Tag: Jesus

Free eBook for Advent 2012

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Books, Discipleship, PracticalLeave a comment

Advent is here! For four weeks leading up to Christmas in December, we remember the thousand’s of years God’s people were anticipating and longing for the Messiah.

1 Peter 1:10-12 provides a description of what we look back to during Advent.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

To assist you this Advent season in reflecting back on God’s promise of a coming Messiah, I recommend John Piper’s book Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent. You can download a free ebook here.

Resource

Image

Plow and Pursue – Turning a Conversation to the Gospel | Part 2

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Pastoral, Practical1 Comment

In my last post, I presented R. Larry Moyer’s Plow and Pursue method found in his book: Show Me How to Share the Gospel. Moyer’s method tells us that we should plow into a conversation, enjoying it immensely. As we do, we should focus on three areas: (1) Family, (2) Job, and (3) Background. Focusing on these three areas should give us insight into the worldview of our conversation partner, as well as it should give us hooks by which we can turn the conversation from the ordinary to the spiritual.

In this post, I want to take it a step further by offering a few questions to help us get from talking about spiritual things to the gospel.

Questions to Move from Spiritual Things to the Gospel

The following questions may help move the conversation from spiritual things to the gospel:

(1) Do you enjoy reading about religious topics or subjects?

(2) Have you become involved in any church in your area?

(3) Have you ever examined some of the teachings of the Bible?

(4) With so many interests, are you interested in the Bible?

(5) Why do you think a lot of people across the world have interests in some kind of religion or another?

(6) From time to time a lot of people talk about Christ and Christians. Who, in your opinion, is Jesus Christ?

Not all of us have the gift of evangelism, most of us have to work at it. My hope and prayer is that these questions will help you evangelize the lost, and spur you on to fulfill the Great Commission.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Given this process – Personal, Spiritual, Gospel – are there conversations in the past that you may have hurried into talking about the gospel? What was the result?
  2. Would you offer a question for our other readers that you believe would help move the conversation from the spiritual to the gospel?

Resources

Everyday Evangelism

R. Larry Moyer, Show Me How To Share the Gospel, 21-25.

Image

Plow and Pursue – Turning a Conversation to the Gospel | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Pastoral, Practical2 Comments

Last night while doing my daily scanning of blogs, I came across a post from the Resurgence entitled Everyday Evangelism by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. Great post! I highly recommend reading it before reading my post.

After an insightful, challenging, and informative article they end by saying:

We need to be patient and trust God’s sovereignty while also finding ways to present the gospel at points one and two on our scale of interest in Christ and not just at points eight and nine.

If points 8 and 9 on the scale mentioned are referring to those who are ready and willing to talk about the gospel, then points one and two represent those who do not even think about the gospel, nor really care to talk about it with others. Chester and Timmis then open our eyes to today’s reality by saying that 70% of our population is made up of those who are at points one and two. If indeed most of the population is where Chester and Timmis claim, our typical methods of sharing the gospel are flawed. If this is the case, how do we evangelize the 70%? How do we get those those who never think about the gospel to honestly think about it?

I recently read a book by R. Larry Moyer entitled: Show Me How to Share the Gospel. In his book, he provides a method he calls Plow and Pursue. I believe this method can help us talk with the “one’s” and “two’s” about the gospel, or at least get a few steps closer to having that conversation.

Plow and Pursue

Moyer’s method is simple. He says that when we meet another person, wherever it may be – a party, a coffee shop, grocery store, neighborhood, etc – we should plow into the conversation, enjoying it immensely. As you talk, ask questions in three areas of life:

(1) Family
(2) Job
(3) Background

Don’t ask these questions as a matter of formality, thinking you need to get through these before asking the other person, “Why they believe God will let them into heaven.” Instead, make sure you listen. I mean really listen and enjoy the conversation.

By asking questions centered on their family, job, and background, and really listening, we show that we are interested in them as a person, as well as it allows us to get to know where the person is coming from, how they think, and what their life has been like.

As you listen to them describe their family life, job, and background, you are able to put together an understanding of their worldview, which will be immensely helpful when speaking with them about God and the gospel.

Not only does listening provide you with information to help determine their worldview, but it also gives you hooks by which you may turn the conversation from the here-and-now to the hereafter. Here are a few ideas to help turn the conversation from the ordinary to the spiritual.

8 Ideas to Turn Ordinary Conversation Into Spiritual Conversation

(1) They mention the outdoors, you mention how impressed you are with the Creator.

(2) They mention they have a terrible marriage, you mention how your marriage is going and how spiritual things have been the biggest source of help to you and your wife as you have walked out your many years of marriage.

(3) They mention unhappiness in their job, you ask: Where do people ultimately find happiness? Or why do you think there are so many problems in the world? That question may lead you to ask: Why do you suppose the problems in the world seem to be getting worse instead of better?

(4) They mention an ailing child, you mention it is times like those that really drive you to your knees to pray. You may even pray for them at that moment.

(5) They talk about looking for the perfect job, career, etc, you ask: What in your opinion is the number one thing most people are looking for in their lives?

