How to Make a Good First Impression When Out Soul Winning

(another article taken from our church's visitation newsletter "Go Ye")

1. Make sure you look like you are from ______ Baptist Church.
2. Walk on the sidewalks, not on the grass.
3. Don't peek in the windows before you knock on the door.
4. Stop clowning around before you get to the next person.
5. Stop talking to your partner and focus your attention on the person you are approaching.
6. Speak to people before you start with the plan of salvation.
7. Make eye contact when you are speaking to someone.
8. Knock on doors loudly but don't over knock.
9. Don't knock on doors when the lights are out in the house.
10. Give them time to answer the door.
11. Introduce yourself and your partner.
12. Tell them where you are from and what you are doing.
13. Ask the person's name and use it often.
14. Ask for the parent if the children are alone at the door.
15. Always be polite and courteous.

Prov. 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Steps to Your Destiny

Watch your THOUGHTS, they become WORDS.

Watch your WORDS, they become ACTIONS.

Watch your ACTIONS, they become HABITS.

Watch your HABITS, they become CHARACTER.

Watch your CHARACTER, it becomes your DESTINY.

Friend, there are only two destinations at the end of our life, HEAVEN or HELL. We can follow the thoughts, words, actions, habits, and character of Jesus as given to us in God's word, the Bible; or we can follow the thoughts, words, actions, habits, and character of man as given to us through our political leaders, successful business men, and highly educated scholars. The choice is yours; you, and only you, are responsible for your own destination. Which is feeding your thought life; the Bible, or the world?????

Reasons Why I Don't Plan to see The Da Vinci Code Movie or Read the Book

1. Renew your mind with truth, not lies!!!
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

2. Guard against deception. Don't be trapped in it!!!
2 Cor. 6:15-17 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

3. Follow your conscience. Don't corrupt it!!!
Pslm. 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Titus 1:15-16 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Rom. 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

4. Be humbly alert. Don't minimize your human vulnerability!!!
Gal. 1:6-8 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Rom. 1:21-22 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
2 Pet. 2:1-3 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

5. Remember that God (not man-made strategies) brings the victory!!!
1 Cor. 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

(copied notes from News with Views article by Berit Kjos)

How to be a Failure at Soul Winning

(another issue of our church's visitation newsletter "Go Ye")

1. Don't go looking for souls, make them come looking for you. John 4:4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
2. Have the attitude that others getting saved is none of your business. Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
3. Tell yourself, "What will be will be and I can't do anything about it." Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
4. Become a Pharisee and point out their faults or a spiritual geologist that looks for faults. Phil. 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
5. Complain all evening about things that your family is doing at home. Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
6. Have the attitude that "it won't work" or "they won't get saved." Gal. 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
7. Criticize the Preacher and all the staff all evening. James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
8. Be very smug or talk a lot about yourself. 3 John 1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
9. Always do your soul winning indirectly and never directly. Matt. 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
10. Convince yourself that soul winning is a gift and you have never received it. Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
11. Believe that soul winning is beneath your dignity. Rom. 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
12. Don't carry your New Testament. Rely on your memory or a tract. Rev. 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
13. Be intolerent to the attitude of lost people. Don't take anything off anybody. Prov. 18:23-24 The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly. A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
14. Force people to make a decision just so you can put their name in your New Testament. 2 Cor. 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
15. Forget all common sense. Act professional. Just be a tape recording. Prov. 8:8-9 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

Prov. 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Seeing Jesus in All the Books of the Bible

(This article is from the April 1921 "The Bible Champion" monthly periodical.)

Seeing Jesus in All the Books of the Bible by T.R. O'Meara

"And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:27)

When you go to the Book of Genesis, look for the Lord Jesus Christ there. The promise is given that the seed of woman shall bruise the serpents head (3:15). Then turn to Exodus and you find that He is the One, and the only One, that can lead a soul out of the land of bondage into the liberty of the sons of God. You study that wonderful Book of Leviticus, those forms and ceremonies, those types and shadows, and they are all an enigma until you get the golden key and find that they all point to the coming of Him who shall fulfill them in His one great sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. You read the Book of Deuteronomy, and you remember that "the law is our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." You go on and study the Book of the Kings, and find that all the kings were imperfect and more or less failed, because all were types of the coming of the King of kings, the only perfect Ruler of His people. You read the beautiful Book of the Psalms, and more or less directly they all center in the one great Messiah who is to come. Then go on and study the Major and the Minor Prophets, and each in turn points on an on to the fulness of time when He of whom they speak shall come, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then read the Gospels. What are they? They are simply the story of the birth, the life, the suffering, the death, the resurrection and the ascension of the Lord. Then you turn to the Book of the Acts, the only unfinished Book in the Bible, and you find that it is just an intensely interesting record of the triumphs of the early Church of Jesus Christ. Then you go on and study the Epistles, and you will find that they are merely the letters that formulated and put within easy reach of the mind of man the doctrines and teachings which center in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then you approach that which to my mind is one of the most beautiful Books of the whole Bible, the one with which it closes, the Book of the Revelation, and, as it were, the veil is for a little time drawn aside, and you and I are allowed to look in yonder and see a little bit of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ on the throne of His power.

The whole Bible is about Jesus from beginning to end. And what I plead is that you will go back to your churches, back to your Bible class, back to your Sunday School, and try by God's grace to create a new interest in Bible study, a Bible study that is more and more centralized in a search for the beautiful face and character of Jesus Christ.

And may I add that the Lord Jesus Christ is also to be seen in the daily lives of His disciples here on earth? I know of no more solemn message that one Christian man can bring to another than this to which I am now giving utterance. The very moment we take our stand on the side of the Lord Jesus and are known as Christians, that very moment we become marked men and women, and those who live nearest to us and know us best, begin watching us. They watch us not merely on Sunday, when we have on our best clothes, with our Bibles under our arms, but when we are not thinking about it at all, to see if they can trace the image and likeness of our Saviour.

Are You a Drop Out Disciple???

(This article is taken from Landmark Baptist College's publication The Anchor, April 2006 edition, written by Dr. Mickey Carter, pastor of Landmark Baptist Church and chancellor of Landmark Baptist College)

From the disciples' view point Jesus ministry was going wonderfully. He had just fed the 5,000 and the next day the crowds were much bigger. It must have seemed that the Kingdom was ready to be announced. Then the incident happened in John 6 which made many of His disciples turn and walk no more with Him. These are drop out disciples. Why did the people quit following Jesus? Here are five reasons our text suggests.

First, Jesus revealed their purpose of easy gain. They were there for the food, not the preaching (v 26). They did not care what Jesus said as long as He fed them. Are you faithful for who Christ is or just that He blesses you? If He allowed persecution or problems to disturb your comfort zone would you quit your service to the Lord? When Jesus told them they must believe on Him whom He hath sent, these drop out disciples decided that this religion stuff was not for them.

Second, the people could not stand plain preaching. The people would not consider that Jesus was saying, "You must partake of me spiritually." So then Jesus changed the message to their level and said that they had to eat His flesh and drink His blood or they would have no life in themselves. The crowd turned away and said that Jesus' sayings were too hard. It was their hearts that were hard, not Jesus' Words. We need plain preaching about what is wrong and what is right. Too many preachers are more worried about the deacons' opinions rather than the Lord's opinion. We need plain preaching that will preach on the sinfulness of sin and the holiness of God.

The third reason some quit was that of persecution (v 42). The people murmured to themselves and then murmured at Him (v 41), strove with Him (v 52) and then left Him(v 66). Things can get difficult in your life. Jesus asked the disciples if they were going away. Peter spoke up and said that they would not because they knew what Jesus was speaking about when Jesus talked about eternal life. But Judas was there that day and it seems that was the day he made his decision to leave. Jesus said then that one of them would betray Him. When things get rough will you quit and be a drop out disciple?

Fourth, the people did not recognize the difference between precious and perishable. They were wanting manna. Manna was a special food given by God for the Jews wondering in the wilderness. It was provided every morning, would not last the night, and had to be gathered fresh daily. By the next meal the eaters were hungry again. Jesus tried to preach to them of faith and everlasting life. They kept asking when they were going to eat. How many people strive all their life for pleasure and perishable things and ignore the eternal things? How many Christians will not read their Bibles on Monday morning because they are in a hurry to get to work. Or on Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.?

Fifth, they did not recognize the person of Jesus (v36). They were attracted by the benefits of being with Him but not His message. They saw miracles, heard great stories, and sometimes got fed. Many missed the true person of Christ and what He wanted of them. They became drop out disciples when He told them they had to believe on Him and not just follow Him around. They were turned off by the need to be saved. Have you ever been on visitation and had someone tell you they used to go to church but don't go anywhere now? They are usually angry at someone and have a fully self-justified reason to stay home. They seem to believe if they are angry then God is angry, too. The truth is, they are drop out disciples, no different from the ones who left Jesus when He did not feed them. Jesus asked his twelve, "Will ye also go away?" Peter said that he would not leave Jesus for He had the words of eternal life. Judas, in his heart, said, "I am out of here." So, what will you say to Jesus' question? A cat will continually come to your door if you feed it. Quit feeding it and see how much it loves you.