Sunday, July 19, 2009

Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Prescription for Unity

 Today, we had our annual church picnic in the park. It was an awesome time of worship, and Word and fellowship in the life of this community of believers! Fellowship? This is an idea that is missing in many communities. We have lost a sense of its many and thus, the practical living out of this biblical concept. The Greek word for fellowship comes from a root meaning common or shared. So fellowship means common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what he or she has. Give and take is the essence of fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in the common life of the body of Christ. Christian fellowship is two-dimensional, and it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal. We must know the reality of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ before we can know the reality of fellowship with each other in our common relationship to God (1 John 1:3). The person who is not in fellowship with the Father and the Son is no Christian at all, and so cannot share with Christians the realities of their fellowship. John Wesley has rightly suggested—what should be the cry of all of us, "I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship, and the whole world for my mission field.

Using the word, UNITY, as an acronym, we can identify several characteristics of Christ-honoring fellowship.

  1. "U" represents the word uplift.  One way to develop unity within the body of Christ and in your home is to make a commitment to follow the commands of God to uplift one another.  Imagine the incredible spirit of uplifting these men experienced in this final phase of Jesus ministry with his disciples.  He spoke of their great contribution when He said, "Guys, you're going to take my gospel to the world".  They're thinking, maybe I'll go to my hometown or to the next village.  Jesus says, "I've chosen you because I believe you can change the world.  The world is going to know about the love I have for them."  Can you imagine how that energized them?


     

  2. The letter "N" in unity stands for the word need. God has placed us here so that we can meet the needs of others.  My favorite story about meeting the needs of others is about the child who wanted a bike for his birthday.  When his dad tucked him in for bed, he prayed with an extremely loud voice, "God, I really want that blue bike from Wal-Mart."  His grandparents were visiting, so the father instructed the boy not to be so loud, "Son, God's not deaf." The little boy said, "I know, but grandpa is!"  That child knew that God usually meets needs through the lives of other saints. Unity becomes possible when we acknowledge our personal needs and our responsibility to help other with their needs. 


     

  3. "I" stands for integrity.  Jesus says, "I have given them glory" (17:22).  Glory calls attention to the holiness and the purity of God.  Jesus represented the glory and the holiness of God, and we have received the call to represent that same type of integrity or holiness.  Verse 19 says that they would be sanctified in Christ.  I John 1:7 says if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. Unity flourishes when we live holy, clean, and pure lives.  The dictionary defines integrity as a state of being that is complete or unified.  Integrity means wholeness or completeness. The Bible reveals that Christ fills the longing of our soul, binds up broken hearts, or makes our life complete.


     

  4. "T" means trust.  When there is integrity, the saints of God are willing to trust one another.  The experience of unity is accompanied by a confidence in your brothers and sisters to fulfill their responsibility without being coerced or begged.  You can focus on your assigned area because you trust other saints to do their job.  In these closing chapters of John, you find Jesus calling these men to be one in Christ by trusting one another with their lives.  They are going to work together, serve together, and some are even going to die together. 


     

  5. The "Y" stands for yielding.  Two areas of our lives require yielding.  First, we yield to the Lordship of Christ. Because God has exalted Christ, we submit our life to the authority of Christ.  Jesus is Lord.  Then, having yielded to the Lordship of Christ, we have the capacity to yield to one another in the glorious cause sharing the gospel.   The driving call is "that the world may know."  We should be willing to yield our selfish desires to the greater goal of extending the love of Christ to a lost world.


     

When we consider the reality and reward of this type of fellowship, it's not hard to understand way David said,

Psalm 133:


 

 1 How good and pleasant it is 
       when brothers live together in unity!

 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, 
       running down on the beard, 
       running down on Aaron's beard, 
       down upon the collar of his robes.

 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon 
       were falling on Mount Zion. 
       For there the LORD bestows his blessing, 
       even life forevermore.


 

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

7 Habits of Highly Effective Soul-Winners



This Sunday I will be sharing the third lesson on the theme "Lost." The title of the message will be "The Soul Winner's Training." In the process of preparing the lesson, I ran across the following article. I thought it would be good to share with all.



Written by Richard S. Church, Jr.

Personal evangelism is the secret to church growth! It is simple, biblical, basic, and any believer can be involved in it. Without it, a church will never grow. I interviewed eight Christians that are considered by their church, pastor, or Christian friends to be soul-winners. I have attempted to discover some of their habits.

They are spiritually prepared.

  • They walk closely with Christ and maintain a consistent devotional life.
  • They are active in their churches and are members in good standing.
  • They attend worship and Sunday School and study their Bibles regularly.

They are trained.

  • Soul-winners have been trained in one or more gospel presentation strategies such as FAITH, Share Jesus Without Fear, GROW, or The NET.
  • They serve as trainers or mentors and model soul-winning before others.
  • They have marked New Testaments and are able to express the central truths of the gospel in simple and understandable fashion.
  • They use tracts and other printed gospel materials to enhance their presentation.

Habit 2: Soul-Winners Share Christ Anytime/Anywhere
Soul-winners are open to share Christ

  • At the office
  • In a restaurant
  • On a plane
  • Over the phone
  • Anywhere the opportunity exists.

Habit 3: Soul-Winners are Adaptable in their Presentation of the Gospel
Most do not rely on mechanical or canned gospel presentations. They each have developed their own particular style which:

· Becomes personal and conversational.

· Uses their own language and illustrations.

· Each witnessing encounter will be unique and different.

Habit 4: Soul-Winners See their Interactions with Other People as Divine Appointments
They begin each day with a sense of expectation.

  • They feel a divine sense of mission.
  • They see themselves as instruments of God’s grace to others.
  • They seek to make the most of their encounter with others by purposely initiating and leading the conversation into the spiritual area.

Habit 5: Soul-Winners do not Worry about the Results
Soul-winners realize that they cannot save anyone. People come to Christ only through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Habit 6: Soul-Winners are Involved in Church Evangelism Programs but are not Limited by Them

  • Soul-winners are active in their local churches. Most are involved in their church’s ongoing visitation and evangelism training programs. But they do not limit themselves to sharing Christ only during church-sponsored activities.
  • They see every moment of every day as an evangelistic opportunity.
  • Soul winners also seek to reproduce themselves in others. Most mentor or train others in evangelism programs.

Habit 7: Soul-Winners Pray Consistently for Opportunities to Share Christ with Others

  • Soul-winners pray for those with whom they have witnessed.
  • They pray for those with whom they have not yet witnessed.
  • They pray for divine appointments and witnessing opportunities.