What is so great that men give
their lives for? What is so worthy
that women face torture, even
the loss of their own children, to
defend? What would you die for?
For the Love
of the Truth
“...everyone who is of the
truth hears My voice.”
by patrick j. burwell
www.OnlyJesusSaves.com
For the Love of the Truth
...an adventure in evangelism.
“Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (From John 18:37)
“For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.” (2 Corinthians
13:8 (ESV)
People are perishing because they’d rather have lies...
...our job is to give them The Truth.
We live in a fallen world of perishing people. The world loves sin, hates the Children of
God and does everything they can to stop the truth... but why? Why are so many in this
world, why is the vast majority of the people populating this planet, so adamantly
against God? What did God do that was so bad the world hates Him so? God tells us why
in His Bible:
The world hates God because they love their sin.
God tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 that man is destined to perish because they do not
love the truth. A wise man once said that there would be no standards for what is moral
and right without Christianity. The very definition of good and bad, righteousness and
evil, is given to man by God Himself. When Moses came down from the mountain with
the Ten Commandments, man learned what was right and what was not right from God
Himself, and those definitions have never wavered. Many in this world have tried to say
they are not right, but everyone knows, as God has said, that what the Creator says is
true is always what is “right.” If you don’t believe me ask ANYONE whether rape, killing
children, or murder is wrong. Unless they are
being unreasonable, or are criminally insane, they will agree with God.
So what then, why is the world so angry at God? If He is right about what is right and
what is wrong then where is the disagreement; why do men perish rather than love the
truth? Again, God gives us the answer in His written Word:
John 8:45 (ESV)
But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
Galatians 4:16 (ESV)
Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Psalm 119:43 (ESV)
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.
Wait... what? That last one said, “(M)y hope is in your rules”? Why would I have “hope”
when someone puts “rules” on me? I know I didn’t like rules when I was growing up; I
wanted to be “free” to do whatever I wanted. When my Dad said “Don’t”, I did just
exactly that thing. I wanted my own way, my own life, my own kingdom, always. And
when I was old enough I naturally wanted to go out on my own. I didn’t have any means
so I entered military service. When my Dad signed my enlistment papers at 17 I took the
hint: and I got out. Little did I know what I was getting myself into was far more rules
than I had ever imagined! But, even though my life was harder in some ways, I did learn
something valuable, albeit painfully:
Man’s rules are for keeping the peace, not because they are right.
But God’s rules define what is right and wrong, so, when a man is at peace with God he
is at peace with man, just as God said he would be. But to be “at peace with man” rarely
makes you right with God, so what are we missing here? What does God mean?
Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to
be at peace with him.
Let's begin by looking at laws man has decided are to be protected rights that God calls
Sin; that mankind says are not only to be tolerated but celebrated, Christians running
the risk of losing their jobs, their friends and their very lives to reject! How is that
pleasing to God?
I have personally experienced this warped intolerance when a man, sinning sexually with
other men, complained to me during my lunch break what he should do about how
others there at work treated him for the way he “lived.” Our private conversation, where
I explained the matter Biblically to him, he had then repeated to our boss, and I was fired
for being “intolerant” of “homosexuals.” By telling this “homosexual” what God says in
His Bible about the sexual deviance he was “committed” to doing, and how the only way
he could be free of that sin, I was intolerantly fired from my job at Tennessee Eastman
Kodak, in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was fired without notice, without any recourse for
rebuttal and without severance. So, who again was being “intolerant?” How was this
being at peace with man? I certainly was doing what God said in Scripture, and yet my
enemies hated me for it. Something didn't make sense.
We are better off, always far better off, to be pleasing to God and at odds with man, for,
as Jesus has said, do not fear those who can only kill the body and afterwards can do
nothing else to you. Fear Him who, after He has killed, can cast your soul into Hell! Yes,
Fear Him! So, now what? How is doing what God says allowing me to be at peace with
“all men?” Let's look at boundaries for a clue...
The Boundaries of God’s Law
JESUS says if you keep Yahweh's commandments (keep within his boundaries), you will
remain in His love; even as Jesus has kept His Father’s commandments, and remained in
His love. (John 15:10 WEB) Without boundaries, without the Rule of Law, society would
crumble into anarchy and then NO ONE would be safe. Anarchy is the opposite of rule,
but do we want a society that is Anti-Christ, instead?
Yes, too many use their authority to ensure some have it better than others, unjustly, but
this does not negate that total anarchy will always be the worst situation. But a society
that is AGAINST Jesus, like ours is against Yahweh's commands now, is not any good
either. But doesn't God say we should obey the authorities over us? Yes, but within
limits...
QUESTION: If being at peace, like with my Dad, was better for me, then why did I rebel
SO badly? He certainly gave me lots of boundaries!
