Simple Faith Saves

Simple Faith Saves

A famed jailer of yesteryear asked, “What must I do to be saved?” He got a simple answer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” Did he have theological understanding? No, his simple faith saved him.

What did Zacchaeus do to be saved? He came down from the tree and “received Him (Jesus) gladly.”

What about the thief on the cross? He believed Jesus would come in His Kingdom.

All three experienced salvation in different ways, yet one aspect was common to all. They connected to God through simple faith in Jesus.

I too was saved though simple faith. I prayed, “Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.” And He did.

Some people need time and abundant information. We should give it to them. Others are already prepared to receive Christ. They have enough information. In the end, no matter how intellectual a person is, childlike faith opens the door to eternal life. Like St. Paul, we can help people by making the gospel clear so they can respond in simple faith.

I was witnessing to a man who was hesitant to receive Christ. He said, “I go by science rather than religion.” As we talked further, I sensed he had plenty of knowledge about Christ, but was sitting on the fence. He just needed to make a decision. Would he follow Christ or not? I told him, “You’re ready. You don’t need more info. You just need to make a decision about who you want to live your life for.”

I said, “I’m going to leave you alone for a few minutes. Think about this. When I come back let me know what you’ve decided.”

About five minutes later, I came back. “I did it!” He announced happily. Praise God! He just needed to take the simple faith plunge. You can help people by inviting them to take a step of simple faith.

Make the Gospel Simple

Chicken evangelism is dedicated to the simple gospel (Christ died for our sins, Christ rose from the dead) and simple faith (believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved). Let me be clear. We’ll do whatever it takes to win a person to Christ for all eternity. However, when it comes to religion many people appreciate the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid!

You Can Be a Soul Winner

We are winning souls for Jesus. You can too. Immerse yourself in these blog posts. You will be inspired and become a soul-winner. God’s love for the lost will grow on you. He doesn’t want His suffering and death on the cross to have no effect. Your own simple faith can inspire others. Will you join with us to populate heaven?

If you have led someone to salvation through personal evangelism, tell your story in the comment box below. Others will find inspiration from your story.

Does Moral Purity Affect Evangelism?

Does moral purity affect evangelism?

Many issues either cloud or enhance evangelism. Moral purity is one.

You ask, “How does moral purity affect evangelism?” Guilty people don’t evangelize. (Before we paint everybody with the same brush, let’s remember, lots of folks who don’t feel guilty don’t evangelize either.)

Talking with another about Jesus opens the door to the deepest levels of our hearts. When we open up to the deeper levels, what else do we find there? Something inside warns, “Let’s not go there!” We don’t even need the devil to remind us of past failures. Or sometimes a person may fear a future failure. Either way, we’re stymied.

I own an old 1950’s era backhoe. It works, but it’s a rickety-rackety old machine. The hydraulic cylinders leak and once while out on a custom job, the hydraulic pump rotator failed. We don’t do custom work for others anymore. Why not? Because we’re afraid the pump may fail again.

In the same way, past moral failure affects our ability to pass on the good news. Just the reminder of a past failure or the fear of a future faux pas quills any thrust. “Better not take a chance,” we reason, and so the desire for evangelism gets pushed farther and farther aside until it no longer exists as a viable option.

Does moral purity affect evangelism?

You bet! Paul Anderson has written an article to help people wait for sex until marriage. It’s the best article I’ve seen on the subject.  I’ll include it here.

THE BATTLE FOR PRE-MARITAL PURITY

Sex is God’s idea, not Satan’s. Yet Satan has managed to fool many, even in the church, with the idea that God’s commands are too limiting, that God must not know how to have the most fun, that “holy” and “happy” should not be used in the same sentence. So we have Christians asking, “Why must we wait? We are engaged, as good as married. We don’t think it’s wrong, at least not that wrong. And forgiveness is available.” Others acknowledge that they wanted to abstain but regretfully crossed the line.

So why wait?

