The Law in Evangelism

6 | June 30th, 2008 | Posted in Evangelism

I was recently reading a tract and the first page said, “God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.”  This is a true statement.  But, what if I’m passing out tracts and a guy walks up half drunk, smoking marijuana, and he just got out of jail 3 weeks ago, and I give him a big smile and say, “God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for you life,”  what will his response be?  “Yeah, man, I’m enjoying it now!”  “Look at me, I’m in a mess!  And you tell me, ‘God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life!’  Get lost!”

Now, does God love that man?  Yes.  However, this approach can turn some people away because they may not be able to relate to the idea of a God who “loves” them, yet allowed their lives to end up in a mess.  In other words, the idea of something “good” happening to them is too far out and impossible.

With the man in the above scenario, I would have to show him that he is in the wrong and is in danger.  A person will only feel conviction when they come to grips with the fact that they are guilty according to the law of God, deserving judgment.  A good judge must hold them accountable for their crimes (sin) and God has no other option than to pass sentence.

The Law Brings Conviction

In John, chapter 8, we read the account of the women caught in adultery.  Verses 7-9 read (NKJ):

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Now, the scribes and Pharisees who brought this woman to Jesus knew the law.  They were bible students of the first class.  When Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first,” He was using the law to bring conviction.  Paul said, “I would not have known sin except through the law.”  These men knew the law, they knew they had sinned, and they knew that to throw a stone would be declaring their own perfection.  These men were not perfect and they realized that in a completely new way.

We have a special aid when we are using the law in our evangelism.  That aid is the conscience.  The conscience bears witness to good and evil (Romans 2:15).  When we show a sinner, through the law, that they are guilty and will stand before a perfect and holy God on Judgment day, that should cause some to fear and tremble.

Jesus was sent to earth to demonstrate the Father’s love and restore the broken relationship with God.  The only way to restore that relationship was to provide a payment for our sin so that we could be accepted by a holy God.  Our just reward for sin is eternal condemnation; our reward when we place our trust and hope in Jesus Christ, is a crown of life.  When we share the gospel we must try to strike a balance between God’s love, which He demonstrated by sending Jesus Christ, and His righteous judgment, which is what sinful man deserves.

In the next post we will examine this same passage and address the question,  should we use the law in every situation?

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Graduation Slide Show

7 | June 25th, 2008 | Posted in Graduation, Videos

This slide show was shown at my home school graduation ceremony. Enjoy and feel free to comment.

Erik B.

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Need for Evangelism

3 | June 22nd, 2008 | Posted in Evangelism

Everywhere we look today we see evidence of sin and corruption.  As we look in people’s eyes we see hopelessness and despair.  People are searching everywhere for something to hold on to, to grasp, and to put their faith in.  Christians have the answer and key that unbelievers are searching for. 

This series will cover how to share your faith.  There is no perfect “formula” and following a set rules will not guarantee results.  However, the following steps and principles can serve as a guide as you approach evangelism.

———————————————————————

Today we are confronted with a problem in the United States.  An ever growing number of converts are backsliding.  The numbers vary from 80% to as high as 90% of converts are falling away from the faith.  The health and prosperity gospel is falling short at producing true converts.  The attitude of the sinner is, “I’ll try this thing.  If it works then great, if not, I’ll toss it out and get mad at the person who sold me the ‘bill of goods.’” We often see there is no real need for repentance and sincerity.  Why?  Because often times the evangelist is lacking a crucial key in his attempts to lead sinners to Christ.  That key is… …the law.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul (Psalm 19:7).  Before sinners will see the need for true repentance and salvation, they must be confronted with their sin and inability to measure up to God’s standard - the law.  What is the law?

The law of God is found in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), which are the standards God gave the Israelites.  If anyone could perfectly obey all of the Ten Commandments all the time, then they would be deserving of heaven.  (If that were possible, Jesus would have died in vain.  There would not have been the necessity for his death if one person could have earned their way to heaven through their own perfection.)  Since no one has kept all of the Ten Commandments perfectly (except Jesus), we have all fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

So, a critical key in evangelism is using the law to show the sinner how utterly hopeless their case is.  The next post in this series will answer the question, how do we use the law in evangelism?

