Here is one story we enjoyed from Christen. We’ll look forward to posting many more similar testimonies on the blog this week!

~

“This last week, God allowed me to talk to one of our neighbors about the Gospel. My mom was also there talking to her husband, so I knew that she was praying for me.

Before I got out a tract, I was really praying that God would help me know which one to share. It was getting dark outside, so I knew it would be impolite to expect the neighbor to be able to read it right then. The Lord then gave me an idea. These neighbors have grandsons, who would probably love a million dollar bill! I got out the million dollar tract and told her that on the front it looks like a million dollar bill and on the back it has a Gospel message. I told her that it has some of the Ten Commandments on it and then went through some of them with her. When we got to the commandment to not murder, I mentioned that God considers hatred to be the same as murder. She said that she does struggle with this, and thinks that everyone does all their life.

I also shared James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” She thought that she was saved when she was eighteen but at the time she felt like she was saved all of her life. We can pray for her because only God knows her heart, but I am not sure that she really is saved.

I learned quickly that I need to have a lot of Scripture memorized, and that I need to know it well enough that I can quote it even when I am nervous. Thank you for making this second Challenge possible!”

~ Christen

~

I am so excited about the Challenge that is going on this month! This past week my family was traveling to the Big Sandy Conference, and I enjoyed handing out the different tracks at each of the stops we made. One night my Dad wanted to treat us all to a really nice Mexican restaurant. I asked the Lord to give us the right waitress that would be hungering and thirsting after the Lord, and that would not reject the gospel. The Lord answered that prayer! Our waitress was very grateful for the tracts and books we gave her.

After dinner, my dad encouraged me to talk with our waitress, Christian, about the gospel. After thanking her for the great food and service, I asked her if she went to church. She said her background was Catholic, but began opening up and sharing how they had just moved and she had three little children. This was only her second day on the job, and she was sad for having to leave her children at home while working. I asked her another question, “Do you think you can get to heaven by just being a good person?” She thought she could. So many people believe this lie and are trusting in their good works to get them to heaven. I explained Ephesians 2:8-9 which says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

We can never be good enough to make it to heaven and God knows that. This is why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross to pay for our sins. It is through faith, trusting what Jesus did for us on the cross that gets us to heaven. I also explained the importance of the heart attitude of repentance as it says in Luke 13:3, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Repentance is like a u-turn in your heart that says to God, “I am sorry I have been going my own way, but now by Your grace I am willing to follow You and let You be the Lord of my life.” She listened very attentively, and then said she wanted to pray right then to give her heart to Christ!!!

I was rejoicing for what the Lord did! I know it was the Lord speaking through me and helping me to know what to say. My family was also praying for me and was excited to hear what the Lord did. A verse keeps coming to mind which says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not…” I believe the Lord longs to show us His power and wants to use each one of His children to do great works and lead hundreds of souls to Christ. But we must ask. Ask Him for His power, boldness, grace, the filling of His spirit. Ask that God would bring you each day people that are hungering and thirsting for the truth and that He would give you the privilege of leading them to Christ. So many people are not willing to give their whole life to Christ and will reject the truth. But please don’t get discouraged and stop doing what God has called us to do, because if we are faithful God promises to bless us as it says in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” There is no greater message to share then that of Calvary’s love.

Jesus asked us to pray that God would send forth laborers. The fields are so white unto harvest, and I pray that you would be the laborer that God desires you to be. May the Lord bless you with His faithfulness to continue passing out His Word and sharing the Good News – not just for the Challenge, but for the rest of your life.

~ Priscilla Keller

After memorizing key verses that clearly explain the plan of salvation and receiving practical training from many godly men, it is now time to get out, meet some people, and share the Good News!

During this week, the week of May 3 to 9, the Challenge is for each one of us to share the Gospel with at least one other person. At the end of the week, send us a report of what the Lord taught you through this experience.

Do you still have a little sense of fear about sharing the Gospel? In the following exhortation, Three Life Changing Stories, Pastor Ken Pierpont of Evangel Baptist Church gives inspiration and encouragement for witnessing. A master storyteller who has himself lead many Journey to the Heart teams, Pastor Pierpont shares a refreshing perspective that perfectly sets the tone for our exciting week of soulwinning!

Download audio file (20080323_Ken_Pierpont_Three_Life_Changing_Stories.mp3)

Download MP3 (40 min)

to everyone who successfully memorized twelve key verses that can be effectively used when sharing the Gospel. We will be mailing each one of you a Soulwinner’s Resource Kit later on this week!