1.  Waiting builds trust. If you can break the law of God now, you can break it after you are married. Karen and I have no doubts with each other. We started building that trust when we dated. We spoke about boundaries, because we wanted to please God in our relationship.
2. Sex includes the possibility of a child. Are you ready to have a child? Not if you are not married. The first command given was to “be fruitful and multiply…” Sex is the consummation of marriage, not the preparation. To join together sexually and yet not be prepared to accept all the responsibilities that accompany such action puts a strain on the relationship that God did not intend it to have.
3. Jesus affirmed the order of creation. He said, “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? (Matthew 19:4,5). Physical union is the privilege of a man and a woman committed to live together for life. That is why Jesus added, “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (v. 6). Until a couple has made that commitment and gone public, they are not ready to have physical relationships. Jesus said so.
4. Intimacy is for marriage. Paul wrote that “it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (I Cor. 7:9). The solution the Bible offers to one whose passions are getting the best of him is not to follow his passions but to get married. Solomon writes, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”  And that time, according to his love song, is the marital relationship.
5. You’re not married until you’re married. Many are engaged and break the engagement. They give themselves away, then wish they had not, because now they have a broken heart plus a strong bond with a person no longer with them. The soul ties created by illegitimate sexual relations can wreak havoc on marriages. Using sex to get a mate could mean getting the wrong mate. Sexual involvement blinds couples to the will of God as the physical relationship takes precedence over the spiritual and psychological. Being in God’s will trumps any station in life.
6. Sex needs boundaries. Like a power plant, strong and dangerous, it needs protection, which marriage provides. Sex without boundaries is a fire out of control. When sex does not include the borders of marriage, it cannot be enjoyed in the same way. Shame, guilt, doubt, distrust, and resentment often come from going ahead against the will of God. Peace, joy, and fulfillment result from doing it God’s way. Sex on the sly does not bring the greatest fulfillment because it lacks the commitment that raises sexual experience to a higher level.
7. Restraint is not repression. Jacob waited for Rachel because he loved her. Some men use the opposite reasoning: “Because I love you, I want you.” Love can wait; lust cannot. Are you planning on being married for life? Then can you wait six months to prove your love?  At the center of the cross is self-denial. Followers of Jesus know the value of crucifying fleshly passions. Our greatest need is not for pleasure; it is for holiness. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,” and that satisfaction lasts!
8. God knows how to enjoy sex. Satan does not. It is not that Satan is too passionate; it is that he is not passionate enough. He separates sex from commitment, from child-bearing, from loving our partner God’s way, reducing the intensity and the joy of sexual love to irresponsible intimacy. Sex is more than a physical act; it is spiritual—every time, and including God enriches it.
9. Look at the casualties. If you have stepped over the line, would you say it was worth it? How many people have you talked to who have said, “I wish I hadn’t waited?” You reap what you sow, and when you sow patience, you reap character. Once virginity is given up, it is never recovered. God forgives when we come in repentance, but forgiveness does not restore the original condition. Some brides and grooms wish they could give their partner the gift of virginity. A wedding day is heightened by two people joined together who have walked in purity. It can be clouded over by a pregnant bride or by a couple who have given themselves to multiple partners. Wondering if you are pregnant (and desperately hoping you are not) is a lousy way to enjoy sex. And abortions are out of the question for committed Christians. But then—so is pre-marital sex.
10. Character counts. There are better tests for the choice of a marriage partner than physical compatibility. So practice other ways of saying, “I love you.” Pre-marital sex is not inevitable. God provides a way to overcome the temptation (I Cor. 10:13). Accountability to Christian friends can help. Engaged couples that pray together and walk in the light with mature Christian friends will look back on their engagement period with delight, not with regret. Society clearly condones pre-marital sex. It has increased among Christian singles, but that does not make it right. According to the Bible, our bodies are not our own to do with them as we please. We give them to God to do as He pleases (Romans 12:1,2; I Corinthians 6:19,20).
11. The Bible says to “flee sexual immorality.” That doesn’t mean seeing how close you can get to the fire without being burned. Don’t put yourself in an apartment alone if you want to live by biblical convictions. Why test yourself by making out until you lose good judgment? Don’t fool yourself—and don’t test God. Acknowledge your weakness—and your hormones. Foreplay is meant to get your body moving toward a culmination. Stay away from the triggers. If you are no longer in full control, you are in a dangerous place.If my children said, “Don’t you trust us, Dad,” I would answer, “Of course I don’t. And I don’t trust myself. That’s why I have constructed moral fences.”  I am warning you because Jesus gave His listeners many warnings. So did the apostle Paul. Jesus Christ is Lord, and He is the Lord of every area of our lives, not the least of which is our relationships with the opposite sex. Learn to live under His Lordship with freedom and joy. Don’t assume that you can do what you want and simply play the forgiveness card. He does not forgive those hardened by sin and living for personal pleasure. He does forgive those broken by sin—and treats them as if they have never sinned. The grace that forgives is also the grace that empowers us to live in a way that brings more than God’s forgiveness; it brings His favor.

