One of the great mistakes of the modern church is to think that evangelism is something done within the four walls of the church building. Acts 8:1-4 makes it apparent that evangelism was not done by the pastor or clergy but by believers that went everywhere preaching the Word (Acts 8:4).
Some methods of evangelism mentioned in scripture are: (1) House to house evangelism – “…and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42). (2) Personal one-on-one evangelism – Philip ministered to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-38), Paul to Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7), Jesus to Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the thief on the cross, and others.
There are around 35 such instances recorded in the Gospels alone. (3) Evangelism to large crowds – Peter ministered to the crowds in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2) and Paul at Lystra (Acts 14:8-18). (4) Evangelism to entire cities – “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them” (Acts 8:5). (5) Public debate and preaching – Paul disputed in synagogues and market places (Acts 16:17), Peter and John preached in the temple (Acts 3:11-26), Paul declared, “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you PUBLICKLY and from HOUSE TO HOUSE, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:20-21). (6) Tract evangelism – The first tract evangelism with ink and pen are the Gospels. John in his gospel stated, “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His Name” (Jn. 20:31).
Christians are to be wise in the way they act and speak to unbelievers. We are to make the most of every opportunity. The Christian’s speech should be gracious with answers that meet the needs of each person they encounter.
This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).
Topic: The Finished Work [Billy Graham Devotional 18 December 2018]
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. —John 3:3
A person is saved by trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and not by bodily sensations and religious ecstasy. But you will say, “What about feeling? Is there no place in saving faith for feeling?” Certainly, there is room for feeling in saving faith. But we are not saved by it. Whatever feeling there may be is the result of saving faith, but feeling never saved a single soul. Love is feeling. Joy is feeling. Inward peace is feeling. Love for others is a feeling. Concern for the lost is a feeling. But these feelings are not conversion. The one experience that you can look for and expect is the experience of believing in Christ.
Prayer for the day:Thank You, Lord, for Your gift of redemption, which does not fluctuate like my feelings.
Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.
Open Heaven 18 December 2018 Tuesday Daily Devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – When the Devil Strikes
Topic: When the Devil Strikes (Open Heaven 18 December 2018)
Memorise:“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”- 1 Peter 5:8
Read: Ephesians 5:14-17 (KJV)
14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Bible in One Year: Amos 1-3, John 13:1-30
Open Heaven 18 December 2018 Tuesday MESSAGE:
For you to be triumphant in warfare, you need to know your adversary well so that you can checkmate his or her every move. 1 Peter 5:8 makes it clear that the devil is our adversary; you would therefore be wise to understand his character and modus operandi in order not to be ensnared by his wily crafts. The devil is a doomed fellow, and he is a slave beneath every true Christian (Matthew 25:41, Ephesians 1:21-23, Ephesians 2:6). Since the day iniquity was found in him, there has not been any good in him at all (Ezekiel 28:15). Having known this, it will be dangerous to assume that the devil is a fool. He is no fool, but rather cunning and with a lot of experience. The devil is very studious and diligent. When he sets a goal, he does everything possible to ensure he meets his target. This is why we have to watch and pray against his moves. We also have to be as gentle as doves, but as wise as serpents. Furthermore, we have to be guarded with our armor always, because our adversary never rests, always going around looking for whom to devour.
Now, when does the devil strike? He first studies his target by watching for any weakness in that target. When he finds a weakness, he begins to hit at that weakness, so much so that if the fellow does not brace up and strengthen that weak point, it could trigger his or her fall. This was the case with Moses. When he killed the Egyptian for flogging a Hebrew, the devil noticed that he had a problem with anger. Having discovered this, the devil constantly influenced the Israelites to provoke him, but Moses held on strong until the day when out of anger he struck the rock he was supposed to speak to. Beloved, you cannot afford to be lackadaisical at any time, and neither can you indulge a weakness for the slightest moment, because the devil is working overtime to make you fall. Moses was careless just once, and the result was that he couldn’t enter the Promise Land.
Another time the devil strikes is after a victory. David experienced this. After he killed Goliath, the devil raised an enemy against him in King Saul. Similarly, immediately after Jesus fed, men with five loaves of bread and two fishes, the devil tried to use a storm to swallow His boat. It was also after Jesus had finished an impactful-day fast that the devil came to tempt Him (Luke 4:1-13). The devil knows that everyone tends to relax and celebrate after a victory, and so he uses the opportunity to strike. Note that the devil attacks by putting something tempting right in front of you so that you will constantly see it. He adopts this method because he knows that no matter how strong a rock is, if water keeps dropping continually, it will eventually give way. What is that source of temptation the devil is constantly throwing your way? It’s time to get rid of it. May God help you in this regard in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heaven 18 December 2018 Tuesday Action Point:
Open Heaven 18 December 2018 Tuesday Hymn 18: Conqueror And Overcomers Now Are We
1. Conquerors and overcomers now are we, Thro’ the precious blood of Christ we’ve victory If the Lord be for us we can never fail, Nothing ‘gainst His mighty power can e’er prevail.
