Mission 100Fold

Tebow & True Salvation

2012-01-14T17:27:00.000-06:00

"To Live is Christ" Phil. 1:21

How does Tim Tebow stir so much controversy when that's clearly not his goal? It's not the Te-bowing that's ignited an eruption of Te-blogging and unusually harsh criticism. Athletes have been taking a reverent knee in the endzone, crossing their chests before a kick, and pointing to heaven for years without any outcry of opposition. So what's the big difference with Tebow? Here's the difference. Tebow doesn't just Te-Bow. If all he did was Te-Bow, the world would have no problem with him. Here's why so many persecute and criticize him:

Tebow shows signs of true salvation by taking every opportunity to tell the world Jesus is Lord and Savior for whom Tebow lives to love and glorify in all Tebow does and says.

Only God knows who is truly saved, but we can see signs that mark the genuine Christ-follower. The true convert--the sincere Christ-follower--tells others about Jesus, the only way to be saved from the judgment to come (John 14:6; 1 Thes. 1:10).

Jesus clearly warned that the world would hate his disciples and persecute them because of his words and because he spoke truth, just as his true disciples would share Jesus' words and speak the truth in love (John 8:39-47; 17:6-17).

In Mark 4, Jesus told a parable that distinguishes the true convert from the false. Jesus said this parable is the key to understanding all parables. Here's what Jesus said:

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” ... 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.... 13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Notice Jesus said "trouble or persecution comes because of the word" (Mark 4:17). The true believer sows the Word, the Gospel, but does not fall away when trouble and persecution comes from the world, which hates God's Word and hates people who share God's Word. Tebow shares Jesus, the Word of God (John 1), but he does not shrink back or fall away in the face of persecution.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion to celebrate the Passover (commemorating how the Angel of Death passed over the homes of the children of Israel who spread the blood of a sacrificial lamb over the doors of their homes, trusting by faith that God would spare them from the judgment to come upon Egypt), "the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! (Matt 21:9-10). "Hosanna" literally means, "save now." The crowd shouted to Jesus, whose name means "salvation," to "save now"! They were declaring him Savior! In their devotion to Him, they could not help but shout their praise and openly display their affection for him.

That's what a believer does. That's what Tebow does. He doesn't just bow in the endzone. He proclaims his love and adoration for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, every chance he gets.

Then, when Jesus went into the temple after arriving in Jerusalem, he taught God's Word and healed people. While those who loved Jesus came to him and praised him, others were angry and hateful. "But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant ..." (Matt. 21:15).

Just as Jesus warned, the world gets upset at open displays of affection and adoration for Him. They reject the Word of God. They don't want to hear about Jesus and the Word. They will tolerate pointing to heaven quietly. They will tolerate taking a knee in silence. But you better not praise and adore Jesus vocally and openly, and you certainly better not call him Lord and Savior, or all hell will break loose as it has with Tebow.

Look at the Apostle Paul's life. Everywhere he went, he shared the gospel. And in most places, some believed, repented of their sins (turning to follow Christ with their lives), and trusted in Christ as Savior (e.g., 1 Thes. 1), while others grew angry, jealous, and erupted with persecution and rioting (e.g., Acts 17:1-8).

Paul shared the gospel for three weeks in Thessalonica (Acts 17:2). How did those who chose to believe in Christ and repent begin to live? They turned from their worldly ways (1 Thes. 1:9-10), and they told everyone they could about Jesus everywhere they went (1 Thes. 1:6-8). In fact, Paul declared in thankful amazement that "not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything" (1 Thes. 1:7-8). Imagine that! These new believers were so vocal about Jesus that Paul, Timothy, and Silas "need not say anything"! Wow! That's a powerful conversion and gospel witness.

For that reason, Paul told these newborn Thessalonian converts that he knew their faith and conversion were real because they shared the gospel boldly even in the face of great persecution and opposition (1 Thes. 1). And that's the difference with Tebow. He's a real Christian because he really loves the Lord and it really shows because he is so openly affectionate for the Lord and shares openly about Jesus whenever he can. And for that, the false Christians and the worldly unbelievers get upset and angry, stirring up persecution and opposition, just as Jesus predicted and just as Paul warned all of his hearers (1 Thes. 3:4).

What about you? What's your reaction to Tebow's open displays of affection for the Lord and his open proclamation that Jesus is Lord and Savior? If it makes you uncomfortable or indignant, please examine yourself to make sure you're really in the faith. Paul wrote that a true believer is "not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe" (Rom. 1:16). Jesus said, "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38).

For an outstanding teaching on true and false conversion, click HERE. Please share this with your friends and family before it's too late.

Her Amazing Afterlife Experience: Enough?

2011-10-16T18:30:00.002-05:00

How would you respond to a person who says they believe they're going to heaven because they had an afterlife experience that gives them hope? Afterlife experiences capture people's attention. Books are written about them. Movies are made about them. People are naturally curious about the afterlife. After all, this life won't last that long. But should one base their assurance of eternal security on what they believe to be an afterlife experience? Interestingly, the bible answers this.

While in line at the courthouse, I struck up a conversation with a lady. Because nothing is more important than her eternal salvation, I asked: "If you died today, do you know where you would spend eternity?" "Heaven," she said without hesitation. "That's wonderful," I responded. "Do you mind if I ask how you know for sure?" "I've had an afterlife experience," she said. "Really?" I replied.

I've asked hundreds of people where they will spend eternity, but this was the first time someone said they believed they would go to heaven based on an afterlife experience. Not really quite sure how to respond, I asked her to tell me about it.

She said she had an accident. As her life slipped away, she saw a great light and felt completely at peace. She didn't say she believed Jesus is God's son who lived a sinless life and died in her place to pay the penalty for her sins so that divine justice could be done on her behalf. (1 Peter 3:18). She didn't say Jesus rose again the third day and showed himself to hundreds of witnesses in fulfillment of prophecy to prove the legitimacy of his claim. (1 Cor. 15:3-12). And she didn't say she repented of her countless sins against God to begin following Jesus, who is the only Way to eternal life. (Mark 1:15; Luke 13:1-5; Luke 24:45-48; Acts 17:30, 20:21). The bible makes clear, however, that salvation is obtained only when one obeys the gospel by believing in the complete sufficiency of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and by turning toward God in repentance (Rom. 10:16; 2 Thes. 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17).

So, is it wise for her to trust in her afterlife experience? The bible says, "No!" In fact, we have a clear account of that very thing from the Apostle Peter. In his second letter, which Peter wrote not to unbelievers but to "those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1), Peter stressed the importance of making sure the believing readers were certain they were going to heaven. (2 Peter 1:10). Peter deemed it very important to help believers make sure they were going to heaven, and we should too. It should not be offensive to a true believer. A true believer should be grateful we are following in the steps of Jesus' closest disciples, like Peter.

In trying to help believers of his day make sure they were going to heaven, what did Peter urge his readers to do? First, he reminded them as follows:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain" (2 Peter 1:16-18).

Peter could have stopped with his personal experience of Jesus. He could have urged them to base their faith and trust in Christ on his eyewitness account of the amazing Transfiguration of Jesus when Jesus displayed the full radiance of his heavenly glory. But Peter didn't do that. He didn't want them to trust in his personal experience alone. While Peter's eyewitness account is certainly powerful evidence for us to consider, it's not the best evidence or ultimate source.

So what did Peter do next? Second, and most importantly, he reminded them that God's Word is the best evidence and ultimate source upon which we base saving faith:

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21).

How do we make our salvation sure? We base our faith and trust in "something more sure" than a personal experience: "the prophetic word" of God, which has been completely and miraculously fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The next time I encounter someone who is trusting in a personal experience, even an amazing afterlife experience, I now know how I will respond. I will follow Peter's example and urge the person to place their faith and trust in the word of God, which fully explains the gospel of salvation. And I will urge them to obey the gospel before it's too late by repenting and trusting in Christ alone.

Road Blocks to Witnessing: "I'm not Good Enough."

2011-10-01T21:16:00.000-05:00

We'll never be "good enough" to deserve to share the gospel.

There are many road blocks to obeying Jesus' call to follow him and learn to share the gospel daily with others: fear of man, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, lack of adequate preparation, lack of knowledge of the key elements of the gospel, lack of prayer, lack of genuine salvation, lack of concern for the lost, lack of love for the Lord, lack of concern for God's plan, and the list goes on. Another major road block can be the feeling that we are simply not good enough. We're still too sinful, too flawed, too imperfect to do what only pastors, evangelists, and "good" people do.

That is a lie the enemy uses to keep us from fulfilling our eternal destiny and an excuse we often use to drift into spiritual apathy and slothfulness.  It is certainly true, as the Prophet Jeremiah admitted, that "The heart is deceitful above all things" (Jer. 17:9) and that we will constantly wrestle with our sinful tendencies, as the Apostle Paul lamented (Rom. 7). Yet, we were made to declare God's glory even in the midst of our imperfections by telling the world about what Jesus has done for sinners like me and you.

The closer we grow to the Lord, the more clearly we see how pure, holy, and lovely the Lord is and, in contrast, how vile and wicked we really are.   And as the Lord seeks to purify and sanctify us, He reveals to us areas of our lives that still must be refined through fiery trials and difficult situations. If we're not careful, the recognition of how depraved we really are can be a road block to following Jesus on the road to learning to share the gospel effectively and regularly.

The Lord has recently brought me through yet another one of those humiliating, humbling times. He has pulled back another layer of the veil over my eyes that has blinded me to areas of my life that are offensive, polluted, and in great need of confession and sanctification. It hurts. It's depressing and discouraging. But, it's a necessary part of being pruned by the Master Vine Dresser who seeks to cause us to be ever more fruitful for Him (John 15).

I find myself thinking, "you aren't worthy to share the gospel." "You're still far too sinful and flawed." "How can you even possibly pretend to help other people learn to share the gospel?" But, I must reject these false conclusions.

Peter and Paul zealously shared the gospel as often as they could even though Paul cried out to God over the battle that waged in his flesh over his sin nature and declared himself to be the worst of all sinners in the world (Rom. 7). Peter even went through a period of difficult correction by Paul, yet Peter didn't allow his own ongoing need for refinement and correction to prevent him from doing what Jesus called him to do:  fearlessly and faithfully proclaim the goodness and saving grace of God (Gal. 2:11-21).

Jesus calls wicked sinners like me and you to repent, turn to Him as our sole source of righteousness and salvation (Matt. 4:19; Mk. 1:15). He then calls us to follow Him so He can teach us how to fish for souls by sharing the gospel (Matt. 4:19; Mark. 1:17). We don't share the gospel because we're good or perfect or because we've "arrived" in our spiritual journey and are somehow now worthy to do so. We share the gospel because He is good and perfect. We share the gospel precisely because we are wicked, and He alone is the sole giver of righteousness and life eternal.

The next time you're tempted to think you can't or shouldn't share the gospel because you're not good enough, resist it. Go right around that road block and keep on boldly declaring the gospel precisely because Jesus is the only one who is good and died for your lack of perfection that you might find it in Him alone and tell the world about Him.

LaTeefa the Lesbian

2011-09-04T21:32:00.002-05:00

Freedom: Power to Do What's Right.

How do you share the Gospel with a homosexual? As LaTeefa waited for the bus, I asked if she had heard the Gospel. "Yes," she said. I then asked if she knew where she would spend eternity. "Yes," but it won't be a good place: "I'm in a lesbian relationship," she confided. You see, when you approach someone warmly and with compassion, they can sense your genuine spirit of concern. You share the Gospel with a homosexual just as you do with anyone else: Like Jesus did--with a heart full of love and compassion.

I asked LaTeefa if she would like to know how she could know for sure that her destiny will be heaven, even though not one of us deserves it. She said she did, so I had the joy of explaining to LaTeefa the great news that Jesus can free her from the power of a sinful life. Jesus ministered to people without regard for the type of sin that bound them like slaves. He shared the gospel with theives on the Cross, corrupt political appointees, like Matthew, and cheating businessmen like Zaccheus. And he also ministered to women demonized by sexual sins, like Mary Magdalene, and "many others."

Jesus "went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news .... And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out ... and many others ..." (Luke 8:1-3).

When Jesus proclaimed the life-changing Gospel, Mary and others believed and began to follow Jesus after He delivered them from the power of their besetting sins. Salvation is revealed in a changed life that has new direction.

I explained that LaTeefa can be forgiven of her sins--past, present, and future--and freed from the power of sin if she will (1) repent and (2) believe the gospel, which is the message Jesus preached wherever he went (Mk. 1:15). LaTeefa confirmed that she believed Jesus is God's Son who died to pay the penalty for her sins and rose again on the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Interestingly, she also confirmed that her lesbian lifestyle had been a choice, not the way she had been made. I explained to her that repentance is not only crying out to God for forgiveness of all of her sins (Hosea 7:14; Rom. 10:13), but also turning from them to Jesus (1 Thes. 1:9; Acts 26:20). I urged her to turn from going her own lesbian way to Jesus, cling to him by the faith for forgiveness and new life, and follow Him and His way (John 14:6).

LaTeefa thanked me and the friend who was with me for taking time to share the gospel with her. I pray she chose to repent and turn to Christ for deliverance and salvation and the power the live a new life for the Lord.

A Pagan Ponders Her Path

2011-08-21T17:31:00.002-05:00

What Path Are You On? The Broad Way or the Narrow?

Marina didn't know where she would spend eternity, but she read the pagan bible and thought she may end up in another "plane" of existence. I thought to myself, "she will definitely end up in another plane of existence but it may not be what she hopes."

I asked if she would like to know that her destiny will be heaven. "Sure," she said. I explained to her the Gospel, the Good News, that though we deserve to die for our sins, Jesus Christ died in our place so that we don't have to if we will believe and repent (Mk. 1:15).

I then asked if she believed in Jesus Christ and was ready to repent--turn from her own pagan path to Jesus, the giver of eternal life, and follow Him on the "narrow" way that leads to life (Matt. 7). She honestly admitted that she wasn't ready to turn to Jesus and follow Him, but she said she would think about it.

I urged her to turn to Jesus Christ, cry out to Him for forgiveness of her sins, cling to Him by faith for salvation, and follow Him with her life before it's too late. I pray Marina did and is following Jesus. He is the only way (Jn. 14:6).

"Can I Repent Tonight?" Brianna Asked!

2011-08-07T14:54:00.000-05:00

How would you answer that precious question? "Of course," I answered, "but don't wait, Brianna," I gently urged. "You never know when your time will come." Brianna took the resources I had offered her (a gospel tract, a brochure on how to follow Jesus, and a Gospel of John), and said she would repent, trust Christ alone for her salvation, and begin to follow Him with her life. I pray she did.

Brianna sat alone on a bench. Seeing here there, I walked over and sat down beside her. I struck up a friendly conversation. I then turned the conversation to the gospel and her eternal destiny, since nothing is more important than that. After explaining the gospel and her need to trust in Christ alone and turn to him with her life, I asked her when she was going to repent. That's when she asked, "Can I repent tonight?"

Every born again believer who is following Jesus Christ can and should learn to share the gospel with those whom the Lord puts in our path. You can do it! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! Now GO!

She Learned Sincerity Is Not Enough!

2011-07-13T22:35:00.000-05:00

"M" sincerely thought she would go to heaven because her small child died unexpectedly and she felt in her heart that she needed to be with him some day. Does sincerity determine destiny? How would you respond to that? Her guy friend, K, didn't know where he would spend eternity. Both wanted to know what the Bible says about how they can know with certainty their eternal destinies will be heaven. Naturally, I was excited to explain to them the life-saving, life-transforming news.

Acts 10 records the story of a sincerely devout, religious man named Cornelius. Though Cornelius was sincerely devout and religious, Acts 10 shows that he was sincerely unsaved until God directed the Apostle Peter to go to Cornelius' home and share the gospel with him and his household. When Cornelius believed and obeyed the gospel, he and his household were saved and baptized. Had Cornelius not heard the gospel or obeyed it, he would have sincerely died in his sins, separated from God for eternity in the lake of fire.

Similarly, people hold sincere beliefs about life after death. Many of those beliefs are sincerely wrong, like M's sincerely wrong belief that she would spend eternity in heaven because her deceased child "needed her." We must lovingly and compassionately explain the truth to them, as Peter explained the truth to Cornelius. We must urge them to obey the gospel by believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and turning to Him in repentance for forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

"Then [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations . . . ."
(Luke 24:45-47).

I began by using the 10 Commandments to help M and K see that they had violated God's moral law and were deserving of punishment. I shared with them what Jesus said about hell, how it's a place of eternal fire (Mark 9:43-49). They recognized that if they died that day, they would spend eternity in hell, not heaven.

I then had the joy of sharing with them how much God loved them by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for their sins so they don't have to. I asked them if they believed Jesus is God's Son who died to pay for their sins. They believed. I then explained to them the importance of turning to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation by crying out for forgiveness of their sins and turning to follow Him with their lives. I asked them when they were going to repent, since they don't know how much time they have left. They both said they were going to do it right away!

Pray that M and K have both repented and are seeking to follow Jesus!

"Joe's" Baptism! All of Heaven Rejoices!

2011-07-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

Me and Joe After His Baptism!

"Joe" didn't mind the cramped bathtub that has to be used for security reasons. Nor did he mind the crowd of excited onlookers who packed into the bathroom and overflowed into the adjoining room to witness this special event. "I tell you," Jesus said, "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:7).

Joe declared his commitment to follow Jesus, placing his faith and trust in Him alone for salvation, and joyfully demonstrated his love for the Lord by going down into the waters of baptism. When he came up, he said "it's like being born again!"

Thank you for praying for Joe! Keep praying for his growth as he seeks to faithfully walk with the Lord. He has literally just started reading the bible for the very first time, but he has been faithfully applying what he has learned, and the Lord has shown himself strong on Joe's behalf, already answering prayers for Joe in tangible ways. God is good!

Following Joe's expression of faith, another young lady, a psychologist, also professed her faith in Christ! She will be baptized next week! Praise the Lord!

"Joe" Believes and Will Be Baptized!

2011-07-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

In my last post, "Joe" (whose real name must remain anonymous for security reasons), shared his excitement about his prayer being answered as he considered whether to place his faith in Jesus for salvation. I asked for your prayers that Joe would believe and choose to follow Jesus. I had a chance to follow up with Joe this past week. He told me that he has decided to believe in Jesus and follow Him. He also told me that he feels different, peaceful inside. It's amazing how God works if we're faithful to share the Good News!

In the last two weeks, Joe heard the gospel for the first time. He received his first Bible. He started reading the Gospel of John for the first time. And he prayed to God for help in resolving a conflict with a friend, and God answered his prayer.

Now, Joe has decided to trust in Jesus for salvation and commit his life to following Him as Joe pursues a PhD, possibly in America. Joe also has decied to be baptized, along with several other new believers who have recently heard the gospel. "¹²But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1). Praise the Lord! Nothing more exciting than that!

"The Prayer Worked!" He Exclaimed

2011-06-23T11:07:00.002-05:00

His name and location must remain anonymous for security reasons. I will call him Joe. Joe just finished defending dissertation for a master's degree in bio-engineering from one of Asia's most prestigious universities. He hopes to pursue a PhD in America. When our paths crossed, I had the opportunity to share the gospel with Joe. He had never heard before, but he showed great interest. I left him a gospel tract and a new bible with him (his first bible) and urged him to read the Book of John. Joe said he would read it and give consideration to believing in Jesus as God, Lord, and Savior. Awesome!

A few days later, we were able to meet again and spend some time together. Joe shared that he successfully defended his dissertation. We joined in his excitement.

