Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What Did Jesus Do?

His first words in ministry were the same as John the Baptist. They both started their ministry with "Repent"
We are accused of being judgmental, but we are simply asking people to judge themselves before they are judged by God.

We ask questions so people can compare themselves to God's standard and see where they stand before the Day of Judgment. People need to first be made aware of their NEED for a Savior in order for the Gospel to make sense.

Does that mean some people might be offended? How many are saved by this method of evangelism?

Both questions have the same answer. It simply doesn't matter, because it's Biblical. We are to be obedient to preach the Gospel, and anyone who preaches a different Gospel is to be accursed (Galatians 1:6-8). The Gospel is ALWAYS Law to the proud, grace to the humble. So often these days, the Gospel is watered down with love and grace preached, but no mention of God's holiness, His righteousness, and His wrath against disobedient sinners.

But, aren't we all children of God? That's not what the Bible says (1 John 3:10)

So, let's see if the message was sugar-coated in the Bible.
John the Baptist called the prideful Pharisees and Scribes "you brood of vipers" in Matt 3:7. He didn't say, "we're all God's children" or "Jesus loves you." He spoke the Truth and sometimes that was a hard truth. He was eventually beheaded.

Jesus said it in Matt 12:34, and also tells them "you who are evil." In verse 39 He called them a "wicked and adulterous generation" for seeking a miraculous sign.

In Matt 23, Jesus called people "hypocrites", "sons of hell", "blind", "full of greed and self-indulgence", "full of hypocrisy and wickedness", and asks them "how will you escape being condemned to hell?"
He also said there are none found good, and yet so many people, professed Christians and unbelievers alike claim that they are "good" people, just like the Bible says in Prov 20:6.

Paul was beaten and whipped with many attempts to kill him because of what he preached. I don't think it was the warm fuzzy "Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."

Jesus said that if the world hated Him, they would also hate us. The world killed Him, and there have been many Christian martyrs since, and it continues to this day. But He rose from the dead, defeating death forever. We trust in Him alone, so preach His Gospel and no other, following His example. Law to the proud, grace to the humble.

How can you determine if someone is proud or humble? Simply ask them this question, whether they are a professed Christian or unbeliever: Would you consider yourself to be a good person?

¿The Good Person Test?

So, would you consider yourself to be a good person?  Anybody good enough to get into heaven?  Let's take a short test to see. 

•           Have you ever told a lie?  What does that make you?  A liar.  This violates the 9th Commandment, and the Bible tells us that all liars will have their place in the lake of fire.

•           Have you ever stolen anything, no matter how small?  A piece of candy as a kid, a pen from work?  Anything?  What does that make you?  A thief and it means that you've violated the 8th Commandment, and probably the 10th as well, because you would have coveted it before you actually stole it.  There will be no thieves in heaven.

•           Have you ever used God's Name in vain?  Just cried it out as an expletive?  That's called blasphemy.  It's a transgression of the 3rd Commandment and a very serious offense. 
Do you realize what you've done?  You've used the Creator of the universe's holy Name as a curse word to express disgust instead of a four letter filth word.  Hitler's name is not so despised to be used in such a way!

•           The 7th Commandment says you shall not commit adultery.
Now, you might say, "I'm not even married" but did you know this command includes fornication (premarital sex) as well? 
In fact, Jesus says that if you merely look with lust, you've already committed adultery in your heart.  So, have you ever done that? 

•           You may say, "I've never murdered anyone."  But if you've ever hated anyone, God sees it as murder in your heart and you're guilty of breaking the 6th Commandment.  Yes, even your thoughts will be judged on Judgment Day. 

•           Have you always honored your parents as they should be honored?  That's number 5.

•           Have you kept the Sabbath?  That's number 4.  God gave you your very life, have you ever stopped to consider what He might require of you, one day out of seven? 

•           Have you always put God first in your life?  That's the 1st and most important Commandment. 

•           Or have you created a god for yourself in your mind, fashioned after your own image?  One that doesn't see premarital sex or a little white lie as wrong?  One that won't hold you accountable and thus breaking the 2nd Commandment as well? 

How did you do?  Are you "good enough" to make it to heaven?  In light of God's standard, judged by these questions, would you be found innocent or guilty? 
You'd be guilty!  And would you then be destined for heaven or for hell? 

