Last Week’s Outreach

Brethren, as you know we made an attempt this past week to reach out to people we know, especially to those who live on the West Side. The whole church, it seems, helped. I personally found much profit for my soul. Listening to the songs, the testimonies and the message from God’s Word was edifying. And it is always stirring to be able to distribute gospel tracts as well as to exhort people to consider Christ. We pray and trust the Lord receives the glory for any and all the benefit that comes from such an endeavor. This brings me to some thoughts concerning in particular our endeavors on the West Side. 

First, be sure you understand the nature of patience in the Lord’s work. We cast our bread upon the waters and afterwards (which can be years even decades!) we find it again with great dividends. We are to posses our souls with patience. That is also true of other souls. Sometimes it takes years to reap in regards to the lost, but the reward is eternal. So don’t ever be discouraged or faint in your endeavors for the Lord. His Word does not return void. It will bear fruit in the most unusual ways. We meet people after many, many years who testify to hearing a word from our endeavors that was used of the Lord to bear fruit in them lives.

Second, remember we reap where we have not sown. That means, we sow where we do not reap! How many times in my endeavors those I am seeking to reach don’t respond. But in direct relationship to that endeavor others respond who had the Gospel sown in their hearts by others - often people I have never met. So sow indiscriminately and trust the Lord and He will bless it. That brings me to this. It is God who gives the increase. Brethren, there is no slick trick to winning the lost. He is the Husbandman of the Vineyard. He is the Saviour.His Spirit must birth that soul into Jesus Christ. So let us do our part and watch God give the increase. If we are not careful, we may use methods and attempts resulting in people being persuaded by us, but not the Lord. We want conversions that are from the Lord. And in time, as we labor by faith, He will do so. So pray for the Lord to take what was done this past Sunday and use it by His grace and for His glory. Believe and doubt. Who knows how it was all used?! Look forward to He is doing and has done has done with it. Thanks to the Lord for all the help and participation in this endeavor. Jesus still saves!

The Resurrection of Jesus

1. “The resurrection of Christ is the heart of Christianity, which makes it pulsate with the life of God; it is the keystone to the arch of truth, which holds all the faith of the Gospel together; it is the
foundation of the Church; it is the mainspring of Christian activity; it is the lever of power which shall move the world; and it is the link which unites all believers.”
- F. E. Marsh (”Five Hundred Bible Readings” page 210)

2. “Modernism is a parasite which draws such vitality as it possesses from the dogmas which it denies.” - Arnold Lunn (”The Third Day” page 119)
“I have been used for many years to study the history of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them; and I know of no fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God has given us, that Christ died and rose again from the dead.”

3. ”He is not here; for he is risen, as he said, Come, see the place where the Lord lay” - Matthew 28:6

4. ”If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” - I Corinthians 15:17

5. “The belief in the Godhead of our Lord and the belief in the resurrection stand and fall together. Those who repudiate the resurrection have set their feet on a road which leads from Christianity to Unitarianism, open or camouflaged.” - Arnold Lunn (”The Third Day” pages 119-120)

6. “ ‘Nobody is ever converted by argument’ is a popular slogan with Christian appeasers, but unilateral disarmament is as foolish in theological as in international disputes. Communists and atheists do not act on the principle that no Christian can ever be perverted by argument” - Arnold Lunn (”The Third Day” page 29).

7. “ ‘When I used a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.’ “ - Lewis Carroll.

8. “A belief in the immortality of the soul was the highest attainment of pagan philosophy. Belief in the resurrection of Christ and in our own resurrection, because of Christ, is the ABC of Christianity (page 49) “Paul does not preach the immortality of Christ’s soul or our own immortality. If he had done that he would have been Plato’s disciple not Christ’s apostle” (page 51) - Samuel M. Zwemer (Evangelism Today).

9. ”Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet” (Luke 24:39-40).

10. ”Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” (Acts 26:8).

