The Gospel Never Changes

"Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says."  (James 1:22)

As I have been reading some current books on total abandonment to God and the emphasis we must all have in our lives on sharing the gospel, I re-read a portion of a journal written by my husband back in 1991 on the Puritan pastor, Richard Baxter, and his views on evangelism.  "Baxter taught that each individual Christian had the responsibility to witness.  The profession of true religion is such a great duty that only foolish persons would try to conceal their faith or keep it to themselves.  Baxter stands amazed that anyone could be genuinely converted and not be telling others about salvation through Jesus Christ." (Beougher, "Richard Baxter and Puritan Evangelism")

Baxter himself said:  "Can a man have a taste of heaven upon his heart, and the kingdom of God begun within him, and yet not express his life or joy?....What!  have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts, and say nothing of it?  have the pardon of sin in the blood of Christ, and say nothing of it?  What!  see many hundred souls in danger of damnation, and say nothing, but let them perish?"

Wow!  If we have experienced the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in our own lives, we MUST speak of what we have seen, heard, and know! 

Lord, help me be a doer of the word and not merely a hearer!

Beougher, Tim.  "Richard Baxter and Puritan Evangelism."  from the Journal of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, Vol. VII, 1991-1992.

Radical Commitment

Matthew 7:23-25 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

Some high school students where I teach are going through the book Radical by David Platt. Many students are giving up their lunch times to crowd into a room to read and discuss this book. Platt challenges the way it seems we often do evangelism--i.e. bow our heads, close our eyes, and pray a prayer. Evangelism is sometimes reduced to series of steps. But Platt says: "Meanwhile, the biblical gospel says, 'You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, and in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do."
This book has challenged all of us, who are reading it, to make sure when we share the gospel, we share the WHOLE gospel, not just try to add to our numbers by offering a series of steps.

The World Needs More "Lerts"

"Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35b)

I am going through the book Radical by David Platt with over fifty high school students and some teachers He challenges us with the statement: "The cost of nondiscipleship is great. The cost of believers not taking Jesus seriously is vast for those who don't know Christ and devastating for those who are starving and suffering around the world.....It is profoundly greater for us than the cost of discipleship." (Platt, David. Radical, p. 16)

As leaders, we MUST emphasize the urgency of evangelism--it is part of being a true disciple of Christ and the results of not sharing our faith can be tragic for some. We must pray that our eyes are open to "look at the fields." Platt continues in his first chapter of Radical to say: "For the sake of more than a billion people today who have yet to even hear the gospel, I want to risk it all. " (Platt, p. 19) We ourselves need to have this mindset before we can lead others. Let us challenge ourselves and each other to ACT on the urgency of evangelism, be alert to any opportunities to share, and to be willing to "risk it all."

So - as a bumper sticker I saw said: "Be ALERT - the world needs more "LERTS!"

Quotes from Platt, David. Radical. Multnomah Books: Colorado Springs, 2010.