Courage to Share

Thanks For The Memories

2007-03-12T06:37:00.000-05:00

I started this blog with the best of intentions, and it had a good run. Unfortunately despite several months of trying I could never get anybody to notice. Add to that the birth of our baby and me taking on extra work so my wife can stay at home, and there isn't much time or reason left to keep this blog going. I may add an occassional post or thought just for the fun of it, but this blog is pretty much winding down.

Thanks to everyone who visited and left comments. I'll keep the blog up for a while for any new visitors. Feel free to browse the archives for helpful articles and encouragement related to evangelism.

Blogs or not blogs, lets never stop working to spread the gospel!

Problems with "The Lost Tomb of Jesus"

2007-03-02T17:35:00.001-06:00

If you haven't heard already, on March 4th the Discovery Channel will air a documentary by Titanic director James Cameron called "The Lost Tomb of Jesus". The documentary claims that archeologists have discovered the actual grave of Jesus and his family, including his wife Mary Magdalene and their son Judah. If true, this find would shake the very foundations of Christianity.

In 1980, ten small caskets were unearthed in a suburb of Jerusalem. Six of the caskets contain inscriptions with the Biblical names "Jesus", "Maria" (or Mary), "Mariamne" (or Mary Magdalene), "Matthew", "James", "Yose" (Joseph), and "Judah, son of Jesus". If this really is the family tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, and if those really are his bones, then we have scientific proof that the resurrection never happened and Christianity has been officially debunked. Even the apostle Paul admitted, "if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:14-19)

But don't go closing the church doors just yet. The "lost tomb" theory is far from clear-cut. In fact, it's full of holes. A quick Google search will reveal that there are plenty of scholars who doubt the findings or even dismiss them outright. For one thing, the tomb was discovered back in 1980. Archeologists have known about it for over 25 years. If the find is really so earth-shattering, why didn't anyone say anything sooner?

Below are several flaws in the theory that this is really Jesus' tomb (taken from Christian News Wire):

Ben Witherington, New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, and other scholars offer 10 reasons why they think the “Jesus tomb” claims are false:

1. There is no DNA evidence that this is the historical Jesus of Nazareth.

2. The statistical analysis is untrustworthy. (EDIT: It is true that one tomb containing so many Biblical names is statistically improbable. But if that is the only fact considered, it is misleading. Suppose we discovered a grave site containing the names "Cleopatra", "Hitler", "Michelangelo", and "Elvis". While this would be a remarkable coincidence, that alone would not prove that such famous people are actually buried there. Especially when there is so much other evidence to the contrary. It is the same with Jesus.)

3. The name “Jesus” was a popular name in the first century, appearing in 98 other tombs and on 21 other ossuaries.

4. There is no historical evidence that Jesus was ever married or had a child.

5. The earliest followers of Jesus never called him “Jesus, son of Joseph.”

6. It is highly unlikely that Joseph, who died earlier in Galilee, was buried in Jerusalem, since the historical record connects him only to Nazareth or Bethlehem.

7. The Talipot tomb and ossuaries are such that they would have belonged to a rich family, which does not match the historical record for Jesus.

8. Fourth-century church historian Eusebius makes quite clear that the body of James, the brother of Jesus, was buried alone near the temple mount and that his tomb was visited in the early centuries, making very unlikely that the Talipot tomb was Jesus’ “family tomb.”

9. The two Mary ossuaries do not mention anyone from Migdal, but simply has the name Mary, one of the most common of all ancient Jewish female names.

10. By all ancient accounts, the tomb of Jesus was empty, making it highly unlikely that his body was moved to another tomb to decay for one year before putting his bones in an ossuary.

Here's another problem with the "We found Jesus' grave" theory: From the very beginning the enemies of Christianity have wanted to crush it. The reason guards were posted at the tomb of Jesus was to keep the disciples from stealing the body and claiming a ressurection (Matthew 27:62-64). If Jesus did not really rise bodily from the grave his enemies could have simply gone to the tomb, thrown the body in a cart, wheeled it down the streets of Jerusalem, and Christianity would have been dead in the womb. But even Jesus' enemies had to admit that the body could not be found. And the disciples died horrible martyr's deaths because of their belief in a risen Jesus. Would they really have given their lives for something they knew was a lie?

Every year around Easter we see stories in the media designed to undermine Christianity. But eventually they all crumble because they are built on sand. If you decide to watch the Discovery channel special, keeping the above facts in mind will help you separate the truth from the hype.

(EDIT: According to a blog at TIME magazine, immediately after "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" on March 4 the Discovery channel will air an hour-long panel discussion hosted by Ted Koppel. "The panel will explore the filmmakers' profound assertions and challenge their assumptions and suggested conclusions." I hope there will be someone on the panel that points out the many flaws in the documentary and set the record straight. But I'm not holding my breath.)

Video: What's at Stake

2006-12-26T21:59:00.000-06:00

"Go into all the world and preach the Gospel..."

Evangelistic Christmas Quiz

2006-12-11T09:18:00.000-06:00

Are you looking for a creative way to share the Gospel this Christmas? Try this:

Living Waters has a free, fun Christmas Quiz you can download from their website. Questions are on the front and answers on the back. The last question leads to a Gospel presentation on the back.

Last year I bought 100 candy canes and wrapped the Christmas Quiz around each one with a rubber band. Then I put them in a box, put on a Santa hat, and on a Friday night I walked up and down downtown Minneapolis handing them out. I just smiled big and told people it was a free Christmas quiz. They were a big hit. Almost everybody took one, many with smiles on their faces. In about an hour's time I put the gospel in the hands of 100 people. It was a fun, easy way to spread the true meaning of Christmas: "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15)

Give it a try!

Ikaw ba ay mabuting tao?

2006-12-11T05:55:00.000-06:00

That's "Are You a Good Person?" in Tagalog, a language of the Philippines. Let me explain:

About a year ago I illustrated a cartoon gospel tract called "Are You a Good Person?" for a ministry called Living Waters. I gave it to them for free, under the condition that it remain copyright-free so that I can offer it to any ministry that wants to print them. I don't make a dime off it, and don't want to. The tract has been very well-received. So far almost a million copies(!) have been printed in English, and translations have recently been completed in French, Spanish, and Tagalog (a language in the Philippines). That's more than I would have ever dreamed. But it's nothing compared to all the hard work being done by full-time missionaries around the world who have comitted their lives to the gospel. I'm just a yutz at a drawing board. They're the ones on the front lines.

Anyway....today I received word that the first Tagalog tracts were distributed at a Christmas party in a slum in the Philippines by Jeff and Mary Ann Anderson, missionaries with Action International. Jeff and Mary Ann are doing tremendous work, be sure to visit their blog. They were kind enough to send me photos of the tracts being distributed at the party. Mary Ann writes:

I'm really excited to tell you that we had our first Christmas party for children in a squatter area today. This was the first time we distributed the "Ikaw ba ay mabuting tao?" tracts. I wanted to send you a few pictures that I took. The first picture shows you about how many kids were there (more than in the photo) and the surroundings. The next two pictures are Jeff talking with kids as he was handing them out. The other pictures show how the kids immediately began reading the tracts. Everyone wanted one. We must have given out about 150 or more at this one party.

We are now praying that God will use the pictures throughout our distribution and Christmas parties this season. Our missionaries are asking for more copies they can hand out.

Is this cool or what?

And please, remember to pray for Christian missionaries throughout the world. They've given up everything to advance the gospel, and it's hard work. They need our encouragement and support.

Surrender

2006-10-26T11:04:00.000-05:00

I was listening to an old podcast of Way of the Master Radio from April 10, 2006. Host Todd Friel was talking about what it really means to become a Christian. Many modern gospel presentations tell us to "accept Jesus" or "ask Him into your heart". Todd says the problem with that kind of thinking is that it doesn't go far enough; God wants total surrender of our lives.

Todd read an e-mail from a listener that I think makes the point well:

"At the end of World War II the Germans were in no position to make any demands. In fact, the Allied forces allowed them to surrender when they did not have to, and the Allied forces were very gracious to the Germans with the terms of surrender, although the Germans didn't deserve that. In the same way, we need to see that we will be totally destroyed if we continue to resist and fight against God and that we need to accept His terms of surrender. We are clearly wrong and not in a position to make demands of the Conquerer and the just Judge of the world. We can choose to keep fighting, but if we do we will be completely destroyed. Our only reasonable choice is to surrender to God's terms, which are repentance and faith."

How about you? Have you surrendered your life to God? Are you willing to make Him Lord of your daily decisions? If not, might I humbly suggest that you need to examine yourself to see if you are truly saved. Don't just "hope" that you will go to heaven when you die. "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5) and "Make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10).

Evangelism Training This Weekend

2006-10-18T15:24:00.000-05:00

Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Anoka, MN will be hosting an evangelism training seminar this weekend in association with Texas-based CrossPollination Ministries. The seminar is titled "Conversations with God--Conversations About God". It starts with a worship and evangelism training seminar on Friday, October 20 at 7pm. Then, on Saturday and Sunday you can sign up for two-hour blocks of live on-the-street evangelism training, where you will go out witnessing one-on-one with a trainer who will give you personal feedback and tips to improve. Sounds like a great idea! Or, If you don't want to sign up, you are welcome to tag along and observe the one-on-one training. Click here and here for more info.

I haven't had a chance to review the CrossPollination Ministries training, but it seems like a good thing. The founder is a member of the Great News Network which is a highly respected evangelism organization. According to the Crosspolination Ministries website, you can listen to an audio of their teaching here. I couldn't get the link to work on my computer, but maybe it was just a temporary glitch.

For more info or to sign up for the seminar, contact Kristin Bradley at (763) 421-7156 ext.106 or e-mail her at Kristin@mtolive-anoka.org

Evangelism in the Book of Acts

2006-09-21T03:58:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been wrestling with the question of "What does it mean to be successful at evangelism?" Or, putting it another way, "What does it mean when I fail?" It takes a lot of courage to speak up about Christ, so it can be discouraging if our efforts don't seem to make much difference, or worse, they get a negative response. If someone responds rudely or harshly, does that mean I've done something wrong?

I think yes and no. As Chuck Swindoll once said, "I don't care if the Gospel offends. But I care very much if I offend." If I've been unwise, unloving, brash, or insensitive, then they have every right to reject me and I need to be humble enough to learn from the experience. If, on the other hand, they are rejecting not me but Jesus or the Gospel, then I should take comfort in the fact that it's supposed to happen that way.

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first....If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:18-20).

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" (Matthew 5:11).

"I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:23-24).

