Witnessing, cf. Evangelism

Laypople Witnessing

A few years ago it was estimated to require one thousand laypersons and six ministers one year to lead one person to Christ. It was also estimated that 95 percent of the Christians today never lead a soul to Christ. This is the reversal of Jesus’ strategy of New Testament evangelism. These trends must change if our world is to be reached, and evidences are that they are changing.

It is encouraging to read what George Barna’s research has shown. “Interpersonal evangelism is alive and evident. During the past year, more than 60 million adults (one-third of the adult population) claim to have shared their religious beliefs in hope that the recipient might accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior. The people who share their faith with nonbelievers do so often. On average, lay evangelists share with one person every month.”

The hope of reaching our world with the gospel is to harness the tremendous resources available to the church. Every church has an army of laypeople with a potential witnessing power to penetrate its community.

Darrell W. Robinson, Total Church Life, (Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville; 1997), pp. 174-175

Getting the Message Across Clearly

Cardiff, Wales. When a juror coughed, defendant Alan Rashid had a right to feel sick.

The cough came just as the jury foreman announced a verdict of “not guilty” in Rashid’s trial on a charge of threatening homicide.

The cough coincided with “not,” Judge Michael Gibbon only heard “guilty,” and Rashid was sentenced to two years in prison.

As the jury left the court Thursday, one inquisitive member of the panel asked an usher why Rashid was going to jail after being found innocent. So the jurors were herded back into court.

“It was a very bizarre situation, and I’ve never heard of it happening before,” said Nicholas Williamson, the court manager.

Rashid was brought back to court, the jury confirmed its verdict of “not guilty,” and Gibbon told the defendant he was free to go.

“I am very relieved, as you would imagine,” Rashid said.

Spokesman-Review, April 18, 1999

You Hypocrites!

Some time ago an 18-year-old girl from Washington state attended a worship service. For the first time in her life she heard a gospel sermon. The following Tuesday the pastor of the church received a letter from her. It read:

Dear Pastor:

Last Sunday I attended your church, and I heard you preach. In your sermon you said that all men have sinned and rebelled against God. Because of their rebellion and disobedience they all face eternal damnation and separation from God.

But then you also said God loved men and sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to redeem men from their sins and that all those who believe in him would go to heaven and live with God eternally.

My parents recently died in rapid succession. I know they did not believe in Jesus Christ, whom you call the Savior of the world. If what you preach is true, they are damned.

You compel me to believe that either the message is true, or that you yourself don’t believe this message, or that you don’t care. We live only three blocks from your church, and no one ever told us. You hypocrites!

Signed:______________

Could your pastor or your church ever receive such a letter from a neighbor who lives nearby? It’s not likely if you’re seriously praying for them. Churches that pray earnestly and specifically for neighbors always seem to find a way to touch their lives.

PowerHouse, Vol. 5, No. 3

Evangelistic Activities in Acts

Greek Term	Lexical Meaning	Scripture References
anaggello	report, announce	Acts 14:27; 15:4; 20:20, 27
anapeitho	persuade	18:13
anoigo	open	26:18
apaggello	proclaim, report	26:20
apodidomi	give out	4:33
apokrinomai	answer	3:12
apologeomai	defend oneself	25:8; 26:1
apologia	defense	22:1
apophtheggomai	declare boldly	2:14; 26:25
diakatelegchomai	defeat, refute	18:28
dialegomai	discuss	17:2, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8, 9; 20:7; 24:25
diamarturomai	warn	2:40; 8:25; 10:42; 18:5; 20:21, 24; 23:11; 28:23
dianoigo	explain	17:3
diapher	spread a teaching	13:49
didasko	teach	11:26; 15:35; 18:11, 25; 20:20; 21:21, 28; 28:31
didacha	teaching	13:12
ekdiageomai	tell in detail	15:3
ektithami	explain, set forth	18:26; 28:23
exageomai	explain, interpret	15:12
epistarizo	strengthen	14:22; 15:32, 41; 18:23
euaggelizo	preach the gospel	5:42; 8:4, 12, 25, 35, 40; 11:20; 13:32; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:18
zatasis	debate	15:2
kataggeleus	proclaimer	17:18
kataggello	proclaim	4:2; 13:5; 15:36; 16:17; 17:3, 13
karusso	preach, announce	8:5; 9:20; 10:42; 19:13; 20:25; 28:31
laleo	speak	2:11; 4:1, 20, 29, 31; 5:20, 40; 8:25; 9:29; 11:19; 16:6, 13; 17:19; 18:9, 25; 26:26
leitourgeo	render service to God	13:2
martureo	bear witness, testify	23:11
marturomai	testify	20:26; 26:22
martus	witness	2:32, 3:15; 5:32; 10:39; 26:16
noutheteo	warn	20:31
hodageo	lead, guide, instruct	8:31
homileo	talk	24:26
parakaleo	appeal to	2:40; 11:23; 14:22;:32; 16:40; 20:1
paraklasis	exhortation	13:15
parrasiazomai	speak fearlessly	9:27, 28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26
peitho	convince	13:43; 17:4; 18:4; 19:8, 16; 28:23
proskartereo	be busily engaged in	2:42; 6:4
proslaleo	speak to	13:43
stasis	dispute, argument	15:2
stereoo	make strong, make firm	16:5
sugcheo	confound	9:22
suzateo	dispute, debate, argue	6:9; 9:29
sumballo	converse	17:18; 18:27
sumbibazo	prove, offer proof	9:22
sunecho	absorbed in	18:5
huparetas	servant, helper	26:16
phtheggomai	call out loudly	4:18

Carl B. Hoch, Jr., All Things New, (Baker Books, Grand Rapids; 1995), pp. 228-231

Measuring Faith Attitudes

Experiencing a life-changing faith, having a close relationship with God and desiring to please God above all else are strong earmarks of belief for born-again Christians, according to a recent poll comparing America’s religious attitudes.

In a nationwide survey, 1,210 adults were asked...(those responding yes)

Survey Questions	Born-again Christians	Others
Is your faith very important to your life?	99%	78%
Do you desire a close personal relationship with God?	94%	44%
Is it more important to please God than to achieve success the acceptance of others?	91%	68%
Does prayer really make a difference in your life?	73%	43%
Do you have a responsibility to share your faith with others?	68%	29%

Margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent

Source: Barna Research Group, by Monica Seaberry and Mike Paquette, 1998 Religion News Service, quoted in Moody, July/August, 1998, p. 37

Ethics for Witnessing

Ethics for Witnessing

When believers present the message of Christ, we need to be like Paul, absolutely above board in our motives and manners (2 Corinthians 4:2). We need to respect our hearers and refuse to do anything that would violate their integrity. Otherwise we become like a cult, peddling spiritual goods (2:17).

Here are some suggestions (from material distributed by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to guide Christians in their witness:

1. We are Christians, called by God to honor Jesus Christ with our lives, abiding by biblically defined ethical standards in every area of life, public and private. This includes our efforts to persuade coworkers and others to believe the good news about Jesus Christ.

2. Wherever we live and work, we seek to follow the mandate, motives, message, and model of Jesus, who still pursues and reclaims those lost in sin and rebelling against Him.

3. We believe all people are created in God’s image with the capacity to relate to their Creator and Redeemer. We disdain any effort to influence people which depersonalizes them or deprives them of their inherent value as persons.

4. Since we respect the value of persons, we believe all are worthy of hearing about Jesus Christ. We also affirm the right of every person to survey other religious options. People are free to choose a different belief system than Christianity.

5. We affirm the role and right of Christians to share the gospel of Christ in the marketplace of ideas. However, this does not justify any means to fulfill that end. We reject coercive techniques or manipulative appeals, especially those that play on emotions and discount or contradict reason or evidence We will not bypass a person’s critical faculties, prey upon psychological weaknesses, undermine a relationship with one’s family or religious institution, or mask the true nature of Christian conversion. We will not intentionally mislead.

6. We respect the individual integrity, intellectual honesty, and academic freedom of others, both believers and skeptics, and so we proclaim Christ without hidden agendas. We reveal our own identity, purpose, theological positions, and sources of information. We will use no false advertising and seek no material gain from presenting the gospel.

7. We invite people of other religious persuasions to join us in true dialogue. We acknowledge our humanness—that we Christians are just as sinful, needy, and dependent on the grace of God as anyone else. We seek to listen sensitively in order to understand, and thus rid our witness of any stereotypes or fixed formulae which block honest communication.

8. As our “brothers’ keepers,” we accept our responsibility to admonish any Christian brother or sister who presents the message of Christ in a way that violates these ethical guidelines.

The Word in Life Study Bible, New Testament Edition, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville; 1993), pp. 622-623

How Paul Witnessed

As a Christian, do you know how to communicate the message of Christ to the different audiences you encounter? Or do you use the same old formula time after time, no matter who is listening? For that matter, do you remain silent when you have the opportunity to speak up for Christ, because you simply don’t know what to say?

Paul had no prepackaged gospel message. He varied his approach with the situation. He was as aware of the differences between his audiences as he was of the content of his faith. Acts records numerous encounters, among them:

(1) Jews in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:14-43).

• Paul reviewed the history of the Jewish faith, summarizing it from the Old Testament (vv. 17-22).
• He told how that history led to Jesus (vv. 23-37).
• He pointed out his audience’s need to accept Jesus as their Messiah (vv. 38-41).
• He responded to their resistance by clearly explaining the alternative (vv. 46-48).

Result:

• Many chose to follow the way of Christ (v. 43).
• Others reacted negatively and opposed Paul (v. 45).
• Troublemakers incited city leaders to persecute Paul and his companions (v. 50).

(2) Intellectuals at Athens (17:16-33).

• Paul prepared by observing and reflecting on their culture (v. 16).
• He addressed them on their own turf, the Areopagus (vv. 19, 22).
• He established common ground, beginning with what was familiar and meaningful to them (vv. 22-23a, 28).
• He bridged to a description of God as the Creator and sustainer of life, distinguishing Him from the pagan idols that the Athenians worshiped (vv. 23b-29).
• He challenged them to repentance and appealed to the resurrection of Christ as proof that what he was telling them was true (vv. 30-31).

Result:

• Some mocked (v. 32).
• Some wanted to hear more (v. 32).
• Some believed (vv. 34-35).

(3) An angry mob in Jerusalem (21:27-22:21).

• Paul built a bridge by reminding them of his own Jewish heritage (21:30).
• He reminded them that he, too, had once detested Jesus’ followers; in fact, he had persecuted them (22:4-5).
• He explained the process by which he had changed his mind and joined a movement that he once opposed (vv. 6-17).

Result:

• Already at fever pitch (21:27-30), the crowd erupted violently, demanding Paul’s death (22:22-23).

(4) High officials in a Roman court (26:1-32).

• Paul described his religious heritage (vv. 4-5).
• He related his view of his opponents’ charges against him (vv. 6-8).
• He recalled his previous opposition to Jesus’ followers (vv. 9-11).
• He recounted his own life-changing encounter with Christ (vv. 12-19).
• He explained the fundamentals of Jesus’ message and the implications for his non-Jewish listeners (vv. 20-23).

