Monday Night Visitation/Evangelism (10/26/08)

Monday night was a blessing, as it always is. Praise be to God, while our attendance was down from 9 the week before, we had 5 servants come out to share the love of our Savior.  The Lord could use one person to make His kingdom know to the world if He so chose, so 5 is a pretty solid number for Wendell, although more are always useful, and welcome.

   It is starting to get dark early, and it was rather cold, but there were some productive visits. We followed up with Chris' wife that we told we would bring HBC material to them about worship hours and sunday school, and she seemed grateful and interested to come out one week. Also we followed up with the other Chris and invited him and his son to Hallelujah Night (this friday, more info in the events section of this page, or sunday school/wednesday night). The Lord has given their family a small blessing this week, although his wife is still in Mexico...be in prayer.

  Okay, that was the visitation half of our night, now onto evangelism! We met with Alan, a believer who wants to see sinners repent and be saved by God's grace, who is also a pastor at a church in Garner. He asked that we pray for people to be spreading the gospel to the lost. There were several houses where people were clearly home and not answering, some that call themselves Christians but were watching something on TV more important than Christ. I pray the Lord break them of such thoughts and deal with them accordingly. We ended the night talking to Martha, a former attender of Hephzibah, whose children both came up through the program formerly known as Upward. Bobby and Scott used to coach her son, who is now like 6'2. Yes, they are getting old. The gospel was shared with Martha, and though she gave an answer of doing good to get to heaven, she acknowledged Christ as Savior. We may be going back there to visit, possibly with Jordan, our new Student Minister. James (the son) works and plays football and doesn't really go to church anywhere, so hopefully the gospel can lay on his heart and he will/does love the Lord and serve Him.  The other group that went out met with some people that felt they were getting to Heaven through doing good works and good things, and the gospel was shared. They also met a guy whom they may visit with again in the future. He claimed to know the gospel, but just could not believe that it was all true. After talking with our group, he asked that they pray for him to grow closer to God. Although this may not be congruent with is former statement about the gospel, it could be planted seed, and maybe the Lord is working. To God be the glory in all things. 

   This is a long article anyways, so Im going to add some pork to it. If you haven't met our new Student Minister (and his wife, Carolyn), you should introduce yourself to Jordan Reese. He is passionate about the Lord, excited about sharing the gospel (he actually approached us about joining us on Monday nights at some point), and a baller. Ha, obviously the first two are what really matter, but you should be welcoming him, it will be a blessing to you both.   Also, we can still use help on Monday nights. If you don't want to talk, you don't have to. If you want to and don't know what to say, you can read Gary's article (directly beneath this one) about how to share the gospel/the faith/your testimony.  Grace and peace, hope all is well this week. -Bubba

Sharing Your Faith

The sign at the exit of the Hephzibah parking lot says, “You are now entering your mission field.” Though most Hephzibeans agree wholeheartedly with the truth of that sign, often it proves difficult to incorporate that into everyday life. Sometimes Christians are too nervous, or too embarrassed to share their faith at work, school, or on the street. Sometimes Christians are ready and willing to share the gospel, but struggle turning the conversation to spiritual matters. Yet it is the mission and purpose of every Christian to intentionally share the good news that man can be freed from the bondage of sin through Christ who died on the cross and rose from the grave. Christians carry with them the greatest truth that has ever existed, but to deliver that truth to a doubting world is often difficult, but perhaps you can be encouraged by a few methods that will help to embolden those who are willing to share their faith.

In order to effectively share the gospel Christians must have deep compassion for those with whom they plan to share. School campuses and work places are often ideal settings for building relationships. Take the time to ask your co-workers and classmates’ questions about “who they are.” Those are the type of questions that will turn co-workers and classmates into friends. Mix questions about family and interests with questions about spiritual matters. Inevitably those questions will be returned, and you will be able to share your faith in Christ. Even if your convictions on spiritual matters do not agree with your new friend’s; your opinion will in most cases be held in higher regard than that of the person who shouts “turn or burn” on the local street corner. Building relationships is an integral part of sharing the gospel.

If you have true transforming faith in Christ, then you have one of the most effective gospel-sharing tools-your testimony. Every believer has a unique story of how God through Christ transformed a condemned-to-death-sinner into a son or daughter of Almighty God. You do not have to be a former mobster, drug addict, serial-killer, etc. in order to have a powerful testimony (however if either of those descriptions applies to you then you also have a very powerful testimony). God may have kept you from your youth, and that in and of itself is powerful. If you were four or forty when your eyes were opened to the gospel you have a great story: God saved you (a sinner) from His just wrath toward sin in Christ, and transformed you from sinner to son by grace through the Holy Spirit. Letting God’s grace speak for itself, is a powerful means by which you can share the gospel with those who you come in contact with at work, school, or the grocery store.

Sometimes Christians are led to believe that it is necessary to memorize the most popular evangelistic strategy in order to effectively share the gospel. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with evangelistic strategies, scripture itself communicates the gospel more effectively than any strategy of man. Let scripture speak for itself: John 3; Romans 3:19-26; Romans 6:1-14, Ephesians 2:1-10 and other passages clearly describe man’s sinful condition, need for a savior, provision of a savior in Christ, freedom from sin, and undeserved reward of Heaven. It is a good idea to read and reread these passages for personal edification and to gain a proper personal understanding of what exactly the gospel is (you certainly want to know what these passages are saying before you use them to share your faith). Be prepared to answer questions raised by those who you are sharing with, but do not feel as if you must be so knowledgeable that you can answer every question raised. “I don’t know” is an appropriate response to a question raised as long as you search for the answer and respond in a timely fashion.

These methods of sharing the gospel certainly do not in and of themselves entirely compensate for our inadequacies. Christians are attempting to convey the greatest truth that has ever existed which can be quite nerve-racking. The most important thing to remember when we attempt to share the gospel is that we must rely solely on the Holy Spirit to guide our words and convict the one with whom we are sharing. The Holy Spirit must do the work; we are merely the vessels He uses. He will speak, and He will convict. With that most important concept in mind we can use the, afore mentioned tools, intertwined with our love, to minister to a people desperately in need of a Savior. -GBuff

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!"-1 Cor 9:16

Sorry this post is so long.

Wednesday Night and Lottie Moon

Wednesday night Bible study was great this week. Ken Jenkins taught on the commandment, "You shall not commit adultery." We discussed the teaching of Jesus that one who looks on another with lust has committed adultery in his heart. We also passed around a sign-up sheet for Hallelujah night.

I just wanted to share a Lottie Moon quote that has been encouraging to me. It really shows the strong faith that this godly woman had. She said, "I have a firm conviction that I am immortal til my work is done."