Last night at our church wide outreach, I had a brief conversation about one of the best gospel presentations that I know of, and so I wanted to pass it on to everyone today.
This link will give you a clear summary of the message of the gospel. I’d encourage you to put this presentation to good use. Perhaps there is someone who doesn’t know the Lord who you stay in touch with by e-mail. If so, send them the link and ask them to take the time to read and reflect on the message. Of course, if you’re going to do this, you need to be willing to talk with them if they have any questions.
The message of the gospel is the most important truth that anyone can hear. Let’s be bold in making it known!
I hope that everyone is doing well today; the Lord has blessed us with a beautiful day!
I have recently been reading a book entitled The Tyranny of Time by Robert Banks. This book has been a good read, and it has challenged me to really think about how I use my time. One of the primary principles that Banks lays down to help us use our time well is the need to focus in on what’s really important. There are many good things out there to do with our time, but they may not be what is best. Now you may wonder what this principle has to do with this blog… Excellent question – I’m glad that you asked.
In thinking about what is really important in my life, I have realized that I have a passion to see the people of Poplar Spring continue to grow deeper in their faith – to have us become stronger disciples of Christ. That’s the reason that we started this blog. I certainly don’t believe that I have all the answers, but I am pretty well read in Christians who have been disciples of Christ for much longer than I have, and I know that there is much wisdom to be gained from the great believers who have gone on before us. On top of that, we do have the Scriptures which we believe are sufficient for all of life’s needs.
The problem with the goal of the blog is that it’s a very broad goal! So here’s where I need your help. If you will, take some time and think through some topics that you would like to know more about, or a topic that you would like to discuss here on the blog, and let us know by posting your thoughts in the comments of this post. Also, remember that if you have specific questions that you would like to ask pastor Steven, he has said that he is willing to address questions from you guys.
I thought that this was a great article – it really challenged me to think about how I pray to the Lord. The author is David Powlison, who does a great job of taking the truths of Scripture and applying them to daily life.
I’m sure that most of you have seen the hilarious Johnson automotive commercials… you know, the ones with the badger. Well, I saw this one yesterday and it just made me laugh.
It also made me think about evangelism.
Sometimes we as Christians are afraid to share our faith with those who don’t know Jesus. Now to be quite frank, this is in direct violation of Christ’s command to us to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). But we can also be in error on the opposite extreme. Sometimes we can view people who don’t know Christ as just another fish to get on the hook, and we forget that every lost person in the world is created in the image of God. This is not what Jesus meant when he called his disciples to be fishers of men! We should not try to present the gospel to the lost around us and then attempt to “close the deal.” Instead, we need to get to know them as a person by building a meaningful relationship with them.
Pastor Steven has given us practical advice on where we can do this…
1. At the table – This is in your family – both immediate and extended.
2. At the mailbox – This is in your neighborhood.
3. At the watercooler – This is at your workplace.
4. At the checkout – This is in the marketplace.
5. At the stadium - This is in the places you go for entertainment and enjoyment. Examples would be at the movie theatre or at the Little League ball park.
The important thing that I want us to think about today is that we will have little success sharing the gospel if we act like the badger here – seeing people as only a “sale”. We need to see people as those for whom Christ shed his blood. Christ “desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4), and we should as well. We are not salesmen for Christ; we are ambassadors for Christ. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
All this is from God,who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconcilingthe world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to usthe message of reconciliation. Therefore,we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sinwho knew no sin, so that in him we might becomethe righteousness of God.
May we be Christ’s ambassadors today and build God’s kingdom by building relationships.
