Posted on 08/27/2010 4:38:25 PM PDT by wmfights
Each night, evangelist Laurie offered the thousands at the stadium and watching via webcast the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ and to do it publicly.
While other religions of the world essentially tell followers what "to do," Laurie stressed that Christianity, in contrast, says "done, not do."
"Do you think that God, the Father, would have allowed His son to suffer like this if good works got us to heaven?" he posed. "Christ died in our place ... so we can be pardoned for the wrongs we have done."
He said on the final night, "That's the hope Christians have ... we're going to heaven."
The Aug. 6-8 Harvest Crusade drew a total of 118,000 people along with another 290,000 via webcast. More than 11,700 people made decisions for Christ.
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(Excerpt) Read more at christianpost.com ...
When Laurie received the call two years ago that his oldest son of two died in an automobile accident, it was the darkest moment of his life. He didn't know if he could handle it.
But he assured the public that God was there.
"If God wasn't there for me I would've given it all up (i.e. preaching) but God was there and that's why I'm here tonight," he said.
Praise the LORD!
He is so spot on it's not about works it's done.
Worldwide, the LORD is still calling out a people to Himself. The days are short - the train is coming...last call.
"Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:" Gal. 1:3,4.
That is His promise to us, that in the present evil world we live in, we will be delivered. We also know that God's purpose is not to save the wreck this world has become under satan's dominion, but to save lost souls FROM the wreck and add them to the Body of Christ.
You are so right!
We had a lady from a muslim country speak at church about how she was called to convert from Islam to Christianity. No voices in the head or anything like that, but a nagging unease especially before falling asleep. Then after one long night a man slipped her a Bible tract. She sought out the man the next day and eventually came to know Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.
Beautiful.
One of the things that caught my eye about Greg Laurie is his response to the tragedy of losing a child. No anger, just confidence that it will all be alright.
Sadly, most churches frown or disparage tract evangelism, as ineffective, and only promote (if that) “friendship evangelism,” which is a given, but the multitudes are not being reached by friends, and tracts, graciously given, can be a most effective way to reach out to souls, and to warn them.
That's a shame. Nothing like grabbing a handful of tracks, a pocket full of one dollar bills and hitting a crowded mall to get one pumped up spiritually. How can one say it is ineffective? As long as you get the Gospel right it's all as effective as God wants it be. There's no wrong way to evangelize as long as you get the Gospel in there. (And act respectfully). To think otherwise is pride, as if it were our great style and persuasiveness that makes conversions or thinking that we are too inarticulate, or shy or not studied enough in the Bible. Know this, whether you save someone matters not a whit on your abilities, you just deliver the message - God takes over from there. This should be a great relief in that it takes off all the pressure. You don't have to worry if you'll mess up or do it wrong or embarrass yourself. That can't happen and you will impress the only one who matters.....big time.
I agree completely! We sometimes act like Moses did when Almighty God told him to speak for him. “I can’t, I’m not a good talker, I’m shy... etc.,etc.”. We should be prepared with the clear message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then allow the Holy Spirit of God to speak through us to a heart he is or already has prepared. It is the GOSPEL that is the power of God unto salvation!
Amen!, thank God for your heart. And if anyone who take this seriously and does it prayerfully by and in faith will shortly realize that the devil opposes it but God supports it.
You may not see many results, depending on the kind of ground you are working and the type of fish, and ideally we want to get souls into a spiritual environment, but they will be getting a basic message of the saving gospel by someone standing in their way on the broad way of destruction.
“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” — Charles H. Spurgeon
And we should also do it to turn many to righteousness, (Dan. 12:3) to the glory of God. And just because you are in America does not mean people have heard the gospel.
I would like to tell you some tract stories, to God’s glory, but very fatigued right now.
You might like this short video i put together a while ago of some believers around here know who work the streets (circa 2004) . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO6SIDZ4RNM
Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." 1 Cor. 3:7-9.
From a bible tract to the most heart and soul piercing of testimonies, all work together for good to them that love the Lord. Praise God for His desire that we, as saved believers, work together for His will to be done!
