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New You, New Task

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As believers and followers of Christ, we have been made new! This is a beautiful, wondrous theme carried throughout the New Testament. First Peter 1:3 says that according to God’s “great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” And 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

The word new in Greek is kainos, meaning “unused,” “fresh,” and “novel.” This connotes a renewal of our mind, heart, and spirit — and this renewal naturally overflows into our actions and purpose as Christians. Isn’t it amazing to know that we have received not only the free gift of salvation simply by believing in Jesus and following Him, but also a brand-new heart, spirit, attitude, outlook, and purpose?!

As a new creation in Christ, you have also acquired a new task in life. Think of this task like a new job or mission. Jesus gave this mission in Mark 16:15, when he said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Jesus said He would send those who follow Him to fish for people (Matthew 4:19). And in Matthew 28:19–20 — which is often called “the Great Commission” — He instructed believers to go, to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach. This awesome instruction is echoed in Jesus’ last words before He ascended to heaven in Acts 1:8:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We learn from John 14:15, 23 and 1 John 5:3 that if we love God we will obey His commands. And without a doubt, one of God’s most important commands is to preach the Gospel and to be Christ’s witness all over the world.

We find evidence of this awesome assignment in the Old Testament as well. Just take a look at Psalm 96:2–3:

Sing to the Lord, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Can you imagine if each and every Christian would “proclaim his salvation day after day”—to “declare his glory among the nations”? Can you imagine if we spent less time on the distractions of this world and more time sharing “his marvelous deeds among all peoples”?

Oh, I bet we could change the world!

 

Taken from the book, Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith, © 2018 by Dudley Rutherford. Used with permission by Worthy Books, an imprint of Worthy Publishing Group, a division of Worthy Media Inc., All Rights Reserved.

 

Soul Winning Made Simple

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The word evangelism can conjure up a variety of images and thoughts ranging from world missions to flashy televangelists. Many faithful church members would answer, “Evangelism? Oh, that’s something our preacher does on Sunday morning.”

Well, yes . . . and no.

Many years ago I heard one of the greatest definitions of evangelism, and to this day it has stuck with me: evangelism is nothing more than mouth-to-ear resuscitation!

What a great yet simple description. The Gospel of Jesus comes from your mouth to someone else’s ear—and brings life to a spirit who, without Christ, is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1).

With typical mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or CPR, you don’t have to be a doctor or medical expert to administer it. Anyone can do it with the proper training. It’s the same thing with sharing the Gospel! You don’t have to be a preacher or possess a master’s degree from a Bible college. Any believer can share the Good News—effectively—with the proper training.

[Photo credit: U.S. Pacific Fleet on Flickr.]

I’ve written a book called Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith, to reassure you that evangelism doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating—and you can participate in it every single day of your life once you have the right tools. Once you do, you will be able to win souls for the Kingdom of God.

What do I mean by that? Well, let’s take a look at what the Bible says about winning souls.

“Win as Many as Possible”

Although we don’t see the exact term “soul winner” in God’s Word, it most likely comes from two different Scriptures. The first is Proverbs 11:30, which says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.” The second comes from 1 Corinthians 9:19–23, where Paul wrote about humbling himself toward everyone so that he could “win as many as possible.” He wrote:

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Four times in this passage Paul used the word win. He was using his influence and background to persuade and convince those around him to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord. He was competing for their souls. Do you think this came easily and without a fight, resistance, or conflict? I don’t think so. While recapping his life, one of Paul’s last words was that he had “fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 2:4).

The Battle is Real

Winning souls basically means to lead people to a saving knowledge of the truth. Think of the expression “winning someone over.” In that sense, you are convincing someone of something or gaining his or her support. Or consider the saying “winning someone’s heart.” This has a more intimate meaning of gaining a person’s affection or causing them to love you exclusively.