In Christ,
Erik Brown

Resources for this series:  Hell’s Best Kept Secret- Ray Comfort, Way of the Master 
Past article: Missions - Evangelism - Sharing the Gospel - We need to Hurry!

Graduation Ceremonies

7 | June 11th, 2008 | Posted in Graduation

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Well, this is it. I have completed high school and received my diploma. It sure is a wonderful feeling. Last week I posted my plans. So, I will not repeat them.

The graduation ceremonies were both very nice. The one on Friday night was kind of like a baccalaureate service. The fathers of the graduates gave their sons a charge. (A charge is a challenge and admonishment to walk in the fear of the Lord (among other cautions).) My dad gave an excellent charge taken entirely from scripture. He was in full-time ministry for 9 years and he knows his Bible well. His charge was as follows.

Character and Doctrine
I Timothy 4:12
Erik, Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity….

Watch your life and your doctrine closely…For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself a ransom for all

We strongly urge you, lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and all reverence.
Be a faithful man of God, be a man after God’s own heart. We encourage you to be blameless, temperate, sober minded, of good behavior, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous….

(read entire charge here)

On Saturday night we had an event with our home school group. I had the opportunity to deliver a speech toward the end of the commencement service. The speech was as follows.

Graduation Speech

Well I don’t have the Alf mask with me today but… …then again, I don’t need a hair cut.

I have had the unique experience to have been home schooled all the way up through high school. My parents made the choice to home school and I have been taught at home from kindergarten through twelfth grade. I know they made the right choice for me. The home is the training ground and launching pad for the future. Any success I may have in the future will be due, in part, to the guidance and education I received in the home.

The home school learning experience ranges far beyond just book work. Yes, we have our books of math, physics, language, etc. But, many crucial lessons in life can not be learned from the “books.” Work ethic, diligence, thoroughness, and integrity can not be instilled through classical arts. Over the years the boys in our family have been able to spend time working with Dad. The older ones have spent the most time working with him. However, the younger ones have always looked forward to the days when they get to, “go to work with Dad.” I can not stress enough the benefit it has been to learn by working alongside Dad. Especially when the job was hard!

Besides running the home and managing the everyday tasks, Mom is a great encourager. When we run into something new and hard, Mom is right there encouraging us and telling us to press on. You know, it’s easy to loose sight of the objectives and just get bogged down in the mundane, but she really helps me see the goal that’s ahead and get an all important fresh perspective.

Last year our family received the tenth addition as far as children goes. I am often asked, “What’s it like to live in such a big family?” Perhaps it is best described by sharing what it is like around our home. Obviously, there is a lot of work to do and it is only done when we do our share and more. The more comes from the younger ones who can’t yet do their share. Yes, there are challenges that are unique to a big family. Like you might not get your shower until nine or ten at night and you might be out of hot water. (And if you take too long in the shower you might be in hot water.) But, with the work and responsibilities, there are also unique pleasures and joys growing up in a big family. For example, we don’t have to call the neighbors over when we want to play volley-ball. Most importantly, however, the home school learning experience has enabled me to build deeper relationships with my siblings (relationships which I will value for the rest of my life).

Finally, I would like to encourage all the students and teachers who are schooling at home. Parents, I know it is a sacrifice to choose to home school, but the benefits and end results far outweigh the costs. Students, I just encourage you all to stick with it. Work hard, apply yourselves to your studies, and you will reap the benefits. In a time when the main institutions of education are often failing, I am firmly convinced that home schooling is the better option.

Erik Brown June 7, 2008

Congratulations to all the senior graduates who may be reading this. God Bless.

