Never Underestimate the Power of a Gospel Tract

Following my conversation with Ruben, I walked across the street to the shopping center. Along the way, I managed to find a few English million dollar bill gospel tracts* sandwiched between the Spanish version bills in my pocket. I handed out a few million dollars as I walked through the shopping center.

When I came to the grocery store, I saw a young man sitting at a patio table outside the store. His clothing indicated that he was a store employee. He sat at the table with his arms folded on the table, with his head resting on his arms. He looked like he was trying to take a nap.

"You look tired." I said quietly, not wanting to startle him.

He slowly lifted his head and smiled. "Yeah. I just got off work."

"Well, maybe a million dollars will perk you up." I handed him the gospel tract, his smile widening.

"Someone gave me one of these a couple of years ago, at the fireworks show." The young man went on to explain that he attended a fireworks show that was held at a nearby mega-church.

I had a good idea as to who gave him the gospel tract. You see, a friend and fellow evangelist went to the mega-church's fireworks show, but not for the fireworks. Tens of thousands of people would gather on and around the church grounds to see the fireworks display. So, my friend went to the event, dubbed by the church as "community outreach," to distribute gospel tracts.

Sadly, my friend was told by church security that he was not allowed to distribute tracts on church grounds. Apparently, the purpose of the event was to simply entertain the public. Fortunately, my friend was able to get a tract into the hand of this young man, before my friend was told he would have to leave the church grounds if he wanted to hand gospel tracts to people. Yet one more sad and unfortunate commentary about the American Church.

"Did you read the tract back then?" I asked.

"I think so."

"So, what did you think?"

"I need to forgive myself."

"Well, not really. Would it be all right if I sat down."

"Sure."

I introduced myself. The young man's name was Ryan. He was 16.

I took Ryan through the Law. By his own admission, he was a lying, murdering, blasphemer, who disobeyed his parents. He agreed that according to God's standard, he was not a good person. He also agreed that if God judged him according to the standard of the Ten Commandments, God would find him guilty of breaking His Law.

"Ryan, if God finds you guilty, do you think you would go to heaven or hell?"

"Heaven?"

"Do you say 'heaven' because that's where you want to go?"

"Yes."

"But if you have broken God's Law what should He do with you?"

"Send me to hell."

"Does it concern you that if you were to die, right now, and stand before God, He would find you guilty of breaking His Law and would sentence you to eternity in hell?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what God did to make it possible for you to avoid eternity in hell?"

"No."

"Have you ever been to church?"

"No."

"Have you ever read the Bible?"

"No."

Sad, isn't it, that so many Christians think the mission field is "over there"?

"Would you like me to tell you what God did?"

"Sure."

I shared the gospel with Ryan, and I explained to him that what God required of him was to repent and receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I also spent some time making sure he understood that salvation is by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone--apart from any works or religious activities.

"Do you believe what I just shared with you?"

"Yes."

"Ryan, is there any reason why you wouldn't turn from your sin and, by faith, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?"

"No."

"Is there anything that would keep you from doing that right now?"

"I'm not sure."

At this point, I could have very easily convinced Ryan to pray a "sinner's prayer." The result would likely have been the creation of yet one more false convert--a young man who trusted in a prayer, but was not truly transformed and regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. I wasn't about to do that.

"Ryan, is there something in your life, a sin in your life that you love too much to give up for Jesus Christ?"

He thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. "No. I can't think of anything that I wouldn't give up for Jesus."

"Then why wouldn't you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, right now?"

He couldn't answer.

"Well, will you do me a favor? Please think carefully about what I've shared with you. I don't want you to go to hell, Ryan."

"I will. Thanks for talking to me."

I gave Ryan a copy of How To Live Forever Without Being Religious.

"Ryan, a friend of mine wrote this book. In this book you will find the Gospel of John. It's the fourth book in the New Testament. If you've never read the Bible, the Gospel of John is a great place to start. Please read it and ask God to open your eyes to the truth it contains. You'll see that what I've told you is true."

"I will. I can read during my breaks at work!" He said with a smile.

We said our good-byes and I made the walk back to my church. I called and left a message for my friend who I suspect gave Ryan the tract.

"Hey, it's Tony. Just wanted to let you know that you likely gave a young man named Ryan a million dollar bill at ------ Church's fireworks show. I just shared the gospel with him and he told me that someone else had given him a gospel tract at the fireworks show.

"You giving Ryan that tract planted a seed, which helped to break the ice for my conversation with him tonight. Thank you, brother."

If you're reading this and have often wondered about or questioned the effectiveness of gospel tracts, I hope this story has helped you to see the light. The effectiveness of gospel tracts is not determined by how many people come to church as a result of distributing tracts.

No. The effectiveness of well-written, biblical gospel tracts is seen in the number of spiritual seeds planted. And the true results of distributing gospel tracts will only be fully realized when those who go to heaven see others there who were brought to repentance and faith after reading a gospel tract handed to them by a stranger.

So, are you still nervous about sharing your faith with strangers? Can you take a gospel tract and put it into a stranger's hand? Can you hand them a tract and say, "Here's something good to read," or "Did you get one of these"? Come on. Sure you can. You never know, you might just give a tract to someone like Ryan.

Please pray that the Lord will draw Ryan to genuine repentance and faith, extending to him the free gift of eternal life that only He can give.

* The Million Dollar Bill gospel tract is available through Living Waters.

Not All Witnessing Encounters Go As Planned :-)

So, I had a building project meeting at church tonight. I decided to head to the church about an hour and a half before the meeting so I could do some witnessing at a nearby shopping center.

As I walked to the shopping center, I prayed for God's blessing upon my time on the streets.

Before arriving at the shopping center, I stopped in a liquor store. (Settle down! I just wanted to talk to the guy behind the counter.)

His name was Ruben. I waited for the customer he was serving to leave before I approached the counter. "Hey, here's a million dollars for you."

Ruben smiled and took the million dollar bill. he immediately turned it over and began to read the gospel message on the back. "Do you know what the million dollar question is?" I asked.

He raised his hand and said, "Wait. I'm reading."

So, I waited for Ruben to finish reading the tract. "So, what do you think?" I asked.

"Oh, this is not good."

"You didn't like it?"

"No, it's just hard."

"Would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

"My English is not that good."

I tried for a minute or two to take Ruben through the Law. But the language barrier was too great. "Oh, I wish I had my Spanish million dollar bills." I said aloud.

With a somewhat perplexed look on his face, Ruben said, "This is in Spanish."

"What?"

"This is in Spanish."

I took the tract from his hand and inspected the gospel text. Umm, yeah, it was in Spanish.

Now, on the one hand, this was a good thing. At least Ruben was able to read the Law and the Gospel in his own language.

Well, this is the stack of million dollar bills I have been using all week. That means all of the "gringos" to whom I handed million dollar bill gospel tracts this week probably scratched their heads as I walked away wondering why the strange white man handed them "funny money" with Spanish text on the back.

"Doh!"

Oh well. Maybe some of the folks to whom I gave the Spanish million dollar bills were bi-lingual.

Pray that the Lord will use the gospel tract to bring Ruben to repentance and faith.

