40 Days In The Wilderness!

   I do not think it was coincidental that Jesus was taken into the wilderness immediately upon his baptism at the hands of John.  The text reminds us that he was "...taken by the Spirit..." and was immediately tempted by Satan.  There are some great lessons to be derived from those three efforts to get Jesus to sin, but that is not the point of this blog.


   When is a new Christian the most susceptible to Satan's evil ploys?  It is my contention those first few days are among the most dangerous for the new convert.  Even though the excitement of obeying the gospel is still fresh, Satan will not wait very long until he begins his attacks on the spiritual infant.  Babies cannot fend for themselves in any manner!  They have to be fed, housed, and protected, right?  Are "baby" Christians any different?  I think not!


   We are doing the new Christian a terrible injustice by not helping them to prepare for the onslaught of Satan's temptations that are going to come within hours of their obedience.  Remember, Satan's job is to keep everyone out of the kingdom of Christ and if he cannot do that he must make it as difficult as possible on those kingdom citizens.  What better time to attack than when those young Christians are not prepared to defend themselves against the evil ways of the Devil?


   Those temptations are going to come from many different sources.  I have seen old "friends" attack the new child of God by bringing up the "good old days!"  Rekindling the desires of the flesh by recalling the past are a tool that will destroy many of those new (and old) Christians.  Old friends. Old romances. Old entertainment.  All of those will overcome the joy of obedience in the minds of some.  I have seen parents turn their backs on their own children who decided to obey Jesus in baptism.  A young man in Ohio was disowned by his parents for years for becoming a Christian and it was not until this young man and his wife bore their first grandchild that their hearts melted.  There are times that fellow-workers will make it very difficult on the new convert because she will no longer act toward the management as she has always done.  Oh, the list of ways Satan will lead attacks on the young Christian during those first few hours is long and dangerous!


   One final thought.  The fact that Jesus was tempted by Satan for "forty days" might give us an idea that the first month or so is critical to the success of one's conversion.  Those first few weeks are the time this child of God is beginning to form new relationships that will sustain them during those early days and later as well.  It will be a time when they are growing in knowledge of the Word and spending more time than ever in prayer, but they will still be in a susceptible position.  We need to surround these folk with circles of fellowship to give them a favorable chance of survival.

ASK GOD TO SEND YOU PEOPLE...ANY PEOPLE!

After an absence of almost a year, "Evangelism: Inside and Out!" should be back better than ever...at least, more consistently! I make no excuses for not being more prompt with fresh blogs because it has been a very, very busy year and I love it that way. In no way should it be thought that evangelism has taken a back seat in my judgment because nothing could be farther from the truth...it is still what we should be increasing!
I would like to focus this blog on the importance of prayer in evangelizing a lost world! So much of what I read about reaching the lost seems to be geared to being a "consumer oriented church." Give them what they like! Do it in a contemporary style! Worship must be more lively! These and so many more challenges (?) are the stimuli for church growth...or it would seem!
Have we forgotten the words of Paul about planting and watering and allowing "God to make the seed grow?" Have we taken on the challenge of planting, watering and bringing about growth? If so, we are doing so artificially and will regret it greatly at some point! It was Jesus who said that he would build his church, right? He did not say, "I will build YOUR church", nor "YOU will build my church," but, "I will build MY church." [Matthew 16:18] I believe we doing this statement a hug injustice by implying that this was a one time act of establishment, but rather it is an ongoing project as his church continues to grow! He did not plant and water! He made it grow, right? Why should we think that he has abdicated that responsibility and that we must become the ones who make his church grow? I do not think we should, how about you?
Therefore, we should PRAY! In 1999, the church of Christ here in Williamsburg began to pray that God would send us people! Any kind people! All kinds of people! We promised him in these prayers that we would meet those people with open arms and do whatever we could to encourage them in their relationship with Him. In the past twelve years, hundreds of local folk have "dropped in" without invitation, contact, or any designated effort. God has just sent us people...all kinds of people! We are probably one of the most eclectic churches in the area. The diversity is incredible! Why has this happened? Because we asked God to send us people and we promised to be ready to meet their needs, spiritually and otherwise!
Frequently, there are personal Bible studies going on during our worship assemblies, Bible classes or even social gatherings! It is not unusual to have one of the above interrupted with someone saying, "We are going to the water because _________ has decided to obey the gospel right now!" And, off to the water we go! Just two Sundays ago, a lady visited with us for the very first time and one of our elders (yes, I said elders, no preacher!) studied with her during Bible class and she decided to be baptized! And, as a preacher, I rejoice to see elders, deacons, and others sharing the gospel with others like all Christians should.
So, the next time you pray, pray that Christ will build His church and then get out of His way! Be sure, however, that you are ready, able, and willing to meet the needs of those He sends your way because if you don't, He may have to find somewhere else to send them!