ANSWER: Because God’s authority and man’s authority are not the same.
All authority in life is given, not taken, so whenever anyone other than God tries to take
authority all they get is rebellion. But when authority is granted, or submitted to, then
authority is no longer oppressive but protective. This is what God means. When you
submit to authority, are at peace with them, you are at peace with them by doing what
God wants you to do. When you obey God you are peace with “man” or the authority God
put over you. That protection, Godly authority over you, can be corrupted, but that in no
way makes you the one who violated the peace with them. See, if a society has peace
without honoring God then they are truly evil and you are not the one, the one who is
Obeying God, you are not the one violating God's authority, THEY are. Submitting to God
in NO way requires you to submit to authoritarians. Let me explain that...
Authority or Authoritarian?
I was given everything I ever needed in life and I was ungrateful. I despised authority, all
authority, and anyone who told me they were in charge just got attitude. Now, I am told,
I wasn’t always this way, that I had to have learned this along the way. But the Bible says
there is NO ONE who is good, that every man is only seeking their own good, that every
person is desperately wicked. So I cannot blame anyone else for what I got, I was to
blame.
Even though I had learned that “love” just meant “I will give you what you want if you do
what I say”, and “family” was just an excuse to legally abuse, I knew something was
wrong. I knew that these definitions of love and family I was being taught were
wrong; I just didn’t know what to do about it. So, as I went looking for what was right, to
find out The TRUTH, I was nearing the answers as soon as I didn’t care WHAT it cost me.
And that was all in God’s plan, for, when you seek Him with your whole heart, God can
be found.
Proverbs 28:5 Evil men don’t understand justice;
but those who seek Yahweh understand it fully.
My Dad had a favorite catch phrase to mock Christianity, saying, “The wages of sin is
death!” - and He would say it with a snarl. Even though I, as a kid, thought that seemed
too harsh, unloving, and wrong, Dad had meant for me to take it that way and so I did.
Eventually his training worked and I believed Christianity was for weak minded people. For
the longest time whomever seemed was trying to tell me I was wrong got that very
response. But somewhere, I never did know where, I read, “God is love”, and that got
me really wondering.
If God is love...
If God is love then how can death and love come from the same God? Why would “the
wages of sin” be death? It was just all too confusing, so, for a long time, I just stopped
thinking at all; I lived a debaucherous, hedonistic life. After all, I thought, every time I
asked someone who was supposed to know what was true all I got was some mushy
answer about God loving me. So I lived for me and didn’t care about anyone else... Until
I met Jesus...
Unintended Lessons, the Painful Reality
I was living in Alabama and trying to make it through the last 4 years of this stupid
required school (I remember thinking everything was stupid then). I had just been moved
from New Jersey with my family and, again, had to survive going to school in a totally
foreign environment, this time the Deep South. With an Army Dad and a New Jersey
accent, and attitude, life was tough. I got kicked off the school bus in New Jersey when I
had smacked a kid a little too hard for harassing me so I wasn't exactly Mr. Polite to these
rednecks in Alabama. I had busted the older kid's lip for stomping on my boots after I
warned him and he kept stomping my foot. I back-handed him so hard his lip split in two.
The real icing on the cake that day for me was when my Army Dad FINALLY, if only
briefly, was proud of his puny little son. Life is full of unintended lessons, and I am SURE
my Dad did not mean to teach me some of those bad ones. Like how “love” was just
manipulation, and that life is just about whatever you can get; Dog eat dog. But that’s
what we teach our children, when that’s what we believe.
When we reject the Authority of God the Old Lie that Lucifer taught to Eve is
what every parent in the world will teach their children.
I sure was glad to learn, decades later, that The Truth was far better than even life itself.
When God’s Love filled me with such Joy you would have been be hard pressed to not
catch me smiling. But this world is under a Terrible, Vicious, and evil Lie and Dad had
never learned what the Truth was. So why would anyone expect him to teach us anything
else?
As my Dad tried to teach me, he was also busy “getting his” which, of course, came at
the unintended expense of his own children. The Devil’s Lie DRIVES some men to seek
the truth, as it did me, but it destroys most. God has interesting ways of planting the
Love of the Truth in people, even using a Godless Dad to drive me there.
So what is “Truth”?
What is so great that men give their lives for? What is so worthy that women face
torture, even the loss of their own children, to defend? What would you die for?
The Truth
...because The Truth is a Person and He CARES, actually cares, for you.