The next conversation I had was, well, very special. Stay tuned. :-)

Behind the Scenes of Way of the Master Radio (11-13-07)

After what the Lord did this morning before today's edition of The Way of the Master Radio show, I could hardly wait to see what He would do next. He most certainly did not disappoint. The Lord blessed me with some great "fishing."

I spent the better part of the day on the campus of College of the Canyons (our local community college). Today, I was blessed to be joined by my friend, Josh. Josh is a student at COC and a graduate from a The Way of the Master Basic Training Course I taught.

Our guest for the first hour of the show was Blake, outside linebacker for the COC Cougars--one of the finest community college football teams in the country. Blake was with a young lady named Tara.

As I conducted my pre-show interview with Blake, I learned that he did not consider himself to be a good person (a rarity). He believed that people go to heaven when they die and that one has to be a good person to get there.

I put Blake on the phone with Ray Comfort. It was fascinating to watch Blake's demeanor change as the phone conversation progressed. Initially, Blake was light-hearted and jovial. Having done this for a while now, I could tell that Ray was making small talk with him.

Then Blake's demeanor went from jocular confidence to uncomfortable fidgeting. Ray was taking him though the law. His demeanor changed yet again when Ray took Blake to the cross. He became very subdued. There were a few instances when Blake touched the tip of his pinkie to the corner of his eye. Was it dust? Or was the linebacker trying to suppress a tear? During this last demeanor change, I noticed that Blake repeatedly looked at Tara, as if to see if she saw was looking at him and seeing what he was trying to hide--emotion.

Blake handed me my phone, indicating that his conversation with Ray had come to an end. When I asked Blake how the conversation went, he said, "It went pretty good. He told me some things that I didn't necessarily know, and he cleared some things up that I thought I knew. So, it went really well."

Blake and I talked for about ten minutes. Listen to his answer when I asked him what he was going to do about what he heard today.

Before Blake and Tara left, I asked Tara if she had any spiritual beliefs. She said she was Muslim. So, praise God. A Muslim heard the Law and the Gospel today! Blake and Tara received copies of How To Live Forever Without Being Religious and You Can't Handle the Truth gospel tracts.om

Our guest for the second hour of the show was a young lady named Carmen. Josh and I found Carmen sitting alone reading a book. When I asked her to be on the show, she didn't hesitate. I was so excited about what had happened with Blake that I didn't ask Carmen a single question about her spiritual background.

When I handed Carmen my phone, she put her book on the bench. The title: "God is Not Great--How Religion Poisons Everything," by Christopher Hitchens (an avowed "antitheist).

Carmen's face was very expressive throughout her conversation with Ray. I could tell the conversation wasn't going beyond the Law.

I spent almost twenty minutes talking to Carmen, once she was off the phone. It was a very pleasant exchange, but Carmen wouldn't budge from her agnostic points of view. Listen to our conversation and you'll see what I mean.

Two conversations, with two distinctly different people. One was humbled by the Law and one was not. Both conversations were a blessing and privilege to experience.

The Lord further blessed me with a wonderful postscript following my conversation with Carmen. As I talked to Carmen, I saw my friend, Lindsey. Like Josh, Lindsey is a graduate of a WOTM BTC that I taught. Lindsey was with her friends, Hannah and Jane (not her real name).

As I talked to the three ladies about what the Lord had done during my fishing trip to the campus, Lindsey and Hannah seemed interested and excited. Jane, on the other hand, seemed a bit taken aback. It dawned on me that I assumed that both of Lindsey's friends were Christians.

So, when there was a lull in the conversation, I asked Jane if she had any spiritual beliefs. She said she was a Christian. I asked her what it meant to be a Christian. She said that she had accepted Jesus as her Savior and that she wanted to live for Him.

I took Jane through a "Three Minutes to Live" scenario. She had no idea how to share the gospel with me.

"Jane, what if I told you I know how a car engine works. But when you asked me to explain how a car engine works I tell you that I can't explain it. Would you have any confidence that I really know how a car engine works?

"No. Not really."

"Tell me about something you know."

Jane proceeded to give me a 30-second lesson in music theory.

"Jane, while you don't know all there is to know about music, in about thirty seconds you were able to give me a lesson in music theory that I could understand."

She smiled.

"Don't you think that if a person knows Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior they should be able to tell someone else how they can know Jesus Christ?"

"Yes."

"Would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you have to be a good person to go to heaven?"

"I think it can help someone get there."

Since it was possible that Jane was simply an undiscipled believer, and since it was just as possible that she was a false convert, I gently took her through the Law and the Gospel.

"Jane, what I'm about to suggest to you might seem hard, but it's very important. I want to encourage you to go before the Lord and ask Him to search your heart and reveal to you if you have truly repented of your sin and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you have, then praise God. Read your Bible every day and learn how to articulate your faith to others. But if you come to the realization that you have never truly repented of your sin and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, because the gospel you believed in high school was different than the gospel you heard today, then please get right with God, today. Repent and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

"There are many people around the world who will one-day stand before God expecting to enter heaven, only to hear Him say, 'Depart from me; I never knew you.' They thought they knew the Savior when they really didn't. I don't want that to happen to you. I want to see you in heaven, someday."

I said good-bye to the three ladies and made my way to my car. I honestly don't know how many times my feet actually touched the ground, during the walk to my car. :-)

It was a great day of fishing!

From Train Wreck To Testimony

Today began like a train wreck. (How's that for a wonderful start to a blog article?)

Two of my three daughters weren't feeling well this morning. A dear lady from church was in the hospital with a very serious medical condition. I was feeling tired and out of sorts. I was not myself (or, maybe on some level, I was myself). I was somewhat whiny in my spirit.

I arrived at College of the Canyons at about 10:00 AM. My plan was to do as much evangelism as I could before my scheduled "street fishing" segments on The Way of the Master Radio. So I "plopped" down in the amphitheater and surveyed "the pond." There were people everywhere, and I really didn't feel like talking to any of them. Part of me was afraid to talk to them. (That's right. You heard me. The "Lawman" was battling fear of man. What? You thought it only happened to you?) Oh, and I wasn't in the mood to be rejected by people half my age.

So, I prayed. But even my prayers seemed shallow and hollow.

I sat there, sulking, for several minutes--wallowing in my sinful self-pity. I almost went home. But I knew I couldn't do that. Leaving would be wrong. My attitude was wrong. I just had to repent and, by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, had to overcome the sins of fear, complaining, and self-pity.

I finally pulled my sinful backside off the concrete amphitheater seat and walked over to the first person I saw. I told him that I was with Way of the Master Radio, and I asked him if I could interview him about his spiritual beliefs. "No." was the answer. "I'm not interested."

Did I mention that I didn't feel like being rejected by people half my age?

"All right. Shake it off. Go ask someone else." I thought. And that's what I did.

"No thanks, man." (Did he really just call me "man?") "I'm not interested."

So, I walked across the campus, sizing up the potential "fish" as I made my way through the cement pond. After my first two attempts to engage people in conversation, no one looked good to me. I managed to come up with an excuse for not talking to each person I saw. I handed out a few Million Dollar Bill gospel tracts along the way, but that was it.

