While it is true that people are converted and matured through expositional preaching, the word of the gospel must be wedded to the Spirit’s work in order for conviction of sin, regeneration, repentance and faith, and lifelong perseverance to come. Or to put it differently, “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7)
David Helm

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Fishing For Men!

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#1 · May 24, 2002, 9:33 am

Posted by: henkf <henkf@...>

=================================
Online Bible study
JUDE in the end-times
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 Fishing For Men!
 
 
        I like to fish, although I'm not very good at
it.  I like to bowl, unfortunately I am not very good
at that either.  I like to play tennis, but
I'd never win a tournament.  The reason for this is because I am a
recreational sportsman.  I don't fish, bowl or play
tennis enough to become really good at it.
 I couldn't tell you where a good place to fish is, nor could I tell you what
fish you would catch at any given place once you get there.
 
 In order to do something well, you have to
keep at it, you have to practice and make it a part
of your every day life. It must become the most important
thing in our lives, it must be become an obsession to the point of
sacrifice,   Rom  12:1.
 
        Sadly, there are many recreational Christians
in the church today.  Christianity is not a part time
responsibility. 
The Lord clearly means for Christianity to be our vocation;
1 Cor. 1:26; Eph. 4:4; 2 Pet. 1:10 are clear on that. 
Our job is not that which we do to
support ourselves and our families, our Job is to be Christ
and the church; Matthew 6:33.
 Our failure to understand this has resulted
in a failure to carry out the Lord's work in the way
that the Lord wants us to do it., Matthew 10:37; Mark 10:29,30.
 
 In Matthew 14:19,20 Jesus speaks to Peter
& Andrew and says "Follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men." 
From that time till this the disciples have been "fishers of men", 2 Timothy 2:2.
 
 Over the years I have learned there are three impossible things:
1.  To climb a fence that is leaning toward you.
2.  To kiss a girl that is leaning away from you
3.  Teach someone who doesn't want to be taught
 
   This is true in the realm of evangelism as well.  In a survey of the
General Public it has been determined that  only 25% of the general public
attend any kind of worship with regularity.  Of that number 96% would not
switch church affiliations.  According to some, of the 75% that do not
attend regularly these people are not abandoning their religious traditions,
they are only drawing selective beliefs and practices and do not consider
themselves unreligious.  While they do not attend with regularity their
religious traditions are solidly fixed.
 
   While the religion of the 19th Century was characterized as "This is what
religion is" thinking.  The religion of the 20th Century is best described
as "Religion is what you want it to be."
 
  With this in mind it is easier for us to understand why we are not seeing
the successes of previous generations.  Religion has adopted the Humanist
philosophy that "what is right for you may not be right for me." And hence
"every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 21:25.
 
 In a survey of Conservative Protestant Church Growth it was determined that
churches grew from the following methods:
 51% through transfer from other churches
 27% through conversion of member's children
 22% through marriage or friendship with members
 If these statistics are correct, and we have no reason to doubt them, the
majority of growth is reapportionment from one congregation to another.
Only 22% less than of our growth comes through personal work, outside
the local church.
 
 If we are going to "Fish for men"
there are certain specific steps that we are going
to have to take, both individually as well as congregationally, to
make it happen.
 
        marketing (noun) Is defined as:
Abbr. mktg.
1. The act or process of buying and selling in a market.
2. The commercial functions involved
 in transferring goods from producer to consumer.
 
Some Christians frown on the  idea that spreading
the Gospel is a form of marketing, but the fact
is that it is a process by which we seek to interest
others in a product (The Gospel).
 
 I mention this only because there are some
similarities between the two that are important to
our effectiveness in evangelization.
 
 In Marketing the first thing you do
is decide to whom you want to market.
Not everybody will be interested in the product being sold.   This is
equally true with preaching the gospel, not everyone
will be interested in listening.
   Doesn't mean we are not interested in their souls
   Our time is important, need to use it as resourcefully as possible
   Spend our time reaching and teaching people who are genuinely
 interested.
   Our resources are limited and we want to use the Lord's money a
resourcefully as possible.
 
I.  Bait (what we offer or how we attract them)
A.  Choosing an approach: Grub or Gospel
   Social events
   Special programming
   Recreational resources
 
B.  Jesus way of attracting them:
   Learning about Jesus, God.
   Bible Study
 
C.  Must not appeal to the..
   Lust of the Eye
   Lust of the Flesh
   Pride of Life
  i.e. the things of the flesh; carnal things. 1 John 2:15,16
 
D.  Program: What we specifically offer to them
   Tracts, Outlines, Cassette Tapes
   Attending The Assembly
   Any Regular Service
   Special Services on specific topics, et. al.
   Evangelistic Small-group home Bible Studies (On-going)
   Bible Call In Program (Dial-A-Bible Moment)
   Bible Correspondence Course Program
WHAT ARE WE OFFERING THE LOST IN OUR COMMUNITY?
What Are We Presently Doing That Would
Encourage People To Want to Study The Bible With Us?
 
II.  Fishing Line (How To We Tell Them What We Have To Offer?)
   Medium
   Handbills
   Newspapers
   Posters
   Waiting Room Display
   Cassette Tapes
   Distribution
   Direct Mail
   Personally delivered to houses
   Personally delivered on car windshields
   Newspapers: either advertising or inserted  fliers.
The fish are not going to jump onto our
hooks, we have to tell the community what
we offer and we have to deliver it to them. (Romans 10:14,15)
 
   Electronic Media
   Radio And Television
   Telecomputer
   Internet Web Page
 
III.  Setting The Hook (How they Signal Their interest)
   Mail In Response
   Call In Response
   To Another Person
   Telephone Answering machine
   Using Our Resources Effectively
   Personally request information.
 
IV.  Personal Approach
   Door To Door
   Personal Random Telephoning
   Fairs, et. al.
   Personal Invitation
   Those we know:
   Family- John 1:40-46
   Friends- John 4:28-30; 39-42
   Those we bump into along the Way
   Meeting In The Market (Casual Acquaintance)
   Transportation (Acts 27:1,2; 21-24
   Salesmen, Acts 3:3-8
   Creating Opportunity
   Lydia, Acts 16:13-15
   Parable of  Dinner, Luke 14:16-24
   Compel them to Come in
 Requires effort on our part.  They won't just happen to stumble
 into our services.  They will come because someone has invited them.
 
Conclusion:
 
 Spreading the Good News is our "Calling"
our Vocation, our Job.  We cannot take it lightly.
 We cannot do it recreationally.  We cannot be a Part-Time
Christian.  We should be reaching and teaching every day.  We should be
searching for every opportunity to touch the
lives of others with the Gospel of Christ whenever
or where ever we might be.  We must be "about Our
Father's Business." At all times.
 
If the person who introduced you to Christ had the same attitude about
inviting and seeking the lost as you now have, would you be a Christian
today?  If they were as active in soul-winning then as you are now, would
you be here?
 
 

====================================
Online Bible study
JUDE in the end-times
=========================================
 

 
 
 

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