Don’t Tell me “The Day of the Gospel Meeting is Over!”

The beginning of our gospel meeting is just two weeks away and it will provide so many opportunities for us to serve the Lord. Let me remind you that this effort is the primary tool of outreach we have. Every program we have is tied to evangelism, but the entire focus of this one is to reach the lost and bring them to Jesus.

We are counting on each of you to step forward to insure that this effort surpasses any we have had in the past. Sometimes, when we are involved in an effort we have tried before, there is a tendency to pull back and not to put our heart and soul into what we are doing. Just being aware of this tendency can help us avoid this pitfall.

Over the next several days you will be challenged in many ways. It may seem that what you do is insignificant, but when all these small contributions are added together they have a tremendous impact. The strongest ropes are made up of thousands of tiny threads working together for a common purpose. The same is true of the work of the church. Success comes because so many are working for a common cause.

Don’t think that the day of the gospel meeting is over. This past weekend I conducted a meeting in a small Tennessee town where there are about fifty members of the church. In the three weeks before the meeting they had baptized six. During the three days of the meeting there were two others baptized and a brother was restored who had been away from the Lord for 45 years. One of the ladies baptized was someone who had never had an organized study with anyone before the meeting. She learned the truth and responded to it during the meeting. The day of the gospel meeting is not over!

The other lady baptized was someone whose husband had been a member of the church for years, but she had never made the commitment. There were so many tears of joy when they saw her respond. The day of the gospel meeting is not over!

The brother who was restored pointed to the baptistry and recalled his baptism 45 years ago. You should have seen the joy he now has.

Are there individuals like these we know who could be touched just two weeks from now? Think about it. Pray about it. The day of the gospel meeting is not over!

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His Plan is So Simple

Paul so vividly described the process of salvation when he wrote his letter to Rome. “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher” (Rom. 10:13-14)? The plan is so simple that it is amazing how complex men have made it.

You cannot be saved without calling on the Lord. This is far more than simply acknowledging Him as Lord and praying to Him. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven . . .” (Matt. 7:21). It is obvious that though Paul had seen the Lord on the road to Damascus, had submitted to His will, and had been praying to the Lord (Acts 9:6, 11) that he had not been saved by this. He had not called on the Lord (Acts 22:16).

You cannot be saved without believing. Far too many say that at the moment one believes in Jesus he is saved, yet this verse shows that they are two separate actions. After one has believed he can call on the Lord.

You cannot believe without hearing. This simple  affirmation by Paul shows that God does not operate directly on the heart of a sinner, convict him of his sins, and turn him to God. His simple plan is for everyone who believes to have had that faith produced by hearing. It is foolish for one to sit, waiting for God to tell him when it is time to turn to God. He’s already told us when that time is in His word (2 Cor. 6:2)!

You cannot hear without a preacher. That “preacher” might be Peter, Paul, Matthew, John or some other writer of the New Testament. When the church at Jerusalem was scattered by persecution, those “preachers” were men and women who taught the lost and produced faith in the hearts of lost mankind (Acts 8:4).

You cannot preach without being sent. The primary “sender” is Jesus who has told every Christian to teach the lost around them (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15). The early church, unlike so many Christians today, understood they were part of that simple plan.

Think about it. If men are not calling on the Lord, is it because you have not heeded the words of the Sender?

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Your Children Need Homeschooling

On February 28, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled that homeschooling violated the laws of that state. Over 200,000 children face the possibility of being removed from parental teaching and molding of their lives and being forced to let the government assume these chores. The issue is headed for the California Supreme Court, but the implications are astounding.

The latest information from 2007 shows that Florida has nearly 56,000 children from about 37,000 homes where children are being home-schooled. Palm Beach County has more children (4,070) from more homes (2,996) than any county in the state. The increasing popularity of this method of rearing children (the average annual increase since 1986 is 20%) shows the concern many parents have about what is happening.

All of this has got me thinking. There are those in government who think they know far more about the needs of children than the parents of those same children. Their view is that parents simply are not equipped to ensure children are prepared for life.

Educationally, this concept may be true. However, consider the fact that these same entities believe that morality and ethics should come from the state. They feel that their morals standards are what children need. Let the state, through its schools, teach children about homosexuality, birth control, origin, situational ethics, etc. The tragedy is that far too many parents have abdicated their God- given responsibilities in these very areas.