Chorus:
Conquerors are we, thr’o the blood of Jesus
God will give us victory, thro’ the blood of Jesus
Through the Lamb for sinners slain,
Yet who lives and reigns again,
More than conquerors are we,
More than conquerors are we.
2. In the name of Israel’s God we’ll onward press, Overcoming sin and all unrighteousness; Not to us but unto Him the praise shall be, For salvation and for blood bought victory.
3. Unto Him that overcometh shall be given, Here to eat of hidden manna sent from Heaven, Over yonder He the victors palm shall bear, And a robe of white, and golden crown shall wear.
4. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!
5. Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, Darkness comes over me, my rest a stone; Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!
6. There let me see the sight, an open Heaven; All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given; Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!
Open Heaven 18 December 2018 Tuesday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven 18 December 2018 Tuesday Daily Devotional.
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Anne Graham Lotz Says God Is Giving Her a Message about Israel through Her Cancer
Anne Graham Lotz wrote on her website this week that she believes that God may be using her cancer, to give her a message about Israel.
Lotz starts the blog post by noting that for many years she believed her life was somehow entwined with Israel and its history. She wrote, “For years I have believed that my life was entwined with the nation of Israel. I was born one week to the day after her rebirth. We are both 70 years old. Could it be that God has given me a message for her that I am living out in my own experience?”
CBN News reports that Lotz noted how God would often have his spokespersons live out what he was trying to communicate. She said, “God often had His spokespersons live out the message He gave them…before they delivered the message to the people.” She then offered the examples of Hosea, who married an unfaithful wife, this Lotz said represented the broken heart of God over an “unfaithful Israel.”
The evangelist also gave the examples of Jeremiah and Isaiah, whose stories paralleled things happening in Israel.
Lotz wondered if she too could be a living example of what is to happen to Israel.
She said, “This is what I seem to see… In her 70th year…
…just as my cancer is a potentially fatal disease, is Israel also in danger of being attacked in a potentially fatal way?
Christian Mother, Pastor Face Death Threats in Uganda
NAIROBI, Kenya, December 17, 2018 (Morning Star News) – Shakira Wanyenze, a 31-year-old Muslim woman, had no idea that missing a ride back to her town in eastern Uganda from Kampala would change her life.
That day, June 17, Wanyenze decided to stay the night at the home of a relative in Kampala. She thought the relative, whose name is undisclosed for security reasons, was a Muslim. The relative told her she had put her trust in Christ for her salvation, and after a discussion that lasted late into the night, Wanyenze decided to do the same.
“After many hours of resisting the Christian faith, something convicted me that my life was heading for destruction, and therefore I need to put my faith in Jesus,” Wanyenze told Morning Star News by phone. “I was prayed for that night and had an overwhelming peace after accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior.”
Mother of four children between the ages of 5 and 9, for months Wanyenze managed to keep her faith a secret from her husband, Ismail Kawanguzi, when she returned home to Buyaga town council, Bulambuli District nearly six hours by car from Kampala.
Her husband began to become suspicious on Nov. 30 when he came home to find her praying with her children.
“My husband arrived home at around 8 p.m. on the 30th and heard me concluding the prayers using the name of Jesus,” she said. “When he interrogated me to give reasons why I…
Francesca Battistelli to Perform Christmas Duet with Andrea Bocelli
When Christian contemporary artist Francesca Battistelli answered a phone call asking her to perform a Christmas duet with Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, there was no hesitation in her answer: “absolutely.”
“It was a no-brainer,” Battistelli told The Christian Post. “It was a surreal experience, a dream come true.”
The Grammy-winning artist will join Bocelli to perform a rendition of “What Child is This.” The performance can be seen on the upcoming holiday special, “Andrea Bocelli: The Heart of Christmas,” which is set to air on TBN December 20 at 8/7pm CT.
Filmed in a historic church in Lajatico, Bocelli’s hometown located in the Italian region Tuscany, was nothing short of “magical,” Battistelli informed CP. She notes that it also took a great deal of prayer.
“I never get nervous, but I just crying and praying, ‘Lord, let me not do a bad job,’” she revealed. “And it ended up being so beautiful. There was a moment where we’re in this beautiful church, and we’re singing and worshiping Jesus and Bocelli’s voice just rolled out incredibly. I looked out into the audience and I had this moment that was so emotional for me. I had to snap myself out of it so I wouldn’t cry. It was just so, so special.”
