“Fallen, Fallen, Fallen” – Paul Washer Sermon Jam

Powerful sermon jam (sermon excerpt put to music) on the power behind true satisfaction in Jesus Christ versus Modern American Christianity!

Q&A – Paul Washer, How to Witness Honestly

In this 10 minute video, Paul Washer addresses quite possibly one of the most important questions the Church can answer: “What should our evangelism look like?” Watch brother Paul’s answer, specifically the emphasis and reasons he places on the progression of his witnessing philosophy and encounters.

*Note: I use the word evangelism as referring to taking the Gospel, Good News, and love and judgment of God to sinners. I use the word evangelist to refer to ALL Christians.

Evangelism Motives: When dealing with people…

1. Primarily for the Glory of God

2. Secondarily a concern and honest love for people

Who is the Evangelist to be?

1. A Servant to God

2. A Servant to the people

3. The Graces of God shine forth in your life

How is the Evangelist to Evangelize?

1. Start with a normal conversation - “Hey, how’s it going?”

a. Talk about anything

b. Ask questions

c. Get to know them

2. Always pray according to Colossians 4 – that God would open up a door and trust in His Sovereignty

3. Discern the Situation and Adjust

a. People in long-term sphere of influence – pray for God to open up a door

b. People in more short-term influence (ie, plane, bus, street, etc.) – pray for God to open up a door

“I work my way around the rim of someone’s life and I look for a crack.”

4. Don’t be Sneaky, Be Sincere and Straightforward

a. They can tell when you’ve snuck something in on them

b. If door opens, go through it.

c. If door doesn’t open up, then be real – “I’m a Christian. Would you mind if for a few minutes, I share the Gospel with you?” It’s honest and real, its not sneaky and crafty.

People respect honesty more than sneakiness, even if they don’t agree or like what you say.

“Have you ever really understood the Gospel?” – John MacArthur

5. Sincere and Kind Question: “Can I share the Gospel with you?”

a. If they say yes, then have at it.

b. If they say no, then accept and be kind.

6. If person is open to hearing the Gospel

a. Start with God, not man

i. the Gospel is “Good News” – it begins with the Nature of God.

7. Great Problem in Scripture: “If God is a just God, He can’t forgive you!”

a. Explain with biblical and earthly illustrations

b. Goal: to make them see they need and want God to be just! “Would you want God to act against the evils in this world?”

8. Great Problem with You: “You are evil in this world! God is just and good and loving. You are none of those things!”

a. God’s nature of justice and holiness and goodness and love

b. Open up the law

c. Expose sin

d. Stay here till they see their desperate state of lostness

9. Great Follow up: “How can God forgive you and still be just?”

10. Great Solution: The Gospel -”God chose to deal with this problem by becoming a man: Jesus Christ”

a. Christ’s birth

b. Life

c. Death and Resurrection

d. Response: Repent and believe the Gospel

11. Summary:

a. Begin with Nature of God and His justice

b. Problem of Justice and Man’s Evil

c. Work very hard and don’t move from witnessing till they have accepted and realize their wickedness or at least been clearly explained

d. The Cross – God’s Work

e. What they must do

12. If they desire sincerely salvation

a. Exhort them to call on Jesus

*The following steps are crucial to ensure a biblical assurance of true salvation and regeneration.

b. Take them carefully through tests of true salvation – 1 John

c. Warn them of lack of changes from false new birth will prove them a false convert – 2 Cor 13:5, 1 John

- Now you’ve heard Paul Washer’s response to his personal witnessing philosophy. What is your response to his approach? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Do you agree/disagree in part? What is your critique and why? How do you witness? Do you even witness? If not, why not?

Winter Jam ‘08 – “Preaching the Gospel is Great Because We Don’t Have To”

Zeal for the Lost (Z4L) recently teamed up with some brothers (and one sister) in the Lord for a huge Gospel opportunity. We attended Winter Jam ‘08 in Augusta, Georgia on Thursday February 7th with a prayer station and free Gospel resources! Boy was it a jam! There were nearly 7,000 people, 5 bands, several ministries, dozens of booths, and more excitement and noise then the law will allow!

The question is not so much what happened, but was it a success? I’ll answer that with two quotes, one from Mark Cahill and the other from my buddy Jason:

Quotes

Mark Cahill – “Witnessing encounters are always a success!” Whether you die or live, the person accepts or rejects, or whatever happens every Gospel encounter is a success. Why? Because the Gospel was preached and the seed was either 1) planted, 2) watered, or 3) God gave the increase. No matter which happened, we were obedient and God is faithful!