Result:

• The rulers listened carefully (vv. 24, 31-32).
• They challenged his application of the gospel to them (vv. 24, 28).
• They passed him on in the Roman judicial process, thereby foiling a Jewish plot against him (vv. 31-21).

The gospel itself is forever the same, but as Christ’s followers we are called to shape our message to fit our various audiences. How do your coworkers and friends differ from each other? What effect should that have on your life and message for them? What aspects of the good news would they most likely respond to? Do you know how they view faith? Why not ask them—before you speak?

Source unknown

How Jesus Interacted With People

Does evangelism make you nervous? If so, it will help to study carefully how Jesus interacted with people. Whom did He meet? How did He connect with them? Where did the encounters take place? Who initiated contact? What happened in the conversation?

Like Jesus’ original followers, believers today are sent into the world to be His witnesses (v. 48 [Luke 24]; compare Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). We can learn much about how to handle that assignment by asking questions of the four narratives of Jesus’ life—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They include more than 40 meetings between Jesus and various individuals.

Who started the conversation?

In nine cases, Jesus initiated the conversations. Examples:

• a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-42)
• a crippled beggar (John 5:1-15)

In 25 instances, it was the other party who started the discussion. Jesus responded to other people’s inquiries. Examples:

• a rich young ruler (Matt. 19:16-30)
• a demoniac (Mark 5:1-20)
• Jairus, a synagogue ruler (Mark 5:21-43)
• a hemorrhaging woman (Mark 5:24-34)

Other conversations were triggered by third parties. Examples:

• tax collectors and other “sinners,” invited to a party by Matthew (Matt. 9:9-13)
• Herod, introduced by Pilate (Luke 23:6-16)
• Nathaniel, invited by Philip (John 1:45-51)
• an adulterous woman brought by the scribes (John 8:1-11)

Where did the conversation take place?

The majority of Jesus’ interactions occurred in the workplace. Examples:

• with James and John (Matt. 4:21-22)
• with a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-42)
• with a lame man (John 5:1-15)

Many took place in homes. Examples:

• at Peter’s house with his mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31)
• with a Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark u:24-30)
• at Zacchaeus’ house (Luke 19:1-10)

Few were in religious settings. Instead, Jesus talked with people about spiritual issues where they were most familiar. He did not need a special environment or control over the circumstances to discuss things of eternal significance.

What was discussed?

Jesus asked questions in more than half of the conversations He had. This is similar to God’s first response to the first sinners in history, when He asked four questions of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:9, 11, 13). Examples:

• an adulterous woman (John 8:1-11)
• the scribes (Luke 5:17-26)
• His mother and brothers (Matt. 12:46-50)
• the Pharisees (Luke 6:6-11)

He connected with people’s thoughts and feelings. He understood that new ideas need to be connected with existing frames of reference if they are to last. He seldom pressed for “closure” or a decision. Instead, He understood that time is required for ideas to simmer and for people to own them before they act on them.

What can we learn from Jesus’ example?

• Jesus knew how to take initiative.
• Jesus responded to the initiatives of others.
• Jesus left room in his schedule for interruptions by friends and others enlisting his help.
• Jesus usually met people on their own turf.
• Jesus was interested in establishing common ground with others.

Witnessing is a science, an art, and a mystery. It involves connecting your faith with people’s experience in a way that they can understand it, in their own time and manner. It means cooperating with whatever God’s Spirit may be doing with them and leaving the results to Him.

The Word in Life Study Bible, New Testament Edition, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville; 1993), pp. 318-319

Tips for Sharing Your Faith With Your Family

Take advantage of the spiritual foundations of the holidays to witness to unbelieving family members.

Principle	Example	Scripture
Remember that it is God who changes the hearts and wills of people.	Regrettably, we want to see them come to Christ so much that we sometimes push and manipulate.	I Cor. 3:-6-7
Pray urgently, desperately.	Have friends pray for your unsaved loved ones, too.	Phil. 4:6
Preserve the relationship.	If there are relationship problems, be quick to reconcile.	Heb. 13:1
Develop a loving boldness.	You may want to say, “I wouldn’t be fair to you or our relationship if I didn’t share the most important thing in my life.”	II Tim. l:7
Ask thought-provoking questions about life:“Who is God to you?” “Do you ever think about death, and where would you go after you die?” “What brings you happiness in life?”	“What does Christmas mean to you?”	John 4:1-30
Recount what God is doing in your life.	You may not want to share what you learned in your quiet time, but perhaps of God’s hand in your decision-making.	Psalm 118:17
Check your methods and motives when debating spiritual things.	Are you trying to be right or righteous?	Prov. 11:2
Give nonbelievers a reason to be curious about Christ.	How do you view Christ yourself? Do you portray Christianity as a relationship or a lot of rules to follow?	Phil. 2
Love and live well.	Love them as God loves them.	Rom. 5:8

The Promise Keeper, Nov./Dec., 1998, p. 2

Doubling Each Square

A few years ago, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago had a fascinating display. It showed a checkerboard with 1 grain of wheat on the first square, 2 on the second, 4 on the third, then 8, 16, 32, 64, and so on until they could no longer fit the seeds on the square. Then it asked the question, “At this rate of doubling each successive square, how much would you have on the checkerboard by the 64th square?”

You could punch a button at the bottom of the display to find out. The answer? “Nine sextillion—enough grain to cover the entire subcontinent of India 50 feet deep.” Incredible!

Our Daily Bread, September 14, 1998

You Forgot My Soul

You lived next door to me for years;
We shared our dreams, our joys, our tears.
A friend to me you were indeed,
A friend who helped me in my need.

My faith in you was strong and sure;
We had such trust as should endure.
No spats between us e’er arose;
Our friends were like—and so, our foes.

What sadness then, my friend, to find
That, after all, you weren’t so kind.
The day my life on earth did end,
I found you weren’t a faithful friend.

For all those years we spent on earth
You never talked of second birth.
You never spoke of my lost soul
And of the Christ who’d make me whole.

I plead today from Hell’s cruel fire
And tell you now my last desire.
You cannot do a thing for me;
No words today my bonds to free.

But do not err, my friend, again—
Do all you can for souls of men.
Please with them now quite earnestly,
Lest they be cast in Hell with me.

Reprinted from Christian News

Harper’s Last Convert

Let me take you back in time; the date is Wednesday, April 10, 1912, and the world watches in awe as the glamorous Titanic begins her maiden voyage. But, little did the world know that the greatest ship man ever made would be on the bottom of the Atlantic ocean only four days later.

And on that ship, in the second-class section, was a man named John Harper who was coming to America to preach here at Moody Church.

I first heard the phenomenal story of John Harper, many years ago while growing up in Canada. My brother showed me a one-page tract titled I was Harper’s Last Convert. It was the story, told by a man, who floated next to Harper briefly in the icy waters of the Atlantic.

If you had been with John Harper on the Titanic that fateful night you would have felt a tremendous jolt when the mighty ship collided with an iceberg on the starboard side of her bow. You would have heard the hull plates buckle as an iceberg tore a 300-foot long gash in the side of the ship.

And you may have even heard the panic in the Captain’s voice when he knew his ship was sinking, and he only had enough lifeboats for half of the passengers....

The Captain also knew he had to keep order among the 2,227 people on board. So he asked John Harper to remain on deck and keep peace among the passengers.

If you had been on deck you would have seen families torn apart. Husbands saying goodbye as they watched their wives and children leave on lifeboats. Wives deciding to stay on board to die with their husbands. Children waving goodbye to their parents—and praying that they would see each other again.

And you would have seen John Harper kiss his six-year-old daughter, Nana, goodbye and put her safely in a lifeboat.

As the minutes crept by, and all of the lifeboats were gone, 1,521 people were left on board the sinking ship—including Harper.

With every minute that passed the deck became steeper as the bow plunged under the water. Finally the ship broke in two, hurling the remaining passengers into the icy depths of the Atlantic.

It is said the ships lights blinked once, then went out, leaving people to freeze to death in the darkness of the Atlantic.

And the few hundred people that were safe in lifeboats could see their husbands, fathers, and many other families as they were shrieking in terror and thrashing in the water trying to gasp for breath.

But, during this horrific tragedy God was at work.

You see, Harper wasn’t afraid to die; he knew that he was going to come face to face with his Maker. And he wanted other people to know his Lord and Savior.

So with death lurking over him, Harper yelled to a man in the darkness, “Are you saved?”

“No,” replied the man.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved!” Harper screamed as he struggled in the dark, cold, Atlantic.

Then the men drifted apart into the darkness. But later the current brought them back together. Weak, exhausted, and frozen, a dying Harper yelled once more, “Are you saved?”

“No!”

Harper repeated once again, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved.” And with that, Harper slipped down into his watery grave.

The man whom Harper sought to win to Christ was rescued by the S.S. Carpathia. Because of Harper, he dedicated his life to Jesus Christ right there, two miles above the floor of the ocean, and lived to tell people that he was Harper’s Last Convert.

It makes me wonder, how many other dying people did Harper convert before he drowned? Harper sacrificed his own life so he could share the plan of salvation with the dying. He was a man who lived and died by his immense faith in Jesus Christ.

There are so many things that come to mind when people speak about the great loss of human life on the Titanic. Some may even ask could it have been avoided?

What if the owner hadn’t determined to surprise America by arriving a night early? Or if the Captain hadn’t cut the corner on an area of ocean they knew had been dangerous before? Or simply, what if the lookout’s binoculars hadn’t been missing from the crow’s nest?

If only one of these things had not been the case, the Titanic might have been the very definition of luxury, romance, and fortitude.

But those things did happen. I like to ask, what if John Harper hadn’t been on board traveling to Moody Church? How many people would have died not knowing that they could be eternally saved?

Erwin Lutzer, The Moody Church Radio Ministries monthly letter, June, 1998

Sharing Christ as the Plane Was Crashing

You may remember the recent incident in which an Ethiopian Airlines flight was hijacked and crashed into the ocean off the Comoro Islands after running out of fuel. The dramatic moment of impact was caught on home video and broadcast around the world. Only later did we learn of something even more dramatic happening in the cabin as the plane headed for disaster.

A man named Andrew Meekens stood up and tried to calm the passengers, sharing his faith in Christ and presenting the gospel. Just moments before the plane hit the water, some twenty people responded to his invitation to receive Christ. A surviving flight attendant had to tell the story, because Andrew Meekens died in the crash.

Today in the Word, February, 1998, p. 33

Will You Be a Conduit for the King’s Message

On January 21, 1930, the name of Harold Vidian became synonymous with heroism. On that day, England’s King George V was scheduled to give the opening address at the London Arms Conference. The king’s message was to be sent by radio all around the world.

