SHARING THE GOSPEL THE RIGHT WAY!

  It is amazing there are so many unqualified people in the ministry who have no inkling of a clue how to reach the lost.  Here we will reveal the right way!  It is not the only way, but it is the most effective and precisely the same method Jesus himself used and it is contrary to what many ministries are doing!

  Problem #1:  Unqualified hirelings or volunteers are doing evangelist work and they have no qualifications to reach the lost. They may know how to conduct a church service or talk doctrine and theory, but effectively reaching the lost is not evident.  Many do not even believe God will perform a miracle to solve a lost person's problem.  We serve a God who loves to do the impossible and He demonstrates His power in the Bible over and over again.  He punishes unbelief.  So, start believing God's promises and share them with the lost.    

  Problem #2: Salvation message does not always come first.  Too many pastors have spent too many years inside a sheltered church environment and can not truly relate with the troubles facing unbelievers. 

  Let's use the highway trucking ministry for an example, but many churches do the same old thing.  They are not telling truckers God will perform a miracle for them to solve the problem they are facing.  They will not open the Bible and find the promise to share with the truck driver.  Why?  Because they are fearful the Lord will not deliver on His promise.  And, pastors generally believe you must first be saved to have God perform a miracle for you.  This way of thinking is not how Jesus thought at all.  Jesus did not always preach salvation to the multitudes before He performed miracles.   He also did not make people become believers first.  He performed miracles to get the people's attention and to reveal Who He Really Was.  The miracles can come first and that is what the average lost person needs, a miracle, then they will come to the Lord and believe.  Everyone deserves a miracle from God.  Peter healed a blind beggar.  Peter did not give money, but he gave the beggar healing.  Peter did not first insist the beggar be a believer and become saved before getting a miracle of healing.  When God performs a miracle He will still do it to those who are lost in order to save them in the end.  Let us stop limiting God's power and promises.  Let us unleash God's promises upon all people and let God perform His Word, just as He promises He will.  Deliver the promise and get out of the way! 

  So, instead of telling truckers, "I don't have the solution to your problem, but let me tell you about God's salvation plan..."  There are hundreds of promises God has made to cure disease, finances, depression, etc.  Show the trucker the solution which is "God's Word."  Show the trucker God's promises to solve his problems then let God perform the miracle.  Sow the promises!  When the Lord delivers on His promise, the unbeliever will believe and then get saved.  Don't put the cart before the horse.  People need real answers for the real problems they face and they need to know the real God who wants to deliver them from their troubles.  That is the Good News the lost need to hear.  The Good News gets even better once they see how good God is and how Jesus has saved them from hell too.      

  Problem #3:  The lost do not know they are lost and they believe they do not need to be saved.  When you are faced with this reality you can preach the salvation message all you want and it will not reach the lost because they can not relate to the message.  You can reach a backslider, but a truly lost person has no need for the salvation message because they do not know they need salvation.  They do not understand sin and they have too many worldly problems to be concerned with the afterlife.  They do not know that God has hundreds of promises to share with them to solve their needs.  If they only knew about the wonderful promises God has ready for them they would listen.  Then, after trusting in God's promise  to solve their problem and God does solve it, they will certainly be grateful and come to hear more of what God has in store for them.  Now the salvation message will make sense to them as they open their ears to hear.

  Problem #4:  The methods Jesus and Peter used to reach the lost are not used by Christians who are playing their hand in evangelism of the lost (this is not evangelizing the saved as what most evangelists are doing).  Example:  Truck stop ministries have tracts and brochures and books and recordings that the average trucker can not relate to.  They have a trailer by the truck stop and conduct church services for truckers.  Churches can do that job so duplication is taking place here.  The unsaved trucker has no time or interest to attend a church service (only the saved will attend while the unsaved pass on by and are not reached by the saved).  The primary advantage is that the truck minister could reach the lost, but they mostly only service the needs of the saved (most of the time).  Why?  Because ministers are not giving real solutions to real problems truckers face.  Most truckers, like most lost people, do not want to be saved, they want a solution to their life problems.  Many truckers are disappointed by the ministry because the promises of God are not being proclaimed to the lost.

