<3 Evangelism <3

Evangelism

There's nothing like Evangelism, man. Getting to tell people about the hope in Jesus Christ is really sweet, and there are so many ways in which to do evangelism.

Even tonight, seeing lives changed by the Holy Spirit's power through the Gospel was amazing. It never gets old. Isn't it interesting how the Lord has worked for so long, and yet what He does is always breathtaking?

Then there are those conversations where the Lord just gives you the words and things really move along to really deep matters. Or you see their expression completely change at a statement that convicts their heart and makes them want to know the Lord.

It's all so amazing, and there's no doubt that evangelism is an amazing gift from God. To do it is amazing, and sharing who Jesus is with others is eternally rewarding. To see lives transformed by God's power is absolutely awesome. What a privilege it is to be used by the Lord as a vessel by which He brings them into the light of the knowledge of Christ, into an eternity far away from the Hell that we deserve!

Regardless of whether they commit their lives to the Lord, recommit things to Him, or are totally shut off toward the Gospel, with faithful evangelism, the Gospel has done and will do its work (cf. Isaiah 55:10-11).

So praise the Lord for evangelism. I could do this all my life, and I think it's inevitable that I will. It's not my only passion, but it's certainly a consuming one.

Follow-up

Follow-up is often so neglected, though. I was very alarmed by a comment from someone tonight. After a few people prayed to accept Christ, I wondered what the hosting church's follow-up options were.

The guy responded, "Follow up? Where's that in the Bible? Oh, nowhere."

I responded, "1 Corinthians 3, Hebrews 5, Colossians 1:28? Present every man mature in Christ Jesus?" and I forgot to mention even the obvious Matthew 28.

So he replied, "Oh, well ok, I'm just an evangelist, I don't do that stuff."

But really, what the heck?

Good follow-up goes hand-in-hand with good evangelism. We're supposed to make disciples of all nations. It's good to evangelize. How else will they hear the Gospel if nobody preaches the Word to 'em? However, how will they come to know the Lord more fully and be able to tell others about the Lord in the next generation without the wherewithal to become mature?

Tonight

So yeah, tonight was neat. There was a concert event at the mall, and I got to walk around and tell people about Jesus, hand out tracts, pray with several to accept Christ. Some really neat neat neat conversations. Thank you, Lord! Pray that the church actually does a good job with follow-up, because I'm skeptical. I gave out a few Bibles to a few who put their faith in Christ, so I'll need to restock myself. I did get 52 tracts from the church tonight, which was SWEET! I know, I'm odd, I'm really hype about getting free (and good quality) tracts. REALLY really hype!

Anyway, follow-up will be a huge point of emphasis when I (Lord willing) teach an evangelism group next semester. That's in addition to meditation on Scripture (learning it!), courage, purpose & privilege of evangelism, etc. I think follow-up, though, is way underrated and grossly omitted, and what we need in the world is mature believers!

Anyway, some verses on the matter...

Hebrews 5:12-14
12 ...For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready...

Colossians 1:28
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

God bless!

Status Time

1. Done with the first sermon on Habakkuk
'How Long, O LORD?'
...in Shockwave format:
http://www.djsterf.net/sermons/habakkuk-1.swf
OR in .pdf format:
http://www.djsterf.net/sermons/habakkuk-1.pdf

2. Starting on the second sermon on Habakkuk
'How Just, O LORD!'

3. I keep getting 1 on hard stuff on DDR Extreme.
One of the most frustrating things about playing now -- I always think about getting a Great, and then I'll end up with a Great on a random easy step. I have numerous pictures of 1 on Paranoia Survivor, and I hope to get 0 soon on it and be done with it.

4. Internship Stuff
Hopefully it'll go through. The four main categories I have been commissioned to do --
1. Start an Evangelism Training/Evangelism Group: I'd teach methods and then go out with people to tell others in the community about Jesus. I'm really excited about this.
2. Teach a Sunday School class: I'm going to come up with either an 8-week or 10-week lesson series on either a book of the Bible (more likely) or a topic (less likely). I'm really excited about this.
3. Start/Restart a College & Career group: I'm not really excited about this. It's probably just because I've had bad experiences with them in the past, especially relating to kick-starting it at an old church and having no support whatsoever. This is not my passion, and I think, by a friend's advice, that it might be overload. I may get a few interested people to work on starting it up, and then help them out where needed.
4. Counseling -- Have open hours for counseling, though it doesn't look like there will be much traffic here. Who knows? Maybe something will amount. I'm really passionate about pastoral counseling, so I wish this category would ramp up.

5. Red Xena is the truth now.
I asked my friend Andrew about this. I mean, she may have been the truth 10 years ago? What about today? Andrew said that she was the truth...now. lol um

6. Graduating in May
...then what? Hopefully something pastoral will open up soon for that time period! Yikes, it's coming fast.