I sat down on a bench. I did the manly, mature, and super-spiritual thing. I sat with my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands.....and I pouted. "Great! It's going to be two lousy days of fishing in a row." I sulked. I tried to do a little fishing yesterday, but the fish weren't biting at all.
So, I prayed. I begged God to turn the day around.

I handed out a few more tracts to people who passed by. I didn't even get off the bench to do it. I just waited for people to come within arms reach before I offered them a tract. Pretty lame, huh?

I share these things not to get a few "aw, there, there" strokes from you, the readers. Rather, I share these things because I would hazard a guess that some of you have had days like this, too.

What happened next would change what I thought was going to be a terrible day to one of the best "fishing" experiences ever. Although the day started with no fish and several holes in the boat, the Lord was about to patch the boat, into which the fish were about to jump.

Three students (two young ladies and a young man) walked past me. As they did, they all looked at the empty portion of the bench as if they were contemplating sitting down. "I don't bite." I said.

One of the young ladies affirmed what I said, but they continued on to another nearby bench. Moments later, they got up, walked back to where I was sitting, and joined me on the bench.

"Hi. How are the three of you doing today?" I asked.

"Good." They answered in unison.

"I'm with a radio station called The Way of the Master. I'm on campus today conducting interviews. I'm asking two questions. 'Do you consider yourself to be a good person?' And, 'What do you think happens to a person when they die?' Can I interview the three of you?"

"No." They each replied.

"Okay."

I sat quietly for a moment or two.

"So, what do you think happens to a person when they die?" I asked the young man.

"I think we will all stand before God and He will judge what we've done and where we should go."

"Do you believe in heaven and hell?"

"Yes."

"What do you think a person has to do to go to heaven?"

"I guess obey the Ten Commandments. Be a good person."

"Have you been able to keep the commandments?"

He shook his head. The two young ladies with us on the bench were listening closely.

"Would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

"I think so."

The young man admitted to being a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart. But he minimized and justified his sin. However, there didn't seem to be too much conviction behind his self-defense.

Once we started talking about sin and judgment, one of the young ladies grew increasingly uncomfortable. She made a call on her cell phone and soon quietly walked away without even saying good-bye to her friends. But Otto and Stephanie stayed.

It didn't take long to overcome Otto's self-righteousness and self-justification. Once I felt the time was right, I shared the gospel with Otto and Stephanie.

"Otto, you probably weren't expecting to have a conversation like this, today. Were you?"

"Not at all." He said with a slight chuckle. "But I'm glad I did."

I thanked Otto and Stephanie for allowing me to talk to them. I gave them each a million dollars for their time and patience. :-)

While Otto and Stephanie's salvation is of the utmost importance and the reason for my conversation with them, those two young college students will likely never have any idea how much the conversation with them meant to me. That is, unless I am one-day blessed to see them in heaven.

Otto and Stephanie got up, said good-bye, shook my hand, and headed to their next class. I watched them walk away for several moments, utterly amazed at God's grace and mercy--not only by allowing Otto and Stephanie to hear the Law and the Gospel, but also the grace and mercy He showed me by allowing me to talk to them.

I threw my hands in the air and praised God. With outstretched arms I prayed for Otto and Stephanie. It was a minute or two before I realized that I wasn't alone in a prayer closet; but on a bustling community college campus. Oh, well. I didn't care how I looked. But I did lower my hands and continued to pray, asking God to allow me to talk to someone else.

"Amen." As I looked up, I saw two Asian students walking toward me. They were not simply walking in my direction. They were coming to talk to me.

The young lady was carrying a clipboard, which was holding some paper. The young man was obviously escorting her. The two sat down beside me.

I think I'm starting to like this bench!

"Will you take a survey I am doing for a class?" She asked, politely.

"Absolutely!" I answered, enthusiastically. "When you're done with your survey, will you take mine?"

"You have a survey, too?"

"I sure do!"

"Okay."

"I could tell the young lady was nervous. She had not yet mastered the English language. She seemed very shy.

"The topic of the survey is censorship. Do you think there should be censorship?"

"Well, it depends. I don't think the question warrants a simple 'yes or no' answer."

"What do you think should be censored?"

"Anything that dishonors God."

"Umm. Excuse me. Dishonor God?"

"Yes. Anything that that dishonors God, anything that violates His Word and His Law should be censored."

"Umm. Okay. Where do you think censorship should begin?"

"It should begin with blasphemy."

"Blasphemy?"

"Yes. Any misuse of God's name should be censored."

The young man (his name was Joe) smiled. "I am a Christian. I love Jesus." He announced.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Wendy."

"Wendy, can I ask you some questions now?"

"Okay." She seemed even more nervous.

"Wendy, would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

I took Wendy through the Law and explained judgment to her; but first I had to explain to her what the Ten Commandments were. Wendy admitted to breaking God's Law. She understood that she would be guilty before God. When I asked her if she would go to heaven or hell, she said, "I guess hell. But we don't believe that in my religion."

Wendy was from Taiwan. Although she never identified her religion, I assumed she was Buddhist. I talked to Wendy about the difference between belief and truth. And then I shared the gospel with her. Joe continued to smile.

"Wendy, have you ever heard the gospel explained that way?"

"No."

"Joe, you said you are a Christian."

"Yes. I became a Christian five months ago."

Joe is an exchange student from Korea. He will return to his country at the end of the school year.

"Wendy, has Joe ever shared his faith with you."

"Oh, yes. Many times, in class."

Joe extended his hand to me--the smile on his face, ever present. "I am very glad I met you today."

"Oh, it was a pleasure to meet and talk to the two of you, too!"

I asked Wendy to carefully consider what I told her and what she has heard from Joe. She said she would.

The two got up from the bench (now, my favorite bench on the campus) and walked away.

Once again I found myself praising and glorifying God--thanking Him for allowing me to talk to Wendy and Joe. I thanked God for Joe's enthusiastic faith. And I prayed for Otto's, Stephanie's, and Wendy's salvation.

What began as a train wreck ended in a wonderful testimony to God's grace, goodness, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and love--not only for those who heard the Law and the Gospel this morning, but for a wretch like me. I entered the college campus a pitiful lump of dirty clay--in no condition to be of any use to the Potter. But the Potter, in His sovereign grace and mercy, chose to fashion me into a vessel He could use to bring the Law and the Gospel to three young co-eds, and Christian encouragement to a fourth.

How this all happened this morning shows that the clay is in no position to take any credit for what the Potter does with the clay. The clay cannot fashion itself into anything of value or usefulness. The clay is fashioned by the Potter's hands, according to His good pleasure, will, and design.

So, to God, and to God alone, be all the praise, honor, and glory for a train wreck turned testimony.

Join me in praying for the salvation of these young people. I do hope to see them in heaven one-day.

And this all took place before today's edition of The Way of the Master Radio. Stay tuned..... :-)

A Letter From Hell

What you are about to see and hear is disturbing. Once you've watched the video, please take the time to read what follows.




If you are a Christian, realize this. Zack, the Christian "friend" in the video, might be a false convert. Charles Spurgeon said, "Have you no desire for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself, you can be sure of that." If you profess faith in Jesus Christ, yet you are not actively engaged in verbally proclaiming the gospel to your lost friends, family members, co-workers, and the strangers you meet each day, or at least putting the gospel into people's hands by way of well-written, biblical gospel tracts or other printed material, then it is reasonable for you to question the authenticity of your salvation.