Do you think that you would go to heaven because God is so forgiving?  Check this out:  If a man is found guilty in court for some heinous crime, say murder or rape, or both, and he says to the judge, "I know I'm guilty, but I'm really sorry.  Would you just forgive me and let me go?  I won't ever do it again."  Would that judge be just in letting the man go?  No!  And God is so just, that every murderer, rapist, and thief will be punished, but He doesn't stop there.  Every liar, adulterer and fornicator will also be punished for transgressing His Law. 

Does it concern you that you are destined for eternal hell, and according to the Bible, justice is satisfied by sending you there? 

Do you know what God did for us so that we don't have to go to the hell that we deserve? 
He paid the fine for us.  He loves us so much that He doesn't want us to end up in hell.  Hell was created for Satan and his demons, but all criminals must be punished, and the wages of sin is death. 

God so loved us that He sent His Son, God in the flesh, who lived a perfect life, never sinning, and kept the entire Law.  Then He suffered and died on a cross, taking on the punishment that we deserve.  But death couldn't hold Him, and He rose again on the third day, defeating death forever. 

How do you make this gift apply to you?  It isn't some kind of automatic payment so that you can remain in your sins (Hebrews 10:26-27).

You must repent (2 Tim 2:19, Acts 17:30-31), turn away from your sinful ways (Heb 10:29) and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation (Acts 4:12). 

He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). 
Submit to Him as Lord, read the Bible every day and obey His commands. 

May the Lord bless you and be glorified in your salvation.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Are You Different?

Paul Washer says, "Christians are supposed to be different from the world, are you any different? Do you look the same, dress the same, listen to the same kind of music, watch the same kind of things? Do you laugh and joke about the very things that nailed your supposed Savior to a cross?"

Wow, that's a convicting thought. I've heard a similar thing before - if you were to be arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to find you guilty?

So, has your life changed since becoming a follower of Jesus Christ? Notice that I didn't say "believe" in Jesus Christ, because even the demons believe, yet they are not saved (James 2:19).

If you submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you should obey Him rather than the world. Are things different in your life? I believe that I was recently tested on this.

I went to the pet store to buy the supplies needed for a lizard for my daughter. All the stuff you need is kind of expensive, you need an aquarium, dishes, lights, rocks and all sorts of stuff. Money's tight these days, so as I was walking out with all this stuff and realized that I was charged about half of what I should have been, my first thought was, "Hey, cool - a blessing from God!" They forgot to charge me for the aquarium.

But God doesn't bless us by things contrary to His Word revealed in the Bible, and I knew it. There was another unknown charge on the receipt for $14 - fair exchange for the $70 aquarium? A few years ago, I would have said yes, suppressed the conviction I was feeling and attempted to justify my sinful actions.
From a worldly perspective, this would be a good deal, and only a fool would walk back into the store and ask to be charged for something they had accidentally been given for free. But God convicted my heart, and I knew I had to do the right thing, even though I didn't want to.

I went back in and asked what the extra $14 charge was for. It only showed a bunch of numbers, and no one could figure out what it was. Then I mentioned that I hadn't been charged for the aquarium either. There were more people in this guy's line, so he asked another checker to ring me up for the aquarium. He didn't know what the $14 charge was for either, so I asked him if he would take it off.
I would have thought that they'd have been more appreciative that I came back to correct the mistake, but no one seemed to care.

That's alright, I didn't go back in there for recognition, or for the store, or for the cashier and I don't care if they thought I was foolish for doing it. I went back inside and paid because I must be obedient to God, and it was the right thing to do. I need no thanks from man, it would be stealing to take merchandise for free, even when it's a cashier's error. I gave the cashier a Gospel tract on my way out.

No happy worldly ending here, no prosperity or immediate reward for doing the right thing, just simple obedience to the Lord. And guess what else? They were out of the lizard that we were supposed to be getting for $60. My daughter had saved up for months to buy it - I made the deal with her that if she saved up enough for it that I would buy all the supplies that were needed. Somehow it seems that I got the bad end of that deal.