If you are winning souls, then you are a soul winner. I’ve often wondered why so many people back away from this term. Maybe it’s because the word winning constitutes a battle or conflict. I realize our society has fallen into a “can’t we all just get along” mentality, but the Bible says that there’s a war going on. Not a war against people, but against the dark forces in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12). And these powers are doing everything possible to win this war. That same passage of Scripture, Ephesians 6:10–17, also says that we must put on the full armor of God. We wouldn’t need to wear armor if a battle wasn’t going on, right?

Here’s the thing: the church is not a “bless me” club meant to provide comfortable seats and feel-good messages for its members. Christian fellowship and community are absolutely important. But what’s more important is the church’s role to equip its members with the knowledge of the Word of God…so that we will boldly engage in the war that is taking place over the souls of mankind.

How Christians Can Live a Life with No Regrets

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Life is full of many different pursuits and possible achievements, but as followers of Christ, how do we live our lives to reach our full potential so that, in the end, we will have no regrets? I will never forget something an elder in our church told me right before he died. He had served the congregation faithfully for sixty years, and as his frail body prepared to step into eternity, he told me, “Dudley, one of my biggest regrets in life is that I cannot recall actually leading someone to Jesus Christ.”

My heart grieved along with his. This man had knowledge of the Scriptures. He knew the Lord. He had likely sat in more than three thousand church services in his lifetime, sang worship songs, tithed, and served others. But one thing was missing: he never used what he knew to bring salvation to one person. Not one.

Friend, this does not have to be the deathbed regret of any Christian. With every fiber of my being, I believe we serve a mighty God who invites us into a powerful partnership with Him and will equip us to do His will here on earth.

Hope of the World

As believers, we have the hope of the world living inside us. The most pressing crisis at hand is that there are people who are lost without Jesus—prisoners to their sin, searching for answers, lonely, hurting, confused. Some are suicidal, thinking there is no way out of the situation they’re in currently. Many need healing spiritually, physically, and relationally. The message of the cross is lifesaving, and I’m convinced beyond any doubt that the best life anyone could possibly live is one that serves God and obeys His Word. This includes sharing His Word with others.

My passion is to see this current generation of believers become so compelled by the love of Christ that we cannot help but try to persuade our fellow man that He died for all. I want to see the modern-day church more closely resemble the early church, which was fearlessly and singularly focused on spreading the Gospel—to the degree that the early disciples were accused of turning the world upside down by those who opposed them (Acts 17:6). With all my heart I believe that same boldness can be mustered in the church today to transform the world for Jesus!

Life and Death

For these loved ones and acquaintances of yours, hearing the Gospel is a matter of life and death. Paul explained unequivocally in Ephesians 2:1–3 that without Christ, we are dead in our transgressions and deserving of God’s wrath. That’s bad news—a tragic reality for everyone on this planet who has not put their faith in Jesus Christ. Now let me show you what Paul wrote in the very next few verses, because it is unfathomably good news:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (vv. 4–7)

Paul also explained this same idea more simply as this: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

We have been saved by the excessive love, mercy, and grace of God. And since it exceeds us, we should not keep it to ourselves. The greatest assignment we have ever been given by Almighty God is to grab a hold of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of us—which is sharing the Gospel with others before they enter into eternity.

Extravagant Grace

Our God wants everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:4–6). Through His extravagant grace, your heavenly Father has made a way for everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to have everlasting life. Even the difficult people in your life.

Yet many people have never heard a clear and simple explanation of how forgiveness and redemption take place through faith in Christ alone. It’s our obligation to tell them. Paul left no room for debate when he wrote,

How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15 NLT)

You have a once-in-lifetime opportunity to pick up the Gospel and take it to desperate souls. No one is out of God’s reach, and He uses Christ followers like you to carry His message of truth.

This is how Christians can live a life with no regrets!

Starting today, may you look around and truly see those around you, asking the Lord for the courage and the opportunity to share the Good News with them.

How Can We Become Bold to Share the Truth?

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When I was nineteen years old, I preached at a little church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The church only had about forty people, most of whom were elderly. Of those forty members, only one was younger than me. I would love to say we had a youth group, but in reality, it was more like a “youth kid.”

