Hi Everyone
Here’s this moth’s Gone Fishin’ Newsletter.
Enjoy!
Gone Fishin’ Monthly Newsletter – February 2021
”To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Eph 3:8).
Hi Everyone
Well, isn’t it good to see that summer has finally arrived! It sure makes tract distribution and witnessing easier when we can get out and about more, and people are relaxed and enjoying the sunshine! I pray that this current COVID alert level scare will soon pass without too much disruption.
When it comes to evangelism, we can sometimes get trapped in a mind-set of ‘God can’t do this without me’. As genuine as this might sound to us, all this will do is fill us with pride, and place a heavy burden on our shoulders. It turns evangelism into an onerous work to avoid, instead of a privilege to carry out.
The Apostle Paul shows us a different starting point. He begins with God’s grace, not his own ability. He teaches us that when we start with God, everything else falls into place:
God’s grace for the least
”To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given…”
God is not interested in status, popularity, or wealth. Those who strive after those things are only interested in themselves. It’s the least that God blesses and bestows grace on – those who are spiritually poor, weeping, meek, hungry, merciful, and persecuted – all characteristics we read in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7).
Instead of God giving us what we really deserve – an eternal punishment in a searing lake of fire (justice) – He has instead withheld it from us (mercy), and clothed us in the righteousness of Christ (grace). The cup of wrath that God should have drowned us with, was drunk by Christ, down to the very last drop.
When you come to understand that no one is more deserving of God’s wrath than yourself, you will also come to realise how amazing God’s grace really is!
God’s grace for the lost
“…that I should preach among the Gentiles…”
His grace is available for all. Christianity is not a secret society. We have the greatest message of hope that mankind could ever hear. Sure, we need to hear the message of grace too, as it reminds us from where we came from. But now that we understand how good this news is, how could we possibly withhold it? To do so would not be loving. To do so would mean our unsaved neighbour would walk straight into hell unhindered. The eternal wrath of God is awaiting them, and we have the means to help them avert His justice.
When you come to understand that no one is less deserving of God’s wrath than yourself, you will also come to realise the importance of sharing the Good News with the lost!
God’s grace for lauding
“…that I should preach…the unsearchable riches of Christ.”
The good news of the Gospel is the greatest news anyone can ever hear. Why? Because it’s not about us. If it was, it would be a story of brokenness, sinfulness, and death. And that would be the end of the story. Sure, restoration does require repentance on our part, but only if God is gracious enough to bestow it on us.
The Gospel is a story about God. It’s a story that shows how good God is. It’s about how He looked down from heaven, saw a broken and sinful world, and sent His only Son to bear the wrath on our behalf, so that we would not have to bear it ourselves. God raised Christ from the dead to prove that sin and death is defeated for those who repent and place their trust in Christ.
When you come to understand all of what God has done for you, you will also come to realise you need to shout it from the rooftops!
I’ll see you at my place this Saturday at 10am for prayer before heading out!
Blessings,
Craig.
Witnessing Tip: Witnessing to Roman Catholics
You may have friends that are of Roman Catholic (RC) faith.
RC’s mistakenly believe they are part of mainline Christianity. We need to be a little careful, as there may be genuine believers in the RC church, but generally they do not understand the concept of law, and grace.
RC’s are fed a constant diet of works righteousness, meaning the more good works they do, the more chance God will let them into heaven.
The easiest way to combat this is via a courtroom analogy.
You wouldn’t expect to get away with robbing a bank by telling the judge how many old ladies you’ve helped across the street, or how many homeless people you’ve fed in the last week. That would amount to bribery.
Judges cannot be bribed, otherwise they are not just.
The same goes with God. When we die, we all get to face Him on Judgement Day (Heb 9:27).
We will need to give an account for every commandment we have broken. No amount of good works can make up for the crimes we have committed.
We can’t bribe God, because He is perfect and just, and justice must be served.
This is when we can introduce the glorious Gospel.
Justice was served on Christ when he took their punishment for them.
All God requires is repentance and faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sin!