If you are a Christian, then your purpose in life is to glorify God in every thought, word, and deed; to love lost people enough to warn them that they are children of wrath who are waiting to be sentenced to eternity in hell for breaking God's Law; and to love lost people enough to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ--that their only hope for avoiding God's wrath is to repent and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Your purpose in life is to obey the two greatest commandments, and to fulfill the great commission.

If you profess to be a Christian and this video and the ensuing commentary is offensive to you, then you might be like Zack. You might be a false convert. Now, before you wag a judgmental finger at me and accuse me of being judgmental, please hear me out.

Obviously, I have no way of knowing with certainty your real spiritual condition; and it certainly isn't up to me to determine the authenticity of your faith in Christ.

However, if you are not actively engaged in sharing your faith with lost people; if the video you just watched doesn't move you on some level; if you can't be bothered with evangelism and you are masking your indifference with excuses such as fear, inability, or lack of opportunity; or if you have bought the lies of modern evangelicalism that have told you that evangelism is only for those with the gift of evangelism, or that simply living the "Christian life" in front of unbelievers is the entirety of your evangelistic responsibility; then you must do one thing and come to one of two conclusions.

The one thing you must do is look in the mirror with honesty and sincerity of heart and ask God if the above is true about you. If it is true about you, then you must come to one of two conclusions. Either you are a false convert who has never truly repented and received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, or you are a genuine follower of Christ who must confess before your Lord and Savior that you have sinned against Him, through your disobedience to His Word, as seen in your failure to share the gospel with lost and dying people. Either way, you must repent.

If you are not a Christian and you have stumbled onto this site, or you are one of the handful of unbelievers who read this blog and heckle me from time to time with your written comments, I hope the video has served as a wake-up call. Heaven is a real place. And hell is a real place. It matters not if you believe it. Truth is not determined by your beliefs. What matters is whether or not what you believe is true.

I am once again reminded of what God said to the prophet Ezekiel, when he commanded him to call the people of Israel to repentance. "When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand" (Eze. 3:18).

Friend, your blood will not be on my hands. For I am here to warn you, with love and concern in my heart for you. I do not want you to perish and spend eternity in hell.

In God's eyes, you are a lawbreaker. Don't believe it? See for yourself. Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything, regardless of the value or how long ago you committed the act? (Time does not forgive sin.) Have you ever taken God's name in vain--used His holy name carelessly, flippantly, or as a curse word to express excitement, fear, or disgust? Then, by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart; and you are going to face God on Judgment Day.

God will judge you according to the perfect and holy standard of His Law (The Ten Commandments). He will find you guilty. Since He is good--since He is holy, righteous, and just--since He is loving and kind--He will sentence you to eternity in hell as the just punishment for your sins against Him. Yes, you will end up just like Josh, in the video.

But there is good news. The loving, kind, holy, righteous, and just Creator of the Universe--God--has provided the Only Way of escape from His just, awesome, and terrible wrath. He provided Himself.

God came to earth. He took the form of a man, in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was fully God while, at the same time, fully Man. He lived a perfect, sinless life. He suffered and died a horrible and bloody death on the cross, taking upon Himself the just punishment you deserve for breaking God's Law. He was crushed under the weight and fury of God's holy wrath--the Just making the perfect sacrifice and payment for the unjust. Three days later, Jesus Christ rose from the dead, forever defeating death. He is alive! He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

And this is what God requires of you. You must repent. You must turn away from your sins. You must throw yourself upon the mercy of God and beg to receive the mercy and forgiveness you do not deserve. You must, by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Then, and only then, will your sins be forgiven. Then, and only then, will you receive the free gift of eternal life that only He can give.

There is nothing you can do to save yourself. You are dead in your trespasses and sins. Your good works cannot save you. Your good feelings about yourself will never negate your crimes against God. And what you see as your good deeds will never outweigh the sinfulness of your sins against Him. Your own perceived goodness will never satisfy the debt you owe God for the sins you have committed against Him.

Please. I beg of you. Turn away from your sins, today, while you still have time. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, today, while you still have time. I don't want you to end up like the fictitious character, Josh. I don't want you to end up in hell.

And Christian, please don't be like the fictitious character, Zack, whose hands are stained with the blood of his friend, Josh--the friend he did not love enough to share the Law and the Gospel.

Who will hear the Law and the Gospel proceed from your lips, today?

Gospel Preaching

Paul Washer is very quickly becoming my favorite preacher.

Do you hear gospel preaching like this on Sunday morning? No? Hmm.

I just watched/listened to the sermon. I thank God for solid, passionate teaching like this.

Church Parking Lot Sale

My daughter, Marissa (left), and our friend, Hannah (right) were, umm, shall we say, fools for Christ, today. :-) Needless to say, they attracted a lot of attention from passing motorists. Fortunately, there were no traffic collisions resulting from these two feathered billboards.

So, why would two otherwise lovely young ladies hide their intrinsic beauty behind the alter egos of Donald and Daisy Duck? Well, they were helping (quite effectively, I might add) to draw attention to our church's parking lot sale. The purpose of the sale was two-fold: 1) to raise money for our church's Needy Family Fund; and 2) to share the Law and the Gospel with members of our community who ventured into our parking lot.

The day began at 5:00 AM with set-up. By 7:00 AM we saw our first customer. Throughout the day, literally hundreds of people visited our parking lot sale. Every person that made a purchase received a hand-written receipt and a Avoid Identity Theft gospel tract. Hundreds of gospel tracts, CD's, books, and DVD's were given away, today.

I set up my open-air display, which afforded me the opportunity to take several people through various intelligence tests, as well as The Good Person Test. All of which, of course, led to gospel conversations.

My friend (and Ten-Four Advisory Board member), John Howard, rolled out the Ten-Four Cooking Trailer. We fed lunch to more than 100 people. The price: a donation of any size to the Needy Family Fund. The Lord truly blessed the event. Between the parking lot sale and lunch, we were able to raise about $2,400 for the Needy Family Fund.

Throughout the day, people asked questions about the church (service times, ministries, beliefs, etc). Not only was it a blessing to have so many community members visit the church, but it was also a great blessing to see so many of my church family members working so very hard, with such loving attitudes. It was truly a special day for my church family.

My friend, Mike, had an interesting conversation with a man and his son. Part of what made it so interesting was what the man said to Mike when he approached the open-air display. "My wife was here earlier and told me I should come over here and take the 'Good Test.'" Apparently, his wife was one of the ladies with whom I spoke earlier in the day!

My last conversation of the day was with a lady I saw looking at the evangelism materials I had set out on a table. I assured her that everything on the table was free. She picked up one of just about everything.

I asked her if she had any spiritual beliefs. "I think I'm a Christian." She said somewhat sheepishly.

"What does it mean to you to be a Christian?" I asked.

She thought for a moment. "Oh. That's difficult to say. Could you start with an easier question?"

"Okay. Would you consider yourself to be a good person?"

"I'm not sure."

"Are you familiar with the Ten Commandments?"

"A little."

