A mule is a hybrid mix, horse & donkey & most are characterized as stubborn. The Lynn McKenzie "Gag & Hack" bit was specifically designed to bring hard headed horses & mules into submission. The rider pulls on the reigns & the bit tightens up like a vise on the mouth & nose under the chin & the bit inside the mouth exerts painful pressure in the mouth on the tongue & even the gums. It makes rebellion & disobedience so painful that after training most horses & mules wouldn't need that bit ever again. The mule is quick to learn obedience is better than pain & they soon learn to obey even the lightest touch.
Some people have also been known to be a tad stubborn, another applicable word may be bullheaded. Stubborn---self-willed, rebellious, unwilling to take direction, obstinate. Perversely adhering to their opinion in spite of reasoning arguments or persuasions. Like why would they allow the truth to get in the way? Sound somewhat familiar, you are in good company.
In Acts 9:1-6 we read how Saul (who later became the Apostle Paul) ran into a Holy Ghost "gag & hack." The Holy Spirit slipped it right over his eyes and nose, his mouth slammed shut, air supply cut off--fell to the ground as if struck by lightning. As an end result Saul acknowledges the Master he had claimed was an imposter "Lord, what do You want me to do?"
But why Saul? In Acts 7:51-60 we read how Saul was at Stephens final sermon "The Call of Abraham." Saul was a witness to Stephens stoning & death. He had heard the message of Christ Stephen shared, & he felt conviction. Listen to the final words of Stephen & see if they are not somewhat familiar "Lord do not charge them with this sin!"
The conviction of the Holy Spirit is oftentimes uncomfortable, it goes against our old evil worldly nature, old mindsets & old carnal fleshly selfish ways. God uses people, circumstances, trials & tribulations & even allows pain (C.S. Lewis Pain is God's megaphone)& sickness into our lives, to show us we've been pulling away from Him. He jabs, prod's, convicts & corrects because He loves us. God is trying to cure you of your rebellion so you can get on with your destiny in this life.
This is for Christian & heathen alike, some people are MASTER PROCRASTINATORS. Procrastination is the devils chloroform! How many times do we need to be convicted of the need for us to change? Don't believe your own excuses as within every excuse is at least one lie! Soften your heart, say yes to God & look to heaven for help.
How many times do we need to be convicted of the need for us to change. Listen to this excuse, I'm waiting for God to show me, to change me, to speak to me in an audible voice. Actually He's waiting to hear from you in an audible voice--He did it all at the cross of Calvary--it's now your turn.
God is longsuffering! He is more than just a merciful God, He is totally just and justice means you get what you deserve. For some the day will come that He will turn a deaf ear to their plea's. When He will put away their bridle & bit and turn them out into that hellish pasture they think so much of. I pray you are not one of them! For God is not willing that any should perish but all come to the place of repentance.
Food for thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
In the time we live in, way too many people just blindly follow what others have told them to do or believe what they have been told to believe "BECAUSE THEY JUST DON'T THINK FOR THEMSELVES." Guaranteed this blog will challenge you to the very core of your belief structure. Be Blessed, as it Blesses me to challenge you!
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Sunday, 12 August 2012
The Call to Evangelism
Revive us oh Lord! Revive=to breathe new life into. Revival is the Lords work, our job is to pray revival down from heaven! Nothing breathes new life into a church more than new converts! Today much of the soul winning is being done by the parachurch. There is a danger in this, as these new converts need to be discipled & that is the job of the church. If not discipled they will go back into their former lifestyle or worse yet the cults will scoop them up.
The church drastically needs revival before our new converts show up in church, why? If you study out sheep you will find if a young ewe lays down in a plush piece of pasture an old ewe will come and butt it out. Same within our congregations, jealousy can arise as God uses these new converts. What happens when a stranger enters into our church, stares & whispers, especially if they have a reputation within the community (wonder what they are here for.) Let me see now I believe an applicable scripture would be JUDGE NOT & YOU WILL NOT BE JUDGED! For true revival to happen the church has to repent & get on with doing the Lords business. New people to a service should draw a crowd of well wishers, introducing themselves & offering fellowship.