Donald McCullough, in his book The Trivialization of God (NavPress, 1995), tells us that a few minutes before the king was to speak, a member of the CBS staff tripped over an electrical wire and broke it, cutting off the whole American audience. With no hesitation, chief control operator Harold Vidian grasped one end of the broken wire in his right hand and the other in his left, thus restoring the circuit. Electricity surged through his body. Ignoring the pain, Vidian held on until the king had finished his address.

I see in this a challenge for Christians. The message of the King of kings must go to the whole world. But only as we allow God’s power to pass through us can the Lord’s saving gospel be transmitted. Paul wrote, “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” (Rom. 10:14). If we are willing to serve as conduits, regardless of the cost to us, the good news will be proclaimed around the world.

Will you be a conduit for the King’s message? -VCG

Our Daily Bread, November 21, 1997

What Are the Big Questions?

Ask, “What are the ‘big questions’ for which you are seeking answers?” (Dialogue about the person’s questions. One or all of the following questions will usually surface. As you dialogue, write down the one word that summarizes the question. Do not attempt to answer the questions until you have written the word for each of them.)

1. Origin: “Where did I come from? Did I just happen or was I an intentional creation?”

2. Purpose: “Why am I here? What am I here for?”

3. Values: “How should I live today? What is right and wrong?” Many are frustrated by the complexities of life. For them, the rules they were taught as children no longer seem to apply.

4. Destiny: “Where am I going after death?”

Origin: “Where Did I Come From?”

Start with origin. You may say, “The answer to this question will determine the way we answer the other questions on the list. There are two possible answers to the question of origin. First, that all intelligent life came through chance mutation. Nothing plus infinite time plus chance equals everything. That option has never been totally convincing to me, but what other options do we have?

“There is really only one other option. Behind it all there exists an intelligent creative Being or Force who started the process and has continued to guide it with some ultimate purpose in mind.” (You will notice that the name for God has not been used nor has any process of creation been mentioned. At this point, we are simply laying the foundation. Give the person with whom you are sharing opportunity to respond.)

Purpose: “Why Am I Here?”

After you have agreed on this basic truth, you are ready to move to a second but related question—our purpose for existing. You may say, “If we can agree that a creator exists, then you are a created being. The purpose for any created being or thing can only be determined by the creator who designed the creation.”

The person may ask, “How do I know that purpose?” (If the question is not asked, you may surface it.)

Share from your own experience. “If you like, I can tell you how I know and what that purpose is for my life.” (Give an opportunity for response.) “I find my answer for the purpose question in the Bible. I was created in the image of my Creator so I could know Him in personal intimacy. He created me so that I could live in relationship with other persons and to exercise good stewardship over all the rest of creation.”

Values: How Should I Live?”

Continue the discussion by saying, “Now, we are ready to answer the question about values. There are three possible answers to this question. One, we could allow each person to determine his or her own values and laws.” (Give an opportunity for response.)

“The second option is that we could have a popular vote and determine the law by a simple majority rule. There is a down side to this system of determining laws. To illustrate, passengers on an airplane could take a vote that it would be best for everyone to throw another passenger out of the plane. But, of course, this decision would violate the rights of the person thrown out of the plane.” (Give opportunity for response.)

“The third option is that the Creator designed a world in which certain physical laws, such as the law of gravity would govern the world, and certain moral and spiritual laws would govern our relationships within that world. If God created an orderly physical world, does it not make sense to you that He would ensure that there was also moral order?” (Give opportunity for response.)

“Here again I find these laws and values in the Bible. The Ten Commandments cover all the basic areas of our two fundamental relationships—our relationship with God and with our fellowman. These very commandments are the foundation for the legal system of our country. God Himself is the only one who has the right or ability to determine how we should live.”

Destiny: “Where Am I Going after I Die?”

You may continue to dialogue by saying, “This leaves us with one more question: “Where are you going? This is one of the most critical questions that we will ever answer because all of us will one day face death. There are three possible answers.

“One, life is all there is and when we die, we return to dust and cease to exist.

“Two is the circular view of history where everything that exists is part of the oneness of the universe which is itself eternal. You may be reborn in several different lifetimes or even life forms.

“Perhaps, if you are good, you will be born into a higher or more glorious body. But what if you’re not?” (Give time for response.)

“The evidence we see around us indicates that people do evil things. If we also take into account the bad thoughts and motives as well as the good things we fail to do, we might realistically look at ourselves. But let’s assume the best: that you advance to the next level when you die. Once you have reached your final stage of human existence, what then? The end result of successive positive reincarnations is said to be this blissful union with the one, the divine force, which is described as ‘nirvana,’ a mindless and person-less existence. This idea is not far from dying, returning to dust, and ceasing to exist.

“There is a third alternative. It is the natural conclusion to all we have talked about. You were created in the image of God so that you might know Him and serve His purpose now and for all eternity. Your Creator is eternal by His very nature and thus He alone can give eternal life. He has made you so that you can live eternally with Him. Would you like to know how you can do that?”

Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pp. 237-240

Level of Spiritual Development	Characteristic	Witnessing Tactic
Ignorance	Uninformed	Pray, instruct, nurture
Indifference	Unconcerned	Share, Confront with the claims of Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir.
Hostility	Bitter, angry	Love, listen, share Jesus. Continue with patience.
Conviction	Heavy hearted, Miserable	Call attention to work of Holy Spirit. Guide through the steps in coming to Christ.
Conversion	Ready	Guide through the conversion experience. Instruct in how to follow Christ.
Growing	Already a Christian. Following Christ	Share in fellowship. Encourage to witness. Pray together for lost acquaintances.
Spiritual Declining	Discouraged, defeated, Overcome by sin	Show patience, love, listen, encourage. Help reinvolve the person in following Christ. Help bridge the gap.

Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), p. 109

Fear to Witness

Fear says, “How will I be received? I may not know what to say. I may make a mistake, I may drive them away. I may foul up.” The one word used most in these fear-rooted statements is “I.” Fear is centered in self. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that pride is at the root of fear. There is no fear in love. You are not afraid of a person you love. When you love Jesus and people, you will do your best to lead them to Him.

“I don’t want to get involved with people anymore. Every time I do, I get hurt,” some will say. Indeed, involvement with people sometimes brings pain, but who do we think we are to be exempt from pain? The Lord we profess to follow became totally involved with people to the extent that it killed Him! The servant is not greater than his Master. If we follow Him, we will risk being hurt to share Him and glorify Him.

Never forget that those without Christ are in a desperate situation, regardless of how comfortable or prosperous they may appear on the outside. People usually can’t extricate themselves from desperate situations. They need help. They need someone to intervene. Without the loving intervention of someone, the situation is unlikely to change.

Intervention is necessary to reach others for Christ. Unless a Christian cares enough to take a chance in sharing the Gospel of Christ, the lost will likely die without hope, separated from God. There is always risk involved when you share Jesus. But agape love and trust in the Holy Spirit will enable the Christian to exercise the intervention of personal witnessing.

I’ll never forget what an emergency nurse told me one day: “I want to thank you for teaching me how to share Jesus. Reaching those who don’t know Christ reminds me of doing CPR in the emergency room. My ER training tells me that when they bring in a patient who’s not breathing and whose heart isn’t beating, Do something! Even if you don’t know what to do. Do something! If you don’t, they’re gone.”

Even when we’re not sure of what to do, we must trust the Holy Spirit and love enough to intervene. Sharing Christ is vital to those around us.

Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pp. 86-87

A Plea for Fishing

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

Week after week, month after month, and year after year, these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing is always to be a primary task of fishermen.

Continually, they searched for new and better methods of fishing and for new and better definitions of fishing. Further they said, “The fishing industry exists by fishing as fire exists by burning.” They loved slogans such as “Fishing is the task of every fisherman.” They sponsored special meetings called “Fishermen’s Campaigns” and “The Month for Fishermen to Fish.” They sponsored costly nationwide and world-wide congresses to discuss fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing such as the new fishing equipment, fish calls, and whether any new bait had been discovered.

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters.” The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn’t do, however: They didn’t fish.

In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out fishermen to other places where there were many fish. The board hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the staff and committee members did not fish.

Large, elaborate, and expensive training centers were built whose original and primary purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish. Over the years courses were offered on the needs of fish, the nature of fish, where to find fish, the psychological reactions of fish, and how to approach and feed fish. Those who taught had doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing. Year after year, after tedious training, many were graduated and were given fishing licenses. They were sent to do full-time fishing, some to distant waters which were filled with fish.

Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded. They were commissioned and sent to fish. But like the fishermen back home, they never fished. Like the fishermen back home, they engaged in all kinds of other occupations. They built power plants to pump water for fish and tractors to plow new waterways. They made all kinds of equipment to travel here and there to look at fish hatcheries. Some also said that they wanted to be part of the fishing party, but they felt called to furnish fishing equipment. Others felt their job was to relate to the fish in a good way so the fish would know the difference between good and bad fishermen. Others felt that simply letting the fish know they were nice, land-loving neighbors and how loving and kind they were was enough.

After one stirring meeting on “The Necessity for Fishing,” one young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported that he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it. So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience to the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fishermen’s General Board as a person having considerable experience.

Now it’s true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen’s clubs and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never fished. They wondered about those who felt it was of little use to attend the weekly meetings to talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men?”

Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who don’t catch fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman if, year after year, he never catches a fish? Is one following if he isn’t fishing?

Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pp. 21-23

Loving Jesus and People

I came to realize that to love Jesus and to love people mean we will do our best to bring the two together. To reduce it to the simplest terms, loving Jesus and loving people is what Christianity and the church are all about. I came to understand that unless I genuinely care about the person with whom I am sharing, my witness will lack compassion and sincerity. Also, unless I study the Word of God, my witness will lack content. The caring witness sharing the message of the Word of God gives the balance needed to reach people.

Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publ., 1995), p. xx

Why Evangelize?

1. Because of the command of Christ: Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15 (cf. John 14:15).

2. Because of the condition of all men: Matthew 9:36-38; 14:49-50; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; I Peter 4:17-28; Jude 23; Revelation 20:15.

3. Because of the consequences of the gospel: Matthew 7:13; 14: 49-50; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; I Peter 4:17-18; Jude 23; Revelation 20:15.

4. Because of the coming of Christ: I Corinthians 15:58; II Corinthians 5:10-11; I Thessalonians 2:19-20.

5. Because of the constraint of love: II Corinthians 5:14 (cf. Paul’s example in Romans 9:1-3; 10- 1).

6. Because of the character of the gospel: It is the only thing that works! Acts 4:12; Romans 1:14-16

7. Because of the commitment of the message to us: I Corinthians 9:16-23; II Corinthians 5:18-20; I Thessalonians 2:4-8; I Timothy 1:11-16.

Application:

1. Isolation: avoiding all association and contact with unbelievers for fear of contamination.

2. Compromise: adapting to secular culture to the point of sinful practices and questionable behavior.

3. Separation: approaching unbelievers within their cultural framework, but maintaining moral purity (cf. II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; I Corinthians 5:9-11; 9:19-22).

