I asked a church intern to go prayer knocking with me in a low-income area of Lincoln. At our third residence, my partner and I looked up and saw a guy smoking. Frank stared at us from the top floor of an apartment complex. We asked, “Would you like to he
My wife and I met a lady at the funeral of a co-worker. She observed the fall of Communism in Romania. As people waited in long lines for food, 1000s of Gospel tracks were distributed. People wanted them more than food. Not one track was left on the groun
Find the sheep outside the sheep pen (v. 16).
Those who follow the Good Shepherd in leaving the 99 and finding the lost one will have an abundant and meaningful life (Luke 15:3-7; John 10:10b). I often took John 10:10 out of context looking at personal
Fear keeps me from speaking openly about Jesus. Be willing to do God’s will in order to discern whether it’s God’s speaking or my selfish desires. Seek God’s glory, not my own. Yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to live His life through me.
Author John Piper wrote, “We weren’t meant to be somebody–we were meant to know Somebody.” Making a name for yourself should not be your goal. Peter and the other disciples’ goal was to be successful fisherman. When they caught nothing, it seemed like failure. Christ taught them that success is a by-product of knowing and…
Jesus makes allowances for your weaknesses. He relates on your level. When Mary was weeping after not finding Jesus’ body, He asked why she was weeping and what she was seeking. Thomas needed to see physical evidence from Jesus’ body before he would believe. Jesus performed many signs so His disciples would believe. Some of…
In John 18, you learned how to speak God’s word openly as His disciple and fulfill your destiny by persevering in the midst of betrayal, endure persecution, resist temptation toward comfort, embrace your role as Christ’s disciple, take up your cross and seek God’s kingdom by bearing witness to the truth. John 19 teaches the core…
Many forces conspire to prevent you from speaking God’s word openly as Christ’s disciple. Learning evangelism presentations and applying church growth methods are not sufficient. When close friends betray you, you may lose confidence in the gospel. When persecution makes life harder and more complicated, it becomes tempting to pursue the American dream of prosperity…
One of the prime reasons why the world does not believe in Christ is the division they see in the church. Marketing the church won’t work. When I served in college ministry, many students said the multitude of denominations confused them. It prevented them from seeing Christ. In John 17, Jesus prayed that believers would…
Many people think Bible reading and prayer is boring. They think it’s a waste of time. They question the value of abiding in His word and asking God for things. John 15-16 lists the following fruits in studying God’s word and prayer: spiritual character, multiply disciples, bear witness, persecution or martyrdom, know truth, see Christ,…
Many Christians sacrifice for Christ in their own strength. As a result, they betray Him through disobedience. Fear and anxiety and fear become the fruit. The Christian life is impossible to live. That is why divine resources are required. Christ’s relationship with His Father models the dependent relationship we should have with Him through the…
There are many mechanical or rote presentations of the gospel that a person can learn like the Four Spiritual Laws, Explosion Explosion and the Bridge. God’s word won’t return void when it is preached. But is there a higher spiritual level for greater effectiveness for evangelism and ministry to others? I believe so! Martha served,…