(6) They mention being unhappy, you ask: Why do you think so many people seem unhappy with life in general?

(7) They mention the future, you ask: What do you think is in store for the future?

(8) They mentioned being worried or anxious, you ask: A lot of people seem worried? What, in your opinion, worries people the most?

What These Questions Do

All of these ideas stem from the three areas mentioned earlier – Family, Job, Background – and are ways to naturally lead into discussions about God, spiritual things, and hopefully the gospel. As well as the personal questions help to show interest in the person, and the spiritual questions help to get them thinking.

What if We Don’t Talk About the Gospel?

Even if your questions don’t provoke a deep conversation about God and the gospel, they at least get your friend thinking about spiritual matters, and that is important. Remember the scale I mentioned earlier and the statistic from Chester and Timmis, which told us 70% of people are a “one” or a “two”. If we can get those who are at a “one” or “two” to do what they normally are not doing – thinking about God – then we can count that as a success.

So, even if you are not able to get into a full on gospel conversation, your questions may cause the other person to do something they have not done in a long time, or even ever, think about God. When that occurs, it is a success, and you are not only one step closer to having a deep challenging conversation about the gospel, but your conversation partner knows that they can talk with you about spiritual things when they have a question or thought.

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will provide some questions to help move the conversation even further – from the spiritual to the gospel.

Questions for Reflection

  1. What type of reception have you noticed in the past when you have taken the time to get to know a person before talking about spiritual matters?
  2. Are there other bridge topics you can think of besides the outdoors, marriage, job, and children?

Resources

Everyday Evangelism

R. Larry Moyer, Show Me How To Share the Gospel, 21-25.

Image

3 Marks of the Truly Convicted

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

Do you know what it means to be convicted of your sin? Do you really understand just how sinful you are and why you need a Savior?

I think there are many who do not understand the extent of their sinfulness and the separation that sin brings. This is particularly evident when people claim they are good people, when they believe they can approach God without first being redeemed by Christ, and when they see nothing wrong with the way they live.

The Bible however paints a different picture of mankind. Paul tells us in Romans that no one is righteous, no not one (Rom. 3:10). He goes on to tell us that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The Psalmist agrees when he tells us that we are all sinners from our mother’s womb. Born utterly corrupt without a righteous bone in our body (Ps. 51:5).

In order to be saved from our sin, we must agree with Paul and the Psalmist. True conviction doesn’t and cannot occur until we do. Using Paul and the Psalmist as a launching pad, let me give you what I see as three necessary marks of the truly convicted.

3 Marks of the Truly Convicted

(1) The truly convicted are aware of a severed relationship with God

Sin hinders our relationship with God because a holy God cannot have a relationship with sinful man. Just like oil and water don’t mix, a holy God and sinful men can’t mix.

Those who are truly convicted of their sin understand their relationship with God is severed and hinders their fellowship.

(2) The truly convicted admit they are guilty of sin against God

Isaiah understood he was guilty because of his actions. In Isaiah 6:1-5, we read,

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

After coming face to face with the reality of God’s holiness, Isaiah pronounces a woe on himself, saying he is lost and a man of unclean lips. He understood his sinful actions against God where offensive and left him guilty.

Just like Isaiah, those who are convicted of their sins admit the same.

(3) The truly convicted admit their complete perversity and corruption

When we are convicted of our sin, we recognize we are wholly depraved and there is nothing good in us. Once we recognize our condition, we then seek cleansing from our guilt and defilement. Such was the attitude of the Psalmist.

In Psalm 51, he asks the Lord to have mercy on him and to wash him because he understood himself to be a sinner, who was evil in the Lord’s sight. Utter and complete corruption characterized his life of which he understood the implications, namely, a severed relationship with God, which would result in eternal damnation.

Those who are convicted of their sin, agree with the Psalmist and plead with God to cleanse them as well.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you willing to admit you are completely and utterly corrupt?
  2. Do you believe that you stand guilty before God because of your sin?
  3. Do you generally see yourself as a good person in God’s eyes? Or do you see yourself as a sinner in need of a Savior?
  4. Does the realization of your sinful drive you to plead with God to cleanse you?

Resources

Post adapted from Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J.I. Packer, 66-81.

Image

What are the Ingredients for Proper Evangelism?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Pastoral, PracticalLeave a comment

Say you are planning to cook a chicken pasta dish tonight for dinner. In the process of cooking the meal, you forget to add the chicken. When everything is said and done, you will probably have a good pasta dinner, but you will not have the meal you set out to prepare. While our pasta dish will taste fine without the chicken, leaving out an ingredient in our evangelism might not turn out so well.

What are the ingredients to proper evangelism?

There are four main things we need to include in our message:

  1. God
  2. Sin
  3. Christ
  4. A call to repent and believe

Let’s look at these one at a time:

God

God is the Creator. As our Maker, He is also our Ruler. As our Maker and Ruler, He has absolute claim on our lives. We are not only to look to Him for guidance, but we are to also submit to Him and obey His commands.

Sin

Sin tells us that we have rejected God as our Creator and Ruler. In place of His rule, we seek our own.