Even if you didn’t quite make the April 23rd deadline, be assured that the time and effort you invested in memorization will not go unrewarded.

But the Challenge Has Just Begun…

The week of May 3-9 is just around the corner! This is the week that everyone who has taken on the Challenge will share the Gospel with at least one other person. Remember that success in soulwinning is not necessarily seeing the fruit, but following the leading of the Holy Spirit to plant the seed of God’s Word in the life of another person.

At the end of that week you will be required to write up a short report of what the Lord taught you through this experience.

In the meantime, here are some things you can be doing to get ready:

• Read a classic book on soulwinning, such as One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven
• Practice sharing the Gospel with your parents or siblings
• Learn how to use the Wordless Book
• Start to find people interesting
• Stay tuned to livingthejourney.com for further inspiration!

~

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

- I John 1:9

~

I John 1:9 is a well known verse…but do we fully understand the richness of what this passage is truly saying?  

In witnessing to others, this verse is a powerful tool in helping to explain the nature of God, as well as His promise to forgive sin and cleanse one’s life. For me, it always helps to find out what the original meaning of each word is. The word “confess” means to acknowledge and assent to. “Faithful” means trustworthy, and “just” means equitable, innocent, and holy. I thought it was interesting to note that the tense used for “confess” is the present subjunctive active. In other words, this tense gives the connotation that confession here is a repeated and continuous action. This makes sense when you consider that John is writing to fellow believers. This also coincides with Matthew 4:17, where Jesus used a similar tense when He gave the command to “repent.” Regardless, this truth can be applied to the life of both the saved and unsaved. With this in mind, I John 1:9 could be paraphrased:

If we confess and acknowledge our sins, Jesus Christ, who is trustworthy and holy, promises that He will (for He is fully able) forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We can share this promise of God’s forgiveness and cleansing power to those we  are witnessing to. This verse can be used as a springboard to share about the holiness of God that can then be contrasted with man’s sinfulness. If a person does not recognize and acknowledge their exceeding sinfulness, they will never understand why they would need God’s forgiveness in the first place. Thus, it is vitally important that a person acknowledge that they are indeed sinful and have violated God’s moral law and are in desperate need of His forgiveness and cleansing blood. With this understanding, they will begin to appreciate the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on their behalf. Confession is always humbling, but God only dwells with those who are of a “humble spirit” (See Isaiah 57:15) and the proud He knows “afar off” (See Psalm 138:6).

I John 1:9 is a powerful promise that speaks of God’s holiness, His love, and His redeeming plan for mankind if they would but humble themselves, confess and turn from their sin, and seek His face.

Here are some thoughts on verse eleven:

~

“For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved” – Romans 10:13

~

This promise has spoken peace into the lives of many searching to find assurance of their eternal destiny. It is a matter of fact stated simple enough for any honest soul to find true peace with God by simply resting in “the Word of the faith which we preach.”

At just three years of age, I found peace with God through simple obedience to this verse and I know that anyone who in simple child-like faith obeys will receive that same assurance that I have enjoyed all these years.

When sharing my faith, I often explain this verse word by word. Whosoever really means anyone regardless religious background, cultural differences, or political persuasion. To call on the Lord you don’t need a phone, but rather talk with Him in prayer. Share with Him what you have learned about your need for salvation and based on His name, character, and Son’s death on the cross that you accept His sacrifice as full payment for your wrongdoing. This verse states that if you do this, you shall be saved. Does that mean maybe, might be, hope to be, or think you will be saved? No! We can rest in the simple truth of Scripture, just as I did at a very young age and know for certain if we died today, we would enjoy an eternity with the Lord.

Do you have that confidence, assurance, and hope? Do you know beyond the shadow of doubt that you will spend eternity with Christ? If you have doubts, there is no time to spare. Call on the name of the Lord today. Take God at His Word and you SHALL be saved!

~ David

~

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved. ” – Romans 10:9

~

The act of speaking – or confessing – out loud is essential. Notice how it says “confess with thy mouth” and not just in your heart and mind. Why would this be so? For one thing, it humbles you. For instance…when we offend God isn’t it much easier to say “Oh God, please forgive me,” then it is to go to a person and tell them what you did and ask them to forgive you? It shouldn’t be this way! It should be harder to go before a Holy God – the Creator, then mere man – the creation. We are more concerned for the approval of man then we are in pleasing God. Thus in reality, we have made man an idol. Confession is also made with the mouth to proclaim the wonderful works of God; for our mouth was created by God for the purpose of bringing glory and honor to His name. If a man confesses faith in Jesus, acknowledging his sinful state, Christ in turn will regard him as innocent of all charges and qualify him for eternal life.