So what if you have already crossed the line? What if you have tried to come back and can’t? Sexuality takes in much more than the physical. A complex of issues could be involved, like abuse, poor parenting, mistaken identity, loneliness, or depression. We are not looking for people to blame, but we may need to look for the need behind the deed in order to be “more than conquerors” as the Bible promises.

Without the grace of God to carry you, these eleven principles will only crush you. They are fulfilled not by grit but by learning to trust the indwelling Holy Spirit. This may require the help of a mentor or a counselor to bring you to freedom. Because the Christian life is described as a walk, a process rather than an event, you may not be able to count on one prayer ministry session or one talk with a friend to break the power of sin. Know that God has liberty for you, even if it takes time and a battle. Remember that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Paul Anderson is former Director of Lutheran Renewal Services. He blogs at PastorPaulAnderson.com

How Does Moral Purity Affect Evangelism?

The morally clean and forgiven person has fewer obstacles in the way. Note the word “forgiven.” And this is huge.

He who is forgiven much, loves much. Forgiveness releases a soul. Forgiveness allows love to flow. Forgiveness catapults a believer into the will of God. Forgiveness can and should turn us into a dynamo for Jesus.

The forgiven man or woman has no guilt or shame. How does his renewed moral purity affect evangelism? It can dramatically alter results. For the man who knows that he knows that he is guiltless in the eyes of God and then gets filled with the Holy Spirit—watch out! He has the power and experience to set his world on fire!

Three Key Questions for Chicken Evangelism

Key questions open hearts’ doors. Chicken evangelists (and those wanting to be) are experimenting with these key questions. At the same time we are making friends, making disciples, and reaping souls for Christ.

At an auto repair shop I asked the owner, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?” The man replied, “Yes, I have.” We talked about his faith for a moment. Then it turned out he needed healing for his knees. I asked, “May I pray for your knees”? With his permission I laid my hand on his shoulder and prayed. (He experienced a reduction in pain, but not a full healing.)

The next time I saw this man he made a most interesting statement: “Now that we are friends . . . “ Chicken evangelism means “Bring up Christ before you chicken out.” Chicken evangelism opens doors to hearts. It’s a great way to make friends.

Key Questions to Get Started

Chicken evangelists use various key questions. “Have you given your life to Jesus Christ?” is a good starter. My wife starts the Christ conversation with “Do you love Jesus?” or “What could I pray for you?” Some soul winners in the Church of the Living Water ask, “Do you have Jesus in your heart?”

Chicken evangelism is not a method, not a formula, not a canned approach. It’s a way to get started in the faith conversation. (Remember, Chicken Evangelism simply means to bring Christ into the conversation before you chicken out.) As a result, sometimes people give their life to Christ, sometimes we encourage people, and sometimes we help people move along in the discipleship process. Often we make a new friend. Invariably, we find people love to talk about their faith.

Incidentally, one of the key questions I avoid is “What church do you attend?” That question gets the conversation off track.

Key Questions to People Who Have Heard Your Gospel Presentation

“Is there any reason you would not want to receive Jesus Christ into your life right now?” After hearing the gospel, some folks are ready to accept Christ on the spot. After all, Jesus stated, “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor” (John 4:38).

“What’s keeping you from giving your life to Jesus Christ?” That question that may help a person identify his or her roadblock to receiving Christ as Savior.

Key Questions for the Person Who has Previously Accepted Christ

If someone responds affirmatively to my initial question, I often say something like “Great! How did it happen for you?” This gives the person a chance to tell their story. Or I may say “Great! I have too! What difference has He made in your life?” Or “Wonderful! Are you following Him?” And I often ask those who have previously accepted Christ, “Are you reading your Bible?”

Again, these key questions are helpful, but every person needs to find what works for himself. No formula here, just some key questions to help. I support all legitimate forms of evangelism. We want to see as many as possible saved from eternity in hell.

If you are already leading people to salvation in Christ–Praise God! Keep doing what you’re doing. If on the other hand you want to get better at personal evangelism, give Chicken Evangelism a try. Eternity awaits the good news!

Read the Story of a Girl’s “China Cry” for Jesus

Heaven hears China cry. I’m not speaking of the 1990 movie China Cry, the biographical film of Nora Lam’s courageous life and escape from China during the rise of communism in China. I’m speaking of the heart hunger for God that many Chinese nationals experience today.

Here’s One Girl’s Story–A “China Cry” from the Heart

My wife and I were visiting China a few years ago. Like so many other tourists we visited the famous Pearl Mart in Beijing. While Kari examined the goods in one pearl booth, I struck up a conversation with the proprietress of a neighboring booth.

Penny* was young, perhaps twenty or so. She spoke fairly good English so we could communicate well. Like nearly all Chinese she was courteous and polite.