Sin entered the world at the Fall mankind when Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s rule. As the head of the human race, all who come after them are also plunged into a world of sin and inherit a sinful nature. The result is separation from God. Since He is holy, He cannot have a relationship with an unholy people.

Sin is offensive to God. Not until we understand how offensive sin is to a holy God, and how utterly sinful we are, will we see our need for salvation.

Therein lies the problem of the human race, most people do not believe they are sinful because they measure sin by particular actions. It is easy to see that a murderer is sinful, but a good upstanding citizen, who doesn’t even have a parking ticket; why they are not sinful? The Bible tells us otherwise. In Romans, Paul says, “None is righteous, no, not one; (Rom. 3:10), which means even good people are sinners, whose sin separates them from God.

Sin not only explains why we can’t have a relationship with God, but it also explains why the world is the way it is. Disease, sickness, death, corruption, and all kinds of evil exist because of sin.

Christ

Christ is the Savior of mankind. In order to understand fully Christ’s saving action, we need to know about both His Person and Work. The reason for both is because His cross work was only possible because of His life.

Person: Jesus is the incarnate Son of God who lived a perfect life. Never transgressing one of God’s laws, which allowed Him to be the perfect sacrifice for mankind.

Work: Jesus offered Himself up as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. In our place He hung. As He did our sins were nailed to the cross with Christ. The Perfect One became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).

On the cross, Jesus suffered the wrath and punishment of God. Wrath and punishment that we deserve because of our sinful nature. Since He took our place, He made a way for mankind to be reconciled to God.

Jesus not only died on the cross for our sins, He also raised from the grave after 3 days defeating death. After 40 more days, He ascended into heaven where He know sits on His throne as the King over all. One day He will return to defeat Satan, judge those who did not believe in Him, sentencing them to eternal damnation, renew all things, and rule the world.

All those who believe these things about Jesus will be saved.

A Call to Repent and Believe

While repenting and believing is not a part of the gospel story, it is a necessary ingredient to evangelism because evangelism aims at conversion. So we must call people to repent and believe.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you believe God is our Creator, or do you believe we were created through an evolutionary process?
  2. How do you determine who is and who is not a sinner?
  3. Why is it necessary for us to know about both Jesus’ person and work?

Resources

Post adapted from: Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J.I. Packer, 66-81

Image

10 Ways to Imitate the Godly

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

In Philippians 3:17, Paul commands us to imitate him. What are we to imitate about Paul? We are to imitate his mindset and actions. Paul’s letter to the Philippians gives us a good picture of who Paul is, how he thinks, and what he does. So let’s look at Paul’s minset and actions up to this point in the letter. In doing so, we will see 10 ways to imitate the godly.

 10 Ways to Imitate the Godly

(1) Paul constantly and fervently prays for others (1:1-11)

  • He thanks God for the salvation and growth of the Philippians. As well as he prays for the Philippians growth and perseverance.

(2) Paul proclaims the gospel (1:12)

  • He knows the gospel is the only means to renewal and restoration, so he relentlessly and continually proclaims the gospel, even in jail.

(3) Paul’s all consuming passion is to glorify Christ (1:12-30)

  • He doesn’t care what happens to him as long as the gospel is proclaimed he rejoices, which is why he can rejoice even when he is in jail, beaten, or killed for the gospel.

(4) Paul holds others accountable (2:2;14)

  • He rebukes the Philippians of their disunity, urging them to be unified with one another.

(5) Paul takes up the mindset of Christ (2:5-11)

  • He humbles himself, counts others more significant than himself, looks out for the interests of others, and he takes up the Father’s will for his life.

(6) Paul knows God is the One who empowers him to work in the Christian life (2:12-13)

  • He does not seek to live in a manner worthy of the gospel in his own power. He recognizes God is the one who empowers him, which keeps Paul humble and not prideful, and it also keeps him from becoming discouraged and quitting.

(7) Paul watches out for others souls (3:2)

  • He warns the Philippians of the dogs in their midst, taking care to inform them of their behavior and their error, so they will not be deceived.

(8) Paul sees the gospel as the only means of salvation (3:2-9)

  • He does not trust in his own achievements. Instead he sees his achievements as rubbish, and he counts everything he ever gained as a Pharisee loss for the sake of knowing Christ.

(9) Paul doesn’t believe he has arrived (3:12-13)

  • He knows that he still has room to grow, knowing that he does not fully know Christ yet.

(10) Paul strives and strains forward to Christ (3:12;14)

  • He keeps his eye on the prize, removing all distractions. He does not allow others to beat him into submission. He is constantly moving forward towards Christ, constantly straining forward.

That is the picture we get of Paul so far in Philippians, and those are the qualities and actions we should imitate. Second to Jesus Christ, he is to be our guide as to how we are to think and live because he reflects Christ.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Does your life resemble Paul’s?
  2. Is your life one that someone could imitate?
  3. Do you know that if your life does not resemble Paul’s, the Holy Spirit will empower you to grow in your Christian walk, so you don’t have to despair or beat yourself up.
  4. Do you believe all Christians should strive to imitate Paul, or do you think living sold out for Christ is reserved for the super Christian?

Resource

Image