The Biola Hour Guidelines, What We Believe, by David L. Hocking, (La Mirada, CA: Biola Univ., 1982), pp. 10-11

I Think You Are a Generous Fellow

Jerry Bridges illustrated how gracious a person can be when his words are controlled by Christ. In his book The Pursuit of Holiness, Bridges wrote,

“Henry Clay Trumbull was, among other things, a great personal evangelist. One day he found himself seated on a train next to a young man who was drinking quite heavily. Each time the young man opened his bottle, he offered a drink to Mr. Trumbull, who declined with thanks. Finally the young man said to Mr. Trumbull, ‘You must think I’m a pretty rough fellow.’ Mr. Trumbull’s gracious reply, ‘I think you’re a very generous-hearted fellow,’ opened the way for an earnest conversation with the young man about his need to commit himself to Christ.” - D.C.E.

Our Daily Bread, October 17

Moody Saw Souls

When Dwight L. Moody was in London during one of his famous evangelistic tours, several British clergymen visited him. They wanted to know how and why this poorly educated American was so effective in winning throngs of people to Christ. Moody took the three men to the window of his hotel room and asked each in turn what he saw. One by one, the men described the people in the park below. Then Moody looked out the window with tears rolling down his cheeks. “What do you see, Mr. Moody?” asked one of the men.

“I see countless thousands of souls that will one day spend eternity in hell if they do not find the Savior.”

Obviously, D. L. Moody saw people differently than the average observer does. And because he saw eternal souls where others saw only people strolling in a park, Moody approached life with a different agenda.

Today in the Word, February 1, 1997, p. 6

Amazing Soul Winner

Charlie Hainline is a layman at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is a man who radiates the love of Christ, and is serious about sharing his faith with others. One year, his goal was to lead 1650 people to faith in Christ (5 a day)!! Once, he was out witnessing with a couple of other folks, and though he didn’t share the gospel, he sat there and smiled broadly as a teammate did. When the teammate was finished and asked if the person would like to trust Christ and receive the gift of eternal life, the person replied, “If being a Christian would make me like him (point to Charlie), I want it!”

Charlie’s life wasn’t a bed of roses by any means. His daughter was kidnapped, killed, and her head was found floating in a canal. When the murderer of his daughter was caught and convicted, Charlie went to jail in order to witness to the man.

Source unknown

Jane Roe Converted

Most of us were shocked in early August when Flip Benham, national director for Operation Rescue, baptized Norma McCorvey, the woman known as Jane Roe in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The events leading to the baptism started with an apology. Earlier this year Benhan relocated OR’s national headquarters next to the abortion clinic where McCorvey worked. That same week Benham spoke to McCorvey. He apologized for an earlier encounter, when he had told McCorvey that she was responsible for millions of abortions. “‘I saw that those words really hurt you,’ I told her and asked her to forgive me. She said, ‘Oh yes, it did hurt.’”

McCorvey forgave Benham and the two struck up a friendship. Even before her conversion, McCorvey spoke freely about the friendship. “I like Flip,” McCorvey told a reporter in March of this year. “He’s doing his thing.” The unconditional love Benham and other OR workers showed McCorvey eventually broke through. Though an icon to the pro-abortion movement, McCorvey felt used. As she saw firsthand the love of Christ through her new friends, McCorvey eventually felt more comfortable with them than with her clinic co-workers. She even dropped by OR’s offices and sometimes picked up the phone when no one else was available.

That love and acceptance led McCorvey to a Dallas area church, where in late July she put her life in God’s hands. “Jane Roe was who the pro-abortion side cared about most,” Benham says, “but God was always concerned with Norma McCorvey.” The non-condemning love continues today. McCorvey has quit her job at the clinic and now works for OR. But she and Benham still do not see eye-to-eye on every issue. “We’ve got to give her some time and space,” says Benham. “Changes on such a personal level take a little bit longer.”

McCorvey’s conversion reminds all of us that the people who represent our opposition—even those whose actions we find most repulsive—are loved by God and are not beyond his reach. “It moves this issue from politics to the Gospel. That is where God wanted it any way,” Benham said.

Christian American, October, 1995, p. 4

Girl Witnessed to Her Teacher

Cedarville College president Paul Dixon tells the story of a high school girl who was in the audience several years ago when he was speaking about the need to tell others about Christ. As she listened, she decided she wanted to make a difference in her high school. She asked God to give her an opportunity.

The next day at school, one of her teachers who was fed up with the way things were going walked into his classroom and said, “I’ve had it. I’m tired of the hassle of teaching kids who don’t have any respect. If any of you can tell me what life is all about and what our purpose is, go ahead.”

Surprised, the girl raised her hand and explained that she had found answers to those questions in Jesus Christ. The teacher, who was an agnostic, invited her to stay after class and explain her beliefs. When she suggested that he attend an evangelistic meeting, he agreed. That Friday night he put his trust in Jesus as Savior, and today he’s active in Christian service.

Our Daily Bread, May 8, 1995

He Took the Old Man to the Bathroom

While serving with Operation Mobilization in India in 1967, I spent several months in a TB sanitarium with tuberculosis. After finally being admitted into the sanitarium, I tried to give tracts to the patients, doctors, and nurses, but no one would take them. You could tell that they weren’t really happy with me, a rich American (to them all Americans were rich), being in a government sanitarium. They didn’t know that serving with O.M., I was just as broke as they were!

I was quite discouraged with being sick, having everyone angry at me, not being able to witness because of the language barrier, and no one even bothering to take a tract or Gospel of John. The first few nights, I would wake around 2:00 a.m. coughing. One morning as I was going through my coughing spell, I noticed one of the older (and certainly sicker) patients across the aisle trying to get out of bed. He would sit up on the edge of the bed and try to stand, but because of weakness would fall back into bed. I really didn’t understand what was happening or what he was trying to do. He finally fell back into bed exhausted. I then heard him begin to cry softly.

The next morning I realized what the man was trying to do. He was simply trying to get up and walk to the bathroom! Because of his sickness and extreme weakness he was not able to do this, and being so ill he simply went to the toilet in the bed.

The next morning the stench in our ward was awful. Most of the other patients yelled insults at the man because of the smell. The nurses were extremely agitated and angry because they had to clean up the mess, and moved him roughly from side to side to take care of the problem. One of the nurses in her anger even slapped him. The man, terribly embarrassed, just curled up into a ball and wept.

The next night, also around 2:00 a.m., I again woke coughing. I noticed the man across the aisle sit up and again try to make his way to the washroom. However, still being so weak, he fell back whimpering as the night before. I’m just like most of you. I don’t like bad smells. I didn’t want to become involved. I was sick myself but before I realized what had happened, not knowing why I did it, I got out of my bed and went over to the old man. He was still crying and did not hear me approach. As I reached down and touched his shoulder, his eyes opened with a fearful questioning look. I simply smiled, put my arm under his head and neck, and my other arm under his legs, and picked him up.

Even though I was sick and weak, I was certainly stronger than he was. He was extremely light because of his old age and advanced TB. I walked down the hall to the washroom, which was really just a smelly filthy small room with a hole in the floor. I stood behind him with my arms under his arms, holding him so he could take care of himself. After he finished, I picked him up and carried him back to his bed. As I began to lay him down, with my head next to his, he kissed me on the cheek, smiled, and said something which I suppose was “thank you.”

It was amazing what happened the next morning. One of the other patients whom I didn’t know woke me around 4:00 with a steaming cup of delicious Indian tea. He then made motions with his hands (he knew no English) indicating he wanted a tract. As the sun came up, some of the other patients began to approach, motioning that they would also like one of the booklets I had tried to distribute before. Throughout the day people came to me, asking for the Gospel booklets. This included the nurses, the hospital interns, the doctors, until everybody in the hospital had a tract, booklet, or Gospel of John. Over the next few days, several indicated they trusted Christ as Savior as a result of reading the Good News!

What did it take to reach these people with the Good News of salvation in Christ? It certainly wasn’t health. It definitely wasn’t the ability to speak or to give an intellectually moving discourse. Health, and the ability to communicate sensitively to other cultures and peoples are all very important, but what did God use to open their hearts to the Gospel? I simply took an old man to the bathroom. Anyone could have done that!

Doug Nichols, World, March 12, 1994

Impact of Religion On Day to Day Work

The Princeton Religion Research Center has measured the impact of religion on day-to-day work. Comparing the “churched” with the “unchurched” on a wide range of behaviors like pilfering supplies (stealing), overstating qualifications on resumes (lying), calling in sick when not sick (lying and stealing), and overstating tax deductions (lying, stealing, and cheating), the center finds “little difference in the ethical views and behavior of the churched and the unchurched.” What differences there are “are not significant or are of marginal significance.”

William Hendricks, in Christianity Today, Nov. 25, 1991

1800s Graffiti Found in Monument

Washington—Graffiti from the 1800s discovered by workers renovating the Washington Monument has quite a different tone from that usually found today on the sides of buildings and subway cars.

“Whoever is the human instrument under God in the conversion of one soul, erects a monument to his own memory more lofty and enduing (sic) than this,” reads the inscription which can now be viewed by visitors to the monument. It is signed BFB. No one knows who that is, or who left the small drawings and 19th century dates on other walls.

The markings in the lobby of the monument were covered over when it was decorated at the turn of the century. They were found when workers removed marble wainscoting as part of a year-long $500,000 renovation which was just completed.

Spokesman-Review, June, 1994

Urgent Message Never Delivered

George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1968, Currier’s sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died.

Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier’s plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.

Sweeting concluded that story by asking, “Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message—the most important in your life—and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?”

We who have heard the good news and experienced freedom through Christ are responsible to proclaim it to others still enslaved by sin. Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the message?

Our Daily Bread, November 6, 1994

Howard Hendrick’s Father

The phone rang and I greeted a young pastor friend from Arlington, Virginia.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Studying,” I replied. “Nothing special.”

“Are you sitting down?”

“Yes, why?”

“Your father just trusted Christ this evening.”

“He what? You’ve got to be kidding!” I blurted out.

Such an inappropriate response grew out of long detours in our father-son journey. Ever since I received Christ as a boy my concern has been for the salvation of my family and loved ones. On repeated occasions I had broached the subject of the gospel with dad, but his response was less than excited.

My father has always been a very important person to me. Not that I approved of everything he said or did or that I imitated him consciously in any way. We weren’t really close friends, either. But he was important in my life because of the indirect impact he made upon me.

Dad was a military man. He had seen action around the world. During the periods when he was embroiled in battle, I would become very sensitive to his spiritual need. I and my family prayed for him, but at times I’m afraid my faith sputtered. His response was always the same: Son, don’t worry about me. I’ll work it out with God (as if God could be manipulated like a Pentagon official).

God brought a man into my life, a man with a passion for men. His name was Butch Hardman. One day before we knew each other Butch was boarding a plane in Detroit when a friend handed him a cassette tape.

“Ever hear Hendricks? Here’s a tape you should listen to.” On that tape I related my father’s spiritual need.