When Jesus faced a ruler for trumped up crimes from those jealous of his influence, He
merely said He declares the truth to every question posed to him. To the world these are
the words of an insane man, to those who live under the Lie:
“Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to
Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your own
initiative, or did others tell you about Me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your
own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?’ Jesus
answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My
servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My
kingdom is not of this realm.’ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus
answered,
‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come
into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate
said to Him, ‘What is truth?’” (John 18:33–38)
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-truth.html#ixzz2y2qaCwA4
Jesus came to tell us all the Truth we need to hear, and then demonstrated what that
knowledge does to you, in the obedience He demonstrated, even to death on a cross.
Jesus died for what He preached, died for what He believed, because He IS The Truth:
“And Jesus says, ‘IAM the Way, the Truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father but by me.”
(John 14:6)
So, as you can see, my experience isn't from the perspective of the theologian, or some
ivory towered seminary graduate with a Doctorate in Biblical studies. I'm not a third
generation pastor, and I have never been the protégé of anyone. I’m not related to
anyone important, and certainly don’t care if I hear I am. No, I'm just a guy that lives in
the United States; just a guy that believes and trusts in Jesus more than my own life. I'm
no one special.
I am not rich and I don't speak all that well, though I have gotten better. Practice does
“make perfect.” I am also usually too afraid to speak with people. Left to myself I am not
especially fond of people, but God has his ways of getting over our arrogance, and our
fears.
So why did I write this book? - Because, I'm just like you. And if I can do this,
so can you.
This book isn't about me, it's about you. It’s about you getting over the fear that we ALL
feel and doing what you most desire to do, in speaking the truth to a lost and dying world
headed for Hell. I mean, after all, who doesn’t want to love others unconditionally? Who
doesn’t want to care about someone else more than yourself? Yes, the world teaches the
Lie of the Devil, but they know it isn’t right. That understanding is reflected in the
way even the lost react to obviously evil deeds...
Years ago a little girl was stolen by an evil man who did unspeakable things to her little
body and then buried her alive clutching her teddy bear to die alone in the dark,
suffocating in the dirt, terrified. Right at this moment you wish you could get your
hands on his throat, don’t you? - So did everyone else.
What that monster did was SO evil no one DARED say otherwise. Every person who
heard the story wanted his blood, and rightly so! Because God Himself has written the
truth on all of our hearts; We all know it’s wrong to murder and we all sure do know that
this little girl deserved Justice! One day that evil creature will get his Just Sentence from
God Himself, unless he repents, but she will get the Justice she deserved.
“Now, wait a minute!”, you just thought. “What do you mean, ‘unless he repents?’” Am I
saying he does not deserve ETERNAL FIRE and torture? Nope. Am I saying that creep
didn’t deserve to be hung by his heels and tickets offered for Law abiding citizens to take
turns at him with a crowbar and pliers? No. He should get ALL of those things. I
considered killing him myself. Yes, I am quite serious.
“So whattaya mean letting this guy get away with it!?”, you might say.
Now, let’s just stop right here, ok!? First let me say, “He got away with nothing.” Let
me repeat that, he did NOT get away with murdering that little girl: He WILL get justice.
But I am here to tell you that you are asking the wrong question.
The RIGHT question is this...
“Do I deserve better?”
God’s Light in Your Darkness
Do you deserve Hellfire and the Eternal Lake of Fire? Well, do you? You may say, “I’m
certainly better than that creep!” Well, okay, maybe you are. But does this make you less
evil? Are you thinking you deserve to go to Heaven? If you do then you are the sad
product of the FALSE modern Gospel message. You are the end result of the false gospel
that says, “God has a wonderful plan for your life. And if you ask Jesus He will help you
live that wonderful life now, because God loves you, just as you are!”
NOTHING could be further from the Truth.
You lie, you are a liar. You steal, no matter what the value or justification, you are a thief.
You lust after someone you are an adulterer at heart. That is what Jesus said!
See, in the light of God’s Law, the Ten Commandments, you are a sinner. And ALL sinners
will receive the sentence of Hell.
Do you, Christian, want so much to tell people you work with, and live around, about
Jesus, just like that, that it keeps you up at night wondering how? I do. I SO much wanted
to give an answer to the despair I keep seeing in the eyes of those I walked past.
You stand in line at the coffee shop and you think, "What about that person behind me?
Will he die and go to Hell? Am I her last chance? Should I hand them a tract? Will they
yell at me?"
Well maybe you've not thought these exact things but you can relate. Every Believer has
the desire to make Jesus known, but the vast majority of us don't have the first clue how.
You’re afraid to mess someone up, right? You’re afraid you won’t get it right; Honestly
mortified you’ll make them assured of a salvation they don’t actually have. Well that fear
is valid. Let me say that again:
If you are afraid to tell someone about Jesus because you sure you’re gonna
mess them up you are correct! You WILL if you don’t know what you’re doing.