Amen
We can be so concerned with being absolutely perfect in how we witness that we don't do it. I must have heard The Gospel a dozen times before I truly believed.
Also, Christians have to just stop being so bashful.
That takes faith great enough that only God can deliver its measure. All believers must come to the place where we trust Him in ALL things. After all - He commends those who persist to the end, for they are overcomers.
In the Koine Greek, we are “nike” - overcomers/conquerors. In Hebrew, it is nekoda - meaning “marked.” We are both - marked out as belonging to Christ...and more than conquerors with Him.
In the NE, typically one can live his whole lifetime without actually hearing the gospel of grace or being personally witnessed to. The institutionalized church (Rome and dead Protestant churches) provides them with religious cover, as well as for others, excuses not to believe, due to their lack of substance.
A dead gospel works as a vaccine against the living and true one. And in this area, i often recommend souls read Ezek. cps. 2+3 in preparation, and as then, it is the people of a “strange language” who are typically the most open. Thank God some born again evangelical churches began to be planted here in the mid 10th century.
One story illustrative of how a tract can work is that is of one Jason Baker, who recently passed away. He was a former captain in the Marines who had seen all of his men killed in Guadalcanal and also fought in Iwo Jima, and was much respected by his men, seen in their letters to him after the war.
However, after retiring from the service and going into real estate, he began to hit the bottle. The resultant changes in his behavior resulted in his wife leaving him and his son becoming embittered toward him. His residence ended up being the Chelsea Soldier’s Home.
What would change his life began when he was walking across Salem circle one day and was offers a gospel tract, “All this I did for thee,” from a brother in Christ (the tall thin guy in the video). He took it home and read it that night, and it made sense to him. He later stated that was the first time he ever really heard how to be saved. He made one the two choices the tract offered him, and accepted the Lord Jesus to save him, and later heard D. J. Kennedy explain Is. 53 to him.
He then went to the Ind. Baptist church which was stamped on the back of the tract and was baptized, and became a faithful member, only leaving after many years to be a faithful member of the a Gospel Hall church for over a decade till shortly before he died at around age 92.
He wrote to his wife after he became born again, telling her of the changes in his life, and asking her to return. He cautiously agreed to came back for a visit, and told me she left her bags unpacked in case he really had not changed. But the change was so evident and pronounced that she also became a believer, to the glory of God. She went to church with him faithfully as well, until health restricted her to a care facility, where he would visit her daily. I lost track of them when they moved to Arizona, but have heard that he passed away.
It is obvious in such stories that God was drawing him, but the tract provided him with the truth which he needed to act upon, while for those who reject such, it will be part of the basis for judgment against them, and thus the apostles warning. ( (Acts 2:34,35; 3:23; 28:23-28)
Does this mean an "independant" Baptist church or an "Indiana" Baptist Church?
The former.
But as we all know, what feels like us pushing ourselves toward God is actually the Holy Spirit drawing us to Christ. And if a man (or thousands of men) are drawn during the Harvest Crusade, then praise God for choosing that venue to bring them to the truth.
While watching Glenn Beck address the crowds today in Washington he had a man onstage I had never heard before, Dave Roever, who apparently has a ministry and speaks to many organizations. ROEVER'S WEBSITE put it this way, which seems to me to be a good and Godly perspective...
"At an evangelistic or worship service, Dave Roever will close with an invitation to be born again, etc., as the Lord leads..."
All glory to God alone.
Amen.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
THX THX.
Study after study shows that less than 5% of those who "make a decision" at these large crusades are regularly attendindg a Church six months later. About 1% one year later. But I always just figured God decided he wanted to use a big Crusade event to get to that 1%.
But the larger point is that each one of us has the ability to be just as effective a harverster as a large 20,000 strong evangelism mega-rally. Think about it.
Amen, come Lord Jesus.
But the larger point is that each one of us has the ability to be just as effective a harverster as a large 20,000 strong evangelism mega-rally.