The other night I couldn't sleep, so I did something I've been wanting to do for a while. I skimmed through the Book of Acts and studied the response each time the gospel was preached. I was encouraged by how often some of the hearers responded negatively to gospel "preachers". Often the gospel was well-received and many were saved, but notice there is also a pattern of rejection....

Acts 3 - The preachers are seized and imprisoned.

Acts 5 - The perachers are arrested.

Acts 6 - Some openly argued, used lies to stir up the crowd, and made false accusations in order to have the preacher arrested.

Acts 9 - There is a conspiracy to kill the preacher, so he is forced to leave town in the middle of the night. He goes to another town, and again people conspire to kill him and he is forced to flee.

Acts 12 - One preacher is arrested and killed. Another is arrested but miraculously escapes before he can be executed.

Acts 13 - On one occasssion the preacher is opposed by a sorceror. On another occassion some speak abusively against the preacher, then stir up the city leaders who have the preacher expelled from the region.

Acts 14 - Some in the crowd "poisoned the minds" of the hearers and eventually the whole city is divided. Upon hearing of a plot to stone them, the preachers are forced to flee the town.

Acts 14 - The preacher is stoned and left for dead.

Acts 16 - The preachers are brought before the authorities and the crowd turns on them. They are stripped, beaten, flogged, and imprisoned.

Acts 17 - A mob forms and causes a riot, the city leaders are in turmoil, and the preachers are sent away. They go to another city where again the crowd is stirred up, and again the preachers are sent away. In the third town the preaching is well received but some sneer at the Gospel.

Acts 18 - Some oppose the preacher and become abusive. The preacher is attacked and hauled into court.

Acts 19 - The preacher meets regularly with a group of hearers. Some become obstinate and publicly malign Christianity, eventually the preacher leaves them and preaches to the city at large. ESome local businessmen are so upset at the preacher's message that they start a riot and soon the whole city is in uproar. The preacher and his companions are seized. When the riot finally ends, the preacher decides to leave town.

Acts 20 - Some plot against the preacher (their plans are foiled).

Acts 21-22 - The crowd is stirred up and the preacher is seized. They drag him away and try to kill him. While the crowd is beating him, the authorities intervene. The preacher is arrested and put in chains. The crowd shouts for his death.

Acts 23 - There is a plot to kill the preacher. The preacher is imprisoned for over 2 years. Then there is another plot to kill the preacher.

The book of Acts ends with a preacher imprisoned under house arrest.

Of course we shouldn't go out of our way to cause trouble or seek out persecution. But neither should we stay silent out of a fear of rejection. Rejection does not necessarily equal failure. If it did, then the apostles were massive failures! No, the real failure in evangelism is failing to open our mouths. The Gospel is wonderful news, and if we love God and love others like we should we will feel compelled to obey Jesus and share His wondeful news, no matter what the consequences.

Lord, please give us the courage and wisdom to speak when we are afraid, so that you may be glorified and that others might be saved. And may we trust you no matter what the outcome. Amen.

Doomed Evangelism?

2006-09-21T03:53:00.000-05:00

Here's an excellent article on the Pyromaniacs website about what is really the most important issue in evangelism. Hint: It's not winning souls. That is indeed important, but not THE most important thing. Worth a read!

How Not to Share the Gospel

2006-09-17T22:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a funny little video called "The Good Word (Redux)". Gave me a good chuckle.

(Thanks to Matt Friedeman for the link).

VeggieTales Coming to NBC

2006-08-29T14:19:00.000-05:00

This blog is normally about evangelism, but please allow me to make a brief diversion...

Phil Visher, co-creator of VeggieTales, has announced that America's favorite cartoon vegetables are coming to NBC Saturday mornings this fall. I'm very excited to see such a quality Christian product getting a wider exposure. Unfortunately, NBC wants the show's religious content be watered down or even removed altogether. In other words, these veggies might be lacking in nutritional value. Vischer is not thrilled with the decision, but it sounds like he didn't have much choice. Here's how he describes it:

"At first we were told everything was 'okay' except the Bible verse at the end. Frankly, that news really surprised me, because, heck, we're talking about NBC here. God on Saturday morning? It didn't seem likely. Since we've started actually producing the episodes, though, NBC has gotten a little more restrictive. (I think they actually sat down and started watching a few VeggieTales videos. "Hey wait - these are religious.") So it's gotten trickier, and we're having to do a little more editing. More than I'm comfortable with? Frankly, yes. But I had already committed to helping Big Idea with this, and I really didn't want to leave them in a tight spot. Plus, the new stuff we're coming up with is really fun, and at least some new kids will meet Bob and Larry on NBC, and maybe wander into Wal-Mart and buy a video with all the God still in. So it could be better, but overall it's not a total loss. The new stuff is really cute. You'll like it."

Let's hope the anti-religious editing isn't too extreme. The first episode is tentatively scheduled to air Saturday, Sept. 9 at 10am EST. Then at 11am EST NBC will air more Big Idea programming, either Larryboy or 3-2-1 Penguins!. Be sure to watch. It might also be a good idea to contact NBC and let them know you support VeggieTales, Bible verses and all.

Repentance and the Crocodile

2006-08-18T07:06:00.000-05:00

I first heard this moving story from evangelist Ray Comfort at a seminar in Minneapolis. Usually anecdotes and anologies don't do much for me, but this one kicked me in the gut. It really helped me to realize what a life of repentance should be about. (Taken from the book, How To Win Souls & Influence People by Ray Comfort):

A father and son once went on a camping trip. When they arrived at the site, the father pitched the tent and said, "Son, see that river; it's full of crocodiles. If you want to do any fishing, fish off the wharf." The son reluctantly agreed that he would stay on the wharf.

After three days of fishing, the son began to think about the excitement of fishing amidst the crocodiles in the safety of a boat. So, that is what he did. He obtained a boat, and in a sense of bravado, rowed out into the river.

He had only been fishing for a short time when a crocodile came alongside the small boat and hit it with its tail. The terrified boy was thrown into the water. The father heard him scream, saw what had happened, and without hesitation dived into the crocodile-infested waters. He grabbed his beloved son and pulled him to the safety of the shore.

When the boy opened his eyes, he saw a grisly sight. A crocodile had wrapped his massive jaws around the father's legs, leaving him in bleeding shreds.

The following thought is unthinkable. Imagine if the son looked at his father lying in agony, bleeding to death, and said, "Dad, I really appreciate what you just did for me. But I found it exciting out there with the crocodiles- you wouldn't mind if I got another boat and went out again, would you?"

If the son could think, let alone say such a thing, the blind fool hasn't seen the sacrifice his father has just made for him!

If we have any, even hidden desire to go back into the sinful excitement of the world, we haven't seen the sacrifice of the Father.

If that son has seen what his father has just done for him, a sense of horror will consume him at the cost, the extreme, the length, the expense his father has just gone to, to save him. He would pour contempt upon the very drops of water that still cling to his flesh.

The true Christian has seen that God in the person of Jesus Christ, without hesitation, dived into the very jaws of Hell to save him from the folly of sin. A sense of horror consumes him at the cost, the extreme, the length, and the expense his Father went to, to save him. He cries,

"And when I think, that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; that on that cross, my burdens gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin."

The Christian pours contempt upon the sinful desires that still cling to his flesh. The true convert is crushed by a sense of his own foolishness and yet at the same time, he has inexpressible gratitude for the "unspeakable gift" of the Cross. He has seen Jesus Christ "evidently set forth and crucified." He says with Paul, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world." After seeing the sacrifice of the Father, how could he ever go back to the exciting pleasures of sin? To do so, he would have to trample underfoot the blood of Jesus Christ. He would have to count the sacrifice of Calvary as nothing.

Instead, he willfully crucifies himself to the world, and the world to himself.

He whispers with the hymnist:

"When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I could but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride."

As the songwriter says, "The Cross has become the Tree of Life for me." The world cannont attract him any longer. They that are Christ's have crucified ther affections and lusts.

New Blog: Recovering Student Ministry

2006-08-13T05:09:00.000-05:00

A new group blog has come to my attention: Recovering Student Ministry. No, its not some sort of AA group. It's about recovering as in "taking back" student ministry. It's a good collection of thoughts and musings on various issues related to evangelism and ministry. I especially recommend one of their first posts, "Persecution in Rome". Check it out!

Testimony of a Former Muslim

2006-08-07T02:06:00.000-05:00

Do you need some encouragement in your Christian walk? Read this amazing testimony. Nabeel Qureshi was a very devout Muslim, now a Christian. His intellectual and spiritual journey is a powerful tale. Most amazing are the dreams/visions God used to lead him to Christ. I had heard through the missionary grapevine that God seems to be using dreams to convert many Muslims, but this was the first time I had read one of those stories. Normally I tend to look for "hard evidence" and turn a raised eyebrow towards anything subjective (like a dream), but these particular dreams sent a chill down my spine. They just sound so...authentic. I like to think I understand a lot about Christianity, but Nabeel's story made me realize that when it comes to the "heart" of my faith I still have a long way to go.

I was also challenged by the high personal cost Nabeel has had to pay to follow Christ. His relationships with his peaceful and loving parents has been torn to shreds:

"After my family learned of my conversion, they have not been the same. My mother has tears in her eyes whenever I see her, a quiver in her voice whenever I hear her, and absolute despair on her face in sleep and while awake. Never have I met a mother more devoted to her children than my mother, and how did I repay her? In her mind, decades worth of emotional and physical investment ended up with her son espousing views that are completely antithetical to everything she stands for. My father, a loving, gentle, and big-hearted man with every ounce of the emotional strength expected of a 24-year veteran of the U.S. military, broke down for the first time that I had ever seen. To be the cause of the only tears I ever saw fall from his eyes is not easy to live with. To hear him... the man who stood tallest in my life from the day I was born, my archetype of strength, my father... to hear him say that because of me he felt his backbone has been ripped out from behind him, feels like patricide. It was then that I wondered why God had let me live; why had God not just lifted me to Himself when I had found the truth? Why did I have to hurt my family so much, and practically eschew the ones who loved me more than anyone else?

The answer was sought and found in God's word. After accepting Him, it is my duty to work for Him and walk His path. For now, my loss was to be comforted by His words found in Mark 10:29-30:

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields, and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life."

But there was more. I have to inform my parents of the Truth, no matter how painful, because they need to be saved. Not just them, but I also have friends that need to be saved. At least billions upon billions of souls in this world need to be saved. Can I do these things? Can my parents be saved, even pulled from Satan's trap itself? Am I really supposed to spread the message to the ends of the earth?