But I am glad to tell you sharing your faith is simple, when you know have the right
tools...
Born anew...
I was born again in 1993 and tried to tell allot of people about Jesus. I pray for those
people today because I surely didn't do it right. How do I know? Well, when someone says
things like, "Hey buddy, I'm glad that works for you, but I'm just not religious", after you
told them how they can be saved, it's a pretty good clue you blew it, that you messed
that Gospel presentation up royally!
A wise man once said that when you preach the Gospel correctly, which is what telling
someone about Jesus is, you should only get two sorts of response.
1. The sinner should want to kill you
2. Or the sinner should be weeping so profusely they can't even say the
Sinner's Prayer.
With such expected responses you'd better be right then!
A Light in the Dark (Psalm 119:105)
The Gospel is merely telling someone how they can be right with their Maker, plain and
simple. But if you don't know what you are doing you can, and WILL, lead people astray. I
had a conversation once with an older fella playing with his grandkids at the park I had
taken my youngest son to. We began speaking to each other about our plans for the
children we were pushing in the swings, everything was oh so innocuous. I despise
innocuous. I have lived 51 years on this earth, so far, and I don't have time for, “Blah,
blah, blah.” So I deliberately told him about Jesus...
Sccccrrreeeech!
It was like someone stopped the record player with their hand and the needle scratched
across the surface blowing out your ear drums! His reaction was like I had slapped his
wife. I was abrupt, and it showed. But when you know WHAT to say even abrupt will
work (just stay out of arm's reach). I told him how I was one of those people that
sampled everything I could to find what was True. And, now that I know the Truth, I'm
going to make sure my boys know it, are grounded in it. Yes, the conversation STARTED
civilly but I quickly used the subject we were on like a dive board to jump right into
telling him how Jesus is the ONLY way to have his sins forgiven. I used the third party
explanation of what Sin is from the Bible, that our best is nothing but “filthy rags” worthy
of nothing but Hell to God. I explained how Jesus is the Only One who paid the price we
NEVER could pay; I explained to him that all religions are the same in their attempts to
be good enough to go to heaven, EXCEPT Christianity, where God paid the price we
DESERVE! He eventually began nodding profusely. I had totally expected his rejection
and there he was agreeing, and acting like he had never understood the Truth before
then. His group was leaving by that time, as it was getting chilly, but he thanked me
sincerely, twice, and took our Ministry card.
I was his light in the darkness and because I was PREPARED I knew what to say when I
recognized the opportunity.
You can do that, we can help... www.OnlyJesusSaves.com
I had handed out some tracts that day, fishing for a “ears to hear”, but here was one I
had not handed a card to. Yet God had wanted him to hear the truth, so he was ready,
even with the way I began the discussion.
Yes, you CAN do that too, you just need to be taught how...
Driving
When I was living in Alabama I liked to watch my Dad drive. He seemed so skilled, the
way he shifted. His driving an automatic was interesting, but I never tired of watching
him drive a stick shift. I yearned to drive like he could. I begged him to let me, so he
would let me hold the wheel sometimes, from the front seat. I remember sitting in his lap
too, driving around the neighborhood, when I was younger. So, when Dad sold the Jaguar
XKE when I went in the Army I was angry. I wanted to buy that car from him, but by the
time I got back from Basic Training, he had sold the best stick shift car ever to some kid
for pennies. I was ok with it, eventually, as he let me drive his Dodge Dart instead. But
Dad had a reason for not letting me have the Jag. See, Dad didn't just throw his keys
at me and say, "Well, if you are my son you should just know how to drive that Jaguar."
No, that would have been just stupid. Dad told me later he sold the Jag because he was
sure I would kill myself in it; The Dart was a nice safe TANK and Dad knew that was
better for me. God knows what you are ready for too. He will NOT just toss you
encounters if you are not ready. So how do you get ready? Evangelists...
Church Offices
SO MANY Pastors tell their congregations saying, "When the time comes, when the time
is ‘right’, God will open your mouth and you will have what you are to say." Experience
has taught me this is NOT so, that they are saying this out of the context of what God was
saying. Your Father isn't going to throw you His keys until you know the rules of the road.
I waited a LONG time, blathering at people, when I couldn’t wait any longer. God NEVER
did “fill my mouth” and there was a reason: I had not learned HOW to preach the Gospel
Biblically. The Scripture these Pastors are referring to is about knowing what to say in
DEFENSE of the Gospel, when you are brought before rulers for the sake of your witness
of Jesus. THEN God will indeed give you what to say. Remember how Stephen did in the
Bible? That's what such verses mean. But God COMMANDS us to, VERY CLEARLY, "Go
into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature." He tells us we will, "Receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes", but that does not mean we will be his "witnesses"
without training. So SOMEONE has to teach us.