There is much wisdom in both points. Our Lord and Savior used both the individual approach and the Crusade style event. He feed the multitudes and they hung around until he gave his church shrinkage sermon, then they split.
I certainly agree.
RELATIONSHIPS; RELATIONSHIPS; RELATIONSHIPS.
While altar calls are discouraged by many, they began as a means to deal with convicted souls, and the Lord uses means conducive to meeting needs, (Lk. 9:15) and Peter’s call to the thousands in Acts 2:38 to confess Christ by body language was his “altar call.”
The problem is when such means becomes perfunctory or pressured. Amidst all the debater\ about this and the “sinner’s prayer,” what is often missed is that the most important part of the evangelist’s witnessing is that of being an instrument of the Holy Ghost to convict souls or sin, and of righteousness and of judgment, (Jn. 16:8) which is just what you see Peter doing in Acts 2. And then when they are convicted of their real need to be saved by the grace of God in Christ (which is one result of such conviction, they other being antagonism), then an “altar call” type means is fitting.
However, whatever measures the Holy Spirit may employ can easily become a mere form when the aspect which made it effectual is missing, and altar calls can be such just like the rituals of institutionalized religion.
And in both personal and church evangelism the need for results can result in marginalization of preaching on sin, righteousness and judgment, with evangelism becoming exercises in coaxing a sinner’s prayer or a walk down the altar out of souls, resulting in ecclesiastical wood, hay and stubble.
Some men who would never marry their daughter to man who never showed much interest in her, and who must be coaxed to make vows, will even tell a soul how they can know for sure they will go to heaven if they just believe Jesus promise, and assent they are a sinner, and lead him in a prayer. When he never shows up at any fellowship he may still be counted as a saved soul.
Superficiality may be part of the reason for the poor record of crusade evangelism in birthing souls who continue in the word, but another aspect which must be considered is the type of ground one is digging in. In the West “belief” and commitment themselves are superficial, and even something as solemn as wedding vows are regularly evidenced as being shallow.
I think in witnessing we must typically seek to get souls to see themselves as Isaiah did in chapter 6, and be read to help them know how to respond if they want, but also have enough faith not to coax therm into a decision for fear of losing them. The latter is an Arminiam problem, while Calvinism may be more in danger of having dismissing the responsibility to witness, despite texts such as Ezek. 22:30.
And while relational evangelism bear more long-lasting fruit, not only do some man plant while others reap, but the masses are to great top restrict outreach to one method.
Thank you for sharing your insights, dear sister in Christ!
I would agree with your excellent analysis except for this part. There always seems to be a little thought tucked away that WE could lose someone who the Lord has opened the hearts and mind to hearing His gospel. Whether we try to coax a decision from them has nothing to do with losing them if the Lord decides to save. So I'm not sure that we can oversell or undersell the gospel. To be sure there are some very seemingly obnoxious people and conversely, there are some who don't seem to do anything. Yet all of this is woven into the fabric of God's divine plan to draw people to Himself.
This is a great and fantastic promise, that we enter into God's rest, knowing that He will draw all men to Him; regardless of our fallen nature. We must have faith that God is using us to draw all men to Him regardless if we can see the evangelistic fruit or not. All God asks of us is to believe and be faithful. He understands the failings of our personalities and temperment. This is not to say we can't improve; only that we should have no fear that we will fail.
This is a great and fantastic promise, that we enter into God’s rest, knowing that He will draw all men to Him; regardless of our fallen nature. We must have faith that God is using us to draw all men to Him regardless if we can see the evangelistic fruit or not. All God asks of us is to believe and be faithful. He understands the failings of our personalities and temperment. This is not to say we can’t improve; only that we should have no fear that we will fail.
I like that paragraph.
Thx.
Many excellent points. Thx.
It is great comfort to know that God is in control, yet in so being, God also places a solemn responsibility upon man, and we need not reconcile the two, but seek to obey.
(Ezek 22:30-31) “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. {31} Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.”
(Ezek 33:8) “When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
(Acts 20:26-27) “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. {27} For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”
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