Jason – “This is great man, this is great! Preaching the Gospel is great. You know why? Do you know why this is great man? Because we don’t have to! I don’t have to do this.”

And both quotes capture the essence of the means and ends of preaching the Gospel: that God may be glorified and sinners may hear the Gospel so they can glorify God! No glory or credit goes to us. And no encounter is ever a failure or utter loss. We don’t preach the Gospel solely to reap rewards in heaven, but to see God glorified by our love for Him through our obedience to Him in preaching His Gospel!

Testimonies from Soldiers

Jeremiah – “It was a humbling experience for me personally. I was timid at first, not knowing what to say and afraid to say the things that i wanted to say. But after prayer and begging God to grant me the grace to spread his word and the humbleness to share it He did just that. In talking with a kid name Jim I was able to share with him the true message of the gospel. It was amazing speaking to him because he recieved with joy and there was a lot that he didnt know and had never heard before. He told me that he started to question his salvation. I told him to do the only thing he could do and that is to cry out to God until either He confirmed to him that he was saved or until He saved him. Tim is in the Lords hands now. Praise God for it though, praise God!!”

Adam – “Thursday night was one of testing and testifying resulting in this testimony. Once in the long line of concert goers, I was grieved that many of these youth are in the fast lane to an eternal hell denying the glory due to their Creator with every micro-second of granted existence. I was also grieved at my apathy and so I had to repent and press forward. I have a fresh hatred for my self preservation that will not love boldly and confront lukewarm Christendom. King Jesus is still in control and in the midst of pseudo-Christian idolatry His Good News was heard in the ears of young men like Cody, David, and Greg. Several were challenged, “youth-group answers” given by youth-group members were asked a reason for the hope that they have in Christ, and I hope some were changed!!! God in His goodness sent several encouragements in the form of saints who joyfully share the conviction of the Great Commission. Praise God for His quickening work, for compelling men by the love of Christ and the fear of the LORD to proclaim Christ and Him crucified!!! All who read pray for me to be driven by love in gentleness and bold humility.”

Troy – “My most memorable time was God giving me the opportunity to listen to the Gospel spoken by my brother. Yes, I know the Gospel, but to hear it and really listen to it is a privilege. My brother was asking the group of kids, “how much does God hate sin, look at the cross, that is how much God hates sin. It was necessary that His only Son die on the cross, that’s how much he hates sin.” Hearing that again really shook me up. It was not the world’s sins that drove Christ to the cross, but it was my sins that drove Him to the cross. As I listened, I felt that I must praise Him and give Him glory for what He has done. I walked to the windows in the corner, bowed to the floor, and cried as I thanked God for His mercy and grace. What a privilege it is to hear and believe the Gospel.”

Jonathan(me) – “What a night! We were able to distribute nearly 3,000 Gospel tracts; 1,100 CD sermons; 50 bibles; and had dozens of conversations. We had 7 laborers vs. 7,000 in the harvest. Tell me the harvest is not plentiful? Wow! It was a night filled with personal distraction, many voices calling out to me demanding and desiring my focus and allegiance, sinful attitudes, judgmental feelings, fear, zeal, passion, boldness, humility, pride, excitement, extreme anguish for souls and anger at sin and Satan, coupled with an overwhelming gratitude for God’s rich grace and Jesus’ sacrifice. As my brother Adam once said, “preaching the Gospel is a means of grace for me…” Indeed it was this night. I have never felt so alive and yet so helpless at one time; so filled with boldness and confidence in God and His Word yet so fearful of my own weaknesses and unsure of my own skill; so dependent on the Spirit yet so trusting in my strength; so worried about man and consequences yet so assured of God’s provision and protection. All in all my faith was increased, my zeal for the lost hotter, my burden for souls heavier, my love for God and man deepened, and my fear of man and rejection more torn and tattered! The Gospel went out. And the beauty was not only having the privilege of preaching it to others, but the privilege of hearing it again! Thank you God for Jesus!”

Photos

Me, holding up Million Dollar bill tracts at one of the entrances. Troy and I must have dropped 500 in the first 30 minutes of doors opening!

Me talking to the “Free Hugs” guy. Yeah, that’s right. He was holding a sign that said, “Free Hugs”. I’m not sure why. So I warned him kindly not to target girls. And he winked at me right before he hugged a girl. You can bet the “Free Hugs” guy got a gospel tract and a Paul Washer CD.