After several rounds of chit-chat I asked Penny, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?” “No,” came her simple reply. The quizzical look on her face and the tone of her voice indicated she was open to talk about Jesus. I could hear a “China cry” for something more.

Briefly, I explained the Four Spiritual Laws to her.

Number One

The first of the Four Spiritual Laws is, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” John 10:10 gives us the reason that Jesus came, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” What is blocking us from God’s love? What is preventing us from having an abundant life?

Number Two

The second of the Four Spiritual Laws is, “Humanity is tainted by sin and is therefore separated from God. As a result, we cannot know God’s wonderful plan for our lives.” Romans 3:23 affirms this information, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have ruined the relationship with Him that God intended us to have. What is the solution?

Number Three

The third of the Four Spiritual Laws is, “Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. Through Jesus Christ, we can have our sins forgiven and restore a right relationship with God.” Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 informs us of what we need to know and believe in order to be saved, “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” Jesus Himself declares that He is the only way of salvation in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” How can I receive this wonderful gift of salvation?

Number Four

The Fourth of the Four Spiritual Laws is, “We must place our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior in order to receive the gift of salvation and know God’s wonderful plan for our lives.” John 1:12 describes this for us, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

Penny listened attentively, absorbing everything. I could tell her hunger—this “China cry”—was real and growing.

I asked, “Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior right now?”

“Yes, I would,” she replied. I explained that we could pray right there and no one would know we were even talking with God.

After finishing her private prayer, I asked God to “seal” her faith and noted, “God is now inside you.”

I will never forget her next statement, “Now I can do anything!” Clearly she had a supernatural experience. God Himself had entered in. She was ecstatic. Frankly, I didn’t know what to say or think about her statement. I did not want to dull her enthusiasm, so I decided to let the God Who was now inside  deal with her in His own way and time.

Like so many that Jesus Himself healed and never saw again, I left her to the One Who said, “I will build My church.”

Have You Led Someone to Salvation Through Jesus Christ?

My lack in evangelism embarrassed me. Though I was a Spirit-filled pastor, I had gone months, sometimes years without leading anyone to Christ outside of church services.

One night God impressed me, “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, that they are white for harvest.” (John 4:35) Weeks passed until I finally thought, “If God said that, I better test it out.”

I Asked a Simple Question

So when a man came to buy a lamb I had raised, I asked him straight out, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?”

“No,” he replied.

“But you’d like to, wouldn’t you?” I asked.

He paused pensively for a moment and then stated, “Yes, I would.”

I gave him a brief gospel lesson, “Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead.” “Would you pray to receive Jesus Christ right now?” I asked.

“Yes, but I don’t know how,” he said with fright in his face. I led him in a simple prayer, which he repeated after me. After prayer, he looked up with the sweetest words and expressions of gratitude.

The next day I brought a Bible to his house. He was cutting down a tree, so I took the axe and helped. When his wife came out, I introduced myself and asked her, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?” She replied “No,” but added that she wanted to. I gave her the same gospel message. She wanted to pray silently, so I acknowledged her wish.

This began a series of encounters with people I met in everyday life. I’ve been able to lead a girl to Christ at a flower shop, a young man at Wal-Mart and a fellow at an auto repair shop. Not everyone receives Christ on the spot, of course. Recently, while waiting for someone, a college girl named Cassie was in the same room. After chit-chat, I asked her, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?” Unlike most, she couldn’t say yes or no although she admitted she was searching. This opened the door to give her a Josh McDowell booklet to help answer her quest and boost her along the road to discipleship.

Evangelism Adds Zest to Life

I’m still learning. Here’s what I’m discovering. Evangelism is a lot of fun.

Jesus is right—the harvest is ripe. People are ready; they just need to be shown how to receive Christ.

Surprisingly, this key question, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?” does not seem to offend people; rather, they welcome the opportunity to talk about their faith. Almost everyone—more than 9 out of 10–answers the question yes or no.

The great commission is best translated, “As you go . . . make disciples.” I’m able to begin this discipleship process in the normal course of life without going out of my way.

A Simple Question

This simple question is a great opener, but more than a starter. It leads to salvation. We are called to reap, not just sow or water. (John 4:37) If appropriate I often ask, “Is there any reason why you wouldn’t want to receive Jesus Christ into your life right now?” Some people are prepared and waiting. Other Christians have already done the legwork with them. We come along and follow up on their labor. Jesus gave this principle about evangelism, “One sows and another reaps.” Jesus said, “I have called you to reap.” (John 4:37-38)

A Simple Gospel

There is power in the gospel. Invariably, I give a clear gospel summary according to I Corinthians 15:1-4. Jesus Christ died for our sins. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The gospel is the power of God for salvation. Get a handle on this one if you can! Use the simple gospel. Use the name of Jesus. The gospel is the only power of God for eternal salvation. When I started stating the gospel clearly, people started getting saved!

