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Hello , You Talkin' To Me?Happy September! Here's the latest.*** We now offer a Bible Correspondence course. Please email me at [email protected] ***"But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went." Acts 8:4, NLT.
1. Salvation by Talking! That's right, and salvation happens when folks spread the good news about Jesus. Did you know only 1-2% of visitors are saved by attending a congregation of the Lord's body? The word needs to get outside the walls of the church building. Technology brings God's message inside homes, but it can't replace the person-to-person sharing of the gospel. People need people. It's the way God made us. So then, how will people hear the gospel without a sharer? Paul had the same question in Romans 10. This means we must share the gospel with others. We need to be talking about the good news.
2. Maintenance or Growth? So, what's your congregation doing? Preaching to the saved or looking for the lost? W
e have to preach to ourselves, that's for sure. It's part of the edification process; however, how much of the church's budget is spent on building maintenance and how much is spent on evangelism? Are we looking to maintain or looking to grow? If we want dynamic, thriving churches, we need energized, excited, Saints seeking the lost. We need workers to work the work of the Lord. Jesus wants to add people to His church. He's given us the command to do so.
3. What's My Part? My part? My part, and your part, is to believe in God's power to save the lost - even the way lost. Next, we put our faith into action. Just as faith requires us to act on our faith when it comes to fulfilling the Lord's command to save the lost, we act on our faith in spreading the word. God is all-powerful, you know. Sure, not everyone is ready to hear the gospel, but one is. Where one is, there's another, and then another, and another... So get excited about sharing the gospel. Get excited about serving Jesus. Get excited about seeing the lost come to salvation. It makes for an exciting journey!
Tip: If you're going to sing about sending the gospel, then be the one sharing the gospel.
Prayer: Our Lord God of heaven and earth, You who cause the sunrise and sunset, You, Father, are the source of life. We know Father, You want souls saved. Please make us harvesters of a crop ripe for harvesting. May we have compassion on people just as Jesus had compassion on the people of His day. They were troubled and without a shepherd. So may we, too, seek and save the lost through the power of the Savior's blood! Amen O God. Amen.
This message is from Garland Van Dyke at Bible Points!Matthews St. church of ChristPO Box 1522, Bay City, TX 774141915 Matthews Street, Bay City, TX 77414(979) 318-2463Contact me at [email protected]www.matthewsstreetchurchofchrist.com facebook.com/matthewsstreetchurchofchristWant your own copy of our devotional in your inbox? biblepoints.org/bible-points(It's twice weekly and we don't bombard you with stuff!)
