Historical Posts
A Sense of Urgency
Feel a sense of urgency when it comes to evangelism.
As we approach the start of the 19th Annual Madisonville Church of Christ Bible Lectureship, I find myself thinking more and more about the theme of this year’s program – Evangelism: Our Mission and Passion. Do Christians really understand that the evangelism of lost souls is the mission upon which the Lord has sent us in this world? In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus said: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with your always, even unto the end of the world.” In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus said: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” In Luke 24:46-47, Jesus said, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” Do we really take the great commission personally? Do we understand that it is OUR task to evangelize the whole world? Do we realize that, if we fail to do it, there is no one else who will? If we did, then perhaps we would feel more of a sense of urgency, when it comes to evangelism.
Are we truly passionate about evangelism? Every Christian wants the church to grow, but few seem to want to do anything about it (Matthew 9:37). There seems to be no sense of urgency. The only way that the church will grow is if the members of it will actively attempt to recruit others to join the cause of Christ. Please don’t imagine that the preacher and his family are the only ones who are supposed to play and active role in the evangelism of our community. A preacher’s influence is limited to those around him. You will encounter people in the course of your daily life that your preacher might never even meet! Who is going to speak to them about Jesus, if you do not?
Those of us who have had some success in seeking and saving the lost know that there is no other feeling on Earth to compare with knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s eternal destiny. Being passionate about evangelism is not something that one can just “switch on” and “switch off.” It is something that comes with experience of seeking the lost. How many people have you led to Christ? There is still time to increase that number!
Next weekend, we will be in the midst of our Bible lectureship. We all need to hear the lectures that will be presented, and so do our friends and neighbors, who are lost in their sins. I want to challenge you to think of ten people you know, who are not Christians, whom you can invite to come to the lectureship. It doesn’t matter if you send them an invitation in the mail, or post an invitation on their Facebook page, or call them up on the telephone and invite them, or invite them in a text message, or even invite them in person. Just invite them to “come and see” what the Lord’s church has to offer. If even just one soul says “Yes” and comes to the lectureship, you will have done something wonderful for them and for yourself.
Evangelism is our mission, and it certainly ought to be our passion and be undertaken with a sense of urgency. My sincere hope and fervent prayer is that, by the end of the next weekend, all of us shall renew our commitment to tell everyone we know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take as many souls with us to Heaven as we possibly can.
To God, be the glory!
Content by Russell Kline
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Moved with Compassion
Thanks to Al Parr, working with the Saline Church of Christ, for the content of this post.
God motivated saints are moved with compassion to care for the needy and help when they can. Every contact with the lost is an opportunity for evangelism.
Mark 6:34 KJV – “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”
A world in need comes to the church for help in paying bills and buying groceries. Not always, but often, people need help from others because they are experiencing the result of their previous poor decisions. Usually our poor decisions result from not having an established plan for life that guides us to success.
Regardless of the cause of the need, God-motivated saints are moved with compassion to care for the needy and help when they can. Jesus, when He came out to the people and saw their lack of direction in life, “was moved with compassion toward them … and he began to teach them many things.”
Let us not forget the true purpose of the church. While the stomach is growling, the ears may not hear anything else, but in every contact with the lost there is an opportunity for evangelism. We may not find it, but as servants of the Master we should certainly be looking for it.
Al Parr works Confirming the Churches and preaches at the Saline Church of Christ
7300 East Michigan Avenue
Saline, MI 48176
734-429-4319
Content by Zachary Van Tassel
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What Congregations Need – audio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Commitment to Truth
There is nothing congregations of the Lord’s church today need more than a strong commitment to the truth (Proverbs 23:23). We live in a time in which many congregations of the Lord have abandoned truth for error and God’s way for man’s way – Jeremiah 6:16.
But we must never forget that only the truth saves (John 8:32; James 1:18); only the truth purifies the soul (1 Peter 1:22); truth must govern our worship for God to accept it (John 4:24); the truth causes the body to grow (Ephesians 4:15; Acts 20:32).
Evangelistic Emphasis
What did Paul remind the elders of the church Ephesus when he was among them? In Acts 20:20-27, he taught publicly and from house to house the truth of God Word. He was compelled to share and proclaim to them all the counsel of God.