I gently took her through the Law and helped her see that, by her own admission, she was a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderer at heart. When I asked her if God would find her innocent or guilty of breaking His Law, if she were to die today and stand before Him, she said, "I would be guilty."

"Do you think you would go to heaven or hell?" I asked.

"Hell."

"Does that concern you?"

She nodded her head. Behind her lightly colored sunglasses, I could see tears in her eyes.

"Would you like to sit down and talk?"

"Yes, but I have to leave for work by 1:30." (I would say good-bye to her at 1:31.) :-)

"This won't take long; and I think it is important that we talk about this."

She agreed and followed me to two chairs, under the shade of a tree.

I took the lady through the courtroom analogy. When I explained to her that the person who came into the courtroom to pay her fine represented Jesus and what He did on the cross, her eyes once again welled with tears.

I explained to her that she must repent and receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior in order to receive the free gift of eternal life. She said she understood. In addition to other materials, the lady held in her hand a copy of How To Live Forever Without Being Religious. I explained to her that the book contained the Gospel of John, which would be a great place for her to begin reading the Bible.

I saw Kathy, our pastor's wife, standing nearby. I called her over and introduced her to the lady. Together, we talked to the lady about our church's service time, as well as the women's Bible study that takes place every Wednesday night.

The lady seemed truly humbled by the Law and the Gospel. I hope she truly repents and received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. And I hope we see her again.

I am so thankful to my Lord and Savior for today. His presence was obvious throughout the day. The glitches in today's mission were few and minor. He allowed us to not only serve others and work well together, but also to share (through tracts and the words that proceeded from our mouths) the Law and the Gospel with many people.

All day long the fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ was wonderful. I believe the Lord, through this evangelism and outreach effort, drew members of my church family closer to one another.

The event was scheduled to end at 2:00 PM. When the time came, we announced to our visitors that everything was free. Moments later, a man entered the parking lot. He told us that he would soon travel to Mexico and was looking for children's clothing and stuffed animals. We still had both a plenty.

He will pick up BAGS of clothes and stuffed animals tomorrow morning. So, the Lord, in His sovereignty and grace, is going to allow our church family to bless children in Mexico. How cool is that! :-)

All the glory belongs to the Lord--the Sovereign God and Holy One, for it is He who was faithful, gracious, loving, and kind.

The Depravity of Self-Glorification

Once again my local newspaper has taken an opportunity to glorify secular humanism and atheism, through the publication of a opinion page commentary. Click here to read the article.

