Shaking Salt & Shining Light (Part 2)

     Next Sunday night I will be starting a new series on personal evangelism titled Shaking Salt & Shining Light. As I prepare for this today’s article will continue on the theme of evangelism. Rebecca Pippert’s definition of evangelism is probably the most clear, to-the-point definition I’ve heard recently. She said, “evangelism in it’s simplest form is introducing our friends to Jesus.” That really does sum it up in a nutshell. For most reading this today you probably knew it was every Christians responsibility to tell others about Christ even before you trusted in Him yourself. Many sermons have included points to remind believers of their calling to share Christ with those around them. “It is a command of Scripture,” is something you’ve probably heard over and over again. But where in Scripture is this found? How do we know Jesus commands all Christians to evangelize? Could it not be that some have the gift of evangelism and others do not, allowing them to opt out if they desire?
     Here is the biblical teaching and command for all Christians to evangelize. Matthew 28:18-20 reveals the words of Christ to his disciples just before He ascended back into heaven. Jesus said, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus commanded His followers to go into the world and make more followers of Him. This is a clear command to evangelize—introduce others to Jesus. Some have argued this was only given to the disciples. However, this is a crazy assertion to make for if it is true then the promise that Jesus will be with us to the end of the age also only applies to the disciples. And no one makes that claim. Even further, Jesus commanded the disciples to then teach others to observe all that He had previously commanded them. D. A. Carson notes that Jesus did not say, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, except for this commandment to make disciples. Keep their grubby hands off that one, since it  belongs only to you, my dear apostles.”
     In Mark 16:15, Jesus was also recorded as saying to His followers, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” It doesn’t get much plainer than that. Then, in the book of Acts, we see ordinary believers going out and proclaiming the gospel to the world. Acts 8:4 says, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching (euangelizomenoi—sharing or proclaiming) the Word.” We are to follow the example of the early church.
     Telling others the good news about Jesus Christ, and how His death, burial, and resurrection provide the opportunity for eternal life is commanded by God to every believer. We must be highly intentional about this high calling in order to avoid living a life in disobedience to our Creator-God and Sovereign Lord.

            -Pastor Matt

Shaking Salt & Shining Light (Part 1)

     As I begin to prepare for a new Sunday night series to start at the end of January on the topic of evangelism, I thought I would spend the next several weeks writing about it as well. Most reading this have probably heard the word evangelism before and most likely know what it means; but, in case you don’t let me explain it. The word evangelism comes from the Greek word: euangellion. This word is divided into two parts: eu—meaning good and angelos—meaning message or messenger. So, evangelism really just means good news, good message, or good messenger.
     The word euangellion was not invented by the writers of Scripture; it was word already in popular use by the Romans. The Romans used it to refer to an announcement of glad tidings or good news regarding a birthday, rise to power, or decree by the emperor that would bring hope and peace to the people under his rule. The word is most often translated in our English Bibles as “gospel.” The parallels to the Roman secular use of the word are of significant importance when considering how Mark uses the word in Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The implication is clear that Jesus’ birth and actions will truly change the world in a way no earthly king ever could; this is good news that must be shared. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that brings real hope and peace to the all the world living under his Sovereign rule.
     But what exactly is the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ? The apostle Paul answers this question in the most clear way possible when he writes in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved… For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” That is it—plain and simple. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the message that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again according to the Scriptures.
     In recent years, evangelism has become synonymous with sharing your faith. What is meant by this is that Christians should be telling others about their relationship with Jesus Christ and their faith in Him. This is true and is part of effective evangelism but true evangelism involves sharing the gospel. Telling your story of faith in Christ is vitally important but remember to explain the facts of Scripture as outline in 1 Cor. 15, that helped bring you to that faith.
     Next week, I will explain how we determined from Scripture that every Christian is commanded to evangelize.

-Pastor Matt

How to Study the Bible for Yourself

 

     In 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenburg he sparked a movement known as the Protestant Reformation. This was a movement that ultimately brought about the translation of the Bible from Latin to English. During these days there was a huge schism between the Catholic Church and the Reformers because the Catholic Church did not want the people to be able to read the Bible for themselves. The Reformers were adamant that the Bible be put into the hands of the people so they could read it for themselves and not depend on the priest to translate it for them. So, they coined a phrase that defined the movement; it was the Latin phrase Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone. This meant that the people did not need someone to interpret the Bible for them; the Scripture alone was enough for them—if it could be put in their language. The great Reformation was a call back to the Word of God.
     I’m afraid many Christians today have figuratively returned to the days prior to the Reformation. Not because they do not have the Bible or have it in their language, but because they don't read it for themselves. They don't study it and meditate on it personally; they depend on the pastors, teachers, and radio preachers to tell them what the Word of God says. This is a great misconduct on the part of many today who are neglecting the great opportunity they have to hear God speak through the pages of His Word. For many, however, they simply do not know how to study the Bible for themselves. This can be corrected easily by learning some basic principles of Bible study and applying them through regular, personal devotion.

     That's why my next several posts are going to be on How to Study the Bible for Yourself.  I want to focus on the three steps for effective, personal Bible study. Step one is observation where you ask and answer the question: what do I see? Step two is interpretation where you ask and answer the question: what does it mean? And step three is application: where you ask and answer the question: how does it work? Remember, God wants to communicate to you today in the 21st century. He wrote His message in a Book and asks you to study so you can hear from Him. The late professor Howard Hendricks once said, "The Bible was not written to satisfy our curiosity to conform us to Christ."  