Anyway, these lizards are available at other stores, but now they cost $100 instead of $60. Kind of seems like I should have taken that free aquarium deal, doesn't it? No way!
To sell out Jesus Christ for the price of an aquarium? He gave His life for me, and I preach on the streets every Saturday night and hand out Gospel tracts. Could I play the hypocrite and deny Him by my actions?
Romans 2:21
you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?


Back to the Paul Washer quote that I started with. He also said, "Do you think that there will be people in heaven, who have been tortured, drug through the streets and skinned alive because they would not deny the Name of Jesus Christ, and do you really think they'll be standing up there next to people who by their actions have denied Him in the smallest of things?" No. No, I don't.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Saturday 01-23-10

Tom had a WOTM Crash Course that I helped with in the afternoon, and we had nine people there. Half of them came out on the street afterwards, so that was good.
We got there a little earlier than usual and set up near the post office. We prayed and started passing out tracts.

There were a few loud homeless guys near by that seemed opposed to the Gospel message, so Richard and I went over to talk to them a bit. Two of them ran off, but the other stayed and argued, claiming he was a Satanist and didn't believe the Bible. So I asked him where he learned about Satan, since he's mentioned in the Bible. If you don't believe the Bible, you can't really be much of a Satanist. We couldn't really get into a serious conversation with him, though. These guys came and went throughout the evening, so at least they heard the Gospel being preached.

Richard stopped a group of teens to go through the good person test, and one of them came over to me with a couple of his friends because he wanted to be given the test as well. It turned out that they weren't as good as they thought they were, but they heard the Gospel and went on their way.

Tom did some trivia questions to get a crowd a couple of times, and ran a few people through the test. I preached a little and then did trivia as well, and we had a good variety of responses for the new people to see what they could expect when talking with people and sharing the Gospel.

I talked with a guy that was standing near by. He had a good knowledge of the Bible, but was a bit off in his theology. He seemed to think that everyone is a Christian somehow, but could never really explain that to make any sense.

A couple of our atheists came by later with their bullhorn. They call themselves "the Resistance", but I see them as some sort of think tank of skeptics, so I just refer to them collectively as "The Skeptic Tank."
They come out to argue against the open air preaching and they used to be a much larger group, but it seems that most of them have moved on and found themselves better things to do on a Saturday night. I couldn't think a bigger waste of time than to go out and argue against something that I didn't even believe existed. And for what purpose? Apparently, they consider us to be so persuasive that they feel the need to come out out and "rescue" people from our preaching. I guess they consider the Gospel message of eternal life to be some sort of dangerous thing to society. I mean, who wants someone out preaching that we shouldn't lie, steal or commit adultery, right?

No matter, they haven't got a chance. God's Word will not return void. We do not preach by our own words, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we will continue to do so. And as long as our friendly neighborhood atheists come out to oppose us, they will hear the Word of God preached, too.
Keep them in prayer.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Accept, Commit - Submit, Surrender

Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  No.  Let me tell you something, He doesn't need your acceptance, He already IS Lord, and our feelings and thoughts on the subject are irrelevant to this fact.

The real question is, do you submit to Him in obedience, for He says that if you loved Him, you would obey His commands. 
A lot of difference a word makes, huh?

Preachers of the modern Gospel will tell us to commit our lives to Christ, and that sounds all good on the surface, but it's the same issue.

The word "commit" leaves us in control. We can commit to car payments, to tithing, to whatever, we make a commitment, and we are still in control. But this edges out a better word when we're speaking of our relationship with the Creator of the universe- surrender.

If a man points a gun at you, and says put up your hands, you don't tell him what you're going to commit to. You say, 'what do you want me to do?' You've surrendered.

So, do we "commit" to follow Christ? Or do we surrender our lives to Him as Lord and Savior?

Three times in a single chapter of John, Jesus tells us that if we love Him, we will obey Him.

John 14:15
If you love me, you will obey what I command.

John 14:21
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.

John 14:23
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."


It's interesting how subtle changes in language can make such a difference in meaning when you really dig into it.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Gift of Evangelism

I hear this a lot. “You’ve got the gift of evangelism.” When people learn that you strongly disagree with that assessment, they might rephrase it slightly, with the same meaning. “I could never do that.” Some are even more honest and say, “well, I’m glad YOU’RE out there doing that” because they don’t feel comfortable talking to people about Jesus Christ, even though they know that they should.