I was just starting college in Missouri, so I had to drive about two hours every weekend to get to the church. At this time I was a very shy, mild-mannered, and meek guy. I was the kind of guy who didn’t want to offend anyone. People who know me now are shocked to learn this, but it’s the truth.

Smoking in the Church

Every time I drove to Fayetteville, I was terrified of the three elders of the church who awaited me. I referred to them as the “smoking elders” because all three of them smoked cigarettes. They burned through them by the pack. And what’s worse, they actually lit them up inside the church building. (Yes, I said inside the church building!)

Their smoking always bothered me. I knew it was an unhealthy habit, and the fact that they were church leaders indulging in plain view of the church wasn’t helping us out at all. Who wants to go to church and smell cigarettes as soon as they step in the door? Many, many times I wanted to talk to them about it, but I couldn’t. They intimidated me.

Preach the Truth

One day the director of a local orphanage called me and asked if he could bring the kids to church. “Of course,” I replied. “Come over and we’ll have lunch for you, too!”

He brought about ten kids, which increased our church attendance that Sunday by 25 percent. After the service was over, we all moved downstairs to enjoy our lunch together, but the director pulled me aside and asked to speak to me. Once we were out of sight and away from everyone else, his demeanor changed. He got right in my face and started poking me in the chest with his index finger.

Dead serious, he said, “Preacher, I’m gonna tell you something. Every single day these kids fight the temptation to drink, swear, and smoke. The last place I ever thought they would see a bad example was in the church! You better start preachin’ what people need to hear and not what they want to hear.”

Then he said, “We will never come back to this church again.”

Though his words were harsh, they were a necessary wake-up call. For the rest of that afternoon, I was racked with conviction. My church had served as a bad example to those kids, and it was all because I didn’t have the guts to say what needed to be said.

[Photo credit: factoids on Flickr]

Boldness Unleashed

That evening, as I arrived for our Sunday-night service, I prayed earnestly for God to grant me boldness to do just what that man had said. To preach what people needed to hear.

During my prayer, I felt the power of the Holy Spirit rise up within me and fill me with courage and purpose. Before I even entered the church door, I knew I would finally be able to speak what God had placed on my heart. When I got up to preach that night, I threw away my prepared notes. I stood up there and let them have it with both barrels.

I don’t remember everything I said during that message, but I do remember saying at one point, “If God had intended for you to smoke, he would have put a chimney on your head! Smoking won’t send you to hell, but it will sure make you smell like you’ve been there!” I stressed the fact that we shouldn’t be smoking in the first place, let alone inside the church of Jesus Christ, because doing so would undoubtedly set a poor example for others in the faith.

Truth be told, I was surprised at myself. I never knew I could speak like that. And many in the church were just as surprised as I was. The point being, God unleashed a boldness in me that was completely contrary to my nature.

Fired in Fayetteville

The very next Sunday morning I made my drive from college to Fayetteville. I was preparing to deliver the message when one of the three elders pulled me to the side.

Calmly he said, “Dudley, we’ve decided to let you go.”

“Why?” I asked.

He said, “For financial reasons.”

“Financial reasons? You only pay me $50 a week!”

“I know, but we just can’t afford to keep you.”

I tried reasoning with him, saying, “I’ll tell you what; I just want to preach. What if you paid me $5 a week? That would at least cover the gas. Would that be in the budget?”

He firmly answered, “No, we’re letting you go. Today will be your last day.”

I immediately felt that same boldness rise up in me again, except this time it was twice as strong! For the second service in a row, I threw my sermon notes away and let them have it again. They definitely didn’t want me to come back after that message.

I will never forget what the orphanage director said to me on that Sunday afternoon in Fayetteville: “You better start preachin’ what people need to hear and not what they want to hear.” If I had a photo of him digging his finger into my chest, I would have it framed and sitting on my office desk to this day. It changed my life.