  Problem #5:  The lost will remain lost and the ministers will continue to hold church services for the saved.  This needs to be changed.  Jesus did not tell the people to enter a church or attend a church service then perform miracles for the people.  He went into the countryside and preached where the lost can be found and when He found them He healed them of disease, etc. and most all He healed were never saved first to obtain the healing.  The lost do not want to go to your church.  They do not want church.  That is why you don't see them standing in line to get into your church.  The lost can not relate to you or your church. Why?  You are not relating to them.  Jesus knew how to relate to people and we need to go back and study what Jesus did and do the same.  The process being used today to reach the lost is not Biblical.  It may be religious, but it is not Biblical.  The Salvation message is important, but to reach the lost the lost need God's deliverance from real problems facing them.  So, tell them of God's promises.  Jesus told the people of God's promises when He preached.  He told them that God would take care of all their needs if they put the Kingdom of God first.  That is what the lost need to hear!  They need to know that there is a God that will solve problems for them.

 Problem #6:  Increase the number of Bible tracts that give people the promises of God.  Not just promises of salvation and promises of heaven some day.  The lost are not interested in the future when they are living in misery now.  The devil has them in his grasp and they need to know how to get out of the hell they face.  Like in Malachi 3:10 God say's there is a "financial curse" on them.  So tell them that is why they are suffering financial losses and problems.  They rob God.  Now tell them the solution about tithing.  God will solve the problem!  Do you get the message now?  Yes, some of God's promises have "conditions" the unsaved must meet to obtain the promise and that is their choice to make.  At least you told them the solution to their problem!   Focus more on the promises of God. The tract should also focus on the Law, their guilt, punishment of hell and their need for the Savior Jesus Christ who will save them.  Read this book: The Way of the Master it reveals how to reach the lost in simple and powerful ways using the method Jesus used.

  Problem #7:  Time is not the essence.  Most lost people you meet are busy and can not spend a lot of time with you.  In most cases, salvation is a long process and a series of attempts made by many people over a long period of time.  However, when you start to tell them about God's promises for them they will certainly perk up their ears and listen to God's promises.  Give them a Gospel tract that explains the solution to their problem by giving them the promises of God to solve their problem.  That will get you results.  Why?  Because it takes you out of the equation and places the person at the mercy of God.  When God delivers His miracle the unsaved become saved in short order.  So, get some books and recordings about how God solves financial problems, heals the sick and restores broken marriages, etc.  Make your own tract if you must to reach the unique needs of those you normally minister to.  Read this daily devotional that shows you hundreds of tips on how you can witness to the Lord Walking With The Lord.    

  Problem #8:  The lost are not interested in your invitation to come to your church service.  They are not religious and they do not appreciate your offer.  If they came to you for any reason it is because they are desperate and need advice.  They need a solution to a problem.  God may have lead them to you, but you fall short of the mission and try to convert the person to become a church member.  "Pastor, I have $10,000 debt, my wife is cheating on me and my kids are stealing, my mother has a disease and..."  Those are real problems and a pastor has no right to tell the man, "I don't have the solution to your problem, but you are welcome to come to church this Sunday and we can pray about it and..."  The man will leave lost more than ever because you failed to tell Him that God has promises to solve these problems.  And He does, too!  Church is not everything.  It is everything to a pastor and the typical churchgoer, but it was not everything in Jesus eyes.  Jesus never commanded anyone to go to church.  Only after he healed he told some, not all, to go show themselves to the priests to adhere to Moses law and to demonstrate to the priests Jesus healed them.  Today, pastors want the lost to come to church to get their healings, etc., but Jesus never did that.  He went out where the lost was and performed miracles without being inside a church.  In fact, Jesus was even forced to leave churches because He was unwanted there or He left because there was no faith present.  He still leaves churches today where there is no faith present!  He is still kicked out by many pastors today!    

  Author's note:  When I proclaim the Gospel to the lost I tell them God wants to solve their problems and God has promises they can rely on.  That God will deliver on those promises because God does not lie, he will deliver!  That gets their full attention.  Then I tell them what God had done for me.  The many miracles, etc.  Then I tell them to read the Bible and find those promises and obey and believe what they read.  This now gets them to thinking that they had better follow the advice if they want to get out of the problem they are facing.  I tell them to try it God's way.  After all, you tried it your way and it does not work.  Then God performs the miracle He promised in His Word.  Soon they shout the Good News they have been delivered and dive into the Gospel with diligence and then get saved!  Results happen.  It is how Jesus proclaimed the Gospel to the lost.  Give people a solution to their problem and they will come to believe and love the Lord.

