by Tim Hall

Some relationships are dear to us. A current advertising campaign for a wireless telephone service asks how much we would pay to stay in touch with those we love. People in the commercial answer by holding up signs that read "A lot", or "Anything in the world". The company then responds with a monthly price that they consider quite reasonable. Their hope is to gain our business by appealing to how we value certain relationships.

Sometimes telephones can't help us. Even if we dialed their number, they wouldn't answer. Something has broken the relationship. Yet the heart of one or both still yearns for the other. What can be done to reconcile the two? How much would they give to again be as one?

Jesus' parable of the prodigal son sheds light on God's esteem of a relationship with us. After the son decided to return home, seeking only to be a servant, the father's heart overflowed with joy. He had the opportunity to reclaim a son that was lost. One mark of that esteem was his order to "bring the fatted calf here and kill it" (Lk. 15:23, NKJV).

Sacrifice of innocent animals was a common feature of God's covenant with Israel. The Hebrew writer summed up the principle: "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). Purification was necessary because the people were guilty of transgressions. When a transgression occurred, blood had to be shed. Without the shedding of blood there could have been no reconciliation of the broken relationship.

Ideally, every sacrifice for sin should have involved reflection. The animal being offered was a thing of value; it was unblemished and healthy (Deut. 17:1), and could bring a good price at the market. But a higher purpose was to be served with this animal. It would be the price of reconciliation, representing the person's desire to restore relationship with the offended Creator. Every sacrifice should have carried that thought.

Thankfully, God is not One who has to be begged to accept our offerings, who couldn't care less if He never saw us again. So strongly did He desire to restore the broken relationship that He made the first and greatest move. Paul marveled at the thought in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The Father on this occasion did not call for a fatted calf, but for His own Son! That's a statement of how much God loves us.

If Jesus' parable in Luke 15 can be interpreted even more closely, we also learn that the sacrifice of Jesus was made with joy. No, the Father didn't relish the thought of His Son hanging on the cross. But the effects of that sacrifice brought joy, and that's what set in motion the scheme of redemption. It's also what motivated Christ: "... who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).

How much does God value the possibility of reestablishing His relationship with us? How much would He be willing to give? See the outstretched arms of Jesus as He suffers on the cross and know that it is "This much!"

by Mike Benson

When we go over the produce section of the local grocery, we carefully inspect the fruit, don't we? We thump the watermelons. We smell the canteloupes. We gently squeeze the tomatoes. We visually examine the grapes.

Surely none of us would purchase a piece of fruit without first engaging in some sort of thorough examination, right? And yet, how many of us accept religious doctrines and practices without the same kind of scrutiny?

On one occasion Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit...Therefore by their fruits you will know them" (Matt. 7:15-17, 20).

Dear reader, before you "buy" what a preacher says, make sure you inspect it critically (cf. Rom. 16:17; 1 John 4:1). You wouldn't want a bitter piece of fruit, would you? Think about it.

by Mitchell Skelton

There are perhaps as many different methods and manuals for personal evangelism as there are chain e-mails on the internet. The importance of spreading the gospel and our, sometimes, inadequate attempts at doing so is perhaps the reason there are so many methods and manuals in circulation. And since one more couldn't hurt. . .

Personal evangelism can be one of the most rewarding ministries in which you will ever be involved. Yes, there will be rejection and sometimes disappointment but with the proper attitude and preparation, you can overcome these minor "bumps" in the road. The following lists are just a few things I have learned from others and from experience in the field. Use them, adapt them and add to them as you enter into the harvest fields.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19,20a)

VITAL TOOLS

As you embark on your journey to spread the gospel to a lost and dying world, there are some tools you need to take along with you.

1. Prayer
2. A bible. (Make sure you and the person you are studying with use the same translation.)
3. A positive attitude.
4. A Partner. (Jesus sent his disciples out in two's and it is a good idea for us today.)

SOME DON’TS OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM

1. Don't overanalyze or psychoanalyze people or their motives.
2. Don't argue with people about religion.
3. Don't denounce or ridicule another person's church or religion (Matt. 10:16; 1 Peter 3:15) (Your goal is to keep the door open not slam it shut.)
4. Don't begin with criticism.
5. Don't act superior.
6. Don't be a "know it all."
7. Don't be afraid to admit that you don't know.
8. Don't feel the need to answer everything the other person says. (Stay on task, teach the gospel and avoid "chasing rabbits.")
9. Don't do all the talking (James 1:19)
10. Don't use too many passages of scripture. (You can overwhelm a person. Take your time; it took Jesus over three years.)
11. Don't get angry!
12. Don't talk negative about other members, the preacher, the elders or petty difficulties in the church.