                                              -Pastor Matt

 

Tongue Management

     I want to share something a little different with you today. I have been writing for several weeks now on time management but today I’m going to write about tongue management. James 3:2 says, “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is perfect man, able to bridle his whole body.” James tells us in the following verses just how important it is to get a handle on the way we use our tongues. The real point James is trying to make however is that the heart is the issue. Jesus even said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” The tongue is merely the tattle-tale of the heart. If you want to find out what your heart is like, look at what you’ve been saying lately.

     It has been said that the average person says enough words in a given day to compose a small paperback of about 150 pages. What would it be like to read your last couple week’s worth of paperbacks? How would you feel about reading them yourself? All of us have said things that we wished we hadn’t or at least would’ve said differently. Even James, the apostle, the Lord’s half-brother includes himself among us as one who slips up in what he says. Notice he wrote with the first person plural “we all stumble…” Let me encourage you to not be discouraged about slipping up in what you say. James is not saying we should be perfect in our use of the tongue for he says that this kind of person is able to control his whole body. In other words, if a person can master the hard level, he can certainly handle the easy one. A certified surgeon can remove a splinter with no problem. A professional basketball player should be able to hit a layup with ease. So the one who masters the tongue has it all together. What James is challenging all of us with in regard to our tongue is not perfection but progression. It is not about being perfect but making progress. To be true, James would even say that a mark of maturity is admitting that you aren’t perfect . The tongue is a powerful instrument able to do a lot of damage or bring a lot of delight. In trying to get a grip on it, look for progress, not perfection.          

 -Pastor Matt

Time Management 101 (Part 6)

     Today I would like to offer you two more time management principles. The first is a simple and almost obvious one that often gets overlooked; it is to pray, “God what is the best use of my time right now?” Never underestimate the power of making God the reason for managing your time well. Don’t just allow God to be part of your time management process; make Him the whole thing. Failure to involve God in your planning this way is gross neglect because He is ultimately the One who gives you the time you have. He certainly knows best when it comes to spending your time wisely. No matter what is going on, or what is on your schedule at the moment, you should constantly be praying this prayer to God. Chances are many occasions will arise that will cause you to stop what you are doing and do something else because it would be the best use of your time.

     Second, practice the Sabbath—rest, reflect, review. God designed the work week from the very beginning to revolve around a day of rest. His design is simple: work six days and rest one. This is the best for our bodies and the best for our spirits. The purpose though of the Sabbath has never been about doing nothing, but about resting, reflecting, and reviewing. Use this day to reflect on and review your previous week. Reflect on what God has done for you and how good He has been. Review what you accomplished and didn’t accomplish, the relationships you developed, the things you spent your time on, and where you could’ve done better.

     You will always be better prepared and feel better about the upcoming week when you have taken the time the rest, reflect, and review and asked God to guide you in your planning process.

  -Pastor Matt

Time Management 101 (Part 5)

  Stephen Covey said it best when he said, “anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant.” Some people have a real problem committing to spend their time on the important things in life. However, others have a problem following through with their commitment to the important. Today I would like to introduce you to another time management principle: understand the important/urgent quadrant. You can find this quadrant explained with great detail in Stephen Covey’s book First Things First; but, for now let me explain in brief. 
     The quadrant contains four blocks: 1—important/urgent, 2—important/not urgent, 3—not important/urgent, and 4—not important/not urgent. Quadrant 1 involves crises, pressing problems, and deadline-driven projects; quadrant 2 involves prevention, planning, relationship building, recognizing new opportunities, and recreation; quadrant 3 involves interruptions, some phone calls, some mail, some meetings, pressing matters; quadrant 4 involves trivia, busy work, some mail, some phone calls, and time wasters. While all of us have quadrant 1 activities in our lives, some people are consumed by and beaten up by living in this mode. These people often respond by wasting a lot of time in quadrant 4 because this is the only place they get relief. The results of spending all your time in quadrants 1 is stress, burnout, crisis management, and a lifestyle of always putting out fires. All of your time spent in quadrant 3 will result in a short-term focus, crises management, a feeling that goals and plans are worthless, and shallow relationships. Those who are always in quadrant four find themselves living totally irresponsibly, depending on others for basic needs, and getting fired! Where we should spend the majority of our time is in quadrant 2 resulting in vision, perspective, balance, discipline, control, and few crises. Take some time to look over your past week; what quadrant would most of your activities fall into? Strive to live in the important/not urgent, for it is here that you will be most productive and satisfied.

-Pastor Matt

Tiime Management 101 (Part 4)

     Today I would like to share two more simple time management principles. The first is called automate as much as possible. What do you spend a lot of time on right now that could be automated? Do you spend hours each week writing out checks and paying bills? A lot of banks now offer free online bill pay. You can spend a few extra hours one day by plugging all your bills into the bill pay on your online banking and then sit back and watch it regularly. You still will need to spend time each week checking your account and watching it balance, but the time it takes to do this will not come close to time it takes to write all those checks each week. Plus, you will save money on stamps! This principle doesn’t just apply to bill paying though. Maybe you write certain items down on your calendar every day or week and it is always the same time and day each week. Make this a recurring item instead. The key is to think about how technology can save you time by allowing you to automate: automate once, watch regularly.

     The second principle is: don’t start the day until you’ve planned the day. In other words, make sure all the day’s activities are planned before you begin your day. I would challenge you to plan a week at a time though, either at the beginning of the week or end of the week for the next one. I think daily planning is to short term. However, if you get up one day and haven’t planned your activities yet, then don’t start doing anything until you plan the day out. You will get much more of the important things done this way. Remember Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”                       

          -Pastor Matt