Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Five Reasons Why I Love East Hill


Happy Wednesday!

To be added to the Lord's church is an indescribable blessing (Acts 2:47; cf. 1 John 3:1-3). That blessing is magnified all the more when the congregation with whom one worships and works is following as closely as possible to the Biblical pattern. Today I want to share with you just five reasons (there are many more) why I am thankful to be a member of the Lord's church that meets at East Hill.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Domino Effect


Christianity is designed to produce more Christians. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul commanded what could be described as a "domino effect" for God's people.
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 
While this command is made regarding Timothy, a young preacher, finding other Christian men who will also be ministers of the gospel, there is an evangelistic application here, too. The idea behind soul winning is not only to baptize people, but to produce those who will be so committed to the Lord that they desire to spread the saving message of the gospel themselves. Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and "teach all nations" (KJV). The original wording literally says, "make disciples of all the nations" (NKJV, ASV, NASB, ESV). Jesus wants true converts produced from our evangelistic efforts. It is His desire - and His command - that one will teach another, who will teach another, who will teach another ... and, as the cycle continues, Christianity will be spread throughout the world.

Jesus taught that Christians who fail to bear fruit are taken away and "thrown into the fire" (John 15:2, 6). He concluded this line of thought by saying, "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:8). In his outstanding commentary on the gospel according to John, Guy N. Woods says that fruit bearing "includes every activity of the Christian." Bro. Woods continues,
It embraces every act which Jesus endorses and which he would, if present do, but not being present, must depend on his followers to do for him (325).
Are you bearing fruit? Are you doing the Lord's will in general and, specifically, in evangelism to produce more Christians? These are important questions for each of us to ask and answer. If we do not do our part, then the domino effect does not work.

The success of the domino effect depends on four factors.

1. Your proclamation. Jesus' specific command is to go and preach, or teach, the gospel (Mat. 28:19-20; Mark 16:!5-16; Luke 24:47). The gospel is the good news of Christ. "How shall they hear without a preacher" (Romans 10:14-16)? We can go and teach others.

2. Your pattern. The lost will not respond to hypocrisy. In order for the domino effect to work, we must live what the Bible teaches. We shine as lights in a world that is darkened by sin (Mat. 5:16; Phil. 2:15). They need to know about God's love (John 3:16), and we have the message. Never underestimate the value of a life well lived (1 Pet. 2:12; 3:1-2).

3. God's power. Ultimately, the power to convert someone does not lie within us. While we have an obligation to lead people to the gospel, we must remember that the power lies within the gospel itself to save and convert them (Rom. 1:16). God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6; cf. 2 Cor. 3:5). Paul says that those who are involved in the work of the Lord will access a power that is beyond what we can ask or think. Notice what he says next: "according to the power that works in us" (Eph. 3:20, emp. mine, RH). You do the work. God will give the increase.

4. The other person's penitence. God does not force people to obey the gospel. You and I cannot force someone to be saved. Instead, the success of the domino effect (at least, on an individual level), depends upon whether the person's heart is receptive to the teaching of the Bible (Luke 8:11, 15). To change one's life through repentance and full obedience to God is a necessity if someone wants to be saved (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 17:30-31; Mat. 7:21-23, etc.), and that is a sacrifice that they must be willing to make (Rom. 12:1-2).

Let's start a wildfire of soul winning! The domino effect will work if we will work God's plan!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Monday Mash-Up: Links to Brighten Your Light



Good Monday morning!

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity of emceeing and leading singing at East Hill's fourth annual Christian Servants Day, a seminar dedicated to spiritual growth and servanthood. Tom Holland and Dan Winkler, the speakers for the event, are incredible servants of the Lord and a great encouragement to all who are around them. This year's theme was "Lessons on Discipleship."

Monday, February 4, 2013

Monday Mash-Up: Links to Brighten Your Light

After a great Lord's day with my Christian family at East Hill, I'm excited to begin another work week. Every day is a blessing, filled with opportunities that we can use to glorify God.

Do you want to improve your evangelistic skill set? The House to House blog recently had several posts designed to help us all be better soul winners. Get ready for some great, Biblically sound, and practical advise!


Let's get to work! Make this week a great week!

What practical advice would you share from your experience in studying the Bible with others? Leave your tips in the comments below!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Losing Your Soul Over the Super Bowl?


Matthew Vos is not interested in the Super Bowl because of his love for all things manly and athletic. Instead, his interest is piqued by observing our society's behavior surrounding these major sporting events – especially when such an event falls on the Lord's day.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Their Questions, the Bible's Answers: #1


I'm currently teaching the teen Bible class on Wednesday nights at East Hill, and I'm having a blast! They're sharp, fun, and encouraging to be around. They sincerely want to do what is right, and they have a great interest in learning about Christ and what He expects for their lives. The last class of each month is Q&A night. I told them that I would post all of the questions (anonymously, of course) and answers here so they could have them in writing and so they could easily access other reference materials relative to the answers.

Here are their questions and the Bible's answers.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Think Souls: The Willingness to Work



Do you want to be a soul winner for Jesus? Every Christian's answer should be a resounding "yes!" We know that the Lord has commanded us to go into all the world and teach the gospel to all nations (Mat. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47). Too, Jesus said that we should not call Him our Lord if we are not willing to obey all of His commands (Luke 6:46; Mat. 7:21). As a Christian, it is my privilege to take the grace-filled message of God's salvation to people who would otherwise be lost.

We have already noted in previous posts that it is not enough to be satisfied with the "status quo" when it comes to soul winning. Pushing my responsibility of evangelism onto someone else (an elder, the preacher, an older Christian, or even a younger Christian) really jeopardizes my own salvation. Instead, we need the antidote about which Brother Andrew Connally used to preach: we must have the courage to care for the lost and the dare to dream that the lost might be won to the gospel. However, it’s not just about concern and vision. Brother Connally concluded his sermon with this point: we must have the willingness to work!