Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
10 Reasons Why I Love Evangelism by Greg Stier (Dare2Share.org)
1. It is the red-headed stepchild of the church (and I love red-headed step children so much that I married one!) (REMEMBER THIS IS BY GREG STIER, NOT ANDREA SCHULER!!!) lol
2. It will bring excitement into any congregation and every conversation.
3. It leads to discipleship which leads to more evangelism...or is should anyway.
4. It is sharing the best news on the planet. And who doesn't love spreading good news?
5. It is a message that needs to be verbally explained and I'm chatty...'nuf said.
6. It ticks off "Christians" who don't believe in the inherent power of the gospel message.
7. It ticks off Satan who does believe in the inherent power of the gospel message.
8. It glorifies God by recruiting more worshippers to praise His awesome Name!
9. It delivers a powerful message through weak, jars-of-clay vessles like me.
10. It is the greatest story ever told!
2. It will bring excitement into any congregation and every conversation.
3. It leads to discipleship which leads to more evangelism...or is should anyway.
4. It is sharing the best news on the planet. And who doesn't love spreading good news?
5. It is a message that needs to be verbally explained and I'm chatty...'nuf said.
6. It ticks off "Christians" who don't believe in the inherent power of the gospel message.
7. It ticks off Satan who does believe in the inherent power of the gospel message.
8. It glorifies God by recruiting more worshippers to praise His awesome Name!
9. It delivers a powerful message through weak, jars-of-clay vessles like me.
10. It is the greatest story ever told!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Fear Not by Love Worth Finding (devotional) with Adrian Rogers
January 30
Fear Not
"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with the whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9
The devil is the sinister minister of fear. When he clamps his icy fingers of fear on your heart, do you become afraid of what he'll do to you if you take a stand for God?
Don't be afraid. Fear is an insult to God who said, "I will be with thee." Fear will destroy you.
Are you a worrywart? One lady said, "Don't tell me it does no good to worry. Most of the things I worry about never come to pass."
Be not dismayed. God will take care of you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what your fears are, then confess them as sin. Repent, then reach up and take hold of His right hand that is outstretched to sustain you and give you the victory!
Fear Not
"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with the whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9
The devil is the sinister minister of fear. When he clamps his icy fingers of fear on your heart, do you become afraid of what he'll do to you if you take a stand for God?
Don't be afraid. Fear is an insult to God who said, "I will be with thee." Fear will destroy you.
Are you a worrywart? One lady said, "Don't tell me it does no good to worry. Most of the things I worry about never come to pass."
Be not dismayed. God will take care of you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what your fears are, then confess them as sin. Repent, then reach up and take hold of His right hand that is outstretched to sustain you and give you the victory!
The Sound Mind Principle, Part 2
Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed . . . (2 Timothy 2:15, NLT).
Dear Friends,
My previous message described "the sound mind principle" of Scripture for finding God's will for your life and I briefly explained how to make it work.
But I must include this a note of caution: The sound mind principle is not valid unless certain factors exist.
First, there must be no unconfessed sin in your life. Be sure you have applied I John 1:9, " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (NIV).
Second, your life must be fully dedicated to Christ according to Romans 12:1-2, and you must be filled with the Holy Spirit in obedience to the command of Ephesians 5:18. As in the case of our salvation, we are filled and controlled by the Spirit through faith, as we claim the promise of I John 5:14-15, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of him" (NIV).
Remember, just as the turning of the steering wheel of an automobile does not alter its direction unless it is moving, so God cannot direct our lives unless we are moving for Him. I challenge you to begin employing the sound mind principle today. Apply it to the investment of your time, your talents and your treasure. This principle applies to everything you do in this life.
When you have applied this principle, confirmation of a decision may come in various ways. Usually, the confirmation is a quiet, peaceful assurance that you are doing what God wants you to do, with an expectancy that God will use you to bear fruit.
There is an urgent need for millions of dedicated, Spirit-controlled men and women to give most of their time, talent and treasure to helping reach our nation and the world for Christ -- now. Apart from such total commitment on the part of millions of Christians immediately, especially within the next few years, the opportunity to worship and serve our Lord may be lost to this generation and to many generations to come. Let us be about "redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16, NIV).
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
Dear Friends,
My previous message described "the sound mind principle" of Scripture for finding God's will for your life and I briefly explained how to make it work.
But I must include this a note of caution: The sound mind principle is not valid unless certain factors exist.
First, there must be no unconfessed sin in your life. Be sure you have applied I John 1:9, " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (NIV).