Me talking to a young youth pastor from First Baptist Swainsboro. I started out really quizzing him on the Gospel, the state of man, and salvation. He firmly held his ground and we ended up really encouraging each other. I pointed him to some great resources and was excited to see a young youth pastor passionate about the Gospel, the Word of God, and good theology! So praise God for that one!

(don’t worry all these pics are not just of me) Great conversation with this group of 5 teenagers. The guy in the black shirt (and duck hat), the girl to his left and right were extremely intent and engaging. They all gave me hugs of appreciation at the end for taking the time to tell them of these things. Thank you Lord for that!

Foreground: Jeremiah witnessing to a young guy. Ronnie (green jacket) standing close by for support.

Kim (far left) praying for 2 young girls. Kim was a huge support for us all night. She really stood out with a desire to pray and encourage anyone who needed it. What a joy to have a sister in the Lord to stir up the craziness of the typical masculine insanity!

No I’m not chewing Gospel gum or Testa-mints, I’m praying for Adam. He was in need of some encouragement to help spur him on to be zealous and passionate about the work that needed to be done. Thank God for Adam and his heart for Christ!

7,000 people strong with music so loud you often had to scream just to talk to those within 1 foot of you. Praise the Lord for the huge crowds.

Jason was in rare form tonight! For those who know him, yes even rarer than usual. And praise God for it! He was passionately telling others about Christ and urging them to run to the Cross! Thank God for Jason and his fervency!

Jeremiah and I persisting constantly with Bianca and Ashton for nearly 30-45 minutes. Bianca was very confused and seemingly broken. Ashton was intent. Both must have heard the Gospel preached to them 6 different ways 6 different times. Jeremiah was by the grace of God bold and very passionate in addressing sin, and true assurance of salvation that only comes from God!

Jason (kneeling) is passionately engaging these guys to come to Christ.

Adam (in hat) and Jason (in green sweater) engaging a group of guys with the Gospel.

Praise the Lord for the opportunity and privilege to preach His Gospel.

The Sower and the Soils

The following was posted on January 23, 2006. Enjoy and be blessed.

by Mike Ratliff

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9 ESV)

There’s something about Jesus’ parables that has always fascinated me. I have heard “stories” from others that were designed to drive home some relevant point, however, His parables are succinct and not only drive home His point, but reveal mighty truths straight from God to our hearts.

The parable of the sower is not only important and relevant, it is vital for our post-modern Church to understand. Our complacent society has infiltrated the Church. No one seems to have an attention span longer than a few seconds. If some entertainment feature isn’t before our eyes or pounding into our ears, then panic sets in because our hearts are desperate for fulfillment, yet we are lazy and addicted to media, games, or music which tie directly into our flesh bound souls.

People who belong to a “Church” may or may not be authentic. With rampant spiritual immaturity coupled with bondage to entertainment, it can be hard to tell many “believers” from the lost. How can we tell if we are actually “in Christ?” Let’s start at the beginning by looking at salvation from our Lord’s perspective.

Click here to read the rest of this post…

The New Jesus and a Love called Tolerance – Paul Proctor

Have you heard? There’s a new Jesus in town and he brings with him a NEW gospel message. It is a message that teaches a permissive kind of love…a love called “tolerance”…a love that hears no evil, sees no evil and frankly never brings evil up for discussion lest the offenders become the offended. Discussing the evil in our world — that is, the sinful nature of man — is a risky venture nowadays, especially for any Christian or church seeking to be loved and accepted BY that world.

But then that’s not really the great commission, is it… that you and I go out into the world and seek its love and acceptance in the name of Jesus? No, the Bible assures us that because of Christ the world will hate us.

John 15:19 says: “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

We cannot pursue both the love and acceptance of the world and be the “living sacrifice” God calls us to be. That’s two entirely different agendas. If we try to carry out both simultaneously the two will eventually conflict forcing us to choose between them. Today’s seeker-sensitive church growth movement is, in my estimation, the unfortunate result of such choices. A healthy church simply preaches repentance and faith in Christ and trusts God for the outcome.

“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15)

You see the great commission involves a good news/bad news kind of message. To preach repentance we have to make perfectly clear what it is God expects man to repent of. We can no longer assume that the lost know they are sinners, especially among today’s adolescents who are growing up in an increasingly scripture-free environment.

