Wednesday, May 30, 2012

1888 Insight: “Releasing Into Ministry”


Second Quarter 2012 Adult Sabbath School Lessons
"Releasing Into Ministry"
For the week of June 2, 2012


Releasing Into Ministry

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me. John 12:32

The primary requirement for our own release into ministry, and the witness of a harmonious, responsible, growing team is the presence of the Holy Spirit. As the lesson points out, the promise of power through the Spirit is "for all who are willing to deny self and work for the salvation of others."

But Christ Himself is the great selfless One, who draws all to himself as he is lifted up. It is as we have a personal appreciation for what our salvation has cost that we can most effectively team up with others who share the same witness and experience (Acts 1:21,22).

Of course, the disciples had a measure of success in soul winning even as they struggled, as we do, with the sin of self-exaltation (Luke 10:17, Mt. 10, Mt. 18:1, Mark 9:34). Christ's command to go included the promise of success, both internally and externally. Indeed, working for others is the best antidote to the sickness of self (cf Is. 1:5), both corporately and individually:

The fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah is a prescription for maladies of the body and of the soul. … If those who are suffering from ill-health would forget self in their interest for others; if they would fulfill the Lord's command to minister to those more needy than themselves, they would realize the truthfulness of the prophetic promise, "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily." Ministry of Healing, p. 256-8.

Jesus' promise in Mt. 10:19, 20 tells us that our success is not so much from training and expertise (although we should seek both), but upon such a vital connection with Him that he can speak through us. It is out of the peace of this assurance that we can truly be released from self and into ministry:

Abiding peace, true rest of spirit, has but one Source. It was of this that Christ spoke when He said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you." John 14:27. This peace is not something that He gives apart from Himself. It is in Christ, and we can receive it only by receiving Him.

Christ is the wellspring of life. That which many need is to have a clearer knowledge of Him; they need to be patiently and kindly, yet earnestly, taught how the whole being may be thrown open to the healing agencies of heaven. When the sunlight of God's love illuminates the darkened chambers of the soul, restless weariness and dissatisfaction will cease, and satisfying joys will give vigor to the mind and health and energy to the body. Ministry of Healing, p. 247.

With the peace of the indwelling Christ, there is no problem releasing our ministry and authority to others (Sunday), taking risks for the kingdom (Monday), willingness to serve in various capacities (Tuesday), growing spiritually in ministry (Wednesday), and cultivating harmony even in the face of disagreement (Thursday).

CHRIST MUST DWELL IN THE HEART - W.W. Prescott

It is not enough to talk of Christ and of the beauty of His character. Christianity without Christ dwelling in the heart is not genuine Christianity. He only is a genuine Christian who has Christ dwelling in his heart, and we can live the life of Christ only by having Him dwelling in us. He wants us to lay hold upon the life and power of Christianity. Do not be satisfied with anything else. Heed no one who would lead you in any other path. "Christ in you, the hope of glory," His power, His indwelling presence, that is Christianity. That is what we need today; and I am thankful that there are hearts that are longing for that experience, and who will recognize it when it comes. It does not make any difference what your name or denomination has been. Recognize Jesus Christ, and let Him dwell in you. By following where He leads, we shall know what Christian experience is, and what it is to dwell in the light of His presence. I tell you this is a wondrous truth. Human language cannot put more into human thought or language than is said in these words: "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." This is our salvation.

The object in these remarks is not merely to establish a line of thought. It is to bring new life into our soul, and open up our ideas of the word of God and the gift of God, that we may be able to grasp His love for us. We need it. Nothing short of that will meet what we have to meet, the world, the flesh, and the devil. But He that is for us is mightier than he that is against us. Let us have in our daily lives Jesus Christ, "the Word" that "became flesh." (BEST January 13, 1896, p. 13.4)

--Todd Guthrie
--

Monday, May 21, 2012

“Equipping for Evangelism and Witnessing”

Second Quarter 2012 Adult Sabbath School Lessons
"
Equipping for Evangelism and Witnessing"
For the week of May 26, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
Equipping for Evangelism and Witnessing
 
One day, Hector decided to reorganize some of his belongings.  He was perplexed however, to find the blades of some of his knives, scissors and shears had either broken off or were bent.  Puzzled by what he saw, he could not figure out how this could have happened.  He thought maybe they were of inferior quality and cheaply made, and that this is what caused the tips to break or bend more easily.  Although this explanation made sense, it didn't quite fit and Hector couldn't wholly accept it.
 