Second, your life must be fully dedicated to Christ according to Romans 12:1-2, and you must be filled with the Holy Spirit in obedience to the command of Ephesians 5:18. As in the case of our salvation, we are filled and controlled by the Spirit through faith, as we claim the promise of I John 5:14-15, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of him" (NIV).
Remember, just as the turning of the steering wheel of an automobile does not alter its direction unless it is moving, so God cannot direct our lives unless we are moving for Him. I challenge you to begin employing the sound mind principle today. Apply it to the investment of your time, your talents and your treasure. This principle applies to everything you do in this life.
When you have applied this principle, confirmation of a decision may come in various ways. Usually, the confirmation is a quiet, peaceful assurance that you are doing what God wants you to do, with an expectancy that God will use you to bear fruit.
There is an urgent need for millions of dedicated, Spirit-controlled men and women to give most of their time, talent and treasure to helping reach our nation and the world for Christ -- now. Apart from such total commitment on the part of millions of Christians immediately, especially within the next few years, the opportunity to worship and serve our Lord may be lost to this generation and to many generations to come. Let us be about "redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16, NIV).
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
The Sound Mind Principle, Part 1
Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do (Romans 12:2, NLT).
Dear Friends,
How can a person decide what is God's will for his life? Let me share with you what I have chosen to call "the sound mind principle" of Scripture.
In 2 Timothy 1:7 we are told, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (KJV). The sound mind referred to in this verse means a mind under the control of the Holy Spirit, renewed according to Romans 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will" (NIV).
The sound mind is the renewed mind. The sound mind principle involves the use of the renewed mind.
There is a vast difference between the inclination of the natural or carnal person to use worldly "common sense" and that of the spiritual person to follow the sound mind principle. The former depends upon the wisdom of man for understanding; the latter, having the mind of Christ, receives wisdom and guidance from God moment by moment through faith.
To help you determine God's will for your life according to the sound mind principle of Scripture, follow this bit of logic. First, consider these questions: "Why did Jesus come?" He came to "seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10) Then, "What is the greatest experience of your life?" "To know Christ personally as my Savior and Lord." Finally, "What is the greatest thing you can do to help others?" The answer is obvious: "Introduce them to Christ."
A spiritually renewed sound mind tells me that the most important thing I can possibly do as a Christian is to allow the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His resurrection power to have complete, unhindered control of my life. Otherwise, He cannot continue to seek and save the lost through me.
Every Christian is under divine orders to be a faithful witness for Christ. Thus, every sincere Christian will want to make his God-given time, talents and treasure available to Christ so that his fullest potential will be realized for Him.
List, evaluate and compare the talents that God has given you in relation to your training, personality and other qualities, then from this, prayerfully make a list of the ways in which your life can best glorify God.
Through this prayerful exercise, the Holy Spirit will reveal His will for your life.
But caution: The sound mind principle does not work unless certain factors exist. See Part 2, coming next.
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
Dear Friends,
How can a person decide what is God's will for his life? Let me share with you what I have chosen to call "the sound mind principle" of Scripture.
In 2 Timothy 1:7 we are told, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (KJV). The sound mind referred to in this verse means a mind under the control of the Holy Spirit, renewed according to Romans 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will" (NIV).
The sound mind is the renewed mind. The sound mind principle involves the use of the renewed mind.
There is a vast difference between the inclination of the natural or carnal person to use worldly "common sense" and that of the spiritual person to follow the sound mind principle. The former depends upon the wisdom of man for understanding; the latter, having the mind of Christ, receives wisdom and guidance from God moment by moment through faith.
To help you determine God's will for your life according to the sound mind principle of Scripture, follow this bit of logic. First, consider these questions: "Why did Jesus come?" He came to "seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10) Then, "What is the greatest experience of your life?" "To know Christ personally as my Savior and Lord." Finally, "What is the greatest thing you can do to help others?" The answer is obvious: "Introduce them to Christ."
A spiritually renewed sound mind tells me that the most important thing I can possibly do as a Christian is to allow the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His resurrection power to have complete, unhindered control of my life. Otherwise, He cannot continue to seek and save the lost through me.
Every Christian is under divine orders to be a faithful witness for Christ. Thus, every sincere Christian will want to make his God-given time, talents and treasure available to Christ so that his fullest potential will be realized for Him.
List, evaluate and compare the talents that God has given you in relation to your training, personality and other qualities, then from this, prayerfully make a list of the ways in which your life can best glorify God.
Through this prayerful exercise, the Holy Spirit will reveal His will for your life.
But caution: The sound mind principle does not work unless certain factors exist. See Part 2, coming next.
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Romans 10:15-17
How can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. - Romans 10:15-17
(borrowed from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. Facebook page)
(borrowed from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. Facebook page)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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