Let me clear up a common misconception about this “gift of evangelism” as it pertains to me. I am an introvert by nature, I prefer to be behind the scenes, am not comfortable in the spotlight, and generally try to avoid crowds. I’ll speak up in a meeting or group setting if I feel something needs to be said, but I’d just as soon let someone else mention it instead. I am not outgoing. I do not like confrontation. I do not like discussing controversial subjects, debating or defending my own beliefs. I am quiet and prefer to be left alone.

Yet I am known as the guy who goes out on the street and shares the Gospel. Look back through that prior paragraph, are these some of your excuses? Or do you have the “gift of evangelism”?
That gift, spoken of in Ephesians 4:11-12, is not the same as witnessing. An evangelist is the one training and equipping others to share their faith, not the only one witnessing.
Read the verse carefully, "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers were given to prepare God's people for works" - what kind of works, what is the purpose? "In order to build up the body of Christ." How is that done? By witnessing to people, for how else can they come except by hearing the Gospel (Romans 10:13-14, 17) .
If I have the "gift of evangelism", then it is my job to train and equip YOU to go out and share your faith. If you refuse that, then you will be held accountable for your disobedience when you stand before God.

And think about this. Everyone of us who is saved has come to faith because someone shared with us. What if - one hundred years ago, or two hundred, or five hundred, or a thousand, or even two thousand years ago - the believers decided that they didn't have this particular "gift"?

If you are saved, you are commanded to share the Gospel. This is very clear in Scripture and it isn't something strange or foreign, it’s actually human nature! When we find something of value, we tend to share that knowledge with others. Except the Gospel. Why is that?

As a famous atheist once said, “How much do you have to hate someone, to really believe that eternal life is available and not tell them that?” Well, I’d take it a step further. According to the Bible, which I believe, Hell is a reality, it’s eternal and most people are on their way there.
How much more do you have to hate them not to warn them of that reality and tell them the truth that they might be saved?

Saturday 01-16-10

It was a pretty normal night on Mill this past Saturday. There was some breakdancing going on in our regular spot, so we found another place, prayed and started handing out some tracts. We had a few interesting conversations with people, and ended up distributing a lot of tracts. We didn’t do much open air, but Tom did some trivia questions and had a crowd for a while.

We met one group of people from Sierra Vista, who were familiar with WOTM. We talked to them for a while, and invited them to a Crash Course we’re having on Saturday.

Over all, it ended up being a pretty good night, lots of tracts were distributed, and we had a few one to one conversations. Tom spent some time talking with a couple of ladies who claimed to be Christian, yet didn't like what we were doing. One of them claimed to share her faith often, but I'm not sure what she really meant by that. Usually that means they hang around with other Christians and talk amongst themselves, which is fellowship, not witnessing. Sometimes they feel that their actions speak for them and they don't actually have to speak with anyone.

What I've found is that once someone knows you're a Christian, they do watch you. But they're waiting for you to mess up, to lose your temper, to act like the world, so that they can say, "See, he's no better than anyone else! The church is full of hypocrites." And being fallen humans, we will probably give them exactly what they're looking for at one point or another.
Our actions are important, but we must also speak to people, proclaiming the Gospel as we were commanded. Then, when we make mistakes or fall short, the world will see that we're not perfect, but that we do indeed have faith that we speak of, wanting others to come to repentance and salvation. Go, preach the Word to all creatures.

Friday, January 15, 2010

12 Reasons I Don’t Go to Sporting Events Anymore

Why I No Longer Go to Sporting Events

1. Every time I went, they asked me for money.

2. The people sitting near me didn’t seem very friendly.

3. The seats were too hard and not comfortable.

4. The coach never came to greet me.

5. The referee made a decision that I disagreed with.

6. I was sitting with some hypocrites who only came to see what others were wearing.

7. Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home.

8. The band played some songs that I had never heard before.

9. The games are scheduled when I want to do other things.

10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.

11. Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches anyway.

12. And I don’t want to take my children, because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.

What would happen if we approached church responsibilities with the same enthusiasm we give to our hobbies, sports, and other extracurricular activities?
 
Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, Day by Day with Charles Swindoll


Something to think about. There's some humor there, but there is a serious aspect to it as well. Imagine giving any of these lame excuses when you stand before the all powerful God who has created the universe, when He is demanding an account for the way you spent your life on earth. Do you think any of them would fly?

