There was a time before I came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ when sin was my complete master. Not only was I a slave to behaviors and attitudes which ruined my life and my relationships with others, but I was also under the wrath of God and was condemned because of my sins and transgressions. But in the miracle of conversion and in the hearing and accepting of the gospel of Christ, I was delivered from my slavery to sin and was forgiven because of the death of Christ on the cross. By faith I was made new and the condemnation and the judgment which had crushed me under their hellish weight were removed. I was reconciled to God and knew peace with Him.

After my conversion, it came as somewhat of a surprise to me to realize that my sins had not disappeared upon my profession of faith in Christ. In fact, now that the Holy Spirit was resident inside me, I often felt the sting of conviction (John 16:9), realizing that there were many sins which still indwelt me. It was evident that the habits and the misbehaviors of my unsaved past did not vanish like a mist once Christ had become my King (Romans 7:14-25). But slowly I began to experience the beauty of sanctification, which is that process of growing in practical holiness that comes through conviction and confession and repentance and that proves that my conversion is real and that my salvation is genuine. Slowly, step-by-step I am walking more and more like Jesus walked (1 John 2:6).

But the point I want to make is this: My relationship to sin has been dramatically changed. Before my conversion, sin was my master, in that it controlled my thoughts, words and behavior, and sin was my death, because my sin condemned me before God. Now, however, Christ has paid the penalty for my sins and He has broken sin’s mastery over my life and set me free (John 8:36). Sin’s terrifying penalty has been removed because God’s wrath for my sin has been satisfied in Christ. Now the sins that used to be so enjoyable to me when I was an unbeliever are the very sins that I hate.

But also in my walk with Christ, sin has taken on a new role. Sin is now that which distracts me from wholly pursuing the things of Christ. My sin now burdens me and it hinders me from accomplishing all that I would like to accomplish for the Lord. I am seeing that my sins are truly those things that act as spiritual and relational weights in my life and it is those things that so easily entangle me and prevent me from running my race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1). The Holy Spirit now convicts me of the sin of judging other people, which is an immense relational weight and which hinders me from loving others and from having compassion on them and hinders me from reaching out to an unbeliever so that I can be their friend and share Christ with them. Sins of coveting what others have and of comparing myself with others create great burdens that poison relationships and that form stumbling blocks in my service to others and to Christ. Instead of serving others and encouraging others and speaking the truth to others, I am preoccupied with my own status and my own little world. These are examples of how sin acts as a burden, as a weight, as something that entangles and inhibits our service to Christ and blurs the brilliance of His glory in our lives.

So be alert so that you can lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles, and so that you can run free with Christ and be unhindered in your usefulness to Him.

SDG        rmb        12/15/2017

Recently I had written about the need to be ready for evangelistic opportunities (1 Peter 3:15) by PREPARING in advance. The idea is to rehearse and practice and envision situations where you will speak of Jesus or guide a conversation in a spiritual direction in the hopes of reaching a topic that touches on the gospel. Intentionally prepare to be a witness for Jesus.

One of the critical tactics for the ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20) and the spiritual fisherman (Matt. 4:19) is to continually be making new contacts and then cultivating those contacts into real relationships. That means that there is a spiritual discipline in making contacts.

Now why would the believer want to continually develop new contacts? The disciple of Jesus develops new contacts because of the end that they have in view. The end and the goal is to win as many as possible to Christ (1 Cor. 9:19-23), and it is more likely that an unbeliever will repent and believe after a deep conversation with a friend they know and trust. And you become a trusted friend by spending time with another person. But you only get to spend time with someone after you make contact with them and pursue a relationship with them.