So who does that job in the Church? Does the Pastor? ...that poor, overworked,
under-paid, under-appreciated worker? You’re going to add ANOTHER task to his already
daunting list? Well, no. But the reason you think so is because the office in the Church
listed in the Scripture that is MOST neglected, most misunderstood, is that of the
Evangelist. The presumption for the Evangelist is that Pastors are also "Evangelists"
because they are telling us about Jesus. But we are in Church because we ARE,
supposed to be, Christians already. So the Pastor isn’t to be evangelizing anyone inside
the Church. Now, just because we have SO many false converts in amongst the Church
does not mean the office of Evangelist is the Pastor's responsibility. No, the Evangelist, a
listed Office of the Church, is the one who TRAINS the body of Christ HOW to share their
faith. The Pastor nurtures the flock to maturity, while the Evangelist teaches them how to
share their faith to the world. I would venture this misunderstanding of the role of the
Evangelist is the REAL reason so few Christians know how to witness.
Evangelism is for the Evangelist to do?
The Pastor is an under-Shepherd. The Bible teacher teaches. The Helper helps. All this
is true. But the Evangelist has a unique office in the Church in that the Evangelist does
not evangelize FOR the Church, or TO the Church. How do we know this? Because, the
Great Commission was not given to the Evangelist only, but to all the Disciples. So,
logically, this shows the Evangelist trains the Disciples how to evangelize.
Pretty simple, right?
So what is the deal with these white haired, gold fingered, Armani wearing fools pimp-
ing Jesus for money, while claiming to be Evangelists? Well, they lie, so there's a
clue....
The Rules
"By the law is the knowledge of sin"
"The Law of God is for sinners"
"The Law is our teacher to bring us to Christ"
"The Law of God is perfectly designed to convert the soul"
"The Law stops the mouth of the sinner"
"The Law of God leaves a man guilty"
All these are Truth from the Bible. So what then is "the Law of God” the Bible keeps talking
about? The Ten Commandments!
Here is where I'm gonna get mail from all the legalists that tell me we can only be Christians
if we obey the Law. And also the mail I'm gonna get from the 'Grace only' people is going to
be how we aren't under the Law anymore...
Well, you're both wrong.
Christians are no longer under the CURSE of the Law, but the Law remains. Jesus said not
one stroke of the pen in the Law will “pass away” until he enters into His Kingdom. And,
NO, Jesus has not yet begun to reign over ALL the earth. Some of the Earth (as in God's
People), Yes, “all the earth”, no. But IN, and BY, Jesus we fulfill ALL the Law. Indeed,
Believers go FAR BEYOND the Law by fulfilling the very Spirit of the Law, which is to love
one another. Then we are commanded by Jesus to go on and fulfill, “the Law of Christ”,
which is to love as Jesus loves. We can do all things through Christ who gives us His
strength to accomplish it, so do not fear.
Tools in the your Belt
1. The Decalogue
The Law is like looking at your reflection at the lake on a clear, calm day. You can see
what you look like and fix what needs doing, but the lake reflection doesn't do anything
more than show what’s up. You need the water to wash off the mud. Well, this is what
you do when you speak to someone about Jesus. Now, unless you are an Orthodox Jew of
the Highest Sort, you are unlikely to know the Ten Commandments. This is your first tool.
Go learn them. I recommend a children's tract Ray Comfort made for kids to learn the
commandments. I learned them in only 10 minutes with his tract:
www.LivingWaters.com/tracts
Then there are another tools you need to know and have with you...
2. Don't make statements!
In my experience, which has been long enough to know what works, I have found the
way Jesus dealt with those who wanted to entrap Him works best. Jesus would ask telling
questions, the kind of question that demonstrated who they were to everyone around
them by the way they answered.
Consider the situation Jesus has with some “teachers of the Law”. They came to Him
hoping they could entrap Him and get Him either in trouble with the Romans or get Him
to lose
follower. Their first idea, to get Jesus at odds with the rulers of the day, only
demonstrates where their real desires lie: Power, and Control. If they had known to
Whom they were speaking they would have prostrated themselves instead of being so
foolish as to try words games with their own Creator. And their second motive is just
funny; Jesus Himself took care of His own followers by speaking to them things they
could not accept. He wasn’t exactly looking for a mega church was He?
So here they come...
"The Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his
talk.
They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in
truth, no matter who you teach, for you aren't partial to anyone.
Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to
Caesar, or not?"
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test me,
you hypocrites?
Show me the tax money." They brought to him a denarius [tax coin]. He
asked them, "Whose is this image and inscription?"