What is evangelism? Christ in action now! Jesus primary or supreme mission was to come & seek & save the lost. He in turn has given His church the Great Commission. Are we reaching the lost, not really, when the average church sees less than one new convert per year. I recently read a book "Evangelize or Fossilize" by Henry Lockyer 1938 wowser wowser what spiritual insight they had into the church way back then. What a prophetic message (warning) to the church of today. For an example a fossilized piece of wood looks exactly the same as when it was alive but now it has no life in it. Many of our churches are drawing dangerously close to becoming fossils of what used to be vibrant churches. What's happened?
Ephesians 4:11,12 And He Himself (Jesus) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. These men & women are anointed by the Lord Jesus Christ to build up the body of Christ that we can all minister His gospel to the church & to the world. Evangelists are anointed of the Lord as soul winners but part of their calling is to TRAIN UP & ENCOURAGE to win souls. Charles Price Every Christian is in full time ministry unto the Lord, no matter his or her occupation. How else can the church grow?
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because you have rejected knowledge WE THE CHURCH ARE NOT DOING IT THE JESUS WAY!
No evangelist, little soul winning & no teaching on the necessity of leading others to Christ!
I look to Luke 5:1-11 for the call to evangelism In vs 4 Jesus tells Simon Peter to launch out into the deep & let down your nets for a catch. vs 5 Simon answered and said to Him "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." He could have said hey Jesus remember you are the carpenter I am the fisherman BUT he did not. In all likelihood Peter & the other fisherman fished the shallows where the fish are at night time. In the daytime they move back into the depths where they can not be seen & the water is cooler. Is this not an example of how the church has toiled night & day trying to evangelize to no avail. Spent time effort & money yet coming up empty NO NEW CONVERTS. In vs. 6 we find they caught a great number of fish & had to signal to their partners to help them. And they came & filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. Unity & one accord within the brethren BETWEEN DIFFERENT CHURCHES, wow what a unique idea. In vs 8 Simon Peter fell down at Jesus knees "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" When we come face to face with the reality of the ALL POWERFUL GOD we serve we are humbled & see clearly our sinful shortcomings. vs. 9 tells us they were astonished by the catch, I personally believe if we apply what we have learned here we too will see a harvest of souls. Submission & obedience, unity & one accord, humility not pompous arrogance, He told them not to be afraid He would make them fishers of men. No more fear of what others would say, no more focus on the every day mundane things of life, they are at that moment of receiving His call (they forsook all) servants of the Most High God Jesus is His name, hallelujah! Evangelism for a Christian is to be as natural as breathing!
Matthew 9:37,38 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers in His harvest."
Every move of God is birthed in prayer, fueled by prayer & stops when the prayer stops. Recently on heard Ron Mains say "Do we pray with the same fervency for others as we do for ourselves in our times of need? For the lost, the addicted, the prostitutes, terrorists, cultists, politicians are you getting the pic yet?
Are we willing to give of our time, finances or possibly inconvenience ourselves to see others come to Christ. David Brainerd "I cared not where or how I lived or what hardship I went through as long as I could gain souls for Christ!" I can tell by your faces you think this is too extreme, no what Jesus went through for you & I that was extreme.
To evangelize we must have spiritual eyes to see the heart needs of others. We must take time to listen to the hurts of their hearts through their words & then minister according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He is our guide and knows who, when & how others will be led to Jesus. A word in due season, an act of kindness or compassion, a testimony of the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ or possibly just a listening ear.
Are we willing to stick our necks out & get involved in other peoples lives? Jesus was willing, He was rejected, falsely accused, scourged & crucified on the cross of Calvary in our place. His call comes to us today Isaiah 6:8,9 Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying: "Whom shall I send; and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
Do you truly know the love of God in your heart--not a head knowledge of His word but His love for our fellowman in your heart! Let us pray a simple prayer "God please allow me to experience a deeper level of your love today."
This is a portion of an evangelism teaching I am preparing for the body of Christ. I personally believe the vast majority of Christians desire to see souls come to Christ but do not have a clue on how to do it. Food for Thought!
Blessings as always
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
e-mail kc_gorham@xplornet.com or phone 1-613-479-0233
The church drastically needs revival before our new converts show up in church, why? If you study out sheep you will find if a young ewe lays down in a plush piece of pasture an old ewe will come and butt it out. Same within our congregations, jealousy can arise as God uses these new converts. What happens when a stranger enters into our church, stares & whispers, especially if they have a reputation within the community (wonder what they are here for.) Let me see now I believe an applicable scripture would be JUDGE NOT & YOU WILL NOT BE JUDGED! For true revival to happen the church has to repent & get on with doing the Lords business. New people to a service should draw a crowd of well wishers, introducing themselves & offering fellowship.