11. “The resurrection has been a snare to unbelief in all ages. It angered the Sadducees, the rationalists of the Saviour’s time. It aroused the contempt and scorn of Stoics and Epicureans when Paul preached it on Mars Hill. Materialistic science has always attacked it with delirious joy, and supercilious scorn. When one asked a great military leader how to locate the most important sector of the battle line he replied, ‘Look for the place that is most stubbornly attacked and most determinedly defended’ That rule marks out this teaching as the chief stronghold of our religion. Consequently there have been many efforts to explain away or eliminate the fact of the resurrection.” - L. E. Barton (”Three Dimensions of Love” page 87).

12. ”And if Christ be not risen, then is your preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (I Corinthians 15:14).

13. “The resurrection is variously presented in the New Testament, and is at once a proof, a pattern, a power, a prophecy, and a pledge. It is the poof of our acceptance of Christ’s death and of our acceptance with Him (Romans 4:25), it is to be the pattern of our holy life (Romans 6:4), it is also the power for Christian character and service (Ephesians 1:18-20); it contains the promise of our own resurrection (I Thessalonians 4:14), and it is the pledge of our life hereafter (John 14:19).” - W. H. Griffith-Thomas ("Christ Preeminent” page 92).

14.  “It will probably be evident from the preceding discussion that a movement is at present in process which aims at nothing less than the dissolution of Christianity, as that has been hitherto understood. It is not simply the details of the recorded life of Jesus that are questioned, but the whole conception of Christ’s supernatural Person and work as set forth in the Gospels and Epistles, which is challenged. If the Virgin Birth is rejected at one end of the history, and the bodily Resurrection at the other, not less are the miracles and supernatural claims that lie between. With this goes naturally on the part of many a hesitancy in admitting even Christ’s moral perfection. A sinless Personality would be a miracle in time, and miracles are excluded by the first principles of this new philosophy.” - James Orr (”The Resurrection of Jesus” page 265).

“Behold, He is risen: He is not here!”
By Chester E. Tulgo (”The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1951)

The Young People Reaching Out to Other Young People

It seems good to write a few words concerning the attempts young people make to reach other young people that are lost. My thoughts will come in no order of priority. Rather, as they come to my mind, consider the following observations:

First, it has been my observation for many years that a young person ( I mean young - maybe as young as 12 or 14 or 16) could do much good in reaching out to the 1,000’s of other young people in our area who have never heard the gospel. There is a natural connection just as the rich person has a natural connection with the rich or the young couple with the young couple. All around us are young people almost anxious to hear the gospel. When I was growing up, attempts to reach the young by the young (under some supervision) were very useful and resulted in some converting work. 

Second, the equipment for doing this a sound home life, sound doctrine, and the grace of God to overcome temptation that will be involved in such endeavors. At all ages temptation is there when doing evangelistic work. This is especially so for the young person. There is a thin line at times in this matter. On one hand, we want to be friend’s to the sinner, but on the other hand we know a “companion of riotous men will come to shame.” This a difficult and dangerous area to say the least. We, as parents, want our children kept from evil, rightly so. Yet we want them to grow in the Lord.  And we want them to eventually be used to reach the lost in varying degrees. It may be that only certain young people will have the wisdom and holiness to be used this way. Are there young people in the church here that meet those qualifications? 

Third, we have not seen this done to any noticeable degree. I do think that in general the child who is converted will grow up spending the majority of his time with the believer (outside maybe work situations) which is understandable. In fact, the young person who spends most of his/her time with the lost (when free) is probably indulging in carnality to some degree unless those relationships are to reach the lost. But, while we have not seen this in a noticeable way, it does not mean we can not desire it. If you are a young person, allow a few questions. Are you born again? Do you see all about you the 1,000’s of young people who are lost? Do you have desire to reach out to them? Are you keeping yourself pure when around them? Are you willing/desire to reach them? Maybe the Lord will stir up your heart to begin to wisely reach out to the 1,000’s of young people in our city and surrounding area. They need the Lord. It is an extremely needed and rewarding endeavor. Do you like “extreme” sports? Then I challenge you to take up winning the young who are lost. Do so and you will learn a new meaning to the word “extreme.” You will suffer ridicule, rejection and opposition for Christ’s sake. But some will hear and believe the Gospel. Give it your prayerful consideration. The 1,000’s of young people are waiting.....