Tag: evangelism

A COORDINATED RESPONSE

Neal Pollard

The leading local story today has to do with how police and fire responded to the Aurora theatre shooting in the summer of 2012, a horrific crime that left 12 dead and most of the other theatre patrons injured to one degree or another.  Those tasked with evaluating the response use words like “chaotic” and uncoordinated to describe what emergency responders did in the face of the incredibly unusual and tragic scene.  It is hard to imagine how one would prepare for something so unprecedented and it is much easier to make such evaluations in hindsight, but all seem agreed about the need to work together more efficiently when faced with life or death situations.

There is no greater life or death situation than concerns the spiritual state of even a single soul.  Whether we are talking about bringing a lost soul to Christ, helping a discouraged or offended brother or sister, or retrieving a Christian who has fallen away, it requires a coordinated response! Many people are needed to work together to help a person in his or her relationship to God.  Paul urges, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another…” (1 Th. 5:11).  He also writes, “Bear one another’s burden” (Gal. 6:2a).

When we are faced with the challenge of reaching a lost soul, think of all the coordination needed.  There is the friend or family member trying to reach them, but who else? What about the one(s) trying to study with them, not to mention members who need to reach out to them by befriending them, make them feel welcome, have them into their homes, and introduce them to other Christians?

When someone is struggling, it requires many people calling and reaching out, visiting, and doing what can be done to show them love and concern.  When someone has fallen away, it takes more than the preacher or an elder to do that “heavy lifting.”  Anyone who knows them and can influence them should coordinate with all others to rescue the perishing one!

Twelve lives ended that fateful night in Aurora.  It has been determined that emergency responders were not responsible for a single person being lost, a fact that has to provide them with solace and validation.  When we stand before Christ, each of us wants to do our part so that we can say no one was lost due to our neglect or lack of response.

Tipping The Train Off Of A Trapped Man

 

Neal Pollard

Yesterday, a man slipped trying to board a subway train in Perth, Australia.  Closed-circuit footage shows him wedged up to his thigh as the train was filling with commuters.  First, a fellow-commuter beckons to the Transit Authority workers to stop the train from leaving.  Then, incredibly, dozens of commuters come together and tip the train over enough for the man to be freed.  The unnamed man was apparently unharmed and able to catch the next train, undoubtedly more cautious about where and how he stepped (AP story via USA Today, 8/6/14).

The story has rightly been called “heartwarming.”  It shows the compassion and empathy people can naturally and easily demonstrate. It also shows the power of people united for a common cause.  Doesn’t it also show the importance of each individual, doing his or her part, to effectively help?

The church is certainly made up of people with varying degrees and kinds of talents.  Some may be more visible and audible than others, but no one is unimportant.  My experience is that God’s people have an inclination to help and serve and often are just looking for a way to be involved.  Together, we can accomplish great good for the growth and strength of the kingdom.  Not one person is unimportant.

How many people are needed to reach a soul?  Paul writes that he planted and Apollos watered (1 Co. 3:6).  Think about it.  If a person visits our assemblies, one may greet them in the parking lot and another at the door.  One may help them find a seat and several more may greet them and converse with them.  Another may invite them to lunch.  Yet another may eventually ask them to study the Bible.  Another may conduct the study and still another baptize them.  Others may invite them into their home and conduct follow up studies.  There may be those who find where they can be involved and put them to work.  Eventually, that one dies in a saved condition.  Who was responsible for that?

How beautiful to think that God sees each of us as a vital cog in His eternal plan of salvation!  He had the church in His mind as part of His eternal purpose (Eph. 3:9-11).  No one can do everything, but each of us can do something.  Let us find out where we fit in and then start “pushing”!