Paul says in Philippians 4:13 that I can do these things through God. He tells me in II Timothy 2:25-26 that I must gently instruct everyone, even my parents, in hopes that they will be saved from the trap of the devil. And Christ Himself informs his apostles in Matthew 28:19 to make disciples of all nations. Thus, much like Paul in Acts 20:24, my life's meaning is this: to testify to the gospel of God's grace. And in doing so, He comforts me, and gives me fortitude."

It makes me ashamed of my own Christian walk. I struggle to work up the courage to talk to family and friends about Christ, I would much rather have their love and approval. God, please forgive me and grant me the courage to follow you no matter what the cost.

(Thanks to Doug TenNapel for the link.)

Faces Like Flint

2006-07-31T00:38:00.000-05:00

A new evangelism blog. Looks like some hard-hitting stuff.

http://www.faceslikeflint.com/

Eight Reasons I Don't Share My Faith

2006-07-31T00:23:00.000-05:00

Way of the Master Radio has a really fun little video on their website called "Eight Reasons I Don't Share My Faith". It looks like it was made by two goofy college guys with a great sense of humor and a real passion for the lost. The video is 6 minutes long. Check it out.

Adventures of a Chicken: Street Preaching!

2006-07-30T01:44:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was in downtown Minneapolis witnessing with some friends (first time in two months, shame on me). It was hot and muggy but we had a great time. Six of us showed up, we passed out tracts and struck up a few spiritual conversations. I try to speak in respectful, friendly-but-concerned tones. Rather than judge them I let them judge themselves as I ask questions, quote some Scripture, and let the Holy Spirit do the work in their hearts. The results are never boring!

Mike, our leader, did some street preaching. Afterwards a young lady came up to him and said she had a divinity degree from Yale, and that God doesn't like preachers talking about sin and judgment. She even took his Bible to try and find a verse to support her claim. After thumbing some pages she declared, "This isn't a real Bible!", and gave it back.

I also talked with two twenty-somethings with spiked hair and tattoos. We had a good, friendly conversation but ultimately they said they refused to believe that God holds us to the moral standards of the Bible. Then I talked with a rickshaw-bike driver who said he was a Christian but believed in karma and thought he would get to heaven because he was such a good person (he claimed that he hadn't lied even once in the past year.) We also talked with a woman who said she was a "Mormon-Christian". She basically said, "Jesus died to forgive everyone, so we are all going to heaven, so I can drink and smoke and do whatever and it doesn't matter". Another young man told me that Jesus' words about God's judgment were "just an interpretation".

It blows me away sometimes that so many people know so little about what the Bible really says.

Our team handed out over 300 cartoon gospel tracts. A few wound up on the sidewalk and one was even torn to shreds, but most people held on to them and a couple people actually read them right there in front of me. So that was pretty cool.

But there was one big highlight for me. Call me crazy but...I finally worked up the courage to try some street preaching (gulp!)

I've listened to Ray Comfort and Todd Friel do street preaching, and I've studied up on how to do it. There are a lot of wrong ways to street preach, but as Ray Comfort says, "A good street preacher can reach more people in one night than most churches reach in an entire year". So I finally worked up enough guts to take the plunge.

Public speaking is scary enough, public speaking about Jesus is even worse. So my stomach was doing sumersaults. But my friends were very supportive, and before speaking I prayed that God would use my weak, sinful tongue for His glory. When the time came to raise my voice I found myself remarkably calm. Just taking the step to lay myself on the line like that felt great, like I was getting a small glimpse of what it really means to take up my cross and follow Him.

I wanted to be careful not to shout like a weird Christian wingnut, but I didn't want to sound mamby-pamby either. So I started out holding up some bills and announcing that I was giving away money for trivia questions. I asked a few questions and gave $1 for each right answer, and that drew a small crowd of 10-12 people. Then I offered $20 to a volunteer if she could pass the "Good Person Test". I asked her if she had ever lied, stolen, used God's name in vain, etc. and after the third question she laughed and said, "I'm not going to get the $20 am I?". So far so good, she was getting the point.

Then I began talking about how we are all sinners and that we need a Savior. As soon as I mentioned Jesus, the crowd just scattered. It was like cockroaches when the light is turned on. Within less than a minute there was almost no one listening except passers-by and one woman leaning up against a nearby wall. She seemed intent on what I was saying, so I wrapped it up with a final plea and thanked everyone for their time.

I only spoke for maybe 5 minutes total, and I lost most of my crowd. But for a first-timer I think I did ok. I gave God a small offering of myself and the rest is up to Him. Even if no one listened, I felt like I took a huge step of faith and as a result I grew a little. My palms were sweaty and my knees were knocking, but that's a small price to pay for the One who bled and died for me.

Old Evangelism Started With 'Bad News' First

2006-07-18T11:02:00.001-05:00

Some powerful quotes from great evangelists of centuries past (taken from OldTruth.com):

"It's got to be at least 75 percent law and judgment, and 25 percent grace and forgiveness". Those are the words of John MacArthur, echoing the "old truth" way to present the Gospel message. MacArthur's reasoning goes like this: "God's grace cannot be faithfully preached to unbelievers until the Law is preached and man's corrupt nature is exposed. It is impossible for a person to fully realize his need for God's grace until he sees how terribly he has failed the standards of God's Law".

But more and more today, Gospel presentations are based on a "half truth" message that emphasizes only the good news, with little or no mention of any bad news. And as the saying goes: A half truth, presented as though it were the whole truth, is an untruth. The modern evangelistic half-message contains only 'positive' things, and is often based on a man-centered theme of lifestyle improvement.

To contrast modern methods, let's go back in time and see how the Gospel was preached, by a few noteworthy representatives of previous centuries:

J. C. Ryle:

People will never set their faces decidedly towards heaven, and live like pilgrims, until they really feel that they are in danger of hell . . . Let us expound and beat out the Ten Commandments, and show the length, and breadth, and depth, and height of their requirements. This is the way of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount. We cannot do better than follow His plan. We may depend on it, men will never come to Jesus, and stay with Jesus, and live for Jesus, unless they really know why they are to come, and what is their need. Those whom the Spirit draws to Jesus are those whom the Spirit has convinced of sin. Without thorough conviction of sin, men may seem to come to Jesus and follow Him for a season, but they will soon fall away and return to the world.

George Whitefield:

That is the reason we have so many 'mushroom' converts, because their stony ground is not plowed up; they have not got a conviction of the Law; they are stony-ground hearers.
First, then, before peace can be spoken to your hearts, you must be made to see, made to feel, made to weep over, made to bewail, your actual transgressions against the Law of God.

D. L. Moody:

It is a great mistake to give a man who has not been convicted of sin certain passages that were never meant for him. The Law is what he needs . . . Do not offer the consolation of the gospel until he sees and knows he is guilty before God. We must give enough of the Law to take away all self-righteousness. I pity the man who preaches only one side of the truth-always the gospel, and never the Law.

Charles Spurgeon:

I do not believe that any man can preach the gospel who does not preach the Law. Lower the Law and you dim the light by which man perceives his guilt; this is a very serious loss to the sinner rather than a gain; for it lessens the likelihood of his conviction and conversion. I say you have deprived the gospel of its [its most powerful weapon] when you have set aside the Law. You have taken away from it the schoolmaster that is to bring men to Christ. . . They will never accept grace till they tremble before a just and holy Law. Therefore the Law serves a most necessary purpose, and it must not be removed from its place.

God [has] appointed a Day in which He will judge the world, and we sigh and cry until it shall end the reign of wickedness, and give rest to the oppressed. Brethren, we must preach the coming of the Lord, and preach it somewhat more than we have done; because it is the driving power of the gospel. Too many have kept back these truths, and thus the bone has been taken out of the arm of the gospel. Its point has been broken; its edge has been blunted. The doctrine of judgment to come is the power by which men are to be aroused. There is another life; the Lord will come a second time; judgment will arrive; the wrath of God will be revealed. Where this is not preached, I am bold to say the gospel is not preached. It is absolutely necessary to the preaching of the gospel of Christ that men be warned as to what will happen if they continue in their sins.

A.W. Pink:

The unsaved are in no condition today for the gospel till the Law be applied to their hearts, for "by the Law is the knowledge of sin." It is a waste of time to sow seed on ground which has never been ploughed or spaded. To present the vicarious sacrifice of Christ to those whose dominant passion is to take fill of sin, is to give that which is holy to the dogs.

Jonathan Edwards:

In 1741, Edwards preached one of the most famous sermons in American History. It was called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", and it prepared the way for the good news, by first presenting the bad news. The sermon sparked revival in Enfield Connecticut, an area that had been largely untouched by the Great Awakening up to that point.

Read "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" online at:
http://www.jonathanedwards.com/sermons/Warnings/sinners.htm

Or listen to this sermon online (audio):
http://sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=770213541

The Lost Key To Gospel Relevancy

2006-07-18T10:52:00.000-05:00

From OldTruth.com:

"Today's evangelism is striving after new and innovative ways to make the Gospel seem more relevant to unbelievers. Churches invest endless effort, creativity, and dollars in new ways of packaging an age-old message, so that it will seem more useful to unchurched Harry and Mary. But is it possible that contemporary Christianity is missing a key biblical component that brings into focus the true relevancy of the Gospel? The answer to that question, is found in this 300+ year old illustration of a broom, some water, and a bunch of dust.... (Click to read more.)

You Can Do It! Just Realize You Can't.

2006-07-11T12:22:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been listening to the podcast of Way of the Master Radio, where they often broadcast people doing evangelism live. It's funny, when listening I often feel encouraged and discouraged at the same time. It's very encouraging to hear the gospel being preached so effectively, and by listening I pick up lots of great insights and tidbits that I can file away mentally for use in my own evangelism efforts. But then as I listen to these professional evangelists I feel discouraged, and I am tempted to think, "I could never do that!"

I have to remind myself, these people in full-time ministry did not hone their skills overnight. It took lots of practice, and even some big failures and screw-ups, to get where they are. They've had to study, practice, and make mistakes. And (surprise!) they still get scared when they go out to witness. Even Paul got nervous when he preached. He told the Christians at Corinth "I came to you in weakness and fear, with much trembling" (1 Corinthians 2:3).

Yes, evangelism can be intmidating. But the only way to get better at it is to do it. You can't learn and grow by staying on the sidelines. Besides, fear and nervousness keep us humble, and humility is something God delights to use. Fear also keeps us praying and leaning on God for courage and strength. Besides, ultimately it is the Holy Spirit that does the converting. We are simply tools that God uses. So while training and study are important, remember that our true comptence comes not from ourselves but from God (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

So rather than letting your fears hold you back, let them push you to move forward while leaning on Christ with all your might. You may be amazed at what God does through you.

French Fries. French Toast. French Tract?