Butch listened and something about the anecdote reminded him of his own father with whom he had shared Christ shortly before he died. He began to pray for this unknown man, George Hendricks. Some months later Butch attended a pastors’ conference in Philadelphia where I was the speaker. He shook my hand afterward. That was the only time our paths crossed before a remarkable incident in Arlington.

Butch was driving the church bus down the street, having discharged all his passengers. He saw a man standing on the corner who reminded him uncannily of Howard Hendricks. Could it possibly be...? He backed up the bus, stopped, got off, and went over to the man.

“Are you by any chance Howard Hendricks’ father?”

It is easy to imagine the startled response. “Er-ah (I can envision my father’s critical once-over with his steely blue eyes) yeah—you a student of my son?”

“No, I’m not, but he sure has helped me. Got time for a cup of coffee?”

That encounter began a friendship, skillfully engineered by the Spirit of God. Butch undoubtedly sensed dad’s hesitancy when he discovered he had met a preacher. For a long time Butch did not invite him to attend his church. He simply suggested that dad drop by the office for coffee. Patiently he endured dad’s cigars and his endless repertoire of war stories. Before long he also learned that dad had been diagnosed as having a terminal throat cancer.

Months later Butch was at his bedside. “Mr. Hendricks, I’ll be leaving shortly for a Holy Land trip. Instead of my listening to you tonight, would you let me tell you a story?”

Butch had earned his hearing and he began simply to relate the interview of Jesus Christ with Nicodemus as recorded by the Apostle John. At the conclusion dad accepted Butch’s invitation to receive Jesus Christ as his own personal Savior. Then dad got up out of bed, stood, and saluted with a smile. “No I’m under a new Commander-in-Chief!” That night Butch called Dallas.

The last time I saw dad alive I could not believe he was the same man I had known. His frame was wasted, but his spirit was more virile than I had ever known.

In accordance with dad’s specific provision in his will, Butch Hardman conducted the crisp military funeral in Arlington cemetery where the gospel of Jesus Christ was presented to the small group of family and military attendants. As the guns saluted their final farewell, I knew God had vindicated forty-two years of prayer.

Footprints, Howard & Jeanne Hendricks, Multnomah Press, 1981, pp. 16-19

I’ll Wait for the Big Gun

I was speaking at an open-air crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Billy Graham was to speak the next night and had arrived a day early. He came incognito and sat on the grass at the rear of the crowd. Because he was wearing a hat and dark glasses, no one recognized him.

Directly in front of him sat an elderly gentleman who seemed to be listening intently to my presentation. When I invited people to come forward as an open sign of commitment, Billy decided to do a little personal evangelism. He tapped the man on the shoulder and asked, “Would you like to accept Christ? I’ll be glad to walk down with you if you want to.”

The old man looked him up and down, thought it over for a moment, and then said, “Naw, I think I’ll just wait till the big gun comes tomorrow night.”

Billy and I have had several good chuckles over that incident. Unfortunately, it underlines how, in the minds of many people, evangelism is the task of the “Big Guns,” not the “little shots.”

Good News is for Sharing, Leighton Ford, 1977, David C. Cook Publishing Co., p. 67

Dumped Into the Mud

The Thames, flowing through London, was at low tide, causing the freighter to be anchored a distance from shore. The long plank, which led from the ship across the mud flats to the bank, suddenly began to jiggle precariously.

The smallish man who was carefully pushing his barrow across the plank from the freighter to the shore lost his balance and found himself tumbling into the muddy waters. A roar of laughter erupted from the dockers and from the tall worker on board ship, who had jiggled the plank.

The muddied man’s instinctive reaction was anger. The fall was painful; he was dripping wet and knee deep in muck. “This is your opportunity,” a voice whispered in his heart.

The victim, unknown to his tormentors, was a clergyman disguised as a docker in hopes of getting to know how the dockers felt, lived and struggled. Perhaps as he gained their confidence and made friends, he could tell them of the love of the Savior, who died to give them new life and hope and joy.

George Dempster came up laughing. A docker made his way to where Dempster had been dislodged, dropped some empty boxes into the slush and jumped down to help him out.

“You took that all right,” he said as he helped Dempster clamber back to the boxes he had dropped. His accent was not that of a cockney. He was no ordinary docker.

Dempster told the story of this unusual docker in Finding Men for Christ. He recounted the ensuing events:

“Did I? Well, what’s the use of being otherwise?” I replied and followed this by a challenge.

“You haven’t been at this game long.”

“Neither have you,” he retorted.

“No! And I shan’t be at it much longer if I can help it. Tell me your yarn, and I’ll tell you mine.”

I was watching his face as well as I could with my eyes still half full of mud. He was trying to scrape some of the slime from me and meanwhile becoming almost as filthy as I was.

We agreed to exchange yarns.

I therefore proposed that we should adjourn to a coffee shop nearby and over a warm drink exchange the story of our experiences, and how we came to be “down under” life’s circumstances.

Along we journeyed through Wapping High Street, up Nightingale Lane to London Docks and so “To where I dossed” (slept).

When we reached the Alley and I indicated the door he said, “Do they let beds here?”

“Well,” I replied, “I sleep here, come in and see.”

“Oh! I’ve often passed this place but did not know they put men up here.”

We entered and I instructed that a cup of coffee and something be brought for my friend, while I disappeared without explaining to anybody exactly how I came to be so inelegantly decorated.

Mud baths had not yet become a prescribed treatment for certain human ailments, but never could such a remedy, however well prepared or appropriately prescribed, prove so effectual as this one. It had been involuntarily taken it is true, but for like results who would not undertake even such drastic treatment daily? “His ways are higher than our ways.” His permissions are all for somebody’s good, and in this instance the reason for His permission was not long unrevealed.

A hurried bath soon put me right. After donning my usual attire, while seeking Divine guidance I hastened to return.

“Here we are, now for our yarns,” I began.

He was staring in amazement and was for a few moments lost for reply.

“This is your yarn, is it? What do you do this for?”

The first part of his question needed no reply, but I did not hesitate to answer the second.

“To find you.”

He looked perplexed as we sat gazing at each other; then dropping his eyes before my enquiring look, shook his head sadly and rose as if to depart. Restraining him I said cheerily: “Now, friend, a bargain is a bargain. Thank you for helping me out of the river and thus giving me the privilege of meeting you, but you promised, you know, and I want that story of yours. You can see mine.”

He was a tall, well-built man in middle life. There were indications beyond his speech that his years had not been spent in his present conditions and surroundings. His features gave evidence of intellect, and the obvious deterioration was recent. His expression was softening even as we stood facing each other. The previous callous demeanor was giving place to something finer. I pursued the question, feeling certain now that here was the purpose of my adventure.

“Come now, tell me if I can be of help to you.”

Very decisively he answered at once, “No, you cannot.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve gone too far.”

As I prayed silently, presently he looked me squarely in the face as if measuring whether he could trust me and confide. No words came, so I continued.

“Does it not appeal to you as a very remarkable thing,” I asked, “that we should be sitting here like this if you have really gone too far?”

No answer.

“Was it an accidental thing that I happened to get a job alongside you at that particular wharf this morning? Was it mere chance that those rascals chose me for their rather cruel joke? Is it pure coincidence that of all the crowd you should be the one to fish me out? Or—did Someone know where to find you and is even now answering someone else’s prayer for you?”

From the pocket he drew hastily two photographs. “These are mine,” he said, laying them gently upon the table. One was the picture of a fine-looking lady, the other bore the figures of two bonnie young girls of nearly equal age, obviously the daughters of the elder woman. I was looking closely at them when I heard a groan and then a sob as my friend again dropped his head upon his arms.

“Yours! And you here like this? Why?”

It was a sad story, but, alas, only too familiar. Bit by bit I got it from him; although several times with an almost fierce “it’s too late,” he would have left .He was a fully qualified medical man with a fine record. He had married into a well-known family where there was no lack of money. Having conducted a splendid practice in the south of England, all went well for him for years. Two girls were born to them, and it was a happy home with a very wide circle of friends. But as so frequently happens, the allurements proved too strong for the man whose gifts and natural endowments made him a popular and welcome guest wherever he went. He was too busy to continue his regular attendance at church; gradually he ceased altogether and always had plenty of excuses to offer when his wife urged him to accompany her.

The girls were sent away to school where they were educated with a view to following a medical career, but he who should have been their guide and helper failed in his obligations because he had become addicted to drink.

At first this fact was hidden, but the habit grew stronger until it mastered him. His practice as well as his home and family were neglected. This naturally led to great unhappiness and depression. In spite of the loving devotion and care of his wife and daughters, he went from bad to worse and finally decided to disappear. So by a number of subterfuges he effectually vanished from the world which knew him and became a wanderer.

After years of wander in America and Canada, he returned to London. He had never been discovered; he had never communicated with his kin. Down, down he went, living the life of a casual hand, sometimes finding a job, sometimes literally begging for food.

He slept out at night, often in lodging houses with those with whom he had nothing in common save a degraded and sinful way of life. When he could get drink, he took all he could obtain to drown his sorrows.

Once he was lodged in the Tower Bridge Police cells but was discharged and warned. He had simply been found “drunk and incapable,” and his identity had not been revealed.

Now this thing had happened, and it could not be explained away by saying it was a coincidence. There was more in it than that. “Someone” had known where to find him. Suppose those three whom he had so shamefully deserted had been all the time praying for his recovery? Recovery that he had so foolishly resisted—so often longed for—so often dreamed of.

Suppose it were true that God was now “causing all things to work together for good to them”—those three—”that love Him”? Suppose that He was at this moment giving him another—possibly a last—chance to return?

Such, he later admitted, were his thoughts, and he began to pray for himself. He had known in past days the comforts and consolations of worship. Now he began to pray very deeply and truly as he heard from a friend the old, old message.

Presently he said calmly, “I see,” and kneeling by the table, he and I talked with God.

Never can I forget his prayer.

At first the halting, stumbling petition of a brokenhearted repentant sinner who felt acutely two things. First, his base ingratitude to a merciful God Who had not cut him off in the midst of his sins, and then the cruelty of his conduct toward those who loved him on earth. As he confessed his feelings in these ways, he seemed to become capable of clearer utterance.

How long we thus communed I do not know, but we were both much moved as we stood to shake hands. I seemed to feel again his grip on mine as I now record these happenings.

“And you will stand by me?”

“Yes,” I answered, “as well as another man can.”

“Then I’ll prove what Christ can do.”

We then fell to considering whether it would be advisable to write at once to his wife and tell her the news.

“No! Not yet. Please God we’ll try and improve matters before we do that. I must find out more about the position there first. There are the girls to think about. I must not spoil their careers. About now they must be in the midst of their exams. No! Please wait a while until by God’s help I am a little more like a father they need not be ashamed of—then!”

So we planned. With the aid of a friend who had influence in a certain large, well-known company, he was found a berth in the warehouse, packing drugs and chemicals. In a few weeks, the results were surprising. He was found to be so useful that a better paid job was offered him. Soon it was discovered that he knew a great deal about the contents of the packets he was handling, and when he admitted that the work of a dispenser was not strange to him, he was again promoted.

