Roots by the River

  Scripture teaches us the weapons we are to use in evangelism. But there is another important category for us to learn—what kind of weapons are off limits to us. “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else” (1 Thess. 2:3–6). Notice the things that the apostles refused to use in reaching people: error impure motives trickery pleasing men flattery masks to cover up greed Unfortunately, all of these are used by some Christians who claim to be doing evangelism. Avoid them! From saying that you “see that hand” when you don’t (trickery) to telling someone that they would make a fine Christian (flattery), we have

"For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church" (1 Corinthians 4:17). "I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 2:19-21).   Timothy was known for his godliness. Paul later wrote these instructions to him: "Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save yourself and your hearers"  (1 Timothy 4:16). Your holy life and your clear teaching of the gospel is the effective salvation message. What is the life? "Don’t let anyone l

  The important thing in any major decision is to seek to know the will of God. Here are a few principles from the Bible which you can use as a start to help you determine God’s will : 1.      Want to know the will of God. " If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (John 7:17). If I want to be in the will of God, and God wants me to be in His will, there is no way I will miss it.   2.      The desires of your heart. " Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Your desires are not necessarily wrong. If you delight in the Lord, He will give you your desires. 3.      The witness and leading of the Spirit. " Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law" (Galatians 5:18). "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ea

  REASONING There is a reasoning which is effective in evangelism. It is not apologetic in character. It is not defensive. In fact, it is an aggressive offense . It is the kind of biblical reasoning used in Peter’s preaching in Acts 2, Stephen’s preaching in Acts 7, and Paul’s preaching in Acts 17, and the preaching of the apostles in Corinth (1 Cor. 1–2). These two books are examples of this kind of reasoning today: • Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. This book is extrabiblical and starts with the subject of sin. • Basic Christianity by J.R.W. Stott. This book reasons within a biblical framework, starting with the deity of Jesus Christ. *Excerpted from Weapons & Tactics . To purchase, visit ccmbooks.org/bookstore .

   APOLOGETICS Apologetics (singular): The branch of theology that deals with the defense of a religious faith on the basis of reason (The World Book Encyclopedia Dictionary, ed. Clarence L. Barnhart [Chicago: Thorndike-Barnhart, 1963]). Apologetics has crept into the church as a weapon for evangelism. Today there are many books available on Christian apologetics. At best, apologetics can be useful pre-evangelism. Several things make it difficult to use as a tool in evangelism: 1. It is defensive. 2. It is based on reason. 3. It does not create faith. 4. The gospel is not normally included in it. 5. The average person does not understand the presuppositions or the reasoning used. 6. Jesus and the apostles did not use it the way it is used today. 7. When used in discussion, it tends to turn the conversation into a debate/argument, and Christians are not to argue like that. 8. It is not declarative. It does not proclaim or preach. 9. It does not deal with sin. 10

  APOLOGIA Apologia: a defense, especially of one’s opinions, position, or actions (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary [Merriam-Webster, 1991]). Apologia: to give an account (legal plea) of oneself (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible [Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984]). The Greek word apologia appears ten times in the New Testament. In the KJV, it is always translated “answer” or “answered.” In the NIV, it is translated “defend” nine times and “answer” once. Here are eight of the ten occurrences: “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Lk. 12:11–12). “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me. But

What is the meaning of God’s will? What do we have to do in order to do God’s will? How can we know God’s will? There are two expressions of God’s ultimate will in the Scriptures. The first is our salvation: "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4). The second is our sanctification: "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified" (1 Thessalonians 4:3a). Both of these were accomplished by Jesus Christ: "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30). The will of God for us is our salvation, which includes our justification (conversion), holiness (sanctification), and the redemption of our bodies at the Second Coming. Since we have already experienced justification, our concern now is our holiness (sanctification). Remember, it is already provide

“‘Woe to the rebellious children,’ says the Lord, ‘who carry out a plan, but not mine, who make a league, but not of my Spirit that they may add sin to sin who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my counsel’” (Isaiah 30:1-2). This text applies to nations, the world, and individuals. They make plans and implement them. They draw up treaties, agreements, and contracts. The plans are not God’s. They do not ask the Lord for advice. Many Christians also follow this pattern. God says, “Woe to the rebellious children.”      In the early stages of the conquest of Canaan, the Gibeonites deceived Joshua into making a treaty with them under oath: “ The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath” (Joshua 9:14-15). There is a way to follow God’s plans that is not good, but is still better than following your own way: “Be not like a hors

  We are not just messengers in our presentation of the gospel. We are also to serve as witnesses . “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony ; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Rev. 12:11). The story of Paul’s conversion is told three different times in the book of Acts. It is first recounted in chapter nine. Later Paul retells the story to the lynch mob in Jerusalem in front of the Roman barracks in Acts 22. The third time was two years later, in Acts 26. Paul spent those years in prison in Caesarea. He gave his testimony to the governor Festus, and to King Agrippa and his sister Bernice in an audience room with high-ranking officials and the leading men of the city. I encourage you to write out your own testimony. Use this testimony to give the saving message to people whose eyes are already open and who are hungry for the light of the gospel. Tell what you were like before, when you first became interested in