Roots by the River

  Consider using the following truths with unbelievers. “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him” (Lk. 12:4–5). We are given a choice of whom to fear. We can fear those who can kill the body, or we can fear Him who sentences people to the second death. “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then He said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true .’ He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters ...

  This is a story I heard over fifty years ago: There was once a famous Anglican missionary who had a reputation for being a hell-fire preacher. He was very effective in describing judgment. Upon his return to England from missionary work, his bishop assigned him to preach in a village church. When he heard who was coming to preach, the vicar of the church became very anxious for his flock. He was concerned what the missionary would preach and what the effect would be on his congregation. The vicar met the missionary at the train. After some small talk, the vicar asked him what his text would be on Sunday. The missionary replied he had not yet decided, and did the pastor have any suggestions? The pastor replied, “We here in civilized England are not big on judgment. Any message on the love of God would be fine.” The missionary answered, “Wonderful. How about John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world’?” The pastor, relieved, said “That will be just fine.” On Sunday morning in...

  Fear is not necessarily a bad motivation. In certain circumstances, it is an entirely reasonable response. “Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Lk. 21:26–27). “Terror and pit and snare await you, people of the earth” (Is. 24:17). Recently I was talking with a twelve-year-old boy who was very rebellious towards his father. As I taught him the Good News, he interrupted to tell me his greatest motivation to become a Christian was fear of being cast into the lake of fire. He apparently received Christ, for his mother told me he has become a very different boy. Terror is abject fear. There has always been terror in war. The main object of terrorism is not killing innocent people. The purpose of terrorism is to cause fear in the survivors, a fear that immobilizes them. During World War II, more people were kille...

  Whenever we use the weapons of the Holy Spirit (preaching, prayer, gifts, and the fruit of the Spirit), the Spirit works in the lives of sinners. “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again”’” (Jn. 3:5–7). “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38). “Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 11:16). “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Cor. 12:13). “When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because th...

  The Scriptures are to be wielded. Ephesians 6:17 describes the word of God as an offensive weapon: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Again in Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Second Timothy 4:2 commands us to use the sword of the Spirit: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” Preaching Christ causes faith. But we are to preach Christ as He is presented to us in the Scriptures: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet ...

  Humility is not just an admirable character trait. It is essential in the presentation of the gospel. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt. 11:28–29). The gentle imperative “Come to me” emphasizes an exceptional quality of Jesus: His humility and meekness. This is wonderfully described in Philippians 2:5–11: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on eart...

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control . Against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22–23). The book of Titus gives several reasons for exercising self-control: “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled . In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condem...

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22–23). “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). These two quotations are not surprising; gentleness is something we should expect from a loving God. However, the fruit and wisdom of gentleness are given to us , and God expects us to be gentle. Here are two examples: “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:25). “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15). We are gentle with fragile things such ...

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness , gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22–23). Faithfulness is God’s nature which He has imparted to us. “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful ” (1 Cor. 1:9). “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful ; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). How do we apply God’s faithfulness in evangelism? “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor....

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness , faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22). “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit. He was also a good man. This is not surprising, since the fruit of the Spirit is goodness. Goodness is a characteristic of being filled with the Holy Spirit and a characteristic of effective preaching. In Acts 11, Barnabas preached, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Preaching the content of the Good News without being good is contradictory. “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). If we are going to talk the good news, we must walk the good news. How we live our day-to-day lives is part of our witness for Christ. Our lives are a gospel, read by everyone who interacts with us. *Excerpted from Weapons & Tactics . To purchase, visit ccmbooks.org/booksto...

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness , goodness, faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22). Kindness is one of the greatest weapons in kingdom warfare. It is God’s principal instrument for leading people to repentance. “Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?” (Rom. 2:4). God used Paul to give Timothy instruction on how to witness and how not to witness: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:23–26). People do not usuall...

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22). Patience in evangelism starts with God: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance ” (2 Pet. 3:9). We think God is slow when He is just patient. He tells us to wait patiently too, because that means the salvation of more people: “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near” (James 5:7–8). In personal evangelism there is a time to plow, to disc, and to harrow the ground. There is a time to plant. There is a time to wait for the autumn and spring rains. Then there is a time to harvest. Everything prior to the harvest requires patience. When the harves...

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22). “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you” (Lk. 10:5–6). “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Peace with God is the result of justification. The fruit of the Spirit is peace, and the first words we are to use in house-to-house evangelism are, “ Peace to this house.” We fight the spiritual war with the weapon of peace . Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place” (Jn. 18:36). We do not use weapons of physical war in evangelism, and that is good. But we also do not consistently present the good news in peace, which we should. Many evangelists present the gosp...

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22). Joy is difficult to contain. It overflows. Here is an example of what happened when David’s sin caused him to lose his joy: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will turn back to You” (Ps. 51:12–13). Joy is attractive. When it is restored, sinners are converted. Before I received Christ, I was not happy, but I wanted to be. I saw men who seemed to be happy. They were not happy; they were joyful . I did not know the difference, but I wanted what they had. If you are a Christian and are not joyful, you are under the chastening of the Lord because of unconfessed sin. Confess your sins and your life of joy will be a witness . “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto th...

  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22). “A new command I give you: Love one another . As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:34–35). We are told to love our brothers in Christ. This love tells all of the non-brothers that we are followers of Jesus Christ. This is indirect evangelism. “ Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:39b). Our neighbor may not be a Christian. We are to love him because he is a neighbor. “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies , do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them d...

  The fruit of the Spirit is true evidence that someone has the Spirit. It is possible to be baptized “into the name of the Lord Jesus” but not be baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is meant as a sign of salvation, but it does not save you. The fruit of the Spirit is essential to evangelism. It is part of our arsenal of weapons which are not carnal. Without this fruit it is impossible to preach and pray in the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is given to each new Christian at the time he receives Christ. It is the primary evidence of life in Christ. The Christian has it, and he is commanded to express it. If someone does not have the fruit of the Spirit, he is not a Christian. If he has it and does not express it, he is a disobedient Christian. *Excerpted from Weapons & Tactics . To purchase, visit ccmbooks.org/bookstore .

  "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit , said to them: 'Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is "the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone"'" (Acts 4:8–11). It is possible to preach the gospel without being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is better to be scared enough to pray for a Holy Spirit kind of boldness. With Holy Spirit boldness comes power . *Excerpted from Weapons & Tactics . To purchase, visit ccmbooks.org/bookstore .

  “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel ” (Eph. 6:18–19). Praying for saints and sinners is a major part of the proclamation of the gospel. What are we to pray? For the saints: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in ...

  “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more” (John 16:7–10). The Helper, the Holy Spirit, convicts men of sin. This conviction is one of the states that precede repentance. *Excerpted from Weapons & Tactics . To purchase, visit ccmbooks.org/bookstore .

  I became a Christian when I was 20 years old, during my second year at the Naval Academy. However, my conversion was set up for me beforehand, because I learned two things prior to becoming a Christian: authority and obedience. I learned these in bootcamp, and I learned them in plebe year. When I received Christ my sophomore year, I already knew what authority and obedience were. I could see them everywhere in the New Testament. The New Testament is full of commands that are very clear. But I see that Christians do not pay much attention to them. Here are a few of these commands: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say—rejoice! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your he...