Strong Leadership
Elders in the Lord’s church are always in need of spiritual strength, for their position involves much “work” (1 Timothy 3:1). They face the daunting task of shepherding a congregation (Acts 20:28), which includes many unpleasant activities. If elders are not strong, wolves will come into the flock and devour them.
It takes strength, depth and vigor to be a good example of leadership (1 Peter 5:3), to watch out for the souls of many people (Hebrews 13:17), to exhort and convict with sound doctrine (Titus 1:9), to be available for church members, to visit the sick, to lead in disciplinary matters, to encourage the weak and to warn the unruly.
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Harry (Andy) Anderson Jr.Return to the Home Page
What I Learned from the 52-Week Challenge
One year ago, I announced in the church bulletin and on my Facebook page that I was going to try an experiment in evangelism called, “the 52-week challenge.” Everyone who talked to me about this effort was very positive and encouraging. I want to thank everyone for their support. Quite simply, the 52-week challenge was an effort on my part to invite at least one person to come to church with me, in every single week of the year. It was hardly a monumental effort. In fact, it seemed to me like an absurdly simple task, with not much “challenge” to it, at all. Yet, it was, in the end a very rewarding experience, and I would like to heartily recommend that every Christian take up the 52-week challenge in the coming New Year.
As the year is drawing to a close, most people are asking me, “How many did you invite?” That’s actually pretty hard to say. I didn’t keep a running tally of how many souls I invited to come with me to church. Sometimes, I forgot to keep up with weekly postings on Facebook, but I can assure you that I did not fail to invite at least one person to come with me to church, in every week of 2013! In many cases, I invited the same people to come to church several times, during the year. In other cases, I invited complete strangers to come to church, whom I have not seen again. The results of this effort, however, were very surprising to me, and learned some valuable lessons along the way.
One of the first people that I invited to come to church, in the early days of the 52-week challenge was a woman I ended up baptizing a few weeks later. She still has her spiritual struggles, but she doing the best she can to fight the good fight of faith. I must say that I never expected a result like that so quickly!
Another interesting case was the week that I invited the men who worked on the roof of my house to come to church—and two of them actually showed up. They have not been back to church since then, but I never thought they would come in the first place. It just goes to show that it pays to ask.
I thought, when I began the challenge, that I might have to look high and low for people to invite, but I found that I didn’t have to. Opportunities to invite people to come to church were everywhere. Once I was actively looking for opportunities, it wasn’t hard to find one every week. Sometimes, I would get down to Friday, or Saturday, and would think, “I’ve gotta find somebody,” but then I would go to the store and find a friend, or an acquaintance, or even a total stranger and invite them to come to church.
I thought, when I began the challenge, that I might have to force myself to inject an invitation to church into my conversations with others, but as time went on, I found that it was a very natural thing to wrap a conversation with someone by saying, “Hey, why don’t you and your family come to church with me, this Sunday?” I found that it also helped, if I kept plenty of business cards or tracts on hand to give to them.
Evangelism is the most important activity in which a Christian can engage. The words of the Savior, in Matthew 28:19-20 should inspire us all, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” It is easy to take it for granted that someone else will do the work of the Lord and invite people to “come and see” what the church of Christ is all about. But, who is going to reach out to your friends, your family, your co-workers? There are people out there who’s only exposure to New Testament Christianity is you. Will any of them utter the chilling words of that old song, on the Day of Judgment: “You never mentioned Him to me?”
As for me, while I will not be reporting it on my Facebook page anymore, I do plan to continue to invite at least one soul to come to church with me, in every single week of next year, too. Once again, I would like to invite you to join me, in this effort. Think of the difference we could make, if all of us were committed to such a challenge! While most of the people we invite may never come to church, some of them will. While most of those who come may never come again, some will. While most of them might never be baptized, some will. What if we all persisted in hard work and each of us converted one souls to Christ in every year? There would be no limit to the results!
Content by Russell Kline
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What is the Essential Mission of the Church?
The mission of the church has been the subject of many heated discussions between brethren in the Lord’s church since the early days of the Restoration Movement. Our ancient brethren had a crystal clear understanding of the essential mission of the church, which is why the New Testament is hardly overflowing with debates about the issue. This, however, does not mean that the New Testament cannot enlighten us about the answer to this question. It is a matter of applying sound Biblical hermeneutics to the problem.
