I spoke with a CrossPointer recently who shared a great analogy for what our week should be like as CrossPointers.  He said we should spend Monday through Saturday fishing, and then we should gather on Sundays to show what we caught and to be fed.  I like that analogy.

I went fishing last night.  I spent 20 minutes fishing for Frank.  He nibbled at the Gospel, even quoted some of it from heart.  And if I may continue with that correlation, he never took the bait, he never bit the hook.

Frank’s from Kenya.  His is a fascinating story.  Frank’s response to my inquiry was very enlightening.  If the Lord is willing, I will tell you more of his story in my message next weekend.

Frank works near where my brother lives.  So I called Rhett last night and requested he go fishing for Frank one day this week.  For those of you who do not know, Rhett has the gift of evangelism.  Fishing for souls for Rhett is as natural as chasing a cat is for a dog.

Please pray for Frank.  He knows who the Lord is.  He even knows parts of the Gospel.  Yet as he informed me last night, he has not yet repented of his sins and been born again.

The door of salvation is open.  I cannot wait to hear what happens next.

I shared the gospel last Friday.  The individual came to my house to see me for one reason; the Lord sent them to me for quite another purpose.

We spent several minutes in conversation while sitting on my porch.  A few minutes pass.  While responding to his inquiry I begin praying.

“Lord, why did you send this guy to my house?” I prayed.

The answer came quickly.  I was impressed to share the gospel.  I asked him my three favorite gospel questions.  I have blogged about these questions several times before on the JUST ONE MORE blog.  These simple inquiries have never failed me.  They always lead to provocative dialogue.

“Who is Jesus Christ?” I ask.

He responds, “He is God’s Son?”  Right so far.

Then I pose, “What did He do?”

Again, the responder answers clearly and correctly, “He died on a cross.”

I affirm him.  I encourage him.  I tell him his answers are correct.  The next question is about to reveal whether or not he believes his answers to questions 1 & 2.

Then I pop question three, “Why does that matter?”

Silence.  Awkward silence.  I am tempted to speak, yet I remain reticent.

More uncomfortable quiet.

Still, I sit.  Motionless he sits.  He’s speechless.  Believe it or not, I am quiet.

It’s time to break the silence.

“Do you have answer?” I ask.

He pauses with his mouth wide open and says, “No one has ever asked me that question before.”

“So, do you have a guess?  Just tell me what you are thinking.”

He says, “I still don’t have an answer.”

Tomorrow, we pick up at this point.

Back to yesterday and Monday we go.

Bill Hull’s book, Jesus Christ Disciplemaker, stirred a long-term memory of an evangelism encounter.

Hull wrote,

Witnessing (declaring the gospel to unbelievers) is a valuable and rewarding experience.  If a Christian knows this fact but does not practice it, it is no more than theory.  I can tell you that chocolate ice cream is delicious.  I can use my powers of persuasion, and even convince you of what I say.  But until you actually taste chocolate ice cream, you do not really know.  Many Christians don’t witness.  In their minds they realize the importance of witnessing, but they lack a heartfelt knowledge of its value.  Their knowledge is intellectual but not empirical (p. 91).

While reading that section of teaching the Holy Spirit jogged my memory.  He refreshed me in thinking of the reward in sharing the Gospel.

Again, I was in a restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi.  I had just introduced myself to a nationally known leader.   He was gracious enough to invite me to spend a few minutes with him and his guest at their table.  Taking advantage of the situation, I shared the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The statesman’s response was sincere.  Each time I pressed for a confession in Jesus Christ, He continued to express a belief in a “higher being”.  At least he was consistent, I thought.  Yet I cannot recall hearing him admit that Jesus Christ was the only way to heaven.

It is not for me to decide if someone is born-again.  Neither should it be your judgment.  No one should ever make the judgment of someone else’s salvation.  It is our responsibility to share the Gospel, and it is God’s job to do the saving.  Only the person hearing the Gospel knows whether or not they are truly saved.

Now back to the conversation in the local eatery in Oxford, Mississippi.

When I returned to the table where my friends were dining they inquired about the man’s identity.  I informed them that the gentleman was a United States Senator.  He was not a senator from the south, however.  This man was 1500 miles away from home.

The gentleman to whom I was witnessing was then a senator from the state of Delaware.  Today he serves as Vice-President of the United States.  His name is Joe Biden.

I am so thankful I participated in the “valuable and rewarding experience” of witnessing.  I knew him then as a national figure. There was no way for me to realize a quarter-century later that he would be Vice-President

I encourage you to share the gospel in every instance the Lord affords you.  Who knows, someday that person may become the Vice President of the United States.

Bill Hull’s book, Jesus Christ Disciplemaker, provoked an evangelism encounter in my life from twenty plus years ago.