Joe then told me with equal excitement that "it worked." "What worked," I asked. "After you shared with me last time," Joe explained, "I tried it out--I prayed to God and asked him to help me show kindness to a friend who had offended me." Joe then shared that a friend asked him for help in preparing for a major exam, and Joe had gladly helped. But when Joe asked the friend for help with a problem in preparing for the exam, the friend refused, causing a rift in the relationship. So, after hearing the gospel message and what Jesus said about anger in the heart constituting murder in violation of the 6th Commandment, Joe prayed and asked God to help him show kindness to his friend. Joe said he offered to take his friend to dinner. At dinner, the friend fell under conviction and asked Joe to forgive him for not returning the help that had been extended to him in preparing for the exam. Joe told me with excitement that it worked--his prayer worked. God answered his cry!

Joe also told me that he had read the first 7 or 8 chapters of John and had many questions. We answered his questions and urged him to continue to get to know God the Father and Jesus His Son through the Word that Joe might come to trust in Christ as Lord and Savior and inherit eternal life. Joe said he would. We prayed together and promised to keep in touch.

Please pray for Joe to see that Jesus is God and to repent and trust him alone for salvation and begin to follow him whole heartedly! And pray that the Lord will grant you the boldness to begin to help people in your path of life take one more step closer to Jesus!

Demetrius & Josh: Saved from the Fire?

2011-06-03T18:24:00.187-05:00

Jesus' half-brother, Jude, urged Jesus' followers to "save others from the fire" of God's long-withheld, righteous judgment upon man's sin (Jude 23). With tender love, Paul warned believers that the Lord will unleash fiery justice upon all who reject God's mercy and do not "obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thes. 1:8). How then can people obey the gospel to escape judgment unless we tell them The Way to be saved? (Rom. 10:14-15). Quoting Isaiah, Paul wrote: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

At lunch on Friday, June 3rd, four of us answered Jesus' call to go and proclaim the gospel (Mk. 16:15) in downtown Tulsa. We considered it an eternal search and rescue mission, seeking whom the Lord may lead us to explain The Way to be saved and live in a life-giving, life-transforming, soul-satisfying relationship with the Creator of All and Just Judge--Jesus Christ. Two of us had the joy and privilege of bringing great glory to a Great Savior by sharing the Greatest News of all with two men, Demetrius and Josh.

To start a spiritual conversation with two guys we just met on the street, we used a unique gift, a penny with the 10 Commandments pressed on them. The pennies (buy at LivingWaters) are superb. They worked well with Demetrius and Josh. Here's how we used them.

Josh sat outside his office on a smoke break, enjoying the sun and fresh breeze blowing down the sidewalk. Demetrius sat on a shady bench at the city bus station. We walked up to Josh and said, "How's it going? Have you received one of these (handing him a shiny pressed penny)?" Josh took it and inspected it (as most do). "It's a pressed penny," I said. "Ever seen one?" "No," Josh answered. I explained that the first time they pressed a penny was in the 1800s and they imprinted the 10 Commandments on them. To read it well, I told Josh to hold it up and allow the light to shine on it. He tried it. While he held it up, I explained that the Bible says the law is a lamp and the command of God is a light (Ps. 119), and when the light of God's law shines on our hearts it reveals how far short we've fallen of God's perfect moral standard, which keeps us from entering heaven, and dooms us to judgment and eternity in hell for breaking God's moral law countless times. I told Josh that the 10 Commandments show us how desperately we need a savior, and Josh seemed to understand the implications.

I asked Josh if he knew where he would spend eternity if he died today. He did not know. I asked if he had heard the gospel. He said he hadn't heard it before. We then had the joy of explaining what Jesus did to save us from the wrath to come (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Thes. 1:10). We also explained what Jesus said we must do to get the benefit of his death and resurrection and be declared innocent on the Day of Judgment, though we deserve to be judged guilty: believe and repent (Mk. 1:15), the message Jesus preached in "all of the towns and villages" (Matt. 9:35).

Josh said he believed Jesus died for his sins and rose again, but he honestly admitted he did not know what it means to repent. We explained that repentance is crying out to God for forgiveness of one's sins (Lk. 18:13)and turning from going your own way in life to following Jesus (Acts 26:20; 1 Thes. 1:10), not to earn salvation, but to obey the Gospel and cling to Jesus for life. You can't cling to Jesus for life if your back is still turned to him and you're still going your own way. We urged Josh to repent before it's too late, gently warning him that he does not know how much time he has left. Since Josh works in the same building, I will follow up with him. Pray he has repented and pray I can help disciple him to be a genuine follower.

As for Demetrius, it went much the same way. When we started our conversation with him, he did not know what his eternal destiny would be. When we finished the conversation, he affirmed with a new smile that he did not have earlier in the conversation that he now knew his destiny would be heaven, because he believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior and has repented. He says he tries to follow Jesus. We talked about what Jesus said to do to follow him, explaining that Jesus told those who "believed" in him that his true disciples, his true followers are those who abide in or continue in his word (Jn. 8:31-32). So we gave a Gospel of John to Demetrius and urged him to spend some time in the word each day and ask God help him obey what he reads. Pray Demetrius will be a fruitful follower who learns to fish for men with the time he has left! Nothing's more important than that, and nothing is more exciting!

What about you? Are you obeying Jesus' call to follow him and learn to fish for men (Matt. 4:19).

3 Essentials of a Model Outreach Church and a Model Witness for the Lord

2011-05-22T21:40:00.030-05:00

The Bible calls one church the model of effective witnessing. Do you know which one? The answer may surprise you because it consisted of new followers of Jesus. To find out which church set the pattern of powerful evangelism and to learn the three keys that made them so effective, click on this LINK. If you want to learn to be an effective witness to those God has placed in your life, then this video is for you, too.

Shakala Turns to Jesus

2011-05-11T19:44:00.000-05:00

"Repent and Turn to God" (Acts 26:20)

If we love people, we will ask them thoughtful, precise questions to find out if they are truly born again Christians whose eternal destinies are secure and whose names written in the Book of Life (Rev. 21:27). According to Proverbs 20: 5, "The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out." We learn to draw out a clear understanding of where a person's heart is at by knowing God's Word and by following Jesus in speaking with people about their eternal destinies (John 4).

I met Shakala for the first time the other day. I offered Shakala a gospel tract and she accepted it. I asked Shakala if she had ever heard of the gospel. "No," she answered. I asked Shakala if she believed in heaven and hell. "Yes," she said. I asked her who gets to go to heaven. "Those who repent," she replied. "What does it mean to repent," I asked. She responded without hesitation, "ask God to forgive you of your sins." Interesting answers for a person who had never heard the gospel. I then asked her who she believed God is--"My Lord and Savior," she affirmed. "So you believe Jesus is God's Son who died for your sins and rose again the third day to prove He is really God's son?" "Yes," Shakala answered. "That's great," I said.

Because James 2:19 says even the demons believe in Jesus and shudder, I asked Shakala a very important follow up question to draw out where she really stood personally with the Lord. "Shakala," I asked, "have you ever turned to follow Jesus with your life?" "No," she confessed, "I haven't." Shakala believed in Jesus. Shakala had probably asked Jesus to forgive her sins on multiple occasions. But, she either did not know she needed to turn and follow Him with her life, or she had not chosen to do so yet.

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done'" (Matt. 16:24-27).

Shakala believed in Jesus, but she had not yet decided to come after Him. Jesus said we must not only believe in the gospel, but also we must repent (Mk. 1:15; Lk. 13:5; Lk. 24:46-47). Like Jesus, Paul preached that those who believe the gospel "should repent and turn to God" (Acts 26:20). Those who believe and repent--turn from going their own way to the living God, Jesus Christ--are born again, saved from the wrath to come, and eternally freed from imprisonment to their sins through the finished work of Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 1:4-5, 9-10). Repentance is not a work of man that enables one to earn his or her salvation. Rather, repentance is a work of God by the Spirit of God, causing the believer to turn to Him for eternal life and follow Him (see John 1:12-13).

I asked Shakala if she knew what Jesus said to do in order to know that her destiny will be heaven. She didn't know what He said. I told her that Jesus said to do two things: believe and repent (Mk. 1:15). I explained to her that repentance is like a coin, it has two sides. She knew one side of the coin--asking God to forgive our sins. But she didn't know the other side--turning from all else in her life and in the world to the living God (1 Thes. 1:9-10).

I asked her when she was going to turn to follow Jesus with her life. Her answer: "Today!" I asked her if she knew how to follow Jesus. She didn't. I explained to her that Jesus said in John 8:31-32 that his real followers are those who abide or continue in his word so that they will know the liberating truth--Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). I explained to her that following Jesus is as simple as spending time reading the Word each day, asking Jesus to help you understand what you read, and asking him to help you obey it. I gave her a gospel of John and encouraged her to repent and follow Jesus. I pray she did.

What will you do to follow Jesus? Will you begin to follow Him by allowing him to teach you to fish for men (Matt. 4:19). Nothing is more important. Some one's life may be on the line.

Claudie Clings to Christ Today!

2011-04-16T21:21:00.000-05:00

"If God loves me," Claudie asked, "why I am facing hard times?" "If God is good, why are bad things happening?" Claudie had been sentenced and faced jail time. He stood with a group waiting to do community service to pay for their crimes. While sharing the gospel with the group, Claudie raised questions, honest questions, not fake questions to dodge the truth.

Jesus never dodged questions. He encouraged honest questions. He answered them, as with the woman at the well (John 4). But he rebuked posers with their fake questions, pretending to seek truth but worshiping themselves and going their own way in life (Matt. 23)

I told Claudie his questions were good ones. I also assured him that the bible has good answers. Bad things happen because of all of the evil in the world resulting from the cumulative fallout of generations of unbridled, depraved sinfulness.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; . . . there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away . . . there is no one who does good, not even one. . . . [R]uin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. . . . There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . ." (Rom. 3:10-23).

When his questions had been answered and he heard and understood the gospel, Claudie confirmed that he believed Jesus is God's Son who died for his sins so Claudie doesn't have to and that he rose again the third day to prove he is God's Son (1 Cor. 15:1-4). I asked Claudie if had ever repented of his sins--cried out to God for forgiveness of his sins, past, present, and future, and turned to cling to Christ and follow Him. No, he said. But he asked me to pray with him. So, I prayed that Claudie would repent and cling to Christ by faith alone for his salvation and that he would follow Christ with his whole heart. I urged him to read God's word each day, asking God to help him understand what he read and obey it, which is following Jesus. Pray the Lord will cause Claudie to be good ground and produce fruit for the Kingdom 100Fold!

Two Prisoners Freed By Jesus!

2011-03-28T23:43:00.002-05:00

Bill had just been freed from prison. Ricky was still locked up. Bill thought he was free, but he was still a prisoner, captive to sin. Ricky knew he was going to be locked up for a while, but he learned he wasn't spiritually free either. The good news is that Jesus came to set the captives free! Both learned how to be set free. They learned the truth because they heard it proclaimed.

Jesus said, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again" (John 3:3). Peter said we are "born again ... through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Pet. 1:23). Paul said the same thing, emphasizing he obeyed Jesus' call to preach the word of God, "the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation" (Eph. 1:23). Jesus declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners ... to set the oppressed free ..." (Luke 4:18).

I asked Bill if he believed in heaven. "Yes ... and God," he added. "Who gets to go to heaven," I gently asked. "Those who are good enough," he answered. I asked Bill if he thought he was good enough to go to heaven. That's when he told me he had just been released from prison but believed he was trying hard enough now to get to heaven. That broke my heart! He was like a sheep without a shepherd to guide him to the right pasture. He was feeding on falsehood, not life-giving truth. (Matt. 9:35). Titus 3:5 makes clear that our salvation is "not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He has saved us." The Bible clearly teaches that our "good" deeds are like "filthy rags" in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6). Only God can "clothe us in garments of salvation" and a "robe of righteousness" that we need to enter His holy presence for eternity (Isaiah 61:10) when we place our faith and trust in His Son alone (Eph. 2:8-9).

Ricky, on the other hand, honestly admitted that the did not know what his eternal destiny would be if he were to die today. Ricky was religious. He attended Catholic rituals periodically. But he did not know what Jesus said to do in order to be born again and saved.

When Bill and Ricky learned the truth that they justly deserved to be judged guilty for violating God's moral law countless times (which they honestly admitted) and that they justly deserved to be condemned to hell like the rest of us (Rom. 3:10, 23, 6:23), they were both eager to hear what Jesus said about how to be set free from sin for eternity in order to know that his destiny will indeed be heaven. The law had done its perfect work on their hearts to show them their great need for a savior (Ps. 19:7; Gal. 3:24). They were now ready for the gospel, the good news!

But "[h]ow, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Rom. 10:14-15). Paul explained that "the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved .... For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures .... [T]his is what we preach, and this is what you believed" (1 Cor. 15:1-11). Paul preached that those who believe the gospel "should repent and turn to God" (Acts 26:20), just as Jesus taught (Mk. 1:15; Lk. 24:46-47). Those who believe and repent are born again, saved from the wrath to come, and eternally freed from imprisonment to their sins through the finished work of Jesus Christ (John 3:3, 14-18). And the great news is that we can know this now even though we don't deserve it (1 John 5:11-13).

I asked Bill if he believed Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to pay the penalty for his sins so that he doesn't have to. He did. So did Ricky. I asked Bill if he believed Jesus rose from the dead the third day, proving he is God's son. He did. So did Ricky. I asked Bill if he had ever repented of his sins--cried out to God for forgiveness of all his sins and turned to look to Christ alone for salvation and follow him. Bill said he was doing it right then! Praise the Lord! I pray he really did. I asked Bill if he knew what Jesus said to do to follow him. He didn't, so I explained to him what Jesus said in John 8:31-32--that his true followers continue in his word on a daily basis and seek to faithfully obey Jesus' word. The former prisoner had truly learned how to be set free and said he was taking those very steps of faith. Ricky said he didn't know what it meant to repent. I explained it to him and asked him when he was going to repent and follow Jesus. He said he didn't know. I urged him to do so before it's too late. He said he would think about it. Pray for Ricky. I may have a chance to see him again soon and will follow up with him. I will let you know how he's doing, Lord willing!

Rob Bell Ignores Jesus' Teachings About Hell

2011-03-24T21:19:00.000-05:00

When will you die? You don't know. What will happen when you die? That you can know! But don't wait until it's too late to make certain your eternal fate. For an excellent summary of what the Word of God, Jesus Christ, teaches about the afterlife, hell and judgment, click on the following link: Truth About Hell.

Rob Bell: Leading People to Hell? Pt. 2

2011-03-11T15:06:00.000-06:00

This is part two on the danger and reality of hell, and the danger of the false teaching that there is no hell. Jesus declared John the Baptist the greatest prophet of all (Matt. 11:11). When John saw religious leaders coming to hear his open-air preaching, which included a plea that the crowds "repent," (Matt. 3:2), John proclaimed something very significant to them and to the onlooking crowds:

"Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. . . . The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." (Matt. 3:7-8, 10).

God sent John as yet another of many loving messengers warning people of the judgment to come in order that people might repent, turn back to God, the author of life and forgiveness, before it's too late.

Just as John and Jesus faced false teachers, satan continues to raise up false teachers today. The following is a second excerpt from a learned doctor from Cambridge responding to the apparent heresies of Rob Bell:

Would a loving God really send people to hell? An upcoming book by Rob Bell suggests that the answer is no.

My goal is to show you that universalism [the false teaching that all will go to heaven no matter what] is wrong and warn you of some of the dangers.

Like classic liberals of the early 1900s, Bell is dangerous because he continues to use biblical words like God, Jesus, love, salvation, heaven, hell, lost, saved, etc. We are entering the same situation that J. Gresham Machen wrote about in 1923.

…the great redemptive religion which has always been known as Christianity is battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief, which is only the more destructive of the Christian faith because it makes use of traditional Christian terminology. (Christianity and Liberalism, 2)

Let’s start with the most basic term Bell uses: God. Bell says, “What we believe about heaven and hell is incredibly important because it exposes what we believe about who God is and what God is like.” That’s exactly right. So which God are we talking about?

We can’t pick the things we like about God and pretend the rest doesn’t exist. The Bible says more than God is love. It also teaches us that God is holy. He loves righteousness and hates sin. God is just and does not overlook evil.

²The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.³ The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. (Nahum 1:2-3)

Yet He is also loving and compassionate (Ex 34:6). He is a God of love and of wrath, of mercy and punishment, of grace and judgment. We are always tempted to make God into our image, the kind of God we want Him to be. But we have to accept everything the Bible says about Him.

How could a God who punishes people still be considered good? Denny Burk put it well on his blog post.

You are asking how can God be good if He sentences sinners to eternal damnation, but I think you have the question backwards. The real question is how can God be good if He doesn’t send sinners to judgment. In other words, how can God be good while forgiving sinners?

This is the question Paul wrestled with in Romans 3, and he concluded that God set forth His son Jesus as a propitiation for sin. That means that all of the wrath and anguish that would have taken us an eternity in hell to endure, God poured out on His Son in the moment of the cross. God is good because He settles our sin debt in the cross of Jesus Christ, our substitute.
This is good news because God clears away guilt through the cross and offers eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus. Anyone who believes in Jesus in this way can have forgiveness and eternal life. This is more than good news; it’s the best of news.

Bell coined the catchy phrase, “Love wins.” That is true. But here again we have to ask, what is love? We can’t start with our 21^st century, American, upper middle class understanding of love and decide this is how a loving God must be. The Bible defines God’s love; we’re not left to imagine His love the way that seems best to us.

Right after John tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8), the Apostle writes,

⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

Christ’s death for sinners ultimately defines what God’s love looks like. God did not show His love for the world by ignoring sin, sweeping it under the carpet and pretending it never happened. He showed His love by dealing with sin through the sacrifice of His own Son, giving Himself for us at the cross.

Love wins because the cross wins. The cross is victory for those who love Jesus and defeat for those who do not.

The writer of Hebrews asks the right question, How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:3) How indeed? At the end of the day, there is no salvation outside of personal trust in Jesus Christ.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36)

Are you trusting in Jesus’ death and resurrection to save you from God’s judgment, from His fair and accurate judgment on your sin? If you have, God has given you life.

If you do not follow and obey this Jesus, you do not have God’s life. You don’t love Jesus. You are condemned to hell already. I beg you to trust in Jesus. He died and rose again to save you from God’s wrath and from your sin. He offers full forgiveness—glorious, complete pardon from every wrong you have ever done. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Rob Bell: Leading People to Hell?

2011-03-10T18:07:00.000-06:00

Is hell real? Would a loving God really send people to hell? The Bible and Jesus provide point-blank, crystal clear answers to these great, honest questions. It is vital you learn the answers. But be careful who you trust. Popular teacher, Rob Bell, appears to be trying to convince people there is no hell despite what the Bible and Jesus say. That's like telling a blind man walking toward a cliff not to worry because there is no cliff. Read what one learned scholar who received his doctorate from Cambridge wrote on the issue:

What happens to those who do not believe in Jesus Christ? Will everyone eventually go to heaven? Is hell a real place? And if it is real, would a loving God really send people there?

Rob Bell is asking these questions in a book set to come out later this month, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. Bell is a hugely popular emergent pastor and author. Some 50,000 (mostly young) people download his sermons and some 96,496 people “like” his Facebook page as of this morning.

And now Bell seems to be embracing universalism [all go to heaven no matter what they believe]. Is this a problem? Short answer: Yes.

For one thing, [Bell]’s amazingly influential. He is a captivating communicator and many will follow him. HarperCollins must be delighted with the uproar that is rising weeks before the book is released. This is sure to translate into huge sales numbers.