Believing in our heart is also a vital and very important part. We must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, thus showing that He has accepted the Atonement, which is the righteousness of Christ imputed to any man who believes through faith. 

Let me end with these thoughts of Matthew Henry:

“Justification by faith lays the foundation of our title to salvation; but by confession we build upon that foundation, and come at last to the full possession of that to which we were entitled. So that we have here a brief summery of the terms of salvation, and they are very reasonable; in short this, that we must devote, dedicate, and give up to God our soul and our body – our souls in believing with the heart, and our bodies with confessing with the mouth. This do, and thou shalt live.”

~

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” – Ephesians 2:8-9

~

I was reminded of this verse while on a recent trip to Germany. My uncle, a lover of history, was giving us a tour of The Dom a cathedral built in Cologne Germany. Upon entering the huge cathedral, I was in awe of its grandeur. However, as we walked through and a comprehension of its history and present representation to the world began to sink in, I was deeply troubled. I saw people lighting candles, paying homage to saints in an effort to gain eternal security. I saw them reciting prayers and sitting in reverent silence communing not with the God who had paid the price for their salvation, but to a god they have created in their minds; it grieved me to see this. Little did those in history and those presently worshipping know that Christ had already paid the price for their sins. God’s gift to men had already set them free!

Hundreds of people would visit The Dom the day I was there. And hundreds would walk away from it still not knowing this great freeing truth. Praise be to God that He has given us the knowledge of this gift and how privileged we are to be able to share this with those around us.

~ Brooke

~

“But God commendeth his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us” – Romans 5:8

~

Jesus already proved with His life death and resurrection that He loves you and there is nothing that you can do that would make Him love you any more or any less! Just as John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” His very motivation for everything in our life is love. He desires a deep relationship with us and it is our choice to receive the gift of His Son on the cross . . . the ultimate gift!!!

When witnessing, we must remember that the deepest need of every person’s heart is to know that they are loved. If we don’t receive this kind of appreciation or attention that we need, we start to look to other things and that is where we get hurt, whether is was by friends, family members, coworkers . . . etc. These all become competing affections, but more importantly–if we are not saved–we will try to find other ways to get to heaven. However, there is only ONE way and that is through Jesus Christ, who came that we can be saved from our sin and our eternal consequence of hell., He now invites us into a personal relationship with Himself! All our needs can be met in Him! Life is about relationships: relationship with God and our relationships with others. We cannot be a successful and joyful person until we receive His gift of love and make Him the Lord of our life!!!!

~ Elizabeth

~

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life:
no man comes to the Father
but by Me” – John 14:6

~

How does a person know when they’ve done something wrong? Did someone tell them that it was wrong? Is it because their mom told them so when they were young? And what even makes it wrong? How does any person know the difference between good and bad?

We know because of something commonly referred to as a conscience. Every person, believer or not, will probably tell you that they have a conscience. They may not like it, but it’s there in every spirit of every person. When God created man in the beginning of earthly time, He inscribed His Law on the heart of every human being. He gave us a built-in device to be able to determine what is sin. (See Romans 2:15.)

When we commit sin there is often a small, yet overpowering voice that screams in our spirit, “No!” Afterwards, there is that awful gut feeling you get when you know that you have no power in you to redeem yourself from what you’ve done. Often we unsuccessfully try to defy it, or rid it of our minds. So, what do you do? How can you possibly make right the countless sins you’ve committed throughout your whole life?

Because we have no power in ourselves to make restitution with God, we must receive His forgiveness. Rooted out of His unconditional love for us, He sent His only Son to the world in the form of man to be crucified, rejected, mocked, and scorned for every wrong thing that we have ever done. He was explicitly perfect. Yet He suffered in our place as payment for the wrong things we’ve done, no matter how great or small.

By dying on the cross, Jesus was interceding with the Father for us. If He had not done this, we would be paying the price forever in hell. But He made a way for us to come to the Father. He gave up His life and breath, so that we could spend life in Heaven for all of eternity! Three days later, he rose and conquered the grave—He is Life!

When you share this verse, you can focus on man’s inability to save himself and his need for a Savior. Jesus made the Way to the Father, to bring us to the Truth, so that we may have Life with Him forever!

~ Mandy