IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

We are coming up to the end of 2005 and, the Lord willing, we will see the beginning of a new year – 2006. A pastor shared with me a few days ago what he felt in his spirit that the Lord was telling him about the New Year. He said, “2006 will be a year of war and declaration.” He said “we’re going to face adversity but we’re going to get through it by declaring and decreeing God’s word for the hour.”

Satan is fiercely attacking the church with a spirit of slumber. I see a lot of believer’s going about their lives and being so entangled with the natural order that they have grown insensitive and oblivious to the Lord’s agenda.

“…Make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God …be up and awake to what God is doing! …We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence ....Don’t loiter and linger, .... Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about! (Rom. 13:11-14 The Message)

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He sent us into the world and commanded us to share the gospel and see God’s power demonstrated on the behalf of those who seek him. But how will they seek him and believe in him unless someone tells them? We are Christ’s embassadors who are supposed to appeal to the lost “in Christ’s stead, [to] be reconciled to God” through Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:20). The Lion’s Club or the Rotary Club, as fine clubs as these might be, are not entrusted with the special privilege of sharing the gospel of Christ, only the church has been given that task. If we don’t do it, it won’t get done! If you don’t do it, those around you will not benefit from what the Son of God came to do for them. It’s time go forth as laborers into the plentiful harvest, the Lord’s harvest (Matt. 9:37). It’s time to claim the heathen (lost) for our inheritance (Psalm 2:8). How many new souls are you asking God for this year? Have you asked Him to enlarge your territory for Him? (1 Chr. 4:10)

“How can I reach more people for Christ?" This is the heart cry of someone with passion for God’s heart. I don’t believe anyone can claim to know God’s heart who has no compassion for the lost; who does not lift up his eyes and look on the harvest fields on lost, suffering humanity.
I want to share with you some truth from God’s word that will help you be a better witness and fruitful soul winner in this coming new year.

GOD HAS AN ALLY

“When [the lost] who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong.” (Romans 2:14-15 The Message).

Have you ever tried to speak with someone about their need for the Savior only to be met with various arguments and excuses of why they don’t believe? Everything from “I don’t believe in God” to “I can’t believe in the bible because it has a lot of mistakes”.

In the scripture above the apostle Paul, by revelation of the Spirit, says that there is something deep within man (even lost man) that confirms, or bears witness, to the truth of God’s holy law. Do you know what that is? It is man’s conscience. It “echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong”. In other words man has been given a conscience, the voice of his spirit [heart], that confirms within a person when they’ve done wrong. God’s law is not something alien, something imposed from without, but rather something woven into the very fabric of our being. God’s law, the knowledge of right and wrong, was written into man’s being by his Creator.

Why is this good to know and how does it help us when we share the gospel with someone?

As I mentioned earlier, man has many intellectual arguments as to why he can’t (or won’t) believe. If you follow his reasoning you’ll be trying to convince him intellectually, by appealing to his mind and reason. This is not to say that there are no sound intellectual arguments for the truth of the Bible or the existence of God, there are. But if you appeal to people’s intellect you are attempting to deal with their mind and their mind is an enemy of God (Col. 1:21) and cannot submit itself to the law of God (Rom. 8:7). What should we do then when we attempt that share the gospel with the lost? The answer is quite simple – bypass the mind and appeal to the conscience. God has an ally in the conscience. He put it deep within man and it echoes right or wrong … even if the person is not personally aware of the moral law of God in the ten commandments.

WHAT THE LAW OF GOD DOES

To be effective witnesses and soulwinners, we must understand the purpose for which God gave the moral law (Ten Commandments) to Moses. The first thing you have to understand is that no one, and I mean no one, can ever become righteous before God by keeping the law. Many have tried and have preached that we should try to do that, but that is not why God gave his law to man. If you can be righteous before God by keeping the law, then you don’t need Jesus (Gal. 2:21). Many on the other side of the spectrum have gone to the opposite extreme in saying that the law is no longer necessary in God’s agenda today. However, Paul declares that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully (1 Tim. 1:8) – that is, for the purpose for which God intended it. In other words, if you’re going to use the law of God, you must know what you’re talking about and how to use it correctly (1 Tim. 1:7)!

What is the law good for then? It was given by God because of sin (Gal. 3:19). So, we learn something here. The law was not given to make anyone acceptable or righteous before God. It was added because of sin! This lines up perfectly well with the rest of scripture which declares that the law was given to reveal what sin is (Rom. 7:7). The law is to bring lost people the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20) and lead them to Christ, the only sufficient Savior (Gal. 3:24), who alone can make them righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). If you’re going to show people their need for grace you must show them why they need it. This is where the law comes in. The law brings the knowledge of sin to the sinner and shows him that the wages of his sin is death! He stands convicted by a Holy God of having transgressed his commandments (1 John 3:4). Once the sinner sees himself condemned with no way to justify his sin, he is now ready for grace … Amazing Grace!

HOW TO SIMPLY SHARE THE GOSPEL

Would you like to know how to share the gospel simply with an intellectual? How about a Muslim? Or how about a homosexual or a Mormon? You say, “I can learn to share the gospel with that wide a variety of people, simply? Yes! All you will need is a good gospel tract (that presents the gospel clearly) and perhaps a small New Testament.

Let me see if I can transmit this truth to you by way of a dialogue.