The next day as Hector was in the kitchen, he saw a loosened screw on one to the cabinets.  Instinctively, Hector picked up a knife and used it to tighten the screw.  As he twisted the knife, he realized that its tip was resisting the pressure, so he pressed harder. Just as he did so, he noticed the tip of the knife bend.  At last it dawned on Hector that this was how the tips of the knives and scissors were disfigured or broken.
 
Because these "utensils" were only made to cut, the tips were not strong enough for tightening or loosening screws. Screwdrivers, however, are the tools made for these tasks.  Interestingly enough, no one uses, or ought to use, a screwdriver to cut anything because the blade is too dull.  Yet many, out of convenience, use screwdrivers to pry open lids, hammer lids closed, and to chip paint and or glue off.  But using the wrong tool, regardless of convenience, is damaging, whether to the tool itself, the person using the tool or to the items on which the tool is being used.  
 
Here is a fundamental principle: there is a correct tool for each and every need.  This in turn aids in greater efficiency, safety, and prevents damaged or broken tools.
 
In principle, doing the right thing produces positive results, while doing the wrong thing usually produces negative results.  This is not only true in using appropriate tools, but also in the use of appropriate methods to reach the unchurched.  
 
Many are realizing the methods and procedures currently being used in terms of witnessing are not effective.  Not only is the church not growing, but losing members.  Our youth are leaving in droves. And what of the apathy evidenced by decreased participation.   Yes, here and there we hear of increased church membership, but  the general trend is in decline. Many, if not most of the churches with phenomenal growth hardly resemble  the  Seventh-day Adventist church that most of us grew up in. Unlike our standards, the worship services of these popular, fast growing congregations are loud, less humbling  and without teachings of reverence. Missing are the testimonies of faith. The messages are tales to bring laughter, to keep us in our comfort zone; the words "sin" and "repentance" are rarely used, while the youth of the world hunger for meaning--something that will last. If we apply the tool illustration to reaching the world for Christ, then we must be using the wrong tools.  
 
First, there is a need to truly understand the meaning of the words in our lesson: equipping, witnessing, and evangelizing. Let us start with the word, "equip."  From the context of the lesson we get a sense that the term "equipping" is meant as "training;" but "equipping" actually means "providing," "supplying," and or "furnishing."  Who is it that provides for believers?  It is the Holy Spirit.  He provides all things: love, grace, fruit, gifts, etc.  He is the source of the provision, while we are the receivers.  
 
"Evangelism" – the giving of the good news of salvation (Gospel) – is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and is therefore not given to all believers equally.  Since the Holy Spirit is the source, evangelism is not something you can effectively train for in school, seminaries, or weekend workshops.  It is a skill that the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostles.  We could argue that William Miller was given the gift of evangelism.  He was a simple farmer with no training in theology or homiletics.  Yet, God used Him to preach the good news of Daniel 8: 13 within the United States.  Through Miller's ministry, the Lord built a group of believers from which the Seventh-day Adventist Church would grow. 
 
Did Miller witness? Yes.  But so did all the so-called "Millerites."  How did they witness? Many sold all they had and left all behind expecting Christ would come back on October 22, 1844.  This was a witness of their desire for Christ's return and to be with Him. There was no need for them to speak, although many probably did.  This action spoke louder than any words.  Christ called all to witness, but not all were made evangelists.
 