2006-07-10T09:17:00.000-05:00

The cartoon gospel tract I illustrated back in January has now been translated into French for by Living Waters Canada. You can pre-order the French version here. Also in the works are translations in Spanish and Tagalog (Philippines). Wow, super-cool!

Foxe's Book of Martyrs: Modern American Edition

2006-07-06T05:04:00.000-05:00

The Sacred Sandwich is promoting a "modern American" version of the great Christian classic. They make their point well.

Eight Great Witnessing Tips

2006-07-04T00:31:00.000-05:00

Stand to Reason lists some really good witnessing tips.

10 Reasons to Use Gospel Tracts

2006-07-04T00:25:00.000-05:00

If you are like me, the thought of sharing the gospel is kinda scary. OK, downright terrifying. That's one reason why I like to use good, creative gospel tracts. They make sharing the gospel a lot easier by doing the work for us. Here's ten more reasons to use tracts (from ShareYourFaith.org):

WHY GOSPEL TRACTS?
Why should you give out tracts? Here are 10 reasons:
1. They are a very economical form of evangelism.
2. They work while we sleep.
3. They have the ability to get into a house and stay there.
4. They are never afraid or show cowardice.
5. They are never tempted to compromise their message.
6. They never get tired, discouraged or give up.
7. They stick to what they have to say and never argue.
8. They can present the message when we don't have time.
9. They can go to places where we cannot go.
10. They get people in the mood – they only speak when they are read. (www.transfired.org)
As you offer a tract don’t say: “Would you like a Gospel tract?” Just ask, “Did you get one?”

Foxe's Book of Martyrs

2006-06-12T03:48:00.000-05:00

Foxe's Book of Martyrs is a classic, filled with the stories of Christians great and small who have paid the ultimate price so that others might hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here's a few short excerpts from Chapter 2, listed under "The Fourth Persecution, Under Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antonius (AD 162-180)". Every time I read this it makes me ashamed of my cowardice and timidity, and I ask God to give me more courage to lovingly spread His good news:

"The cruelties against Christians in this persecution were so inhuman that many of those who watched them shuddered in horror, and were astonished at the courage of the sufferers. Some of the martyrs had their feet crushed in presses, and were then forced to walk over thorns, nails, sharp shells, and other pointed objects. Others were whipped until their sinews and veins were exposed. Then, after suffering the most excruciating tortures that could be devised, they were killed in terrible ways. Yet few turned from Christ or begged their torturers to lessen their pains.

When Germanicus, a young man and true Christian, was delivered to the wild lions on account of his faith, he behaved with such astonishing courage that several pagans were converted to the faith that inspired such bravery...

Felicitatis, a well-known lady of a wealthy Roman family was a devout and pious Christian. She had seven sons who were also devout Christians. All were martyred.

Januarius, the eldest, was scourged, and pressed to death with weights. Felix and Philip, the two next, had their brains dashed out with a club. Silvanus, the fourth, was thrown from a precipice. The three younger sons, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martial, were beheaded with a sword. Felicitatis was then beheaded with the same sword....

Sanctus, a deacon of Vienna, had red hot plates of brass placed upon the tenderest parts of his body and left there until they burned through to his bones...

Blandina, a Christian lady of weak constitution who was not thought to be able to resist torture, but whose fortitude was so great that her tormenters became exhausted with their devilish work, was afterward taken into an amphitheater with three others...[She] was torn by the lions, scourged, put into a net and tossed about by a wild bull, and placed naked into a red-hot metal chair. When she could speak, she exhorted all near her to hold fast to their faith....When Blandina's torturers were unable to make her recant her faith, they killed her with a sword."

And here I sit, comfrotable in my luxurious middle-class American lifestyle, worried that if I talk about Jesus someone might think I'm weird.

Lord, please forgive us for our cowardice. Give us courage and boldness to lay down our reputations and our lives for your glory. Amen.

Secret Service Confiscates "Counterfiet" Gospel Tracts

2006-06-04T19:18:00.000-05:00

It appears common sense has gone out the window:

Secret Service threatens evangelist
in Texas with arrest for counterfeiting

This story is just crazy. First of all, how can you counterfeit something that doesn't exist? (EDIT: This ministry is not alone in printing fake million dollar bills. Lots of novelty stores make and sell them. I did a Google search for "million dollar bill" and got back 88,500 results!)

Second, even if there really was such a thing as a million dollar bill you could never spend it (can you imagine buying M&Ms at the gas station and asking for $999,999.00 in change?)

Third, this tract is a powerful witnessing tool and it would be a shame to see it "banned". I often hand one to a waiter or teller with a smile and say "Thanks a million!" Their faces light up! I then explain it's a gospel tract and encourage them to read it. It's also a great conversation starter when sharing your faith. Hand it to someone and ask you if they would sell you their eyes for a million dollars (they usually say "no"). Then explain that if our eyes are that valuable, how much more valuable is our soul?

Let's pray that the Secret Service changes their mind, and that in the mean time God would give a spirit of wisdom and grace to the Christians who are being investigated.

(EDIT: Here's some video from a news broadcast about the tracts being confiscated:)

Ten Questions to Ask About The DaVinci Code

2006-05-28T14:27:00.000-05:00

Steve Camp has posted "Ten Questions to Ask About The DaVinci Code". These simple questions (originally written by Don Whitney) should cause any thinking person to realize that the Christian "conspiracy" presented in the book is full of holes.

Finishing Well

2006-05-24T07:56:00.000-05:00

This morning I heard an excellent sermon on the radio by Pastor John Piper. It was a challenging call to turn our backs on worldly success and instead take up our cross (with all the sacrifices and ridicule that may entail). Piper challenged us to stop focusing on making our lives easier and to start learning to have the attitude of Paul:

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Acts 20:24)

My favorite line from the sermon: "No one finishes strong without a fight". For someone like me, a spoiled and impatient American who likes to live comfortably and avoid conflict, it was something I needed to hear.

Listen to the sermon online here.

Why More Christians Don't Witness

2006-05-18T23:30:00.000-05:00

(This is a re-post from the early days when no one was reading my blog.)

"Religious faith should be a private thing. I don't want to be a religious fanatic."

"Mind your own business. You don't have any right to force your views on someone else."

"You're going to offend this person. Don't say anything."

"He'll think you're a fanatic."

"This person will say 'no' and I'll be embarrassed."

When it comes to sharing the Gospel, have you ever wrestled with these thoughts/feelings? If so, the folks at ShareYourFaith.org have a terrific article excerpted from Bill Bright's book Witnessing Without Fear. Click here to check it out!

Free DaVinci Code Tract

2006-05-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

The Da Vinci Code opens Friday and it's going to be a blockbuster. As you may know, the plot rests on the premise that Christianity is really a giant hoax. Of course the movie is fiction, and even secular scholars agree the movie's claims are bogus. The scholarship of DaVinci's author Dan Brown is on the same level as the "Elvis is alive" club. But we live in a culture where truth is relative and entertainment often trumps evidence, so this movie is going to create a lot of unnecessary doubts about Christianity in people's minds.

Fortunately there are a lot of great websites out there to help set people straight. Two that I like are The Truth Aboug DaVinci and Lee Strobel's DaVinci site (which includes some good video clips). But as helpful as these sites are, it's unlikely that most moviegoers will take the time to seek them out.

So I propose that we take the message to them...and at the same time we can present the Gospel. Why not go to a movie theater this weekend and hand out DaVinci Code-themed Gospel tracts to movie-goers as they leave? Here's a good tract you can download and print for free:

If anyone in the Minneapolis area is interested in going out this weekend, contact me. I'm planning to get a group together.

The Folly of Trying to Please Men

2006-05-03T10:42:00.000-05:00

OK, I admit it....I like to be liked. I want to be respected. It feels good when I get compliments or a pat on the back. But even more than that, I hate being disliked. I fight a daily battle with the urge to please other people, to avoid conflict and just make everyone happy.

Not exactly the ideal profile of an evangelist, is it?

Fortunately, God is helping me learn that pleasing Him is more important than pleasing men. After all, Jesus said promised that those who follow Him would face persecution and rejection (John 15:19; Matt. 5:11; 2 Tim. 3:12). Some Christians seem to think that means seeking out ridicule and rejection just to prove how holy we are. That's not what I'm talking about at all. The Bible tells us to win the respect of outsiders and treat them with gentleness and respect (1 Thess, 4:12; 1 Tim. 3:7; 1 Pet 3:15). So there must be a holy balance somewhere between the two.

Nevertheless, for the Christian (and especially for the evangelist) rejection is inevitable. Which is why I'm so grateful for this article by Puritan Richard Baxter entitled The Folly of Trying to Please Men (posted by Steve Camp on his blog). It lists 22 reasons why trying to please others is foolish. If you desire to share the Gospel, sooner or later (probably sooner) you'll face rejection. Reading Baxter's words will go a long way towards encouraging you when that happens.

How to Witness and Preach Effectively

2006-05-01T00:26:00.000-05:00

One of the guys at ShareYourFaith.org just sent me these notes from a sermon on evangelsim by Ray Comfort, which I'm reprinting here. Comfort (pictured above) is a street preacher from New Zealand who combines humor and wit with a strong, uncompromising message. This sermon is entitled "How to Witness and Preach Effectively":

Be patient, meek and self-controlled in teaching sinners. (2 Tim 2:23-26). We must not quarrel, but rather be gentle and mindful of the sinner's total blindness to the things of God. It is unreasonable to expect a sinner to do or know the things of God.

Teach what? The law of God first then the Gospel of peace. (Rom 2:18; Gal 3:24; Rom 7:7). The only thing that will awaken a sinner is the Law of God, so focus on exposing the law and sharing the Gospel thereafter.

Avoid foolish rabbit-trails and tangents. (Luke 13:1-5). Go directly to the conscience and circumnavigate the mind which is hostile to God (Rom 8:7)

Aim for repentance rather than a decision. (Luke 13:1-5). There is no salvation without repentance. Unless the sinner repents he will likewise perish. The spurious decision will inoculate a sinner against the true Gospel of peace and damn the sinner in hell.

Earn the right to witness. (John 4:3-39). First the natural then the spiritual. Use the RCCR principle to Relate to the sinner, Create an opportunity to discuss spiritual things, Convict the sinner through the Law and then Reveal the Gospel to him.

Let God give him assurance of salvation. (1 John 5:10). If the sinner prays to be saved God will be the one giving him assurance, not you, lest he looses it and goes back to you for it again and again.

Never fear hecklers. They are the best thing that happen in the open air setting. They are crown-gatherers when handled appropriately.

Be careful of your use of terminologies. (Heb 8:11). People have different understanding of the word "Christian" when asked if they are one. Ask them if they know the Lord instead.