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You encounter an intellectual …

“Hello how are you?”
“I’m fine thank you, and you?”
“I’m doing really well thank God.”
“By the way, my name is ….” “Are you from this area?”
“Oh, yes, I’ve lived here for most of my life.”
“That’s good. Hey, did you get one of these?”
“What is it?”
“It’s a gospel tract!”
“Oh, I don’t believe in God. You see, I’m a scientist. I believe that life evolved as postulated by the spontaneous, regenerative, quantum theory of creative energy as it pertains to the Big Bang and the theory of complex exponentials.”
“You’re a scientist, but let me ask you this: would you say that you’re a good person?”
“I think that I’m a fairly good person, if I should say so myself.”

“Have you ever told a lie?”
“Well, yes, who hasn’t?”
“Ever stolen anything?”
“Yes.”
“Ever lusted in your heart?”
“Yes, I believe I have.”
“Jesus said that if you lust after someone in your heart, you’ve committed adultery with them in your heart.”

“So by your own admission … you’re a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart! How are you going to face God on judgment day?” “And we’ve only looked at 3 of God’s commandments!”

If he backs up from his admissions or looks for excuses, don’t take the bait! Don’t argue excuses of why he doesn’t believe. That’s appealing to the mind. Stay with the conscience. Remind him that if he’s honest, he has to deal with his conscience that accuses him that he’s done wrong. He knows it and God knows it, too! He can’t run from his conscience – it goes with him whevever he goes. His conscience bears witness inside that he’s guilty before God. This is what the law does, it shuts the person up under guilt … the guilt confirmed by his conscience.

Share:
Romans 3:23 … all have sinned.
Romans 6:23a … the wages of sin is death.
Colossians 1:21 … he is alienated in his mind from God by wicked works
Ephesians 2:3 … he is by nature a child of wrath
John 3:36 As an unbeliever in the Son of God, wrath from God is upon him.

If he understand his place before a holy God and that his sin deserves death,… he is now ready for the good news of God’s grace.

Ask him if he understands that his guilt carries with it an eternal death sentence – separation from God forever. Once he acknowledges that he is a sinner under divine judgment … now he is ready for the Good News!

Share:
Romans 5:8 Christ’s death on the cross is God’s demonstration of His love for the sinner;
Romans 5:9 Christ’s pardon of the sinner saves him from God’s wrath;
Romans 5:10 Christ’s death reconciles the sinner to God.

Then Ask: “… Is there any reason … why you wouldn’t want to be reconciled to God through Christ at this very moment …?”

A Suggested Prayer:
“God, I am convicted by your law as a sinner because I have transgressed your commandments. I now know that I am separated from you by my wicked works and that I deserve only judgment for my sins (name them). I know that the wages of my sin is death. But I thank you for the good news that Jesus died in my place. The judgment I deserved for my sin, Jesus has taken for me. Thank you for sending your Son to die, and through his death, reconcile me to you and save me from the wrath that is to come. I receive Jesus as my Lord and only sufficient savior. Thank you for the gift of eternal life and for receiving me as your child. I am your child and you are my Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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HOW ABOUT THE REST?

How will you share the gospel with the rest – Muslims, homosexuals, Mormons, etc...? In exactly the same simple way as you read above. Sharing the good news with anyone is easy if you always appeal to the conscience of the sinner…

A Muslim:
“How are you?”
“Fine, thank you!”
“My name is ….” “What’s you’re name?”
“Hazzan.”
“Nice to meet you, Hazzan!” “Did you get one of these?” (Offer him a gospel tract)
“Oh, I’m a muslim!”
“That’s great, Hazzan … but would you consider yourself a good person?”
“Very much so.”
“Hazzan, have you ever told a lie? …” (and you’re off and running …)

A Homosexual:
“Hey how’s it going?”
“Great!”
“My name is …” “What’s you’re name?”
“Nice to meet you, …” “Did you get one of these?” (Offer him a gospel tract)“
I’m gay!”
“But would you consider yourself a good person?”
“Oh yeah, definitely.”
“Well let me ask you this: Have you ever lied? ……..”

A Mormon:
“How are you?”
“Very good, thank you!”
“My name is ….” “What’s you’re name?”
“I’m Elder Johnson.”
“Nice to meet you, Elder Johnson!” “Did you get one of these?” (Offer him a gospel tract)
“We’re Latter Day Saints’ missionaries!”
“Oh, missionaries, huh? … but would you consider yourself a good person, Elder Johnson?”
“Very much so.”
“Have you ever told a lie? …….

"See how simple it is to begin a spiritual conversation with someone once you understand what the Law of God does to an individual … it shows him his condition and leaves him no way out (because his conscience accuses him) and ready for the gospel!

Jesus used the law in dealing with sinners.

“Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” asked a man once (Luke 18:18). Jesus dealt with the issue of goodness … “There is only one who is good, God. (v.19). In essence he said to the man, “You want to talk about good? You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother” (Luke 18:20).

The man proclaimed his perceived goodness by saying, “I’ve kept all these” commandments from my youth. But Jesus gave him a test based on the first commandment – you shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3) and the man failed miserably because his “god” was materialism. He couldn’t follow Jesus because it would destroy the god he trusted in. The law condemned him as an idolater.

LIFT UP YOUR EYES

Jesus is the reason for the season! It’s one of the times of the year when people are more open to spiritual things. What will you do? I encourage you to practice what you have learned and in the power of the Spirit use the knowledge you have gained to lead someone to Christ this month. Knowledge is potential power … but knowledge combined with action is POWER. I trust that your passion will continue to grow as you seek to win more souls for the Master this year and that you will be one of those laborers that is so desperately needed in the Father’s harvest field.

Joy in the journey,

Pastor Danny Rodriguez
http://www.createdforpurpose.blogspot.com
http://www.trivita.com/11600038