For another, universalism is wrong, dead wrong. If we believe that Ghandi or any other unbeliever can be saved without trusting in Christ, as Bell suggests, then we have abandoned biblical Christianity for another religion. We have left the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.

It’s not as if the Scriptures are vague. Jesus spoke openly about hell. For instance, he warns us that everyone will stand before Him for judgment when He will reward God’s people but condemn all others.

⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴⁶ …and these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matt 25:41, 46)

Since Jesus thinks hell is real, warning us is a very loving thing to do. And if hell is real, it is unloving to tell people there is no danger.

Likewise, Paul loved the young believers in Thessalonica enough to warn them about hell and the final judgment. When Jesus comes again, He will come

⁸…in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.⁹ They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. (2 Thess. 1:8-9)

Being banished from Jesus’ presence and glory is a fearsome punishment. He is the eternally satisfying, unspeakably beautiful Son of God. To be with Him is to be in Heaven. To be banished from Him is to be in hell—away from all light, life, love, joy, peace, comfort, pleasure, beauty, order, safety, and every good thing. It is eternal torment.

The vision John saw in Revelation is very graphic.

⁹…If anyone worships the beast… he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.¹¹ And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night… (Rev. 14:9-11)

It is passages like these that lead us tearfully to describe hell as a place of eternal conscious torment for those who do not love Jesus Christ. To deny the doctrine of hell we have to contradict Jesus, the Apostles, and the Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures.

We can’t treat this like just an academic question. If this is true—if hell is real—we can’t go on the same way. If we believe that hell is real,

we will have a healthy fear of God’s judgment. We will run from sin.
we will love and treasure Christ more dearly. He is such a great Savior who delivers us from the wrath to come.
we will cling to Christ more firmly for the strength to obey.
we will do all we can to carry the gospel across the street and across the world. (emphasis added)

It would be unspeakably tragic if we evangelicals rallied to defend the doctrine of hell and were not moved to tears—and moved to action—by the fate of unbelievers. Which is worse: orthodoxy without love or love without orthodoxy? God preserve us from both.

More on this same topic tomorrow.

"Pray for me," Tasha begged!

2011-02-08T22:49:00.001-06:00

After our brief conversation, Tasha begged softly, "pray for me!" I just met her. We spoke only minutes. Why would she ask me, a stranger, a new acquaintance, to pray for her?

Tasha's path crossed mine Monday morning. I engaged her in conversation. To swing the dialogue to the spiritual, I asked politely if she had a church background. "I'm a Christian," she answered. "Oh," I responded. "If you died today, Tasha, do you know where you would spend eternity?" "No, I don't," she honestly admitted without hesitation. Wow. It's amazing how common that is among professing "Christians."

You would expect a professing Christian to know the answer to that question, since the very reason Christ came was to make sure we knew The Way to the Father (John 14:6). By definition, a Christian is one who personally knows Christ as Savior by looking to Him alone for salvation (John 3), repenting of their sins (Mk. 1:15; Acts 17:31; Acts 20:21), and choosing to follow Jesus (Matt. 4:19, 16:24). Tasha considered herself a Christian, but by her own admission had no clue how to become one, which would have resulted in her knowing with certainty what her eternal destiny would be--with Christ!

I asked Tasha if she would like to know how she could be sure of her eternal destiny. "Yes, I would," she replied. I had the joy of telling Tasha the great news that Jesus came that we might know with certainty The Way to eternal life (1 John 5:11-13). She listened very attentively, because she wanted to know The Way. After I shared the gospel with her, she asked me to pray for her. She wanted to know where she could find a good local church where she could be encouraged in following Jesus Christ. I pray she truly acted upon the truth in order to make her destiny sure (2 Pet. 1:10).

After countless witnessing encounters trying to faithfully follow Jesus' call to "fish for men," I have learned many believe they are Christians when they don't know the truth about how to become a Christian--one who follows The Way of Jesus Christ. Should we care? Absolutely!

Jesus and the Apostles cared about people being sure of their salvation. They died that we might be sure. We should care, too. If a person can't explain why they think they're going to heaven, odds are they don't really know The Way and are still dead in their trespasses and sins, following some other way (Eph. 2:1-3), and, according to Jesus, they remain under God's just condemnation (Jn. 3:36). We should care enough, love them enough as Jesus did, to help them "make their calling and election sure" before it's too late (2 Pet. 1:10).

God cares so much about the certainty of our eternal destiny that He sent His Son to explain to us "The Way" to the Father (John 14:6) and to avoid "eternal punishment" in "eternal fire" (Matt. 25:41, 46). He cares so much that He suffered an eternity of torment for our sins that we might be certain of our eternal destiny based on solid belief and sincere repentance (2 Cor. 5:21; Mk. 1:15; Acts 20:21).

Everywhere Jesus went, He warned people to "repent." (Matt. 4:17, 9:35; Lk. 13:1-5). He urged them to act quickly because "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). Jesus taught that belief in Him and repentance from sin are the essentials of the gospel, The Way (Mk. 1:15; Jn. 3:3-36).

When convicted first century sinners asked Peter what to do to be saved, he told them to "repent" for the forgiveness of sins through belief in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). But Peter didn't stop there. He pleaded with the "saints" to "be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). Why did Peter take great pains to urge "saints" to be "sure" about their eternal destiny? "For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (vv. 11-12). Peter was so consumed about their eternal welfare that he added, "I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder" (2 Pet. 1:13-14).

Jesus' half-brother, Jude, said we should know the gospel well enough to defend it and to share it in such a way as to "snatch others from the fire and save them" (Jude 23).

Paul wrote to believers that we should share the gospel "as though God were making His plea through us" (2 Cor. 5:20). The NIV says God "appeals" to the lost through us and that we should "implore" others to make their salvation sure. The NASB says we should "beg" people to be saved. Like Peter, Paul longed so intently for people to be sure about their salvation that he warned them to "examine" themselves (1 Cor. 11:28). He warned that "now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! (2 Cor. 6:3).

Care enough about people not to simply assume they are "Christians." Care enough to help them make their calling and election sure! That's what a true Christian does.

Skydiving With No Parachute!

2011-01-30T22:36:00.000-06:00

When you skydive, it's just a matter of time before you hit the ground. If you're clinging to a trustworthy parachute, you'll be fine. Otherwise, you're dead. Skydivers make sure they're clinging to a trustworthy chute. Their lives depend on what they're clinging to for salvation. If there's the slightest doubt about a chute, they'll pass by it for one they can depend on.

Though it's a matter of time before we die and hit eternity, most people assume the beliefs or hopes to which they cling can be depended upon for their eternal salvation. They're like a skydiver who nonchalantly picks up any pack hoping it's a trustworthy spiritual parachute, but failing to make sure it can be depended upon to land them safely into heaven. Just as it is vital for a skydiver to make sure his chute is trustworthy, so it is vital that we make sure the beliefs to which we cling about our eternal salvation are true, certain, and trustworthy.

Mere belief that an ordinary backpack will save you from a fall won't make it so. In the same way, mere belief or hope in the wrong thing won't save you from the judgment to come (2 Cor. 5:10) or the hell that awaits those who fail to cling to the only Savior, Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Rev. 13:8, 20:15).

I spoke to two men--Deonta and Damien--who hoped the beliefs to which they were clinging would land them safely into heaven, but both were hanging on to empty "packs" that cannot save. When asked why he believed he was going to heaven, Deonta said "he was trying to follow the rules." When asked about God's rules--the 10 Commandments--he admitted he had broken them countless times. He quickly realized that clinging to his ability to keep the rules was like skydiving without a parachute, because there is none righteous enough to enter heaven, not one (Rom. 3:10). I then explained to Deonta that he needed to turn to God, repent of his sins, and cling to Jesus Christ by faith for his eternal salvation (Acts 20:21).

Damien hoped he would go to heaven, but wasn't sure. He was definitely skydiving without a parachute, clinging to nothing but empty hope. I had the joy of sharing with him the full gospel--that God has set a day when he will judge the world in justice and righteousness through Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31); when judged by God's perfect moral standard we will all be found guilty (Matt. 5; Luke 18:19; Rom. 3:23); we all deserve the penalty for our countless sins against God, which is death (Rom. 6:23); but God is rich in mercy and poured out his justice on Jesus that we might receive grace, mercy, and forgiveness if we will turn to Jesus, repent, and trust in him alone by faith (Acts 17:30; Eph. 1-2:9). I urged Damien to repent and trust Christ before it's too late. I also gave him some information on how to grow in his faith and follow the Lord.

In Hosea 4:6, God lamented that people perish for lack of knowledge. That is true today, just as it was in Hosea's day. People lack knowledge of God's Word and the way to salvation. Will you share the truth with someone whose life may depend on it? I pray Deonta and Damien are clinging to Jesus Christ alone for their salvation and are following him today. Their eternal destiny depends on it.

Walking By Dead Guys Daily

2011-01-20T19:26:00.000-06:00

Picture the people you see each day that you may say hello to or waive to as you pass by but whom you rarely if ever talk to. You see them when dropping your kids off at school, going to work, going to lunch, at the store, or in the yard or driveway. Ever think of them as the walking dead? They very well may be walking dead. Pleasant thought, I know. But the truth is you are "dead in your transgressions and sins ... when you followed the ways of this world ... gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts ... by nature deserving of wrath" (Eph. 2:2-3). Who are the people you pass by each day following?

Free from wrath in Jesus (1 Thes. 5:9)

If they're following the world instead of Jesus Christ, they're dead in sin and facing the imminent wrath of holy justice (Heb. 9:27). What will you do to help them escape the wrath to come (Matt. 3:7)? Will you take time to get to know them? Will you care enough to help them understand that though they deserve the full weight of God's wrath and justice for their countless sins, God has "great love for us" and "is rich in mercy" (Eph. 2:4). Will you explain to them that when we "repent and believe" in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Mk. 1:15), God makes "us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:4-7).

I pass by two security guards at work each day in the lobby of our building. We exchange hellos and occasional small talk. One day, I decided to strike up a conversation. They did not know where they would spend eternity, but Robert hoped he would go to heaven. I had the joy of explaining that the bible declares we can know with assurance our destiny will be heaven, not based what we do or our goodness, but based on what God has done for us and His perfect goodness (1 John 5:11-13). I asked if they believed Jesus is God's son who died in their place so they don't have to and so that God's justice could be fully executed without turning a blind eye to sin and evil. They did. I asked them if they had ever repented--turn from following the world to following Jesus. They hadn't. I asked when they were going to repent, since they don't know how much time they have left. They didn't say. I urged them to repent before it's too late. I asked if they would think about it, and they said they would.

We had a pleasant conversation. We parted ways on a great note. I will follow up with them and see how they're doing. I will encourage them to trust in Christ and follow him. I will provide them some additional material that helps them take those key steps of faith and growth. Pray with me for Derek and Robert--that their names will be written in the Book of Life (Rev. 21:17; 20:15).

Fishing Lessons: What Is He Teaching You?

2011-01-12T08:23:00.003-06:00

Jesus said He would teach us to "fish for men" if we follow Him (Matt. 4:19). Here are some lessons from following Jesus during First Friday Fishing January 2011.

Encounter No. 1. I offer gospel tracts as an icebreaker to kick-start a conversation. Today, I used coins with the 10 Commandments on one side and the Gospel on the other--because the law leads us to Christ (Gal. 3:24). I offered the first person a coin and asked if she had a church background, to see if the Lord would open up a conversation. She said yes, took the coin, but quickly walked off. Lessons: This was a success! NEVER judge an encounter by outward appearance. She received a coin with the Word. We are born again by the Word (1 Pet. 1:23). Our job is to obey the call to "go" and share the gospel (Mk. 16:15). God's job is to draw the unsaved to Himself at his time and in his way (John 12:32). God can reach her through that coin if she is lost. If she is born again, then she may have been encouraged by this simple act to follow the Lord and share the gospel herself if she is not already doing so.

Encounter No. 2. I offered her a gospel coin and she refused it. I politely offered a second time, trying to insist, but she refused again. Lessons: Paul literally pleaded with the lost to be reconciled to God in view of the wrath to come (2 Cor. 5). Out of love for the Lord and love for the lost, Paul warned every man that he might present every man mature in Christ. (Col. 1). That's why I didn't just walk off after the first time she refused the coin. Often, I will also say something like, "Nothing is more important than your eternal destiny" and try to get them to engage in a conversation about the eternal. If they still won't, I will then say something like, "please think about your eternal destiny before it's too late, because you never know when your last day will be!" Sometimes it is effective to use an analogy involving an offer to buy a person's eye for a transplant for a million dollars. Most people will refuse to sell one eye for a million dollars, and everyone I have asked will refuse to sell both eyes for $50 million, because their sight is priceless to them. I then explain that if their eyesight is priceless to them, how much more their eternal souls and how much more seriously should they really consider right now where they may spend eternity. This often gets people's attention. Don't be discouraged by those who flat refuse, even though it can be discouraging knowing that if they are lost they have an horrific eternity to face, paying for their own countless sins.

Encounter No. 3. I offered him a gospel tract and he had all the right answers. Lessons: This gentleman proclaimed that he was saved and going to heaven because he was trusting in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation. He used the right "lingo" and seemed to be enthused about it. We can never really know the state of a person's heart. But we can make assessments based on what people say and do. He said the right things. In that situation, I praise the Lord along with the person for their salvation. "That's great!" I will say. But I don't stop there. Jesus came to call followers, not just believers. The demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). I will typically follow up by asking, "Are you following the Lord today?" They often say yes or that they are trying or that they go to church. I will then ask if they know what Jesus said to do in order to follow him. Most people say no or take a guess. I point them simply to John 8:32 where Jesus said: "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." The true follower spends time in God's word regularly and seeks to follow it. I encourage people to do that. There's a famous saying: "The bible will keep you from sin, but sin will keep you from the bible." I also will often ask if they share their faith with others regularly. That's a mark of a follower (Mk. 1:17). I encourage people to follow Jesus and to learn to fish for men while they still have time left.

Encounter No. 4. I offered the three of them gospel coins. I pointed out that they had the commands on one side the gospel on the other and asked if they knew why the commands were so important. They didn't really say anything. I began to explain that God has appointed a day when he will judge the world in righteousness (Heb. 9:27), and the commands were given to show us how far short we fall from God's perfect moral standard necessary to get into heaven. To illustrate, I began asking them if they had violated God's law. I asked if they had lied, stolen, or committed adultery. They admitted to countless lies, but denied stealing and then tried to deny committing adultery by looking at others with lust, until one lady barked indignantly: "Of course we've all done that. We've been church. We know the drill!" They began to walk off. We encouraged them consider their eternal fate before it's late. Lessons: This was a successful encounter, too. In fact, the only unsuccessful encounter is one that never happens. God can't use us unless we step out of the boat in faith and step into the fields that are ripe for harvest (John 4). They heard the law. The law points people to Christ. While the law certainly cuts and is often unpleasant, it is often necessary to break up the hard, fallow ground of a stony heart in order that it may be ready to receive the good seed of the gospel. The law reveals sin (Rom 7). They heard the word. They were challenged to consider their fate. We were faithful. God will be faithful, too. Don't judge by the outward appearance. Just be faithful, loving, and compassionate.

What lessons did you learn from FFF 1.11? How have you grown from the encounters you had? What, if anything, will you do differently if you face similar encounters in the future? Pray the Lord will make you a more bold, more regular, more effective fisher of men while you still have time left!

How Many Baptisms Are Enough?

2011-01-09T22:06:00.000-06:00

If someone told you they were going to heaven because they had been baptized twice, how would you respond? That's what a gentleman told me. Baptism is an important step every follower of Jesus should take (Acts 8:34-39). But, if baptism were essential for salvation, Jesus would have said so. Baptism does not save. It is merely an outward expression of an inward spiritual reality--the death and burial of the old, sinful, unregenerate person and the spiritual resurrection of the new regenerated, justified person that occurs when one is born again by hearing and responding in faith to the word of God, the gospel (Eph. 1-2; Rom. 6). If this man truly believed his baptisms saved him, then he probably wasn't saved at all and was trusting in his religious works, not the finished work of Jesus Christ in paying for his sins. Just like a skydiver is dead if he is clinging to a mere backpack, falsely thinking it's a life-saving parachute when it's not.

To gain more insight in to what this gentleman believed in order to diagnose the situation and offer the proper truths that could lead him to salvation, I asked how many times a person has to be baptized to know they will go to heaven. He didn't know. I asked if he knew what Jesus said to do to have assurance of his eternal destiny. He didn't know. I explained that Jesus said we must repent and believe (Mk. 1:15). I explained to him what it means to repent and believe and how those two vital steps result in one experiencing the new birth that is essential for salvation (John 3:3). I confirmed that he did believe in Jesus Christ and that he had repented. He just didn't know those were the only steps necessary for salvation. Now he knew. Now he had a proper understanding of salvation.

Is the process of confirming a person's beliefs and salvation important? Absolutely! God wrote the bible so we could know The Way to salvation (2 Tim. 3:15-16). Jesus came to tell us the precise Way to salvation (John 14:1-6). The authors of the books of the New Testament wrote them (mostly to believers), so they (the believers) could be sure they knew and were following The Way (1 John 5:11-13). We must ensure people know The Way, especially since that's what Jesus asked his followers to do (Mk. 16:15).

A Pink-Haired Atheist & Ryan's Redemption

2010-11-30T22:15:00.001-06:00

"You can lead an atheist to evidence, but you can't make him think." I shared a gospel tract with a man who had bright pink hair. He rejected it politely. I encouraged him to take it, politely emphasizing that "nothing's more important than your eternal destiny." "No thanks," he insisted. "I don't believe in God," he added. "Why not," I asked, trying to gain insight into the root cause of his unbelief. He simply repeated that he didn't believe and didn't want to talk about it.

I could have simply walked away and left him alone in his atheism, but as my heart went out to this man knowing his horrific eternal fate should he continue to reject the Lord, the Apostle Paul's words echoed in my heart and constrained me from simply walking away from him:

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men . . . ." (2 Cor. 5:10-11).

I therefore pleaded with the pink-haired atheist one last time, reasoning with him as follows. "If I offered you a million dollars for one of your eyes, would you give it to me?" No, he quickly responded. "What if I offered you $50 million dollars for both eyes, would you take fake transplants in exchange for that much money?" No way, he promptly replied. "Of course you wouldn't," I answered. "You consider your eyesight priceless, because you enjoy life with your eyes. If, then, your eyes are priceless to you, how much more priceless is your eternal soul that will spend eternity somewhere. Don't gamble away your eternal soul, I pleaded. I handed him a booklet that contains some compelling evidence for why faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is reasonable and rational. He rejected it.

You can lead an atheist to evidence, but you can't make him think. I pray the thought of his eternal destiny will be so pressing on his mind and heart as a result of our encounter that he will repent and trust Christ for salvation and follow him wholeheartedly!

Then there was Ryan, a sweet witnessing encounter. In short, Ryan hoped he would go to heaven some day but wasn't certain if he would. He did not know what Jesus said to do in order to have eternal life. He listened with careful attentiveness as I explained the full gospel to him. (I love when that happens!) I was able to confirm that he did believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that he had repented of his sins. Jesus said "repent and believe" (Mark 1:15). Ryan therefore received assurance of his redemption for the very first time and assurance that his destiny would be heaven based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on his behalf and based on his trust in Christ alone (1 John 5:11-13). He now knows that his name is written in the Book of Life (Rev. 20). The Apostle John wrote two books for the very purpose that people would know with certainty that they have eternal life! (John 20:31; 1 John 5:11-13). Jesus came that we might know we have eternal life!

Is your name written in the Book of Life? What about those the Lord brings across your path each day?