They said to him, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Give
therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the
things that are God's." -Matthew 22:15-21(WEB)
So here they demonstrated their ignorance both pf Who Jesus is and also what he had
come to do. They accused him to Pilate as someone who said not to pay taxes, blatantly
lying. But how Jesus spoke to them, how he exposed them, was by asking questions.
3. Do unto others
One of the first things I learned when speaking to people is that when you want to talk
about something...uh...awkward... you don't make exclamations Like saying, "You're
going Hell!", isn't going to work, so lose it. That's no way to talk to anyone.
"Do to others as you expect others to do to you".
And “No!”, that is NOT saying, "give what you get", like the world teaches you. All you
will “get” then, if you act like that, is what the Bible promises: What the late, and very
likely burning forever, Fred Phelps Sr. of Westboro Baptist Church infamy got.
Tell me, would you ever, in your right mind, walk up to a woman and say, "Man you are
FAT!" Not if you value your life, right? Well then, why would you ever approach an
impenitent sinner (someone who is still guilty living in their sins) and say, "You need
Jesus 'cause you lie!" No, you wouldn't like that done to you, so the best approach for
others is the way Jesus demonstrated it, with the rich young ruler. This guy walks up and
asks Jesus what he needs to do to go to Heaven. What a noodge! The atmosphere must
have been thick with nervous tension from all His followers and the Religious who wanted
to catch Jesus in some bad thing. "What's He going to do? Will He scold the young man
for his pomposity?" I'd like to have a time telescope to see their faces, wouldn't you? But
Jesus, always the cool head, asked the jerk questions in reply, letting this boy accuse, or
dis-cuse himself, with his own words. And, once Jesus heard the man claim his own
goodness, knowing the Scripture that says, "There is none good but God", had him dead
to rights; Jesus began with what the man thought was “good”. We come away from
Christ’s discussion with a clear example then:
Ask questions and let what comes out of a person accuse him.
"Out of the mouth the heart speaks", or, "Out of the mouth comes the issues of the
heart", is what God says in His Bible, depending on the translation, so you get the idea.
4. Memorize some Scriptures
Yes, this is going to be a requirement. Much as I hate to admit it, because I do not like
memorizing anything, this is going to be an invaluable tool for you. Start with one. Make
it small. I find most believers know quite a bit of the Bible, they just couldn't tell you
WHERE in the Bible what they know is.
:) I feel your pain; I can quote allot but, like Paul, I merely say, "somewhere it is written",
and let them go and look for it. I suspect Paul knew what he was doing, right?
So, “somewhere in the Bible God said”, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for
us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." And, "There is none good,
no not one", and "everyone seeks their own good", "every man will proclaim their own
righteousness".
Again, you get the idea. It works to be able to quote Scripture, for then you can merely
state, "Hey, God said it, take it up with Him. He said it, I believe Him, and that's good
enough for me." That works really well with those who want to waste your time arguing.
You are not there to argue, so remember some Scripture to clear the air.
5. DO NOT FEAR, but expect to go it alone.
Another painful point I have learned, that I will pass on to you, is that "few there are"
that Believe God, few professing Christ actually demonstrate His love in caring enough to
LEARN how to share their faith.
Shocking, but true.
So, expect to be alone in this, but not really alone, right? Jesus IS WITH YOU, Dear
brother, or sister, in Christ, so DO NOT FEAR. Remember we are in this to please Jesus,
whom we L O V E more than life itself. Never mind the naysayers. But there is an
important point about WHEN to witness you MUST know...
6. DON'T BORROW TROUBLE!
DO NOT preach the Gospel at your workplace.
"Now wait a minute!", you might say here. "I've heard God will make sure you are
protected from suffering, never give you what you can't handle, right? And where does it
say we should be ashamed of Jesus where we work, and..." and on, and on. Listen to me,
I am a living example that shooting your mouth of at work will only bring you
unemployment and suffering your family expects you NOT to make them experience.
What the Scripture DOES say, what God PROMISES, is that HE will take care of witnessing
to your family and friends. So let me here make a covenant with you a promise I make
to all my fellow Christians:
I will preach the Gospel to your family, friends, and co-workers (outside of your
office), so you preach to mine.
Deal?
I lost a Vice President job, with benefits and bonuses, because I WOULD NOT learn the
this rule...
So when you can, preach the Gospel, when you cannot, BE THE GOSPEL
I opened my mouth one time too many, instead of the being the very nice, well liked,
best employee ever. So no, I was not treated fairly. So, show me in the Bible where Jesus
promised fairness? Jesus promised us suffering, actually, PROMISED tribulations and
trials for His Name’s sake. But elsewhere in the Bible it is written we will stink to the lost
and smell nice to Believers. So why make it worse on purpose? You know those who still
love their sins will only kill you you for telling them they are wrong, so let’s be wise here.