Thursday, January 14, 2010

MDB

I carry million dollar bill Gospel tracts around in my shirt pocket at work. I don't actively evangelize in the office, but if someone asks, I feel free to give them one. I explain that it is a Gospel tract and that they should read the back, but so far, I haven't gotten into a discussion with coworkers. I think they're afraid we might start talking about deep spiritual matters, and they're right!

I've given a few of them out today, and many people keep them at their desks. So far, I've only had one rejection. One young lady was looking questioningly at the million dollar bill tract (MDB) sticking out of my pocket, so I pulled it out and handed it to her. I said, "It's a Gospel tract, check out the back." Well, you'd have thought I'd handed her a dead rat. She made a face like she was about to throw up, shook her head and handed it back to me, gingerly by the corner, as if she was afraid some of it might accidentally get on her. She managed to say, "no thanks" and was on her way. Ok then. She'll probably avoid me in the future.

But that's the exception rather than the rule. Most people smile and say, "Cool, I can keep this? Thanks!" They take it for the novelty, but there is a good Gospel message on the back of it. I would imagine that people would look it over and check out the details when they have more time. I would.

There are different varieties of MDB's at different websites - you can check them out at Living Waters.com, Custom Tract Source.com and Evangelism Team.com.

They're by far the easiest Gospel tract to hand out, and get God's Word into people's hands. You can use them to start a one to one conversation, or just hand them out and be on your way, letting them read the Gospel for themselves.
Either way, it's a good start to following the Great Commission and witnessing to others.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Death

Isaiah 57:1  NLT
"The righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come."


There is some comfort to be found when a believer dies, knowing that they have salvation and have left this world to be with the Lord.  But, what of those that you're not sure of?  We cannot know a person's salvation, but we can make a judgment based on the fruit of their lives.  In the end, we can only know ourselves, and God who knows the heart will make the final judgment.  We can talk to people, witness to them and compel them to judge themselves by God's standard. 

What if they have claimed no belief - that they are agnostic or atheist?  We can hope that in the last few minutes of their lives that they actually cried out to Jesus for salvation, no works are necessary, so it is possible.  But only if they've heard the Gospel. 

Romans 10:13-14
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?


You'd be surprised at how many, right here in the United States, have not heard it.  And of those who have, it was not explained properly, Biblically, to actually make sense.  How can they cry out to the Lord?  It is every believers responsibility to make this known.

Ezekiel 33:8-9
When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.


Are there people in hell right now, because you were too afraid that you might be seen as foolish in sharing the life-giving Gospel with them?  Are you accountable for their blood? 

My friend, I stand in judgment now,
and feel that you're to blame somehow.
On earth I walked with you by day,
and never did you show the way.

You knew the Savior in truth and glory,
but never did you tell the story.
My knowledge then was very dim,
you could have led me safe to Him.

Though we lived together, here on earth,
you never told me of the second birth.
And now I stand before eternal hell,
because of heaven's glory you did not tell!"
                                                 -Anonymous


Don't be afraid to share the Gospel, tell people.  Go! 
Jesus said that if you are ashamed of Him and deny Him before men, then He will deny you before the angels and the Father ( Luke 12:9).

There was a 21 year old kid, a friend of the family, who committed suicide a while back.  Those who were close to him never saw it coming.  He was well liked and kind of quiet.  I had only met him once or twice in passing, but he was very good friends with my niece and extended family. 
As far as we know, he was not a believer.  Could he have cried out to God in those last few minutes?  I hope so.  I don't know what kind of knowledge of the Savior he had. 

Who do you know who is unsaved?  How much time do they have left? 

Monday, January 11, 2010

Saturday 01-09-10

Tom and I met Dan out at the usual place, and then Linda brought a new group from a class they had that day. We talked for a bit and handed out some tracts, before we gathered together for prayer. Another guy joined in at the end that Dan had been talking to earlier. He was out there doing something for missing children awareness with a small group of his own.

Afterwards as we were talking with him, another guy walked up and the first guy said that God was going to use him in a powerful way, but the guy disagreed. With all the new people out there, everyone thought that he had come with someone else, but he was just a random guy that wondered over from the street. He claimed to be a Christian, but seemed a little confrontational. Tom talked with him for a while, and I moved away to hand out some tracts.