It was then that he agreed to my suggestions to write to his wife and inform her that he was alive and well. Very carefully I wrote, telling her something of the events above recorded and suggesting that if she would like to see me on the matter I would gladly arrange to meet her.

A letter came back, breathing deep gratitude to God for His wonderful answer to prayer and for His mercy. An expression of appreciation for the human agency He had provided, and an explanation that the two daughters were facing some difficult hospital examinations. It would therefore, she thought, be best to defer any meeting until they were through. But would I please keep her informed of his progress. It was a wonderfully understanding and gracious letter considering all the circumstances.

I showed him the letter.

He was deeply moved as he carefully and eagerly read it, then returning it to me he said quietly, “I must ask you to honor her wishes. Painful as delay is to me, I must submit. I deserve it and much more. Will you now pray with me that I may prove worthy of her confidence and their love?”

Six months passed, each day bringing continuous evidence of the “new birth” and of his loyalty to Christ. There was no wavering or falling back. Whatever struggles he had with the enemy, no one saw the least evidence of any weakness. In every way he was proving that he was “a new creature,” that “old things had passed away.”

Two brief notes had come from the wife asking more details than my letters conveyed. I gladly told her all she desire to learn.

Then one day there came a letter asking me to arrange a time for her to visit me. This was soon done, and without telling either of them what I had planned, I made my own arrangements. He was not informed of the impending visit but patiently awaited developments.

In due time the day arrived, and the wife kept her appointment. I instantly recognized the lady of the photograph, and to my intense delight she had brought her elder daughter with her. Both were much affected as I told them as much as I deemed needful of the facts. I felt it would be wise to leave the husband to give his own version of affairs.

Then, at a suitable moment, I said, “Would you like to see him at once?” I had not revealed to them that I had him in an adjoining room. But when the wife and daughter said eagerly together “Yes, please,” I opened the door and led them in to him. The lady had approached her husband with a smile of welcome and had kissed him; the daughter had put her arms about her father’s neck, and I heard just two words, “Dad, darling. “It was no place for an outsider, so I made for my study and there lay the whole case again before the Father, asking that His will should be done. He heard and answered.

For an hour I left them alone. Then he came to fetch me. His eyes were very red, and I thought he walked with a new and firmer step. No word was said, but he looked his deep gratitude as he beckoned me to return with him.

As I entered the room, the wife approached me with an eager look which spoke eloquently of the tense feelings she had. When, after a few moments, she found voice, it was to tell me that it had been arranged to await the second daughter’s examinations, which were just pending. This girl did not yet know the purport of her mother’s visit to London that day with the sister, who now told me on top of her own success in the exams, she was overjoyed at finding her father.

“Do dare not tell Margery yet. She is rather highly strung, and as Dad says, it might interfere with her progress. But won’t she be just delighted. You know she has never ceased praying for this.” So spake the daughter, still holding her father’s hand, as if unwilling to part again. It was a most affecting scene, and one felt that there was Another present, rejoicing with us. “If all goes well we shall, please God, make home again when Margery is through, and oh what a day that will be.”

The mother was now feeling the stress of it all and needed rest and refreshment. A happy little meal was prepared, and thanks were given to Him Who had thus brought His promises to fulfillment. But the best was yet to be.

A happy home was restored.

In a certain south coast town, a place famous for its exhilarating air and for many of its citizens who have made history, there is held every Sunday afternoon a Bible class for young men. Sixty or more of the finest young fellows in that district meet week by week. It has been the birthplace of many splendid young Christians. Some of them have entered the Civil Service and today hold important positions at Whitehall, where I have had the joy of meeting them.

Coming one day along one of the corridors in the colonial office, I met a friend who said, “I’m very glad to see you today, because I promised that the next time you came this way I would ask you to come along with me and meet a man who wants to see you. He has another friend in the home office who also wants to meet you. Have you the time to do so?”

I assented and was led to the room indicated. Here was a man holding a responsible position who, upon being introduced, said, “I’m glad to meet you, sir, because I have an idea that you must be the gentleman of whom a very dear friend of mine often spoke. May I ask if you were acquainted with Dr. ______?”

“Yes indeed, I know him very well.”

“Then I guess you are the one of whom he spoke. I owe everything in life after my own parents to Dr. ______. He was a wonderful factor in the shaping of my career and that of many others. How did you come to know him, sir, if I may so question? And do you know his gifted family?”

Of course I could not tell him under what circumstances I had first met the doctor, the beloved physician who had sat in the leader’s chair of that Bible class Sunday by Sunday teaching youths the Way of Life, nor that it was he who had helped me out of the river that day when I had my involuntary mud bath.

Slightly altered from Finding Men for Christ by George Dempster, (London: Hodder & Stroughton, 1935). Quoted in Prodigals and Those Who Love Them, Ruth Bell Graham, 1991, Focus on the Family Publishing, pp. 85-94

Tell Me Simply

T. H. Huxley, a well-known agnostic, was with a group of men at a weekend house party. On Sunday morning, while most of them were preparing to go to church, he approached a man known for his Christian character and said, “Suppose you stay at home and tell my why you are a Christian.” The man, knowing he couldn’t match wits with Huxley, hesitated. But the agnostic said gently, “I don’t want to argue with you. I just want you to tell me simply what this Christ means to you.” The man did, and when he finished, there were tears in Huxley’s eyes as he said, “I would give my right hand if only I could believe that!”

Our Daily Bread, January 24, 1993

Shame Us Out of Our Sin

I stood on a grassy sward, and at my feet a precipice broke sheer down into infinite space. I looked, but saw no bottom; only cloud shapes, black and furiously coiled, and great shadow-shrouded hollows, and unfathomable depths. Back I drew, dizzy at the depth.

Then I saw forms of people moving single file along the grass. They were making for the edge. There was a woman with a baby in her arms and another little child holding on to her dress. She was on the very verge. Then I saw that she was blind. She lifted her foot for the next step and it trod air. She was over, and the children over with her. Oh, the cry that I heard.

Then I saw more streams of people flowing from all quarters. All were blind, stone blind; all made straight for the precipice edge. There were shrieks as they suddenly knew themselves falling, and a tossing up of helpless arms, catching, clutching at empty air. But some went over quietly, and fell without a sound.

Then I wondered, with a wonder that was simple agony, why no one stopped them at the edge. I could not. I was glued to the ground, and I could not call; though I strained and tried, only a whisper would come.

Then I saw that along the edge there were sentries set at intervals. But the intervals were far too great; there were wide, unguarded gaps between. And over these gaps the people fell in their blindness, quite unwarned; and the green grass seemed blood-red to me, and the gulf yawned like the mouth of hell.

Then I saw, like a little picture of peace, a group of people under some trees, with their backs turned towards the gulf. They were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piercing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them it disturbed them and they thought it a rather vulgar noise. And if one of their number started up and wanted to go and do something to help, then all the others would pull that one down. “Why should you get so excited about it? You must wait for a definite call to go! You haven’t finished your daisy chains yet. It would be really selfish,” they said, “to leave us to finish the work alone.”

There was another group. It was made up of people whose great desire was to get more sentries out; but they found that very few wanted to go and sometimes there were no sentries set for miles and miles of the edge.

Once a girl stood alone in her place, waving the people back; but her mother and other relations called, and reminded her that her furlough was due; she must not break the rules. And being tired and needing a change, she had to go and rest for awhile, but no one was sent to guard her gap and over and over the people fell, like a waterfall of souls.

Once a child caught at a tuft of grass that grew at the very brink of the gulf; it clung convulsively, and it called—but nobody seemed to hear. Then the roots of the grass gave way and with a cry, the child went over, its two little hands still holding tight to the torn-off bunch of grass. And the girl who longed to be back in her gap thought she heard the little one cry, and she sprang up and wanted to go; at which they reproved her, reminding her that no one is necessary anywhere; the gap would be well taken care of, they knew. And then they sang a hymn.

Then through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great darkness was upon me, for I knew what it was—the Cry of the Blood.

Then thundered a Voice, the Voice of the Lord. “And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brothers’ blood crieth unto Me from the ground.”

The tom-toms still beat heavily, the darkness still shuddered and shivered about me; I heard the yells of the devil-dancers and the weird wild shriek of the devil-possessed just outside the gate. What does it matter, after all? It has gone on for years; it will go on for years. Why make such a fuss about it? God forgive us! God arouse us! Shame us out of our callousness! Shame us out of our sin!

Source unknown

Soldier Knelt and Prayed

A young man enlisted, and was sent to his regiment. The first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men, who passed the time playing cards and gambling. Before retiring, he fell on his knees and prayed, and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him.

So it went on the next night and the next, and finally the young man went and told the chaplain what had taken place, and asked what he should do.

“Well,” said the chaplain, “you are not at home now, and the other men have just as much right to the barracks as you have. It makes them mad to hear you pray, and the Lord will hear you just as well if you say your prayers in bed and don’t provoke them.”

For weeks after the chaplain did not see the young man again, but one day he met him, and asked—“By the way, did you take my advice?”

“I did, for two or three nights.”

“How did it work?”

“Well,” said the young man, “I felt like a whipped hound and the third night I got out of bed, knelt down and prayed.”

“Well,” asked the chaplain, “How did that work?”

The young soldier answered: “We have a prayer meeting there now every night, and three have been converted, and we are praying for the rest.”

Oh, friends, I am so tired of weak Christianity. Let us be out and out for Christ; let us give no uncertain sound. If the world wants to call us fools, let them to it. It is only a little while; the crowning day is coming. Thank God for the privilege we have of confessing Christ.

Moody’s Anecdotes, pp. 73-74

Hold Up the Light

I remember hearing of a man at sea who was very sea-sick. If there is a time when a man feels that he cannot do any work for the Lord it is then—in my opinion. While this man was sick he heard that a man had fallen overboard. He was wondering if he could do anything to help to save him. He laid hold of a light, and held it up on the port-hole.

The drowning man was saved. When this man got over his attack of sickness he was up on deck one day, and was talking to the man who was rescued. The saved man gave this testimony. He said he had gone down the second time, and was just going down again for the last time, when he put out his hand. Just then, he said, some one held a light at the porthole, and the light fell on his hand. A man caught him by the hand and pulled him into the lifeboat.

It seemed a small thing to do to hold up the light; yet it saved the man’s life. If you cannot do some great thing you can hold the light for some poor, perishing drunkard, who may be won to Christ and delivered from destruction. Let us take the torch of salvation and go into these dark homes, and hold up Christ to the people as the Savior of the world.

Moody’s Anecdotes, p. 44

Often It Is Necessary to Make Haste Slowly

A model from the world of real estate becomes instructive at this point. A firm in Salem, Oregon, assigns 500 families to each agent. Agents are expected to contact each assigned family once per month for a year. The contact may be personal, a telephone call, or a letter. Research indicates that it takes at least six contacts for people to remember who the agent is and the firm represented. During this time of “building relationships,” agents are encouraged not to go in the house (good psychology, everyone else is trying to get their foot in the door).