“SMALL CONGREGATIONS”

 

Neal Pollard

I grew up in Georgia mostly attending congregations that weren’t numerically large.  I never attended a church of more than 200 until I went to college, but even then the two churches I preached for during that time were smaller than that. I have preached full-time for three congregations, and two of them were smaller than 200. Yet, when I speak of small congregations, I am talking about those less than 50.  They typically have a hard time supporting a preacher full-time, almost never have elders or much spiritual leadership at all, and would often consider themselves to be “struggling” in some way.  While they have their share of weaknesses and reasons for being small—from internal strife to a lack of evangelistic zeal—they are special and valuable to God and often striving to get Christ into their communities.  Out here in the west, I’ve attended several of them in Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico, and California.  But it is not a phenomenon unique to regions outside the Bible belt.  My father works to help and strengthen churches in the Carolinas in that state, as he did for so many years in Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, and even Tennessee.  My brother and I both began full-time preaching in small churches in Alabama.  Rural America is full of small churches, but we are fully aware that these exist on every continent and many nations.  Some countries have fewer than 50 Christians in them, and there are even nations where the Lord’s church does not exist.

Having recently been with a small congregation, I was reminded of how big their faith, sense of family, and desire to make an impact for the Lord such churches can be.  I visited with a man who was one of about 5 members in a church about 50 miles from Twin Falls, Idaho.  They support a preacher in Kenya, mass media via Gospel Broadcasting Network (GBN), and buy Bibles to distribute in several nations. Their building is paid for and they are so desirous of doing whatever they can to reach their tiny community but also the global community.  Would you really call them a “small congregation”?

I have been exposed to more than one church where hundreds or more attended that rarely grow except through membership transfer, whose activities are heavily weighted inwardly—focused on entertaining, pleasing, and spending on themselves, and whose leaders are visionless and whose pulpits are powerless.  Couldn’t we call these “small congregations” in a way much more tragic?

I don’t want to ever be a part of a small congregation.  Even if the group with whom I work and worship are a few dozen or a handful, I pray I will do what I can to help them dream, plan, and do big things and not be small.  Our Lord is big and great.  The church is His body and as such should never be small!

FISHING FOR MEN

Neal Pollard

In July of 2001, Kjell Wilhelmsen was fishing for salmon on the Gaula River in Norway.  What he saw in the water took precedence.  It was Jens Ovesen, a 246 pound man, who had been swept away by a strong current.  Wilhelmsen had fished that river for a quarter-century, so he knew the movements of that current.  He ran across a bridge and waited for Ovesen to come his direction.  Then, with his homemade lure, Wilhelmsen caught the burly 60-year-old by his rubber waders on his first cast.  He “used every fishing trick he knew to reel the big man without breaking his light line” (via Associated Press, 7/29/01).

Whatever previous fishing stories Kjell had, this one topped them all.  How often does a fisherman catch a person?  Jesus calls for it.  He tells His disciples, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mat. 4:19).  How does one succeed at such audacious angling?  Much like Wilhelmsen did.  Experience is a tremendous help.  Fishermen hone their skill by many trips and tries.  Knowing the waters is also crucial.  Fishermen must learn tides, currents, and trends.  Then, there is the effort and desire required.  Being willing to exert the energy, whatever it takes, in pursuit is essential.  What about landing the catch?  It’s one thing to get a bite, but another to land it.

God wants us fishing for men.  What will it take?  Practice.  Experience.  Knowledge.  Patience.  Desire.  Wisdom.  Endurance.  Jesus gave His disciples some early “man fishing” tips by example.  In Matthew 4, after calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John, He taught in their synagogues (where the fishing was done), proclaimed the gospel, showed interest in people, and helped them (23-24).  How much time are we spending at the “fishing hole,” fishing for men?

Is This A Friendly Church?

Neal Pollard

While we would be tempted to ask this of ourselves, that’s really not a very honest reflection or indication of a true answer.  But, thankfully, there are several whom we can ask.  Don’t miss the importance of their candor.  Their answers are really the only ones that matter.

  • Ask the parents of the crying baby.
  • Ask the visitor who is sitting alone.
  • Ask the new family who moved here from another city.
  • Ask the drop-in whose clothing, hygiene, and general manner of speaking and appearance seems of “lesser” quality.
  • Ask the person whose race and color differs from the majority.
  • Ask the out-of-town visitors whose vacation or work brought them to services.
  • Ask the people you see and cannot decide whether they are visitors or members.
  • Ask the Lord and His inspired writers (Js. 2:1ff; Acts 10:34-35; Prov. 14:31; 17:5; 19:17).

Even if we have the reputation of friendliness, let us never be satisfied that we are “friendly enough” and let us never rest on our laurels.  Our goal should be to surround every unfamiliar face with love and attention.  I would  far rather risk scaring someone off than failing to extend them the love of Christ!

