Tag: Jesus

Evangelism Aims at Conversion

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

In my last post, I argued that the Holy Spirit was the one who closes the deal in evangelism. You can read that post here. Even so, knowing the Holy Spirit is the one who closes the deal does not mean we don’t call others to either accept or reject the message. We are not just presenting knowledge for knowledge sake. When we evangelize the lost we are challenging them to accept or reject our message. In other words, evangelism always aims at conversion.

Scripture

Let’s explore a few passages of Scripture to see that this is true.

1 Corinthians 9:19

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”

 Paul desired to win others to Christ, and we should do the same.

1 Peter 3:1

“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,”

One of the reasons given for wives to be submissive to their husbands is so that they might win them to Christ. Through their submission they model Christ’s submission to the Father, presenting to their husbands a picture of Christ’s submission, which led Him to the cross to die for the sins of mankind, so that we might have life.

Luke 5:10

“and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.””

Jesus tells them their role is not to be fishers of the sea, but fishers of men. Their aim was now to be catching men for Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:19-20

“that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Paul implores others as an ambassador for Christ to be reconciled to Christ. So then, his evangelism aimed at converting the lost to Christ.

Conversion is Still the Work of the Holy Spirit

Even though we implore others to be reconciled to Christ, challenging them and calling them to repent, we rest in the finished work of the Holy Spirit, knowing He is the one who ultimately brings about repentance. 

What Conversion is Not

Converting the lost is not calling them to take up our religious actions – We are calling for heart change, which only happens through the work of the Holy Spirit as they are converted from a life of sin to a life in Christ.

Converting the lost is not getting them to come to church with us – Again, we are after a real commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There are many God fearing, but unconverted people who attend church.

Converting the lost is not helping someone out of financial trouble – While that may give us inroads to present the gospel to them, helping someone get back on their feet doesn’t mean they have been converted to Christianity.

Converting the lost is not helping someone overcome an addiction – Even though that may help them get in the right mind to hear the gospel, getting clean is not a conversion.

What Converting the Lost Involves

Converting the lost involves calling someone to repent of their sins, turn from their rebellion against God, and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It involves helping others recognize that their relationship with God has been severed because of their sin, and it cannot be reconciled apart from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. So then, converting the lost aims at conversion to a life in Christ, which is always evangelism’s aim.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you believe there is another aim to evangelism besides conversion to Christ?
  2. How might you define conversion?
  3. Can you think of other things conversion is not?

Resource

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Whose Job is it to Convert the Lost?

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

Whose job is it to convert the lost? That is a good question. One that is worth answering for reasons we will get to in a minute. But before we do, let’s deal with the question at hand:

Whose job is it to convert the lost?

Scripture is clear. It is the work of the Holy Spirit who does the converting.

Titus 3:5

“he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” 

John 3:5-8

“Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”” 

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

1 Peter 1:1-2

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”

The common thread running through each of these verses is that the Holy Spirit converts the lost to Christ. He is the One who works on their heart, changes their desires, breaks their will, and turns them to Christ. He is the One who raises the dead to life. He is the One who breaks the bondage of sin. He is the One who closes the deal, not us.

Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit’s work in conversion does not mean we don’t proclaim the gospel, we do. We are not off the hook for evangelizing the lost. God has always used His people to bring the gospel to others. He just doesn’t require us to close the deal. He does that Himself.

2 Important Reasons for Knowing the Holy Spirit Converts

(1) Emotional manipulation is not God’s way

There are many books and classes you can take on evangelism that will provide you with techniques to win someone to Christ. These techniques often involve emotional manipulation. However, emotional manipulation is not God’s way of converting the lost, so it should not be our way either.

Emotional manipulation does not usually result in long-term conversion. We all know, or have experienced ourselves, the junior high student who goes off to youth camp, has an emotional experience, commits their life to Christ, vowing to live differently when they return. But the effect doesn’t last more than a few weeks or a month at best. What happened? Emotional manipulation or peer pressure happened, but real heart change didn’t.

Instead of numbers to throw out at our worship services, we should be after real conversions that are the product of real heart change. If we want this to occur, we have to faithfully present the gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to work on the person’s heart instead of using emotional manipulation.