Remember this is a spiritual battle. (Eph 6:12).

Pray for Godly discernment. Do not align yourself with anyone in the crowd, lets you testimony be hurt by their behavior.

Use the elements for amplification. (Mat 13:2). Use the buildings and streets around to amplify your voice. Preach with the wind and not against it as it will carry your voice farther. Jesus often preached from the lake as water can carry sound for miles. Learn to speak clearly and find your volume level.

Never preach wearing sunglasses. The eyes are the windows to your soul. Let sinners see your soul and heart when you speak.

Do not let anger in sinners concern you. (Acts 19:23). Anger is 1000 times better than apathy. Sinners use anger to hide their exposed sin, but it will later drive the sinner to repentance.

Be honest in your preaching and witnessing. (Acts 26:24). Let it come from your heart. We are talking about eternity. If you do not have tears in your eyes, let them hear the tears in your voice.

Read proverbs regularly. (Proverbs 15:1). They will teach you in life's direction. Pray God for wisdom revealed in his word.

Remember your calling. Remember what you were saved for. Do not get distracted by anything else but the call to seek and save that which is lost.

Use the word.

Use your testimony as much as you can. People relate to common things, and if you are like most people, your story will be a tool to relate to the sinner.

Preach "in the sight of God". Call Hell hell. Do not slip into the temptation to please men, but please God. (1 Thess 2:4; Gal 1:10)

Use springboards and anecdotes as much as you can. Use anecdotes, things than people can relate to then switch from the natural to the spiritual. Jesus filled his preaching with parables.

Give yourself a lift in the open air. People will be attracted to listen.

Jesus Is Not Cool

2006-04-27T09:34:00.000-05:00

There's a new blog that I think I'm really going to like:
Jesus Is Not Cool

On another site I also ran across an excellent article about trying to make Jesus "cool". I especially liked the last paragraph:

Let’s resolve not to “improve” upon God’s message once for all delivered to the saints. Mind you, we don’t need to rush out and become Jerks for Jesus as we share it. We may do so winsomely, persuasively, and with big smiles on our faces. But let’s not alter it to gain social acceptance like a freshman smoking a cigarette. Let's trust God. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength” (1 Cor. 1:25).

Are You Good Enough to go to Heaven?

2006-04-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

Take THIS TEST to find out.

Bathroom Reading

2006-04-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

Reading in the bathroom is a common practice, which is probably why Uncle John's Bathroom Reader sold so many copies. So the next time you are in a public restroom, why not leave behind a good gospel tract? No, really. Just set one on the toilet paper dispenser. After all, the next person to use the stall won't have anything else to do, so there's a very good chance it will get read. It might sound crazy, but God delights in using weak and humble methods to advance His kingdom. So why not a little bathroom evangelism?

The Art of Manfishing

2006-03-31T02:45:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I just need a good kick in the pants. There's a group here in the Twin Cities that goes downtown twice a week to strike up conversations with others in a friendly effort to share the Gospel. Lately I've been too busy to be a "fisher of men". Tonight I was reading an old Puritan book on evangelism called The Art of Manfishing by Thomas Boston, and I got the kick I needed.

Boston writes in "Olde English" phrases, which makes him a little hard to understand sometimes. So I will try to summarize his thoughts using modern language. (He doesn't pull any punches!)

If this doesn't motivate you to tell others about Jesus, I don't know what will:

First, consider the precious worth of a human soul:

1. Each person is made in God's image with heart, mind, and will capable of loving God and glorifying Him.

2. Every soul is eternal. It will either enjoy God through all the ages of eternity, or remain in endless torment forever.

3. No amount of worldly wealth can equal the worth of a soul. "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world but forfeit his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

4. It cost Christ his precious blood so the soul could be redeemed. He chose to bear the Father's wrath to win souls for all eternity, and nothing less could redeem them.

5. Both Christ and the Devil find each soul worthy of courting and alluring.

Second, consider the hazard that souls are in:
Sadly, most souls are walking blindfolded down the road to destruction; strive to remove their blindfolds. Lost souls are like twigs waiting to be burned; snatch them from the fire! If you have no concern for the eternal damnation of the lost, then you are cruel indeed and shall suffer in hell yourself.

Third, remember what a sad and dark place you were in before Christ saved you and showered his mercy on you.
You were headed for hell, blind as a mole, when Christ opened your eyes and let you see the danger you were in. And now do you dare to be unconcerned for others who are just as lost as you once were? Such an uncaring person would be a vile monster indeed.

Finally, may your heart be overwhelmed with concern for the lost.
He who has no concern for the lost has a dead heart, a lifeless soul, and no love for Christ. But he that loves Christ will desire to expand His kingdom.

Do you believe that the wicked shall be thrown into hell? Meditate on their fate in everlasting fire, that it may thaw your frozen heart and overwhelm you with compassion so as to plead with sinners to be saved.

Satan works so hard for men's souls that he puts many Christians to shame. "The devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8), while many Christians creep along like snails. The devil's followers "travel over land and see to win a single convert" (Matthew 23:15). Will you do any less for your Savior?

If you have no concern for lost souls, you are not a true Christian. "The hired man runs away because he cares nothing for the sheep." (John 10:13).

Strive to follow Christ and put the good of other souls constantly before your eyes. Then He will make you a fisher of men indeed.

Witnessing to Family Members

2006-03-24T12:36:00.000-06:00

Sharing the Gospel with strangers can be scary enough, but for some reason it seems even more difficult to share with family members and relatives. Maybe it's because we have so much more to lose if it doesn't go well? I personally find it very hard, and the attempts I have made have not always gone so well.

Evagelist Ray Comfort has an encouraging article on his website, well worth a read.

Nightline This Friday

2006-03-16T11:35:00.000-06:00

This looks pretty cool. Recently I illustrated a cartoon gospel tract for Living Waters. Well, the guy that hired me and sells them is going to be interviewed on Nightline this Friday (March 17) on NBC, along with his ministry partner and former child star Kirk Cameron. His name is Ray Comfort and he is a really neat Christian guy with a terrific sense of humor. Their ministry has been exploding in recent years and they now have a radio show and an award-winning TV program of their own, a Christian reality show about sharing your faith called Way of the Master (no, he is NOT a televangelist. Yuck!)

I very highly doubt my tract will get any mention, but Ray and Kirk are fascinating people with a terrific ministry, so this should be a good interview. Airtimes vary, but in the Minneapolis market Nightline will be airing this Friday at 10:35 pm on KSTP-5 (ABC). To check your local listings click HERE, type in your zip code, and then type in "Nightline" in the search box.

Witnessing to Homosexuals

2006-03-11T17:55:00.000-06:00

(Editorial cartoon by Nick Anderson)

Homosexuality is a hot topic these days, and emotions run deep on both sides. Christians and gays each see the other as the enemy in the culture war, and unfortunately many homosexuals would see the above cartoon not as a caricature, but as a dead-on accurate portrayal.

So how do we Christians go about winning these "enemies" to Jesus?

First, we do what Jesus commanded and love our enemies. Not the mushy kind of love that says "live and let live", but the tough love that balances hard truth with gentle humility ("clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." -Colossians 3:12). At the very least that means treating homosexuals with respect and simply listening to what they have to say, even if we strongly disagree. In the few encounters I've had with homosexuals, as soon as the conversation turns to religion you could cut the tension with a knife. In order to have a chance at being heard, I need to bend over backwards to be polite and friendly and show a genuine interest in understanding their point of view--even if it is dead wrong.

Second, listen sincerely but don't get roped into a debate about homosexuality. Avoid it like the plague. They will be ready with gloves on. Instead, remember that their urgent need for salvation is much bigger than just that one individual sin. There are still nine other commandments that they are guilty of breaking. Focus on them and set homosexuality aside. Help them to understand that they need a Savior not because they are homosexuals, but because they are sinners (as we all are). The ground is level at the cross.

Third, remember that while it may be our job to catch the fish, it is the Holy Spirit's job to clean them. We don't get our lives straightened out first and then come to Jesus. Rather, we come to him as humble and broken sinners and then He starts the life-long process of growing us in holiness. This may mean starting with the small sins (i.e. lying and swearing) and then working up to the bigger sins (i.e. homosexuality). I know of former homosexuals who still struggled with the gay lifestyle for several years after coming to Christ before they finally found freedom.

There are no simple answers or silver bullets. But these tips can help to keep a highly charged situation from blowing up in your face.

Evangelism Involves Teaching

2006-03-09T12:03:00.001-06:00

Sharing the Gospel is not just about us taking the courage to step out in faith. It is also about being patient and explaining things clearly so that the message is understood.

A passage from Ray Comfort's excellent book, The World's Greatest Preachers, p.173:

"It is obvious from Scripture that God requires us not only to preach to sinners, but also to teach them. The servant of the Lord must be 'apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing' those who oppose him (2 Timothy 2:24-25). For a long while, I thought I was to leap among sinners, scatter the seed, then leave. But our responsibility goes further. We are to bring the sinner to a point of understanding his need before God. Psalm 25:8 says, "Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way." Psalm 51:13 affirms, "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways: and sinners shall be converted unto thee." The Great Commission is to teach sinners: "Teach all nations...teaching them to observe all things" (Matthew 28:19-20). The disciples obeyed the command: "Daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42, emphasis added). The "good-soil" hearer is he who "heareth...and understandeth" (Matthew 13:23).

Philip the evangelist saw fit to ask his potential convert, the Etheopian, "Do you understand what you are reading?" (Acts 8:30 NKJV). Some preachers are like a loud gun that misses the target. It may sound effective, but if the bullet misses the target, the exercise is in vain. He may be the largest-lunged, chandelier-swinging, pulpit-pounding preacher this side of the book of Acts. He may have great teaching on faith, and everyone he touches may fall over, but if the sinner leaves the meeting failing to understand his desperate need for God's forgiveness, then the preacher has failed. He has missed the target, which is the understanding of the sinner. This is why the Law of God must be used in preaching. It is a ""schoolmaster" (Galatians 3:24-25) to bring "knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20). It teaches and instructs. A sinner will come to "know His will, and approve the things that are most excellent" (see Acts 22:14; Philippians 1:10), if he is "instructed out of the Law" (Romans 2:18)."

Don't just preach the Gospel. Make sure your hearers are understanding it.

Share Jesus Without Fear

2006-03-01T00:15:00.000-06:00

I recently heard Bill Fay, author of Share Jesus Without Fear interviewed on the radio. I was very impressed with what he had to say. If you'd like to listen, his website has a great audio download that offers some excellent tips on sharing the Gospel.