Dustin Ran. Wesley Waited. Her Heart Broke.

2010-11-15T23:12:00.000-06:00

We're called to go. We're called to sow. The Lord is the one who causes the seed to grow. Will you go and sow, trusting the Lord for the results? Nothing is more important than the souls of men.

When I began to share the gospel with two young men this morning, Dustin and Wesley, Dustin walked off. My heart went out to him. Wesley, however, waited to hear the gospel message. He listened. He responded honestly. He had questions that caused him to doubt. I addressed his questions, assuring him there is ample evidence to justify the reasonableness of our faith in Jesus Christ, and gave him some examples. He then got down to the heart of it--he wasn't ready to repent and make a decision to follow Jesus with his life. I urged him to repent and trust Christ for salvation before it's too late. As the Apostle Paul said, in Colossians 1, we are to warn everyone and teach everyone that we may present everyone mature in Christ. Wesley has been warned, and Jesus was lifted up as a great, merciful Savior. I pray the seeds sown today will spring up into a great harvest for the Lord.

A friend decided to follow us as we shared the gospel today. Jesus said, "Follow me and I will teach you how to fish for men" (Matt. 4:19; Mark 1:17). She followed as we fished in order to learn. As we talked afterward about what she observed, tears came to her eyes as she mentioned how many people are walking aimlessly in life without the Savior, heading to an eternity in hell. Her heart broke for the harvest. Will yours?

Two Men. Two Responses to God's Law.

2010-11-01T23:32:00.000-05:00

The law of God is essential in helping people understand how desperately they need the Savior (Rom. 3:19; Gal. 3:23). Let me tell you about the different responses I received to the law of God from two men at the courthouse, Ray and Ivan. One sad but typical response. And one exciting response.

Ray thought he would go to heaven because he was "living right." I asked Ray how "right" a person has to live to know they will go to heaven. "You just have to live right," Ray added. To help Ray understand that he could never live "right enough" to get to God, I asked him if he had ever told a lie in violation of the 9th Commandment. "Yes," he readily admitted without any offense being taken (because I didn't ask him in a critical or confrontational way; I asked him gently). "How many lies do you think you've told, Ray?" "Too many to count," he answered without hesitating. "The truth is that we've all told countless lies, Ray," I replied. "But did you know the bible says in Revelation 21 that all liars will be cast into the lake of fire?" Ray didn't know that. I then explained to Ray that when judged by God's moral law, summarized in the 10 Commandments, we all stand guilty before God and in desperate need of a savior. Ray admitted that if judged by God's standard he would rightly be destined to hell. I asked Ray if he knew what the bible said about how he could know that his destiny would be heaven though he deserved hell, like the rest of us. "Repent?" He guessed. That's part of it, I answered. I explained what God did to save Ray from the just consequences for his countless sins against God (in order to help Ray see how awesome and loving God really is). I asked Ray if he believed Jesus died for his sins and if he had repented. Ray quickly shut the conversation down. He had to leave, he said, ran off like the Rich Young Man in Luke 18 who wasn't ready to turn (i.e., repent) to follow Jesus. I've been praying today that the seeds of the gospel sown in Ray's life will bear fruit and that he will repent and trust Christ for salvation and begin to follow him with his life.

Then there was Ivan. Ivan responded differently than Ray. Like Ray, Ivan honestly thought he was good enough to go to heaven, because he went to church regularly (a well known "mainline" denomination I might add) and said he tried to live a good life. I asked him how good a person must be to go to heaven. Ivan wasn't sure. (In Matthew 5 and Luke 18, Jesus said you must be perfect as God in heaven is perfect, telling the Rich Young Man you must keep all of the law (see also James 2:10). I asked him if he knew what Jesus said one must do in order to go to heaven. Ivan wasn't sure. I'm surprised how many "church-goers" don't know what Jesus said to do in order to be born again and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 17, he told Peter and his brother, Andrew, to "repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." In Mark 1:14-15, it Jesus went throughout Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God--"The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

I told Ivan the good news is that the bible teaches we can know with certainty what our eternal destiny would be (1 John 5:11-13; Luke 19:9--"Today, Salvation has come to this house ...."; Tit. 3:5). I asked Ivan if he would like to know whether his destiny will in fact be heaven. Yes, he said.

I explained that we all have sinned and have fallen short of God's perfect moral standard and that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins so we don't have to and that he rose again the third day, proving he is God. I asked Ivan if he believed Jesus is God's son who died for him and rose again. Ivan said he believed. I then asked him if he had taken the next step--repent. I explained to Ivan what repentance means--to cry out to God for forgiveness of all his sins, past, present, and future, and to turn to follow Jesus with his life (not earning it through works, but turning to the Savior--Luke 24:47--Jesus said "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations"). Ivan said he had never repented. I asked Ivan when he was going to repent, because he doesn't know when his last day will be--the Kingdom of Heaven could be at hand for him. I praised the Lord when Ivan said he was going to repent right now--"I've been doing it in my heart right now," he said! That's awesome, I exclaimed! I asked him if he knew what Jesus said to do in order to follow him? What, Ivan asked. John 8:31, says that Jesus' true followers are those who continue in his word, seeking to do what it says. It's that simple. Just ask God to help you understand and obey what you read, I encouraged him. That's how you follow Jesus. Ivan appreciated the encounter, and it blessed me, too.

In Luke 15, Jesus said all of heaven erupts for joy and rejoices when one sinner repents! I pray Ivan will be good ground who bears fruit 30, 60, and 100 fold! There's nothing more exciting in the Christian life than seeing the Lord Jesus touch a heart with the truth of his word to bring salvation!

Kord Was Clueless But Concerned

2010-10-10T22:39:00.000-05:00

Kord works at Sonic as car hop. After I paid for my food, I thanked him and handed him a gospel tract. As I spoke with him, I quickly realized Kord didn't know the first thing about the bible, Jesus Christ, belief or repentance for salvation. He was literally completely clueless about biblical truths regarding his eternal welfare and what God has done in His great love for Kord so that Kord could spend eternity with the Lord. The more I share the gospel, the more people I come across like Kord. Oblivious to their eternal fate. As Jesus said, those who do not believe and repent are condemned already for their countless transgressions of God's moral law (John 3:36).

Kord wasn't the slightest bit offended when I brought up the subject of his eternal fate. He was genuinely curious to hear what I had to say about how he could know with certainty what his eternal destiny would be, not on the basis of his goodness or good works, but on the basis of what God has done for him in Christ.

Kord listened attentively to the full gospel message, concerned about his eternal fate--that Christ died for our sins (bearing the full weight of God's justice) according to the scriptures and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures (proving He is God) (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Kord heard the word of truth that unless he believes and repents, he will perish for eternity (Luke 13:1-5). I urged him to consider his eternal fate before it's too late and to believe and repent. He didn't know what repentance means, so I explained it to him--crying out for forgiveness (Ps. 51) and turning from sin back to God (Matt. 7:13-14).

I don't know how much time Kord has left. No one does. But one thing I know--Jesus asked me to share the gospel with every creature, including Kord (Mark 16:15). The Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of actually sharing the gospel with words using the Word of God as follows:

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Rom. 10:14-15).

How many Kords will the Lord bring across your path this next week, month, or year? Will you hand them a tract? Will you ask them if they know where they will spend eternity? Will you share with them the good news that God loves them so much that He actually died for them? How will they believe for salvation's sake if they never hear?

Who Will Point Them to Salvation?

2010-10-04T11:33:00.000-05:00

Many people want to know The Way to Salvation. Last night, Brittany wanted to know The Way (see my last post). Today, Kyle wanted to know The Way. I found out they wanted to know because God has given me enough concern about people's eternal welfare to love them enough to ask if they know before it's too late.

To strike up a friendly conversation, I introduced myself to Kyle and asked him if he had a church background. Responding to my warm and friendly greeting, he warmly replied: "I am just now trying to get back into church as a matter of fact." From there, I simply asked him if he knew where he would spend eternity if he died today. He wasn't the slightest bit offended by the question, which is usually the case with most people I ask. "No, I don't," he admitted, adding "I hope I go to heaven."

I was then able to share with him the good news that the bible makes clear we can know what our destiny will be now (1 John 5:11-13) not based on what we have done (Tit. 3:5), but based on what Jesus has done for us (2 Cor. 5:21) if we will obey the gospel (2 Thes. 1:8-10). Since Kyle believed Jesus died on the cross for his sins and rose again the third day, proving he is God (1 Cor. 15:3-4), I shared with him the necessity of repenting (crying out to God for forgiveness of his sins and turning to follow Jesus with his life) (Mk. 1:15; Luke 24:46-48).

Are you preparing yourself to point people to The Way of Salvation? Who around you may not know where they will spend eternity but would like to know if someone would care enough to take the time to tell them? Nothing is more rewarding than doing that which is closest to the heart of God--pointing people back to an eternal relationship with the God who made them and loves them enough to die for them!

Brittany Wanted to Know the Answer

2010-10-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

Brittany works a register at Wal-Mart. I gave her a gospel tract about a month ago. Tonight, while checking out, I spoke to Brittany again. I asked her if she read the tract and knew the answer to the "trillion dollar question," which is "Will you go to heaven when you die?" Her answer touched my heart made me so thankful God has given me the grace to speak to people about what matters most--their eternal destiny.

She said she showed her boyfriend and his father the tract that I had given her, an Obama Trillion Dollar Bill tract. She said they had it posted at their house, but she didn't know the answer yet. I asked her why she didn't know the answer if she read it. "I work two jobs and can't get to church to repent and get right with God. Plus, I've done so many bad things .... (her voice trailed off as she looked down at the grocery bags)."

It reminded me of the lame person at the pool who answered Jesus by saying, "I have no one to put me in the water," as if he really need to touch the water to be made whole by the Great Physician. I told her that the good news is that she doesn't need to go anywhere or have anyone help her repent or clean herself up enough in order to get right with God and know that her destiny will be heaven!

I explained to her what it means to repent and follow Jesus, much like Jesus told the woman at the well that she no longer has to go up to some mountain to worship. I told her that there is nothing she can do to make herself right with God by her own good works, which is precisely why Jesus came to die in our place, so we don't have to. He took her punishment for her sins, so Brittany can receive the full mercy of God and the righteousness that she needs to enter into the presence of God for eternity, the righteousness that comes by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Brittany soaked it up as I shared with her the gospel (since she obviously didn't need to go through the law).

I asked her if she has a bible at home, since Jesus said his true followers continue in his Word (John 8:31-32). She didn't. I asked her if she had a computer. She did. I told her to go to www.biblegateway.com where she can read or listen to the bible any time. She repeated the name of the site to remember it and thanked me for sharing.

What a great follow-up encounter to previous seeds sown. I'm sure I'll see Brittany again soon and will check up on her. Please pray for Brittany to repent, trust Christ, begin to follow him, and encourage her friends and family to do the same!

This encounter blessed me so much. What a precious soul, a soul for whom Jesus died. What if no one took the time to share the good news with her? If only more believers would follow Jesus and learn to fish for men (Matt. 4:19). Will you???!!!!

Eric Repents and Trusts Christ for Salvation

2010-09-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

After some small talk getting to know Eric, I asked him if he knew where he would spend eternity if he were to die today. Eric didn't know. I shared with him the good news that the Bible declares we can know with certainty our eternal destiny (1 John 5:11-13). I asked him if he would like to know how he can be sure his destiny will be heaven. Yes, he replied.

I explained to him that the Bible says we will stand before God in Judgment (Heb. 9:27). We will then be judged by God for all that we have done, whether good or bad (Ecc. 12:13-14; 2 Cor. 5:1). I asked Eric if he knew what standard God would use to determine whether we are good enough to enter heaven. He didn't know. I explained to him that Jesus taught his disciples about God's standard of goodness in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).

I asked Eric if he had ever told a lie in violation of the 9th Commandment. Yes, he said. How many lies do you think you've told, I asked. He didn't know. We've all told countless lies, I replied. I then shared with Eric that Revelation 21 says all liars will have their part in the lake of fire.

That's just one of the 10 Commandments, Eric, and you've admitted that you've broken that command. Since you've admitted your guilt, would your eternal destiny be heaven or hell? Hell, he responded. Does that concern you that if you died today your destiny would be hell? Yes, he said. It should, I added, because Jesus said hell is a place where the fire is never quenched and the flesh never dies (Mk. 9:48).

I then explained to Eric the good news that God is not only a God of Justice, but He's also rich in mercy. He sent his only son to bear the punishment for all of the sins man has committed, bearing all of the grief and sorrow caused by an infinite number of sins, that we might receive his perfect righteousness by repentance and faith (Mk. 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:21).

I told Eric that in order to be born again and receive the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life, he must believe in Jesus Christ and repent, which means to cry out to God for forgiveness of his sins and turn to follow him (Matt. 4:17-19; Mk. 1:15; John 3:3-16). I asked Eric if he believed Jesus is the Son of God who died for him and rose again the third day, proving He is God. He said he did. I then asked him if he had ever repented. He said he had never done that. I asked him when he was going to repent. He said he wanted to do it right then. So we prayed with him a prayer of repentance for salvation and grace to follow Jesus. Nothing better than that!

On Trial for Murder

2010-09-20T17:59:00.000-05:00

Justin sat there waiting for his brother's murder trial to commence. His brother had been charged with murder and faced prosecution today. Lawyers would be putting on evidence, and a jury would have to decide if he was guilty or innocent. I expressed my sympathy for Justin's situation, emphasizing that I couldn't begin to imagine how he must feel or what it must be like. Some other family members started to gather around.

I gently shifted the conversation to the eternal, emphasizing to Justin that nothing is more important than his eternal destiny. I told Justin the truth that the Bible declares we will all stand before God in judgment to given an account for our lives (2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27). I also explained that we all would be guilty of murder according to God's standard, because Jesus said if you're even angry with your brother or get mad enough to call someone a fool or some other derogatory name, then you're in danger of judgment and "hell fire" (Matt. 5).

We walked through the law together, and Justin could see that he would be in trouble on the Day of Judgment if judged according to God's standard of moral perfection. I then shared with Justin the good news that God imposed justice on His own Son for all of our sins, so that we could obtain mercy from God if we will believe and repent (Mk. 1:15).

Justin was not ready to repent, but other family members who were listening responded positively to the gospel. I pray Justin will respond to the gospel before it's too late.

1 Bible. 1 Blossom. 1 Secret Way.

2010-09-17T08:48:00.107-05:00

"He (Jesus) died for all" (2 Cor. 5:15)

I met Blossom outside the Courthouse. When I asked him about his spiritual beliefs, the soft-spoken Native American told me they were secret, having been handed down by generations of forefathers who were in the "circle" and privileged to know the way to the Great Spirit. I asked him if it were possible for me to know the way. Not his way, he said--I would have to be born into his Native American heritage in order to enter the "circle."

I asked if he would want to know if his beliefs were untrue. Sure, he said, but he didn't think they were. I shared with him that Jesus said He was the only way and no one comes to the Great Spirit--the God of the Bible--except through Him (John 14:6). If Jesus is right and Blossom's secret religion is wrong, then Blossom agreed he may be in trouble. I asked Blossom if he knew of the evidence that supports the truth of Jesus' claim to be God and to be the only way. He didn't. I asked if would like to know. He did, so I began to explain to him one of the key pieces of evidence--the evidence for Jesus' resurrection, which is quite abundant. Blossom listened.

I then explained another key evidence for the reliability of the Bible--it's claim that our consciences have been given to us by God to show us right from wrong and lead us to salvation in Jesus (Rom. 2:15). To illustrate, I walked Blossom through God's moral law, the 10 Commandments. He admitted that if judged by that standard he would be guilty of lying, stealing, blaspheming, and adultery in his heart. He also admitted that if the Bible is true his destiny would not be heaven, but hell, as Jesus warned repeatedly everywhere He went (Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 13:42, 50; 18:19; 23:33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; 16:23).

Blossom expressed some concern that if he died today without repenting of his countless sins against God and trusting in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation his destiny would be hell. I urged him to consider the evidence and make a decision to repent and trust in Christ before it's too late. Blossom said he would seriously consider it.

I asked him if he had a bible. He didn't. I brought one bible with me that day, and God knew in advance that Blossom would need it, so I offered it to Blossom. He thanked me for it. I explained to him that Jesus said his true followers are those who spend time in His Word and seek to do what it says, not to earn their salvation, but to genuinely follow the sole giver of eternal life, Jesus Christ (John 8:32), on the narrow Way (Matt 7). I urged Blossom to repent and trust Christ and begin to follow him with his life.

Divine Appointment: Two Bibles-Two Ladies

2010-09-01T09:39:00.002-05:00

Are You Looking for Them?

Do you believe in "Divine Appointments"? I do! Jesus made clear divine appointments occur as a result of God's sovereign control when He said: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father" (Matthew 10:29).

I took two bibles with me today to my "fishing hole." After sharing the gospel with a group, two ladies came up to me who were not part of the group but overheard. They both asked if they could have one of the bibles I was carrying.

Two bibles. Two ladies. Wow. Cool! Just as two sparrows can't fall to the ground without the Lord's knowledge or permission, He knows when I need to take two bibles for two ladies who are ready for the life-giving, life-changing Truth of the Living Word of God.

We are born again and saved by the Word of God. "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:23-25).

And we grow to maturity and fruitfulness for the Lord through staying immersed in the Word of God. "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation . . . ." "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!" (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18).

Do you hunger and thirst after the Word of God? (Matt. 5:6). Do you take advantage of Divine Appointments? Look for them. Be ready for them! That's the exciting, "abundant" life! (John 10:10).

A Fisherman's Confession

2010-08-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). I lean hard on that verse. No matter how hard I try, I cannot keep from sinning in thought, word, and deed. Each day, the more I realize how sinful I really am and the more I think about what Jesus did for me when He died on the cross to bear the full weight of God's righteous judgment on my behalf so that I might receive the full riches of God's immeasurable mercy (2 Cor. 5:21), it causes me to love Him more and more. It causes me to want to do more for Him and spread His fame far and wide. Yet I sin.

I recall the day of my salvation in the Summer of 1989. I'll never forget the freedom I felt when the Truth of salvation by God's grace and mercy alone hit home in my heart. Since then, my desire has been for others to know the life-changing power of the gospel, to follow Jesus, and learn to fish for men (Matt. 4:19).

But I confess that even in my most "religious" or "spiritual" moments, even in those times of "service" for the Lord, sharing the gospel, praying, teaching, or serving in some other capacity, I recognize all too painfully how steeped I am in original sin and an ever-present sin nature resident within my flesh. It grieves me.

Isaiah writes, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Jeremiah echoes similarly that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked . . . ." (Jeremiah 17:9). When a young man asked Jesus the way to eternal life and called Jesus "Good Master," even Jesus corrected the young man's understanding of what it means to be "good" by saying: "Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone" (Mk. 10:18).

My motives are often selfish. My motives are often self-glorifying. Though I strive to live for the Lord, I live for me. Though I strive to live to bring glory to God, I often move with mixed motive to bring glory to myself. What a wretch! "I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other . . . ." (Is. 42:8)

Even in publishing this blog, I find my motives are mixed. To be sure, I write to encourage others. I write to inspire others to learn to share the gospel in order to glorify God, spread His fame abroad, and lead others to the sole giver of Life. But I struggle with wrong motives, too.

I confess those today. And I lean hard on a gracious, loving, and merciful God and Savior (Tit. 3:5). I cast myself moment by moment into the Sea of His Forgetfulness and His Forgiveness and His Grace. What a Savior!!! Thank you, Lord, for loving me! Thank you Lord that I can know and do know that I am saved because of what you've done for me (1 John 5:11-13).