An Aggressive Agenda

Neal Pollard

They use every opportunity to make it a part of the conversation.  It is as if they have a one-track mind.  However they can promote their cause, they do.  They will not quit until they convince you that what they believe is right and that you should accept it, too.  They are bold and willing to risk and sacrifice to get their point of view not only heard but accepted.  That there are still several places in the world where what they are preaching is unacceptable does not daunt or deter them.  Say what you will, they believe in their conviction and will continue to spread it.  They are purpose-driven.

Can you imagine Jews and those of the Roman Empire saying this about the Christians in the first century?  Armed with a living hope (1 Pet. 1:3), they, even in the worst times, “went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).  They were accused of having “turned the world upside down” with their teaching (Acts 17:6). They had the reputation as “the sect…that [was] spoken against everywhere” (Acts 28:22). Yet, they would not stop until they had shared the good news everywhere (Col. 1:23).  They were not interested in popularity or even acceptance.  They were trying to get their point of view not only heard but accepted because it originated from the very mind of God.

Aren’t there people in this world who seem to have such a singular obsession? They are in special interest groups, and they have the cooperation and acceptance of rich and powerful people in the media, politics, education, and even athletics.  They are indefatigable, tirelessly and relentlessly pursuing their agenda.

What about the church of the 21st Century?  Do we have an aggressive agenda? Are we willing to share the Word of God, whatever it costs to whomever we can?  It necessitates this question. Do we truly believe it is both right and essential?  If it captures our minds, hearts and souls, we will not be able to keep quiet about it.  May we develop the reputation for steadfast single-mindedness!

Chris Greicius

Chris, less than a week before he died.

Neal Pollard

Make A Wish Foundation has granted 310,000 wishes worldwide with the help of 30,000 volunteers in 49 countries as well as numerous, generous donors.  Very often, the wishes are granted to children with life-threatening conditions.  This is appropriate since this is the genesis of the now highly-successful collection of nonprofit organizations which grants a wish to a child an average of once every 38 minutes.

But it began in 1980 with a 7-year-old boy named Chris Greicius.  He wanted to “catch bad guys.”  His mom, Linda, was friends with a U.S. Customs Agent’s wife in Arizona.  Several individuals were able to solicit help, pull strings, and get Chris a police uniform in his size and a helicopter ride to tour the Arizona Department of Safety facilities. Four days later, Chris dies.  But he dies a happy little boy, and several people allow his dream to come true (info via wish.org).

Perhaps the most beautiful part of this touching story is the powerful impact for good that follows when people work together, selflessly, for a common cause.  When no one is looking for credit but everyone devotes their energy to a good and noble cause, who knows to what extent it can grow?  God’s people have that power, and David proclaims it, saying, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1).  “Good” depicts the action and “pleasant” demonstrates the effect of it.

The function of evangelism campaigns, workshops and lectureships, mass mail outs, organized home Bible studies, friendship evangelism, Vacation Bible Schools, and the like can be the saving of souls.  When we see our congregational events and activities as opportunities to work together to reach the lost, beautiful results follow!  Heaven’s heart is touched by the earthly efforts of Christians to seek and save them (cf. Luke 19:10).  Who knows what profound, positive things follow the conversion of even a single soul?  So, let’s find ways to work with our Christian family to save souls from death (cf. Jas. 5:20)!

THIS SATURDAY’S DOOR-KNOCKING

Neal Pollard

Two wonderful upcoming events should have us excited! Vacation Bible School is a prime opportunity for us to be evangelistic with our neighbors, friends, and co-workers.  It showcases the many talented people we have in our education program for children and it is always pulled off in an impressive way.  Our seminar/gospel meeting will be conducted by one of the most engaging, genuine preachers among us.  Steve Higginbotham will do an outstanding job.  There are several things we can do, but this Saturday’s door-knocking can accomplish so much to try and draw our nearest community neighbors to both these events.  May I make a personal appeal to you to be at our building this Saturday at 1 P.M.  To encourage you, consider three brief and true statements.