(2) Freedom

In what ways does knowing that the Holy Spirit does the converting give us freedom?

  • We are free to make a mistake when we are talking with others about the gospel.
  • We are free to say we don’t know the answer to their question.
  • We are free to share as much of the gospel as we can at any given time and rest in the fact that God will use our efforts.
  • We are free knowing we are not the one who has to close the deal.

Prior to pastoring, I was in sales. Before each client meeting, I would learn as much about my client as possible, rehearse my sales pitch, and pray I did not mess things up, since closing the deal relied solely on my abilities. If I did not make a good impression, couldn’t answer their questions, or did not present a plausible case for why they should use my product, the deal would not be closed and my bonus would suffer.

It is not like that with evangelism. The Holy Spirit works despite our inadequacies. He works even though we couldn’t answer all the objections. He works even if our gospel presentation was poor. He works because He is the One who does the converting. And knowing the Holy Spirit is the One who closes the deal gives us great freedom.

Questions for Reflection

  1. What techniques do those who believe they have to close the deal in conversion often employ? Are these techniques biblical? Do they produce lasting effect?
  2. How does knowing that the Holy Spirit closes the deal change your approach to evangelism?
  3. Have you personally witnessed the Holy Spirit using your inadequate gospel proclamation to bring others to Christ? Would you share that story with the rest of us?

Resources

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Respectable Sins: Self-Control | Part 3

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins1 Comment

This week, I am focusing on the Respectable Sin of Self-Control. In my last post, I dealt with self-control with our temper. In this post, personal finances will be the main subject.

Personal Finances

Christians, along with the rest of the nation, are in financial debt. One statistic said that on average Americans are in 7,000 dollars worth of credit card debt [1]. That tells us that as a nation, we are not exercising self-control when it comes to our finances. Instead, we are indulging our desires with new clothes, the latest electronic gadgets, expensive vacations, etc. By buying these things, we are going into more debt.

Why are we doing this to ourselves?

Consumers consume hoping it will satisfy, but it doesn’t. Instead it leaves us empty, and wanting more to fill that void, so we buy more. We do so under the false notion that our next purchase will be what we need to fill us up, but it doesn’t either. Instead massive debt piles up as we try and fill a void only Christ can fill.

Why is it important we exercise self-control?

If we do not exercise self-control, then our desires end up controlling us rather than us controlling our desires. As well as Scripture commands us to exercise self-control. Here are a few verses:

  • Proverbs 25:28
  • Galatians 5:22-23
  • 2 Timothy 3:3
  • Titus 2:2,5,6
  • Titus 2:11-12
  • 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8
  • 2 Peter 1:5

For those reasons, it is important we exercise self-control.

Is debt the only sign that a person lacks self-control? 

No, those who are affluent also fall into this category. A lack of self-control does not necessarily correlate with our bank accounts.

How do we know that we lack self-control in our finances?

We know we lack self-control in our finances when we indulge ourselves in whatever our hearts desire.

How do we rid ourselves of this sin?

The writer of Ecclesiastes helps when he says,

“I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” (Ec 2:1–11)

The writer of Ecclesiastes teaches us that indulging ourselves is vanity. It will not provide us with the joy we are seeking. The only thing that will provide us with true joy and satisfaction is Christ.

How can we exercise self-control?

Jerry Bridges wisely says,

“Biblical self-control is not a product of one’s own natural will power”[2].

That is because it requires us to exercise self-control in all areas of life. While we may be able to exercise self-control in certain areas in order to gain something, it is impossible for us to do so in our own power in every area of our lives. For example, an athlete exercises self-control with their diet in order to perform better, but they may not exercise self-control in their spending habits.

So then, how do we exercise self-control in every area of our lives? Only through the power of the Holy Spirit and a continual exposure to the Word of God are we able to exercise self-control in every area of our lives. You see, self-control “requires an unceasing conflict with the passions of the flesh that wage war against our souls (see 1 Peter 2:11)”[3]. The only way we can consistently exercise that level of self-control is by the influence and enablement of the Holy Spirit. This lead Jerry Bridges to say,

“Continual exposure of our mind to the Word of God and continual prayer for the Holy Spirit to give us both the desire and power to exercise self-control [is required]. We might say that self-control is not control by oneself through one’s own willpower but rather control of oneself through the power of the Holy Spirit”[4].