Yet, more often than not, that is exactly what we do. We forget that today’s young are coming of age in a much different world than most of us did…a country where biblical instruction like the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount have been strategically replaced with a multicultural value system. Multiculturalism basically means almost anything and everything is permissible.

So, how can one repent of sin if he or she is never taught what sin is? This is the bad news part of the message we are called to proclaim and more often than not what makes being a faithful witness for Christ in this day and time such a challenge. After all, there’s really nothing that dangerous or difficult about telling someone “Jesus loves you”, especially if you’re talking about the NEW Jesus. But, those who endeavor faithfully to present the bad news concerning “the wages of sin”, as well as the good news about “The Way the Truth and the Life”, will likely be marked and marginalized as narrow-minded extremists who “promote negativity” and intolerance.

Unfortunately, these accusations come not just from secular society but from those who embrace the new Jesus and preach the gospel of tolerance. This, I believe is why the church is in such a decline today, because we don’t want our relationships, our reputations and our rosters to suffer over an ugly little three letter word called “sin”, even for the cause of Christ.

Unfortunately, without the bad news the good news has little or no effect. That is the primary reason for the Law and the prophets and men like John the Baptist who preceded our Lord’s coming with stern and intolerant warnings like, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” Those warnings and commandments from God were given to prepare a lost world to receive the Lamb of God and must continue to prepare His way in our sermons, our Sunday schools, our bible studies and our personal witnessing so that the Good News of God’s forgiveness in Christ Jesus will be recognized for the Amazing Grace that it is. Like my pastor says, “you can’t know you’re saved until you know that you’re lost” and it is those intolerant commandments that have become increasingly ignored over the last half of the 20th century that show the lost just how lost they really are.

These divine precepts were specifically designed by God to prick the conscience of fallen man and inform him of his sinful condition under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit so that somewhere down the road of life he might turn to Jesus Christ for a salvation he could not earn. We already know as believers that trying to keep those laws as a means of salvation is erroneous and impossible. That’s legalism…the failed religion of the Scribes and Pharisees. However, if the lost are never confronted with God’s absolutes how can they know they’ve erred? How can they understand their separation from Him? It is an exercise in futility to offer forgiveness to someone who is ignorant of his or her own guilt. One cannot begin a relationship with Christ under an assumption of innocence.

This is why we have such insanity in our schools today and why Jesus is mocked by the MTV generation. Young men who commit heinous crimes like those of Littleton, Colorado have no fear of God because the world around them has no fear of God even though the bible clearly teaches that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” and “the beginning of wisdom.” So, they act on the values or lack of values that the WORLD has taught them. In most cases, commandments like “Thou shall not kill” are nowhere to be found anymore for young people like these to refer to.

The bottom line is; they’re simply not exposed to anyone or anything that provides moral boundaries and statutes for them to follow and learn right from wrong, which probably explains why we see so little grief or remorse on their faces when they turn schoolyards into killing fields. Life is just meaningless entertainment to them…an interactive game of mock survival where right and wrong simply doesn’t exist.

As most of you know a concerted effort was made decades ago to remove the Ten Commandments from every schoolhouse and courthouse in America? There was an agenda at work. It wasn’t to stop legalism or uphold the separation of Church and state. That was merely a front. It was to undermine the gospel and make the grace of God IRRELEVANT so that one day when generation X Y & Z came along and someone from your church walked up to them and said God loves you and wants to forgive you, they’d respond by saying “FORGIVE ME…FOR WHAT? I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m no worse than anyone else! You’re just being intolerant!

You see, the workers of iniquity who planned this culture of death we now find ourselves in didn’t busy themselves trying to rid the world of Jesus back there in the 60’s although they did manage to re-fashion him into something of a flower child. They concentrated on getting rid of the word “sin”, making it a socially unacceptable word so that eventually our society as a whole would see no real value in the forgiveness that comes through Christ. After all, who needs grace when there is no sin? And if there is no sin, then there must be no Hell. So, if there is no Hell then why should we fear God? As a result, being the “salt of the Earth” is now viewed as a threat to the unity and diversity of our culture…a culture that is drowning in an artificially manufactured self-esteem based on moral relativism. To be intolerant of another’s sin is now considered to be the greatest sin of all…if not the ONLY sin.