  • It Is Easy.  We are not setting up Bible studies.  We are simply inviting (or leaving fliers at the door if they are not home).  A quick, pleasant “hello” and statement of what we are inviting them to attend is all you need to know.  If you have access to small children, they always serve as an excellent buffer.  But, no matter your age or degree of cuteness, you will find this the easiest evangelizing you will ever do.
  • It Is For You.  Door-knocking is not just for the students, preachers, elders, or teens.  Parents, deacons, men, women, middle-aged folks, young adults, professionals, unprofessionals, blue-collar, white-collar, tall, short, fat, skinny, and if there be any other category, your presence is vital to the success of this.  So often, we assume others will do the work.  Please do not make this assumption.  If you are tempted to feel that way, know that others share that struggle.  Encourage somebody else.  Call or email them and tell them you are coming and ask them to come, too.
  • It Is Important.  You may be helping somebody take their first step toward heaven.  You might find somebody who has been searching for truth.  You may knock the door of somebody who has been struggling and looking for answers.  God may use you this Saturday to save a soul!  How wonderful to be able to face our dear Savior some day having taken opportunities like this Saturday to expose people to the Lord’s church.

I feel pretty confident that you will not regret participating in this Saturday’s mass inviting. It will require a little time, gas, and energy, but it is also one of those things that just leaves you feeling like you have helped the Lord a little in His mission of reaching the lost.  My highest hope is that I will see you this Saturday at 1 P.M. as we try to take greater Bear Valley for Christ!

KATHERINE WEBB’S RISE TO FAME

Neal Pollard

Alabama was handling Notre Dame handily.  There was not much to notice on the field, so Brent Musburger observed the Tide signal-caller’s girlfriend in the stands, saying, “You quarterbacks, you get all the good-looking women.  What a beautiful woman.”  Kirk Herbstreit agreed, and the cameramen could not show her enough.  By now, many have heard that her Twitter followers jumped from 2,300 that morning to 96,000 by night’s end.  She’s a celebrity favorite, and she will appear in a reality show, perhaps on “Dancing With The Stars,” and the ever-lascivious Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition this year (via http://www.ibtimes.com).  I mention this certainly not to endorse a woman whose prior greatest claim to fame, besides her attachment to A.J. McCarron, being finishing sixth in the Miss Alabama contest.  She epitomizes our culture’s obsession with sexuality and the body (Paul urges the godly woman to accentuate the inward, spiritual self in 1 Timothy 2:9-10).

My point in bringing her up is to show the power of the “right” word spoken at the “right” time.  Musburger had a national audience and he had something to talk about that was of interest to many of those listeners.  Certainly, Ms. Webb, as she assesses from a carnal standpoint, would consider herself a winner.

You and I have the most vital message the world could ever hear, the heart of which is the eternal salvation of the soul.  We may never have a forum like Mr. Musburger did on the night of the BCS National Championship, but we have daily opportunities to share this good news.  The Bible says, “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances” (Prov. 25:11). A timely word is “delightful” (Prov. 15:23).  In the context of evangelism, Paul says, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col. 4:6). Repeatedly, God conveys the power of the “right” word being spoken at the “right” time.

How can we do this?  Pray. Be discerning.  Open your eyes.  Have courage. Genuinely care about souls.  Keep Ephesians 4:15 dear.

Consider that what you are after is infinitely more noble than any earthly ambition.  Do well in this and heaven’s population will grow.  What is more, you add fruit to your own account and are in position to have the acclaim of heaven on the greatest day of notoriety and infamy that will ever be (Prov. 11:30; 1 Cor. 3:11ff).

“VISITOR” OR “GUEST”?


Image

Neal Pollard

I have never attended a congregation who gets more “drop ins” than here. Last night’s midweek service, at which we had 223, included three non-Christians who were here either by invitation or on their own initiative. Sundays always means even more individuals and families who have come in from the community. What a golden opportunity this gives us as a church!

Last month, while attending “Affirming the Faith” in Oklahoma City, I heard Mark Taylor, preacher for the Memorial Road congregation, talking about what they have done to be more effective with “outsiders” who attend their services. This would include all who are not members of that congregation–Christian from in or out of the area and especially non-Christians “seeking” a church home. His thesis question was, “How do we view these individuals? Are they ‘visitors’ or ‘guests’?” He then demonstrated the difference.