Jesus didn’t follow up everyone. If He didn’t try, why should we? Let the Spirit lead.

When I’m filled with the Holy Spirit and have vision for people (seeing the fields), evangelism comes more naturally. The risk is still breath-taking–but what an adventure!

I have made a decision not to criticize but rather be supportive of various forms of evangelism. There’s a lot of variety. “Different spokes for different folks.” What works for one may not work for another. Find a style that works for you and use it.

The world is waiting. We’re winning not just “souls”. It’s Judy or Jim or Megan or Brett who are going to hell. We turn them around by caring enough to ask simple questions and giving the simple gospel.

 How Hannah Received Jesus

While visiting some friends in Priest lake, Idaho, I got the opportunity to watch their 10 year old daughter, Hannah.  I had met Hannah one time before when she was a baby. She had grown to become a quiet and reflective girl with a jovial side that sometimes popped out. 

We were watching television and talking. This was our first alone time together.  

I took the time to share with her about Jesus.  I shared about how each person sins regardless of who they are. 

I explained, “Sin is doing the things that causes us to do something wrong like lying or stealing.  Sometimes we don’t mean to do it, but we do it anyway.  Most of the time for kids, it is the stuff your parents scold you about.  Anyway, sin is what will keep us out of heaven and away from God.  

 “God loves each of us and wants us to have a relationship, a friendship with Him, but sin gets in the way.  

 “So what God did God do to fix things?” Hannah was all ears, listening attentively and thinking about what I was saying.

So I continued, “God sent Jesus here to earth. Jesus lived here for a while and then he died on the cross for us. His dying on the cross was for our sins. What he did was make a bridge for us. The Bridge makes us able to reach God.  Now our mistakes and sins don’t keep us from God any more.   

“All we have to do is ask Jesus to come into our hearts and take our sins away.  After we ask Jesus into our hearts, he writes our names down in the Book of Life and that literally, we are in the spirit world changed from being on the side with the devil to the side with God.  

“Do you want to pray with me or do you want to pray to ask Jesus into your heart by yourself?”

“I want to do it by myself.” 

“OK,” I said, and that ended our conversation about Jesus for the evening.

The next day we were fixing lunch together. I asked Hannah, “Did you pray to let Jesus into her heart?”

She said, “Yes!” 

I cheered, “Yeah!!!!” and smiled, of course.

Publisher’s note: Shelly Stalker teaches music and dance (and does the laundry!) at Casa Hogar, a children’s home for disabled children in Oaxaca, Mexico. She is commissioned as a missionary and sent out from The Church of Living Water in Muscatine, Iowa.

Every word of a gospel witness is a precious seed. What happens when someone rejects the word?

Read on to find out. . .

I was at my girlfriend’s house for prayer and lunch. After we ate, we sat down to talk. My friend seemed upset. She began to tell me her frustration. She was deeply concerned about her sister-in-law, who she had been trying to witness to. This woman would not have anything to do with God. In fact, she was adamantly opposed to even hearing anything about the gospel of Jesus Christ. She was strongly against any witness almost to the point of violence with anger.

My friend said she felt that her words were hitting a brick wall.

Suddenly, I saw it!

When the precious seed bounced off the wall, I saw a flock of white doves fly in and catch the seed in mid air. Not one of the precious seeds hit the ground!

In the Spirit I could see a very high cement block wall and the seed being thrown at the wall. When the precious seed bounced off the wall, I saw a flock of white doves fly in and catch the seed in mid air. Not one of the precious seeds hit the ground!

In the vision I was watching as one or two doves carried the seed up and over the wall, just dropping precious seed on the other side. Other doves glided in, caught some seed and flew away with it in their beaks. Nothing was wasted, not the gospel, not my friend’s witness, nor even her time. I realized every word from God returns to the Father and bears fruit.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Later, this sister-in-law who was so firmly opposed to the gospel came to the Lord through other circumstances and the witness of another believer.

Publisher’s note. Debbie Kerr, pictured here dancing with her son Shaun at his wedding, “gets things” from God. She is a gifted intercessor with a heart for God Himself. She lives with her husband Dave in Muscatine, Iowa. Together they serve God as members of the Church of the Living Water.