I especially liked his emphasis on asking questions and listening rather than just preaching or arguing. "Loving someone means listening to what they have to say". Fay's approach is to transition a conversation to the Gospel simply by asking questions. Not to give too much away, the five questions are....

1. Do you have any kind of spiritual belief?
2. To you, who is Jesus?
3. Do you think there is a heaven or hell?
4. If you died today, where would you go? If heaven, why would God let you in?
5. By the way, if what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?

Another thing I like is that Fay lets Scripture do the talking. He carries a small Bible, and once he has an opening in the conversation he simply flips to gospel passages and has the listener read them aloud. "My job is to point them to the Scriptures and get out of the Holy Spirit's way". I like that. It takes away a lot of the pressure to feel like I have to know all the answers.

To get the full impact of Fay's teaching, give it a listen.

80,000!

2006-02-27T13:42:00.000-06:00

Recently I had the privilige of illustrating a cartoon gospel tract for Living Waters. The tract rolled off the presses in January with 80,000 copies, and I was just notified that the tract has sold out in only six weeks! Living Waters is printing 250,000 more (that's a quarter million!). Needless to say, I am very excited! If you want to order some copies to distribute, you can read the tract online and order packs of 100 HERE (more copies should be available in a couple of weeks).

Oh, and in case you are wondering I choose not to accept any profits or royalties from sales of the tract.

Back to Blogging

2006-02-27T13:36:00.000-06:00

I'm back to blogging, though I might not post quite as frequently as I would like. Thanks to everyone for their kind words of concern about my Dad. He is home from the hospital and doing well. But I certainly appreciate him more now, considering that we came within a whisker of losing him. If the paramedics had arrived just a couple of minutes later, he would have been dead. It's a good reminder of how brief our lives are and how we really never know how much time we have left--therefore we should strive to live each day with things that last for eternity (i.e. God's Word and the souls of men) as opposed to the things that only last during this life (i.e. money, prestige, entertainment, etc.) What a shame that so many of us focus on the latter rather than the former.

So share the Gosple while you can. You never know when your time will be up.

Taking a Break

2006-02-21T18:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I received the gut-wrenching news that my father has had a heart attack. Fortunately the ambulance arrived just in time to revive him, the surgery went well, and it appears he is going to be just fine. For that I am extremely thankful to God, it could have been so much worse. And I've received a lot of prayers and well-wishes from friends, which really means a lot. But I'm still kind of shaken up as I realize what almost happened. It's the kind of thing that is supposed to happen to "other people" but never to you.

Over the next few days I will be doing nothing but spending a lot of time with family and trying to catch up on freelance work. So my blog is going on the back burner for a while...but hopefully not too long. Thanks to all my regular readers for your patience and understanding. I'll be back soon!

Cedric

Stand to Reason

2006-02-20T13:12:00.000-06:00

If you start sharing the Gospel frequently, you will run into all kinds of questions and objections. "You can't trust the Bible." "It doesn't matter what you believe." "What about evolution?" Etc. Knowing how to deal with such questions can seem intimidating. Even if you know the right answers, it's hard not to let the conversation degenerate into an argument and take you off the main topic of the Gospel.

That's why I'm so grateful for the ministry of Stand to Reason. These are some really smart folks who specialize in training Christians to think clearly and communicate effectively. They put on a seminar in Minneapolis a few months ago that blew me away, and I'm currently taking their Ambassador Basic Curriculum course through my church. It's a 15-CD set complete with over 200 pages of printable PDF notes, which I highly recommend. Stand to Reason doesn't just give you facts to memorize, they teach you tatics for communicating effectively with others. Check it out!

Swimming Lessons

2006-02-17T02:10:00.000-06:00

Evangelism is like swimming. There is only so much a person can learn on dry land. The real training begins when you jump in the water.

Have you put your toe in the water yet? Yes, sharing the gospel is scary. And yes, you might make some mistakes. But mistakes will keep up humble and dependant on the Lord, for "God gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). Jesus calls us to be fishers of men, and he is ultimately the one who will bring the fish into our nets when the time is right. But we can't catch any fish standing on shore.

Pray for God to give you the courage to open your mouth and speak to someone about their salvation. Or, if that is too much, try leaving a tract in a grocery cart or a bathroom stall. But do something. Jesus can take even the smallest offering and multiply it to feed thousands.

A God of Wrath?

2006-02-15T11:33:00.000-06:00

Modern Christianity downplays or even ignores the wrath of God, probably because we dislike the stereotype of the "hellfire preacher" who portrays God as a mean, angry, spiteful bully. But there's a difference between wild "hellfire preaching" and true, biblical preaching about hell. The key is to make hell seem reasonable.

By humbly and lovingly talking about sin and our many violations of God's holy law, Hell suddenly makes sense. Not only that, but the cross suddently makes sense. When people understand that Jesus died to save us from the wrath to come, his incredible love and mercy suddenly come into focus. His grace truly becomes "Amazing".

The New Testament is full of passages about hell and judgment. Read this list of verses. Ponder them. Let them sink into your heart. Then ask God to enlarge your compassion for the multitudes of lost sinners headed for judgment without a Savior.

Mockery of Christians is Nothing New

2006-02-10T19:44:00.000-06:00

One last post from Michael Green's excellent book, Evangelism in the Early Church. From pages 244-245:

"[Insults and mockery] pays the highest compliment to the zeal and dedication of the most ordinary Christians in the subapostolic age [2nd century]. Having found treasure, they meant to share it with others, to the limits of their ability. There is a touching example of this determination in the quarters of the imperial page boys, on the Palatine Hill in Rome. Here there is a third century picture, drawn in a youthful hand, of a boy standing in the attitude of worship, with one hand upraised. The object of his devotion is a figure on a cross, a figure of a man with an ass's head. Underneath is scrawled, 'Alexamenos worships his God.' Clearly one of the pages was a Christian, and unashamed of it. His schoolfellows were spitefully mocking him for his stand. But he was not ashamed, if we may judge from another inscription written in a different hand: 'Alexamenos is faithful!' Perhaps this was his own response to the cruel cartoon. Perhaps it was that of one of his classmates who had come to recognize the truth of what Alexamenos proclaimed."

The next time you face mocking or ridicule simply because you are a Christian, remember that you are not alone. "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.... In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 15:18; 16:31)

Evangelism in the Early Church (Part 3)

2006-02-10T17:30:00.000-06:00

Evangelistic Motives
(Adapted from Michael Green's excellent book, Evangelism in the Early Church.)

"[The early Christians were] so convinced that they had discovered the riddle of the universe, so sure of the One true God whom they had come to know, that nothing must stand in the way of their passing this good news on to others....They might be slighted, laughed at, disenfranchised, robbed of their possessions, their homes, even their families, but this would not stop them....They were not prepared to deny Christ even in order to preserve their own lives; and in the manner of their dying they made converts to their faith." (p.273)

Green highlights three motivations that fueled evangelism in the first and second centuries:

1. A sense of Gratitude
The early Christians had been transformed by love. A love so great that it compelled their Lord to willingly suffer and die for their sins, offering forgiveness and hope even to His enemies. This same love now lived in the hearts of His followers, along with a deep sense of gratitude. How could they not give up everything in service to this Lord, and how could they not share this good news with others?

2. A Sense of Responsibility.
The early church understood they would one day be called to account for their service to the Master, and they were determined to please Him in everything they did. They understood the reality of the coming Judgment Day, when every person would be confronted with his deeds. (The stress on Judgment in the second century was so great that it was the subject of ridicule among some pagans.) They took seriously their responsibility to live every day in the light of eternity, conscious that their every action was subject to the scrutiny of God.

3. A sense of Concern.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. The early Christians saw that on the cross Jesus suffered the wrath of God in our place, and rose triumphant to demonstrate his victory. United with Christ we could face judgment unafraid, released from the paralyzing terror of wondering all through our lives if we would be accepted or rejected on the last Day. If you believe that outside of Christ there is no hope, it is impossible to posses and atom of human love and kindness without being gripped with a great desire to bring people to this one way of salvation. Many in the early church plead earnestly, even with tears, to try and persuade others to step out of darkness and into the wonderful light of Christ.

May we do the same. Take a moment to examine yourself, and ask God to grow these same motives in your own heart.

The History of Natural Man

2006-02-09T10:46:00.000-06:00

I came across this neat little Flash animation called The History of Natural Man. It's a simple but dramatic presentation of our sinful nature and why we need a Savior. I wish it did a a better job of explaining how we get saved (answer: repentance and trust) but it's still a powerful reminder of why we can't save ourselves.

After you watch it, take a minute to ponder the wonder of your salvation. Then ask God for the courage to share that Good News with someone else.

Dying to Witness

2006-02-08T21:59:00.000-06:00

Joshua Ritchie has posted an inspiring little entry over at his blog about his friend "Big Al". It's a story about a guy with a truly amazing heart for evangelism. Give it a read.

Optical Illusion Tract Holder

2006-02-08T02:17:00.000-06:00

A while back I designed an optical illusion tract holder for Living Waters. The dog's head appears to follow you as you walk past it. It's a neat idea if you want a way to display tracts on a shelf or tall counter top. It reads, "Take one if you dare!", which will naturally arouse curiosity about the tracts. You can view a video of the illusion and order it here (tracts not included).

Check it out!

2006-02-07T17:34:00.000-06:00

Joshua Ritchie has been kind enough to recommend this site on his blog, Deception in the Church. Judging from his blog name you might think Joshua has a big axe to grind. Actually he has a good head on his shoulders and a great heart for evangelism. His blog is a good read, I highly recommend it.

Evangelism Training

2006-02-07T09:17:00.000-06:00

First, if you live in the Minneapolis area you are invited to our monthly evangelism training meeting tonight (Tuesday 2/7) at 7pm in the Northwestern Bookstore, Har Mar Mall, Roseville. We talk about various aspects of sharing the gospel, and then usually break up into small groups to do some role playing. It's a fun time and it's free (hey, can't beat that!) See you there.

For the rest of you, I also highly recommend The School of Biblical Evangelism which you can online from the comfort of your home. If you can't afford the course, at least buy the textbook. From the website:

"With 101 lessons on subjects ranging from basic Christian doctrines to knowing our enemy, from false conversions to proving the deity of Jesus, you will be well-equipped to answer questions as you witness to anyone. This study course will help you to prove the authenticity of the Bible, provide ample evidence for creation, refute the claims of evolution, understand the beliefs of those in cults and other religions, and know how to reach both friends and strangers with the gospel."

