Luke 9:23 Evangelism ~ Mission Statement

Luke 9:23 And he [Jesus] said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The mission of this blog is to fulfil the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18) by serving as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). This ministry is to encourage, equip, teach and train Christians to fulfil the Biblical mandate of the Great Commission (Matthew 18:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8) given to each saint by our Lord Jesus Christ, to evangelise the lost — the way Jesus did.

If you are an individual or a member of a local Church and you and/or the congregation to which you are a part wish to be instructed and to learn how to evangelise the Biblical Gospel, kindly contact us so that we can come be vessels used of our Lord Jesus Christ to preach and teach from the Scriptures.

The Holy Bible is the only full counsel by which we adhere and we acknowledge the Word of God written to be the supreme authority in all matters of faith, morals, and order being inerrant, sufficient, complete, and God-breathed.

This blog is to record training and equipping sessions, have uploaded witnessing tips ‘one-to-one’ and open-air preaching and where you can diarise the current and future, Lord willing, evangelising events as we encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to join this ministry in prayer, attendance at evangelical events and as the Lord directs in supporting us with Biblical Gospel tracts, Bibles or any gifts to keep the missionary evangelists in the Lord’s harvest field.

This blog is not a place for debating theology. There are other forums that have been set up for discussions and debating purposes for peoples of many persuasions. This blog is here solely for glorifying God in fulfilling His will and His purpose in righteous works (James 2:18-23; Ephesians 2:10) in His harvest field.

Jesus gave us the reason for His ministry on earth. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). The apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

This ministry is a call for labourers (Matthew 9:37,38) to Get up, Get equipped and Get out there and proclaim the Law and the Gospel of Grace to sinners in love.

In Christ’s service Gary and the T.E.A.M. (Together Evangelists Achieve More)

2010 – Your Winner’s Medal

You find yourself daily trusting in planes, trains and automobiles, mechanical equipment and human decisions. Just getting to this place you possibly placed your trust and life in the hands of persons you had not met before and man made things.

Statistics reveal that as many as 150 000 people die daily in any 24 hour period. You might be wondering why this information is being made available to you. The reason is that daily we are a breath away from dying and the reality is that we will some day meet this inevitable event. Will you be ready to pass on into eternity?

Think for a moment of the following three sporting tragedies that took place ‘somewhat unexpectantly’:

∙ 1958 – The Munich Disaster – On 6 February the Manchester United team were on their way back from a European Cup-tie in Belgrade. They had stopped in Munich and were taking off again in bitterly cold, bleak conditions when the plane suddenly dipped and crashed even before it was clear of the airport. Eight players, eight journalists and seven others, including United officials and air crew, lost their lives.

∙ April 15, 1989 at the Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield England, 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death when fans arriving after kick-off, at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, packed into an already overcrowded standing terracing area crushing the unsuspecting supporters in the front row up against metal fencing resulting in many deaths from suffocation.

∙ April 11, 2001 at the Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, a stampede at an ‘Orlando Derby’ soccer match between arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates led to the death of 43 supporters.

You might be wondering at this point what the foregoing incidents have to do with “Your Winner’s Medal”. If you were to place yourself at the scene of one of the tragedies minutes before mayhem erupted around you and the chances were 1-in-1 that you would be a victim of early death would you want to be warned in advance of the events that would unfold – to warn you of your soul passing through death prematurely into eternity. The reality is that those souls who lost their lives under such tragic circumstances never knew their time had arrived.

You could find yourself sitting in a stadium enjoying worldly entertainment and trusting the seat you are in not knowing that death awaits you minutes away.

Have you ever considered what happens to you when you die? What were the victims thinking of leading up to their deaths? Had they considered their eternal destination? Do you think they considered where their spirit would spend eternity? How about you? Have you thought about heaven and hell and whether these places do exist? Or do you think when you die it is just “Game Over”.

You have received this because someone cares and loves you enough to ask that you will please read the information contained herein as it will not only save your life if applied, but also save you much pain.

The million dollar question to you is – Would you consider yourself to be a good person?

You have a conscience so please listen to the inner voice that tells you what is right action and what is wrong action. If you answered “Yes” – or something similar to being ‘good’ – it would not be out of the ordinary to see if that is in fact true. The way YOU can evaluate your ‘goodness’ is by using God’s Moral Law (The Ten Commandments), His Standards. Do you think you have kept them? Let’s see how you will fare…

Have you ever told a lie? Even as a supporter or athlete have you ever tried to deceive the referee / umpire or an opponent by trying to gain an unfair advantage – that is lying. What about, have you ever stolen anything? The value or size of the object is irrelevant. Be honest and listen to your conscience.

Have you ever committed adultery? You don’t have to be married to break this law. Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” – Matthew 5:28. Have you looked with lust / sexual desire? This is also an offence to women who look with lust at men. A woman who dresses seductively to seduce men’s eyes and cause them to lust after her is called an adulteress (Proverbs 6:24-29). Or have you had sex outside of marriage (fornication)? Have you ever used God’s Holy name in vain – as a swear word? This is blasphemy and God’s Word says He will hold all who violate this law to be guilty. Possibly you have hated someone by calling them names – you will be judged as a murderer for you have committed murder in your heart. What about abortion?

If you have answered “yes” to any of the above questions God sees you as a liar, a thief, an adulterer-at-heart, a blasphemer and a murderer. These are only five of the Ten Commandments that you have answered to, and there are still five more cannons of God’s Law pointed at you. Have you always placed God as number one in your life or do you bow the knee or worship idols and false gods? This is idolatry and the Bible says idolaters will be cast into the lake of fire. The Word of God says that if you break one commandment at any point, you have broken the whole Law (at every level). Therefore you have broken all the commandments and wrath is against you. If God were to judge you by His Moral Standards on the Day of Judgment do you think you will be innocent or guilty? And if you are reasonable and you are guilty, do you think you will go to heaven or hell? Breaking God’s Law will make it reasonable that you will go to hell – His prison. Does this concern you?

It should concern you, because I am concerned for you too. The Bible says: Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9,10.

And in Revelation 21:8 the Holy Scriptures read: “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.”

At this point, take note that it is not the will of God to want to send you to hell. Do you know what God did for you 2000 years ago? Do not deceive yourself – you are not good. You are a sinner; evil and wicked just as the rest of us are. God is Good. In His mercy and grace towards you and all humanity God became a Man to die in your place. It is like this – you broke God’s Law and He paid your fine in His Son’s precious life’s blood. Jesus Christ the sent Messiah was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin named Mary and who came to dwell amongst us as Immanuel (God with us). In obedience to His Father, the Lord Jesus lay down His life for [all]sinners and was sacrificed in your and humanity’s place upon the cross at Calvary. He was crucified, bruised and crushed for our lawlessness. Jesus the sent Saviour of the world took the full extent of God’s Law upon Himself to die in your place. He was laid in a tomb and on the third day He was raised to life by the power of the Holy Spirit defeating death and the grave. There were on many occasions witnessing that He was raised from the dead and Jesus ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding on our behalf from where He will one day return to “judge the world in Righteousness.” – Acts 17:31

The Bible says that the only way to enter into heaven is to be reborn of the Spirit and be baptised in water. You need to humble yourself as a sinner before God and ask Him to forgive your lawless sins, repent of (turn away and forsake) your sin and put your trust and faith only in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and Redeemer who saved you from death. Then you will move from death to life and you will be reconciled to God as His child and God will grant you His gift of eternal life. God will not forsake you as it is impossible for God to lie. Then read your Bible daily and believe and live out what it tells you.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6

So, why wait for 2010 to be a ‘winner’? Get right with God today.

Behold, now is the day of salvation – 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Do You Think You Will RIP?

So what was your answer to the question on the cover? What do you think will happen to you the day you die? When a person dies there are many arrangements that will need to be taken care of by the relatives of the deceased – of which the two main issues are the funeral arrangements and the reporting of the deceased’s estate with the Master of the High Court. There are certain legal processes that will need to be attended to dealing with the deceased’s Last Will and Testament, if applicable, and the administration through the Master’s office. You may have experienced the loss of a loved one, a family member or a dear friend, recently.

There may be many questions that remain unanswered or you might be confused by the circumstances surrounding death. In this time of bereavement you might be wanting answers from God. The reality is more than 150 000 people die daily of which the ultimate statistic is 1-in-1 person will die. No one knows when their last day on earth will be. Your loved one might have died from one of the following causes – TB, Aids, murder, suicide, heart failure or any other medical disorder. Whatever the reason for the death – be it natural causes or even a tragic event – the Bible says: “Behold, all souls are Mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of a son is Mine: the soul that sins, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:4). The cause of death is as a result of sin. Simple – Sin kills.

The question at this time is – Have you ever considered what will happen to you the day you die? The Bible says it is appointed for man once to die and then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The day you die will be the most important day of your life. The reason is that you have been fearfully and wonderfully designed with a spirit that will live on in eternity in either one of two places – that being heaven or hell. To find out where your eternal destination would be you need to examine yourself, not using man’s standard, but to look into the mirror of God’s Holy Moral Law which is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17):

1. You shall have no gods before Me.
2. You shall not make yourself any graven image. (Idols and idolatry)
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain. (Blasphemy)
4. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy.
5. Honour your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not commit adultery.
9. You shall not lie.
10. You shall not covet. (Want other people’s possessions)

So, let us see which of God’s Law have you kept and which ones have you broken – Ever told a lie (fibs, half-truths, white lies, etc.)? Ever stolen anything (size or value of the object doesn’t matter)? Listen to your conscience, the inner voice that knows right from wrong – time does not excuse the crime. Ever committed adultery? Jesus said whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Have you looked with lust? Had sexual thoughts in your mind? And do you fornicate (having sex outside of marriage)? Have you ever committed murder? The Bible teaches that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15). Ever taken God’s Holy name in vain – used His name to show surprise or disgust?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions then God sees you as a liar, a thief, an adulterer-at-heart, a fornicator, a murderer-at-heart and a blasphemer. God is so holy and just that He will punish sin, which is the transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4), wherever sin is found. God sees your thought life and your deeds done in darkness and He also hears your every idle word spoken which He will hold you accountable for on the Day of Judgment when He will “judge the world in Righteousness” (Acts 17:31). The Bible says: For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles at just one point, is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10). So you will be guilty of breaking the whole Law. You should know that if you have violated God’s Holy Laws you will be found guilty on the Day of Judgment and if God gives you the justice which you rightfully deserve you will be sent to His prison being hell for eternity. That is the bad news.

The good news is that God is so rich in mercy that He has set a way out for you the sinner. God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ – fully God and fully Man – without sin who was punished and beaten by the full extent of the Law which He took upon Himself. Jesus Christ paid a fine He did not owe for crimes He did not commit by dying a bloody and painful death upon the cross at Calvary in your place. You broke God’s Laws and Jesus paid your fine by taking your punishment upon Himself. He loves you so much that He died in your place and three days later He was resurrected to life forever defeating death and the grave which could not hold Him. More than 500 witnesses testified that He was alive during a period of 40 days where after He ascended into heaven where Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father. He has promised to return someday to judge the world in righteousness. There is nothing you can do to warrant forgiveness of your sins and eternal life. You cannot buy your way into heaven and no works religions – where your good is to outweigh your bad – will help you on the Day of Judgment. It is through God’s mercy and grace extended to you that you are to be forgiven of your sins.

The Word of God says in Romans 3:20-26 : Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law: rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so that to be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

What God requires of you is for you to humble yourself and confess your sins to Him asking for His forgiveness of your transgressions, then repent of (turn away from and forsake) your sins and trust your life only in Jesus Christ for saving you, making Him your Lord and your Saviour. Get right with God today by calling out to Him from your heart. Behold now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Then read the Bible daily believing, trusting and living out what it tells you.