Devils on His Arms, God Knocking on His Heart.

2010-08-20T16:11:00.001-05:00

Steve had an angry look on his face. Definitely not inviting. His friend, J.C., just stood there. As I walked closer to say hello, Steve took a final drag on his cigarette. That's when I noticed the devil tattoos all over his arms. I said hello warmly to them and shook their hands. I introduced myself and learned their names. They sized me up with suspicious looks.

I handed them both a gospel tract and asked if they had church backgrounds. Steve declared he didn't want my "propaganda." He had been to bible college and wasn't interested in what I had to say. He didn't believe in God. I turned to JC and asked if he believed. JC hesitated. Steve jumped in: "You can't prove there is a God, because you can't see him!"

That's not true, I responded softly but with certainty. I pointed to the four story building next to us and asked if he believed the building had a builder? He didn't say anything, the implication being obvious. I followed up--just as it would be foolish to conclude the building had no builder simply because you can't see the builder, it is also contrary to common sense and would be foolish to conclude the universe, the earth, and each of us--though we are vastly more complex in design and construction--did not have a creator just because we can't see Him. Steve had no answer for the obvious--that nothing simply cannot create everything.

I explained to Steve and JC that the bible declares we will stand before God in judgment (2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27). JC admitted if judged according to God's law, the 10 Commandments, he would be found guilty of breaking them countless times. He was not concerned, though, that if he died today he might spend eternity in hell.

I described hell for him using the words Jesus used and asked if he knew why Jesus warned people so graphically about "hell fire" (Matt. 5). He did not know. I explained Jesus told the full truth because he is The Truth (John 14:6), and he wants people to know The Way to have The Life--eternal life with him (John 14:6). He told people the truth about hell because he loves us so much and doesn't want us to spend eternity there. I emphasized that God proved his great and immeasurable love for us by dying on the cross for our sins so we don't have to, the just for the unjust (1 Pet. 3:18).

I urged Steve and JC to repent and trust Christ and follow him with their lives before it's too late (Mk. 1:15; Luke 24:47; John 3:3-16, 36). I pray they did.

Another Unsaved Church-Goer

2010-08-15T14:36:00.000-05:00

Fishing for men is the adventure of a lifetime. You never know where the Spirit will lead when you step out in faith to engage people for whom the God of the Universe--Jesus Christ--paid the ultimate price, an eternity's worth of suffering and death on a Roman Cross for me and you.

Today, I met Tara. She worked a cash register at a local store. I started the conversation with a simple question while she rung me up: Do you have a church background, Tara? Yes. I go to church, she answered. But, I haven't been in a while, she added. Our church split. That's too bad, I responded.

Since the ice had been broken, I asked the more important question: If you died today, Tara, do you know where you'd spend eternity? No, I don't, she honestly admitted.

Isn't that amazing! How many people are church-goers but don't know the gospel of salvation and thus haven't likely taken the vital steps Jesus prescribed in order to know The Way to The Life--eternal life. He came so people could know. This is a serious issue, because Jesus said all people are under condemnation for their countless sins against God until they believe the Gospel and repent in order to be born again (John 3).

Nothing's more important than your eternal destiny, I emphasized to Tara in sincere concern for her. I then asked if she knew what Jesus said to do to spend eternity in the Kingdom of God. She wasn't sure. In other words, she didn't The Way.

Since another customer got in line and I didn't want to keep Tara from doing her job, I urged her to read the back of the gospel tract I had given her to learn the steps Jesus said to take in order to be born again into the Kingdom of God. She thanked me.

You never know what the Spirit will do and what doors He will open if you obey Jesus' call to fish for men and go into all the world and share the gospel. You never know what the Spirit will do with the seeds sown in her life today. I pray the Lord will save her.

What about you? Are you obeying the Lord's call to learn to fish for men (Matt. 4:19)? Are you stepping out in faith, believing the Lord can use you to impact lives for eternity? If not, you're missing out on the most exciting, rewarding, and eternally fulfilling adventure of a lifetime.

"Good" Judge Lets Serial Murderer/Rapist Go Free

2010-08-08T14:28:00.002-05:00

A man pleaded guilty to 25 counts of murder and rape. By law, he faced 25 life sentences or death. If you were judge, which would you impose? If the judge let him go free, would you consider the judge "good"? Of course you wouldn't. You would consider a judge like that bad, possibly evil.

Yet, the thing many hope will save them will be the thing that guarantees they will receive eternal punishment for their sins against God. What will ensure they receive eternal justice? God's goodness. Just as the sun is hot to a degree we can't begin to imagine, God is good to a degree we can't imagine. Moses asked to see God's glory, but God said no one can see His goodness and live, just as no one can get too close to the sun (Ex. 33:18-20).

The bible describes God's perfect goodness as "holiness" and "righteousness." Because God is good, He must impose justice upon all sin. God cannot let evil go unpunished.

I met Jeremy and Beth this week. They assumed they would be fine on the Day of Judgment, because "God is good," said Jeremy with Beth nodding in agreement. However, when I explained the analogy of the judge letting the serial murderer-rapist go free, they quickly saw the flaw in their erroneous assumption about God's goodness and where they deserved to spend eternity.

To try to help them understand the difference between God's goodness and what we consider "good," I explained how Jesus explained it to His disciples (Matt. 5-7). As we went through God's law together as explained by Jesus, they began to see they were just as evil deep down inside and just as guilty as the serial murder-rapist. We all are.

Jesus said not only are we murderers if we actually kill someone, but also we're in danger of eternity in "the fire of hell" as guilty murders if we even call someone a name in anger (Matt. 5:21-22). We think we're pretty good because we haven't killed anyone. But Jesus said we're guilty murderers in God's sight if we even call someone a name in anger. How many times have you called a person a name in anger or even thought it in your heart? More than 25 times, I'm sure. That makes us serial murderers in God's sight, according to Jesus.

The same is true of adultery and rape. Jesus said it's not just the act of adultery or rape that violates the 7th Commandment, "You Shall Not Commit Adultery." Even looking at a person with lust in your heart is the same as adultery or rape in God's sight (Matt. 5:27-30). How many times have you looked at another person with wrong thoughts? More than 25, I'm sure. That makes us serial adulterers and rapists in God's sight. And that's just two of the 10 Commandments that summarize God's moral law. Jeremy and Beth realized they weren't as good as they thought when judged in the bright light of God's law and God's definition of goodness.

I then explained to them that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Heb. 9:27; see also 2 Cor. 5:10). All of us will face God and the Lord Jesus Christ in judgment. God and Jesus are "righteous" judges, good judges who will judge all people according to what they have done, even the "secret" things, with perfect impartiality (see, e.g., 2 Chron. 19:6-8; Eccl. 3:17, 12:13-14; Ps. 7:11; Ps. 50; Rom. 2:15-17; 2 Tim. 4:1).

Jeremy and Beth acknowledged that if judged by God's standard they would be found guilty, and if found guilty they would not deserve to be rewarded with heaven. They understand they would deserve eternity in hell, because their sins against God, like ours, are not few, but countless (Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).

I then explained that God is not just a God of Justice, but also He is "rich" in mercy, not willing that any should perish (Eph. 2:1-10). Because of His great love for us, and seeing there was nothing we could do to save ourselves from the judgment and justice to come, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sins for us so we don't have to pay for them ourselves (2 Cor. 5:21). I asked them if they believed that. They said they did.

Good, I said, then you have a choice to make. Will you repent? I explained to them what repentance means, crying out to God for forgiveness of all your sins, past, present, and future, and turning to follow Jesus on the narrow way of life. Jesus said we must repent and believe (Mk. 1:15; Matt. 7:13-23).

When you choose to repent and you turn to follow Jesus, you will be born again, I explained, a new person in Christ with a new heart that wants to follow Jesus and will follow Jesus (John 3:3-16; 2 Cor. 5:17). I urged them to repent before it's too late. The greatest news is that we can know with certainty that our destiny will be heaven if we will repent and believe (1 John 5:11-13).

Deborah's After-Life Experience: Wow! Enough?

2010-08-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

I met Deborah outside the courthouse. She believed she was going to heaven "because I have God in my life." That's wonderful, I said. "How did you get God in your life," I asked. She told me about her after-life experience following a car wreck. She saw herself lying there and felt like God told her it wasn't her time to go, because she needed to care for her family. Since that time, she "felt" like she had God in her life.

When a doctor asks how you feel, she doesn't stop there and conclude all must be well just because you say you "feel" well. A good doctor cares enough to actually check your pulse and other vital signs for important clues about your actual health. Otherwise, the doctor would be guilty of medical malpractice.

In the same way, as I have tried to follow Jesus in learning how to "fish for men," He has shown me that you cannot witness effectively by relying solely on whether a person "feels" they are going to heaven. With wise, gentle questions, you can probe for a person's real spiritual vital signs to see how they're really doing.

God doesn't just want people to falsely "feel" like all is well spiritually. God wants people to know the Truth about their spiritual condition. He wants them to know The Way to salvation and not make dangerous assumptions. In fact, He wants people to know the way so much He personally stepped down out of heaven, became a man--Jesus Christ--and went from town to town proclaiming the good news that it is possible to know The Way and The Truth about having The Life--an abundant eternal life with God (John 14:6). Jesus taught His followers to do the same--to learn how to tell others about The Way, The Truth, and The Life (Matt. 4:19; Luke 24:47).

Deborah was like the Woman at the Well (John 4), the Roman Centurion (Acts 10), and even the Apostle Paul (Acts 9). They all genuinely felt they had God in their life, but they all were clinging to false beliefs. They did not know The Truth about The Way to The Life until The Truth was revealed to them.

Until a person is born again (John 3:3) as a result of hearing and obeying The Truth of the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:23), they remain subject to the just wrath and condemnation of God for their countless sins (John 3:36). Until a person believes in Jesus and repents (Mk. 1:15), he remains "dead in transgressions and sins" as a result of "following the ways of the world" (Eph. 2:1-2). Once a person believes the gospel and obeys it by repenting and turning from going their own way to following Jesus (Luke 24:47; 2 Thes. 1:8; Matt. 7:13-23), they are born again spiritually, a new person in Christ (John 3:14-16).

I asked Deborah if she knew what Jesus said to do in order to know her destiny would in fact be heaven. She didn't. I asked if she wanted to know, and she said yes. I explained the full gospel. I asked if she believed in Jesus. She said yes. I asked if she had ever repented. She had asked for forgiveness. I asked if she had turned to follow Jesus with her life. She balked at that one.

I asked her if she knew what Jesus said to do in order to follow Him. She said no. I told that Jesus said in John 8:31-32 that his real followers are those that continue in his word and seek to obey what they read. That's how you really get God in your life--through His Word, because He is the Word (John 1). I asked her if she does that. She admitted she doesn't. I encouraged her to repent and turn to follow Jesus before it's too late.

Day 390 - I Left a Baby Lying Helpless in a Busy Street

2010-07-28T23:17:00.000-05:00

What would you think if you learned I saw a helpless baby lying in a street and had a chance to rush out and rescue it from oncoming traffic, but instead I left it there because I was "too busy" to stop or "too scared" to act? Your God-given conscience would justifiably scream with rage at the thought of such an horrific injustice.

Sadly, for most of my "Christian" life I was guilty of a far worse sin of omission--not taking time to learn how to share the life-saving Gospel with people in my path each day who may be oblivious to the oncoming "traffic" of entering eternity unsaved and facing hell.

A couple of years ago, God convicted me of my gross sins of omission. He showed me his followers learn to fish for men (Matt. 4:19). He gave me grace and boldness to obey him and share the gospel.

I bought resources to learn to share. I prayed for grace to put what I was learning into practice. And I began to take baby steps to "GO" and share the gospel. It's been an amazing, exciting journey of faith and of learning from the Master to "fish" for eternal souls, souls for whom the God of the Universe died.

Let me tell you about a "helpless baby" I saw in the "street" today. I didn't pass her by. I stepped out of my way to reach out to her. Her name was Jessie. She was probably in her 20s. She sat with her boyfriend outside the Tulsa County Courthouse. I walked up to them, said hello warmly, and handed them some gospel tracts.

"Would you like some free information to help with your day in court," I asked? "Sure," they said. I explained the tracts had tips for the Courthouse and contained a gospel message. I asked if they had a church background. (This question is to help break the ice and turn toward spiritual things.) The young man said yes, but Jessie said no. I asked if they knew where they would spend eternity if they were to die today. The young man said heaven. Jessie said she didn't know.

I told Jessie the bible says we can know our eternal destiny (1 John 5:11-13). I asked if she would like to know how she could be sure her destiny would be heaven. Since she said yes, I began to explain to her the gospel, beginning with the law and its awful implications. She realized she would rightfully be judged guilty of breaking God's law if she died today (John 3:36).

I then shared the good news that Jesus paid for our sins with his own life's blood, so we can receive God's mercy if we will believe and repent (Mk. 1:15). I asked her if she believed Jesus is God who died in her place and rose again the third day (we talked about the evidence for the truth of the resurrection). She said she believed. I then explained she had a choice to make. Will she repent--cry out for forgiveness and turn to follow Jesus with her life? I asked if she had ever repented before. She said no. I asked when she was going to repent and follow Jesus. She said she would think about it. I urged her to do it before it's too late, because she did not know when her last day would be.

Since she didn't own a bible, I gave her a Gospel of John and marked John 8:31-32 for her, where Jesus said his real followers continue in his word. I urged her to read part of John each day, ask God to help her understand it, and ask God to help her obey it. I explained that's what a real follower of Jesus does, one who has genuinely been born again. They actually follow Jesus on the "narrow way" that leads to life.

I pray Jessie repented and trusted Christ for salvation and is following him today. But, I can sleep peacefully about it tonight. I didn't abandon her to her helpless state of a complete lack of awareness that she stood under the just wrath of God (John 3:36). I didn't leave her in the street. She now knows how to get out of the way of an eternity in hell. I pray she will act on what she has learned before it's too late.

Day 386 - Pierced Eyebrow. Pierced Heart.

2010-07-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

He was probably 16 or 17. He had tattoos up and down his arms. Eyebrow was pierced with metal studs. He walked up to me at a convenience store like a lost kitten. His line--he needed some change to get gas to make his way home to his mother in Sherman, Texas. He was quick to add that he wasn't going to buy drugs or alcohol. He seemed genuine, but you never know from the outward appearance. What he was really going to do with the money didn't concern me, because my focus was on sharing the gospel with this young, divine encounter.

I told him I would be glad to give him all the spare cash I had. I also said I had something else for him far more important than that--an Obama Trillion Dollar Bill gospel tract.

I pointed out the Trillion Dollar question on the back--will you go to heaven when you die. He didn't know if he would or not. I told him the good news is that you can know your destiny with certainty. I asked him if he wanted to know. He said he did. I asked him how good a person has to be in order to go to heaven (a loaded question of course, since no one will enter heaven based on their own goodness). He wasn't sure but he felt that he was a pretty good person.

In the end, after going through the 10 Commandments and explaining to him why he had violated them all, just like the rest of humanity, he finally realized and understood that he would rightfully stand guilty before God on judgment, deserving of death. He sat down on the ground and listened intently as I explained to him the Richness of God's Mercy and the Good News of the Glorious Gospel of Salvation.

I asked him if he believed that Jesus is God who died on the Cross for his sins, so he doesn't have to and rose again the third day, proving He was indeed God. Nathan said he believed that. I told him that puts him on the same level as the demons, since James wrote that even the demons believe. I explained to him that since he believes, he must make a choice--will he repent--cry out to God for forgiveness of his sins and turn to follow Jesus? Jesus said "repent and believe" (Mk. 1:15). Paul said, "God commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:31). I asked him when he was going to repent. He didn't say, but he said I had given him a lot to think about and that he was grateful we had spoken. I urged him to repent and follow Jesus before it's too late, because he doesn't know when his last day will be.

He took a Gospel of John that I offered him and asked for more of the Trillion Dollar Bills to give to his friends and family. He acknowledged that he can't take anything to heaven with him but his friends and family.

I felt we had really connected in that brief conversation over the course of a few minutes. It blessed me to see how his heart had been pierced by the greatness of the gospel in view of what he really deserved. I pray Nathan repented and trusted Christ for salvation. I explained to him what Jesus said to do in order to be a true follower (John 8:31-32). I pray he's following today!

Day 384 - Assuming She's Good Enough

2010-07-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

When I asked her how she knew she would go to heaven when she died, she said she had been a pretty good person and tries to do what's right. She added the name of her mainline denomination that she attended regularly.

I asked her if she knew what Jesus said to do in order to have assurance of eternal life, and she honestly admitted that she didn't know. Of course, I knew she didn't know given her false belief that she would enter heaven based on her own goodness. Jesus said, "No one is good—except God alone" (Mark 10:18). He also said that we're under God's "wrath" until we obey the gospel and are born again (John 3:3, 36). She didn't even realize it but was doomed under the just wrath of God, since her goodness is like "filthy rags" in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6).

I therefore explained to her what Jesus said to do in order to be born again and know that her destiny will be heaven:

Believe -- that Jesus is the Son of God who alone paid the full price for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Repent -- cry out for forgiveness of your sins and turn to follow Jesus (Mk. 1:15; John 3:14-16).

Day 372 - Skateboarding Blindly to Hell

2010-07-07T07:51:00.000-05:00

Two young men on skateboards stood outside of the office building where I work, soaking up the cool air conditioning blowing out of the open glass doors into the 95 degrees of muggy heat. I handed them a gospel tract and asked them if they knew whether they would go to heaven or hell when they die. They both believed they would go to heaven. They attended a baptist church in town and were involved in a youth group of skateboarders.

When I asked why they believed they were going to heaven, they gave answers that were wrong and did not know the correct answer. One said he believed God forgives everyone even if you don't ask for forgiveness. God is definitely forgiving. However, the bible makes crystal clear God does not forgive everyone. Though no one can escape the love of God, only those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will escape the just wrath and condemnation of God (Mk. 1:15; John 3). God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:31).

I asked the young men if they knew what Jesus said to do to be saved and know with certainty that your destiny will be heaven. They did not know. It's amazing that most people I ask don't know what Jesus said about salvation. Jesus said unless a person is born again, he will NOT see the kingdom of heaven (John 3:3). Jesus explained that to be born again, one must (1) repent of one's sins (confess them to God, cry out for forgiveness, and turn from them to God) and (2) believe in the source and method of salvation prescribed by God (see John 3:14-16 (referring to the bronze serpent in the wilderness and the salvation of the sinning Israelites); Mk. 1:15).

I confirmed that these young men believed that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins. I then urged them to repent before it's too late. Finally, I urged them to make sure all of their friends and loved ones knew this vital truth and repent and trust in Christ while there's time left, because the only thing you take with you to heaven is yourself and other people.

Day 344 - Delana Dilemma

2010-06-09T22:19:00.001-05:00

Delana's dilemma showed on her face. I stopped at a convenience store to get some gas and something to drink on my way to prepare some witnesses for their depositions. I struck up a conversation with the clerk, Delana, since no one else was in the store.

She thought she was going to heaven. I asked her if she knew what Jesus said to do to be saved. She didn't know.

I explained to her that he said you must repent and believe (Mk. 1:15). I asked her if she believed that Jesus died in her place to pay the penalty for her sins so she doesn't have to. She believed that. I asked her if she believed that he rose from the dead on the third day to prove he is God. She believed that. (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

I then explained to her what repentance means--(1) crying out to God for forgiveness of all of our sins, past, present, and future, and (2) turning from our own way to God's way, the narrow way following Jesus. God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:31). I asked her if she had ever repented.

The dilemma appeared clear on her face. She didn't say anything for a moment and the look on her face said it all. She had never really repented. She then blurted out--I've been baptized and saved.

