Words of Jesus Christ in "Red"  Winning The Sheep And Waging The Warfare In the Old Testament we are told that a time would come in Israel when there would be a spiritual famine for hearing the words of God: Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:" It seems likely that the above prophecy probably had a partial fulfillment during the several hundred years prior to Christ's first arrival on Earth. During that time, following the written prophecies of Malachi, the Lord stopped the mouths of His Prophets due to the fact that the spiritual Elders of Israel had hardened their hearts and refused correction. A typical utterance from the mouth of the Prophet Jeremiah prior to the Babylonian invasion was: Jeremiah 7:26 "Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers." As the old adage goes, "if there is one thing we learn from history, it is that we never learn from history". We humans have a tendency for repeating our errors. In reading the New Testament, we discover that the same spiritual conditions which existed in Israel several thousands of years ago, were prophesied to likewise exist in these current end of years. Sadly, these conditions not only exist within Israel, but rather are spread the world over. Even within Christiandom there are some who have either fallen away from the "True Faith", or else who have embraced doctrines which are clearly in contradiction to the Holy Scriptures. This falling away from "The Truth" is referred to as the Apostasy being as it is derived from the Greek word "apostasia". The Apostle Paul tells us exactly how bad conditions will be just prior to the Second Coming of the Lord: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." In the Gospel of John, Jesus emphasized to His First Disciples that the harvest of souls was not just some future event that they should look forward to, but rather that it is something which is going on all the time, all around us: John 4:35 "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." "This verse still applies today, and probably even moreso since there are many more people in the world." A new generation of souls is constantly being born which needs to be reached with the Gospel. In thinking about this harvest, the spiritual condition of the world today, some of the problems we encounter as Christian witnesses, etc., I decided to put together the following list of tips and verses based on my own experiences over the years. I hope this list will assist you in your personal ministry for the Lord as well. I do want to suggest that, time permitting, you endeavor to read the verses surrounding those listed here. In some cases they were extracted from a conversation which dealt with another subject. I felt their spiritual significance was relevant to the topic of this article so have presented them thusly. This list of tips and verses is by no means complete, but it should answer some of your common questions regarding witnessing and avoiding some of the pitfalls associated with it.
GENERAL TIPS AND VERSES ON WITNESSING: One of the first questions one might ask is, "Well, where and when are we supposed to witness?" As the following verses will show, we should do it anywhere and anytime that we have an opportunity to do so. Sadly, with so many international, national and local laws being passed restricting our proselytizing activities, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for us to let our lights freely shine; but the Lord can still open doors if we are willing and able. As Jesus said: Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." As far as the witnessing methods to use, that is entirely up to your personal faith, and how you feel led by the Lord. Do whatever works. Do whatever bears fruit. The way to witness all depends on your personal talents and motivations. One of the ways, as you can see, that I personally witness is using my ability to write and create web pages that proclaim the message of Salvation through Jesus Christ. I am also training my family to carry on the Lord's work. As Paul tells us in his epistle to Timothy: 2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." In addition, I have made it a regular practice that when I go out in public to carry Gospel Tracts which I created on my computer. They contain a simple Salvation message plus my webpage URL. I pass them out in a number of different places. Some folks argue that passing out Gospel tracts isn't as effective a means of witnessing because you really can't get into a deep conversation with a person that way. This is indeed true, however it was through a Gospel tract that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour after taking one home and reading it later that night. So personally I know that it is effective and I'm ever so glad that someone else thought that Gospel tracts were important enough to pass out. What it really boils down to is being Spirit-led so that when the Lord does send that special sheep your way, you are in tune enough to recognize the Lord's setup and feed His sheep accordingly. On the other hand, sometimes extended witnessing can just be a works trip or a pride trip. Some people are just interested in showing off their spirituality or how many Bible verses they know. This is not true witnessing; this is vainglorying. It is exactly what the Scribes and Pharisees were doing in Jesus' day: Matthew 6:5 "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves." Part of being a good witness is being a good listener. In this day and age, it seems many of us have the bad habit of being rude and cutting in when another person is talking. Sometimes, in our own zeal to witness, or possibly becauseof our spiritual pride, all we want to do is rattle off a list of verses we have memorized, or which we might have marked in our Bibles. There are occasions where people really feel a need to talk to us; but instead of allowing them to do that, we just push our program across on them. In witnessing, in order to be able to help someone, we have to know where they are coming from first. Sometimes it can be difficult to sit patiently while a person pours their heart out to us, but sometimes this is what we are called to do: Proverbs 18:13 "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." Once we have heard them out, then we must rely, not upon our own strength or carnal wisdom, but upon God's Spirit to give us the answers they need. We must know our Bibles so that we can give them God's answers and not our own, in a spirit of meekness and love: 1 Peter 3:15 "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" What we need to remember is that we are to go in wisdom and in love, and "NOT in a self-righteous condescending attitude". That is the quickest way to ruin an effective witness. If a person feels you are looking down on them, they will just harden their hearts and quickly classify you as "just another one of those hard-selling Bible thumpers". Remember, we are all sinners. We are all saved by the grace of God and not because of something that we did to deserve it: Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Ephesians 2:8-9 "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." Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" Jesus said over and over again that we would be known by our love; not only by our love towards each other, but by our love towards lost souls as well: John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 21:15-17 "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." 1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." Another important thing to remember is that we cannot lead a single person to the Lord no matter how much talking we do. All of our talking will accomplish nothing if the Lord's Spirit isn't behind it. In fact, some folks will go along with you and pray a prayer, or whatever your witnessing technique happens to be, just to shut you up or to get rid of you, even if they really don't believe in what they are doing. If you happen to go door-to-door, some will even give you a buck (dollar) just to get you out of their face so they can get back to whatever they were doing. We are simply called to be faithful messenger: 1 Corinthians 4:2 "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." Instead of working so hard in our own strength to bring someone to Christ, maybe some of us need to learn to trust the Lord more. After all, He is the One who brings the fruit, not us. Tract-passing is kind of like a machine gun type witnessing. You really do have to trust the Lord to bear the fruit. In fact, you may never even see the fruit. You might plant the seed, and someone else will come along later and reap the harvest. In tract-passing you fire into the enemy's territory hoping that some of your tracts will find receptive hearts. You just never know where those tracts might end up. Some will surely end up in the trash can, or along a street curb; (and I hope you do take the time to pick them up), but you might give one to someone who might read it and then leave it in a place where another person will find and read it. Maybe that first person will ignore its contents, but that second person will accept the Lord. Who knows, you might even give one to somebody who will take it home and twenty members of their family might end up reading it and accepting the Lord. Consider what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 13:23 "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." So never under-estimate the power of the written word. It might go many places where you never can and accompish things which you never could: Isaiah 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." In a way, tract-passing is a more quiet more humble means of witnessing compared to being a fiery pulpit preacher or TV evangelist. There is no glory in it. But who cares? Our rewards are in Heaven anyway, right? That's what Jesus said: Matthew 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Having now shared all of the above, here are some general verses concerning witnessing: Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good." Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 13:37-43 "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Luke 14:23 "And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." John 4:36-38 "And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours." John 15:16 "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 2:46-47 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 4:13 "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 5:42 "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." Acts 16:5 "And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily." Acts 17:17 "Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him." 1 Corinthians 1:27 "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;" 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." 2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
TO WHOM SHALL WE GO? Having now discussed witnessing in general, let's take a look at some verses which explain exactly who we are to try to reach with the Gospel. As will be seen by the following verses, we are to seek out the lost, those who are hungry for The Truth. One thing I have learned over the years is that you cannot shove the Gospel down the throat of someone who doesn't want to hear it. As with Pharaoh of Egypt, the more you try to convince them, the harder and more rebellious they will become. As long as a person thinks they are alright, as long as they think they are doing okay and don't need the Lord, you are just wasting your time on them. Until they realize their sinful condition and their need for a Savior, all the preaching in the world is not going to make a bit of difference. The Lord has His time for everyone. Salvation is basically a matter of free choice. Only in rare instances has the Lord ever strongly intervened in someone's life. One good example would be the Apostle Paul who was a Christian hater until the Lord knocked him off of his horse and blinded him for three days while on the road to Damascus. Normally speaking however, we are NOT to waste our time with the goats. There are plenty of lost hungry sheep out there. As a general rule, as long as someone is still listening, there is hope. It is when they stop listening, start arguing, turn away, or close the door, that it is time to bring your witness to a close. Here are some verses on the matter: Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matthew 9:13 "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Matthew 18:11-14 "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." Mark 2:17 "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:32 "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 15:4-7 "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." Luke 15:10 "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." Luke 15:24 "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." Luke 18:9-14 "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Luke 19:10 "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" Revelation 21:6 "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
WE ARE IN A SPIRITUAL BATTLE FOR LOST SOULS: One very important point which we all need to remember is that we are involved in a spiritual warfare: Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." When you are out there witnessing, you are on the battlefield invading the Devil's territory, and he doesn't like it one bit! The minute you stick your head out of the ditch, he is going to start firing, so you need to make sure you are properly prepared for battle: Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:13 "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Being as we are in a spiritual warfare, we need to choose our battles carefully. Don't start a battle unless you are sure you can win it, or at least that you are prepared to suffer the consequences if you lose it. This is precisely the counsel Jesus gave when He said: Luke 14:28-32 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace." Personally. I have been harassed by many people during my walk with the Lord and for my witness, some strangers, some friends, and even some family. We are not to compromise our message, but sometimes it is wise to tread a little lighter so we can last a little longer in a certain witnessing field before the enemies of Christ finally give us the boot or make it impossible for us to continue our witness. Choose your battles wisely. Know when it is time to fight, when it is time to exercise patience, and when it is time to quit and go elsewhere. This is exactly what Jesus did. On one occasion, after having performed the miracle of the fishes and the loaves, they wanted to make Him their king, so He departed from them: John 6:15 "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone." On another occasion, after He preached at the synagogue in Nazareth, they attempted to throw Him over the edge of a hill: Luke 4:28-30 "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them and went his way," Paul likewise had a nighttime escape in a basket in the book of Acts when he had to flee from Damascus: Acts 9:23-25 "And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket." 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 "In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands." These are just a few examples of the harrowing incidents experienced by the Lord and His followers. The Old Testament is full of them as is the book of Acts. As Jesus said, we need to learn to count the cost and make sure we can complete the battle before we start it. As I also previously noted, we must be led by the Spirit. Don't waste your time on the goats, but rather look for those who are truly spiritually hungry. The Devil's crowd just loves to waste our time in pointless arguing while God's true sheep pass us by unnoticed. Try not to become upset with those who oppose you in the flesh. Pity them for their ignorance and realize that they are just doing their master's bidding. The best you can do is to pray that the Lord will work on their hearts. Commit them to the Lord. After all, He knows how to deal with them; and sometimes He can deal rather hard with a person. Sometimes it may take years, but the Lord may eventually get through to them. As I have explained in other articles, it really comes down to personal choice. In this Age of Grace, God will not force anyone to believe if they don't want to. While it is sometimes hard for us, remember one of Jesus' final statements: Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Another point we ought to remember is that it is not important if we win every single battle, as long as we are winning the war; and we are winning it because Jesus has made sure of that: John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." 1 Corinthians 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 John 5:4 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." We are bound to face casualties, especially as things continue to get darker in this current world. Consider that most of the original Apostles suffered martyr's deaths. Consider also Stephen, Paul and others. None of us knows what the Lord has in store for us in the days ahead. Some of us may be called to give our lives as a witness for the Lord. There are plenty of verses to support this, such as: John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." Matthew 10:22 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Matthew 24:9 "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." Acts 5:41 "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." 2 Timothy 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." We need to remember though that we are not to purposely go out looking for trouble. Believe me, if you are a faithful witness, trouble will find you soon enough. Sometimes it is better to back down rather than face persecution and possibly even lose your freedom to witness. He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day. To fight back may just be human pride. If they call you a coward, who cares? Another day, another battle. Don't go out of your way to be a martyr. The Lord needs each of us here as long as possible. If you do something stupid to cut short your ministry, you might miss people who you were supposed to reach, and the Lord just might have to send along someone else to finish the job for you. On the other hand, one thing we don't want to do is to compromise The Truth in order to save our own necks or our reputations. As Paul told the servants, we are to be God-pleasers and not man-pleasers: Ephesians 6:6 "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;" Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." We are to be as courteous as possible; we are to try to obey and respect man's laws as much as possible, (at least as long as they do not conflict with God's laws); however, we are not to water down the Message so as to appear nice, or so as to try to blend in and be accepted. We are in a spiritual warfare and NOT in a popularity contest as some modern churches seem to think we are. The Apostle Paul said a number of things on both ends of the spectrum which show the paradoxical nature of our Ministry of Truth: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." Basically, Paul taught that we should do all we can to try to reach the lost, go the extra mile with them so-to-speak. In spite of this, look at what he also says: 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:" 1 Corinthians 4:10-13 "We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." As can be seen, even though we give our lives daily to reach the lost, ultimately, just like Jesus, we are and will be looked down upon and despised. Some of us may eventually be persecuted, and possibly even killed by those we are seeking to save as shown in previous verses.
WHO WE SHOULD AVOID OR BE WARY OF: Realizing then that we are involved in a spiritual warfare, it is good to know who our enemies are. Of course, we know that Satan is our primary spiritual enemy: John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." 2 Corinthians 2:11 "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." 2 Corinthians 11:14 "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" Jude 1:9 "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." If Satan ran around in a red suit with a pitchfork in his hand, he'd be easy to identify; but that is not the way it works. He does not normally confront us in face to face battle. Instead, he uses his human emissaries. It is important to realize that these enemies are found not just outside of Christianity, but inside of our very fellowship as well; and these can be the most dangerous as they are the most deceptive. Some of them pose as sheep when in fact they are wolves and perverters of The Truth. Consider the following verses: Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 25:32-34,41 "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world... Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" John 10:7-8 "Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them." Acts 20:29-30 "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ERRANT AND/OR UNREPENTANT: Exactly how are we to deal with those who err in The Way, or who those who creep into our midst preaching another Gospel, or those who continue to resist the Holy Ghost despite repeated attempts to help them see the Light? The Bible is very clear on this matter. Here are some verses to assist you should you ever find yourself in such a situation: Matthew 7:6 "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." Matthew 18:15-20 "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." 1 Corinthians 5:3-5 "For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." 1 Corinthians 16:22 "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha." [anathema = accursed] 2 Corinthians 13:1 "This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." Galatians 1:8-9 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." 2 John 1:7-11 "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."
CONCLUSION: This has indeed been a rewarding study in God's Word for me personally. I pray that you too will find wise counsel in the Scriptures I have shared in this article. May God bless you richly as you continue to share your spiritual wealth with those in your area of the world. Let's all hope that one day soon we will hear: Matthew 25:23 "...Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." It won't be long! 
 Send E-mail to Russ: webslave for Christ ( russ@jesuswept.com ) with questions or comments about this web site and it's content. Last modified: Friday, December 06, 2002 |