Think about your life and your lifestyle and think about where you can establish contacts within your daily schedule. Or think about people you could contact if you changed or expanded your daily or weekly schedule a little. To be a good fisherman, we have to go where the fish are or where the fish might be. Just so we want to make contacts where there

We need to continually make contacts for several reasons. Only a relatively small percentage of your contacts will turn into friendships. Other contacts will never get beyond an introduction. Others will abruptly stop when they find out you are a Christian. Remember that the sower who went out to sow scattered a lot of seed (Matthew 13 – The parable of the sower) and yet only a small percentage of the seed actually bore fruit. Likewise, not all of our “sowing” of contacts will become followers of Jesus. Some people will move away or will otherwise move out of your field of influence. Some people will be your friend, but will never express faith in Christ. Some will come to faith in Christ and will no longer need your evangelism.

The believer would be wise to continually develop new contacts because we have no idea who will come to faith. In Ecclesiastes 11:2, the Preacher says, “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.” Basically, he is saying that the wise man will diversify to increase his odds. Just so, the disciple of Jesus would be well advised to have many contacts.

Having many contacts gives the disciple a lot of practice in both learning how to deepen a relationship (from contact to friendship), but also gives a lot of practice with sharing the gospel in multiple different contexts. “When do a press in?” “When do I let comments or errors go by without comment?” Many contacts gives the opportunity to try many approaches in leading someone to Christ.

Actively cultivate contacts with unbelievers with an eye toward evangelism. Building contacts will provide you with people to bring to outreach events. Having many contacts gives you someone to invite to an evangelistic event at your church. Who do you invite if you are starting an evangelistic study of the book of Mark in your home? Well, you would invite the people with whom you have contact and/or with whom you have grown the relationship to a fairly deep level. So the disciple is continually seeking to bring the fish into the boat.

How are you actively cultivating contacts who can become worshippers of Jesus? Make contacts, develop the contacts and be active in sharing your faith in Christ Jesus. This is a key discipleship skill.

SDG       rmb       12/5/2017

 

The apostle Peter exhorts all believers to always be ready to make a defense (1 Peter 3:15). Our Lord tells us that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say when we are brought before kings (Matthew 10:19-20). Surely that message should be clear and powerful, and the messenger should be ready to proclaim. In that same passage, the Lord Jesus tells us that if we shrink back and deny Him before men, He will deny us before His Father in heaven (10:33). The author of Hebrews reminds us that true disciples of Jesus are not those who shrink back to destruction, but are those who have faith (Hebrews 10:39). Finally, in Colossians 4:6 Paul tells us to season our speech with salt and to respond with wisdom to each person.

What is the point of my referring to all these passages? I believe all these verses and many more make clear a New Testament theme, and that is that the disciple of Jesus should always be ready to be a witness for the Lord, so that he or she does not miss an opportunity to talk about the Lord Jesus, to proclaim the gospel and to declare the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

To be ready requires that we be intentional about our preparation for witnessing. Being intentional means thinking about evangelism and envisioning yourself in conversations that are going to lead to the gospel. While I cannot control what the other person will say, I can completely control what I will say. What questions can I ask or where can I lead the conversation so that we head toward Jesus Christ and/or the gospel? Think about those questions! Plan conversation-starters that are likely to open up the conversation and cut a path toward the cross.

We are to be ready to be His witnesses.

If I am going into a social situation where there are likely to be many unbelievers, I will see this event as a fishing trip (Matthew 4:19). I am walking into this event with my hook already baited and my net ready to be thrown. As any good fisherman would do, I fully intend to throw out the line and to make several casts, and I do not intend to come away empty. Thus the company Holiday Party is, for the believer, a fishing trip. Plan out the people you will talk to and even plan the conversations you will have with them. Tell about the life of Jesus and about His glory and greatness. Relate your personal testimony. Carefully explain the gospel. Ask questions about life and its meaning. All of these are ways that you can prepare and be ready.

Each encounter and each event will increase your skill as a fisherman, but we are to go to each event prepared to respond as an ambassador and as a witness of Jesus.

Be ready to share Christ. Be alert to any open door that the Lord provides and go through that door with boldness. Prepare to tell of the hope in Christ. Be ready to tell of the death of Christ. Warn that Jesus is coming back to judge the earth.

Be intentional and be ready!

SDG       rmb       12/4/2017