I urged Delana to repent before it's too late.

Day 331 - Going Up?

2010-05-27T20:54:00.000-05:00

Opportunities to turn a conversation from the natural to the spiritual abound if we'll only be alert to them. When arriving at work today, a father and two of his older teen sons were just getting on the elevator and asked me, "Going up?" Now that presented a perfect opportunity.

"Yes," I answered enthusiastically, "I am." I then asked, "Do you know for sure that you're going up?" They looked at me trying to figure out exactly what I meant? "Will you be going up when you die," I clarified. "Oh," the dad said, "no one can know that for sure," he added. "Yes you can," I responded happily.

As we started going up, I explained the bible says you can know for sure what your eternal destiny will be if you repent and trust Christ for salvation (Mk. 1:15). I asked them if they had repented and trusted Christ.

That's how easy it can be turn a conversation to what matters most. Go fish!

"Follow me and I will teach you to fish for men!" Jesus. (Matt. 4:19).

Day 325 - Ignoring Death Won't Stop It

2010-05-21T23:08:00.001-05:00

How do you turn a conversation toward eternal things? Just do it. Just ask the question. Here are some good questions to ask if you're concerned about a person's eternal fate:

Do you have any spiritual beliefs?
Do you have a church background?
What do you think happens after a person dies?
Do you believe there's a heaven and a hell?
What do you think a person must do to go to heaven?
If you died today, where do you think you would go?

These are just a few questions that can get a conversation going in an eternal direction. Try it and see where the Lord leads the conversation. Most people think they're going to heaven. And they may be. Only God knows. But, if you're prepared with all of the essentials of the gospel, it will allow you to guide the conversation toward the ultimate question:

Do you know what Jesus said to do in order to know that your eternal destiny will be heaven?

The answer: Repent and believe (Mk. 1:15). Jesus told Nicodemus that unless a person is born again he will not see the kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:3). Nic asked the obvious question: how is a person born again? Jesus explained the process by referring Nic back to a story he knew by heart--the serpent in the wilderness (Jn. 3:14-16). According to the story of the serpent in the wilderness, the salvation process included the following steps:

The Israelites realized the sinned against God. To be saved, we must acknowledge we are sinners.
The Israelites cried out to Moses to intercede on their behalf by asking God to forgive them. We must confess our sins and be willing to repent, turn from them back to God. That's what the Israelites were doing when they turned back to Moses to cry out for them.
God told Moses to tell the Israelites the good news that God made a way for their forgiveness and salvation--by believing in the solution and looking to that solution as their sole source of salvation--the bronze serpent that Moses was to make, put on his staff, and hold it up high for all to see. In the same way, we must believe in the source of salvation that God has provided us, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, and who was lifted up on the cross to bear our sin (2 Cor. 5:21).
All who obeyed the solution by looking to it for healing and salvation were saved. Jesus said that those who do not obey the Gospel and look to him for salvation remain under wrath and condemnation (Jn. 3:36).

Jesus summed the salvation process up on Mark 1:15 by proclaiming: Repent and Believe. That is what we are to proclaim, too.

Mr. B stood outside the courthouse smoking. I walked up to him and greeted him warmly. I asked him his name and shook his hand, introducing myself. Nothing hard about that. His name was Mr. "B." I'll keep his true name anonymous, because it turns out that he works for a client of mine. I asked Mr. B what he thought happens to a person after they die. He said he tried not to think about death. Me too, I said. But, I continued, we all make plans for important contingencies that could arise in our lives, and it's important to prepare for eternity, too. He agreed. I asked him if he had a church background. Not really, he admitted. I then asked if he knew where he would go if he died today. Not really, he admitted. I asked him if he what Jesus said to do. No, he admitted. I explained the gospel to him. The conversation went well. He didn't get angry, yell, or throw stones. Eternal seeds were sown. I urged him to think about his destiny and repent and believe before it's too late, since we never know when our last day will be. I hope Mr. B took action.

Day 318 - Bryant @ Braums: No Ordinary Milk Run

2010-05-14T23:12:00.004-05:00

Went on a milk run to Braums tonight. It was no ordinary milk run. It was an eternal search and rescue mission. I pray that every time I step outside of my house, it turns into an eternal search and rescue mission.

When I put the milk jugs on the checkout counter to check out, Bryant came over to serve me. I always love it when they have name tags on because it helps me get the conversation going.

I struck up a conversation with Bryant. If you're warm and friendly to people, they'll be warm and friendly to you, too, usually. He was.

He admitted without the slightest offense that he didn't know where he would go if he were to die tonight. He hoped he would go to heaven, as do most people. I asked him who he thought would go to hell. "Sinners?" he asked. "That's right," I said. I told him that we've all sinned against God and deserve the penalty for sin which is hell.

I asked him if he knew what Jesus said to do to go to heaven. He didn't know. Sadly, most people don't. They just assume all will work out in the end, not realizing that Jesus said people who are not born again through belief and repentance are already under God's just condemnation and wrath (John 3:3, 36). I asked him if he wanted to know. He did. So, I had the joy of explaining to him the full gospel.

I asked him if he believed that Jesus died on the cross to penalty for his sins so he doesn't have to (1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:21), and he said yes. Then I told him that in order to be saved he needed to repent (Mk. 1:15; Lk. 13:5; Lk. 24:46-47; Acts 2:38). I urged him to repent (cry out to God for forgiveness of all of his sins and turn to follow Jesus) before it's too late, because he doesn't know how much time he has left, and he should spent every moment of it following Jesus.

I asked him if he knew how to follow Jesus. Stay on the right path, he suggested. That's right, I said, and you do that by reading God's word daily and asking the Lord to help you understand and obey what you read (John 8:31-32; John 14:21).

Day 312 - Breakin' It Down for Them

2010-05-08T22:23:00.003-05:00

The third and final night of our Rooster Days outreach brought us across the path of so many sheep without a shepherd, wandering rather aimlessly in life, oblivious to their eternal fate. We had many wonderful encounters this evening and many great opportunities to share the full gospel.

At the end of the night, as we were about to leave, we shared with one last group of young adults. They thought they were going to heaven but really weren't sure about it. They threw out all kinds of things they felt might allow them to go to heaven--living a good life, praying, going to church ....

But, when I asked them what Jesus said to do to inherit eternal life, they looked at me blankly. They didn't know. When I told them the must repent and believe, one young man insisted, "break it down for me, break it down for me!" "Give it to me on a third grade level," he asked.

So, I gladly explained to all of them the full gospel, walking them through the law, showing them their great need for a savior, and sharing how Jesus paid for their sins on the cross so they don't have to, and explaining what it means to repent and believe. I broke it down for them. They said they believed, so I urged them to repent (cry out to God for forgiveness Ps. 51 style and turn from going their own to follow Jesus) before it's too late.

Day 311 - Hell at Home. Heaven Here and Now.

2010-05-08T18:26:00.002-05:00

Last night was day two of our outreach at the Rooster Days Festival. There were many great witnessing encounters. Let me tell you about the last one of the evening, the one that really touched his heart and mine too.

I struck up a conversation with a group of young adults. Some in the group thought they were going to heaven because "they had Jesus in their heart." They said they got Jesus in their heart by "praying a prayer." I asked them if they knew what Jesus said to do in order to be born again and to know their destiny would indeed be heaven (John 3:3 - "Unless a man is born again, he will not see the kingdom of heaven."). They did not know. I asked them if they would like to know. They did, so I told them.

I began by explaining that the bible says we will appear before God in Judgment after we die or upon his return (2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27; 2 Thes. 1). I explained that God will judge us according to his law, the 10 commandments (Matt. 5). As we walked through the law one by one, they admitted they had violated God's law and would be judged guilty if they were to die today. They also admitted their destiny would be hell, not heaven, and that such a result would in fact be just, since they believed God is just (Rom. 3:10, 23; 6:23). I asked them if it concerned them that if they died today they would go to hell. It did. I said it should, and explained to them what Jesus said about hell.

One man, who had been fighting back tears as we went through the law, began to share how he felt like he was in hell already, because it's like hell at his home. My heart broke. I then began to pour out the good news of the gospel. Just as the darkness of night makes the brightness and glory of the stars stand out that much brighter, the darkness of our sin as revealed by the light of God's law made the glory and grace of the gospel stand out to him that much brighter. I explained that God sent his son to die on the cross for our sins in order to spare us from the punishment we deserve--that's how much God loves us. I also shared that while on the cross, Jesus suffered for an infinite number of sins committed by all mankind. Not only that, but he also suffered all of the grief, sadness, sorrow, and pain that all mankind has suffered and experienced because of our own sins and the sins committed by others. I shared with this brokenhearted young man that no one has suffered as much because of sin than Jesus, and he did it all for this young man and for the world. God was really working on this young man's heart. I then shared that the way we get the benefit of what Jesus has done in order to be born again is to repent and believe (Mk. 1:15; Jn. 3:14-16). We talked about what that means. I then urged them to do that today before it's too late, and encouraged him that as he begins to follow the Lord and as they begin to follow the Lord, they will begin to experience heaven here and now and could very well transform their hell at home to heaven now.

Day 307 - 310 - Rooster Days: Thursday Results

2010-05-06T22:24:00.003-05:00

The Rooster Days Festival is an event in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma that attracts a large and very diverse crowd to its many booths, events, and attractions. It's a field that's ripe for harvest (John 4). I had the privilege of sharing with several small groups of people who were just hanging around and milling around the park grounds. It's really quite simple to do in that context, especially when people see you standing with a big wad of what appears to be large bills but are really Million and Trillion Dollar Bill gospel tracts. Here's a taste of the evening.

The "Church Goers"
I shared with a small group who said they attend LifeChurch.tv and Destiny Church. Sadly, they didn't know their eternal destiny and didn't know the gospel. However, the good news is that several in the group really soaked the full gospel message up like a dry sponge.

Young, Unwed Mothers
I shared with two young, unwed mothers. After going through the law together, they honestly admitted that if they died today they would be judged guilty and deserving of God's just wrath and punishment in hell. However, they were encouraged by the depth of God's love and mercy demonstrated on the cross. When I asked them if they knew what Jesus said to do in order to be declared innocent and righteous on the day of judgment in order to have eternal life with the Lord, they admitted they did not know. I gladly explained the gospel to them and asked them if they had ever done what Jesus said to do--(1) repent and (2) believe (Mk. 1:15). They hadn't done that before. I urged them to do it before it's too late and explained how to follow Jesus.

Mr. Body Piercing and Hoop Earrings
Chase sported all of the latest body piercings and huge hoop earrings that make your earlobes look like basketball hoops. He was clearly awakened to eternal realities by Jesus' teachings about the law, judgment, and the righteousness that's needed to enter heaven (Matt. 5-7). And he was equally touched by the message of the gospel and the reason Jesus died on the cross for his sins. He, too, did not know what Jesus said to do to have eternal life, so I gladly explained it to him.

Bobby the Homosexual
Bobby said he knew he was going to heaven because his dad's a pastor. I asked him if my dad had to be a pastor in order for me to go to heaven. No, he laughed. You just have to believe in Jesus. Really, I asked? Is that all? Yes, he said. I know Jesus loves me, he added, and then said that Jesus loves him even though Bobby said he is a homosexual. Jesus does love you very much, I responded, even if you are a homosexual. But do you know what Jesus said to do in order to have eternal life, I asked. What, he inquired. Jesus said you have to believe AND repent (Mk. 1:15; Matt. 4:17; Lk. 13:1-5). Do you know what repentance means, I asked. Ask forgiveness, he asked with a question in his tone. That's one side of the repentance coin, I said. The other side is to turn--turn from going your own rebellious sinful way to following Jesus' way. James wrote that even the demons believe and shudder. I urged Bobby to consider the fact that Jesus said he who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who really loves him (John 14:21). I explained that the Greek word translated "keep" in that verse does not mean perfect obedience but a focus on being obedient as best as God enables. Bobby, however, admitted that he was rebelling in the area of his homosexuality. I urged Bobby not to gamble his eternal welfare on a fleshly indulgence but do "pluck out that eye" and "cut off that limb" for the sake of his destiny (Matt. 5).

Abdul the Muslim
The Lord capped the evening off with an amazing and encouraging discussion with a very open and inquisitive Muslim young man named Abdul. We talked about how truth is discerned by careful examination of evidence. We talked about how to look for evidence to divine the truth about which religious claims were true and which weren't. We talked about the abundance of evidence for the fact that Jesus is who he claimed to be--Immanuel, God with Us--and all of the evidence supporting the fact of his resurrection, proving he is God that he alone paid for man's sins and is the way, truth, and the life. Abdul listened carefully. I explained to him the full gospel message and that he could know for sure that his destiny is heaven if he will obey the Gospel and choose to follow Jesus as Lord, not just as a mere prophet. Abdul allowed me to give him a Gospel of John (ESV) and small explanatory booklet published by John Piper called, For Your Joy.

The Sad Part
It's not always joyful, though. There are sad times when you venture out to witness. There were also several who refused to hear the gospel. Several who walked off while some of their friends remained behind to hear the gospel and learn how to receive life. Many who showed no concern that their destiny may be hell. That always breaks my heart.

To God be the glory. Great things He has done! What a blessing to be a part of His work in proclaiming the glorious news of the gospel.

And many others who walked off ....

Day 298 - 306 - A Pastor's Lost Son

2010-05-04T17:38:00.002-05:00

Shamiah thought he would go to heaven when he died. He said his dad was a Pastor. When I asked him how he knew for sure that he would go to heaven, he admitted that he really didn't know. He also confided that if he died today and stood before God in judgment, he would likely be judged guilty of breaking God's moral law, the 10 Commandments, and would spend eternity in hell. I asked him if that concerned him. It did. I told him that it should seriously concern him. I asked him if he knew how Jesus described hell. He didn't know. When I told him, he became more concerned. And he should be concerned. Very concerned. I told him that nothing is more important than his eternal destiny, which is why God cared enough about it to send His only Son to pay the penalty for Shamiah's sins so that he doesn't have to pay it himself in eternity.

I asked Shamiah if he knew what Jesus said to do in order to get the benefit of what He had done on the cross for him. He didn't know. I explained to him that Jesus said he must be born again (John 3:3) by looking to him alone for salvation (John 3:14-16), believing in him (Mk. 1:15), and repenting of his sins (turning from them and his own way and turning to Jesus to begin following him on the narrow way) (Mk. 1:15; Lk. 13:1-5; Matt. 4:17; Matt. 7; Acts 17:30-31).

I asked him when he was going to do that. He said he had done it and that he is trying to follow Jesus. He said he prays to him almost daily. I asked him if he had a bible. He said yes. I asked him if he reads it daily. He said no. I explained to him that Jesus said his true followers continue in his word and seek to obey Jesus' instructions (John 8:30-32; John 14:21). I urged him to make his calling and election sure (2 Pet. 1:10) by examining himself to make sure he really is in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).

I pray Shamaih truly has repented and is following Jesus with all the grace God gives him.

Day 290 - 297 - Unsaved Church-Goer?

2010-04-26T21:56:00.004-05:00

I met a lady today who believed she would go to heaven when she died. Because almost everyone in Tulsa thinks they're going to heaven, I asked her how she knew for sure. She looked off into the distance for a moment and then turned and said, "I got to ____ Methodist Church and try to live a good life." Only God knows a person's heart and eternal condition, but that answer made very clear that she did not know the gospel taught by Jesus or His disciples. Her response showed that she lacked biblical knowledge of the truth that saves, or at least she couldn't articulate it in that moment. Anyone who cares about another's eternal welfare could not leave her in that moment. No matter how "good" a person thinks they may be, that alone will not save them. Our "goodness" is like a filth in God's sight (Is. 64:6). Jesus warned that unless she believes the truth and repents, she will perish in her filthy condition (Mk. 1:15, Jn. 14:6, Lk. 13:1-5).

We cannot assume the "church-goers" around us are saved. We cannot assume that those who "live a good life" are born again. Jesus warned a very sincerely religious seeker that unless one is born again he will NOT see the kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:3). We should love people enough to warn others, just as Jesus did.

God declared in Hosea 4:6 that "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge . . . ." For that reason, Jesus taught his disciples, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). Jesus taught that it is the Truth alone that saves us from eternity in hell if we will act upon that truth by repenting (John 14:6; Mk. 1:15; Lk. 13:1-5).

I asked her if she knew what Jesus said to do in order to know with certainty that her destiny will indeed be heaven. She did not know. Her lack of knowledge could lead to her destruction. I went on to share with her the full gospel message. I then asked her if she has believed and has repented. She said she has done those things. She said she had repented and believed. Maybe she did know the truth but didn't how to share it. I'll likely not know this side of eternity. One thing I know. She heard the full gospel today and received a gospel tract that explained the full gospel. I pray that she will make her calling and election sure.

Day 287-289 - Make Your Destiny Sure! Now!

2010-04-19T22:14:00.017-05:00

After nearly a year of sharing the gospel with at least one person almost daily, I have learned most people assume they're going to heaven. Shockingly few, however, can given a correct biblical explanation of the gospel that saves. Should we care? Absolutely! Jesus and the Apostles cared about people being sure of their salvation. They died that we might be absolutely sure. We should care, too. If a person cannot explain why they think they're going to heaven, odds are they don't really know. If they don't really know, Jesus said they remain under God's just condemnation and wrath (Jn. 3:36). We should care enough to help them "make their calling and election sure" before it's too late.

God cares so much about the certainty of our eternal destiny that He sent His Son to explain to us "The Way" to the Father (John 14:6) and to avoid "eternal punishment" in "eternal fire" (Matt. 25:41, 46). He cares so much that He suffered an eternity of torment for our sins that we might be certain of our eternal destiny based on solid belief and sincere repentance (2 Cor. 5:21; Mk. 1:15).

Everywhere Jesus went, He warned people to "repent." (Matt. 4:17; Lk. 13:1-5). He urged them to act quickly because "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). Jesus taught that belief in Him and repentance from sin are the essentials of the gospel, The Way (Jn. 3:3-36).

When convicted first century sinners asked Peter what to do to be saved, he told them to "repent" for the forgiveness of sins through belief in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). But Peter didn't stop there. He pleaded with the "saints" to "be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). Why did Peter take great pains to urge "saints" to be "sure" about their eternal destiny? "For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (vv. 11-12). Peter was so consumed about their eternal welfare that he added, "I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder" (2 Pet. 1:13-14).

Jesus' half-brother, Jude, said we should know the gospel well enough to defend it and to share it in such a way as to "snatch others from the fire and save them" (Jude 23).

Paul wrote to believers that we should share the gospel "as though God were making His plea through us" (2 Cor. 5:20). The NIV says that God "appeals" to the lost through us and that we should "implore" others to make their salvation sure. The NASB says we should "beg" people to be saved. Like Peter, Paul longed so intently for people to be sure about their salvation that he warned them to "examine" themselves (1 Cor. 11:28). He warned that "now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! (2 Cor. 6:3).

I met a man named Bryce yesterday who thought he was going to heaven. When I asked him why he thought that, he told me that "he goes to church." I asked him if what he believed weren't true would he want to know it. Definitely, he said. I then shared with him the full gospel:

After we die, we will stand before God in judgment (2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27).
God will judge us according to his moral law (Matt. 5).
He will be found to be a guilty sinner like the rest of us (Rom. 3:23).
If judged guilty his eternal destiny will be hell, not heaven (Matt 5; Rom. 6:23).
Jesus took his punishment for him on the cross so he can receive mercy and righteousness to enter heaven (Jn. 3:14-16; 2 Cor. 5:21; Is. 61:10).
To get the benefit of what Jesus has done he must believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for his sins and rose again according to the scriptures (Mk. 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:1-4).
And he must repent (cry out for forgiveness of all of his sins, past, present, and future, and turn to follow Jesus on the narrow way) (Ps. 51; Mk. 1:15; Lk. 13:1-5; Matt. 7).