It was sometime in the late 1980s.  I was in Oxford, Mississippi, studying a new discipleship tool with a group of ministers.  We were being trained as facilitators for MasterLife written by Dr. Avery Willis.  Part of the instruction included sharing the gospel.

One evening a few of us decided to visit a local eatery to experiment with our new means of evangelism.  After our meal I recognized a national politician sitting in a nearby booth.

Let me digress for a moment to explain how I recognized the national leader.  There was a time in my life when I tracked politics much closer than I do now.  At one time I seriously considered a degree in political science.  The interest was born when I cast my inaugural vote in the 1984 presidential election.  I sincerely enjoyed keeping up with politics.

Now back to the moment I met and conversed with a national politician.

After concluding his meal, several patrons stepped over to his table to shake his hand and greet him.  Because of my interest, I followed suit.   We engaged in a brief conversation.  He was intrigued with my purpose for being in Oxford.  When I explained I was a minister receiving training in discipleship he invited me to sit as his table for a moment or two.  There were other people present.

The official was congenial.  He was a very pleasant man.  I also found him to be encouraging.  He seemed genuinely interested in my story.

By the way, aren’t all politicians supposed to be that way?

Yet this man was different.  He went out of his way to engage in a meaningful conversation.  I was impressed.  He was thousands of miles away from his district, yet he treated me as one of his own constituents.

In response to the warm invitation, I used the moment to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  I do not recall the entire conversation, yet I do remember his response.  The elected official informed that he believed in a “higher being”.  He said he formed his belief before undergoing a major surgery earlier in his life.  When pressed, the politician gave the same response – he believed in a “higher being”.  There was no mention of Jesus and there was no confirmation of being born-again.

How important was that encounter?  Check out JUSTONEMORE tomorrow and I will explain.

I am taking a team of students and adults to Costa Rica, May 28 – June 4, 2010.  We will be working with Mission Challenge.  CrossPoint has been forming a working relationship with MC through CrossPointers, Ken and Katie Parsons.  Katie has a special affinity with MC, since her parents moved there in 1982 to be missionaries.

Our work will include construction as well as street evangelism opportunities.  If the Lord is willing, we will conclude the week with an evangelistic outreach event.

Cost for the trip is $1,000.00, which includes airfare, food, lodging, ground travel and exit taxes from Costa Rica.  If you would like more information, please contact my assistant, Kristin Coon by email at kcoon@crosspointchurch.info or by phone at 205-655-0364.

We invite you to travel with us as we reach JUST ONE MORE to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Last week in my Supervised Ministry Class, which is a class on personal evangelism, I addressed the topic: Dropping Hooks into the Water.  The subject simply includes ways to communicate the Gospel in any and every situation.

During the introduction, I challenged the students accordingly:

The importance of sharing the gospel of Christ with those who are lost cannot be over-emphasized.  We cannot share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to enough people, enough times.

Of the many principles that may inspire us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there are two OVERRIDING principles that guide me in sharing the Gospel.

First, Jesus wants everyone to hear the good news of salvation.

Mark 16:15-16 says,

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Second, Jesus has provided His gospel as God’s power to save all who believe it.

Romans 1:16-17 says,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Since Jesus wants us to everyone to hear the Good News of salvation and has provided God’s power to save all who believe it, what are some of the most effective ways to reach people today?

Then I challenged my students to find a way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the following settings:

1. The Preaching/Teaching Hook – use every preaching and teaching situation to communicate the Gospel
2. The Ministry/Pastoral Hook – use every ministerial and pastoral situation to communicate the Gospel
3. The Guest/Visitor Hook – use every contact with a guest or visitor to communicate the Gospel
4. The Personal Relationship Hook – use every personal relationship and contact to communicate the Gospel
5. The Professional Career Hook – use every professional or career opportunity to communicate the Gospel
6. The Counselor/Adviser Hook – use very counseling or guidance situation to communicate the Gospel
7. The Spontaneous Encounter Hook – use every spontaneous encounter to communicate the Gospel

Since starting this class I have been praying for my students to learn the critical importance of sharing the Gospel.  At least one student learned something last week.  Amy sent me an email at the close of the week.  I asked her permission to share this email:

I’m in your supervised ministry class.
So my boss emailed me today and asked if I wanted to write a short article for our company’s newsletter about a church women’s retreat I went on last weekend [I work for an engineering company...lots of lost people]
I wrote him back (grinning) and said, “Well, if I did one I would be putting very specific things about the Gospel in it. If that’s ok with everybody then I’ll do one.” He said it was fine just not to put “somehell fire and brimstonebent on it” This would go out to my entire company in like 6 or 7 different states. And I am wondering a good way to word what I want to say. All he knows is that I went on a lady’s retreat with my church. I told him I’d talk about the purpse in going and what was talked about…

Here’s what I’ve got so far:

“Get a bunch of women together for an event and there is bound to be a lot of hair products, laughter, and a lot of chocolate.  I went on a lady’s retreat with my church last weekend in Desoto State Park. Despite the constant rain, we had a great time. Our speaker was Jo Carwile, a very godly pastor’s wife from Kentucky. She spoke about the loneliness and stress women sometimes feel and encouraged us to be satisfied in God. She spoke about how even though life is hard we were created for a greater purpose than we sometimes realize. God created us to be in relationship with Him. When mankind sinned against God that relationship was fractured. But God loves us despite our sin and sent His Son Jesus to die for the sins of the world. If we repent and believe in Him that then we are made right with Him. To me, Christianity is far more than church events and religion. It’s about abundant, joyful living found in Christ. Romans 6:23 talks about how, “the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” To me, this means I deserve spiritual death because of my sin. But if I accept it, the gift that God offers is eternal life. For a long time I wondered what was missing in my life. But accepting Christ is something that has changed my life and I will talk about it any chance I get! I’m not perfect and don’t pretend to be. I still need help from Him every day. But He’s always there for me and always guiding me. I had a lot of fun last weekend. I was reminded of how much He loves us, how I need to love and serve others… and I ate a lot of chocolate!”

Amy gets it.  She gets it big time.

I encourage the students to ask permission to communicate the Gospel when given the opportunity in a secular meeting, event or newsletter.  I challenged them to use every situation or any opportunity to communicate the Gospel, even a company newsletter.

Amy did just that.

Have you shared the Gospel this week?  If not, get busy and communicate it more and more.

I am teaching two seminary classes for the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Extension Center in Birmingham this semester.  The first class is Spiritual Formation, while the other class is Supervised Ministry.

Many of you are familiar with the text I am using in the Spiritual Formation class.  The book is Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.  At CrossPoint we are using Whitney’s tome as our course curriculum for our Sunday Bible Study groups this fall.  It is an excellent resource for developing spiritual disciplines in Christ.  The second class, Supervised Ministry I, is a fancy name for pastoral evangelism.

This will be my second occasion to teach both classes.  Since I enjoyed teaching the classes before, I look forward to the opportunity again this year.

I benefit from teaching for NOBTS for many reasons.  Teaching, I believe, augments my preaching.  It also reinforces my service as a pastor.  I grow spiritually and mentally as a result of teaching seminary students.  And, I benefit from the relationships that I form with the students.

One of the great benefits of teaching the evangelism class is what it does to me personally.  Already, in the first week of classes I have experienced an advantage.

Classes began last Monday, August 17.  I spent a majority of our class time discussing the course syllabus.  After answering follow-up questions, and before we dismissed, I challenged the students to share the gospel at least once a week, every week before they returned to the classroom.  I made sharing the gospel a course requirement.  That is the object of the class, isn’t it?  The students are in weekly training to share the gospel.

A few students expressed delight in the challenge.  Many others expressed concern through their expressions.  After the class, I learned more than a few students had never shared the gospel with anyone.  Now I was asking them to do something every week for 16 weeks that they had never attempted before.

Do you understand my motivation?  There is no better to learn how to share the gospel than sharing the gospel.  Sharing the gospel is the best on-the-job-training.

And let me add, if I am going to challenge the students to share the gospel each week before attending class, then I must accept the same requirement.  I would be a hypocrite if I did not do as I required of my students.

This week I shared the good news of Jesus Christ with a stranger we will call “Tim”.

Tim grew up going to church every week.  He confessed to being saved when he was in the fourth grade.  Yet he admitted as an adult he was not faithful in his worship and service of the Lord.  So, I probed deeper.

When I asked how he knew he was saved, Tim gave all the right answers.  Yet something was missing.  I could not put my finger on it.  Tim never responded confidently.  Thus I kept probing.

Tim never really settled on his salvation during our conversation.  I continued asking questions and quoting Scripture, yet he never really hit the Scriptural understanding of what it meant to be saved.  However, I do know the time I spent with Tim caused him to think of spiritual matters in his life.  The proof came when Tim summarized, “I need to get back in church, don’t I?  I’ve been away from church for too long.”

Now we were making some progress.  Tim expressed a faith in Christ that he will have to determine whether it is real or not.

Whatever the case, he knows what he needs to do next.

Before departing, I asked Tim where he lived.  (My conversation with Tim was on the opposite side of town from where I live).  When he said he lived in a community near CrossPoint I lit up.

I immediately gave Tim my card and I invited him to be my guest at CrossPoint.  When I asked if he knew where we were located, he described our hillside on the interstate just as if he’d been there.

I love what he asked before committing to come to CrossPoint.  My new friend queried, “You’re not going to call me out, are you?”
I love it.

“No, I am not going to call you out,” I replied, “but I am expecting you to be there this Sunday.”

Now do you see why I enjoy teaching in the seminary, and how it augments what I do each week as your pastor?

Maybe I should issue the same challenge to CrossPoint – you cannot enter worship until you have shared the gospel with at least one person each week.