But you see, that’s just what the NEW Jesus is all about…tolerance…a tolerance that embraces almost any behavior and lifestyle…that celebrates a diversity of beliefs for the purpose of promoting a convoluted unity that brings anyone and everyone together under a universal god…a god that recognizes EQUALLY, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Krishna, Isis, Lucifer and even the god of self…whatever might stimulate the senses or stir one’s emotions in some meaningful way. Sound good? It does to the carnal man…the man whose passion is peace and prosperity. This is the NEW Jesus and the new gospel called “tolerance”. The “old” Jesus…the TRUE Son of God, said, “If ye love me keep my commandments”.

We see the new Jesus everywhere. He’s on our television set manifesting himself through the feelings, imaginations, experiences and emotions of celebrities, psychologists, talk-show hosts, authors, musicians, spirit guides and psychic readers. He’s in the movies sensualizing the faith of Christians with a narcissistic philosophy that re-interprets scriptures like: “I can do all things through Christ” so that it means, “I can do anything that makes me feel good in Jesus’ name”. This NEW Jesus teaches that the end justifies the means…that whatever we say or do that attracts people to us or our church MUST be God’s will…because what’s good for the numbers is good for God. So we end up telling the lost what they WANT to hear instead of what they NEED to hear and then call THAT “love”.

But, Proverbs 14:12 reminds us: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Here’s what the Apostle Paul had to say about the NEW Jesus in 2nd Corinthians 11:2-4:

“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

You see…Paul was telling them that he was concerned that this NEW Jesus, this NEW spirit, this NEW gospel that some were preaching might actually carry them away. Why would he be concerned? They knew better. Paul taught them better. He was concerned because they tolerated it. They held their peace, listened to the lie, voiced no opposition and took no stand against it. And it is a proven fact that if you lie about something long enough people will eventually believe it, no matter how absurd that lie is. And, I submit to you that many Christians in America today, in our own life and times, are themselves being carried away by a NEW Jesus preaching tolerance.

“…If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9)

*taken from Paul Proctor

The Offence of the Cross – Ray Comfort

The Offence of the Cross

When the Ten Commandments are used in open air preaching often people come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Some may try and deal with their conviction through anger. It is easy to forget that behind the flesh and blood is a seething demonic realm (see Ephesians 6:12). That’s why it is wise to use words “seasoned with salt.” There have been times where I haven’t been as wise as I should, and have suffered the consequences. Take for instance the time an attractive woman in her mid-twenties angrily hollered out the “f” word at me. When she did it again I said, “Ma’am, could you watch your language? There are ladies present.” She looked at me with disdain and said, “I’m a lady!” I answered, “Ma’am. You may be a woman, but you’re not a ‘lady.’” At that she rushed at me like a bat out of heaven to prove the truth of what I had just said. As she began hitting me I noticed that it wasn’t in the typical womanly fashion. She was laying into me as though she was a prizefighter, with blows to the ribs, mouth and upper torso. She was so quick, she managed to land about six good punches before members of our team were able to rescue me from her fists. As they held her back, she said that she wanted to pick up her purse, so they let her go. That’s when she landed a powerful kidney punch. After she left I was able to continue preaching (she actually doubled my crowd). It took two weeks for the bruises to go away.

The Function of God’s Law

1) To Convert the Soul – Psalm 19:7
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul…”

2) To Stop Every Mouth & Leave the Whole World Guilty Before God – Romans 3:19
“that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God.”

3) Brings the Knowledge of Sin – Romans 3:20
“for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
“I had not known sin but by the law.” Romans 7:7

A Hireling or A Shepherd?

Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16). Using this a his backdrop Oswald Chambers tells one how to recognize whether he should enter the ministry:

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

[Jesus] 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus
Romans 3:25-26 [NASB]

Have you ever thought about the fact that God would be unjust in leaving sin unpunished? Have you ever wrestled with the problem that God might be unrighteous by letting guilty sinners like us go free? You should stop and think about it for a while. Paul thought we should contemplate it and he provides the answer in this passage of Romans. Jesus Christ’s wonderful death on the cross was necessary so that God could have a public demonstration of His righteousness. God is serious about His righteousness and so He paid the ultimate price to make this evident to everyone. He killed His perfect son!

Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation?

It is true that numerous Bible verses speak of the promise of salvation with no mention of repentance. These verses merely say to “believe” on Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9). However, the Bible makes it clear that God is holy and man is sinful and that sin makes a separation between the two (Isaiah 59:1,2). Without repentance from sin, wicked men cannot have fellowship with a holy God. We are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1)and until we forsake them through repentance, we cannot be made alive in Christ. The Scriptures speak of “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).