After I shared, Bryce thanked me. He urged me to share that truth with others. Let's not be content to hear that people think they're going to heaven, or believe in Jesus, or go to church. Let's dig deeper. They may not be saved. They may not know the truth. They may not have acted on the truth. Let's ask them the questions that will allow us to help them examine themselves and make their calling and election sure.

Day 278 - 286 - Pointing the Way

2010-04-17T20:50:00.003-05:00

I met Jeremy at the Courthouse. He believed that if he died today he would go to hell. I asked him if that concerned him. He wasn't sure if it did. I explained to him what Jesus said about hell. That got his attention. I asked him if he knew what God did so he could spend eternity in heaven. He didn't know. I explained to him that God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for his sins so that he wouldn't have to. I asked him if he believed that. He said he did. I asked him if he knew what Jesus said to do in order to get the benefit of what he had done for him. He didn't. I told him that Jesus said he must repent and believe (Mark 1.15). I explained to him what repentance means and asked him if he had ever repented. He hadn't. I asked him when he was going to repent, since he didn't know how much time he had left. He said he wasn't sure. I urged him not to wait until it's too late. I encouraged him to read the verses contained in the tract that I had given him and also urged him to check out the website that listed the steps to take once he repents. He said he would do those things. I hope he did.

Day 272 - 277 - Deadly Assumptions

2010-04-08T22:17:00.002-05:00

I spoke to two young men this week who based their eternal destinies on deadly assumptions. They were deadly because they were wrong, which meant they were still under condemnation and not heading to heaven as they believed they were.

They both thought they were going to heaven. But, when I asked what they based their belief on, they really couldn't say with certainty. In fact, they really didn't know. Both thought they had "received Jesus in their hearts" but weren't really sure how. One said through prayer and trying to live right. That sounded potentially promising but more loving probing had to be done to diagnose the situation as best as a fallible person who lacks omniscience can.

When I asked them if they knew what Jesus said to do in order to know their destinies would be heaven, they admitted that they didn't know. That means they were basing their futures on deadly assumptions.

I told them that Jesus said in Mark 1.15 to repent and believe. I asked them if they believed that Jesus is the Son of God who died in their place to take the punishment they deserve. They both believed that. I then asked them if they had ever repented of their sins. Both said they had never repented. I asked them if they knew what repentance was. Both said no. I explained it to them.

I told them that there are two sides to the repentance coin, but it's still one coin. First, it's crying out to God for forgiveness of all of your sins, past, present, and future. Second, it's realizing your on the broad road that leads to destruction, going your own way, astray, and choosing to turn to the narrow way to follow Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, the Life.

I asked them if they had ever done that, turned from going their own way to following Jesus and asking God to forgive them of all of their sins. They hadn't done that.

I asked them when they were going to do it, warning them that they don't know how much time they have left. They weren't sure when they were going to repent. I urged them to repent before it's too late. I hope they will.

Day 265- 271 - Praying for His Lost Daughter

2010-04-03T22:57:00.005-05:00

He had just heard me sharing the gospel with a large group of people. Standing off about 15 yards away, he slowly started walking my way and called for me to come over to him. I was there that morning for him and for whomever the Lord put in my path.

I didn't recognize him at first. Fighting back tears, he reminded me that he was the man I had witnessed to some six months ago almost on that very spot. The last time we met, he confided that he had been running from God because his brother, a fireman, had been attacked by three thieves who had broken into his home. They broke his legs with a baseball bat, drenched him in gasoline, and burned him alive "because they wanted to see what it would be like for a fireman to die in a fire." As a result of that gut-wrenching tragedy, he lost faith in God and had been running. I simply told him that God loved him, had not turned his back on him, fully understood his pain, and was calling out to him through me. I just tried to love him and encourage him. I had told him that day that the Lord understood his pain, because the Lord himself suffered on the cross all of the pain, sorrow, and tragedy suffered by all mankind as a result of an infinite amount of sin committed by all mankind (Is. 53:1-5).

This time, he asked me to pray for him because his daughter had been missing for a couple of days and the police had not yet located her. I prayed for him. I prayed for his daughter. I asked him how he was doing spiritually. Not well, he admitted. I urged him to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" and all else in his life would begin to fall into place (Matt. 6). He said that his mother had told him the very same thing earlier that morning. He hadn't been attending church, so I encouraged him to come to ours or get plugged into a healthy, well-balanced, bible-teaching church where he could be nurtured in his walk with the Lord. I told him I would be praying for him and his daughter.

The Lord not only knows our sorrows intimately, he suffered the full weight of them and the very sin that caused them in order that he might be able to completely sympathize with each of us in a way that none of us could do for each other (Is. 53). Have you cast all of your cares on Him? Have you confessed all of your sins to him? Have you cried out to him for salvation? Have you received the righteousness that He offers by faith in his finished work that we celebrate this very Resurrection weekend? If you have not turned from going your own way to following Him daily, please do so now before it's too late.

Day 256 - 264 - Belief Plus Karma Equals ...

2010-03-27T14:40:00.005-05:00

The couple stood there arguing. As I approached to hand them gospel tracts, they stopped. I smiled, handed them tracts, and asked if they knew what their eternal destiny would be if they died today. He said he knew he was going to heaven, because he believed in Jesus. She didn't say anything. I asked him (in a friendly, non-confrontational manner) if he was familiar with the verse that says, "even the demons believe" (James 2:19). You could see from the reaction on his face that he immediately grasped the import of my question--there is a difference between mere passive belief and an active belief that leads to repentance, salvation, and a new birth bearing the "fruits of repentance." No, he said, he wasn't aware of that verse.

But I also believe in karma, he quickly added, as if that would count for something when he steps into eternity. Wikipedia describes karma as "an Eastern religious concept .... In theistic schools of Hinduism, humans have free will to choose good or evil and suffer the consequences, which require the will of God to implement karma's consequences, unlike Buddhism or Jainism which do not accord any role to a supreme God or gods. In Eastern beliefs, the karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences. The results or 'fruits' of actions are called karma-phala."

The Bible also teaches about God's law of sowing and reaping--what you sow (whether good or bad), you will reap (Gal. 6:6-8). God's Word makes clear that because man has sown sin, he shall reap death, for the wages or just penalty for sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Jesus said there is none good but God alone (Mark 10:18). We all fall short of God's perfect moral standard (Rom. 3:23).

This man was in trouble despite his belief in karma and didn't know it. Through the Prophet Hosea, the Lord lamented that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. I asked him how his belief in karma would help him on the day of judgment, and he could not explain it. He didn't know. Like so many others, this man was gambling with his eternal destiny. He was betting that his vague, general belief in Jesus, karma, and spiritual things would be enough to assure him a pleasant place in the afterlife.

Instead of letting him continue to live oblivious to the fact that he is still by his own unknowing admission "dead in his trespasses and sins" and subject to the "wrath to come" (Eph. 2:1-3), I gently but seriously explained to him that just as he was about to appear before an earthly judge for his earthly legal affairs, the Bible says he will appear before the Judge of the Universe to account for his countless spiritual transgressions (Heb. 9:27; 2 Cor. 5:10). I explained to him that God will judge us according to his law, the 10 Commandments. I helped him see that he, like the rest of us, has violated God's laws countless times and is deserving of death, but Jesus paid this man's eternal fine with his perfect blood so he could receive mercy and eternal life.

I asked him if he knew how to receive the free gift of eternal life--Jesus explained it in Mark 1:15. You must "repent and believe" (Mark 1:15). I asked him and his wife or girlfriend if they had ever repented--cried out to God for forgiveness of all of their sins and turned from going their own way to following Jesus Christ with their lives.

He said he had done so. Only God knows. At least he heard the full, clear gospel. She thanked me for taking time to speak with them and suggested that it cleared some things up for her. She also suggested she was talking to God at the very moment about her situation both spiritually and in the courtroom. I pray they both turned that day from their own way to the Lord. The results are in God's hands.

Day 243 - 255 - The Tampa Sunset Proves It

2010-03-19T22:46:00.002-05:00

My wife and I recently took a trip to the Tampa, Florida area, Clearwater Beach actually. Part business, part relaxation. As we walked together one evening watching an absolutely amazing sunset, we were about to cross the path of two men. I handed them each a gospel tract and asked them about their eternal destiny.

"Oh, we believe in God," exclaimed one of them. Then he added, "We were just talking about how you cannot look at that sunset (as he pointed to it in the distance) and say there is no God!" He's right. That's exactly what Romans 1 teaches.

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Rom. 1:18-20)

Day 233 - 242 - Do All Roads Lead to God?

2010-03-07T19:15:00.004-06:00

At our hotel, there were two ladies cleaning rooms. I stopped to talk to them. Handed them gospel tracts and asked them if they knew where they were going when they died. They believed heaven but turns out they were Muslim. They believed that "we all believe in the same God" so it will all work out all right in the end. Will it, I asked? I explained that Jesus said that's not the case. He said he is "the way, the truth, and the life" and "no one comes to the Father except through him alone" (John 14.6).

I asked them to think about whether there is a chance they could be wrong. This is serious. They need to think about why they believe what they believe. It could make an eternal difference. I shared with them how Joseph Smith, like the founder of their faith, taught that an angel came to him and gave him the truth for all to follow. What's the difference between Smith and the founder of Islam, who said the same thing? They couldn't answer that question.

I asked them how they discern which of the three or other religions is the truth if they all claim to have exclusive truth. I urged them to consider the evidence, and there is abundant evidence that Jesus is who he claimed to be, God! The Way. The Truth. The Life. I hope they will turn to him before it's too late.

Day 226 - 232 - Donavan Didn't Know: Do you?

2010-02-26T18:14:00.002-06:00

He came out of the courthouse slowly as if he didn't really know where to go next. I walked over and handed him a gospel tract and asked if he knew where he would spend eternity if he were to die at that time. Some might find that approach too point blank. But what if that was Donavan's last day on earth? What if he were about to walk over the edge of an eternal cliff, and I was the last person in his path with an opportunity to prevent him from falling to his eternal death? Would that make a difference? It makes a difference to me.

He didn't know. I asked him if he would like to know how he could be certain of his eternal destiny. Yes, he said. So, I walked through the gospel message with him. I helped him understand that if he were judged according to God's law, he would be found guilty (Rom. 3.23). His just punishment would be eternal death (Rom. 6:23) in the lake of fire (Matt. 5; Rev. 21). But I also shared with him the good news that God made a way for him to escape the punishment he deserves as a result of Jesus having taken his punishment for him on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21). I told him that he must repent (Mk. 1:15; Lk. 13; Acts 17:31) and trust in Jesus Christ alone as his Lord and Savior (Mk. 1:15; Jn. 3:14-16; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Jn. 5:11-13).

Donavan honestly admitted that it was hard for him to commit to turning his life over to the Lord and following him, rather than continuing his own way along the broad way that leads to destruction (Matt. 7). I urged him to choose to repent and turn before it's too late.

Who will the Lord put in your path who needs to hear the lifesaving message of the gospel? Are you prepared to share it? If not, will you get prepared today? Go to www.wayofthemaster.com. If you are prepared, are you sharing it? Do it. There's nothing else you can take with you into eternity except other people. Who's going with you?

Day 209 - 225 - Gotta Quit Smokin'

2010-02-20T20:18:00.002-06:00

She stood there waiting for her bus. I handed her a gospel tract and asked her if she knew where she would spend eternity if she died while waiting for her bus. Yes, she said. (I've learned that just about everyone in Tulsa thinks they're going to heaven. But, just as a doctor never takes my word for how I'm feeling but instead checks me out for signs and symptoms of good or bad health, I never take a person's first answer without further evaluation.) That's great, I replied. Do you mind if I ask how you know for sure, I asked her.

She looked down at the cigarette in her hand and said "I've gotta quit smokin' these first." I then asked her a question I learned from our church's training in the "Share Jesus without Fear" approach to sharing the gospel: "If what you believe about how to get to heaven isn't true, would you want to know that," I asked. "Sure," she said.

The door opened wide for me to share with her the full gospel. As her bus pulled up, I urged her to repent and trust in Jesus Christ alone as her Lord and Savior before it's too late. I hope she did.

Day 197 - 208 - His Name Means Salvation

2010-02-04T21:42:00.002-06:00

I had to call a customer service representative and hadn't had a chance to share the gospel. I wasn't actually thinking of sharing when I called. But, when he told his name was Joshua, that immediately reminded me that I needed to share the gospel with him at the conclusion of my call. Joshua means salvation.

I asked him if he knew what his name meant. He didn't. I told him it meant salvation and asked him if he died today did he know if he was saved and going to heaven. He said his "preacher told him he was going to heaven." I asked him if he knew what the bible says about how to get to heaven. He didn't, so I explained to him the gospel from Mark 1:15, where Jesus said to repent and believe because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

I asked Joshua if he had ever repented and trusted in Christ as his savior. He said he had. I explained to him what genuine repentance means--to not only cry out for forgiveness of sins, but also to turn to Jesus, turn from the broad road that leads to destruction to the narrow road that leads to life, to Jesus.

He thanked me. I thanked him for his service. Hopefully, I will see Joshua there one day!

Day 189 to 196 - John the Wanderer

2010-01-24T21:14:00.003-06:00

Though I'm not blogging daily about my witnessing encounters (due to time constraints and family priorities), I remaining committed to being alert to witnessing opportunities that the Lord provides each day and equally committed to acting on them. May 2010 be a year of 100Fold harvesting while it's still "day"!!!

I had some good encounters this past week. (Though I believe that ALL witnessing encounters are good no matter what happens, so long as the seed of the word is faithfully sown either through the distribution of a gospel tract or verbal witness!) Let tell you about one of them.

There is a city bus station near my office building downtown. I've discovered it's an AWESOME place to go at lunch time. Crowded. People standing around. People sitting. Just waiting for their bus so they can hop on and go where they need to go. It's a perfect environment to hand out tracts and strike up conversations about a topic so important that God stepped down out of heaven to do something about it personally--the salvation of eternal souls made in God's own image.

I met John. A young man just out of jail who was just struggling to survive on the streets. We talked for several minutes. Some of the things John said broke my heart. Sin has so marred John's life (his own and other peoples' sins), that he has a very cynical view of life. We went through the gospel together--in full. I urged him to consider it seriously before it's too late. He took the tract. He read the entire thing. He said he would consider it. I pray he acted on the gospel.

Day 187 - Trillions at Wal-Mart

2010-01-17T21:41:00.001-06:00

The couple behind me in line at Wal-Mart loved the Obama Trillion Dollar bill gospel tract. It always attracts a lot of attention.

Day 186 - Trillions @ Savoy

2010-01-15T16:48:00.004-06:00

While showing some friends the new Obama Trillion Dollar Bill gospel tracts, a lady at a table near us at the Savoy restaurant asked if she could have one. Of course, I gave a my last two to her and encouraged her to read the trillion dollar question on the back, which leads into the gospel presentation. I watched her reading it and then sharing it with the other lady at her table. When leaving, she thanked me quite exuberantly.

Day 185 - Mission with Mike

2010-01-14T14:01:00.001-06:00

Went to the bus station at lunch today to witness with a new friend, Mike. Mike works in the building across the street from where I work in downtown Tulsa. Mike is a fellow fisherman for the Lord. We had an opportunity to share with numerous people at the bus station. Seeds were sown. The gospel went forth. The Lord of the Harvest will do the rest! Our food is to do the will of Him who saved us and sent us while it's still day (John 4, 6).

Day 184 - Donna @ Arby's

2010-01-14T14:00:00.001-06:00

Gave a tract to Donna at Arby's today.

Day 183 - Lost Leroy Laughed: Sad

2010-01-11T21:56:00.002-06:00

Leroy just laughed. That was his way of suppressing the truth about the judgment to come (Rom. 1; Heb. 9:27). He used to be a Jehovah's Witness for 18 years but has abandoned all faith and is now going his own way. I urged him to reconsider his direction in life and his destiny, emphasizing that he could indeed know the Truth, Jesus Christ, who is the one and only Gate to God (John 10, 14). He just laughed. It made me sad for him.

I turned my attention to his buddy. "What about you," I asked. "If you died today do you know what your eternal destiny would be?" "Straight up," he said. "Heaven," I asked. "Yes," he said. That's great, I said. How do you know for sure? He couldn't answer that one. He just thought he was going. I walked through the gospel with him in order to explain how he could know for sure (1 John 5:11-13), while Leroy listened.

Leroy said they had to go to their court appearance, so he grabbed his buddy to go in the courthouse. I urged them to repent and trust Christ before it's too late.

Day 182 - Breakthrough with Mary?!

2010-01-04T22:32:00.002-06:00

Today was rewarding. It encouraged me to persevere in my witnessing with an individual despite any outward appearance of a lack of progress or interest. I've been sharing tracts and encouraging Mary to consider her eternal destiny for almost two to three times a month for the past four or five months. She's always seemed cold and indifferent. Tonight, there was a visible breakthrough. She was smiling. She was talkative. She opened up to me. She's Catholic and occasionally attends picnics at Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian with her boyfriend. Tonight, I asked her if she knew what her eternal destiny would be if she were to die this evening. She paused, and instead of reacting coldly this time, thought about it for a moment. No, she said. But, she added quickly, I try to read my mother's bible when I'm at her house, though it seems so big. That's great, I encouraged her. I urged her to take some time to read the back of the tract, which has a short gospel message and explains how she can know her eternal destiny will be heaven. Ok, she said. I left that encounter and had a great conversation with my kids about it (they're always with me when I run across Mary's path each week). I pray the Lord will open her eyes to see him as Lord and Savior and that she will obey the gospel message on the back of the tract. Stay tuned. I'll likely see Mary next week and will report back on her. Keep her in your prayers.

Day 181 - Trillions at the Bank & Grocery Store

2010-01-04T22:28:00.003-06:00

As you may have noticed, I've missed some days over the holidays. So, when I say I'm on Day 181, it means this is the 181st day since my commitment that I've shared the gospel with at least one person. There have been some days that I've shared tracts but haven't blogged about it. A couple of days ago or so, I had the opportunity to pass out four Trillion Dollar Bill tracts to people waiting in line behind me at the bank. People really love the Trillion Dollar Obama bills. Great conversation starter.

Later, I was able to share a tract with the checkout cashier at the grocery store. She said she knows her destiny will be heaven, so I encouraged her to pass the tract along to someone who may not know. When I'm sharing tracts with people who are working, I try to avoid taking up too much of their time unless the situation appears to allow it without interfering with their work.

Day 180 - Pizza Guy

2009-12-28T22:09:00.001-06:00

He delivered 10 large pizza's to our massive family laser tag battle. He not only received a generous tip, he also received a million dollar bill gospel tract. I encouraged him to read the million dollar question on the back, "because he can't take a million dollars with him."

Do you keep tracts handy so you can pass them out each chance you get? Do it!

Day 179 - Adam and Sarah

2009-12-26T21:09:00.002-06:00

I gave Adam a Trillion Dollar Bill tract at Braum's today. He had never received a tract from (though a lot of the employees there have). He said he would read the gospel message on the back.

At my next stop running errands for Shannon, I gave a tract to Sarah who worked at Wal-Greens. I also gave one to the lady waiting in line next to me. As usual, they loved the Trillion Dollar Bill tracts.