What follows is my "Letter to the Editor" submission in response to the article.

~~~~~

Oh, for the days of Leon Worden, when there was some balance to the spiritual musings of The Signal’s columnists! But, those days are gone. Now, the readers of The Signal are fed a steady diet of secularism, agnosticism, post-modernism, paganism, and atheism under the auspices of political, satirical, and civic commentary. It is darkness, not light, that epitomizes the opinion section of The Signal, as the goal of the new editorial regime appears to be the glorification of the depravity of man. A case in point is Willy Gutman’s “Swan Song” article.

According to Mr. Gutman, his “greatest victory . . . has been one of self-conquest—reaching emotional and spiritual independence by shedding absurd beliefs, relying on [his] inner reserves of intellectual power . . .” Mr. Gutman went on to write: “Last I was a struggling agnostic for most of my life. I have since come out of the closet and breathed oxygenated air of emancipation by proclaiming my atheism.”

It is not with anger I pen this response. Not at all. I write these words with sadness, concern, and pity for Mr. Gutman and people like him. Tragically, like so many other professed atheists in the world today, Mr. Gutman does believe in a god. You see—Mr. Gutman is not really an atheist. His god is Willy Gutman. And in his inane effort to rely on his “inner reserves of intellectual power,” he accomplished that which he likely did not intend to accomplish. He validated the truth of the Bible. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good” (Psalm 14:1). “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (Romans 1:28).

Mr. Gutman and all others who insist on living within the delusion of self-glorification will one-day face the reality that there is a God. “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).

Mr. Gutman may be “emancipated” from his belief in God, but he remains a slave—a slave to the sin of his own depravity and self-glorification. Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). I hope Mr. Gutman will one-day come to repentance and heed the instruction of the apostle Paul. “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts” (Romans 6:12).

Mr. Gutman rightly closes his article by recognizing that his time in this life is “precious and fleeting.” Mr. Gutman’s only hope, and the only hope of those who share his humanistic and atheistic beliefs, is to shed his remaining “absurd beliefs,” recognize he has broken God’s Law, turn from and confess his sin before God, and receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior—recognizing that Jesus’ shed blood on the cross and His resurrection is his only hope for escaping the wrath of God to come. Only then will he truly be emancipated. Only then will he truly breathe the oxygenated air of spiritual life. But until then, he remains dead in his trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).

Behind the Scenes of Way of the Master Radio (11-06-07)

Kenny was our guest during the first hour of The Way of the Master Radio show. He was at the courthouse for a probationary progress report, stemming from a DUI case. By his own admission, Kenny had driven while under the influence of pain medication. Kenny struggled with pain medication dependency, as a result of a series of back injuries. He said that the struggle is now behind him.

My impression of Kenny was that he was a man who had been through a lot--both physically and emotionally. I found him to be a very nice man who seemed to have a humble spirit.

Kenny's conversation with Ray Comfort and Todd Friel seemed to go very well. As is my custom, once Kenny got off the phone I asked, "So, how did it go?"

"That went fine."

"Was there anything in the conversation that stood out to you?"

"Well, yeah. He reminded me that if you break any of the commandments, you are what the commandment is saying."

We talked for about fifteen minutes. Although Kenny professed to be born again, you will hear in the audio that Kenny believes a gospel that differs from the gospel of Scripture.

Listen to my conversation with Kenny.

Please pray for Kenny. Pray that what he heard today will be used by God to bring him to genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was yet another good day of fishing at the courthouse.

"Passing On A Godly Heritage"

Would you trust this man (the one on the right) with your car? You would? Really? Okay, I would, too. How about the guy on the left? Umm, don't answer that.

My friend is likely familiar to those of you who appreciate The Way of the Master ministry. E.Z. Zwayne is the Vice President of The Way of the Master/Living Waters.

E.Z. preached yesterday at Calvary Chapel East Anaheim. His message, based on Ephesians 6:1-3, was titled "Passing On A Godly Heritage." I just listened to the message and I was both blessed and encouraged. If you are a parent (and I have been for 20 years) or if you one-day hope to be a parent, you should listen to this message.

Click here, then simply look for the message listed under November 4, 2007.

Thanks, E.Z., for sharing your heart, through the truth of God's Word.

If Faith Comes From Hearing, Then Who Have You Told? (Audio)

Click here to listen to the sermon.

Following the sermon, I had a very interesting witnessing encounter in the church kitchen, of all places. Read more.....

Last Words Ministry Radio

Todd Friel I'm not..... But, boy did I have fun this afternoon! I had about as much fun as one person can have in an hour's time, while wearing headphones. :-)

I was blessed today to serve as a guest co-host on the Last Words Ministry radio show. I joined Greg and Haydee for the hour-long broadcast. Today's show marked only the third time the show has been on the air.

The show airs every Saturday on AM 1580, in the greater Los Angeles area, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM (PST). The show is patterned after The Way of the Master radio show. You can call in and join the conversation (a non-emergent use of the word). The number is: 626-793-0900.

The Lord willing, and if the Last Words Ministry family will have me, I hope to appear on the show, from time to time.

Please pray for this ministry. Just spending a couple of hours with these brothers and sisters in Christ showed me what a genuine heart they have for reaching lost people, in a biblical way, with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you have any questions about the ministry, or if your would like to contact the Last Words Ministry team, click here.

Thank you Greg, Haydee, and the rest of the Last Words Ministry team, for allowing me to join you today. It was an honor, privilege, and blessing to serve alongside you.

Annual HOA Street Sale

This morning, our homeowners' association held its annual street sale. We rented two spaces and set up shop--not to sell our treasures (junk), but rather to give gifts to the people in our community. We gave away stuffed animals, soccer balls, and basketballs (all donated by Children's Hunger Fund). We also gave away Bibles, 2-in-1 CDs, Hollywood and God DVDs, Running Beyond Inspiration, How to Live Forever Without Being Religious, and of course, a bunch of our gospel tracts.

We set up our open-air display, which drew people to our location to take the Good Person Test. With the help of my brother-in-law, Ian, we shared the Law and the Gospel with people ranging in age from 9 to 70. Ian did a great job explaining the Law and the Gospel to some youngsters.

One lady saw the Good Person Test display and said, "I'm definitely a good person." I asked her if she was familiar with the Ten Commandments. She said, "Yes, and I keep them, too."

"Have you ever told a lie?" I asked.

"Yes."

"If you tell lies, what does that make you?"

"A liar."

"Have you ever stolen anything?"

"I don't want to take your test!"

She stormed off. I guess the exposure to the mirror of God's Law was a bit more than she could take. It was sad.

Here's one for the "It's a small world" file. A lady came by our space, and I handed her a Billion Dollar Bill gospel tract. She smiled and said. "Oh. I got a million dollar bill in the mail some time ago. Mahria and my girls' jaws dropped and they all fought back giggles.

You see, about a year ago I was laid up with a touch of pneumonia. Suffering from a touch of cabin fever as well, I had to do something to share the gospel with people. So I came up with this idea.

I went through the white pages and found addresses for people in my community. I wrote a letter (click here to read it), which included a Million Dollar Bill gospel tract. I must have mailed out three or four hundred of the letters while I was stuck at home. I always wondered who the people were that mailed the letter. Well, I got to meet one of the recipients, today. :-)

My last "mini" open-air of the day was with two moms and a half dozen kids (ages 7-10). One mom professed faith in Christ. The other mom quietly listened to the conversation. The entire group heard the Law and the Gospel. Take a listen.

We spent four hours bring the gospel to our community, during the street sale. One of the added blessings was seeing Mahria and Michelle (the shy people in our family) engaging people in conversation and handing out gospel tracts. Today was truly a family evangelism outing.

If Faith Comes From Hearing, Then Who Have You Told (Part 1 of 4)

Introduction

An entire theology and philosophy has been built upon a single sentence. Maybe you’ve heard it. “Preach the gospel always, and when necessary use words.” The statement is attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi.

I did a Google search of the sentence and found 1,260 entries. It is a very popular statement. Pastors, ministries, and Christians around the world hold up this statement as a biblical mandate to live the Christian life as another, even preferable, form of evangelism. In other words, in lieu of bringing the verbal or written gospel message to lost people, the best thing to do is simply live the Christian life until people ask you what’s different about you. Sound familiar?

Regarding the popular sentence attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi: he never said it. Catholic theologians and researchers have poured over the writings of Assisi, as well as the earliest biographies about the monk. No evidence has been found linking Saint Francis to the overused and misused statement.

However, unwilling to let go of their unbiblical, philosophical pearl, proponents of the statement have said, “While Assisi may not have uttered the words, the sentence captures the spirit of the monk.” Well, not if Assisi read and believed the Bible. If Assisi was a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, then he would have agreed with the Bible and not with the wisdom of men.

This morning we are going to ask and answer the following question. If faith comes from hearing, then who have you told? In order to prepare our hearts and minds to honestly answer this question, we are going to study Romans 10:17. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

The Gospel Must Be Spoken

The foundation upon which all evangelism is built is the gospel—the word about Christ. And that’s where we must begin. We must begin with the very source of one’s faith (which itself is a gift from God)—the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of Romans 10:1-16 is summarized in verse 17. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Salvation comes to those who hear the gospel, the word of (or about) Christ, and respond by faith.

So, what is faith? Well, one thing it is not is intellectual assent to whatever a person believes is true. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote: “Assent to truth is regarded by some as being the whole of faith—but it is not. Faith also includes an element of confidence, a readiness to commit oneself to it.”[i]

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way. “Now faith is the assurance of things hope for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith, in a general sense, is the conviction of the truth about anything. Faith, in a spiritual sense can likewise be the conviction of the truth about anything. But faith is only as reliable as the object of faith.