What is evangelism? Christ in action now! Jesus primary or supreme mission was to come & seek & save the lost. He in turn has given His church the Great Commission. Are we reaching the lost, not really, when the average church sees less than one new convert per year. I recently read a book "Evangelize or Fossilize" by Henry Lockyer 1938 wowser wowser what spiritual insight they had into the church way back then. What a prophetic message (warning) to the church of today. For an example a fossilized piece of wood looks exactly the same as when it was alive but now it has no life in it. Many of our churches are drawing dangerously close to becoming fossils of what used to be vibrant churches. What's happened?
Ephesians 4:11,12 And He Himself (Jesus) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. These men & women are anointed by the Lord Jesus Christ to build up the body of Christ that we can all minister His gospel to the church & to the world. Evangelists are anointed of the Lord as soul winners but part of their calling is to TRAIN UP & ENCOURAGE to win souls. Charles Price Every Christian is in full time ministry unto the Lord, no matter his or her occupation. How else can the church grow?
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because you have rejected knowledge WE THE CHURCH ARE NOT DOING IT THE JESUS WAY!
No evangelist, little soul winning & no teaching on the necessity of leading others to Christ!
I look to Luke 5:1-11 for the call to evangelism In vs 4 Jesus tells Simon Peter to launch out into the deep & let down your nets for a catch. vs 5 Simon answered and said to Him "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." He could have said hey Jesus remember you are the carpenter I am the fisherman BUT he did not. In all likelihood Peter & the other fisherman fished the shallows where the fish are at night time. In the daytime they move back into the depths where they can not be seen & the water is cooler. Is this not an example of how the church has toiled night & day trying to evangelize to no avail. Spent time effort & money yet coming up empty NO NEW CONVERTS. In vs. 6 we find they caught a great number of fish & had to signal to their partners to help them. And they came & filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. Unity & one accord within the brethren BETWEEN DIFFERENT CHURCHES, wow what a unique idea. In vs 8 Simon Peter fell down at Jesus knees "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" When we come face to face with the reality of the ALL POWERFUL GOD we serve we are humbled & see clearly our sinful shortcomings. vs. 9 tells us they were astonished by the catch, I personally believe if we apply what we have learned here we too will see a harvest of souls. Submission & obedience, unity & one accord, humility not pompous arrogance, He told them not to be afraid He would make them fishers of men. No more fear of what others would say, no more focus on the every day mundane things of life, they are at that moment of receiving His call (they forsook all) servants of the Most High God Jesus is His name, hallelujah! Evangelism for a Christian is to be as natural as breathing!
Matthew 9:37,38 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers in His harvest."
Every move of God is birthed in prayer, fueled by prayer & stops when the prayer stops. Recently on heard Ron Mains say "Do we pray with the same fervency for others as we do for ourselves in our times of need? For the lost, the addicted, the prostitutes, terrorists, cultists, politicians are you getting the pic yet?
Are we willing to give of our time, finances or possibly inconvenience ourselves to see others come to Christ. David Brainerd "I cared not where or how I lived or what hardship I went through as long as I could gain souls for Christ!" I can tell by your faces you think this is too extreme, no what Jesus went through for you & I that was extreme.
To evangelize we must have spiritual eyes to see the heart needs of others. We must take time to listen to the hurts of their hearts through their words & then minister according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He is our guide and knows who, when & how others will be led to Jesus. A word in due season, an act of kindness or compassion, a testimony of the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ or possibly just a listening ear.
Are we willing to stick our necks out & get involved in other peoples lives? Jesus was willing, He was rejected, falsely accused, scourged & crucified on the cross of Calvary in our place. His call comes to us today Isaiah 6:8,9 Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying: "Whom shall I send; and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
Do you truly know the love of God in your heart--not a head knowledge of His word but His love for our fellowman in your heart! Let us pray a simple prayer "God please allow me to experience a deeper level of your love today."
This is a portion of an evangelism teaching I am preparing for the body of Christ. I personally believe the vast majority of Christians desire to see souls come to Christ but do not have a clue on how to do it. Food for Thought!
Blessings as always
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
e-mail kc_gorham@xplornet.com or phone 1-613-479-0233
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