Christ also called us to be a royal priesthood.  As priests, we are to identify with others by interceding for and carrying each others' burdens.  We are to identify with others as Christ identified with us. He was touched with our infirmities, tempted in all things as we are (yet, without sin).  As witnesses for Jesus, we identify with Him, as His priests we identify with others.  How much are we to identify with others?  1 John 3:16 gives us the answer, we are to lay down our lives for the brethren as Christ laid down His life for us.  Consider Moses when he told the Lord, to blot him out of the book of life, if the Lord destroyed the Israelites.  Consider Paul: he was willing to die eternally if, by so doing, his people would be saved. This was the love of God manifested through Paul and thru Christ.  So should it be with us.  This is the greatest witness.
 
How do we become witnesses?  By experiencing life with God.  How do we become priests? It is through receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  If we consider these two ideas further, we see that they are similar: life with God is life with the Holy Spirit. This is how Christ lived.  So, is it safe to say that to live as Jesus lived, is to act as He did?  Ellen White seems to think so, this is apparent from the following quote:

Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, "Follow Me."  There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit.  (Ministry of Healing, 143 – 144)
 
Why must we try other methods when the method of the One we profess to follow and worship -Who we claim is our Example -  has already shown us how to reach lost souls with an everlasting effectiveness?  Can we hear His words to the disciples, "O you of little faith, why do you doubt," … "and why do you reason among yourselves?"  "I am here waiting for you to come to Me.  Why do you waste your time and effort, when what you need, I have and am willing to give to you?"  Imagine His suffering when we reject what He so much wants to give to us: His Holy Spirit. He gave His life and left to go to the Father, so that we could have the Holy Spirit. He is our equipper for both to be witnesses and priests.
 
--Raul Diaz

--
Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

1888 Insight:“Corporate Evangelism and Witnessing”

Second Quarter 2012 Adult Sabbath School Lessons
"
Corporate Evangelism and Witnessing"
For the week of May 19, 2012

 

 

Corporate Evangelism and Witnessing

 

         One of my favorite Ellen White quotations is the very first paragraph of Acts of the Apostles. In almost-poetic words she writes:

"The church is God's appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God's plan that through His church shall be reflected to the world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church, those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light, are to show forth His glory. The church is the repository of the riches of the grace of Christ; and through the church will eventually be made manifest, even to 'the principalities and powers in heavenly places,' the final and full display of the love of God." (p. 9).

         There is so much in this paragraph that we could—and no doubt will—spend eternity unpacking it. But the first two words give us enough to ponder for the present discussion, because, in them we see the grand object upon which God has set His love, hopes, and even faith.

         Those two words are "the church." This is the "appointed agency" for the salvation of men. Ellen White doesn't say God has appointed individual believers, though it includes us; she doesn't say He has appointed independent ministries, though they have their place. It is the corporate body, the church, working together by faith, that God will use once and for all to "show forth His glory" and reconcile sinners to His loving heart.

         In order for the corporate body to fulfill its corporate mission, however, I see in scripture three realities with which we need to come face-to-face. Unless our hearts are touched by these three realities we will be powerless to accomplish what God longs to accomplish through us on a corporate level. There may be individual victories and isolated triumphs, but nothing on the universal scale that God desires to accomplish, which will ultimately bring the great controversy to a climactic close.

 

Reality 1. The corporate nature of God

         Many are able to recognize that the simplest explanation of God's character ("God is love," 1 John 4:8) is also the greatest indicator of His corporate nature. In order for God to be love, there always had to be an "other" to love. Love cannot exist in singularity. Thus, God's very nature is corporate.

         We see the corporate nature of God in the life and death of Christ as well. In going to the cross, Christ "taste[d] death for everyone" (Heb 2:9). He did not point fingers at others, blaming them. He took upon Himself the entirety of humanity, assuming full responsibility and guilt for all.

         This has very practical implications for our own evangelism. Instead of pointing fingers at others – either at our fellow church members or at those for whom we labor – we identify with them and share their blame. Evangelism is not "us vs. them," but "we" – as in "we are in this together." It is not "my evangelism vs. your evangelism" but "us." It is inclusive, not exclusive.