He says a guest is someone for whom we have prepared. We clean our house, cook a delicious meal, and light a candle for guests. We plan for them. We want them there and we invite them back again. A visitor may drop by unannounced or unexpectedly. We may feel inconvenienced by a visitor. Your treatment of them may reflect that annoyance or apathy.

We never want to have another “visitor” again! That means we must treat all those who come in among us as guests! Such is proven by the steps we take toward them. It may not be easy to reach a “guest” sitting across the auditorium, but what about in our “section”? Is there an unfamiliar face? Greet them! Help them find a classroom. Take them on a tour. Invite them to lunch. Get the attendance card they filled out and drive to their home and tell them you were glad they were there. Every “guest” has a never-dying soul. Each of us is being handed an opportunity with eternal implications!

Will you pledge, with me, to seek out and honor every “guest”? Sunday is our next opportunity. Let us make the most of it (Col. 4:5)!

DO THEY KNOW IT’S GOOD NEWS?

Neal Pollard

Local and cable stations’ headlines are perpetually bad news, school shootings, raising gas prices, war and instability in the Middle East or elsewhere, and the list continues.  Hollywood perpetuates the peddling of salacious, titillating, and perverse ideas through its various outlets, both teaching and reflecting an increasingly immoral society.  The moral, ethical, and doctrinal state of society and the world seems at an all-time low.

Preaching needs to reflect an understanding of that, for sure.  Sin must be called by name and addressed. We cannot hold hands with the devil and walk with God.  There is no place for compromising God’s truth.

Jeremiah warned against those who cried “peace” when there was no peace (Jer. 6:14; 8:11).  His message was “negative”–that his nation was destined for punishment by the Babylonian Empire.  But, Jeremiah’s message included the hope and promise of a new, glorious covenant (31:31-34) and Jeremiah’s last word from God concerned the future salvation of his people and destruction of their enemy (ch. 51).

Joel starts his message with a message of doom and judgment for Judah (1:1-2:17), but he ends the book by showing the hope of God’s people experiencing His pardon (3:17-21).  Amos is a book about divine judgment and retribution, illustrated with graphic, horrific visions, but it is a book that ends focused on the glorious future of Israel (9:11-15).  Micah bounces back between a message of scathing rebuke of sin and hope in God.  Zephaniah’s message begins saturated with words about God’s judgment on His erring brethren as well as on other nations, but he ends by singing redemption’s sweet song (3:9ff).  Even Malachi, a book filled with warnings about empty, half-hearted religion ends with a word about “the sun of righteousness with healing in its wings”(4:2).

New Testament writers fill their message, however saturated with warning or rebuke, with hope and the possibility of salvation.  God’s consistent message is that He wants relationship with man, has proven that desire, and eagerly awaits that from each of us.  He wants all men saved (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9).  Surely we know that, but do we possibly forget that at times?  Those of us who preach and teach, in such a responsible position, need to remind people that we can overcome–John says that at least four times in his first epistle (1 Jn. 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4).

One day hope will run out for the disobedient.  There will be no chance for restoration or conversion at the judgment.  It will be too late then, but it is not too late now!  May our teaching and preaching reflect this optimism, remembering that the powerful Word still softens hearts and changes lives (cf. Heb. 4:12).  Some day all hope will be gone, but that day is not today!