Status of Delhi Men's Class

2009-12-24T11:12:00.002-06:00

A group of faithful men have been meeting regularly for three years now, praying for the start of a BSF Men's Class. I had the privilege of meeting with them for prayer and fellowship. Leadership decisions for launching the class must be made by April/May 2010, so we are trusting that if the Lord wants us to serve in Delhi, He will cause our house to be sold by then. Otherwise, we are trusting that He wants us to continue serving here in Tulsa. Please join us in praying for the faithful men in Delhi who are committed to launching a BSF class to train men in leadership.

Delhi Bible Fellowship

2009-12-24T10:59:00.004-06:00

DBF is a church founded by TEAM missionaries. It is the location of the BSF Evening Women's class and a possible location for the Men's class to be launched.

Highlights of India

2009-12-24T10:41:00.004-06:00

The following video clip contains highlights from our October 2009 mission exploration trip to Delhi, India.

Day 178 - Trillions at Sam's x2

2009-12-23T23:22:00.001-06:00

Went to Sam's twice today. Each time I had a chance to give a Trillion Dollar Bill gospel tract to the cashiers. I also gave one to the gentleman at the door who checks your receipt and items. People really love the Obama Trillion Dollar Bill tracts.

Day 177 - Trillions Everywhere

2009-12-23T14:56:00.002-06:00

I ordered some new tracts, the Obama Trillion Dollar Bill. People love them. There are the best ice-breaker tracts that I've used thus far. They always stimulate a great conversation that can always be turned to the gospel in a non-threatening way. They bring a smile to people.

I pass them out wherever I go. Today, I passed some out at Wal-Mart and to a group of guys at the Chinese restaurant where I picked up a to-go order. One of the guys had not yet trusted Christ as savior. One professed to be a believer and pointed to his buddy and said he needs to trust Christ. I encouraged them in the gospel. I hope they took it to heart.

You can order these awesome tracts at www.livingwaters.com.

Day 176 - Frank the Pagan

2009-12-21T14:39:00.002-06:00

As he approached the Tulsa County Courthouse, I offered him a "Tips for the Courthouse" gospel tract that our evangelism team has designed. "What's this?" he asked politely. "It has some helpful information for your day in Court," I answered. I also explained to him that it contained a gospel message at the end. "Do you have a church background?" I asked, swinging the conversation to the spiritual. "I used to when I was younger," he answered, "but I left because they were a bunch of hypocrites."

Ever heard that one before? All the time. What do people expect? Of course the church is full of hypocrites, just like the rest of the world. Dictionary.com defines "hypocrite" as "a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs." We're all hypocrites. We all (or at least many people) try to live by virtues, moral values and beliefs of an altruistic nature, possibly even of a Christlike nature. I know I strive to be Christlike in all I do but, much like the Apostle Paul (Rom. 7), I find that there is evil, sinfulness, lust, greed, impatience, and other wicked qualities that war in my flesh against the desires of the spirit. As a result, I often behave in a way that's definitely hypocritical. Though I'm not pretending to be good but am truly striving to follow and live like my glorious Savior, the reality is that the internal battle rages on. It should come as no surprise that people both within the church and without will sometimes fail us, not live up to our expectations, and do and say things that appear totally hypocritcal.

I responded to Frank by explaining that the hypocrisy he witnessed in the church is not cause to leave the church and abandon God and the Bible, but rather it is sure evidence that he can trust that what the Bible says is true--we are desperately wicked and deceitful (Jer. 17:19), even when we're in the church. That's precisely why we need the church, we need God, and we need his Word to slowly but surely work sanctification in our lives and transformation into his image.

Frank told me that he had become a pagan. He showed me the pentagram necklace he was wearing. He believed that aliens planted us on the planet, our so he said. Frank, I said, the Bible declares that it is appointed for man to die once and we will then appear before God in judgment to give account for our lives (Heb. 9:27). I explained that God will judge him fairly according to his moral law, the 10 Commandments. I asked him how he would be judged if he were to appear before God today. He didn't know. As I walked him through God's law, the conviction was obvious. He quickly decided to end the conversation and had to leave.

While I prepare myself to give a defense for the hope that I have in the Lord, I always strive to steer people back to the law of God to show them their need for a savior. The conscience is a powerful evidence of the truth of God's word (Rom. 2:15). I pray Frank will re-evaluate his eternal welfare before it's too late.

Day 175 - Reloading Emily

2009-12-20T22:33:00.002-06:00

We buy our milk at Braums up the street. As I've shared tracts and the gospel with employees who work there, I have grown to know some of them. Emily is a young lady that I've met who is a professing believer. There were some new people working there today, but Emily served me again. I showed her my new Trillion dollar bill Obama tracts, and she loved them. I loaded her up with some, because she said she had given away the million dollar bill tracts that I had given her at Braums. I hope she keeps giving them out. It's important to encourage each other to share the gospel while we still have time left. In John 9, Jesus told his disciples that they needed to do the Father's work while it's still day, because night is coming when no one can work. What is the Father's work? Seeking to save that which is lost. Leaving the 99 sheep that aren't lost to find that one who is. Are you working?

Day 174 - The JW

2009-12-20T22:32:00.002-06:00

I had an opportunity on this day to witness to a Jehovah's Witness. My heart breaks for them. I once labored under the impossibly heavy yoke of a works based cult prior to the Lord saving me. I can relate to how hard we worked then to defend our biblically baseless beliefs. Thank God His truth broke through in my life and showed me the power of the Gospel.

I had the chance to show how Isaiah and Philippians connect Jehovah to Jesus as both being one and the same. Amazingly, my Pastor, Pastor Jim Johnston, taught on this just the Sunday before.

In Isaiah 45:23, Jehovah speaks through the prophet and states:

By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.

In Philippians 2:10, the Apostle Paul declares that Jesus did not cling to his equality with God, but instead humbled himself to our level by being incarnated in the form of man in order to pay for the sins of the world by dying in the place of all those who will repent and believe. For that loving act of sacrifice, Paul then writes:

"[A]t the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth . . . ."

Paul clearly declared that Jesus is Jehovah. I shared that with my JW friend. I also shared other verses that equate Jesus with Jehovah, like Matthew 1 where it says that they will call Jesus Immanuel, which means "God with us."

I concluded by explaining that if I am wrong and she is right, I will simply sleep in eternity, as JWs believe there is no eternal condemnation to hell. If she is wrong, however, the consequences are much more grave. She will pay for her own sins in hell for eternity, because she did not repent and trust in the true gospel, but rather trusted in "another gospel," a false one that is powerless to save (Gal. 1:8).

Pray the seeds sown will produce fruit. Lord, save her!

Day 173 - Truth for Tyler

2009-12-14T09:03:00.006-06:00

The week of this encounter (last week at the Courthouse), I was studying John 8. Jesus lovingly warned those around him of the vital and divisive truth that "unless you believe that 'I AM,' you will die in your sins (v. 24)." That truth stirs my heart and spirit to rise up and warn those around me to do what Jesus said must be done, "repent and believe (Mk. 1:15)." But my flesh is so weak.

I have not fulfilled my daily commitment to share that truth with at least one person each day. Over the past week or two, I have been so busy with "things" that I have lost my focus on The Thing that matters most--souls.

Nevertheless, on this day, God gave me strength to overcome my weakness and walk up to a young man named Tyler and engage him in a conversation about his priceless eternal soul. Tyler did not know where he would spent eternity if he died that day. I had the privilege of explaining to Tyler that though he deserved eternal separation from God in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15) for his countless sins against God, yet God in his great and tender mercy for Tyler died in Tyler's place so he doesn't have to (1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:21). I asked Tyler if he had ever repented and trusted Christ as his savior. He said he had. I asked him if he was following Jesus. He said he was. I asked how he followed Jesus. By trying to do the right thing, he said. I asked him when he last read his bible. It's been quite a while, he said. If I were a doctor, I told him, I would say he's sick or has a serious problem if it had been a long time since he had last eaten anything. I shared with him that famous saying, "The bible will keep you from sin, but sin will keep you from the bible." I told him that Jesus said in John 8:31-32 that his true followers are those who continue in his Word and seek to walk in the truth and the light of God's Word. I encouraged him to start reading John and asking God to help him understand and obey what he reads.

Day 172 - Saving News at Starbucks

2009-12-13T16:04:00.001-06:00

Shared a tract at Starbucks. For those of you who've been following my encounters, I apologize for the lack of commentary lately. Things have been really busy heading into this holiday season! But keep on sowing seeds!

Day 171 - Niko's Getting the Message

2009-12-11T21:13:00.003-06:00

I met a guy named Niko this evening. Niko said that someone else had just given him a gospel tract the other day. I asked him if he read it. He hadn't. I encouraged him to consider the gospel message on the tract before it's too late, since nothing is more important than his eternal destiny.

Day 170 - Illusion Tracts

2009-12-10T19:34:00.001-06:00

The two guys on the elevator today loved the optical illusion tract.

Day 169 - More Tracts

2009-12-10T19:33:00.000-06:00

Passed out more tracts.

Day 168 - Tracts at the Gas Station

2009-12-08T22:27:00.000-06:00

Left a tract at the gas station today.

Day 167 - Tracts to Jurors

2009-12-07T23:17:00.004-06:00

Passed out a lot of tracts to prospective jurors at the Courthouse today, using a special tract that we wrote specifically for jurors. Proclaimed the gospel to at least 30 to 50 people outside the Courthouse.

Day 166 - Tracts at the Mall

2009-12-07T23:17:00.002-06:00

Passed out tracts at the Mall Sunday afternoon.

Day 165 - More Tracts at Walmart

2009-12-05T12:40:00.001-06:00

Passed out more tracts at Walmart while waiting in the checkout line and encouraged them to consider their eternal destinies and the gospel message on the tracts.

Day 164 - Tracts at Walmart

2009-12-05T12:37:00.001-06:00

Passed out tracts to a group of people standing around at Walmart and encouraged them to consider the gospel message.

Day 163 - Tract for Angelina

2009-12-02T23:04:00.001-06:00

Left a tract for Angelina tonight, our waitress at dinner. Prayerfully, the seed will spring up and/or be passed along.

Day 162 - Equipping Pablo

2009-12-01T23:45:00.003-06:00

I promised Pablo that I would bring him some more million dollar bill tracts to share with his family and friends and coworkers. He wasn't working this morning, so I asked one of his coworkers to pass along the handfull of tracts to Pablo for me. I told Jose that he could take one for himself, too, and encouraged him to read the back.

We also left a tract with our waiter at the Asti Italian restaurant that we went to tonight.

Day 161 - A Rare "Thank You"

2009-11-30T22:28:00.003-06:00

Jesus healed ten lepers one day. Leprosy was one of the most feared diseases of Jesus' day. Amazingly, only one of the lepers actually thanked him. That's how most treat Jesus today. He gives us the next breath--which we don't deserve--and most people never thank him. He provided the only way of salvation--though we don't deserve that either--and most people don't thank him.

This morning, I walked into our hotel's restraurant to get some coffee. Pablo walked up to me with a big smile on his face. Pablo, a waiter who served us breakfast the previous morning, thanked me over and over for the million dollar bill gospel tract I left him with my tip that morning. I had circled the million dollar question on the back--will you go to heaven when you die--and wrote: "Be sure you know the answer, Pablo!" I then underlined the answer on the tract.

He told me that he read it, took it home, read it to his family, and taped it up at his locker at work where he changes into his waiter's attire. He said his grandmother told him that God puts people in our path for a reason. He kept thanking me and smiling. I told him it was my pleasure to share that tract with him and the gospel, because "we can't take anything with us out of this life and into the next except other people!" I told him I would bring him some more tracts to share with his family and friends.

I pray he will turn into a blazing soul-winner. What a refreshing joy to have someone come back and go out of their way to thank me. It encouraged me to be reminded how vital it is to simply leave tracts behind and pass them out even if you don't have a chance to share one-to-one with someone. God will use His written word on the tracts just as much our spoken words!

Later this evening, as Caleb and I went out for dinner on the town, we talked with the young lady working at a gift shop. We urged her to seriously consider the gospel message on the tract.

We talked to Helini, an elderly woman who escaped Poland as a little girl but was shot in the leg when the Nazi's invaded. She was trusting in her good works to get to heaven until we shared the gospel with her and urged her to repent and trust Christ, explaining to her the difference between merely confessing her sins (an admission of guilt), versus also repenting of them (not only confessing them, but also turning from them to the Lord).

Lastly, we talked to Lawrence, an elderly man who admitted his guilt before the Lord but didn't know what Jesus said one must do to be saved. He wanted to know, especially after we explained to him that the bible very clearly says all liars and thieves will have their part in the lake of fire, which is the second death (Rev. 21). We urged him to repent and trust Christ before it's too late.

The harvest is PLENTIFUL. Caleb and I then prayed for all of the seeds that we had sown today, that the Lord would cause them to spring up into a great harvest.

Day 160 - Midway Mission

2009-11-30T22:13:00.007-06:00

Caleb and I walked from our hotel near the San Diego bay over to the U.S.S. Midway Museum. The Miday is an aircraft carrier used during WWII and last used as the flagship leading Desert Shield and Desert Storm to defeat Saddam Hussein and liberate the country of Kuwait from his evil, dictatorial grip. Just as the US commissioned the USS Midway for a specific mission--set captives free and ensure liberty for all--so God has commissioned His followers with the eternal mission of sharing the gospel that frees captives and brings eternal liberty.

After a day at the museum (which was really incredible), we started walking back up Broadway to our hotel. On our way, we passed by three young men (probably in their early twenties), hanging out on the street and skateboarding. I offered them each a gift from Oklahoma, million dollar bill gospel tracts, and struck up a conversation with them. None of them knew the gospel. Each admitted they were guilty of breaking God's law. We happened to be just a block from the Federal Courthouse and San Diego County Courthouse, so I was able to use the example of law and justice to explain the gospel to them.

One young man, Aaron, was a Mormon from Utah. We talked about how he could use evidence to evaluate whether Mormonism is true versus Christianity and the Bible. I showed him how he could trust the Bible but could not trust the BoM. After going through the gospel with him, I asked him if he had ever repented and trusted Christ alone for his salvation. He had not. I encouraged him and his buddy, Mark, to repent and trust Christ before it's too late, explaining to them the reality of hell and what it is like as described by Jesus. I urged them start studying the gospel of John and asking the Lord to reveal the truth to them and to help them obey what the read. I hope they repented and are trusting Christ.

Day 159 - Airport Encounters

2009-11-30T21:48:00.002-06:00

At the airport this evening on our way to fly to San Diego, I had an opportunity to share with a man at Starbucks and a man at Quiznos. Using the Million Dollar Bill tracts makes it so easy to open up a conversation. The man at Starbucks didn't want to engage in a discussion about the gospel, but his female coworker claimed to know that her destiny would be heaven. Since they were working, I simply encouraged them to consider the gospel message on the back while they still had time to do so.

The man at Quizno's seemed genuinely interested in the gospel message on the bill and said he would read it when he got off his shift. The rest is in the Lord's hands.

Day 158 - Grocery Store Clerks

2009-11-27T23:35:00.002-06:00

On the way home from a show in Branson, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few things. As I checked out, I handed some gospel tracts to the clerks and encouraged them to read them and seriously consider their eternal destiny.

Day 157 - 2012 Opens Door to the Gospel

2009-11-26T19:48:00.002-06:00

After Thanksgiving lunch, we took the family to see The Christmas Carol in 3D. While waiting in line, we struck up a conversation with a couple who was also waiting for a movie. They started telling us about how they had recently seen the movie, 2012. That got them going on end times talk. Perfect. I told them that the bible says no one can know the day or the hour when the end will come. They agreed. I asked them if they ready for the end, if they had repented of their sins and trusted Christ for salvation. They both said they had. That turned the conversation toward our walk with the Lord.

Day 156 - When They Come to You

2009-11-26T19:45:00.002-06:00

We spent Wednesday morning getting ready to head to Branson. A new pest control guy showed up to spray for bugs and spiders, but he forgot the equipment he needed. We haven't witnessed to this guy yet. He apologized for his mistake, and we said no problem. Just reschedule. So we did. We then gave him a gospel tract and encouraged him to consider his eternal destiny. We'll follow up with him when he comes back.

Day 155 - Pleading with Them

2009-11-24T23:15:00.002-06:00

Some time ago, I shared with two parking garage employees at work who work the parking booth to our building's entrance and exit. They both are unwilling to repent and trust Christ. And they both are unwilling to tell me what's holding them back. We have a good relationship. We're friendly to each other each day. But I often urge them to act before it's too late. I urged them again today as I left the building and wished them a happy Thanksgiving weekend. Keep praying with me that they will have the eyes of their understanding enlightened and that the Lord will save them.

Day 154 - Reckless Driving. Reckless Living.

2009-11-23T08:44:00.003-06:00

They say there are trillions (and likely countless) suns in the known universe. This image contrasts Earth to our sun. God is immense. His power is limitless. His holiness is more intense than the heat and light of a trillion suns burning in the universe. It is a fearful thing to fall into the just hands of the LIVING GOD. Yet, His love for us is equally immense. His mercy is equally infinite. Have you cried out for His mercy? Are you clinging to Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, knowing there is no other way to escape the wrath to come, which is the just consequence for our countless sins against this Holy God? God commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:31). Are you living for Him or going your own way?

His infinite love and mercy compels me to share the life-saving truth of the Gospel with those around me. What about you?

He sat outside the Courthouse waiting to appear before the judge for reckless driving and other crimes. He knew he was guilty of breaking man's law. He also admitted he was guilty of breaking God's moral law. I asked him if it concerned him that if he were to die today his eternal destiny would be hell, the just penalty for his countless sins against a God. No, he said, not really. Now that is RECKLESS LIVING.

I asked him if he knew what Jesus said hell is like (because anyone who knows what hell is like would be greatly concerned about spending eternity there). I told him what Jesus said: hell is a place where the fire is never quenched and the flesh never dies, and it will be so bad there will be weeping and wailing for all eternity. Not my words. Jesus' words. I told this man that Jesus spoke directly, graphically, and truthfully about hell precisely because He doesn't want anyone to spend eternity there.

I asked him if he knew what God had done for him so he might escape the punishment he deserves and have the gift of eternal life with the Lord and giver of life. He didn't know. I explained the gospel to him. As he got up to go into the Courthouse, I urged him to repent and trust Christ as his savior before it's too late and to begin to follow him rather than walking the broad road that leads to destruction. Since he didn't have his own bible, I gave him a new testament and urged him to begin to read the Book of John in order to see how to follow Jesus and trust in Him for salvation.

Day 153 - A Day at the Park

2009-11-23T06:12:00.002-06:00

It was a gorgeous day at the park. Perfect temperature. Lot's of people. Great witnessing opportunity. We took a team of people from TBC who were in our evangelism and apologetics course out for some practical training and then returned to TBC to share about our encounters and talk about what we learned from them.

One encounter that I had was particularly sweet. I saw two guys standing near a tree. By outward appearances, they looked like the could be waiting for a drug deal. I walked over to them and handed them million dollar bill gospel tracts and asked them if they had received one of these yet. As they looked them over, I told them they were gospel tracts and asked them if they knew what their eternal destiny would be if they died today. They were unsure. That got the conversation it was going.

It was a great encounter. They were very attentive to the gospel and very honest about their sins and shortcomings. They knew if they died today they were in big trouble and that concerned them. That made the good news of the gospel that much more special to them. As I shared the gospel with them, their children saw the million dollar bills and came running over to get their own. They had many good questions about the gospel, which allowed me to elaborate in front of Ricardo and George, the two men with whom I was originally sharing.

I encouraged them to repent, trust Christ before it's too late, and begin to follow him today by starting with the gospel of John and asking God to help them obey what they read. There are so many opportunities around us each day to impact lives for eternity.