If you are here this morning and you have placed your faith and trust in anything or anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ, then your faith is in vain and it cannot save you. Apart from faith in Jesus Christ, who alone is the Savior, you are a child of wrath; not a child of God.

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that God exists and that He is the Creator of all things.

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that there is only one God who is both Lawgiver and Judge; there is only One who can both save and destroy (James 4:12). God, and God alone, determines who will spend eternity in heaven, and who will spend eternity in hell.

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that God and God alone has provided the only escape from His just and holy wrath, which He will justly execute against people who have sinned against Him and have done what is evil in His sight.

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that while God is perfectly holy, righteous, and just; He is also merciful, loving, and kind. So merciful, so loving, and so kind that He provided Himself, through the person of Jesus Christ—God in the flesh—the sinless Lamb of God, as the only means of escape from God’s perfect judgment.

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that forgiveness of sin and salvation from God’s wrath comes by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that the Word of God is true and that Jesus Christ is the Living Word—the same Living Word that said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that Jesus is the resurrected Lord, who is alive today and will return at the precise time of the Father’s choosing.

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that those (and only those) who, by faith, have turned from their sin and received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will receive the free gift of eternal life and spend eternity in perfect joy and fellowship with the King of kings and Lord of Lords.

For the Christian, faith is the conviction that the only eternally good news is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is what I’ve just shared with you, in the preceding series of affirmative statements. “True faith is not based on empirical evidence but on divine assurance, and is a gift of God.”[ii] Ephesians 2:8 tells us: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

A Christian does not come to faith in Christ because of what he or she has seen. Remember what Jesus said to his disciple, Thomas? “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29).

No, a Christian comes to faith in Christ because of what he or she has heard. The apostle John wrote: “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).

The divine gift of saving faith comes by hearing, and not hearing just any message. Only one message is used by God to bring a person to repentance and faith, and that is the gospel. That is why the apostle Paul wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

Faith in Jesus Christ comes as a result of hearing a message, not by being entertained or moved by a method. The manner in which we bring the message to people can vary. But it is not our methods that save lives. Only the message, only the gospel has that power.

A church’s ability to entertain young people during a mid-week meeting or during a so-called “outreach” event or concert will never bring a single, young soul to repentance and faith. Oh, it might lure a lost, young person to come to church. It might convince a lost, young person to join the Christian club. But meetings and events, in and of themselves, will not save that young person.

A sad and glaring example of this truth was seen just a few weeks ago when a mega-church hosted a “Battle of the Bands.” The youth pastor who spearheaded the event was quoted the following day in the local paper. He said, “We just wanted to do something that would appeal to high school students and every kid that loves rock music . . . We want them to know God loves them for who they are, and God’s arms are wide open to them . . . We want them to realize that church may not be what they think. We’re trying to break stereotypes . . . They don’t have to come here and sit here bored listening to a long speech. We want them to come to church to experience something cool.”

Am I against large or small-scale outreach events geared toward young people, or any other people group, for that matter? No. But if the goal is to get kids to come to church so they can experience something cool, it is neither outreach nor evangelism, especially since more and more churches are not preaching the gospel from the pulpit. Spiritually speaking, such events are utterly powerless when the gospel is not preached. When the gospel is not proclaimed, such events are often man-centered, not Christ-centered.

Christ is never glorified when His gospel is set aside so that the world will think the church is cool. This event in particular, and such events generally, can be used to see people come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ; but only if the gospel is clearly and unashamedly proclaimed.

Another method that is often stripped of any power or effect is the practice of friendship or lifestyle evangelism. Christians have been led to believe that if they live a holy and Christ-honoring life, unbelievers will see Jesus in us and be drawn to faith in Him.

It’s a nice sentiment; but, unfortunately, it’s just not true. Listen closely to how this sounds. “I’m going to live my life in such a way that people will see Jesus in me and come to faith in Christ.” In such a mindset, where does the power lie? It lies in the fallible, sinful Christian trying, yet often failing, to honor and glorify Jesus in his or her life. You will not see a single person anywhere in Scripture coming to repentance and faith by observing Christians living their lives. How arrogant of us to think that we, through nothing more than the example of our lives, can lead anyone to Christ!

Now, should we live our lives in such a way as to cause a lost and dying world to glorify our Father in heaven? Absolutely! Jesus told us to. During the greatest sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

However, the unbeliever is spiritually blind. “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14). Paul also wrote: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

The only way a spiritually blind unbeliever is going to see that how we live is a reflection of the salvation we have received, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ—by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone—is if we explain and proclaim what Jesus has done in our lives, as we share with them the Law and the Gospel. And, again, the reason they must hear the gospel is because a spiritually blind person cannot see the gospel.

And let’s be honest. How well are we really doing each and every day to live our lives in such a way as to bring obvious attention to our God and Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ? Isn’t it true that many times, many days in our lives we look more like the unbelieving world around us, than like our Lord and Savior? I know it shouldn’t be that way. And I know we don’t want it to be that way. And I know many of us are taking steps in order to grow and mature in our faith and godliness. But honestly, when comparing our physical lives to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which shines brighter? Which reflects more of the beauty and holiness of our great God and King? Which is more powerful—a life changed by the gospel that is still a work in process; or the gospel that changed the life?

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” The gospel is a message that must be spoken (in either verbal or written form) to be heard.

How Should We Speak The Gospel Message?

So, how should we speak the gospel message? While it is vitally important that we all come to the understanding that the gospel is a spoken and written message, that is not enough. And it’s not enough to know the content of the message. Millions of people around the world know the content of the message, but they are not saved. They have merely given intellectual assent to the truths of the message, but they have never turned from their sin and, by faith alone, received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Sadder still is the fact that more and more churches and Christians these days are living and speaking as though they have no idea what the true gospel message is. Just turn on so-called Christian television or read some of the writings of the emergent church gurus and you will see that there are many people who profess to know Christ, but have absolutely no idea what the true gospel message is.

No, in addition to knowing that the gospel is a spoken and/or written message, and in addition to knowing the true content of that message, we must know how to preach, proclaim, and share this all-important, all-powerful, life-saving message. So, for the rest of our time in God’s Word, we are going to focus on the how of gospel proclamation. The gospel must be spoken truthfully, boldly, and lovingly.


[i] Lloyd-Jones, David Martyn: God the Holy Spirit. Wheaton, Ill. : Crossways Books, 1997, S. 144
[ii] MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Heb 11:1

If Faith Comes From Hearing, Then Who Have You Told (Part 2 of 4)

The Gospel Must Be Spoken Truthfully

The gospel must be spoken truthfully. Proverbs 14:25 says, “A truthful witness saves lives, but he who speaks lies is treacherous.” Now, this proverb speaks about dynamics within the judicial system. But it has application in our present context.

As a deputy sheriff, I testified hundreds of times in court. And for twenty years I monitored significant cases throughout the American justice system. And what Proverbs tells us is true. One honest man or woman taking the witness stand can literally save the life of someone wrongly accused. No piece of circumstantial evidence, no piece of wrongly interpreted physical evidence has the power of words that proceed from the lips of one honest man or woman.

Sadly, what I saw all too often in the courtroom were liars applying, sometimes with great skill, their treachery in order to circumvent the integrity and power of the judicial system. Witnesses (albeit not all of them) lied. Attorneys (albeit not all of them) lied. More often than not such treachery was committed in an attempt to protect a criminal from rightful prosecution, not to see an innocent person convicted of a crime he or she did not commit.

Just as is the case in our earthly courtrooms, so it is true in evangelism. A truthful witness saves lives. A truthful witness, speaking the truth of the gospel, can be used by Almighty God to draw a person to repentance and faith in Christ, and thus save them from spiritual death and eternity in hell. Jesus said, “”If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31b-32).

But, again, as is the case in earthly courtrooms, in evangelism we must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Many Christians struggle with this. Many Christians, if they speak at all to unbelievers about eternity, do not speak the whole truth.

They focus entirely on the love of God and the forgiveness of God and the grace of God, but they never bother to tell people about their sinfulness and the fact that by breaking God’s Law, not once, but every day of their sin-stained lives, they are God’s enemies and are facing, at any moment, God’s just, holy, and fierce wrath.

James wrote: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (John 6:24).

The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians: “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them” (Colossians 3:5-7).

He also wrote this to the Ephesians: “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest (Ephesians 2:3).

And he wrote this to the church in Corinth. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