         Ellen White's words are ever appropriate and practical: "As we see souls out of Christ, we are to put ourselves in their place, and in their behalf feel repentance before God, resting not until we bring them to repentance" (SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 960).

 

Reality 2. The faith of God and the faith of Jesus

         One of the most startling realizations in Scripture is to discover that God has faith in us. He believes in us. He has confidence in us.  In lost humanity, Christ saw the pearl of great price. "Christ would never have given His life for the human race," Ellen White writes, "if He had not faith in the souls for whom He died" (Lift Him Up, p. 221).

         This is sobering. Yet when we accept the vision that God has of us; when we embrace the confidence He has placed in us; we are able to live that same faith and show confidence in others.

         God's last-day people are characterized as those who "keep . . . the faith of Jesus" (Rev 14:12). This means that – motivated by God's agape-faith in us –instead of being suspicious, critical, or negative about our fellow laborers, we confidently work beside them. We believe in their abilities, in their value, in their place in ministry, and we ever work to help them reach their potential in Christ.

         It also adds power to our evangelism. "If we wish to do good to souls," Ellen White poignantly offers, "our success with these souls will be in proportion to their belief in our belief and appreciation of them" (Gospel Herald, May 1, 1898).

 

Reality 3. Our corporate history

         The book of Nehemiah records an interesting event: "Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers" (Nehemiah 9:2). This is a classic example of corporate repentance. God's people acknowledged the missteps of their forefathers and repented in a corporate way.

         Corporate repentance is not simply a technicality so that God can wipe clean the books in heaven. Corporate repentance is very concrete and grounded in reality. In the Hebrew language, the word translated for "repent" is shuv, which literally means to "turn around." It denotes that a person is going in the wrong direction and until he or she repents, any nice things done are of little value.

         What our corporate history teaches is clear. Ellen White declared long ago that the message given to us in Minneapolis was the one "God commanded to be given to the world" (1888 Materials, p. 1336).  It was a message that was to "lighten the whole earth with [God's] glory." Yet, sadly, that light was "resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world" (Ibid., p. 1575, emphasis added).

         We could "win" a million people to our numbers, but until we re-examine the road map, until we return to the fork in the road, the fork where we began heading in the wrong direction, we will not work to a finish. We must acknowl-edge our past, and by God's grace, embrace the direction He wanted to lead us at the time of our detour. Until then, our evangelism will be everything but corporate. It will, instead, be characterized by disjointed pockets of workers and efforts done here-and-there, but will not be cohesive and will not reach the whole world.

         I think of a poignant example from the life of William Wilberforce, that giant of the Christian faith who was the catalyst for the abolition of slavery in England (and, indirectly, America). In a stirring speech given to Parliament in 1789, Wilberforce introduced his desire to abolish the slave trade. Instead of pointing fingers, he proclaimed this:

"I mean not to accuse anyone, but to take the shame upon myself, in common indeed with the whole Parliament of Great Britain, for having suffered this horrid trade to be carried on under their authority. We are all guilty – we ought all to plead guilty, and not to exculpate ourselves by throwing the blame on others." (quoted in Eric Metaxas, Amazing Grace, p. 133).

         It would be 18 years until the slave trade was abolished, and 44 years until slavery was completely abolished, which, by the way, was the same year Wilberforce died.

         Let us, with greater fervency than ever before, recognize these three corporate realities so that the pain God's heart feels over Satan's slavery of men can finally be extinguished.

 

-Shawn Brace


--
Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

1888 Insight: “Personal Evangelism and Witnessing”


Second Quarter 2012 Adult Sabbath School Lessons
"Personal Evangelism and Witnessing"
For the week of May 12, 2012


Personal Evangelism and Witnessing 

         Our personal testimony of our experience in Christ is the most effective way to create in others a desire to experience Christ in their lives.

          "How shall we know for ourselves God's goodness and his love? The psalmist tells us — not, hear and know, read and know, believe and know; but "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Instead of relying upon the word of another, taste for yourself. Experience is knowledge derived from experiment. Experimental religion is what is needed now" (5T 221).