Erik Brown

Mike needs your Help! Please Vote in MSNBC Poll

2 | June 10th, 2008 | Posted in Politics

The following is an e-mail sent to you by an administrator of “Discussion Forum :: Huck’s Army - Faith. Family. Freedom. [Grassroots]“. If this message is spam, contains abusive or other comments you find offensive please contact the webmaster of the board at the following address: hucksarmy@gmail.com Include this full e-mail (particularly the headers). Message sent to you follows:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greetings Troops, Today is Tuesday, and the beginning of the third round of the highly profiled MSNBC veepstakes competition. Mike’s army of supporters have moved him forward in the tournament successfully up to this point. Today he meets the establishment favorite Mitt Romney in the highest profiled head to head contest to date. The results of this poll will get national television coverage, and will also be seen as an indicator of the level of support that the respective candidates would bring to the GOP ticket if selected as VP. Please take a moment to vote in the poll today, and throughout the remainder of this week. Consider that as an open poll, democrats can also vote for the candidate they believe would be the weaker opponent, so we may actually be fighting on two fronts in this contest. It will truly be a mamoth task to win this round and make a statement about the depth of Mike’s support. Vote here now! : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24671291/

And be sure to forward this email out to all of the friends and family on your email lists. Copy the link to any social networking sites that you may frequent, and otherwise get this contest as much visibility as possible for our fist choice in 08. Governor Mike Huckabee

Get Your Free McCain / Huckabee Bumper sticker here! http://www.commonsensecoalition.info/sticker.html

This is our most significant battle to date. Losing is not an option! — Thanks,

the HucksArmy Forum Team

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What’s Next in My Plans

3 | June 6th, 2008 | Posted in Day to Day

Amanda told me about a giveaway that is open to home school seniors so… …I’m entering.

Click the link below for more info about the giveaway.

 http://superangelsblog.com/?p=93

 

To participate you must write a post about what you plan on doing after you graduate.  So here I go!

My current tentative plans following my graduation are as follows.  I will work in the city where I live for the next 6 months.  I may work with my Dad who has his own business.  If I work with him, then I will most likely be painting and possibly doing other types of construction work.  The sub-categories under construction could be - framing, gas lines, landscaping, drywall work, anything-that-needs-to-be-done, etc.

Now if the economy keeps sliding down-hill, all the above plans may be off because the general contractor may be out of work.  So if that happens, I get to go look for a job elsewhere.

In the spring of 2009 I plan on enrolling in the local community college.  I will complete my first 2 core years of study there and then transfer to a university.  I do not know what I will major in but possibly engineering of some kind. 

So that’s what’s next in my plans.

Erik

Update On What’s Up

4 | May 24th, 2008 | Posted in Day to Day

I wanted to give you guys a little glimpse of what’s coming up on my side of the world.

The major news is that my family is traveling down to Florida to co-lead a family conference. The conference will focus on strengthening the family. The family is the most vital unit in our society. If the family is weakened and caves in to pressure, we are certainly headed down hill. This 3 day conference will take place the last weekend of May and the beginning of June. My Dad and Mom will be speaking and we (Dad and kids) will be leading the song services on Sat. and Sun. (Please pray that we will have protection on the road, that the conference will go smoothly, and that it will be a blessing to the families there.)

I also have a graduation speech to write. Sound like fun? The graduation ceremony will be held early June. I plan on giving to credit to my parents for making the choice to home school. Obvious right? (Laugh Out Loud.) My parents have made a tremendous investment in my life and I want to give them credit and honor for that. I also hope to be an encouragement to those younger than I who have not yet finished school.

So there’s a glimpse of what’s coming up on my side of the world. (Hint: I live in the western hemisphere.)

God Bless!

Erik Brown

Rising in the Rapture

2 | May 17th, 2008 | Posted in Rapture

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

This passage of scripture is so exciting. (Make’s me want to shout, Hallelujah thank you Jesus, Lord you’re worthy of all the glory, all the honor, all of the praise. - When I Think About the Lord) The picture that is depicted in this passage is so beautiful. The Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, returning for His bride, the believers, and taking them all to a place of eternal peace and happiness. A place which He has been preparing for over 2000 years. Keith Green once said, “If this world took 6 days (to create) and that home took 2000 years, hey man this is living in a garbage can compared to what’s going up there.”

I can almost imagine waking up one morning, pouring myself a cup of coffee and sitting down at the kitchen table. Suddenly, I hear a majestic trumpet blast which reverberates around the globe. Before I have time to think or say a thing I am caught up into the clouds to meet my Lord and Savor. Ah, what a glorious day!

This passage brings me so much joy. Yet my joy is mingled with sadness. How many people will be left behind on that day? The time for us to share the gospel is now. We must reach others with the message of hope which has been entrusted to us. I pray that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers into the fields to reap the harvest. Let us labor for the Lord while it is still day and we have time. Only what is done for Christ will last.

