Posts Tagged With: proclamation

From Work to Witness to Wandering to Worship

Yesterday, was a wonderful day. Along with getting my day to day tasks done, I had an abundance of opportunities to share my faith with others: at least six heard the message of the Honor of Jesus in some seed like fashion in not-too-long conversations while going from place to place. It was a refreshing day when I got a nice brisk walk in with a friend as well as the chance to reach out to a bunch of folk and talk briefly with a couple of older acquaintances.

Then the Sabbath came, I did a little reading on the Sabbath, in fact I finished the book by Rich Robinson on the Sabbath that was published by Moody Press. Supper was a scrumptious meal prepared by my wife, I learned that there was a flood in the basement which will need to be dealt with, and then off to bed after a little further reading, mainly on Aaron.

As I dozed, I eventually came to a vivid dream in which I was on a plan which was going somewhere and then suddenly had been rerouted to Arabia, namely Mecca. Only the flight was not just during any time, but during the Hajj. Suddenly I was in the midst of a large number of Hajjis going to and from Mecca and as they passed me, I could feel the jabs of their looks and even more the jabs of knives as they sought to physically attack me for violating their space. Though I had not intended to land in Mecca at all, it was just the plane landed there. Then I woke up. After a brief, but intense, prayer calling out to Jesus and interceding for Muslims, I returned to bed.

Again, I entered REM sleep a few times, then I found myself wandering and calling folks and ended up in a place near my home in a small Methodist church and a Christian pastor was making announcements and the church was praying for missionaries. The church was obviously alert to the reality of the Spirit and the call to make disciples of all nations. I offered the pastor an opportunity to play a DVD that I have that includes a worship song by Robin Mark (Revive Us from Revival in Belfast). When the DVD was played, the music was played, the words were different and more pastoral in nature, but more intense … suddenly everyone in the church was doing a choreographed worship song honoring the Lord who is sovereign over all creation. I was caught up in intercession and then joined in the worship and was refreshed.

My mind turned to the great need for more laborers who will make Christ known among the nations, here and abroad as I awoke. Are you one of those? Are you one of those who desires to see gardens in the desert? Are you one who will cultivate the spiritual soil of the earth until the barren places bloom again?

If you would like to receive a copy of the DVD with the song that was in my heart at the end of the final dream last night, please leave a comment with an address where you would like the NTSC DVD sent. I will mail you by US post the DVD and information about how you can pray for the heart of the Muslim world as you pray for the deserts to bloom again.

And you can start by today praying for those who are in war zones in Libya, Syria, and Yemen and the refugees of those countries. But also, join that prayer by singing a favorite worship song.

If you would like to help with the costs of this ministry, you can contribute by clicking on this link: http://joytotheworldfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_crowdfunding&view=details&id=1117-if4es&catid=8-operating-projects&Itemid=105

(Bonus … the link also includes the video Revive Us by Robin Mark that I talked about. Enjoy!)

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Evangelism: Proclamation and Friendship

There are two primary ways evangelism takes place: proclamation and friendship. Biblical discipleship which was practiced by Jesus and Paul according to the Gospels and Acts involve both.

Proclamation is the public heralding or annoucing. Today, this may be done not only in gatherings, but also on university campuses and on the internet. These are largely a monologue with an invitation to dialogue with an interest in finding the truth. Here is the Truth: Jesus. Do you want Him? Are you interested.

Friendship Evangelism takes place when people intentially enter into friendships with the goal of sharing the life of Jesus in word and deed. Now, if a there is a friendship, but no evangelism or spiritual dialogue takes place, there is really no evangelism, just friendship with the world. It is when that cup of coffee or tea time is mixed with faith in the Truth of Christ, then you have friendship evangelism.

Often, in the ministries of Jesus and Paul and their associates, Proclamation in the public gathering place was to be followed by a frienship or friendships that led to Jesus and a life with Him. I.e. what we would call Friendship Evangelism.

These are two peas in a pod. They belong together. Knocking on doors is not opposed to making friends with your neighbors. Rather one is a way of scanning wide, the other is a way of going deep. Common sense says to fish you must be on the lake. It takes a work of Jesus to fill your nets at just the right time and place.

Persistence is the key.

I learned this from a friend who made no profession of faith in Christ. He asked me: Do you know the key to fishing?

I guessed a wide variety of things: weather, timing, chance, bait, nets … No, no, no, no, no.

Then the friend who was with me guessed: Patience.

Exactly.

Do you want to know Jesus? Do you want others to know Jesus? It will take patience. Or, in it’s more english root: Long-suffering. Lots of difficulties will come up, but Jesus will overcome. Look to Him and He will eventually answer all your questions and bring in all the questing.

So: as I learned in sales: spread out wide and send your roots deep. It is the same in Christian Missions and the same with the Love of God: Deep & Wide, there’s a fountain flowing deep & wide.

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