         John 17:3 tells us that salvation is to know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Therefore, our knowledge of God is more than an accumulation of assorted facts about Him; it is knowledge based on an intelligent understanding of and a heart-felt appreciation for God's love and gift in Christ. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). God took the initiative in our salvation through a loving act that redeemed the entire undeserving race. That loving act was Christ's substitutionary death on the cross for the sins of the world.

         "Christ came to the earth and made an offering of such value that He redeemed the race" (Letter 67, 1902). That offering of such value was the Son of God suffering the second death on behalf of the entire sinful race. Believing that to be true, we want to share the love that motivated such a sacrifice.

         "In assuming humanity Christ took the part of every human being. He was the Head of humanity. A Being divine and human, with His long human arm He could encircle humanity, while with His divine arm, He could lay hold of the throne of the Infinite (1 Selected Messages, 252). He took all of humanity into Himself, and became one with us.

         "This is the very work which the Lord designs that the message He has given his servants shall perform in the heart and mind of every human agent. It is the perpetual life of the church to love God supremely, and to love others as they love themselves. There was but little love for God or man, and God gave to his messengers just what the people needed. Those who received the message were greatly blessed, for they saw the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness, and life and hope sprang up in their hearts" (TM, 95).
 
         Those now who receive Christ receive the power to become sons and daughters of God. We receive Him when we perceive, appreciate, and trust His love. Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

         Our mission field is the world, because it was Christ's. He redeemed the entire human race, and then calls upon us to offer that gift to the entire human race.

         In the various mission trips I have conducted overseas for both the 1888 Message Study Committee as well as for other groups, I have found that the concepts of love, God's friendship with us, and the beauty of a free gift bestowed in love have resonated with human hearts.  I remember one man in the Dominican Republic telling me that he "found Christ in these meetings for the first time."  Another time, I remember a witch doctor in Kenya accepting Christ because I was the first white person, and missionary, ever to visit her in her thatched roof hut up in the jungle.
 
         Christ's method alone truly does bring true success.  He mingled amongst people as One desiring their good. He showed His love for them, ministered to their needs, won their confidence, and then called them to follow Him. This is an accurate description of true personal witnessing - sharing what we have experienced and then lovingly reaching out to all so they too might share the experience and the Gift.
 
         Personal witnessing is based on the principle of drawing people to see the "matchless charms of Jesus Christ."  By beholding we are changed. As we behold Him, we sense His love . . . and our need.  "The more our sense of need drives us to Him and to the word of God, the more exalted views we shall have of His character, and the more fully we shall reflect His image" (Steps to Christ, 65).

         "Our acknowledgment of His faithfulness is Heaven's chosen way for revealing Christ to the world. The testimony of our own experience is what will be most effective.... When we back them up by a Christlike life, our personal stories of His grace have irresistible power that works for the salvation of others. (Humble Hero, 157-158).

         God will search our hearts, and then reveal our need for Him, for repentance, for revival, and for reformation, and will lovingly give to us the grace, experiences, knowledge, and opportunities to share (Psalm 139:23, 24). He also will permit trials we need to learn so we may exercise true living faith, a faith which "works by love and purifies the soul." A righteous life will witness to the power of the Gospel to change the human heart. 

         We cannot call people to a life of love, peace, and holiness unless we have committed our hearts and lives to those principles ourselves. It is His love and faithfulness that motivates our own loyalty to Him. 

         1 Peter 3:15 admonishes us to "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."

         My favorite quote is "Only by love is love awakened" (Desire of Ages, 22). Too often Christians witness through fear, guilt, or a sense of duty. Religion such as that neither moves the human heart, nor is it pleasing to God.  Our own hearts are not warmed by that kind of witness, so why would anyone else's be? Our experience of love, our heart-felt appreciation for the cost of Calvary, and the depths of love demonstrated there are God's appointed means of reaching our friends, neighbors, and families for Christ. 