Fire in Your Bones

Today you may be just like I was at age nineteen—timid and frightened to say what you know in your heart is true. God can empower and embolden you to proclaim truths you never thought were possible. He will change the lives of others before your very eyes.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 nkjv)

Sharing the hope of the Gospel with as many people as I possibly can is my life’s burden and passion. Do you feel this compelling call as well? Pray and ask God to fill you with boldness and courage to speak up. Pray and ask Him to dissolve concerns about what others might think of you or say or do if you tell them the truth.

You don’t have to be a full-time preacher or pastor to get involved in God’s mission to save the world through His Son Jesus. If you ask Him, God will instill in you a burden for sharing your faith. Just as the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed in Jeremiah 20:9, the Word of God will become like a fire in your heart and in your bones that you won’t be able to hold in even if you tried.

 

Taken from the book, Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith, © 2018 by Dudley Rutherford. Used with permission by Worthy Books, an imprint of Worthy Publishing Group, a division of Worthy Media Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Are You Compelled to Share Jesus?

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If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you know that discovering the love and grace of God and receiving the forgiveness of your sins have completely and utterly changed your life.

When you interact with your family and friends, coworkers and strangers, do you feel compelled to tell them about your faith?

Do you struggle with the courage or the right words to say in attempting to articulate the Gospel message?

We all do!

So how do we get past these obstacles and boldly tell others about the Good News as the Lord commanded us to do in Matthew 28:19-20?

First, we allow Jesus to give us a clearer vision.

When we walk closely with Him, we begin to see people as He sees them. Matthew 9:35–36 says,

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them.”

Now, let’s be honest. Seeing huge crowds of people usually doesn’t spark compassion within us, right? If you live in a large, metropolitan city such as Los Angeles, California like I do, we are constantly surrounded by droves of people. Sitting on the freeway with thousands of cars crawling in front of you usually produces more frustration than compassion. We’re more likely to think, I wish these people would get out of my way!—not, Gee, I wish I could tell all these people how much Jesus loves them!

But Jesus is on a different level than we are. This passage of Scripture in Matthew 9 reveals that Jesus had compassion on those who were sick, harassed, lost, and helpless. They were “like sheep without a shepherd.” In verse 35, His compassion turned to action when He not only healed their diseases and sicknesses (which is to serve their physical needs) but also verbally shared the Good News of salvation with them (which is to meet their spiritual needs). Then He issued this edict to His disciples in verses 37–38:

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

I’ve often wondered what Jesus would say about the lost people in our world today.

Did you know that the population of humanity has grown from 300 million people in Jesus’ day to almost 7.5 billion today? Cities, towns, and villages across the globe are teeming with people who need to hear about how they can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. If our Lord asked for workers to be sent forth into the fields two thousand years ago that were ripe for harvest, what would His prayer be for the present-day fields that have twenty-five times more people than in His time?

What would He say if He saw so many sheep without a shepherd in your city, in your country, and in other nations around the world? The truth is, our planet is in desperate need of people who are compelled to share the hope of Jesus Christ. We are Jesus’ workers—you, me, and everyone who professes the name of Christ. He is counting on us to take His message to a world that is spiritually bankrupt. Pause for a moment and intentionally silence the modern digital noise competing for your daily attention—whether you are browsing through a crowded social feed, competing on the best online poker sites, or bingeing on a popular streaming series—and you’ll hear the faint whisper. A gentle yet irresistible call in your spirit. An invitation nudging you toward something greater than you could ever imagine.

In 2 Corinthians 5:11–15, after writing about our responsibility to “persuade others” about the Good News, the apostle Paul made this beautiful assertion:

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again (vv. 14–15).”

When the New Testament was written, the word compel referred to the privilege Roman officials and soldiers had to force people (as well as their horses, equipment, and family members) into public service.[1] Our contemporary definition of compel carries the idea of driving or overpowering something or someone. It also means “to have a powerful and irresistible effect, or influence.”[2] But Paul identified that it was not Roman officials, nor force or obligation, that compels us to share the Gospel with our fellow man, but Christ’s love! You might say that to compel is to propel into action.