Especially when God is clear we are to, "Let our light so shine that others will see our
good works and glorify God in Heaven."
Getting fired ain't shining.
I'm not writing this book to make points here, but I do hope you’re getting the gist.
7. Pray, Pray, Pray
Nothing is more dumb than a Christian going out with all the tools in their belt, a plan
and knowledge on how to share their faith, thinking, "I got this." No, you don't "got" a
thing, unless you talk to Yahweh about the day first. You ask HIM to guide you, open
your mind, put you in front of the people He has prepared to hear the Truth. I cannot tell
you HOW many times I have struggled and strained at trying to get SOMEONE to listen,
only to realize I had forgotten to ask Jesus to bless the day with HIS FATHER'S WILL.
When do you pray? Well you are asking the WRONG question there. When do you NOT
pray? I have found that I pray before I get out of bed, pray brushing my teeth, pray
driving to work... Talking to God is your LIFE, get started living it.
8. TRACTS
I cannot stress how important it is to have BIBLCIAL tracts on you at ALL times. SO many
times I have found I needed one and did not have one. There are resources that will send
you free ones. But I am glad to recommend Ray Comfort's Ministry, again, for their W O
N D E R F U L tracts (not "tracks" like Mark Spence calls them). You want the Law
presented first, the Gospel simply explained, and what they must then do. Living Waters
ministers all around the world, so when you think you are not getting to enough people
you can rest assured your purchases are helping THEM to. :)
9. BE YE PATIENT
You want SO much to tell someone about Jesus. You make a plan to go to the parade.
You have your tracts; you have prayed; you are prepared. You pull out and get a mile
away and your car dies. You brought your little boy along and he messes his drawers,
and you forgot pull ups and wipes. You get all the way down to the parade and realize
you went ON THE WRONG DAY. ALL these I have experienced in one form or another,
MANY times. IF you have prayed, IF you’re Christ's, IF you expect God's Will to be done,
then LET HIS WILL BE DONE! You never know when you will meet someone you would
never have if that annoying thing had not happened. I met a Christian ministry in Ohio
that ordained me for evangelism and ministry I would never have known, had I not lost
my job first and had to take an out of state contract, for 3 months, to make ends meet. It
was an interesting time but I met LOTS of people I never would have ministered to
otherwise.
Let God be God be true and every man a liar...
There are many things, many moments, in life that will try your patience. But know that,
for the Believer, "All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are called according to his purpose." I happen to know this verse is Romans 8:28
because it is the one I have learned over an extremely trying time I went through, am still
going through, over my first son and I being separated from one another, since he was 2
years old.
God knows. Trust Him.
10. Be prepared to talk
When you are there to minister, expect to have a pretty long conversation. My wife has
learned to go on when she sees the ministry begin with someone, because she knows
how long these things can take. What is a soul worth after all? A little of your time?
Expect it, and be prepared to minister, to inconvenience yourself and others doing it.
Believe me, they will understand in the end. If they do not, who do you serve, anyway?
So, just tell your family and friends that when they you ministering to someone, to pray
for you, and them, and to expect you to take the time you need to be assured the person
you are speaking to has been sufficiently instructed in the things of God.
When I first came to God it was through years of talking, struggling and arguing with a
man of God and his wife. They took all the time I needed, and stayed up as long as they
could each time I wanted to talk, just to make sure I understood.
That’s the way to do it!
11. Don't ask if you aren't ready for Him to use you.
"Pray the LORD of the Harvest sends laborers into the field. For the harvest is ripe and
ready and the laborers are few."
SO many have entered into the field and have walked away, or fallen away in sin. There
is a TERRIBLE epidemic right now of Missionaries leaving the mission field here and
abroad. The heat is up and the workers are failing. Prepare your heart to never come
back, if you go to another country to be a missionary, or don't go at all. PLEASE! I have
my calling and my field, go find yours. But please don't be like John Mark, of Scripture
Infamy. You can bet he regretted turning back the rest of his days. Even though he was
restored, you can guess he would pay quite allot to do THAT one over.
12. Prepare a 30 second Gospel presentation to have always at the ready
...and have it ready.
Three times I have been with the dying or severely injured. Three times I have looked
in their eyes and not knew what to say. Three times was three times too many. I now
have a 30 second gospel message that I can deliver to anyone at any time. PLEASE do
not make my mistake and wait until you have watched people march off into Judgment,
denying Jesus three times with your silence in not telling them the Gospel.
Am I ready? The quakes and shakes...
I have been asked to give a Gospel message and many times it came out differently than
the way I had intended. But the message was ALWAYS the same:
You must be known by Jesus to be saved from your just
reward of Hell eternal.
