May 16, 2013

"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” ³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they re born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. ¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:1-16

We are learning from Jesus on how to share our faith.

The first lesson is to get to the point as soon as possible.

The second lesson is, engage the person through questions.

Today's tip is, KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Keep things simple is a good idea in general but even more important to something as important as showing someone how they can inherit eternal life!

It should be simple to keep things simple BUT - it isn't! So, let's look to Jesus to learn from Him in this encounter with our friend, Nic!

Take a look at these verses:

^"Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." John 3:3

^"Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they re born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’" John 3:5-8

The doctrine of salvation and theology of salvation are rich, deep, inspiring and significant. Both are certainly worthy of much thought, study and discussion. And since Jesus was speaking to Nic, a religious professional well versed in his Jewish studies Nic would have enjoyed discussing religion with the Great Rabbi. But Jesus wasn't interested in winning a debate He was interested in winning a soul. So, He kept it simple! He presented salvation in the metaphor of a birth. Brilliantly simple!

Using that metaphor captured his curiosity while clarifying the nature of his problem. The evidence is seen in the questions Nic asked after that. His questions had to do with understanding what it meant to be spiritually reborn. Jesus was then able to give a clear answer because Nic clearly understood his need.

Being "born again" is a concept so easy that a young child can understand it and receive salvation but yet so complex that theologians discuss it and write volumes about it. People like Nic don't need an education about salvation, they need to experience it!

Jesus, the Master Teacher, understood that and kept it simple for Nic.

When it comes to sharing Christ with an unsaved friend - KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid!

















 

 

May 15, 2013

"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” ³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they re born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. ¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:1-16

 

We should learn from Jesus on how to share our faith.

 

The first lesson we should learn is to get to the point as soon as possible.

 

Second, engage the person through questions.

 

As you look at this encounter you can recognize that though brief, Jesus either asked questions or made statements that invited questions.

Questions do a couple of important things.

First, they can quickly show how if the person is really serious and sincere about hearing about the Gospel.

Secondly, questions pull the other person into our conversation engaging them mentally, emotionally and intellectually so you can reach them spiritually.

Nic, like most people I have shared Christ with, came looking for answers but didn't know which questions to ask. So Jesus offered statements that guided Nic's questions and then asked questions to raise more questions.

For example:

Jesus steered Nic in the right direction when He made this statement, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."

Jesus knew that Nic would ask Him to explain what HE meant by "being born again" and Jesus would be ready with the answer.

Questions are one of the most effective ways to teach and to learn. Any teacher can tell you that. So, if you are preparing to share your faith with your friend, consider questions you can ask in order to draw your person closer to the Kingdom.

To help you get started, here are a few questions I like to ask.

"If I could show you in 10-15 minutes something that changed my life forever and could also change yours, would you be interested in hearing it?"

"Have you come to the place in your spiritual journey where you know for sure that if you were to die tonight you would go to Heaven?"

"Do you ever feel like there is something missing in your life but you can't figure out what it is?"

Study Jesus' interaction with Nic here is these verses. Learn how to get the right answers by asking the right questions.



 

     
 

 

May 14, 2013

"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” ³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they re born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. ¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:1-16

 

If FredWes is going to reach our goal of 25 conversions for 2013-14 each of us must know how to share our faith. Who better to learn from than Jesus? Where better to learn than John 3.

 

Over the next several days I want to unpack this portion of Scripture and demonstrate how Jesus steered Nicodemus to a saving faith.

 

The first, and perhaps the most important tip is: GET TO THE POINT!

 

I have found in my soul-winning encounters, the sooner I can get the conversation turned in a spiritual direction the better it goes.

 

In the case of Nicodemus that was not hard because he was already a spiritually-minded guy and he was on a spiritual search. But you will see that every soul-winning encounter He had was the same, he got the conversation turned to spiritual issues. With the person you are trying to reach it may not be quite that easy but it always needs to be your goal.

One reason it didn't take Jesus long to turn conversations to spiritual topics is because He often talked about spiritual topics!

What are you talking about?

Do you ever mention on Mondays how much you enjoyed your church on Sunday?

Do you ever mention an event that is planned for your church?

Do you ever mention how God answered a prayer for you?

Do you ever celebrate how the many blessings you have been given?

For people today, time is in short supply and no one has time they can afford to wait. You can't waste your time and they won't let you waste theirs. Their eternity is long. Don't let them waste that, either.

Get to the point as soon as you can. The point is the Gospel of Jesus. You have it, they need it!


 

May 13, 2013

"One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Job 1:6-8

I was never real good in math, but math is nice and tidy, very predictable. When you add one and one you always get two. Always. When you subtract 5 from 10 you get 5. Always. That is nice That is comfortable. That is so unlike life.

 

But somehow we take a mathematical approach to live. We think that if we do this good thing and combine it with that good thing we will get a good result. Maybe. Maybe not.

 

That is a huge part of the problem with suffering. It doesn't always add up. In the Bible some of the men who suffered the most lived the best. So here's the math: righteous living + faithful obedience = severe suffering. God's math is strange!

 

There weren't many who were more moral that Job. He was so righteous that God bragged on him to the Devil! Of all the people I want to impress, God is THE ONE! So what did Job's stellar resume get him? Deep sorrow and suffering. How does that add up?