7. Two Poems

I Worship
© Sterling C. Franklin

In every circumstance, Lord, I worship,

Whether I’m joyous or stressed, bubbly or miserable,
On occasions in which I find abundance or in which I have want,
Respecting You for Your providing Hand in all things.
See to it, Lord, that I am grateful, and I will certainly be so,
Have mercy on Your servant, for You know that my frame is dust,
I see my frailty, and I desire to please You,
Please continue to tilt your gracious ear, for I worship.

-Romans 12:1-

Shepherd
© Sterling C. Franklin

The Lord is my Shepherd,
He provides for my needs,
He keeps my way straight,
In all of my deeds,
He puts me at Peace,
He knows my desires,
He patiently guides me,
And keeps me from briars,
He takes me through darkness,
With His staff and His rod,
He is humble and comforting,
My Shepherd is God,
And because He’s my Shepherd,
And has called me as such,
I will be a faithful shepherd,
Relying on the Good Shepherd’s touch.

-Psalm 23-

HBQQ (Habakkuk)

Oh hi. Hopefully this formatting will work.

I have to write a sermon series outline for OT 6217, but in reading through Habakkuk, I really just wanted to write the whole series out instead of just an outline.

So this book is one of my top 66 favorite books of the Bible. Really, though, it has some really excellent content to consider.

Habakkuk laments the wickedness of the people of Judah, and he pleads to the LORD for Him to straighten things out! They have six problems, in three pairs and spheres:

Offenses against the LORD (Vertical)

1. Iniquity
2. Wrong

Society-level Offenses (Broad Horizontal)

3. Destruction
4. Violence

Interpersonal Offenses (Narrow Horizontal)

5. Strife
6. Conflict

In response to a lament, you'd hope for a message of comfort. Instead, the LORD gives a message of future chastisement against His people.

He would raise up the Babylonians (lit. Chaldeans) -- a godless people whose own strength was their idol. The Babylonians would come and be an agent of God's judgment against the straying people who had broken their covenant with the LORD.

So Habakkuk responds in shock -- 'WHAT?!' But it's a faithful shock. He states what he knows about the LORD --

Everlasting – Steadfastness, Constancy; Eternality

LORD – Master, King

My God - The only ruler of everything; thus, set apart

My Holy One – Set Apart

LORD – Master, King

Rock – Steadfastness, Constancy; Refuge

Then Habakkuk realizes that it's a definite response -- judgment and chastisement against the wickedness of the nation. Habakkuk questions in a faithful way, and he wonders why the LORD will use a wicked nation to exercise judgment on the people.

Well, there's nobody else righteous. Even more, the judgment is shocking and would hopefully result in the people repenting and turning back to the LORD whom they had forsaken. This is a common theme in the Prophets -- a call for the people to repent, and a covenant option -- blessing/favor or chastisement/judgment. The LORD is so faithful, and He desires His people to turn to Him. He is persistent in pursuing His people to bring them to right relationship with Him, so much so that He even would give His Son 600 years or so after Habakkuk's ministry was finished. Amen?

Even more, in Chapter 2, the LORD promises that the Babylonians will also be dealt with justly according to their wickedness.

Habakkuk's response? A song of praise in Chapter 3, worshiping the LORD for who He is.

So overall, it's a sweet as mess book.

It shows the LORD's justice, reasons for His chastisement, a faithful and questioning response to chastisement from Habakkuk, etc. It also shows that God knows what He's doing.

Habakkuk 2:18-20

18 "What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!
19 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it.
20 But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him."

Sometimes we just ought to be still and know that He is God (cf. Psalm 46:10). He has things under control. Even in the midst of hard chastisement, Habakkuk sees it fit to rejoice in the LORD. May our heart be as such, and even in dire circumstances, may our heart delight in the goodness of the LORD!

Habakkuk 3:17-19

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

It's also neat to see Habakkuk's original response of grief in 1:12ff. It is first done in shock/denial, though Habakkuk understands and accepts it fairly quickly. His acceptance is further shown by his Psalm/Song in chapter 3.

Sermon Sections
Habakkuk 1:1-2:1
Habakkuk 2:1-20
Habakkuk 3:1-19

That's pretty much all I've got for now in terms of blog entry. Have a good evening!

Speak
© Sterling C. Franklin

Speak to us,
Speak with us,
Speak despite us,
Speak through us,

Speak considering us,
Speak concerning us,
Speak regarding us,
Speak from us,

Speak of us,
Speak upon us,
Speak over us,
Speak for us,

Speak before us,
Speak after us,
Speak above us,
Speak within us,

Regardless of the preposition,
Lord,
Speak!
For Your servants are listening.