  There is another method that is powerful and it is the hell-fire message.  It too works out of sheer fear!  It is Biblical to use as Jesus warned of hell and used parables about hell.  Another method is conviction of sin.   Jesus did this to the Samaritan woman by the well.  Make the person realize how he broke God's commandments and deserves separation from God in hell.  The salvation message can work, but it is rare that it does.  If you want to get the lost into your church (or just get their serious attention) then tell them the Good News of God's Promises and then tell them of God's Salvation.  There is nothing wrong with using all of the methods.  The problem is most pastors are only using one message and that is the salvation message and it is too deep for the average lost person to comprehend or relate to.  It is meat when milk is needed.

  Do not limit God by your own unbelief.  Step out in faith and at least deliver God's promises (His Word) to those who have serious problems and need a miracle.  Just share God's promise to deliver them.  Give people who have problems a solution to the problem.  God has a solution!  You may fear that God may not deliver them, but that is not your problem.  God made the promise, not you.  God will keep his promises.  Step out of the way once you deliver God's promise.  Do not preach salvation until after the miracle happens.  Don't worry, they will be back to tell you of how God delivered them then you can preach a bit more to them of God's salvation and they surely will be receptive to it.  Many may not be delivered and it will be because they chose not to adhere to God's conditions or chose not to believe in God or trust in Him.  God know the inner heart where we do not.  All you have to do is sow the Word.  A man who is financially broke needs God's promise of fixing financial problems.  A person who has a disease needs God's promises on healing.  Give people God's solution!  Jesus even went so far as to feed thousands of people twice to get their attention.  He had mercy on them and He will have mercy on the lost and perform miracles if you will allow Him. 

  The people perish due to lack of knowledge.  I may add my opinion the people perish due to unqualified ministers who do not share God's promises to the lost.  Too many pastors are remaining silent about this and are not sharing  God's promises with others.  I would have had a better life if pastors would have told me about these promises.  When I later found them I was upset and disappointed in pastors for hiding this knowledge from me (us).  It needs to stop.  Tell the people God's promises.  If you don't know them then learn them.  You can buy books listing the promises of God.  Give them away to those who need them.  Share the promises.  The promises of God are not only for the saved.  The saved have a right to the promises, but so do the lost have a right to obtain a miracle from God, if you tell them.  Jesus never demanded salvation first, then healing.  It was healing first, then they came to be saved.  Why are pastors turning this up-side-down and reversing the process?  Why are they hiding God's deliverance from the eyes of people?  Many are not qualified to preach and can not be trusted to preach the entire truth.  Most are not educated or experienced in saving the lost.  Many were never lost and were sheltered inside churches all of their lives and never were truly lost, living without Christ and God's Word and His promises.  And many that were lost have become "churched" and have lost contact with reaching out to the lost.  Go back and read the Gospels and see how Jesus preached to the lost and you will see what you are doing wrong.  

  The salvation message is critical and important, but to the lost point of view it is low priority and that is at extreme odds with you.  If Jesus had to perform miracles to those who were already religious, how much more do the ungodly need a miracle?  A lot more!  The nice part is God will keep His Word.  Why?  Because He does not want anyone to be lost and He will perform a miracle to save that person.  Change your strategy to reflect the methods Jesus and the Apostles used to reach the lost and you will see better results.  Salvation is not a requirement to obtain healing or deliverance from evil or any problem.  Did Jesus first demand the cripple or devil possessed man to be saved before He delivered them?  Of course not.  What about the ten lepers?  They came to believe in Jesus after they obtained their miracle.  Most all of the miracles of Jesus followed this pattern of God's mercy delivering people before they became saved.  Jesus even died for us while we were still sinners.  He did not wait for us to first become believers to obtain salvation.  A woman touched the hem of His garment and she was instantly healed and she was not yet saved or baptized, etc.  It is time to face the facts and stop man-devised church methods that are mostly unbiblical and non-effective in trying to reach the lost.  When you begin to see God perform on His promises you will tell everybody you meet of His wonderful promises, which will also include salvation.  Tell them of both the promises and salvation, not just salvation.  Tell it all. 

  The Lord's eyes search too and fro though the earth for someone He can to prove Himself strong.  He is doing it today.  Will He hear you saying, "Here I am Lord, send me!"  If you take on the job to reach the lost, then tell the lost of God's mighty power and promises and watch God deliver - James Russell Publishing.  

End of  Article

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