 

David had a heart like God's. When God chose him to be King his life was constantly threatened by Saul the reigning king. He spent years running from Saul even though David was totally blameless. Several times he could have killed Saul and ended the period of exile, but he chose to honor Saul because Saul still occupied the throne. David suffered and suffered longer than he needed to because his heart was right and he chose to wait on God. How does that add up?

 

And then, of course, there was Jesus. He was sinless and remained sinless for one reason. So He could become sin for us and suffer our judgment. The very Son of God died a horrifying excruciating shameful death for one reason - He was the only One holy enough to do it! There is no worse suffering than death on a cross. God's best took our worst. How does that add up?

 

This brings us back to the problem that has no mathematical solution, a holy all powerful loving God Who could prevent all suffering doesn't. No one has ever been able to balance that equation. That has caused many to abandon faith or to choose not to believe.

 

What do you do when life doesn't add up?


What are you to believe when God subtracts from your comfort rather than adding to it?


Will you factor in God's goodness and love when the math doesn't seem to work?


Can you trust your problem to be His solution?

May 12, 2013

I found this thought today and wanted to share Mother's Day "by the Book".

 

What does the Bible say about moms? Here are some Bible quotes you can use for inspirational greeting cards, personal devotions, or preparing a Bible study/sermon about Mother’s Day. Each of these scriptures about mothers are quoted from the ESV translation.

 

Motherhood Before the Fall

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.". (Genesis 2:24-25 ESV)

 

Sons Should Follow their Mother’s Teaching

"My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you." (Proverbs 6:20-22 ESV)

 

Mother’s Must Correct their Children
 

The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. (Proverbs 29:15 ESV)

 

 

Children Must Honor their Mother (and Father)

“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:2-4 ESV)

 

Timothy’s Mother as Faith Example

"I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well."  (2 Timothy 1:5 ESV)

 

Jesus Provided for His Mother Before He Died

"When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home." (John 19:26-27 ESV)

 

Warning to Provide for Your Aged Mother

"Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:3-7; 1 Timothy 5:8 ESV)

 

Women Who Believer are Like Mothers to Jesus

While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50 ESV)

 

 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

May 11, 2013

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:27

A Proverbs 31 woman makes guarding her family a top priority. She watches over her family like a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings. And, she builds hedges of protection around each family member.

 

Over the past two days we have been examining several of those hedges virtuous women build around their family members. They are:

 

1) Hedges of Prayer

2) Hedges of Personal Relationships

3) Hedges of Principles

4) Hedges of Patterns

5) Hedges of Partnership

6) Hedges of Penalties

7) Hedges of Privileges.

 

Please allow me to share three more.

 

Hedges of Pictures

 

What do I mean by "hedges of pictures"?

 

I am talking about creating memories that will last in the heart and mind of each child raised by a Virtuous woman. If a child grows up with fond memories and many happy mental images he will not only be healthier but harder to tempt with evil.

Memories and mental images are great but it is also good to document every important event with pictures. You just can't have too many pictures!
 

Hedges of Pals
 

A mother who guards her family diligently and closely will be very interested in what sort of people her baby is spending time with. "Watching over the affairs of her household" includes screening the friends of your kids. A virtuous woman will know about the friends of her children.

Looking back on the friends that my mother didn't care for, in retrospect, she was right on every one of them.

Hedges of Pride

I know what you're thinking, but there is a good type of pride!

A friend of mine played football for a high school that had a storied tradition for winning football championships. He recalls that when he first made the team and they gave him his jersey they said something like this, "This the the #5 jersey. And they proceeded to remind him of all the great players in the past who had worn that jersey and what honors they had won."

That is an example of what I am talking about. Build a tradition and a heritage around your family. I remind my children and grandchildren what it means to be a Snyder and what Snyders believe. I want my family to be strong on their identity and embrace it.

So, here are three more hedges that godly mothers build around the hearts and minds and souls of their children.

If you have a mother or wife who is a hedge builder, honor her well!


 

 

May 10, 2013

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

Today I was given the opportunity to have prayer with a man who was getting ready to pull his wife of more than 40 years off life-support. They don't teach you how to do that in school. Only through the Holy Spirit and great empathy can you have a clue how to pray.

 

In those milliseconds while I was trying to gather my thoughts my mind went to the precious women in my life and how much they mean to me. Trying to imagine how hard it would be to lose one of them is all I needed to inspire the prayer.

 

Proverbs 31 lauds the virtues of a godly woman. Verse 27 praises her for the way she guards the spiritual and emotional welfare of her family. She builds a hedge around them and I have been highlighting some of those hedges.

 

There was the prayer hedge and the personal relationship hedge and the principles hedge. In this post I want to share several more hedges a godly mother can build.

 

The Pattern Hedge

 

A godly mother not only teaches good principles but she lives them out daily to demonstrate a pattern for living. Teaching is instructing but it is also illustrating.

 

The Partnership Hedge

 

A woman of virtue understands the importance of partnering with God in shaping the hearts and minds of her children. She also teams with her spouse in building the hedge of safety around their kids.

 

The Penalty Hedge

 

In an era when most are trying to escape responsibility and avoid the consequences of their actions, godly mothers enforce penalties for wrong behavior. People who are loving punish those they love when they do wrong.

 

The Privieges Hedge

 

Equally important as punishing bad behavior is the practice of rewarding good behavior by extending privileges. Reinforce what is right by catching them being good.

 

What hedges are you building around your family?