Hell's Best Kept Secret

2006-02-06T13:20:00.000-06:00

This is one of the best sermons I have ever heard. It has caused me to completely re-think how I share the gospel. The speaker, Ray Comfort, is not a fan of modern evangelism. Instead he draws insights from great evangelists like Spurgeon, Whitfield, Wesley, etc, translating them into modern terms in refreshing and creative ways. The reason modern American Christianity is so impotent, he says, is because we have negleted a key biblical principle used by these great men: Using the Law to bring conviction of sin. Give it a listen, it will open your eyes,

More Adventures of A Chicken

2006-02-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

"All men who are eminently useful are made to feel their weakness in a supreme degree."
--Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon Gold, p.61

"I have learned to thank God for fear, because without it, I wouldn't pray. I wouldn't bother. It is my own weakness that make me pray. My weakness makes me whisper, "Help me, Lord," and thus becomes my strength."
--Ray Comfort, Spurgeon Gold, p.61

"I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling."
--The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 2:3

"Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is acting in spite of our fears."
-- Unknown

More often than not, I'm a coward. When I talk with someone about Christ or even just pass out a tract, my heart beats faster and my palms get sweaty. How encouaraging to know that great men like Spurgeon, professional evangelists like Ray Comfort, and even the great Apostle Paul also struggled with fear. Yet these men put aside their fears, took up their crosses, and followed Christ in spite of the jeering crowd. May God grant us that same courage.

If we wait until we are no longer afraid to tell others how they can be saved, we will never speak...and they may never hear.

Letter From an Atheist

2006-02-02T14:32:00.000-06:00

The following is an e-mail sent to evangelist Ray Comfort at Living Waters. This atheist "gets it" better than some of us Christians:

"You are really convinced that you've got all the answers. You've really got yourself tricked into believing that you're 100% right. Well, let me tell you just one thing. Do you consider yourself to be compassionate of other humans? If you're right, as you say you are, and you believe that, then how can you sleep at night? When you speak with me, you are speaking with someone who you believe is walking directly into eternal damnation, into an endless onslaught of horrendous pain which your 'loving' god created, yet you stand by and do nothing.

If you believed one bit that thousands every day were falling into an eternal and unchangeable fate, you should be running the streets mad with rage at their blindness. That's equivalent to standing on a street corner and watching every person that passes you walk blindly directly into the path of a bus and die, yet you stand idly by and do nothing. You're just twiddling your thumbs, happy in the knowledge that one day that 'walk' signal will shine your way across the road.

Think about it. Imagine the horrors Hell must have in store if the Bible is true. You're just going to allow that to happen and not care about saving anyone but yourself? If you're right then you're an uncaring, unemotional and purely selfish (expletive) that has no right to talk about subjects such as love and caring."

Objection: "You Can't Trust the Bible"

2006-02-01T14:37:00.000-06:00

If you start sharing the Gospel regularly, you will hear this objection a lot. It takes several forms. Here's a few tips on how to respond:

"The Bible is full of contradictions"
Politely ask them to give you an example. Chances are they can't. Most non-Christians have never studied the Bible for themselves, they are just parroting something they have heard other people say. Appeal to their intellectual integrity, and ask them if it is reasonable to reject the Bible without first reading it?

"The Bible was written by men, therefore it has mistakes"
Just because a human being wrote something doesn't automatically mean it has to have errors. Ask them if they reject washing machine manuals or school textbooks just because they are written by humans?

Besides, if there is an all-powerful God and He wanted to give us a sacred text that was error-free, isn't it possible that he could have preserved it throughout the centuries? Then politely point out that the hundreds of fulfilled prophecies prove that the Bible is supernatural.

"The Bible has been re-copied and re-translated so many times that it is corrupted."
Many people believe that the modern Bible is really a copy of a copy of a copy, sort of like the game of telephone. That's simply not true. Every time a new translation is made, the translators go directly to the original Greek and Hebrew as their source.

Besides, the abundance of translations actually makes it easier to catch mistakes and weed them out. Suppose I gave copies of a recipe to five of my friends. Then they write out copies for their friends. And so on. Eventually someone slips up and writes "1 tablespoon" instead of "1 teaspoon". If we gather all the copies and compare them, the erroneous card will easily stand out from the rest. It's the same with the Bible.

One final tip: Never hesitate to quote the Scriptures to unbelievers. Suppose you put a sharp sword to my throat and said, "Give me your money or I'll cut off your head!" Then I respond, "Ha! I don't believe in swords!" Silly, isn't it? Similarly, the Bible is "living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword...it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). The sword of the Spirit can bring conviction of sin to even the heardest heart.

New Cartoon Tract Now On Sale

2006-01-31T12:13:00.000-06:00

Recently I had the privilege of illustrating a comic-strip gospel tract for Living Waters. The tract is hot off the presses and now available for purchase. To read the entire tract, click on the image below. (No, I don't get any comission or royalties).

60-Second Challenge

2006-01-30T13:44:00.000-06:00

"It is amazing that we hesitate to talk about the wrath of God, for fear of making sinners feel fearful. The fear they feel this side of the grave is nothing compared to the fear they will feel when they stand before Almighty God."
(Ray Comfort, Spurgeon Gold, p.4)

I challenge you to spend just one full minute contemplating the fate of the lost, condemned by their sins to spend an eternity in Hell. What must that be like? Think about it, imagine it for 60 seconds.

Then pray for God to enlarge your heart with a greater zeal to share the gospel. Go ahead. I double-dog dare ya!

Evangelism in the Early Church (Part 2)

2006-01-30T00:21:00.000-06:00

Obstacles to Evangelism
(Adapted from Michael Green's excellent book, Evangelism in the Early Church.)

The first Christians faced overwhelming odds in spreading the Gospel to the world:

1. They were nobodies. A handful of men without formal religious training were attempting to correct the theology and belief of established religious institutions.

2. They worshipped a man executed as a criminal. This was blashpemy to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

3. They were a public menace, creating riots and contraversy wherever they went.

4. They were "narrow-minded". In a culture that worshipped any and every diety, they dared to proclaim their religion was the only way to God.

5. They were "unpatriotic". Anyone who would not worship the emporer or acknowledge the official Roman gods was labelled an enemy of the State and punished accordingly.

6. Persecution and death. Within decades the new faith was outlawed. To join the Christians meant to court martyrdom.

7. Wild rumors. A common misunderstanding of the Lord's Supper led many to believe the Christians were cannibals. Similarly, by referring to fellow Christians with loving and affectionate terms like "brother" and "sister", the rumor spread that Christianity was a religion of incest.

8. Ostracisim and Economic Boycott. Many early Christians were abandoned by their friends and family, forbidden to participate in public events, and in some cases even forbidden to use imperial coinage.

9. Social Hardships. Idolatry was everywhere in the ancient world. To avoid involvement, Christians stayed away from gladiatorial games and the theater; they would not join the army, teach in government schools, or become involved in public office. They even steered clear of business contracts because they involved taking oaths.

10. They were "judgmental". Immorality and moral compromise were everywhere in the Roman world, yet the Christians insisted on upholding the highest moral standards.

The early Christians faced all these obstacles, yet still dared to proclaim the good news so that others might be saved. As a result, Christianity became a world-wide religion.

The risks for modern Christians in the West are so much smaller. So let's "make the most of every opportunity" (Colossians 4:5)

More Spurgeon...

2006-01-29T19:18:00.000-06:00

From Spurgeon Gold, page 52:

"If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay."

Fools for Christ?

2006-01-29T19:01:00.000-06:00

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing..."
(1 Corinthians 1:18)

"Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders..."
(Colossians 4:5)

Late Saturday night I drove downtown for a weekly street evangelism session. When I arrived the weather was so cold and rainy that no one else had shown up. So rather than just drive home, I took a packet of creative tracts and just walked the street, offering them to people in front of the theaters, bars and clubs. I unloaded about 100 tracts, but I probably got about 250 terse rejections and funny stares. I suspect most of the people who did take tracts were just being polite, and many will wind up in the garbage or the gutter.

The whole experience got me thinking, what is effective evangelism? Jesus said we would face rejection, but I want it to be for the right reasons. If I'm not careful, my efforts to evangelize can make me look weird. Yes, we are called to be "fools for Christ". But it should be our beliefs that the world considers foolish, not our behavior or our attitude. People will take any excuse to dismiss the gospel, and we dare not give them one.

I'm still not sure if handing out tracts in the rain makes me look like a "weirdo" or not. But I know at least a few of them will get read, and for that I rejoice. At least it's better than doing nothing.

Evangelism in the Early Church

2006-01-28T10:58:00.000-06:00

What can we learn from studying evangelism in the first and second centuries? A lot.

I just finished reading Michael Green's excellent book, Evangelism in the Early Church. Green asks, how is it that in only two centuries Christianity grew from a small band of ordinary men into a world-wide religion? Here are some of his conclusions, taken from the book's introduction:

1. Sheer Passion. For the early believers Christianity was not just an hour on Sunday morning. They were passionately convinced that men and women were lost without the gospel, and it affected everything they did and everyone they met.

2. The quality of their lives. The gospel brought a change in character and prioirities. Nowadays the lifestyle of Christians is hard to distinguish from those who make no such claim--apart from an hour on Sundays. In the early days the quality of their lives was blazingly distinct.

3. The capacity of the Christians to face criticism, hatred, persecution, and death with joy. You could mow these Christians down. You could throw them to the lions. But you could not make them deny their Lord or hate their persecutors.

4. Total surrender to Christ. There was no trace of compromise in their preaching. They looked for nothing less than total surrender to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, no matter the cost.

5. Conviction. They had a passion and a determination to act as Christ's ambassadors to a rebel world, no matter the consequences. Such conviction in the face of ridicule impressed people.

6. They went out into the secular world. The early Christians had no churches to hole up in. Instead, they went to the laundries, the street corners and the wine bars, talking about Jesus to anyone who would listen.

7. A strong dependence on the Holy Spirit. The early Christians had doctrines and methodology, but that was not where the power lay. They understood that the true power lay in the Spirt of God working through them.

My hope and prayer is that modern Christianity can somehow regain these qualities. Evangelism in the Early Church is a good read, and I'll share more of it's insights in the near future.

End of the Spear

2006-01-28T10:02:00.000-06:00

I must confess, I was skeptical about this movie. But my wife and I went last night, and I was blown away. Yes, the production values could have been better. But the power of the story more than makes up for it. Many Christian films either water down the Gospel on the one hand, or get over-the-top sappy on the other. End of the Spear does neither. Instead it presents a Christianity that is both authentic and powerful.

The characters (both the tribal villagers and the missionaries) were surprisingly human and real. The film drew me in to the world of a remote tribe trapped in a cycle of "revenge killings", and I was moved to see people lost in such spiritual darkness. I was also inspired by the five missionary families who were truly willing to pay any price to bring the light of the Gospel into such a scary place. It made me realize that when the gospel is not only preached but also lived, it has incredible power to transform hearts and lives, even turning enemies into friends.