Furthermore, they are encouraged not to ask for a listing during this “get acquainted” time. Obviously, there would be exceptions to these restrictions, but they do illustrate an understanding of what it takes to create a favorable climate for selling real estate. After the initial year of regular contacts, the agent continues to communicate with the assigned families on a scheduled, systematic basis. Research reveals that if this pattern is followed consistently for one-year-and-a-half, the agent will secure 80% of the listings. What does the real estate firm know that we either do not know or overlook?

First, people do not like to be confronted by strangers seeking entrance into their homes. In fact, in many communities this is socially unacceptable. The sales person or any other unknown professional who arrives at the door is automatically confronted with a high sales resistance. If the door is opened, it is done with a determination not to be “taken in” by sales talk. The salesperson professionally represents the product, and consequently the sales pitch is discounted at least 50 percent. However, if a friend comes over and shares a glowing personal testimony concerning the value of the agent’s product, the reaction is apt to be markedly different. A satisfied customer makes the most effective salesperson.

Second, people are more inclined to do business with acquaintances than strangers.

Third, it takes time and effort to build a healthy decision-making climate.

Fourth, there is no substitute for time. Often it is necessary to “make haste slowly.”

Joe Aldrich, Friendship Evangelism, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

What Is Your Style of Evangelism?

A true heart of compassion will let those on the way to destruction know they can escape, but the only escape is through Jesus Christ. We need to tell people they’re in trouble with God and that God alone has provided a way to escape.

But How? Do we all have to share the same way? No, the unbelieving world is made up of a variety of people: young, old, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, urban, rural, with different race, personalities, values, politics, and religious backgrounds.

It’s going to take more than one style of evangelism to reach such a diverse population!

So what is your style?

1. Confrontational? (Acts 2) Repent and be baptized, save yourselves from this corrupt generation.

2. Intellectual? (Acts 17) Paul debated with the philosophers on Mars Hill to convince them.

3. Testimonial? (John 9) One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!

4. Relational? (Mark 5) Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.

5. Invitational? (John 4) The Samaritan woman at the well begged the people of the city to come and hear Jesus for themselves.

6. Serving? (Acts 9) Dorcas impacted her city by doing deeds of kindness. Don’t ever think you’re a second class Christian because you don’t proclaim Christ like Peter or Paul. Discover your own method. Then get out of your chair and use it, for the Glory of God. Live by faith, not fear!!!

Source unknown

IF

• If to be a Christian is worthwhile, then the most ordinary interest in those with whom we come in contact would prompt us to speak to them of Christ.
• If the New Testament be true—and we know that it is—who has given us the right to place the responsibility for soul-winning on other shoulders than our own?
• If they who reject Christ are in danger, is it not strange that we, who are so sympathetic when the difficulties are physical or temporal, should apparently be so devoid of interest as to allow our friends and neighbors and kindred to come into our lives and pass out again without a word of invitation to accept Christ, to say nothing of sounding a note of warning because of their peril?
• If today is the day of salvation, if tomorrow may never come, and if life is equally uncertain, how can we eat, drink and be merry when those who live with us, work with us, walk with us and love us are unprepared for eternity because they are unprepared for time?
• If Jesus called his disciples to be fishers of men, who gave us the right to be satisfied with making fishing tackle or pointing the way to the fishing banks instead of going ourselves to cast out the net until it be filled?
• If Jesus himself went seeking the lost, if Paul the Apostle was in agony because his kinsmen, according to the flesh, knew not Christ, why should we not consider it worthwhile to go out after the lost until they are found?
• If I am to stand at the judgment seat of Christ to render an account for the deeds done in the body, what shall I say to him if my children are missing, if my friends are not saved, or if my employer or employee should miss the way because I have been faithless?
• If I wish to be approved at the last, then let me remember that no intellectual superiority, no eloquence in preaching, no absorption in business, no shrinking temperament or no spirit of timidity can take the place of or be an excuse for my not making an honest, sincere, prayerful effort to win others to Christ.

J. Wilbur Chapman

Are You Prepared to Meet Your God?

When he pastored the Methodist church in Scarborough, William Sangster had an eccentric member who tried to be a zealous Christian. Unfortunately, the man was mentally deficient and usually did the wrong thing.

While working as a barber the man lathered up a customer for a shave, came at him with the poised razor, and asked, “Are you prepared to meet your God?” The frightened man fled with the lather on his face!

Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 215

Quotes

• I care not where I go or how I live or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep, I dream of them; when I awake, they are first in my thoughts. - David Brainerd
• A good witness isn’t like a salesman, emphasis is on a person rather than a product. A good witness is like a signpost. It doesn’t matter whether it is old, young, pretty, ugly; it has to point the right direction and be able to be understood. We are witnesses to Christ, we point to him. - John White, The Fight
• D. L. Moody once spoke with a woman who didn’t like his method of evangelism. “I don’t really like mine all that much either. What’s yours?” She replied that she didn’t have one. Moody said, “Then I like mine better than yours.”
• A 1980 Gallup poll indicated that out of all evangelical, American believers, “only two percent had introduced another person to Christ.” - Why Christians Sin, J. K. Johnston, Discovery House, 1992, p. 140.
• “Millions of surveys which we have helped to take around the world indicate that approximately 98 percent of the Christians do not regularly introduce others to the Savior.” - Bill Bright, president of Campus Crusade for Christ, quoted in Why Christians Sin, J. K. Johnston, Discovery House, 1992, p. 140.
• How often the opportunity to speak a word of testimony for Christ is lost because we remain silent. Those who need to hear the gospel may conclude that salvation is not important enough to talk about. - Anon
• In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering. - Howard Hendricks
• Preach the gospel all the time. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

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Meet Unbelievers Where They Are

Christ met unbelievers where they were. He realized what many Christians today still don’t seem to understand. Cultivators have to get out in the field. According to one count, the gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogues and 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life.

Why Christians Sin, J. K. Johnston, Discovery House, 1992, p. 142

Mountaintop Experience

A man once testified in one of D. L. Moody’s meetings that he had lived “on the Mount of Transfiguration” for five years. “How many souls did you lead to Christ last year?” Moody bluntly asked him. “Well,” the man hesitated, “I don’t know.” “Have you saved any?” Moody persisted. “I don’t know that I have,” the man admitted. “Well,” said Moody, “we don’t want that kind of mountaintop experience. When a man gets up so high that he cannot reach down and save poor sinners, there is something wrong.”

The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 202

Fear Is Not Sin

The secret to neutralizing fear is to embrace the threatened disaster and count it as not too high a price to pay for obedience to Christ. This attitude of faith may not totally eliminate the uneasiness and apprehension. It will, however, allow you to go ahead and act in obedience to Christ. The problem of fear is not the fear itself, but the fact that we allow it to immobilize us. Being afraid is no sin. Shrinking back fearfully from obedience is sin...fear can stop you in your tracks as a Christian...but it doesn’t have to. You can trust God...(and) move ahead in obedience because you understand fear and know how to deal with it.

Wayne McDill, Making Friends for Christ, p. 103

Personal Check List

When I am conscious of the fear of failure holding me back, I go through a kind of personal checklist:

1. Does this fear come basically from pride, a fear that I will not live up to my own expectations or to those of others?

2. Do I remember that God has called me first to faithfulness, then to efficiency?

3. Do I trust that the Holy Spirit is working before me, with me, and through me?

4. Do I remember that I am called to be neither more nor less successful than Jesus Christ was?

5. Do I remember that God does his greatest work when I seem to be weakest? Isn’t that, after all, the mystery of the cross?

Leighton Ford, Good News is for Sharing, p. 65

What Makes People Hesitate to Share Their Faith?

What makes people hesitate to share their faith? Here are some of the fears that have been mentioned to me:

1. “I am afraid I might do more harm than good.”

2. “I don’t know what to say.”

3. “I may not be able to give snappy answers to tricky questions.”

4. “I may seem bigoted.”

5. “I may invade someone’s privacy.”

6. “I am afraid I might fail.”

7. “I am afraid I might be a hypocrite.”

Overcome by sin Perhaps the most common fear, however, is that of being rejected. A survey was given to those attending training sessions for the Billy Graham crusade in Detroit. One question asked, “What is your greatest hindrance in witnessing?”

1. 9% said they were too busy to remember to do it.

2. 28% felt the lack of real information to share. None said they didn’t really care.

3. 12% said their own lives were not speaking as they should.

4. But by far the largest group were the 51% whose biggest problem was the fear of how the other person would react!

Leighton Ford, Good News is for Sharing, p. 15

For God So Loved the World

For God so loved the world, not just a few,
The wise and great, the noble and the true,
Or those of favored class or rank or hue.
God loved the world. Do you?

Source unknown

What Americans Believe

The report indicates a great deal of ambivalence among Americans with regard to their beliefs. For instance, while 62 percent of the respondents said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, 65 percent said the term “born again” does not apply to them; fewer than 50 percent strongly agreed that the Bible is the written word of God and is totally accurate in all it teaches.

The Barna Report: What Americans Believe, 1991, quoted in 9-16-91, Christianity Today

Francis Assisi

According to the book Life of Francis d’Assisi, Francis once invited a young monk to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honored to be given the invitation, the monk readily accepted. All day long he and Francis walked through the streets, byways, and alleys, and even into the suburbs. They rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At day’s end, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel.

Greatly disappointed, his young companion said, “I thought we were going into town to preach.”

Francis responded, “My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!

Our Daily Bread, 12-15-91

Care - Dare - Share - Prayer

1. Care: show concern for the person, and concern for your life before him.

2. Dare: it takes courage to witness—courage if the person is a stranger to you, and even more if the person is a close friend or relative.

3. Share: If you want to make a lasting impression, share yourself with the person. Get involved in his interests, get your shoulder under his burden, be genuinely glad when he has a success.

4. Prayer: Don’t discount the effectiveness of prayer in the preparation of people’s hearts for the Good News.

Adapted from S. Briscoe, Getting Into God, pp. 92-2

Silence Lost the Case

I read about a court case that was lost because of the silence of an attorney. The distinguished lawyer Samuel Hoar (1778-1856) was representing the defendant. When it was time to present his case, he told the jurors that the facts favoring his client were so evident that he would not insult their intelligence by arguing them.

The jury retired to deliberate and returned in a few minutes with a verdict of guilty. Samuel Hoar was astonished! “How,” he asked, “could you have reached such a verdict?” The foreman replied, “We all agreed that if anything could be said for a case, you would say it. But since you didn’t present any evidence, we decided to rule against you.” Silence had lost the case.

Source unknown

The Gospel According to You

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Are read by more than a few,
But the one that is most read and commented on
Is the gospel according to you.

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day
By the things that you do and the words that you say,
Men read what you write, whether faithless or true,
Say, what is the gospel according to you?