Questions for Reflection

  1. What do you believe Americans buy that get themselves into such massive debt? Why do they buy these things?
  2. Does your shopping habits reveal a lack of self-control when it comes to your finances?
  3. What do you hope excessive spending will provide for you?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 113.
[2] Ibid., 110.
[3] Ibid., 111.
[4] Ibid.

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Respectable Sins: Self-Control | Part 2

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins2 Comments

This week, I am focusing on the Respectable Sin of Self-Control. In my last post, I dealt with self-control with our eating and drinking. In this post, temper will be the main subject.

Temper

Let’s start by painting a quick picture of a person with a hot temper:

A person with a hot temper tends to be one who has quick but intense bursts of anger often followed by a calm disposition. They tend to become easily angry or irritable, and they exercise little or no control over their emotions.

What is often the cause of these outbursts of anger and who are they directed towards? 

Outbursts of anger are usually directed against anyone who displeases us. A driver on the highway who cuts us off. An umpire who makes a bad call. A family member who challenges us. A dog who constantly play bites when play time is over. These all can cause outbursts of anger, as well as they are the ones’ the anger is typically directed towards.

What does Scripture have to say?

Scripture has a number of warnings about those who are quick tempered. Let’s look at some of those:

“A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.” (Pr 14:17)

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Pr 16:32)

“A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” (Pr 17:27)

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (Jas 1:19-21)

So we see that a quick tempered person is quick to speak. His words are not carefully consider. Rather he speaks foolishly. He is not wise. And he does not produce the righteousness of God. Not a great list of qualities.

How do we rid ourselves of our temper?

We have to put away all filthiness (moral uncleanliness) and rampant (something spreading unchecked) wickedness. We do that by allowing the word of the gospel implanted in us to convict and teach us. After which we must exercise self-control with our temper, which we can only do through the power of the gospel.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Can you think of a time when you spoke too quickly because of your quick temper? What was the result?
  2. Can you think of any Scripture you would point others to who are dealing with a lack of self-control in regard to temper?
  3. When do you notice your temper flaring?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 112

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Respectable Sins: Self-Control | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins1 Comment

This week, we will focus on three areas in which Christians fail to exercise self-control. This list is not meant to be exhaustive; rather it is meant to get us thinking about self-control and the areas in which we might not exhibit it. The three areas we will focus on are:

Before we deal with each area, let’s start by defining self-control.

Self-Control Defined

“It is a [governing] or prudently controlling of one’s desires, cravings, impulses, emotions, and passions. It is saying no when we should say no. It is moderation in legitimate desires and activities, and absolute restraint in areas that are clearly sinful. It would, for example, involve moderation in watching television and absolute restrain in viewing Internet pornography”[1].

Why is self-control so important?

A lack of self-control opens the door to other sins.

For example:

  • “A lack of control of our tongue…opens the door to all manner of defiling speech such as sarcasm, gossip, slander, and ridicule”[2].
  • A lack of control of our eyes opens the door to watching pornography, or adultery.

Now that we have the definition and know why it is important, let’s turn to the first area where we commonly do not restrain ourselves, and that is in our:

Eating and Drinking

I have to admit, I personally struggle with self-control in this area, especially when it comes to sweets. I have a major sweet tooth, making it hard for me to turn down a counter full of amazing desserts. Even though it is difficult, I must practice self-control.

Why would it be important that I, and we, practice self-control when it comes to eating and drinking?

If we do not practice self-control with our eating and drinking, we may be doing a number of things:

(1) We may open ourselves up to health problems

  • These could range from a heartache to a stroke or even to diabetes. All of which can either take our lives, or severely hinder our ability to function, which means our work and impact for God’s kingdom is then hindered.