Parents, think about this for a moment. Are you homeschooling your children? I am not asking about educational homeschooling, but about using your homes as a school where children learn about God, self-control, kindness, selflessness, purity of speech, respect for the aged, respect for the infirmed, and reverence for God. Is it possible that when our children began school, we forget the most important “school” of all!

Don’t be fooled. In the absence of spiritual emphasis around the dinner table and other social times with your children, Satan will ensure he uses every possible means to capture the souls of your precious children. Every Christian parent should be involved in “home-schooling” his child!

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Bible Miracles Notable and Irrefutable

The contrast between the miracles of the Bible and the pseudo-miracles of televangelists is remarkable.  Modern “healers” specialize in “miracles” that are invisible or those that could so easily be staged by covetous men.  In Biblical times it was so different, for there was no way to explain away what Jesus and the apostles did.  Think about these words from those enemies of the cross who saw a crippled man who had been cured at the temple by Peter and John. “What shall we do to these men?  or, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem,  and we cannot deny it” (Acts 4:16).  Unlike modern “miracles” there was no way to fake what happened.

Think of the nature of the miracles of Jesus. As you read the following list, notice how authentic each of them appears. He turned the water to wine (John 2:1-11); He cleansed men who were known by all as lepers (Luke 5:12-16); He restored in the sight of all the man’s withered hand (Matt. 12:9-13); He raised the widow’s son at the village of Nain (Luke 7:11-16); He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 8:23-27); He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Matt. 9:18-26); He walked on the water

(Matt. 14:22-33); He fed the multitude of more than five thousand with five loaves and two fish (Matt. 14:15-21); He feed 4,000 men plus many women and children with seven loaves and a few small fish (Matt. 15:32-38); and He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44).

The list is only a partial listing of what Jesus did, but the evidence is overwhelming. He claimed to be the Son of God, and God put His stamp of approval on this claim by empowering what Jesus did (see Acts 2:22). Bible miracles are always like those described in the book of Acts. They are evident to all and no one can deny them (Acts 4:16)! Contrast this with the modern claims made in our day. Radio and

television are replete with men saying they are sons of God and using “miracles” to prove it. However, their miracles are not evident to all and many question the authenticity of them. If the presence of true miracles was evidence of God’s approval of Jesus and the apostles, then what does the absence of true miracles say about modern day “apostles”?

You cannot deny Biblical miracles!

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Making Preparations for the Approaching Battle

Don’t wait for the crisis to arrive and then determine what you will do! One area where so many fail is that while they know there may be problems, they make little preparation before they arrive. Every Christian should be wise enough to see some of what lies ahead and be ready.

Think about Jesus’ preparation for the temptation by Satan. Our adversary sought to destroy Him by using what John describes as “all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:15-17).  Have you considered where you might be had Jesus succumbed to the temptation? When Satan sought the soul of the Man who had fasted for forty days, suppose He had yielded to His fleshly desires. Suppose He had been overcome when His eyes saw all the kingdoms of the world. Suppose He had given in to the allurement of prideful boasting and leaped off the temple.

Yet, He was ready! Because in His earthly state He was like each of us in every way (Heb. 2:14), God did not just miraculously give Him those “It is written” verses. He had to acquire them in the same way we do. He was ready!

Think about the trials you can see before you. I am well aware that we cannot see them all, but are we making preparation for those we do know are coming? In our immoral world we all are faced with opportunities for sexual immorality. Are there character traits you need to be developing now, in order to deal with those times? Teenage Joseph did not have to decide what to do when Potiphar’s wife approached him. His character was such that when the occasion arose he fled! He was ready!

Think about the allurement of material possessions. I am amazed how corruptible “stuff” captures our lives and robs us of our eternal souls. Craving to live like those in Palm Beach is nothing compared to living eternally!

Let me suggest that you arm yourself with the sword of the Spirit, and write on your heart those verses, like Jesus did, which enable you to deal with temptations as they arrive. Let those words dwell in your heart and mold your character. Let them become the shield of faith by which you can deflect every fiery dart of the Devil (Eph 6:16). Failure to do this leaves you a ready prey for the enemy. Get yourself ready. A great battle lies ahead and preparation must be made!

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