I came back over later when this guy was standing by himself to see what his thoughts were. He seemed to have a problem with what Tom was saying, so I explained that we give the law first to show the need for a Savior. He said that made sense, but he still felt that "loving" people and building them up was better, rather than "tearing them down." I don't know what could be more loving than explaining the truth to someone so that they might have eternal life.

I explained again that people had to know how they’d stand before God and that God's anger abides upon the wicked. We've all broken God's law and actually deserve punishment in hell for it. If there is any other way to get into heaven than through repentance and faith in Christ alone, then Jesus died in vain.
He seemed to contemplate that and said it made sense, but he still didn’t like it. He started talking about being careful of false teachers, and I agreed with him. I said there are a lot of those in churches, just telling people what they want to hear, rather than explaining God’s law and their need.

He said he was going to explain to me how we should be doing this, and I asked him if he shared his faith. He said, “No, I don’t have to” but he maintained that he was a Christian. I asked how He could give advice on something that he doesn’t do, and he repeated that he was going to tell me how to do it. I asked how I would know that he wasn’t one of these false teachers that he’d mentioned earlier and he didn’t like that so much.

He thought I should leave, but I said no, I was fine where I was at. He said I shouldn’t talk to him anymore then, and that he wasn’t going to listen to me. So, I set up the speaker and stool and started preaching.
He didn’t talk to me the rest of the night, but he hung around and talked to others. I never was able to determine what exactly he believed, I think he made it up as he went along.

Later, there was another guy who stopped by to ask if I had any spare change. I told him to hang around because we were going to be doing some trivia for money. He got two of the three questions right and decided to take the Good Person test, even though he didn’t consider himself a good person by God’s standards. It seemed that he had heard it before, but we went through it all for anyone else who may have been listening.

Dan gave him a Bible, and I gave him a “Why Christianity” tract and we talked for a while about different questions that he had, like why God allows bad things to happen to people. We explained that we are living in a fallen world, cursed by sin. If God were to remove every evil from the world tonight, none of us would be here in the morning. So, we left him with some eternal matters to consider, and hopefully cleared up at least some of his questions.

We handed out more tracts and Linda did some open air, then we packed up and went to get something to eat. One of the new people met us there there, and we talked to her for a while about some of the experiences on Mill Ave.
The people from the class that day were all from the same church and seemed really excited about going out and witnessing to others. It sounds like they are going to organize it as a church event and come out to Mill once a month.

On my way home, I saw a small pick up with it’s hazard lights on, and someone pushing it up the off ramp. I circled back around to see if I could help. It’s not always a good idea to stop for a broken down car at 1:00 in the morning, but I figured no one else would do it. There were two young women who had run out of gas. They had a cell phone and were calling roadside assistance, but that can take a while, so I pushed them about a mile to a nearby gas station with my car. They were very appreciative, and the one said, “big hug”, so I gave her a hug and left them with a couple of tracts. I don't know how receptive they might be to the Christian Gospel, as they had a "=" sign on their back window. If you're unfamiliar with that, check out this website.

http://www.hrc.org/

Please pray for them both, that God would convict them and draw them to Himself for their salvation, to His glory alone!

And pray for more workers in the harvest field.
Luke 10:2 ><((('>

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Comments on Bible Quiz

Ok, I've tried to make it easier to post comments for the Bible Quiz, if anyone wants to post or discuss them.
Below the Bible Quiz, it says, "¿So How'd You Do?"
Below that, click where it says, "POST AND DISCUSS QUIZ RESULTS HERE" and it will bring up the blog entry for it (since it tends to get buried under newer posts.)

Don't forget to copy the title of the quiz, since it changes each day.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Old Testament Law

What do we do with all those OT Laws?  When some smug atheist asks you if, as a Christian you wear woolen blends (Deut 22:11 ), how do you answer? 
What about eating pork, not working on the Sabbath, etc?  What do we do with these Old Testament Laws that they like to quote out of Leviticus and Deuteronomy?  Do we really just pick and choose what we like, as we're accused of? 
Well, here are some answers to these ridiculous accusations, in order to answer the fool, lest they be wise in their own eyes (Proverbs 26:5)

The Law can be divided into three categories:  Moral, Civil, and Ceremonial. 