Meanwhile, I await the glorious day of our Lord’s return. If it be in my lifetime, then amen and so be it.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

In Christ,
Erik Brown

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Life Without Limbs

0 | May 5th, 2008 | Posted in Videos

Can you imagine?

The only reason Nick can live with a smile on his face is the power of Jesus Christ working in his life. Praise the Lord! The next time you feel discouraged about the circumstances in your life, remember Nick!

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Missions - Evangelism - Sharing the Gospel - We need to hurry!

7 | April 26th, 2008 | Posted in Evangelism

I am working through a Bible study, “Answers for Difficult Days,” by David Quine. I had something just jump out at me from the book of Revelation.

Revelation 20:11-15

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,[a] and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.[b] 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Look at that picture for a minute. All mankind is being judged by one standard, which is, whether or not they believed in Jesus Christ, that’s it, period. The homeless man who lived on the street and the Wall Street millionaire who lived on Broadway both stand on the same level.

Look at the two alternatives that loom in the future for us all. We either know Christ, accept Him, and go to heaven with happiness, or we reject Christ, live our lives for ourselves, and go to hell with torment. All mankind is faced with these two scenarios and all will pass from this life into one of two places for eternity.

We who believe, know the truth and the Truth has set us free. To us has been entrusted the task of sharing the Gospel of Christ with the whole world. We have been charged to spread the good news of salvation and the story of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice. Are we doing it? Are we fulfilling the Great Commission? Or, are we content to pass people everyday who are heading to hell? Do we sit in church and live in security, sure of our destiny, without a care for our neighbors who are dying in rejection of Christ?

People need the Lord- Steve Green

Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eye.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?

On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He’s the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize — people need the Lord?

(rest of lyrics)

Oh, that we would have such a passion that we could think of nothing but bringing hope to the lost. But, we so often pass people and go on with our lives, keeping the knowledge of the truth to ourselves, while allowing them to continue on their road to destruction, neglecting to even make a sincere effort to warn them of their damned* predicament.

Here I Go Again- Casting Crowns

Chorus:
So maybe this time
I’ll speak the words of life
With Your fire in my eyes
But that old familiar fear
is tearin’ at my words
What am I so afraid of?
‘Cause here I go again
Talkin’ ’bout the rain
And mullin’ over things
that won’t live past today
And as I dance around the truth
Time is not his friend
This might be my last chance
to tell him that You love Him

But here I go again
Here I go again

Lord, You love him so
You gave Your only Son
If he will just believe
He will never die
But how then will he know
What he has never heard?
Lord he has never seen mirrored in my life

Chorus:

But here I go again
Here I go, here I go

Chorus:

This might be my last chance
To tell him that You love him
This might be my last chance
To tell him that You love him

(rest of lyrics)

*****
I’ve been speaking to myself. I’ve been guilty of passing people in whose eyes I can see hurt, despair, anger, and bitterness. My heart aches for this boy whom I saw downtown who fits the above description. I don’t know his name or where he lives, yet Jesus died for him, as He died for me. I have seen him twice and how I pity him and judge myself for not taking the time to say a kind word to him; for not having the courage to speak life over one who is dead.

This area of my life is a roller coaster. I go through season’s of passion (like now) which then fade away. My desire to share the gospel is not failing, yet the passion and energy that gives life to that desire comes and goes.

Lord, may I see people that I pass as you see them. May I look at them and be overcome with Your love, pity, and mercy for them. Give me boldness to share Your gospel with conviction that I may do justice to Your words. Lord these lives hang in the balances. Who will reach them if we do not? Help me to not be content with my own personal walk but to reach out and touch someone that You may shine through this child that You’ve redeemed. I ask that I be hot and on fire for you. Thank you Lord. In Jesus Name. Amen.

*****
If you were convicted by this passage of scripture, or realized that you have lagged in sharing the Gospel, then reach out to God for forgiveness, then pray for strength and boldness to do this work. The Holy Spirit is our strength to empower us to share the gospel. We must believe and take that step of faith and so bear witness to our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

* In the sense of condemned to hell

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