarily in response to Meg’s questions) and am hoping to post it soon. I need to find a way to upload an MP3 file that will accompany the article.
We (as a family, and me, personally) have been unbelievably busy as of late. Not only on the trip (where, in addition to the ministry opportunities and conferences I was at, I was also working every spare moment for my regular vocation). Whenever we return from a trip there is always a lot of projects to catch up on… However, the Lord gives grace, and enables us to accomplish what He would have us to accomplish.
We did go to the homeless shelter for a service today – I’ll post about that bedtime…
Personally, I was on the road for a month-long ministry trip. I had opportunities to share the gospel through speaking with many, and was even able to speak on the subject of evangelism a number of times. I was able to pass out quite a few tracts. I wish I had come back with many stories about personal witnessing encounters, but I don’t have many stories. I do feel I missed some opportunities to share the gospel – and I have been repenting before the Lord of that.
I have compiled an article about the effectiveness of gospel tracts (primarily in response to Meg’s questions) and am hoping to post it soon. I need to find a way to upload an MP3 file that will accompany the article.
We (as a family, and me, personally) have been unbelievably busy as of late. Not only on the trip (where, in addition to the ministry opportunities and conferences I was at, I was also working every spare moment for my regular vocation). Whenever we return from a trip there is always a lot of projects to catch up on… However, the Lord gives grace, and enables us to accomplish what He would have us to accomplish.
We did go to the homeless shelter for a service today – I’ll post about that bedtime…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)