The Ceremonial Laws (animal sacrifices, the Sabbath, etc) were pointing us to a coming Messiah, and so this aspect of the Mosaic Law has been set aside, fulfilled in Christ.

Colossians 2:14-17
having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration or a Sabbath day.  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.


The Civil Laws were written to a specific people at a specific time and specific place. The basic responsibility for the civil aspect, showing the application of the moral Law in a community, has been transferred to human government. 

Romans 13:1
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God.


The Moral Law finds its basis in the character of God and is presented in outline form in the Ten Commandments. It still stands and applies to our lives now, having never been revoked or abolished, but finds its authority in the New Covenant. 
Every unbeliever is still under its requirement of perfection and its condemnation, until he comes to Christ, and every believer still finds in it the standard for behavior. 

Romans 8:3-4
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did:  sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.


Normally, unbelievers like to quote the most obscure Ceremonial or old Civil Laws, but the real problem they have concernes the Moral Law and submission to the Lord.

Apologetix

I got a CD of these guys for Christmas - it's awesome!

They're a Christian parody band that takes popular, secular music and changes the lyrics to Christian ones. They're also pretty funny. They do everything from classic rock, metal, rap and country. Click the post title for their website.

You can also find some of their stuff by searching for it on YouTube.
Here are a few examples of songs they've made:

I Love Apostle Paul (instead of I Love Rock n Roll)
Welcome to the Judges (instead of Welcome to the Jungle)
Back Intact (instead of Back in Black)
Pray Now (instead of Allstar)
Monkey Scheme (instead of the Monkees theme song)
Jail Got Rocked (instead of Jailhouse Rock)
Kick in the Wall (instead of Another Brick in the Wall)
Meshach (instead of Love Shack)
Bad Dude Risin' (instead of Bad Moon Risin')
The Real Sin Savior (instead of The Real Slim Shady)

They've got tons of CD's. Check them out when you get a chance.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Test of Salvation

Are you saved?  How do you know?  What do you base your assurance of salvation on?  

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?


Have you tested yourself?  Go to  John's first letter.  Here's why it was written:

1 John 5:13
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

 
So, you can know for sure.  Take the test.

1 John 1:5-6
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.


God is Light and has revealed Himself and made known what He requires.  We won’t be completely sinless, but will have a lifestyle change, rather than habitual rebellion against God.  If we claim to be Christian but our lifestyle contradicts what He has revealed as His will, we are liars.
 
1 John 1:8
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.


We will be sensitive to sin in our lives, leading us to confession and repentance, convicted by the Spirit.  God pulls you back from sin and convicts you. 

1 John 2:3-4
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.


Again not sinless, but concerned with God’s Word and seeking to obey it.  Our lifestyle should be marked by an interest in God’s Commands and desire to keep them. 

1 John 2:6
Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.


We ought to walk in the same manner as He did.  We won’t be able to reach perfection like Him, but we should strive for it.  Is there a desire to walk like Jesus or to walk like the world?
 
1 John 2:9
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.


There should be love and fellowship with other believers.  Who are your friends?  Who do you hang out with?

1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.


Love the things of God, not of this evil age.  How can you love the very things that crucified Jesus?

1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.


A false convert leaves the basic known Christianity for some new belief.  The true Christian will persevere as Christian, if not, they never were Christian.  He who began a good work will finish it. 
 
1 John 2:22
Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.


Accept everything Scripture says about Jesus, His deity and humanity, Lordship and Savior.  Believe, receive and embrace all of it – He is Lord, Savior and King, the only True Priest.

1 John 2:29
If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.


We should be seeking to be holy and it will be reflected outward.  Is everything that conforms to God’s Law and nature a practice in your life?  Are we conformed to the will of God, or do we see it as burdensome?  The commands of God are not a burden to the true Christian. 

1 John 3:3-4
Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.  Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.


Sin is outright rebellion against God.  Are we striving to be holy?  Are we preparing for eternity? 

1 John 5:12
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.


We need to acknowledge ONLY Christ, not ‘and’.  Not a creed but Christ as all you need and all you desire.  Love Jesus.  He should mean the world to you, as the very source of life.  It is a lifestyle and struggle, striving to be like Him.