NowTHINK!AboutIt

Two Important Truths Motivate Evangelism

January 7, 2022 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

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.

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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

Thanksgiving: One Of Many Ways To Say Thanks

November 24, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

There Are As Many Ways To Show Gratitude
As There Are Reasons
To Be Grateful

Everyone should be thankful. The Bible not only teaches this it also plainly commands us to be thankful.

Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

And that verse finishes by saying “for this is the WILL OF GOD for you in Christ Jesus.”

If that were the only verse mentioning gratitude you might have an excuse for whinging but there are many additional verses that make the same point.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, WITH THANKSGIVING, let your requests be known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

That’s just a sample. There’s plenty more where that came from.

More importantly, what we learn from the Thessalonian command is that gratitude is more a mental exercise than an emotional response.

Instead of being momentarily grateful for some unexpected benefit on the odd occasion, it’s to be a constant state of mind, even when there is nothing happening in the moment that tickles our Thank You button.

That means it is the byproduct of an intentional mental exercise more than a passing response to things as they happen.

In fact, if gratitude is exercised properly you’ll find yourself expressing appreciation for many things and to a great variety of people often, not just one day a year.

Don’t misunderstand. My one-day-a-year comment is not intended to diminish the significance of this important day. The celebration offers a unique opportunity to really give muscle to the idea of giving thanks.

It’s a great way to mark the end of one year and the beginning of the next but there is no end to things for which we can be thankful and the ways in which gratitude can be expressed. It’s an everyday attitude and an all-year-long experience.

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We all know these things intuitively to be true but I was pleasantly reminded of that fact when I received the following email from my son, Timothy. [Read more…] about Thanksgiving: One Of Many Ways To Say Thanks

Review: If God Is Love, Don’t Be A Jerk

November 12, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

There Is Nothing Neat Or Unified
About Fundamentalism

The book titled If God Is Love, Don’t Be A Jerk is the most recent offering from the minister championing the LGBTQ cause, John Pavlovitz. On some levels, it was a great read and on others, it was a disappointment.

I came across John’s online presence this last year and was intrigued. I identified with his frustrations, particularly with regard to the same-sex marriage debate so I was really looking forward to this book. He was a prominent voice with the dubious distinction of having been ousted by the religious community promoting intolerance for sexual orientation issues and I was hoping he could offer arguments and rationale that hadn’t been thought of yet.

Unfortunately, his arguments weren’t that fresh. In fact, same-sex issues weren’t the main theme and when mentioned, were usually lumped together with other issues which in the end only minimized the topic. The other issues are important also but I was looking for something different.

What surprised me most was his ideas emerged from a very different perspective than the one in which he’d spent much of his ministry labors.

I grew up in fundamental evangelical circles, much like the one John was ousted from, but, like John and many others, have grown concerned about Christian obsessions over political issues and personalities. I didn’t vote for Trump in either election and I’ve known professing Christians who were far worse than the same-sex-oriented folks they decry.

John was an interesting breath of fresh air. He writes on many political/cultural/social issues on his blog and he often hits home. Many people don’t like him or his remarks but that might be because many of the arguments stem from the very words of Jesus and that makes them hard to refute.

I was hoping the book followed the same line of reasoning and was focused specifically on issues revolving around sexual orientation. It wasn’t.

I don’t say this in a mean-spirited way but I think John speaks to/from both sides of the aisle, Bible-believing and Bible rejecting. I wondered at several points in the book who his target audience was. I’m still not sure.

That’s not a criticism. It’s just an observation. People ask me the same question about the books I’ve published and, to be honest, I’m always tempted to say, everyone.

But I was motivated to read his book because I knew there had to be something better than full-on intolerance toward same-sex issues and I was hoping John could offer something to bridge the gap to a better place. Unfortunately, there was no bridge. It seems John simply leapt the gap and now wants everyone else to do the same. [Read more…] about Review: If God Is Love, Don’t Be A Jerk

25 Observations From Moses’ Last Forty Years

October 28, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

What You Learn From Moses
Is Not What You Expect

Anyone who reads the Bible recognizes the extraordinary accomplishments of Moses. He was the first of his kind and no one since comes close.

You might argue that what he accomplished could never have been done without God’s help, and I would agree, but it is also true that very few could have done these things even with God’s help.

Moses couldn’t succeed without God and because God chose to use human instrumentality, He needed someone like Moses to accomplish the job.

Moses gets credit primarily because he qualified. He did something to prepare himself and develop his skills. Learning and growing before you serve God is something very few people talk about. We would do well to learn as much as we can from his example.

Moses teaches us that if you don’t become something before you give yourself to God, you may be giving Him nothing or very little at the most.

Moses is also referred to as a “type of Christ” and much is made about the similarities between the two. Moses even compared himself to Jesus (Deut. 18:15) but you can only take that so far. Over-emphasizing their likenesses sends the wrong message.

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Moses may have foreshadowed Christ and he was super qualified but he wasn’t the pre-coming before the first coming. Simply put, Moses was a paradox. On his best day, he was no closer to Jesus than the east is to the west. He was still just a man and had all the faults and failures associated with human hood. He wasn’t Jesus. He wasn’t perfect and his list of missteps could be a separate category on Wikipedia.

It’s important to understand that Moses, though one of the most accomplished humans ever was still nothing compared to Jesus. We can learn from Moses but we shouldn’t try to be him. [Read more…] about 25 Observations From Moses’ Last Forty Years

6 Truths About Thinking, 3 Ways To Think

September 20, 2021 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

A brain should never be used as a sponge.

Auto-Think Will Never Keep You Safe

Everyone thinks.

I do. You do. Bright people do and even the less bright do.

No groups or individuals hold exclusive rights to thinking.

We all entertain ideas, consider possibilities, and we do this constantly.

The only people who don’t process thoughts are either comatose or dead.

But those observations raise many questions. If we’re all thinking, why don’t we all come to the same conclusion? Why don’t we all arrive at the correct answer? Why do we readily, with eyes wide open make bad decisions?

The Brain Is A Tool

Simply put, the brain is a tool. A very important tool. We couldn’t live without it and it does many things automatically. The brain controls breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and more without our involvement even when we sleep.

The brain also has a manual setting. We can engage it deliberately to make it work for us. Like items in a toolbox, we can pick the brain up and apply it to specific problems as they arise.

When we do that it’s called thinking.

The problem is, though universal and necessary, thinking doesn’t always lead to solutions.

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We employ the brain to help us solve problems but nothing’s guaranteed. Use your brain the wrong way or incorrectly or haphazardly and you’re likely to get into trouble.

Can you imagine using a drill as a hammer or a shovel as a screwdriver? We don’t typically use rakes to paint walls?

By the same token, a brain should never be left on autopilot and should never be used as a sponge. [Read more…] about 6 Truths About Thinking, 3 Ways To Think