Go to the Nations: Priorities and Responsibilities in Missions Selected Scriptures June 17, 2018 When I was in college I got a job working for a lumber supply company. I worked in the showroom selling things like plumbing and electrical parts, cabinets, and paint. To say that I was ignorant about the building business when […]
Read More Sermon: Go to the Nations, Pt 2Go to the Nations: the What and Why of Missions Selected Scriptures June 10, 2018 I started studying for this sermon series almost 13 years ago. A man who was involved in a kind of mission ministry that we already were a part of in a part of the world where we were already supporting […]
Read More Sermon: Go to the NationsMost believers affirm the difficulty in communicating the gospel. Telling the gospel is hard. But telling the gospel is also a privileged joy. The Lord has entrusted the communication of his salvation plan to — us! We are the vessels (ordinary, weak, cracked, and broken) into which God has placed the eternal and infinitely rich […]
Read More Some ways to increase your evangelism in 2018“Prayer and the Gospel” Ephesians 6:18-20 January 7, 2018 One of my annual goals is to read at least one book each year on evangelism. So this week I read Rico Tice’s book, Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus When It’s Tough. In his introduction he writes: I find evangelism hard. The problem with […]
Read More Sermon: Prayer and the GospelWhen I went to get a sandwich for lunch today I was greeted by an employee at the shop with, “Happy Halloween!” I immediately responded to her with, “HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!” to which I received a quizzical look akin to “who is this lunatic who just came into my restaurant?” So I queried, “Do you […]
Read More It’s Reformation Day, Not HalloweenWe want to know the gospel well so that we can teach it to others with the intent to persuade them to trust Christ. So we’ve demonstrated how to speak the gospel in six words. And we’ve demonstrated how to speak the gospel in three minutes (I’ve timed it). And now here is the gospel […]
Read More The gospel in one sentence (and even one word)Yesterday I identified the gospel in six words. Here is the gospel that you can speak to someone in three minutes. God is gracious and merciful toward mankind. He has made us to live with Him and for Him and He provides the means by which we can do that. Man has rebelled against God. […]
Read More The gospel in three minutesThis year our church is actively working to create a culture of evangelism — regularly looking for opportunities to teach the gospel with the intent to persuade. One of the basic components of teaching the gospel is that you have to know what the gospel is. There are many different biblical ways to articulate the […]
Read More The gospel in six wordsThere are certain times when believers are particularly aware that they might have opportunities to communicate the gospel with unbelievers: anytime they get on an airplane (or any other kind of mass transit, for that matter), when a neighbor comes over and offers a lament about his family life, when a homeless person approaches them […]
Read More Some evangelistic encouragements at ThanksgivingA message. Every commercial has one. So does every television show, movie, book, and website. All sermons have them, and so does every conversation. Some messages are obviously better and more clear than others, but every form of communication is given to convey a message. This is true of gospel conversations as well. When we […]
Read More What’s the message?“A Stunning Scale of Our Solar System, Drawn in the Dessert.” Then read Genesis 1 and Psalm 8. I’ve not seen the movie, “The Risen,” but here is a review that appears to be quite helpful. Samuel James posted “Some Thoughts on Christians, Movies, and Nudity.” And then some more thoughts. These are helpful and […]
Read More Grab bagWhen individuals at GBC want to be baptized or join the church, we ask them to publicly share a brief testimony of their life with Christ and how they came to know Christ. This is actually just a shortened version of what we ask them to do when they meet with the elders prior to […]
Read More What makes a good testimony?Some helpful articles from around the web recently: Heath Lambert answers the question often asked of biblical counselors, “Who says medicine is important?” There have been several recent helpful posts for students, and particularly college students. David Mathis offers a brief and helpful video in, “You’re Not a Student First,” Marshall Segal provides “Five Back-to-School […]
Read More Grab bagA couple of years ago I committed to reading at least one book on evangelism every year. I do not naturally think of looking for evangelistic opportunities and I need things to remind me to do that. So in addition to adding evangelism to my prayer list, I also remind myself of this necessary discipline […]
Read More A culture of evangelismIf we understand that no man will ever genuinely repent without the grace of God changing his heart, then we will not feel that we have to dilute the demands of the gospel. We will put our confidence in God. We will remember that, if God is displeased with us, He will not bless us. […]
Read More Repentance and the grace of God
Words of Grace 