Do men read His truth and His love in your life,
Or has yours been too full of malice and strife?
Does your life speak of evil, or does it ring true?
Say, what is the gospel according to you?

Arthur McPhee

Consequences of Witnessing

Feeling a concern for witnessing can mean that you will have to stand up and be counted, and this can bring some degree of abuse. Years ago I was praying with one of my children at bedtime, and I asked him if he had any problems we should pray about. He couldn’t think of any, even though I could think of a number! Rather unwisely, I pressed the point and asked, “Don’t you have any problems at school?” “No,” he replied quite firmly. “Don’t the kids give you a hard time because you’re a Christian?” Again the answer was “No.” Thinking back to my own traumatic school days, I said, “But kids always give you a hard time if you let them know you’re a Christian.” His reply was frank beyond belief: “All the more reason you don’t let them know!” And quite happily he turned over to sleep.

With the refreshing candor of the very young, he had put into words the practical reasons why many Christians don’t witness. They don’t want to take the consequences.

S. Briscoe, Getting Into God, p. 88

Resources

• Leadership, V, 1, p. 55
• God Came Near, Max Lucado, Multnomah Press, 1987, p. 113
• Wake Up Calls, Ron Hutchcraft, Moody, 1990, p. 30.
• Motivations of the early church for witness, Leighton Ford, Good News is for Sharing, pp. 25-7.

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Why People Don’t Witness

1. 90% have failed in witnessing attempts in the past

2. They are biblically illiterate

3. They leave it to the professionals

4. We shouldn’t impose our faith on others

Source unknown

You Forgot My Soul

You lived next door to me for years
We shared our dreams, our joys, and tears.
A friend to me you were indeed...
A friend who helped me when in need.

My faith in you was strong and sure
We had such trust as should endure.
No spats between us ever rose;
Our friends were like...and so our foes.

What sadness then, my friend, to find
That after all you weren’t so kind.
The day my life on earth did end
I found you weren’t a faithful friend.

For all those years we spent on earth
You never talked of second birth.
You never spoke of my lost soul
And of the Messiah Who’d make me whole.

I plead today from Hell’s cruel fire
And tell you now my last desire.
You cannot do a thing for me...
No words today my bonds will free.

But do not err, my friend, again;
Do all you can for souls of men.
Plead with them now quite earnestly,
Lest they be cast in Hell with me.

Author Unknown

Motivation in Witnessing

Gen. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, could never be accused of mincing words or doing things half-heartedly. He believed if he could hold each of his young Salvation Army officers over hell for a few minutes, he would never have any trouble keeping them motivated about being witnesses to Christ.

S. Briscoe, Getting Into God, p. 87

Definition of a Witness

A witness is someone who by explanation and demonstration gives audible and visible evidence of what he has seen and heard without being deterred by the consequences of his action.

S. Briscoe, Getting Into God, p. 76

One Word

One proud, surly, lordly word, one needless contention, one covetous action may cut the throat of many a sermon, and blast the fruit of all that you have been doing.

Richard Baxter in Gildas Salvanus: The Reformed Pastor

Living Link

Britain’s King George V was to give the opening address at a special disarmament conference, with the speech relayed by radio to the U.S. As the broadcast was about to begin, a cable broke in the New York radio station, and more than a million listeners were left without sound. A junior mechanic in the station, Harold Vivien, solved the problem by picking up both ends of the cable and allowing 250 volts of electricity to pass through him. He was the living link that allowed the king’s message to get through.

Warren Wiersbe, Prokope, July-August, 1988, p. 3

Dogsled Race to Get Serum

Every year in Alaska, a 1000-mile dogsled race, run for prize money and prestige, commemorates an original “race” run to save lives. Back in January of 1926, six-year-old Richard Stanley showed symptoms of diphtheria, signaling the possibility of an outbreak in the small town of Nome. When the boy passed away a day later, Dr. Curtis Welch began immunizing children and adults with an experimental but effective antidiphtheria serum. But it wasn’t long before Dr. Welch’s supply ran out, and the nearest serum was in Nenana, Alaska—1000 miles of frozen wilderness away.

Amazingly, a group of trappers and prospectors volunteered to cover the distance with their dog teams! Operating in relays from trading post to trapping station and beyond, one sled started out from Nome while another, carrying the serum, started from Nenana. Oblivious to frostbite, fatigue, and exhaustion, the teamsters mushed relentlessly until, after 144 hours in minus 50-degree winds, the serum was delivered to Nome. As a result, only one other life was lost to the potential epidemic. Their sacrifice had given an entire town the gift of life.

Source unknown

The Baroness and the Houseboy

A Christian baroness, living in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya, told of a young national who was employed as her houseboy. After three months he asked the baroness to give him a letter of reference to a friendly sheik some miles away. The baroness, not wishing the houseboy to leave just when he had learned the routine of the household, offered to increase his pay. The lad replied that he was not leaving for higher pay. Rather, he had decided he would become either a Christian or a Moslem. This was why he had come to work for the baroness for three months. He had wished to see how Christians acted. Now he wanted to work for three months for the sheik to observe the ways of the Moslems. Then he would decide which way of life he would follow. The baroness was stunned as she recalled her many blemishes in her dealings with the houseboy. She could only exclaim, “Why didn’t you tell me at the beginning!”

Leslie B. Flynn, Dare to Care Like Jesus

That Is My Business

As D. L. Moody walked down a Chicago street one day, he saw a man leaning against a lamppost. The evangelist gently put his hand on the man’s shoulder and asked him if he was a Christian. The fellow raised his fists and angrily exclaimed, “Mind your own business!” “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you,” said Moody, “but to be very frank, that IS my business!”

Source unknown

Caring Christians

Even if people reject the gospel, we still must love them. A good example of this was reported by Ralph Neighbour, pastor of Houston’s West Memorial Baptist Church (in Death And The Caring Community, by Larry Richards and Paul Johnson):

Jack had been president of a large corporation, and when he got cancer, they ruthlessly dumped him. He went through his insurance, used his life savings, and had practically nothing left.

I visited him with one of my deacons, who said, “Jack, you speak so openly about the brief life you have left. I wonder if you’ve prepared for your life after death?”

Jack stood up, livid with rage. “You *** Christians. All you ever think about is what’s going to happen to me after I die. If your God is so great, why doesn’t He do something about the real problems of life?” He went on to tell us he was leaving his wife penniless and his daughter without money for college. Then he ordered us out.

Later my deacon insisted we go back. We did.

“Jack, I know I offended you,” he said. “I humbly apologize. But I want you to know I’ve been working since then. Your first problem is where your family will live after you die. A realtor in our church has agreed to sell your house and give your wife his commission.

“I guarantee you that, if you’ll permit us, some other men and I will make the house payments until it’s sold.

“Then, I’ve contacted the owner of an apartment house down the street. He’s offered your wife a three-bedroom apartment plus free utilities and an $850-a-month salary in return for her collecting rents and supervising plumbing and electrical repairs. The income from your house should pay for your daughter’s college. I just want you to know your family will be cared for.”

Jack cried like a baby.

He died shortly thereafter, so wracked in pain he never accepted Christ. But he experienced God’s love even while rejecting Him. And his widow, touched by the caring Christians, responded to the gospel message.

Van Campbell

Tell the Story of Your Master

Sometimes telling a story has as much effect on the teller as it does the listeners. Martin Buber, the Jewish philosopher, recalls:

“My grandfather was lame. Once they asked him to tell a story about his teacher, and he related how his master used to hop and dance while he prayed. My grandfather rose as he spoke and was so swept away by his story that he himself began to hop and dance to show how the master had done. From that hour he was cured of his lameness.”

When we tell the story of our Master, we too experience His power.

Timothy K. Jones

Melt Down the Saints

During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, there was a shortage of currency in the British Empire. Representatives carefully searched the nation in hopes of finding silver to meet the emergency. After one month, the committee returned with its report. “We have searched the Empire in vain seeking to find silver. To our dismay, we found none anywhere except in the cathedrals where the statues of the saints are made of choice silver.”

To this, Oliver Cromwell eloquently answered, “Let’s melt down the saints and put them into circulation.”

G. Sweeting, How to Witness Successfully

Hit Gold

Many years ago some men were panning for gold in Montana, and one of them found an unusual stone. Breaking it open, he was excited to see that it contained gold. Working eagerly, the men soon discovered an abundance of the precious metal. Happily, they began shouting with delight, “We’ve found it! We’ve found gold! We’re rich!”

They had to interrupt their celebrating, though, to go into a nearby town and stock up on supplies. Before they left camp, the men agreed not to tell a soul about their find. Indeed, no one breathed a word about it to anyone while they were in town. Much to their dismay, however, when they were about to return, hundreds of men were prepared to follow them. When they asked the crowd to tell who “squealed,” the reply came, “No one had to. Your faces showed it!”

Source unknown

More Become Christians Younger

Nineteen out of every twenty who become Christians do so before they reach the age of 24.

• After 25, only one in 10,000
• After 35, only one in 40,000
• After 45, only one in 200,000
• After 55, only one in 300,000
• After 65, only one in 500,000
• After 74, only one in 700,000

Source unknown

Dr Chafer and the Flagman

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, evangelist and founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, told a simple story from his life. It seems that one day Dr. Chafer was walking along the street when he encountered a flagman sitting in a little house at a railroad crossing. He noticed that the man was reading a large family Bible. Though a sign on the door said, “No Admittance,” Dr. Chafer went boldly through the door to greet the man. In reply to a question from Dr. Chafer, the man said that he read the Bible a lot. So Chafer asked a second question—one most people are too timid to ask these days—“Are you saved?”

The answer of the flagman carries the sentiments of many: “I never could be good enough to be saved.”

Dr. Chafer countered, “Friend, if God would make an exception of your case, and give you salvation outright as a gift, would you receive it?”

“Mister,” the flagman replied, “I don’t know what brand of fool you think I am that I wouldn’t take a gift like that!”

Chafer asked the flagman to read John 10:28. It took the man awhile to find the passage, but then he read, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish...” Then Chafer directed him to Romans 6:23, where he read, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The flagman was amazed. He said to Dr. Chafer, “Stranger, I don’t know who you are, but you’ve done more for me today than any other man.”

Chafer crisply replied, “What have I done for you? I’ve got you in a trap. You told me that if it was a gift, you’d accept it. Now, what are you going to do about that?”

“I will accept it right now,” the flagman responded. And he did. Dr. Chafer prayed with him and left.

That is the simplicity of the gospel. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Today in the Word, May, 1990

Loving Jesus and Loving People

I came to realize that to love Jesus and to love people mean we will do our best to bring the two together. To reduce it to the simplest terms, loving Jesus and loving people is what Christianity and the church are all about. I came to understand that unless I genuinely care about the person with whom I am sharing, my witness will lack compassion and sincerity. Also, unless I study the Word of God, my witness will lack content. The caring witness sharing the message of the Word of God give the balance needed to reach people.

Taken from “People Sharing Jesus” by Darrell W. Robinson

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