SOME DO'S OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM

1. Do pray for your studies and for the person with whom you are studying.
2. Do put yourself in the other person's place. (Understand that they may often be nervous or confused.)
3. Do prepare yourself for study (2 Tim. 2:15)
4. Do speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15)
5. Do listen to the other person and write down questions they have.
6. Do spend the majority of your time in the scripture. (While you do not want to overwhelm them with scripture you don't want to leave the impression that what you are teaching is only your opinion.)
7. Do remain positive (but don't be "false—positive.")
8. Do build up the church.
9. Do set an appointment for another visit.
10. Do pray before you leave.

by Barry Newton

This was not the first time the question had plagued his mind. Since Christians are supposed to be loving, is not a gracious broad-mindedness which accepts, tolerates and validates other's perspectives the loving approach? Sometimes it is easy to discern what we should choose at the crossroads. At other times, the choice might seem murky or worse yet, perhaps even the wrong path might look like the right way to go.

If we wish to hear God's message and not merely an empty echo of our own thoughts, we must resist the temptation to handle Scripture selectively. This is true, regardless of our feelings about tolerance, acceptance and inclusion. What is needed is an understanding of God's message which seamlessly incorporates each part into its proper place within the whole. Let's take a look at some of the pieces.

Clearly a case can be made that tolerance, acceptance and inclusion are good and godly values. Jesus taught that people should not judge others lest they be judged./1 Those who desire to serve Christ are to accept one another just as Christ has accepted them./2 Furthermore, God's people are to keep matters of personal conviction private between themselves and God./3 Add to all of this that through Christ, God is working to unite everything in heaven and on earth/4 and it should be clear that tolerance, acceptance and inclusion are godly values.

And yet at other times we find scripture just as forcefully upholding intolerance, rejection and exclusion. God's people are instructed to judge those within the church in order to exclude certain ones./5 Christ does not accept everybody; even some who call him Lord will be rejected./6 There are false doctrinal perspectives which should be reproved and rejected./7 And finally, God does reject and pour out His wrath upon some people./8

Are we to understand these seemingly contradictory principles belong to a consistent message from God? Yes. And the keys to understanding the harmonious intent of the Scriptures are quite simple. 1) Give each good value its proper priority. That is, avoid transforming what was intended to be a secondary value into becoming the dominant organizing principle and standard for behavior. 2) Use Biblical words with biblical definitions; do not infuse new definitions into them.

What are the highest values which should drive our life? First, love God and then love others as we love ourselves./9 Loving God and all that this means is the standard for determining what is right and wrong.

What happens when someone replaces the priority of loving God with another godly value? Take for example, peace. Peace is a a fruit of the Spirit and is obviously a godly principle. Yet, it would be wrong to elevate peace to the role of determining what is right and wrong, for this would dictate that we were to make peace even with what is evil. Similarly, whether we are to be tolerant or intolerant is determined by the higher principle of what it means to love God and obey Him.

Neither inclusion, acceptance and tolerance nor exclusion, rejection and intolerance were intended to be the measuring stick for determining what is good or bad in every situation. God would have us welcome all sinners to respond to Christ, and yet we are to be intolerant of rebellious unrepentant sinfulness within the church. In fact, whenever any godly principle is divorced from being controlled by the higher principle of what it means to love God so that the subordinate principle becomes an end unto itself, it will become twisted into something horribly evil.

There is a difference between how political correctness and God will paint the perfect picture of love. The former would have us accept, tolerate and include all diversity, even immorality and what God has revealed to be lies. On the other hand, God teaches us that it is in everybody's best interest for us to pursue what is truly good and to reject what is evil. At times, to love God and seek the well-being of our neighbor can prescribe being intolerant of what is hurtful to our neighbors and to those around them.

1/Matthew 7:1 2/Romans 15:7 3/Romans 14:22 4/Ephesians 1:10 5/1 Cor. 5:12-13 6/Matthew 7:21-22 7/Galatians 1:6-9 8/Romans 1:18 9/Matthew 22:36-39

by Jimmy Jividen

One of the greatest tools of the devil is intimidation. If he can cause people to be afraid of social rejection or physical persecution, he is satisfied. A man who will not stand up for what he believes will soon stop believing at all. A man's faith does not fail all at once, it is lost one compromise at a time. One little compromise will lead to another, until there is nothing left to compromise.

In many social circles it is discomforting to speak of one's faith in God, of love for Jesus, or of faith in the Scriptures. It does not seem like the time or the place to discuss spiritual things. Social intimidation causes one to remain quiet when others profane God's name or sneer at His teachings. It is hypocritical to confess faith before an approving audience and then keep silent when others would be disapproving.

One of the most cowardly groups recorded in Scriptures were faint-hearted Jewish rulers. John says about them, "Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God" (Jn. 12:42,43).

These rulers had faith, but they wanted to keep it a secret. A secret faith cannot last. The secrecy will destroy the faith, or faith will overcome the secrecy.

Peter was bold to confess his faith when summoned before the Council. Forbidden by the rulers to speak anymore in the name of Jesus, he said, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19,20).

Those who believe in someone or something strongly enough will welcome the opportunity to speak up. If you are a Christian, stand up for Jesus and His teachings.