Over the course of his career, Bocelli has sold over 90 million albums and is widely regarded as one of the most “loved and…
Why ‘Silent Night’ and the Stories Around it Endure 200 Years Later
(RNS) — It was the night before Christmas, and not a creature was stirring.
Except for the mice at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria, who were busy chewing through the bellows of the organ.
Their handiwork left the church’s priest, the Rev. Joseph Mohr, scrambling to find music for a Christmas Eve service. So he dashed off a few lines about the night Jesus was born and asked composer Franz Xaver Gruber to set the lyrics to a simple tune, played on guitar.
On that night 200 years ago, the two stood in front of the church’s nativity set and performed a song that began with words “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht.”
Better known as “Silent Night,” the song would go on to become one of the season’s most beloved Christmas carols, translated into more than 300 languages and sung all over the world by artists from Bing Crosby Crosby to Beyoncé.
At least, that’s how the story goes.
Legends aside, the song endures in part because it brings a sense of calm to the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, said Brian Lee, head of the music department at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.
“We seem to live in such a noisy chapter in history,” Lee said. “I think even just the title of the song in and of itself speaks to people.”
In Austria, where “Silent Night” has been declared part of the nation’s cultural heritage, the country’s…
With Tears, Megachurch Pastor Defends $200K Lamborghini Gift to Wife
GREENVILLE, S.C. (USA Today Network) — The new pastor of a South Carolina megachurch gave his wife a $200,000 Lamborghini SUV for their eighth anniversary five days ago, and he’s been getting heat on social media for it ever since.
In an Instagram video taken at the celebration Saturday (Dec. 8), John Gray, pastor of Relentless Church here, led his wife to a bow-wrapped car and handed her the keys while saying “Lamborghini Urus.” He later acknowledged on social media that he had bought the luxury vehicle for her and responded to criticism of the purchase.
The video of the presentation, which he had not posted, was taken down.
“God helped me to make my wife’s dream come true,” he wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday night. “Why not? She’s made mine come true!”
By Thursday, he was on Facebook Live, tearing up at times as he defended his decision and said the sport utility vehicle was bought with “not a nickel, not a penny” of his salary from the church or other church money.
“My wife has pushed for my dreams and my vision, and she has toiled with a man who is still trying to find himself,” Gray said. “That carries a weight. I wanted to honor her for how she’s covered me.”
Gray, 45, took over leadership in May of Relentless Church, which had five campuses and an active membership of 22,000 when church founder Ron Carpenter handed…
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to Leave Administration, Trump Says
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who is facing federal investigations, will step downfrom the Trump administration by the end of the year.
President Donald Trump announced the change, saying on Twitter: “Secretary of the Interior @RyanZinke will be leaving the Administration at the end of the year after having served for a period of almost two years. Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation.”
His replacement will be announced next week and then the Senate will vote to confirm the post.
According to CNN, possible replacements include Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller.
Meanwhile, Zinke is facing inquiries into his actions in office, including his department’s “handling of a Connecticut casino project, whether the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument were redrawn to benefit a state lawmaker, and conversations between Zinke and Halliburton Chairman David Lesar about a land development project in Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, Montana.”
He says the allegations against him are “false.”
“I love working for the President and am incredibly proud of all the good work we’ve accomplished together,” Zinke wrote on Twitter. “However, after 30 years of public service, I cannot justify spending thousands of dollars defending myself and my family…
The 33-year-old woman who died on Saturday has been named by police as Justine Collison.
Her eight-year-old daughter Isabella also died after the early morning blaze, while the death of her son Harvey, aged five, in hospital was announced on Sunday.
It is understood the 34-year-old man who remains in a serious condition in hospital is Mrs Collison’s husband Gavin.
Her mother Diane Fletcher, 53, was led to safety from the property in Woodhill Road, Collingham, near Newark.
Area Chief Inspector Rich Stapleford said: “Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, friends and the community of Collingham at this difficult time.”
Police and the fire service are working to establish the cause of the blaze.
Floral tributes to the “beautiful family” have been laid at the scene alongside soft toys.
One message described Isabella as a “wonderful friend”, while another, addressed to Harvey, read: “I loved reading with you”.
The tragedy has shocked the community, Christine Hasman said.
The administrator for East Trent Churches, which covers the area, said: “All I can say is that everybody who knows about it in the church community is shocked and saddened by the whole thing.”
Ms Hasman, who said she did not know the family personally, added: “It’s just shocking news, especially so close to Christmas.”
All Saints Church, less than a mile from the scene of the fire, will open…
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