         I have been blessed to be a missionary in Mongolia, Kenya, and many other countries, but what I have learned is that one does not have to travel to distant lands in order to share truth, for the very next person you meet who does not yet have the Gospel of Love is your mission field. 
 
--Tom Cusack
--
Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

“Sequential Evangelism and Witnessing”

Insights #05, May 5, 2012
.
Second Quarter 2012 Adult Sabbath School Lessons
"Sequential Evangelism and Witnessing"
For the week of April 29-May 5, 2012


 

Sequential Evangelism and Witnessing 
 
            The incarnation, life, and death of Jesus on the cross, as well as His role as our High Priest, is the foundation and essence of all witnessing. Emphasize His resurrection as the overwhelming evidence of His creative/redemptive power to save. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ [the cross], for it is the [creative] power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes," said Paul; and: "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:2. See also 1 Cor. 1:18, 24; Romans 6:9-11; Hebrews 9:16-22). Jesus was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4).

            "Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel.…This is our message [our witness], our argument, our doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the hope for every believer. If we can awaken an interest in men's minds that will cause them to fix their eyes on Christ, we may step aside, and ask them only to continue to fix their eyes upon the Lamb of God….He whose eyes are fixed on Jesus will leave all. He will die to selfishness. He will believe in all the Word of God, which is so gloriously and wonderfully exalted in Christ" (Manuscript 49, 1898). "The cross of Calvary challenges, and will finally vanquish every earthly and hellish power. In the cross all influence centers, and from it all influence goes forth. It is the great center of attraction; for on it Christ gave up His life for the human race. This sacrifice was offered for the purpose of restoring man to his original perfection. Yea, more, it was offered to give him an entire transformation of character, making him more than a conqueror" (Ellen G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1113)

            When we witness to others, it is not what we profess with our lips, but the sequence of examples they see in our lives, examples that show forth the love of God, and draw them alongside of us at the foot of the cross. "Christ declares, 'I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me' [John 12:32]. If the cross does not find an influence in its favor, it creates an influence. Through generation succeeding generation, the truth for this time is revealed as present truth. Christ on the cross was the medium whereby mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other. This is the means that is to move the world"(Ellen G. White, Manuscript 56, 1899).

            Felt Needs. Every person comes to Christ because of some felt need. But how can we minister to people and their needs, if we have not personally come all the way to the foot of the cross? Are you "compelled by the love of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:14)? Has the message, given to us in1888, melted your heart in complete surrender?  Does His love make you enthusiastic in using "Christ's method alone…in reaching the people"?  His method was to mingle "among men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, 'Follow me'" (Ellen G. White, Christian Service, p. 119). 

            Milk is for babies, i.e., new believers, non-believers, and carnal Christians (1 Cor. 3:1-3; Rom. 7:14). "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:13, 14).

            Sequentially speaking (at least for babies), a solid food diet before a milk regime creates digestive problems.  Evangelistically, if we teach the law, doctrines, and prophecies, apart from the milk of the word (repentance from dead works, righteousness by faith in God, resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment, Hebrews 6:1-3), our teaching will be as "dry as the hills of Gilboa that had neither dew nor rain" (Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, March 11, 1890). Are we still baby Christians, or have we matured into disciple-making Christians?

            Preparing a Harvest. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10). The natural desire of the fully surrendered heart, is to tell others what Christ has done for you. As others see the cross of Christ burning within you, they too will want to glory in it. This is our witness! This is the only way we can partake in soul winning with Christ.

 
"In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
.                                                      Therefore- 
"Since I, who was undone and lost,
Have pardon through His name and Word;
Forbid it, then, that I should boast, 
Save in the cross of Christ, my Lord."
 
Where'er I go, I'll tell the story 
Of the cross, of the cross, 
In nothing else my soul shall glory, 

Save the cross, save the cross. 
And this my constant theme shall be, 
Through time and in eternity, 
That Jesus tasted death for me 
On the cross, on the cross.

Author Unknown;
 
from E. J. Waggoner, The Glad Tidings, p.144
 
-Lloyd Knecht

--
Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com