Friday with Spurgeon

If we labor for souls, we must not be content unless souls are really saved, for the apostle says, "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God." Well, does not that satisfy you, Paul? They are zealous for God. They are red-hot. "No," says he, "not unless it is in the right way. They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." We feel very thankful when we see tears stream down the cheek, but you know, people cry at the theatre, and there is not much in it. Pray God it may not end in a shower of tears; but that the heart may bleed as well as the eyes weep. It may happen that we have induced our hearers to give up some outward sins. So far, so good. But it is written, "You must be born again;" and if this vital change is not experienced, all outward reformation will land them short of Heaven.-Charles H. Spurgeon

As I read this quote out of "Spurgeon Gold," I thought about Nicodemus in John chapter 3. Maybe you don't know about Nicodemus and his nocturnal dialogue with Jesus Christ, so let me lay a bit of it out here.

3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Three Things:

1. Religion can't save a man-I don't know anyone today who goes to Church as much as Nicodemus, as a Pharisee, probably went to Synagogue. Yet, Jesus told him squarely, 'you must be born again to see OR enter the Kingdom of God.' Dear Sir or Madam, your membership and active participation in the Church of your youth do nothing to earn you favor with God. I recall times of speaking with people about their need for the Savior, only to hear "I take my family to Church EVERY week." That says nothing of one's standing with God. Unless you are born again, you cannot (utter impossibility) see the Kingdom of God. As sad as it may seem, millions of very sincere folks sit in pews of Church services weekly, and have no idea that without repentance, there is no salvation. The Pharisees were expert at playing the part of religious folks, yet inwardly their hearts in many cases, were far from God. The Bible is chock-full of warnings for us to "examine ourselves, to be sure we are in the faith." Going to Church regularly, giving money and gifts to the poor and others, or even affirmation of the claims of Christ, mean nothing if one is not born again.

2. It is not enough to have head knowledge of Jesus-Sir or madam, maybe you walked down an aisle at Church, or said a "sinner's prayer" or otherwise made a public profession of faith in Christ. From that day till now, however, there has been no change in affections, hunger for the things of God, love of and growth in Holiness, love for the brethren, and a growing hatred of sin. I would admonish you to examine yourself. Matthew 7:21 has the Lord Himself exclaiming "depart from me, I never knew you" to folks who had even cast out demons in His name. Your "knowing" God is not going to be a pass to enter the Kingdom when you die and leave this earth. It's God's knowledge of YOU. Does the Lord know you as His own? If you are unsure, now is the time to examine yourself in light of Scripture.

3. The faith that saves, is a faith that changes-Did you know that the devils believe in God, and tremble at that belief? (James 2:19) We know that the devils aren't going to Heaven, so what is it that makes your belief different than theirs? Tears at the preaching of the Word (as Spurgeon illustrates), feeling bad when you wrong someone, or even being afraid of Hell do not prove that one has been made a child of God. You must be born again.

I realize that the type of self-examination that is required here is hard. It forces us to humble ourselves and honestly assess our situation before a standard that is much higher than our own. In light of what's at stake, there is nothing in the world more important. Even if you live to be 100 years-old, eternity proves that this life is but a vapor. Where will you spend your eternity, and on what basis do you believe that? There are some hard admissions to be made, even for believers. It is absolutely not only for the unbeliever to examine him/herself; it is the duty of every Christian to examine ourselves as well. 1 John gives us a good "test," if you will to conduct an examination of our faith. Please, if you read this and are unsure of the destiny of your eternal soul, take some time to consider this message:

You have to face God when you die. The Bible says all have sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God, this means you, I, and everyone human on this planet. There is none righteous, not even one. If you've told one lie that makes you guilty of breaking God's law. God's perfect justice requires that He punish sin, and His punishment for sin (which is in our nature, not just our activities) is eternity in Hell. This is horrid, yet there is hope. God the Father sent His Son Jesus (fully God and fully man) to the earth. He lived a life of perfection that none of us is able to replicate. He was murdered by Crucifixion (died on a Cross) took upon Himself the wrath of God that we all deserve. Three days later, He ROSE FROM THE DEAD!!!! He defeated the grave in conquering death! Through the perfect life of Christ, His shed blood, death, burial and resurrection, God grants forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who believe. For this to happen, you MUST BE BORN AGAIN. This is a work that only God can accomplish. This is when God supernaturally gives you a new heart and comes to live in you in the person of the Holy Spirit. Because of this new heart and the Holy Spirit, there will begin to be a hunger for the righteousness of God that will lead to repentance, turning from sin, and trusting Christ as Lord and Savior. Repent, and obey the Gospel.

If you have read this and are a believer already, never forget the Gospel. It is not only how we come to be saved, it is how we are sustained day by day. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is a phenomenal truth-get out and share it with the lost.