Wrap your brain about the profundity of that message. You are about to tell someone,
you likely do not know, they are deserving of God's ANGRY WRATH. You are about to tell
someone, who doesn't deserve to be saved, just like you didn't, that this same God will
rescue them IF them will let Him. And here you are quaking in your boots...
Will they stone me? Will I get hit?
Will someone stand up and shout nasty things at me? Will I mess this up?
Oh look, a squirrel!
Everyone has moments of fear; trepidation; the shakes; welcomed distractions. If you
want one, you will always find an excuse NOT to share your faith. Every time I go out I
have a battle with my own mind and soulish flesh over why I don’t need to. Even your
own family and closest friends will be used to deliver a dart of discouragement. EXPECT
IT. "The righteous are as bold as a lion.", is what you MUST tell yourself. "If you don't tell
them will they ever hear it again?", is another point to remind yourself with. Doesn't Paul
himself say that those who are sent must tell the lost how to be saved, or they will not
know? And, not to scare you, but...
Sober Words
...in Ezekiel God says that if you know the truth, that when you have a warning to save
the Lost, and do not tell it to them, that you are then responsible for their blood, before
God Himself.
YOIKS. Heavy revvy.
A friend in Christ just asked this question in wonder over the article that follows about a
teacher telling a First Grader to stop talking about the Bible during discussions on
Christmas in public school.
http://www.faith-freedom.com/news/teacher-tells-first-grader-youre-not-allowed-to-talk-a
bout-the- bible-in-school/ (Brynn Williams)
"Why have people become so intolerant to hear about God? If you don't believe
why does his name create so much feelings that they can't even tolerate
hearing about him. Maybe it is because they are afraid that they are wrong.",
he said.
Of course, the reason the lost have become so intolerant is because they know they ARE
WRONG. I know, because I was afraid to hear what I would have to "give up". I first had
to be shaken by the results of my own "mistakes" (read "Sin" here) before I would even
consider that maybe, just maybe, Someone was trying to get my attention.
Even Jesus had to learn obedience by what He suffered...
So ,if we refuse to hear the Law of God, then God will use the pain of suffering under our
sin to open our ears.
Psalm 19
7 The law of Yahweh is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of Yahweh is sure,
making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of Yahweh is
pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of Yahweh are true and
righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than
honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great
reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over
me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Righteous Judgment
Recently I had a conversation with a young boy that called Rheinhard Boeke his “Uncle”.
Our disagreement was over Boeke's refusal to use the Law in his evangelism. Rheinhard
apparently believes he is personally responsible for “millions” of people coming to Christ,
which I cried “Balk!” over. My point to this young man was that Jesus himself said just
how narrow the way is that leads to life and that FEW go that way. So then that is a very
clear comment, by the Savior Himself, that shows there will not be “millions” coming to
Christ through the preaching of just ONE man. No, WIDE is the way that Leads to
destruction, and MANY go that way! After all, if one man could brings millions to Christ
then every person on the Earth should be a Christian already! No, Jesus said we would
suffer persecution because the message of God’s anger and Judgment on the World
would NOT be popular, so Boeke is NOT preaching the Truth. Indeed, the message of
reconciliation is not just foolishness to the Lost but an OFFENSE! So where is this great
crowd coming from by Rheinhard’s meetings? Boeke, and many false teachers like him,
are scratching the ears of the lost, giving them a placebo of lies that God will forgive
everyone without ANY discussion of God’s Holiness, His judgment or their impending
destination of Hellfire. Don’t let this be you, for all such that preach an easy grace, a
“come as you are” message, that God said False teachers would preach in the Last Days,
will be Judged with harsher Judgment than those they led to Hell!
Psalm 19: 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable
in thy sight, O Yahweh, my strength, and my redeemer.
So, you have your orders. Report for duty.
Go to www.livingWaters.com and click on “Save Yourself Some Pain”
Then apply to the School of Biblical Evangelism Mark Spence is Dean of at
www.BiblicalEvangelism.net. I recently graduated from this school.
Go to www.LivingWaters.com/tracts for all your tract needs.
And, as always, our ministry www.ONLYJesusSaves.com is here as a ready resource for
you to learn how to share your faith and to encourage you in your endeavor to bring Jesus
glory!
Scriptures (summary):
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2 Corinthians 13:8 (ESV)
For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
•
John 8:32 (ESV)
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
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Ephesians 4:21 (ESV)
assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
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Colossians 1:5 (ESV)
because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the
gospel,
Brynn Williams:
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CBS LA
NBC Southern California (with video)
The Blaze
Christian Newswire
Temecula Patch
(All Bible references are taken from the World English Bible, available at http://Ebible.org, unless otherwise specifically denoted)