In the “Great Commission,” Jesus commanded His apostles to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20). Does this mean that every Christian must travel the world preaching the Gospel? While Jesus’ command clearly emphasizes the need for the Gospel to reach the entire world, the idea that every Christian must personally travel to distant parts of the world — or constantly move from place to place — to fulfill this command is a misunderstanding of God’s plan.… Read more
Category: Evangelism
Would You Dare Pull Someone Away from Christ?
How often have faithful members of the Lord’s church begun teaching a lost person, only to have someone else convince the potential convert that he does not need to listen? How often has someone been baptized into Christ, only to have friends or family convince him to leave Christ’s church and become a part of some group that is not in the Bible and not truly following the Bible? Statements or questions like the following are often posed to the person being pulled away: “Who told you that you had to be baptized to be saved?… Read more
Go Into All the World and Live a Good Moral Life?
Why is it that some Christians seem to believe that their only responsibility in reaching the lost is to live a pure lifestyle before them? Will alien sinners become Christians by simply observing that Christians refrain from things like profanity, fornication, and drugs? Will simply being kind to others convert the lost? Certainly, the Christian’s influence must not be minimized (Matt. 5:13-16); and yes, Christians are to live holy lives and be kind to others (1 Pet.… Read more
Cutting Off Conversation
In the world of politics, there are many disagreements and controversial topics that can stir up emotions such as anger. Often it seems that when one side cannot defend their position logically, they resort to irrational behavior such as name calling, vulgarity, or even acts of violence. They refuse to have an intelligent conversation, perhaps because they know their position will not stand the test of scrutiny. They typically resort to ad hominem arguments that attack people personally (rather than logically addressing the positions people hold), or quite often they simply shut down all conversation.… Read more
A “Sermon Seen” Is Not a Sermon Heard
Perhaps you have heard someone say, “I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day!” While the intention behind the statement may be good, one must be careful that he does not over-emphasize morality while minimizing the power of God’s Word. Yes, God condemns hypocrisy and commands His children to do good works and live holy lives (Matthew 7:1-5, 21; Romans 2:1, 21-23; 12:1, 2; Galatians 6:10; 1 Peter 1:14-16). However, Christ did not simply command His disciples to go forth and live good moral lives before the lost to save them—He commanded them to go preach the Gospel and baptize people!… Read more