Most members of the churches of Christ will concede that the three major aspects of the essential mission of the church are:
- Evangelism (Matthew 28:19-20)
- Edification (Hebrews 3:13)
- Benevolence (Hebrews 13:16)
But, the brethren sometimes disagree about the definitions of these three things. Some think that evangelism is simply about getting people to “come to church”, while others insist that it’s about converting people from the error of their ways. Some think that edification is about keeping people entertained, while others insist that its about enabling people to grow, spiritually. Some think that benevolence is about showing the world that we care, while others insist that it must be about making a substantive difference in their lives. While Christians may dispute these things, the Bible holds the answer.
After His resurrection, but before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20). We call this divine imperative the “Great Commission;” and we typically mention it in the context of discussions about evangelism. But, let us not fail to recognize what the passage says about teaching. The Lord commands His disciples to “Go…teach…baptize…and…teach.” That is the essence of what the Savior instructs all of His disciples to do. Note that there is teaching, which comes before baptism, and then teaching, which comes after baptism.
Teaching is the biggest part of the Great Commission!
What we teach the lost matters.
If we are too timid to tell them the truth, then we may see them in the pew every Sunday, but we won’t see them in Heaven, because they were never “converted” (Acts 3:19). Jesus, Peter and Paul said things that made some people want to stone them to death! But, they stood their ground courageously and told people the things that they needed to hear. In many cases, they knew that they were risking their lives, but it was more important for them to tell the truth, and not to soothe people’s sensitive consciences with veiled references and vague generalizations (Acts 18:9-11). Our task is to tell people what they need to hear, and then let them decide how they will respond to it (2 Timothy 4:2).
Whenever I hear brethren talking about their efforts to reach out to the “unchurched,” it always makes me cringe. They, of course, are talking about their efforts to reach out to people with no religious affiliation, who do attend any church, anywhere. To be sure, this is a noble effort, and the “unchurched” tend to make good prospects for Christ, but what about the millions of others out there who are members of denominational churches? Are their souls not just as lost? Are they not worth the effort it takes to reach out to them? Did the Lord not teach us to cast a wider net, when fishing for men (Matthew 13:47-48)?
In their efforts draw in as many people as they possibly can, some elders and preachers may be perverting the message that is preached, setting aside the standard of Scripture for religious authority, and depending upon cheap theatrics and gimmicks to boost their numbers. In reality, church growth has little to do with the number of people who show up for Sunday morning worship. It has much more to do with the number of souls that have been persuaded to put their proverbial “hands to the plow,” without looking back (Luke 9:62). Evangelism starts with an invitation to “come and see,” but it does not end there. We must talk to our friends about the Bible, their attitude toward it, what it says, their response to what it says. Evangelism is about starting a dialogue, which results in the salvation of a lost soul. Courage is required to get that dialogue started.
“Edification” is an old word, which refers to the process of building something, or reinforcing a structure that is already standing.
In the Bible, it is a term that is applied to the souls of men, and to the Lord’s church, itself. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” It is every Christian’s job to build up and to fortify the church, as a whole and on an individual basis. “Exhortation” is how Christians edify each other. Hebrews 3:13 says, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” If we can exhort one another, then we can edify one another.
Edification is about positive reinforcement and criticism, which is designed to be helpful, rather than hurtful. There is absolutely nothing wrong with one Christian complementing a good job done by another. Jesus may have taught His disciples not to seek out the praises of men (Matthew 6:1-4), but He never taught them to withhold praise from one to whom it was due (1 Peter 2:17). In fact, Jesus praised the poor widow who cast her two mites into the treasury; holding her up as an example for others to follow (Luke 21:1-4). Preachers, elders, deacons, Bible class teachers, and others engaged in the work of the Lord need to hear that they are doing a good job. I know that, whenever I receive a heartfelt complement from one of my brethren, it gives me strength to carry on with the work! When was the last time you built up a fellow Christian by paying them a complement for a job well done?
Criticism is also part of the work of edification, but not the kind of criticism that is intended to be mean. If you can see that a brother or a sister is struggling with some spiritual issue, Jesus says that you must go to that person and “tell him his fault between thee and him alone” (Matthew 18:15). It is not supposed to be a confrontation, but rather a private talk between brethren. Most of the time, there will be no need to take it any further. If brethren can only talk to each other, in a spirit of love and compassion, most problems in the church would never grow any bigger (Galatians 6:1-2).