(2) We may be weakening ourselves when it comes to other critical areas where exercising self-control is necessary 

  • We cannot pick and choose in what areas we exercise self-control. Instead, we must exercise self-control in all areas of life. For if we don’t, then we may be opening ourselves up to a lack of control in other more critical areas.

How do we exercise self-control in our eating and drinking?

(1) Remove the Temptation – The best way to exercise self-control in this area is by removing the temptation. For me, this means not keeping sweets on hand at our house. Or when I go to Starbucks, it means that I walk past the case of delicious looking pastries quickly, while telling myself they are too expensive and the calories are not worth it.

(2) Prayer – Beyond exercising sheer will, thinking about the calories, and the cost, we need to pray. Pray that the Lord would strengthen us in this area.

(3) Accountability – Along with prayer we need to develop an accountability system. Tell someone your struggles and your plan, then have them hold you accountable.

(4) Think on Christ – Lastly, we must realize our joy and comfort is found in Christ. It is not found in the food we eat or the drinks we drink. While we can enjoy food and drink, we need not run to them for our joy and comfort. Christ is our perfect comforter, who will never leave us, nor forsake us.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you struggle with self-control when it comes to eating and drinking? How do you handle it?
  2. Do you find more comfort in food and drink than in Christ?
  3. Have you thought of setting up an accountability relationship? If you have, what does it look like?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 110
[2] Ibid.

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Jefferson Bethke | Spoken Word

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

Lyrics

A roman cross, ya Jesus died on that
I don’t care what you believe, read history; it’s a historical fact
So the question is what will you do with this man of misery?
Only six hours on that wood, yet it completely changed history.
What’s weird though is we’ve pimped Jesus out, made his sacrifice foolery,
We just come to church on Easter, and make his cross nice jewelry.
The cross though wasn’t a symbol of faith; it was a symbol of death,
I mean imagine if someone wore an electric chair around their neck?
So we have to ask what was different about that man on that day,
That could turn an instrument of death, to something that saves?
See His cross is unique, because He was innocent,
God actually became a man?! Now that is different.
So on the cross he says I’m not dying because of me, I’m dying because of you,
Not just for your sins of the past, but for the ones you will do.
See on the cross God treated Jesus like He was us,
Poured out his wrath on the son, so He might show He’s just.
He took all your filth; he took all your sin,
The beauty is when you trust in Jesus, you were included in him

But first, walk with me what it must have been like that night,
When the son of God looked like He lost the fight,
No breathe, no heartbeat, no sign of life,
God tasted death, and it didn’t feel right.

Have you ever let that sink in, that God died?
No, really, God actually died.

3 days in the tomb. Lifeless laid his remains,
the king had no crown, looks like he had given up his reigns,
but suddenly on Sunday something started to change,
you heard a thump, thump…blood started pumping in his veins.
heart beating, blood pulsin, instantly satan felt his power break
because the son of God was dead, but now the son of God was awake
And every breathe he took, was like a punch to satan’s face
Because the resurrection proves you are no longer under law, you are under grace

so celebrate because when jesus went to the grave, you did too
And when he raised from the grave, you became new
saying, “my job is finished. Let the new life begin.
You can actually walk in freedom, stop wallowing in your sin,”
Because the chains have been broken, the stones been rolled away
God doesn’t love a future you, He loves you today

You are clean you are blameless, the curse has been squashed,
That’s what baptism is, just showing you’ve been washed
So church rejoice with me, that we aren’t waiting for the verdict,
Righteous, and the resurrection just proves he assured it
Because our whole lives we’ve feasted on sin, and we couldn’t pay the tab
Yet jesus walks over to our bill, and says ill take care of that
we don’t have to pay for our debt, in fact God doesn’t even expect it,
Because the cross is payment given, and resurrection is payment accepted.
The resurrection made us perfectly spotless, from spiritual whores,
Because when he walked out of the grave, he left our sin on the floor,
Turned around, looked at where his body lay,
And said sin, ya that’s where you’re gunna stay.

So live in freedom, because you are free
The resurrection is just the stamp, saying it’s a guarantee
A royal decree, now proclaiming you are children of the king
So give thanks back to him, and as a church let’s sing….