After meeting Jesus on that dusty road to Damascus, Paul’s life was changed forever and set on a different course. No longer fervently persecuting the Christian church as he had done before, he literally had seen the Light. And he spent the remainder of his life traveling the known world to tell the world about the Light of the World (see John 8:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:8–10).

Compelled to tell.

The Gospel’s irresistible effect is the reason why Paul went on missionary trips and voyages across tumultuous seas. His travels put him in unspeakable amounts of danger, distress, and brushes with death. But Paul could not help himself. He was compelled to tell others about the love of Christ.

In the same way, though you were once on a path away from God, you now have a miraculous story of conversion. You’ve met the Lord and have been changed by Him. Just as He did for Paul, God wants to put your life on a different course for His glory. When we truly examine the depth of God’s love and the truth of His Gospel, we will become compelled to share it with others just like Paul and so many other fearless believers have throughout the history of the world.

 

Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the author of Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith (available on Amazon) and the senior pastor of Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, California, which has campuses in Agua Dulce, West Los Angeles, and the West Valley. You can connect with Dudley at dev.fishhookcms.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

[1] Strong’s #29

[2] www.dictionary.com/browse/compelled.

Anchors of Hope in Difficult Times

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I have heard from so many people lately who are struggling and dealing with issues ranging from marriage to health, work to family, finances to variety of other challenges.

No matter the trial or storm, I want you to know that God has not left you, nor has He forsaken you. The grace that saved you is the grace that will sustain you.

Here are 10 encouragements to cling to during difficult times:

1.) Look to God. He is the Author of life. In our trials, may we adopt the same mindset as the psalmist who wrote in Psalm 121:1-3, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber…” Take comfort in these true and faithful words.

2.) Seek wisdom from the Bible. There is a goldmine of wisdom and encouragement in Scriptures. People will search for knowledge from motivational speakers, new age teachers, videos, Internet memes, and even pithy statements on the end of a tea bag! But nothing compares to the truth that is found in the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” And Psalm 119:97 declares, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” Do you love the Bible? Are you meditating on God’s Word all day long?

3.) Stay in church and Life Group. The church is your family of like-minded believers. No church is perfect, but the bond of fellowship among followers of Christ is one of the things that sustains us during hard times. When we wander away from the flock and try to go through life alone, we are easy pickings for the enemy. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

4.) Pray, pray…and then pray some more. Ask God to intervene in your situation. Oftentimes people ask me, “How do I know what God’s will is?” First Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us clearly: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

5.) Seek godly counsel. Wisdom can be found in the voice of those who have walked faithfully with the Lord. Psalm 1:1 (New Living Translation) puts it this way, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.”

6.) Don’t allow sin into your life. Don’t compromise just because you are going through a rough time. You may face all kinds of temptations to cut corners, damage your integrity, seek dishonest gain, or do things in your own power. But Psalm 66:18 reveals, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened…”

7.) Listen to Christian music. Just about every city in the country has a Christian radio station. Find out what yours is—or make your own playlist on a music app with your favorite worship songs. It will lift your spirit and give you strength.

8.) Focus on getting through today…and don’t look at yesterday’s difficulties. Recently I shared a meme on social media that read, “Don’t ruin a good today by thinking about a bad yesterday. Let it go.” This is so true! Are you looking forward or backwards today? Jesus said in Matthew 6:33-34, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

9.) Don’t stop treating people around you with respect. Just because we are going through a tough time does not mean we have the right to be mean to others. Jesus gave us the Golden Rule in Luke 6:31, and it is important to live by this principle in good times and in bad: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

10.) Trust in the leading of the Spirit of God that is within you. Jesus promised believers the gift of the Holy Spirit, and this is how He described him in John 14:26, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” God will lead you in all righteousness no matter the season.

Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the author of Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith and the senior pastor of Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, California, which has campuses in Agua Dulce, West Los Angeles, and the West Valley. You can connect with Dudley at dev.fishhookcms.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram