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Two Important Truths Motivate Evangelism

January 7, 2022 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Fish aren't impressed with your knowledge of fishing tackle. They only respond to bait.

Laws And Political Processes Are Essential
But Only The Gospel Can Change The World

The WHAT and WHY of evangelism should be the primary point of every curriculum in every Bible teaching program, whether it’s Sunday School, small group, or Bible college.

Why do I say that? Because Evangelism is paramount. Jesus didn’t die so you and I could become clever theologians. He died to save sinners.

Christians have a thirst to learn about God and the Bible and are more sensitized to Bible truth but knowledge for the sake of knowledge isn’t exactly the point. We should learn all we can and use what we learn for productive spiritual purposes but learning makes you responsible and accountable, not special. It doesn’t make you more spiritual.

Learning is important not because it makes us more knowledgeable but because the process of learning helps us develop useful qualities. The ability to read, analyze, and reason is helpful for all of life.

Christians often say the unconverted can’t intellectually process Bible truth but if you follow that idea to its logical end, you’ll find yourself in a junkyard of disposed ideologies. All humans can engage with biblical topics intellectually, saved or not.

I know some will read that and disagree. Why? Well, the Bible makes a statement that seems to counter the idea.

The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

But is that verse speaking of the ability to grasp the truth or the ability to tolerate it? Probably a little bit of both. Remember that the Pharisees often reacted defensively to the teachings of Jesus not because they didn’t understand but because they did.

Either way, salvation should be the first point of discussion. If you are of the opinion that the unconverted have zero ability to see spiritual truths, that’s all the more reason to start and regularly flavor every conversation with the Gospel. How much you know otherwise may be helpful to you personally but it won’t impress the unconverted.

Tees For Everyone

The Gospel and Salvation are the things we should talk about more frequently than anything else. It should at least be the first topic on the list. Think of it as Bible 101.

If you really believe the unconverted can’t understand Bible teachings at a deeper level then your only reasonable option is to speak often and repeatedly about salvation. That’s the only way to get the ball rolling.

With a conscience, anyone can understand the concepts of sin, faith. and forgiveness.

But they’ll never know about it if we don’t talk about it, hence Evangelism.

There are two important truths that can help motivate our evangelistic efforts but before mentioning those, a little background. [Read more…] about Two Important Truths Motivate Evangelism

Filed Under: Evangelism, Faith, Salvation

How Did Inspiration Work

July 28, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

The Bible doesn't mention toilet paper and toothbrushes but it says enough about hygiene to justify the use of both.

Genesis Was Human History
Before It Became Inspired Text

For years Bible believers have taught that the Bible is an inspired book, and for good reason. The Bible says exactly that.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. (1 Timothy 3:16)

But the word inspiration needs clarification. The meaning is very different to what most people think.

It translates the Greek word theopnuestos which is a compound word that literally means God-spirited but recent translations have opted for God-breathed because it is closer to how we express words.

The NIV reads:

All Scripture is God breathed.

And many translations follow suit. The clarification is helpful.

Nice, neat, straightforward, and clear.

What I’ve said so far is generally understood and agreed to. There’s very little debate.

How Did Inspiration Work

However, many questions about how inspiration worked are not explicitly detailed in the Bible and the topic gets very little attention.

  • We know the Bible is special revelation – check.
  • We know the revelation was ultimately from God – check.
  • We know that God used humans from all strata of society to record the revelation – check.

What we don’t know is exactly how the mechanics of inspiration worked.

Tees For Everyone

We accept that the end result of inspiration was words – specific words – on paper.

We accept that human opinions, thoughts, feelings, and preferences have no bearing on the meaning of those words but the answers as to how these words moved from God to/thru humans and eventually onto paper are sound bites at most, and when discussions expand they run in circles and are full of vagaries.

It reads more like a he-said, she-said, they-said back-and-forth full of accusations, disputes, and triple-barrelled words than a fair, even-handed discussion.

Those big words, none of which are in the Bible, are thrown in to make unsubstantiated arguments seem sophisticated and prevent further discussion.

Superintend is a good example. The word is used to explain God’s part in the inspiration process but it is found nowhere in the Bible in relation to inspiration.

It’s a good word but it is neither the beginning nor the end of the story. [Read more…] about How Did Inspiration Work

Filed Under: Bible, Faith, God Speaks

20 Reasons Every Person Should Increase In Wealth

July 6, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Making money isn't just allowed, it is imperative.

Money Is Not The Enemy
But It Can Be

Let me start with a disclaimer. Money is not evil.

Earning money, receiving money, making money, spending money, and enjoying the benefits of money are not evidence that you are misaligned with God or His purposes.

The LOVE of money is the root of all evil, not money but the obvious next question is what does it mean to love money. We all need it, we all enjoy having it, and we dread the idea of being short. Do any of those ideas qualify as loving money?

Money Is Beneficial

Although we should never love money, we should develop a healthy appreciation for it.

The truth is everyone benefits from having money. It keeps the electricity on, puts food on the table, keeps the roof over our heads, and provides us with clothes. It pays for a slew of other necessities too like education, medical care, and recreation.

Those are good things, all allowed in the Bible.

A few religions disallow the ownership of property for some while at the same time accepting large donations from others. That stance sends a confusing message. It seems a bit suspicious that property ownership is good for some but not others.

Tees For Everyone

The Catholic Church, for example, does not allow members of Orders to possess material things. The motivation is not spiritual elevation, as some presume, but something more suspect. It’s a gimmick to maintain the financial heft of the church as this article reveals.

Catholicism isn’t the only religion to take this approach but they do have a large footprint. If they are wrong, they are spreading their philosophy widely. Should we consider their approach the norm? Better yet, if property ownership is wrong for so many, should it be disavowed for everyone? Should wealth be shamed?

Those are fair questions. If property ownership is wrong, if wealth building is disallowed, then everything we do to earn money and manage it is implicated too.

Money Is A Necessity

Money is NOT a necessary evil or a bad thing we tolerate.

Money is an important part of our lives. In fact, I would say it is a core issue. How we relate to money – how we earn it and manage it – is motivated from within and says a lot about us as individuals. [Read more…] about 20 Reasons Every Person Should Increase In Wealth

Filed Under: Faith, Making Money, Philosophy

How Far Will Jesus Go To Save A Soul

June 1, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Jesus doesn't just accompany us as we share the Gospel, He precedes us.

Education Is Important
Voting Is Important
Right Living Is Important
But Sharing The Gospel
Is First In The Order Of Magnitude

Personal Evangelism is almost a lost art. We rarely discuss it and because of that, we engage it even less.

The broad topic of Evangelism is mentioned often but it covers so many subtopics, from salvation to ordination and everything in between, that it’s hard to clarify the focus. Someone says the word Evangelism and it’s anyone’s guess as to what they mean.

Personal Evangelism, which doesn’t get so much attention, is very different. It’s personal, meaning it’s relational. It involves at least two people: the Christian who shares the Gospel and the unbeliever they share it with.

It’s one person, a Christian, sharing the Gospel with at least one other person, an unbeliever, usually face-to-face, and the intent is always the same, the salvation of a soul.

That’s how it is usually described but my experience defies that description. I’ll explain shortly.

Jesus Wants To Save Souls

When we finally get around to discussing Personal Evangelism, we are so focused on what to say, how to say it, and how to deal with objections – all important stuff – that a significant truth is often ignored or minimized.

The evangelist is never alone. He or she is accompanied by Jesus. He is the most important Person in the formula and He actively participates because He really wants to save souls.

Jesus is interested and involved and His words prove this.

Tees For Everyone

Jesus taught that there was more rejoicing in heaven over one soul that repents than over ninety-nine souls who need no repentance (Luke 15:7). If that is true, isn’t it reasonable to believe Jesus must also get excited when we make an effort to share the Gospel?

The truth is Jesus doesn’t just save souls He actively looks for opportunities and even manipulates situations to get people into position and ready to hear the Gospel. The Bible says this, literally.

The kindness of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Statements like this prove the brilliance of the Bible. Though short, it opens the door to many thoughts and questions. How does God lead people to repentance? What does it look like? Shouldn’t we be able to recognize it when it happens?

Aside from all those interesting questions, there is an important observation to be made. Jesus doesn’t wait till you start to witness before He pays attention. [Read more…] about How Far Will Jesus Go To Save A Soul

Filed Under: Evangelism, Faith, Salvation

9 Proofs The Bible Is Authentic

February 17, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Defending the Bible feels like arguing the obvious.

Is The Bible Authenic
Or Is It Contrived

This post is not an effort to interpret the Bible. It is focused on the issue of Bible authenticity. Is the Bible really a credible source we can take, read, believe, and live? That’s the question for this post.

Before we answer, there are three things we need to understand:

One, this question has been researched, studied, and discussed in every generation over the last two thousand years.

Which is to say this is not a new question. The Bible has been rigorously investigated by hundreds of scholars ever since it was completed. The topic has been well exercised.

Two, there are many critics who question the Bible and work very hard to disprove it.

In fact, there are just as many people who argue against the credibility of the Bible and attempt to disprove it as there are people who work to substantiate its claims.

This, however, is an argument for the validity of the Bible. As yet, there is no conclusive proof the Bible is anything but authentic.

  • If the Bible did not make a significant contribution to society
  • If there wasn’t a correlation between Bible teaching and the understanding of morality in society
  • And if there wasn’t a lot of evidence substantiating its message already

No one would care.

Tees For Everyone

No one cares if the Koran isn’t a genuine document. No one is attacking the Book of Mormon. Both of these books are significant. Neither carries the same weight as the Bible. They don’t even register on the scale.

Mormon families are even subscribing to Bible-based Sunday School materials for their children. Maybe there isn’t enough meat in the Book of Mormon to capture their interest.

The bottom line is, all the effort to attack the Bible is actually evidence for it.

Three, all we can do in one brief post is scratch the surface. The following outline is just a brief framework around which further study should be encouraged. [Read more…] about 9 Proofs The Bible Is Authentic

Filed Under: Bible, Faith, God Speaks

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