Friday With Spurgeon

My thoughts

over the last week or so have really focused on evangelism. I felt that I had used excuse after excuse for why my fervor for the proclamation of the Gospel to strangers had waned. Quite frankly, excuse time was over for me. I thought back to the days when like Lecrae, I had a "backpack full of tracts, plus a Johnny Mac......" Johnny Mac of course being a John MacArthur Study Bible. I would leave a tract AND a handsome tip at every restaurant my family ate in. I would carry them to the malls, and to WalMart, and wherever else I went and would approach a stranger with "did you get one of these? It's a Gospel tract; do me a favor, take 3 minutes and read it will ya?" Almost never was the tract turned down. Quite the contrary actually; I found myself surprised often at the amount of folks who seemed genuinely thankful that someone cared enough to pass it to them. "Hey, thanks I appreciate it" was a common response. So why did I ever stop? Well, here's the section that finds me being transparent and a bit embarrassed. It was actually one man's exposition of Matthew 28:19, and the perspective that the passage speaks of "making disciples" as the thrust of evangelism. In other words, this person reasoned, passing out tracts isn't really the method God has chosen to add to His Church. Random acts of evangelism and tract-distributing didn't necessarily fall into Biblical evangelism. Anyway, I began to think differently at the purpose for passing out tracts; sort of an all or nothing deal. If you can't pass out a tract AND present the Gospel to a person, the tract is worthless. Needless to say, I have rejected that line of thinking in light of several passages of Scripture.

Paul Kaiser, at The Reformed Evangelist wrote an excellent treatment on 10 Reasons for Using Gospel Tracts. In his article, he makes several excellent points that are worth considering. I would commend this article to you as an encouragement to spreading the Gospel. One theologian (also Reformed) says of evangelism, "we are all sent. it is our calling to be witnessess. EVERY Christian must get in the game." Well said. Romans 1:16 lets me know that in the Gospel, the power of God unto Salvation dwells. It also mentions not being ashamed of the Gospel, which is another thought altogether. What of planting seeds of the Gospel? Is there no value in that anymore? The Bible certainly puts value on it. 1 Corinthians says one plants, one waters, and God gives the increase. If the Gospel is clear in the tracts I chose, how is that not planting seeds? God's Words are alive, and powerful (Hebrews 4:12), spoken or written. The question isn't whether God can use tracts to bring conviction, repentance and faith in the life of a sinner. Of course He can, so long as the tract conveys the truth of God's Word concerning our nature and the consequence and remedy of that nature. The question is whether I will allow such a solid way of distributing God's truth to be stymied by misunderstandings of what God wants from us. The answer is now no. I thought last night after doing an Exemplary Husband study with a dear Brother of mine, what's the best way to Glorify God; never share the Gospel until there is opportunity for dialogue and discourse, or touch as many people with the Gospel through tracts as possible? The latter actually opens up more opportunity for the former. LOL. I discovered all this time I had been duped. Duped into believing that passing tracts was in some way ineffective. The notion actually appealed to my sinful flesh because now I could do even less and depend even more heavily on God's Sovereignty in Salvation. Well, praise God, I'm back to square 1. That is, God's Sovereignty and my diligence will not be separated. Excuses out the window, it's now time to prayerfully select a smorgasbord of tracts that clearly and effectively put the Gospel of my Savior on display. (I will later post resources for solid Gospel Tracts for those of you who wish to get involved with evangelism from this perspective). Now take a moment to read what Spurgeon's take on tracts is. This, like all my Friday with Spurgeons, is from "Spurgeon Gold," I hope you enjoy it. I'll see you on the frontlines!! Grace and Peace!!!

Distribution of Tracts

"I well remember distributing them in a town in England where tracts had never been distributed

before, and going from house to house, and telling in humble language the things of the kingdom
of God. I might have done nothing, if I had not been encouraged by finding myself able to do
something...[Tracts are] adapted to those persons who have but little power and little ability, but
nevertheless, wish to do something for Christ. They have not the tongue of the eloquent, but they
may have the hand of the diligent. They cannot stand and preach, but they can stand and distribute
here and there these silent preachers . . . They may buy their thousand tracts, and these they can distribute
broadcast.
“I look upon the giving away of a religious tract as only the first step for action not to be compared
with many another deed done for Christ; but were it not for the first step we might never
reach to the second, but that first attained, we are encouraged to take another, and so at the
last . . . There is a real service of Christ in the distribution of the gospel in its printed form, a service
the result of which heaven alone shall disclose, and the judgment day alone discover. How many
thousands have been carried to heaven instrumentally upon the wings of these tracts, none can
tell.
“I might say, if it were right to quote such a Scripture, ‘The leaves were for the healing of the
nations’—verily they are so. Scattered where the whole tree could scarcely be carried, the very
leaves have had a medicinal and a healing virtue in them and the real word of truth, the simple
statement of a Savior crucified and of a sinner who shall be saved by simply trusting in the Savior,
has been greatly blessed, and many thousand souls have been led into the kingdom of heaven by
this simple means. Let each one of us, if we have done nothing for Christ, begin to do something
now. The distribution of tracts is the first thing.”