When we think about edification, let’s not just think about social get-togethers, but rather the development of deep and meaningful relationships. The more we love and support one another, the stronger we will be, as the body of Christ. Weakness in the Lord’s body is often the result of failure to connect with one another in more than just a superficial way.
“Benevolence” is a fancy word that refers to the work that Christians do to help those who are in need.
In Galatians 6:10, we are instructed to take advantage of every opportunity to “do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Some think that Christians are limited to helping only other Christians, but Jesus taught us, in the parable of the “Good Samaritan” that anyone who needs help deserves our help, no matter who they are (Luke 30-37). Throughout history, it has always been the case that there is never a shortage of those who are in need (Mark 14:7).
Some churches are quite proud of all the programs they have, which are designed to help the needy. In many cases, they simply throw their financial and sometimes personal support together with denominations that are doing the actual work. The Bible teaches us not to have fellowship with denominations (Ephesians 5:11); even when it comes to works of benevolence. Is the Lord’s church powerless to help the needy on its own? By working together with denominations, are we not suggesting to the community that we are just another denomination, ourselves? These efforts may be backed by the best of intentions, but they are diluting the distinctiveness of the church of Christ.
When we think about benevolence, we typically think about flood, earthquake, or tornado relief. We think about BIG projects in far away places. But, benevolence is also about small acts of kindness, which take place right here, in our own community. Once, my mother said to me, “I wish the church had a program to give groceries to needy families on holidays like Thanksgiving.” I said to her, “Don’t wait for the rest of the church to do it. Do it yourself.” When she started collecting food from other members of the church, they wanted to help out, and before long, the entire congregation was in on the project. Sometimes, even one Christian, acting on alone, can make a big difference!
Content by Russell Kline
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The Challenge of Evangelism
Introduction
- The church faces many challenges. There is the challenge of restoring New Testament Christianity in a religiously pluralistic society – John 14:6. There is the challenge of making our homes what God wants them to be – Psalm 127:1. There is the challenge to remain holy – 1 Peter 15-16. But the supreme challenge we have as Christians is to take Jesus Christ to the world – Mark 16:15-16.
- To meet the challenge of evangelism every Christian must be serious about doing their part to assure everybody hears the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must have the zeal to teach the world the Word of God as the first century church did – Acts 19:8-10; Acts 8:3-4.
- If you had a medical emergency, your loved ones would feel a great urgency to get medical attention immediately to help. The world today has a great spiritual emergency and needs Christians to respond to keep them from spiritual death through the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All Accountable Men and Women are Lost and Need Forgiveness
- Christians must see the urgency and the need to save lost souls that are dying everyday. Every soul that has transgressed God’s commandment is lost and separated from God – Isaiah 59:1-2. And anyone separated from God needs forgiveness – Romans 3:23; 6:23. Your soul and everyone else’s soul is valuable and worth all the effort to save!
- At the Day of Judgment, all accountable men & women that do not know God or have not obeyed the gospel of Christ will be eternally punished night & day forever – 2 Thessalonians 1:-7-9. In 2 Peter 3:9, you learn that God does not want us to perish, but wants all to come to repentance. Which should encourage each of us to reach out to lost soul and plant the seed of the Word of God that they might obey Jesus to be saved?
- If you are not committed to the teaching and preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and feel you are not accountable to do your part to teach Christ to the lost, it is not likely you will be evangelistic. May we all have the spirit of the Apostle Paul, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”– 1 Corinthians 9:16
God Has Only One Plan of Redemption to Save Man
- God has a plan for the redemption of man; God has one plan, one way, and one church to save men & women from their sins – Matthew 7:13-14. That one way is Jesus Christ, and His church that was purchased with His own blood – John 14:6. Salvation is only in Jesus Christ and not through other men or churches – Acts 4:12.
- It is important for all the world to know the truth because error and false doctrine fills the world, and the only thing that can liberated those in the bondage of sin is the truth – John 8:31-32. Did you know many people’s worship to God is in vain because they do not have a proper relationship with God and they’re practicing false doctrines of men – Matthew 15:8-9.
- If you have neglected your Christian responsibility of teach the Word of God, why not come today and rededicate yourself to His service – James 5:19-20. If you’re lost, Christ died for yours sins, and God raised Him from the Dead. Why not come today.
Content by Harry (Andy) Anderson Jr.Return to the Home Page