John the Baptist said, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

We must warn people about the reality and severity of hell. Why? We should warn people because that’s what Jesus.

Again, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “”You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (Matthew 5:21-22).

A little later in the sermon, Jesus said, “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30).

While receiving the revelation of the new heaven and the new earth, Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, said this to His apostle, John. “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:6-8).

The recent firestorms are still fresh in our minds. You might even be able to smell the smoke all over again, just thinking about those few precarious days. Having spent two full days running from fire to fire, warning people of the pending danger, I can assure you that most people, while concerned, did not leave their homes until I, or another deputy, or a firefighter told them it was time to go. They did not flee from the flames that were moving very quickly toward their home until someone told them it was time to go. They saw the flames, but that wasn’t enough. They needed someone to tell them to leave.

Some people were awakened from a very sound sleep. For many of those who eventually lost their homes, had someone not cared enough about them to awaken and warn them, they would have perished in the flames. Before the good news of the gospel will make sense to people who are dead in their sin with no idea that God’s wrath abides on them, someone will have to tell them that they have sinned against Almighty God, they have broken His Commandments (His Law), they are facing God’s righteous and holy judgment, and they will experience the full fury of His holy wrath when He sentences them to eternity in hell.

Is God loving, merciful, gracious, and kind? Yes. But if that is all we tell people, then, at best (or at worst), we will convince people to make a false profession of faith in Jesus because they have been convinced that they can try Jesus on for size and that “accepting” Jesus will cost them nothing. Or they will blow off the message as foolishness because what they were offered was no better than what they believe they already have as they love the world and indulge their sin.

Having told people the truth about their own sin and the consequences for their sin, then we must call people to repentance. We are not telling people the whole truth if we are not calling them to turn from their sin. To tell people that God loves them just the way they are is heresy and will lead people to a false profession of faith. God loves us in spite of who we are, not just as we are.

To tell people that God loves them just the way they are is to imply that they can come to Jesus without turning from sin. While we should make sure to tell people that if they try to clean up their act before getting right with God they will never get there (because we are saved by grace through faith, without any works on our part whatsoever); if we fail to tell people to turn from their sin we are presenting them with a message that differs from the message of Jesus, Peter, and Paul.

Jesus preached, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

When Jesus was questioned about a horrific event in which Pilate had mingled the blood of slain Galileans with the blood of sacrifices, Jesus said, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:2-3).

In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus declared, “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

In Peter’s second sermon, he said, “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should suffer, he has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:17-19).

In Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill (a great example of open-air preaching, by the way), he said, “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).

Paul said this to King Agrippa. “Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:19-20).

We must also tell people about the cross. There can be no authentic gospel presentation without talking about the cross of Jesus Christ. We are not telling people the whole truth unless we tell people about the perfect, sinless, sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. If our message is laden with promises of what Jesus will do for them in this life, and we make no mention of what Jesus did on the cross so that they can have eternal life, then we are not speaking the truth. We’re no more than salesmen of a commodity, instead of ambassadors of the King.

Paul wrote to the Romans: “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “He (God the Father) made Him (God the Son) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Paul wrote to the Philippians: “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to fix “our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

If Faith Comes From Hearing, Then Who Have You Told (Part 3 of 4)

We must also tell people about the cross. There can be no authentic gospel presentation without talking about the cross of Jesus Christ. We are not telling people the whole truth unless we tell people about the perfect, sinless, sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. If our message is laden with promises of what Jesus will do for them in this life, and we make no mention of what Jesus did on the cross so that they can have eternal life, then we are not speaking the truth. We’re no more than salesmen of a commodity, instead of ambassadors of the King.

Paul wrote to the Romans: “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “He (God the Father) made Him (God the Son) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Paul wrote to the Philippians: “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to fix “our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

We must tell people why Jesus went to the cross; namely, to take upon Himself the punishment we deserve for breaking God’s Law and sinning against Him. Jesus Christ, the sinless and spotless Lamb of God, the Son of the Almighty, was literally crushed under the full weight of God’s holy wrath. God’s wrath was poured out on God the Son. In doing so, Jesus Christ made the full and perfect propitiation (the payment) for our sins. He was the perfect and only possible substitute who could and did take our place on the cross.

The cross should have been our cross. It should have been our hands through which the nails were driven. It should have been our feet through which the nails were driven. It should have been our side through which the centurion’s spear was thrust.

Prior to repenting and trusting Jesus Christ alone for our salvation, it should have been us who had the crown of thorns mockingly smashed on our heads. Why? The reason is that before we received the free gift of eternal life, we claimed to be god, through our unbelief and disobedience. But Jesus was and is God! He didn’t deserve that crown of shame and ridicule, but He bore it willingly!

And for those who have not yet turned away from their sin and received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, something far worse than six hours on a cross awaits them. God will pour out his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness; and the just penalty will be eternity, not a finite amount of time, in hell.

We must make sure people believe in the only real Jesus—the Jesus of the Scriptures. Jesus is God. He is not a god and the incarnation of Michael the Archangel, as the Jehovah’s witnesses believe. He is not the spirit brother of Lucifer, as the Mormons believe.

He is not a created being as all of the false religions of the world believe—including the two just mentioned. He is not merely a good teacher or a prophet. And He is not merely one path to heaven as the pluralists and ecumenicists would have us believe.

Jesus is Lord! He is God! He is the Alpha and the Omega! He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last! Jesus and the Father are one! He is the only Savior of mankind! He is the way, and the truth, and the life! And, as the writer of Hebrews so beautifully tells us, “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3)!

The god of Mormonism is a dead god, because he never existed. The god of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is a dead god, because he never existed. The gods of the Eastern religions are dead gods, because they never existed. The gods of the ecumenicists and the pluralists are dead gods and merely figments of the imaginations of God’s enemies.

There is only one God; and that one God is eternally existent in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is eternal and alive! He alone is the Lawgiver and Judge. He alone is able to both save and destroy. And we must tell people the truth.

We must tell people that Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords is risen indeed. Why? Well, this is what the apostle Paul told the Corinthian church.

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

And Jesus Christ Himself declared His resurrection. As the apostle John laid eyes on the risen Lord and fell at His feet like a dead man, Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the Living One, and I was (or more literally “became”) dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17b-18).

Yes, we must tell people the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The Gospel Must Be Spoken Boldly

The gospel must also be spoken boldly. Proverb 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

So, what is true boldness? Well, here are a few things it is not—at least not here in the United States where there is yet any persecution on a life-threatening level. Boldness is not wearing Christian T-shirts. Boldness is not sporting “No Jesus, No Peace” bumper stickers. Boldness is not allowing your friends see you carry a Bible. Boldness is not loudly playing a Christian radio station or CD in your car.

Some may argue—some of you may argue—that these are small steps of boldness. Are they really? Considering how few professing Christians speak about Christ, may it not be more likely that these are as big a step as professing Christians ever plan to take and they are merely masks for the fear that keeps most professing Christians from taking a single step that would be counted by our Lord and Savior as truly bold?

I was listening to a sermon by Pastor James McDonald this week, and he gave this definition of boldness. “Boldness is openness or candor, especially in the face of hostility, without concern for the response of the hearer.”

When we wear Christian T-shirts and sport Christian bumper stickers, do we really do so without concern for the response of whoever may see us? Or is it that we want people to think we are a Christian, so long as they don’t respond by persecuting us? Are we concerned with what such a display may cost us, or are we merely concerned with how we look?

Is it that we truly want to testify for Jesus, or are we merely identifying ourselves with Jesus? Remember, it still does not cost a person his or her life to identify one’s self with Jesus, in this country—at least not yet. Millions upon millions of people identity with Jesus, but they don’t know Him as Savior and Lord

True boldness for Christ requires openly and candidly speaking about Christ. The Word of God affirms this.

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

“But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord” (Acts 9:27-28).

“Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles’” (Acts 13:46).

“Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands” (Act. 14:3).

“And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8).

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:18-20).

“For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.

“For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed -- God is witness -- nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority” (1 Thess. 2:1-6).

The gospel must be spoken boldly if we are to bring God honor and glory in our evangelism efforts.