"Each Day A 'Campaign For Christ

One of our men, Raphael Vega, mentioned to me a couple of weeks ago that he thought too many people had a "campaign mentality" when it came to evangelism. What he meant was that people get all excited when a "campaign" is schedule and carried out with precision. We have done this twice in this decade and with amazing results. The first in 2004 resulted in 38 obeying the gospel of Christ in baptism and our latest one (May, 2008) saw 25 being obedient to the same loving gospel. However, in between 2004 and 2009 the "wave" of evangelism crested and slowly (not completely) became a mere "ripple." Yes, that "ripple" produced another 35-40 responses to the gospel, but many of those folk were taught by the same three or four people! The "campaign fever" dwindled within a few months after the campaigners left us on our own!



I am not bemoaning the value of concentrated efforts at reaching the lost. I believe "door-knocking campaigns" work and work well, but the enthusiasm from such is hard to maintain for long periods of time.



Raphael's thought as expressed to me was that Christians should see each day as a "campaign for Christ!" He is absolutely correct! Our enthusiasm for reaching the lost should not depend on brethren from other places coming to help us, a dynamic speaker filling the pulpit for a few nights, nor a constant badgering about evangelism from the local preacher. It should be instilled in us because we are Christians. Period!



I would like to hear from some of you who have successfully kept that "crest" of excitement rolling along without diminishing! What did you do? What can others do? Please, share with my readers all the encouraging words you have!



Thanks!

"Conversion Stories" Are The Sweetest!

Do you have any "conversion stories" to share with others? It might be your own personal conversion story or it may be one in which you had a part. All of us need to have been sharing the gospel with folk long enough to accumulate several of these fascinating stories. I know that over the past forty-five years there have been some "interesting" stories with me. Some of them were not so pleasant because I did not do a good job in sharing God's message and it resulted in nothing more than a failed attempt. I remember making arrangements with a lady from the local Methodist church to see the Jule Miller films and she was so excited that she invited a few of her friends to watch the videos with us. I walked in that evening and thought God is truly blessing this "cottage meeting" (that's what we called them in the 1960s). Little did I know that I had not made myself clear about what these films were and each of those ladies thought they were going to see slides of the "Holy Land." The second study was postponed indefinitely!

However, there are other "stories" that have turned out much, much better thanks to God's help! One elderly gentleman, Thomas Beavers, called one day and wanted a ride to church. He was wheel-chair bound and needed a lot of help getting into and out of a car. A deacon and I worked with him for a few weeks and he decided that he needed to be baptized into Christ. It took Tom forty-five minutes to "scoot" up and down the stairs to get into the water. We baptized him on a chair and then he took another forty-five minutes scooting along back to the dressing room. As I recall we were about four hours baptizing Tom, but no sweeter time was ever had by anyone. Oh, Tom was 88 years old!

So, my point is that only when we get out into the community and get involved in people's lives will we accumulate "conversion stories!" If you cannot recall one of these stories, maybe it is time for you to double your efforts! People still need the gospel and always will AND they need someone to share that loving message with them.

Will that someone be you?

It Still Works!

Are people "really" interested in the gospel? One could probably get many diverse answers to this question, but only one would be correct, "Yes!" Let me explain.

It is my observation that people are not turning away from the gospel of Christ, but from the sordid displays of religiosity prevalent in today's world. The actions of churches and evangelists are so flagrantly opposite of the gospel they are driving good people into the shadows of disinterest. For one, I cannot blame them too much! The displays that are seen on nearly every "electronic church" broadcast are enough to drive any thinking person away from any type of organized religion. The outrageous cosmetics on some and the shamefully misleading visual aids of others and everything in betwee are driving people away from the purity and simplicity of the gospel.

The blatant involvement of "organized" churches in politics, racial bias, recreation, and other parts of society are seen as deterrents by those who know that Christ did not live and die for such matters. The pandering of publicity that goes along with some churches as they do their "good deeds" is seen as pretentious by those who are seeking a relationship with a loving Savior. The gospel is not being rejected, but the shameful display of religion is!

In recent days I have been reminded of the desire people have for the message of faith, hope, and love that is imbedded in the gospel of Christ. A small church in Kentucky recently went door to door seeking those who were interested in hearing the gospel story. They knocked on nearly 1500 doors in a week's time and found one-third of the folk at home. They shared the gospel or set a time to share the gospel with about 20% of those who were home. The report that I received identified ten who had already obeyed the gospel (four last Monday evening) and the small band of disciples are still following up all the leads. This was not a national ministry coming to town to work for these folk, but rather a small band of devoted Christians who desire to take the gospel to their part of the world. The church here in Williamsburg has had the same type of reaction when we have made a concentrated effort to reach out to our community! Knocking on doors works...it works every time everywhere!