THINKING SOULS IN THE ASSEMBLY


Neal Pollard

Towns and Porter deliver a slap to the face of most of us when they write, “Most churches consider themselves a friendly church because church members feel the warmth and friendship of others in the church family. It is not uncommon to see groups of people gathered throughout the church facility before and after services laughing and talking together. But often the warmth of Christian fellowship is turned inward to others in the church family and seldom experienced by outsiders who visit the congregation” (Churches That Multiply, 108).  The painful question for us to ask is, “Does that describe us?”  Where do we direct the bulk of our attention?  How often do we reach out to non-Christians, visitors, new Christians, and Christians who are not “regulars”?  Does it matter to God if we are making the effort?
This is not about what kind of personality I possess, be it introverted or extroverted.  It is not about what I feel to be the most comfortable or easy path.  It is about thinking souls at every assembly.  Every person who comes in through our doors is telling us, “OK, I am here.  I need to know if I matter to you as I try to decide whether or not God, Christ, and the Bible matter to me.  Ignore me and I will not return.  Love me and I may never leave.”  See the power for good or ill this places into our hands?
Church leaders must take the lead here.  If the ministers, their wives, elders, their wives, deacons, their wives, and other, recognized leaders and their wives would seek out and try to connect with our visitors and struggling members, it would make a monumental difference.  Yet, it also points out that not everyone is doing that at present.  Barna, the consummate church researcher, contends, “Theology matters, but in the minds of the unchurched (and, quite frankly, most of the churched), the friendly and caring nature of the people matters more” (Grow Your Church From The Outside In, 91).  We may bristle at the idea that our visitors value friendliness over a “thus saith the Lord,” but Jesus warned us it was so.  “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). “One another” undoubtedly includes fellow Christians, but does it exclude these others that come among us?
How we need to be reaching out, day by day, to friends, family, co-workers, and others that we may bring with us to the assemblies and to study God’s Word.  But, what are we doing with those golden opportunities, those who are walking right through our doors?  Will you rise to the challenge and think about them, and share the love of Jesus with them!  They may be eternally grateful to you!

Win The Lost At Any Cost


Neal Pollard

When I was a boy, my parents had several records of acapella singing.  Hearing them played often, and always on Sunday, is a fixture of my childhood.  One of the records was of a quartet, “The Ambassadors” from Texas.  On one of their albums was a chilling, challenging song entitled, “Win The Lost At Any Cost.”  In looking for an audio on the web, (sadly) I could not find an acapella version.  Here are the lyrics from “The Ambassadors”‘ rendition:

As we look all around us, all the fields are white,
Ripened unto harvest, and so quickly comes the night.
Christians must get busy, there is work to do
Here’s an urgent task awaiting you.
Souls are crying, men are dying, won’t you lead them to the cross.
Go and find them, Please help to win them win the lost at any cost.
Go out and win, rescue from sin,
Day’s almost done, low sinks the sun.
Souls are crying, men are dying, win the lost at any cost.

In Denny Petrillo’s excellent, ongoing Wednesday night auditorium class on Hermeneutics, he mentioned that a consequence of the “New Hermeneutic” is that it is killing evangelistic zeal.  It does not know or is not willing to say who is lost.  No longer seeing the Bible as an objective standard with a pattern requiring rational thinking and reasoning to interpret, the New Hermeneutic not only languishes in self-doubt and uncertainty but also destroys the incentive to try and convert those outside of Christ.  Yet, armed with unswerving confidence in the inspiration of scripture, we see outlined there a simple set of truths that must push us to “win the lost at any cost.”  Consider.

(1) All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
(2) Sin separates one from God (Isa. 59:1-2).
(3) The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus (Rom. 6:23).
(4) Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18).
(5) He put away sin by the offering of Himself (Heb. 9:26).
(6) Justified by His blood, we shall be saved from God’s wrath through Him (Rom. 5:9).
(7) He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9).
(8) He that believes and is baptized shall be saved (Mk. 16:16).
(9) We must repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38).
(10) The one who endures to the end will be saved (Mt. 10:22).

Think souls!  Do not think that God has changed the rules.  The lost are lost.  We must win them back to Him.

SEE PEOPLE THROUGH YOUR EYES

Neal Pollard

Have you ever had someone you trusted and admired tell you about a speaker of whom he or she either thought highly or poorly?  Perhaps it colored your thinking of that one’s lesson, even if only subconsciously.  Have you ever had someone speak ill of a person, castigating their character or maligning their motives?  Maybe, whether it was apparent to you or not, it influenced your view of that person.  We human beings can have such an influence on one another.  Our view and estimation of someone or something can be an overlay over another person’s point of view.  That has powerful potential for good or evil.

Each of us has an obligation to think for ourselves, to evaluate people, preaching, programs, positions, problems, and the like.  It is intellectual laziness to let another do our thinking for us.  All individuals deserve to be evaluated by us based on what we observe first-hand.

It seems the Jews who dogged Paul’s missionary steps were trying to “poison the water” in every place Paul went (Acts 14:2,19;17:5). Demetrius did this to Paul in Macedonia (Acts 19:24ff). Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, in part, to dispel the untrue reports made against him that tainted some of the brethren’s view of him.  What drove these men to try so hard to destroy Paul’s work and influence?  It does not matter.  It was indefensible behavior.

