I had made a brief comment in this post a while back that our fuel for evangelism is the holiness of God. I was talking with my pastor a while back about his trip to the Together For The Gospel conference and he mentioned that I needed to listen to David Platt's message on missions. He said that it was the best missions message he'd ever heard. That's saying a lot because he's been a Christian for about 30+ years. Here's that message: ...

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:35-40 Sometimes the will of God is like a diamond; the more you turn it in the light of Jesus Christ the more prisms you see. One of the things that God has said to grant to us, on top of believing in Christ, is suffering. Philippians 1:29 says exactly that, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." Sometimes suffering, depression, and the like can be a faceless, nameless thing. It comes like a cold wind and you try to grab hold of it and it passes right through your fingers. I've often wondered about those moments in my life and I've tried to live with them in the view that God was working all things for good for the one who loves Him. I recently ran across this excerpt from Charles Spurgeon about suffering and thought it would be something worth sharing with you to remind you about one "prism" of your suffering as a Christian. Chapter 9 of The Soul Winner entitled "The Cost of Being A Soul Winner"...

"praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:18-20 I recently finished up a verse by verse study in the book of Ephesians and one of the next to last lessons was on a piece of the armor of God that many Christians neglect and some might not even know is actually a part of the armor of God; and that piece of armor is prayer. But that's not what this blog is about. I wanted to share with you my findings on a rather interesting word that the Apostle Paul uses to describe our attitude toward the gospel. It's the word ought. Here's a piece of the transcript from my sermon. If the notes seem sparse know that I use them as a guide and not verbatim. Sometimes it's a bit extemporaneous and there are things said that just aren't in here. I pray you are prodded and provoked to think about these things. I want us in closing to notice two very important things in these last two verses - boldness and oughtness (which probably isn't a word, but that's OK). It's interesting again to see Paul asking the saints on his behalf to pray for boldness. In Acts 14:12 Paul and Barnabas were equated to Greek gods by those in Lystra. They called Paul Hermes because he was the chief speaker. So obviously he had some kind of authority when he spoke. Paul had boldness. Fear hinders our boldness to open our mouth to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. Prayer for one another to the Father aids us to be bold to speak. It really does. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore...

Have you ever been in a room with a friend and forgot to pay attention to her? You are aware she is talking, but you are not listening. Perhaps you are staring over her shoulder out the window and pondering the contents of the package that was just delivered to your neighbor across the street. At some point or another, we have all been guilty of this kind of behavior. Perhaps more often than we even realize. In fact, it is a daily struggle for me. It is a struggle not to look over the tiny heads within my home and out into the world. I tend to think of sharing the gospel as something that is to be done "out in the world". When I think of evangelism I think of street evangelism. I am guilty of forgetting my responsibility to the little blessings God has given me. Going out and sharing the gospel is vital and mandatory in the life of every believer, but don't forget to share it within your home as well! My two little boys' souls are just as depraved and desperate for the gospel as anyone else with whom I could share. There will be seasons in your life, especially if you have young children, in which most of your days are spent at home. You do the laundry, cook, clean, and make sure everyone has their nap. Do not let yourself believe that those things are worthless. As wives and mothers, we have been called to manage our homes. As a stay-at-home mom I do not have as many opportunites to share the gospel with strangers as many do. And on days when I do venture out, it can be quite a challenge to have a meaningful conversation with two little boys in tow. At times I have found this discouraging and felt that I am being disobedient by not meeting some imaginary gospel-sharing quota that I had set for myself. But I have found much freedom in realizing that my foremost priority is to be sharing the gospel within my home. That is...

"For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?" 2 Corinithians 2:15-16 "But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Corinthians 4:2-4 Take a few minutes and listen to John MacArthur give some insightful tips as to why a plain and open statement of the truth is the God ordained method of bringing lost people to a knowledge of the Savior.

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We believe that it is this bare and simple reliance on the gospel alone that makes a successful encounter with a stranger when speaking the gospel. In fact, it was said of the Puritans that they considered their "outreaches" a success when only one thing happened: the gospel was proclaimed clearly, and truthfully with no gimmicks from the flesh. May God grant you boldness and wisdom to rely on the truth alone....