I would hope that other churches will take an interest in knocking on the doors of their community to give those who are quietly seeking the truth a chance to hear the message of Christ. It is highly possible that there are those in every town that know the truth, but have been so turned off by the faulty faith advocated by some churches they will never be out seeking a church, just the truth! Why not give them the opportunity to know a little bit more about us?

Think about it!

God WILL Send People...but why?

I have had the pleasure to live in Williamsburg, Virginia for twelve years now and I am looking forward to spending several more years working with the church that meets on Merrimac Trail. We are a church with an average attendance of 165-175. We have four brothers serving as elders and twenty-two brothers working as deacons. Our teaching force includes about 16 regular teachers and several substitutes. I wanted to share these figures with you to let you know that we are pretty much an "average" size church within our fellowship. An average size church in a very old and affluent community!

The real story here is that these figures reflect the current situation, but do not accurately reflect our immediate past history. The picture during the latter years of the 20th century were much bleaker. An average attendance of 110, three elders, no deacons, six Sunday school teachers and one Wednesday night teacher (there were no graded classes during the mid-week service because there was no reason to have any).

Why has God blessed us so greatly during the first decade of the 21st century? The answer is clear: prayer. God in his goodness answered our fervent prayers! It is a bit like, "when all else fails, why not pray?" The church here tried a number of things immediately prior to determining that only God could make this church grow! Our efforts were in vain. So, in 1999 we turned our chances of growth over to God! Our prayer was simple, "God, send us people and we will make every effort to be your church in this place at this time!"

Within a short time during this concerted effort to plead for His help, we began to see people coming through our church building doors that we had never seen. People were relocating to our community from all over the country bringing with them a fresh spiritual fervor that we had been missing. These were talented people! Elders and deacons who had retired from secular work and decided that Williamsburg would be a good place to live. Some folk serving in the military that were being stationed in our immediate area and decided to work with our church family. They just kept coming! Incredibly devoted and talented Christian brothers and sisters.

However, God did not stop there...He never does! He began to send people here who were searching for a church that would accept them, love them, and share with them the truth. These were not people "like us," but folk who were needy on many different levels. They were needing guidance, assistance, loving relationships, and much, much more. When we ask God to send us people we did not tell Him what kind of people...just people! To this day (nearly ten years later), He continues to send us people and we warmly accept them!

My point is simple. If we are willing to minister to those who are "needy" and can do so with an open and accepting heart, God will send us people! He will send us Christians who want to serve and are needing an environment that will allow them to serve. He will send us struggling families who need help to survive in this tough world. He will send those with addictive personalities that desire to be free. He will send us folk who have made major mistakes in their lives and are paying for those bad decisions. Yes, all kinds of folk!

What REALLY works in sharing the gospel?

Remember the adage, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket?" I could not find the derivation of this bit of information, but I believe it is true! Regardless of the effort, depending upon one means for success is a bit hazardous, if not foolish. This is true in nearly all matters of life. If you had all of your money invested with Bernard Madoff, it would have been a huge mistake. If your team relied on the expertise of one player, wins would be few. If your love was shared with only one other person, someone is going to be mistreated. You get the idea, right?

How does that apply to evangelism? I am glad you asked.

During my four decades of ministering among churches of Christ, I have found that many churches "place all their evangelistic efforts in a single basket!" Now, I grant you that the "baskets" are periodically changed, but most churches only use one "basket" at a time. For example, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, most of us were dedicated to using "filmstrips" of one variety or another to preach the gospel. We would gather our five filmstrips, projector, screen, and record player and off we'd go to a "cottage" meeting. Let me quickly add that thousands of folk will enjoy heaven due to the efforts of this type of personal evangelism, but it was not a panacea. Soon afterwards, someone got the idea that "direct mail evangelism" was the answer to our evangelistic problems. So, many of us put our money and effort into sending literature into the homes of our neighbors and friends. It worked, but marginally so in my estimation.

By the early seventies, we were "bussing in" thousands of children to our Sunday schools. Many of whom were completely "unchurched" and were very excited that someone was showing concerned for them. Our philosophy? We will win the parents through their children! After all, if we show a genuine interest in their children, parents will appreciate us more and will allow us to study with them. There will be thousands of people in heaven someday due to the "Joy Bus" that rolled into their neighborhood!

I could have started earlier with gospel meetings, radio and television productions, large campaign efforts and ended with "exodus" movements, small groups, and "Jesus" seminars.

Each of the above was touted as "the answer to our evangelistic failures!" I am sure that I have over-stated the claims of each of these efforts, but I wanted us to note that we have had a bit of the "eggs in one basket" mentality! The truth is that there is no "one way" that will be the panacea for failed outreach efforts! The very nature of the above automatically excludes certain groupings in society. Not all will watch a movie, ride a bus, attend a gospel meeting, or host a dozen people in their home for Bible study and fellowship.

So, what is the solution? What will work in our world today? What are you doing that is working well in reaching the lost? What efforts is your church using to evanelize your community? I am eager to hear your responses!