It is a mark of spiritual maturity for one to ignore the gossip, slander, and smearing of another.  Each person is owed the charity of our unprejudiced acceptance before we draw our own conclusions.  It is an exercise in which we would wish others to engage when considering us.  May we have the grace to return the kindness (Luke 6:31).

“Good News!”


Neal Pollard

In Jesus’ public ministry, He came to people filled with misery and all too aware of bad news and preached good news to them (Matt. 11:5).  As His hope-filled message must have seemed improbable to them, He was compelled to exhort, “repent and believe the gospel” (Mk. 1:15).  The Lord never intended that His good news should be a secret (cf. Mk. 16:15).  Everyone deserves to hear the good news!

The ancient disciples took Jesus’ command to make disciples by spreading the good news quite seriously.  Philip and many other saints took this exciting message throughout the Samaritan community (Acts 8:25).  Nearly 500 miles from there, it was told by Paul and Barnabas in Derbe and Lystra (Acts 14:6-7).  It would be told across two bodies of water and over 1000 miles from that region of Lycaonia in Rome (Rom. 1:16).  It is little wonder that Paul would soon exclaim, “…be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven…” (Col. 1:23).  The good news was too valuable and wonderful to tuck away and review only in the worship assemblies.

Why is the good news of the gospel so important?  It centers upon the grace of God (Acts 20:24).  This means that God did something for man that man needed and cannot provide for himself.  The good news is that God made Christ, who did no sin (cf. Heb. 4:15), to be sin for every person in this world so that any individual who goes where that grace can be found can be made right with God.

While sin is a weight (Heb. 12:1), the news lightens the burden (Matt. 11:28-30).  While sin causes heartache and grief (Psa. 31:10), the news brings joy (Rom. 5:11).  While sin destroys and separates (Isa. 55:8-9), the good news offers new life (Rom. 6:4).

Many people in desperate need of good news are out there anxiously waiting to learn that there is reason and purpose for their lives.  Aimless and hopeless, they need the gospel.  Christians have possession of that blessing, but the same gospel will bless the glad receivers who have the chance to hear it (Acts 2:41).

Bad news seems to be snowballing into an ever-threatening avalanche of terror and unrest.  Yet, much more powerful in this life and the one to come is the powerful good news of Jesus and His love!  When more and more people hear the good news of the gospel, less and less bad news will pervade.  Truly, the gospel brings lasting hope.  Many will reject it, but let us renew our aim of getting out the good news!  How many will find eternal joy because we did?

 

HE PUTS THEM IN OUR PATH

 

Neal Pollard

Something happened yesterday that makes me ashamed.  Before I share that, consider a prayer that we pray–or should pray–with frequency.  We say in public prayer and many of us in private prayer, “Lord, please open a door of opportunity.”  That’s scriptural and it follows the great example of Paul, who said, “Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ…” (Col. 4:3).  God opened a “door of faith” for Paul and Barnabas to evangelize (Acts 14:27).  Spiritual healthiness involves wanting opportunities to serve the Lord, especially in making His kingdom grow.  If we believe that it is right to pray to God for this and we believe that God answers those prayers, what happens in our lives?  There are people He providentially places in our path for us to reach with the gospel.

Yesterday, in a BeauJos restaurant in Idaho Springs, I had such a moment.  Dale, my middle son, excitedly told me as I was returning from washing my hands, “Dad, that couple was praying for their food!  You should go talk to them!”  I told him something like “if the time is right, I’ll do that, son.”  Yes, I realize how “lame” that was.  I repented before Dale, and now ask your forgiveness, for such rationalization.  When could there be a better time?  Yes, I know what I would say next time.  It dawned on me as I was praying last night.

Dale is so gracious.  He told me, “That’s all right, dad.  It’s not like you only get one chance.”  Isn’t that a wonderful truth?  What a motivator!  God is the God of the second chance.  Not only that, if I prayed for an opportunity and he sent that one in BeauJos, won’t He do it again.  Next time, I resolve to be ready.  I must be.  If I am to trust prayer and God’s provision, He will put someone in my path.  May I be ready and willing to share Christ with them!