Go see this movie!

The Power of (Good) Tracts

2006-01-27T10:10:00.000-06:00

One of the easiest ways to share the gospel is through tracts. Using good tracts has a lot of advantages. The late R. A. Torrey summarized them as follows:

1. Anyone can do it.
2. A tract always sticks to the point.
3. A tract never loses it's temper.
4. Some who are too proud to be talked with, will read a tract when no one is looking.
5. A tract will stay with a person after the evangelist leaves.
6. Tracts lead many to accept Christ.
(To read Torrey's entire article click here.)

I would also add...
7. Even a coward (like me) can use tracts. If you are uncomfortable approaching stragers, simply leave a tract in a public place for someone to find. Or hand one to the drive through clerk right before you squeal out of Taco Bell.

So why don't more Christians use tracts? Maybe because there are so many bad ones out there.

But there are plenty of good tracts out there, too. Living Waters is one of the largest tract distributors in the world (14 million last year alone), and their tracts are creative, smart, appealing--and most importantly, present the gospel simply and powerfully. You can purchase them here. My personal favorites are 101 Funniest One-Liners, The World's Best Optical Illusions, and the Intelligence Test Bookmark.

Evangelism Tips: Dealing With Questions and Ojections

2006-01-27T08:03:00.000-06:00

(These tips are from the book Witnessing Without Fear by Bill Bright. I don't agree with everything in the book--Bright seems to imply you can lead almost anyone to Chirst if you just expain the Good News properly--but overall it's a very helpful resource.)

When sharing the Gospel, you will find that people have many reasons for dismissing the Bible or Christianity, and a few individuals are downright hostile to the faith. But you don't have to be intimidated by these responses. A loving, respectful attitude on your part can go a long way toward disarming critics and reducing conflicts. The Bible commands us to share the hope of the gospel "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15), for "A gentle answer turns away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1).

Some Basic Principles:
1. Never Argue.
Remember, your job is to share the Gospel, not win an argument. What good is wining an argument if you lose a soul?

2. Don't try to reason within the listener's sphere of expertise.
You can't know everything. If you try and argue philosophy with a philosopher or science with a scientist, you will probably lose. Keep bringing the conversation back to what you know: Jesus and the Gospel.

3. Remember what God has commissioned you to do.
Your job is to proclaim; it is God's job to convert. You do not have to win a convert in order to have a successful encounter. Successful witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God.

4. Try to move into the Gospel as soon as possible.
Whenever appropriate, use the questions or objections as a means to transition into your presentation. Many questions and objections will be resolved once the hearer gains a complete understanding of the gospel message. If not, there will be plenty of time for discussion afterwards.

5. Appeal to the listener's intellectual integrity.
Most people haven't really considered the Bible and it's claims objectively. Gently point out that it is intellectually dishonest to reject the claims of Christianity without first understanding them. Encourage them to set aside their preconceived ideas and give the Gospel a fair hearing.

6. Avoid rabbit trails.
Questions and objections can easily sidetrack the conversation. Do your best to be polite and patient, staying focussed on the Gospel. If a question comes up during your presentation, graciously ask them to wait until you are finished explaining the Gospel. The only exception is if the person is obviously becoming irritated. If this happens, politely respond by saying "I'm sorry if I've offended you. Here, why don't you take this tract and read it through later when you are ready."

7. Always, if the listener rejects the gospel, leave him with something to read.
Give him a gospel tract or a New Testament, and suggest a THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE: Ask them to read the Gospel of John for five minutes a day, every day, for thirty days. Each day before reading they should pray, "God, if you are real and the Bible is Your truth, please reveal it to me." When you don't know what else to say, let God's Word do the talking.

8. Never rush a decision.
You've laid a foundation with the Gospel and done your best to answer the listener's questions, but they may still need some time to think it all over. If this happens, leave them with a tract and entrust them to God. A true conversion that takes time is always better than a false conversion that happens all at once.

(To read a longer treatment on this subject, visit ShareYourFaith.org.)

More Spurgeon

2006-01-26T17:06:00.000-06:00

Charles Spurgeon wasn't called the Prince of Preachers for nothing. I've been reading some of his books and sermons lately, and they are hitting me just as hard (or harder) than anything in the modern Christian landscape. The man could preach! Spurgeon is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

From Spurgeon Gold, page 50:

"You will tell me, 'This is very unpleasant,--to be made to feel that you are sinful.' Ay, but it is very necessary. There is no getting to Christ in any other way. Christ died for sinners, and if you are not sinners, what interest can you have in His death? Why should you think that He died for you? You must be convinced of your sinfulness before you can possibly realize the value and need of salvation."

Why More Christians Don't Witness

2006-01-26T13:33:00.000-06:00

"Religious faith should be a private thing. I don't want to be a religious fanatic."

"Mind your own business. You don't have any right to force your views on someone else."

"You're going to offend this person. Don't say anything."

"He'll think you're a fanatic."

"This person will say 'no' and I'll be embarrassed."

When it comes to sharing the Gospel, have you ever wrestled with these thoughts/feelings? If so, the folks at ShareYourFaith.org have a terrific article excerpted from Bill Bright's book Witnessing Without Fear. Click here to check it out!

Adventures of a Chicken

2006-01-26T07:54:00.000-06:00

Charles Spurgeon on evangelism:
"Face the people feeling that you are going to tell them something worth hearing, about which you are quite sure, which to you is your very life." (Spurgeon Gold, p.75)

I can be such a coward sometimes. My wife and I went to Wal-Mart tonight and I was super excited to hand someone a copy of my new tract. I planned to hand one to the cashier as I left. But as she handed me my receipt another man came over to talk to her, and I chickened out. Instead, when I thought she wasn't looking I quickly slid it onto the counter as I turned to leave. All of my body language was screaming "Timid!" Out of the corner of my eye I noticed she had seen my sly move, and her expression told me she thought I was some kind of weirdo.

Isn't it amazing how something as simple as handing someone a piece of paper can make a person's heart beat fast and palms sweat? Yet I think fear is a common reaction when we attempt to share our faith. Maybe that's why more Christians don't do it. Apparently even Timothy struggled with it, because Paul had to tell him "God did not give us a spirit of timidity..." (2 Timthy 1:7)

Then tonight I read the above quote by Spurgeon, and I was encouraged. If I really believe that the Gospel is God's good news to save people, how dare I be timid about it? Lord, please give me boldness.

New Gospel Tract

2006-01-25T11:18:00.000-06:00

As a freelance illustrator, I have a passion for using art and media to help spread the Gospel. Recently I had the privilege of illustrating a gospel tract in comic-strip form for Living Waters Publications. The tract is hot off the presses (my copies arrived today) and should be available for purchase shortly from Living Waters. To read the entire tract, click here or on the image below. Feel free to post a comment and let me know what you think.

Way of the Master Radio

2006-01-25T10:54:00.000-06:00

Finally, a show on Christian radio dedicated to evangelism! Way of the Master Radio, hosted by Todd Friel (a former comedian who once opened for Jay Leno) with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, is a live call-in show about sharing the gospel. To quote their recent press release:

The Way of the Master Radio will be hosted by actor Kirk Cameron and best selling author Ray Comfort, co-founders of The Way of the Master ministry, and radio talk-show veteran Todd Friel. Cameron and Comfort currently host “The Way of the Master” TV show, which garnered the NRB’s Best Program Award in 2005 as well as People’s Choice Awards in 2004 and 2005, while Friel hosts a successful Christian talk show in Minneapolis.

“It will be a talk show that grabs the listeners’ attention, but rather than doing it with politics or social issues, we will do it with the only thing that matters, the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. “We won’t be tap-dancing around any Christian theology—if people are offended, it will be for the same reason Jesus offended people.”

If you can't hear it in your area, listen on their website, on Sirius satellite radio (channel 159), or download their free podcast.

Welcome to Courage to Share

2006-01-25T10:12:00.000-06:00

As a Christian I try to share the Gospel regularly, but I often find myself afraid of saying the wrong thing--or worse, afraid to say anything at all. I know I'm not alone in this. So I've created this blog as a way to share resources, ideas, training and tips that have been an encouragement to me. My hope is that God will use this blog to challenge all of us to be more bold and effective in serving our Master.

Courage to Share

Thanks For The Memories

More Problems With "The Lost Tomb of Jesus"

Problems with "The Lost Tomb of Jesus"

Video: What's at Stake

Evangelistic Christmas Quiz

Ikaw ba ay mabuting tao?

Surrender

Evangelism Training This Weekend

Evangelism in the Book of Acts

Doomed Evangelism?

How Not to Share the Gospel

VeggieTales Coming to NBC

Repentance and the Crocodile

New Blog: Recovering Student Ministry

Testimony of a Former Muslim

Faces Like Flint

Eight Reasons I Don't Share My Faith

Adventures of a Chicken: Street Preaching!

Old Evangelism Started With 'Bad News' First

The Lost Key To Gospel Relevancy

You Can Do It! Just Realize You Can't.

French Fries. French Toast. French Tract?

Foxe's Book of Martyrs: Modern American Edition

Eight Great Witnessing Tips

10 Reasons to Use Gospel Tracts

Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Secret Service Confiscates "Counterfiet" Gospel Tracts

Ten Questions to Ask About The DaVinci Code

Finishing Well

Why More Christians Don't Witness

Free DaVinci Code Tract

The Folly of Trying to Please Men

How to Witness and Preach Effectively

Jesus Is Not Cool

Are You Good Enough to go to Heaven?

Bathroom Reading

The Art of Manfishing

Witnessing to Family Members

Nightline This Friday

Witnessing to Homosexuals

Evangelism Involves Teaching

Share Jesus Without Fear

80,000!

Back to Blogging

Taking a Break

Stand to Reason

Swimming Lessons

A God of Wrath?

Mockery of Christians is Nothing New

Evangelism in the Early Church (Part 3)

The History of Natural Man

Dying to Witness

Optical Illusion Tract Holder

Check it out!

Evangelism Training

Hell's Best Kept Secret

More Adventures of A Chicken

Letter From an Atheist

Objection: "You Can't Trust the Bible"

New Cartoon Tract Now On Sale

60-Second Challenge

Evangelism in the Early Church (Part 2)

More Spurgeon...

Fools for Christ?

Evangelism in the Early Church

End of the Spear

The Power of (Good) Tracts

Evangelism Tips: Dealing With Questions and Ojections

More Spurgeon

Why More Christians Don't Witness

Adventures of a Chicken

New Gospel Tract

Way of the Master Radio

Welcome to Courage to Share