J.C. Ryle

"When a man’s heart is cold and unconcerned about religion – when his hands are never employed in doing God’s work – when his feet are not familiar with God’s ways – when his tongue is seldom or never used in prayer and praise – when his eyes are blind to the beauty of the kingdom of heaven – when his mind is full of the world, and has no room for spiritual things – when these marks are to be found in a man the word of the Bible is the right word to use about him, and that word is, ‘Dead.’”

Thursday, April 24, 2008

It's Not That Hard



For my yoke is easy, my burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)

I am amazed at myself sometimes. Sometimes I want go full out and I engage the person who's getting gas next to me at the gas station and hand them a tract. Other times I chicken out as I get ready to hand them a tract I quickly tuck it back away in my car. Oh, what the enemy likes to do with my self-righteousness and fear sometimes! I am reminded of Paul who said in Romans 7:15 "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." Ah, it's nice to know that Paul was human too.

I continue to be alarmed at professing Christians who just downright don't witness. I understand though because well I was one of them. No sense of urgency. It's not that I didn't care I just didn't feel it was necessary....well, because everyone I was around was a Christian in this so called Bible Belt? I was surrounded by church goers who knew that you had to be born again to inherit the Kingdom of God, right? I was just going to keep on going to church and hope that people would take notice that I was a God loving church goer! How prideful and selfish I was! That doesn't save people!

It's not just a matter of opening your mouth and saying the right thing at the perfect time. It's more than than. It is preaching the gospel of Christ. It's telling others of his judgment and that we all will stand before Him when we die or when He returns regardless if we believe it or not. As Romans 14:12 says, "So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God." This is what grows my fear of God knowing that I will have to account myself to God! I will be in reverential awe and terrified at the same time!

I will have no excuse for not sharing how our Lord and Savior came down in the flesh to save us all for our sins. There are people who don't know this and there are some who do but are not living it! My hunger, my thirst is to tell others. Even if it's just passing out tracts or leaving them in restrooms, stores, ATM's, grocery carts. It's not HARD! So who cares what people think about you -- it's not about YOU! It's to glorify and edify our Lord. And, I have to tell myself this a lot. Romans 13:14, says "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." My flesh doesn't always want to but my love for my Savior and the countless lost keep me going.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:25-26.

As you read this, if you are not striving to witness on a daily basis ask yourself why? I was reading a very good answer to this question recently from Tony Miano from The LawMan Chronicles. Here is an excerpt from his blog entry: Now That's A Great Question!

"When you ask Christians why they don't share their faith, listen for the personal pronouns they use as they give their answers. They will most likely be in the first person singular form. "I'm afraid I won't be able to answer their questions. I don't want to get into arguments. I don't want to jeopardize the relationships I worked so hard to build. I could lose my job. My wife might leave me. I don't want to look like a Bible thumper. I'm just too nervous around strangers. I don't want to seem judgmental. I live my life in a certain way and then I wait for people to ask me what is different about me.....then I invite them to church." And the list goes on.

The sad truth is this. The reasons Christians give for not sharing their faith with the lost reveals that they care more about themselves than they do about where lost people will spend eternity. The reasons (excuses) Christians give for not sharing their faith have everything to do with their own preservation, and have very little to do with the unbeliever's salvation." Read full blog post here.


All I can say is a big ouch to that -- boy does that hurt my ego. What do we value more? It was and still is a hard question for me. Something I wrestle with every day. But the solution is easy -- I don't trust in myself -- I trust that God will deliver me from the irrational fears and doubts. I pray that he will continue to make me bold as a lion. It's not our strength that does it and if we rely on that we will fail. It is God who opens up the harvest -- not me. Even if I see no one come to repentance like Jeremiah did his whole ministry -- I will press on.

I encourage everyone to open some of the links listed to the right and see what tracts you can purchase. Even if all you can do is leave tracts that someone might read and receive the gospel and truth of God's word it is worth the effort. What if that one person you engaged in conversation or even gave a tract to was forever changed by it?

But even before you begin this journey, there is one important question you must ask yourself. Are you right with God? Are you sincerely seeking after Him with a hatred of sin in your heart? Do you love Him enough to follow His commandments and reject the world and its lust to seek Him earnestly?

Our actions are attributed to what we believe in.

Ask yourself.

Do you really believe in Him enough to reach others?

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Interview with Paul Washer

Please watch this candid interview with the WOTM team and Paul Washer who very touchingly describes what he does and why. Hear what he tells a guy who said that he was living in complete misery and what is happening to the gospel of Christ in America.

Paul Washer: "We are never going to advance the Kingdom of God by being politically correct. And if we love people we are going to tell them the truth even if they hate us."


My Prayer: "My Father in Heaven, continue to give me a loving heart that cares for people's souls more than what they think about me."