'shine' Tagged Posts
The Problem With Walls
The single most polarizing topic in our culture today is the issue of the southern border of the United States and Mexico. Some are of the opinion that a physical barrier like a wall is the best solution; while others are certain that a wall is the worst solution possible. Everyone has an opinion, but few are willing to compromise. All involved agree that there must be a control over the border because a nation with no border is not…
Jesus the Living Water: PART 3
For the last couple of weeks we have been taking an in-depth look at the methods Jesus used in His efforts to win the Samaritan Woman’s soul. Today, we will conclude with PART 3 of this study of the Biblical account from John 4. The issue we so often run into when striving to be evangelistic is we really have struggles getting someone to even be interested in having a spiritual conversation. The problem lies in simply peaking someone’s interest…
Jesus the Living Water: PART 2
Last week, we took the time to break down the first thing that Jesus did to win the Samaritan woman’s soul in John 4. He took her by surprise. We discussed how we too need to begin to take our acquaintances by surprise in our every day conversations if we ever expect to begin to have successful spiritual dialogue with them. The fact of the matter is, if we ever truly want to have spiritual conversations with people, we are…
Jesus the Living Water: PART 1
For some, the most difficult part of evangelism and soul winning in our culture today is simply peaking someone’s interest towards a conversation about Christ. Sometimes we can go weeks, months, and even years before ever establishing a level of interest about the Gospel or about Christ with our co-workers, friends, neighbors, and family. We all KNOW this should not be the case, but regretfully… it is. It has become much easier to talk to them about work, sports, politics,…
Show Them Christ
You’ve been there haven’t you? You may be there right now. You might be at the place where you know someone who is lost, or you know someone needs to reach out. It may be that co-worker you’ve been just inches away from bringing up Jesus to. It may be a friend or a family member that you are so close to mentioning Jesus to. You might even find yourself saying… “I am not a minister, I have not had…
In the Maker’s Eyes
I have not had the blessing of raising a child and I am for sure not planning to do so soon, but I have been one before and have had experience with close friend’s children in the past. When you think about children’s art, or your art from when you were a child (and frankly, my art to this day), to be honest… it is horrible. Most times, it is an indistinguishable conglomeration of lines and shapes and crayon strokes…
The Blessing of Proclaiming
During this past quarter on Wednesday nights, I have had the immense opportunity to teach a course on personal evangelism in my office. The class has been one of the most enriching experiences I have ever had in ministry to date. The incredible roster of genuine evangelistically minded and hearted people has been an inspiration to me. At the beginning of the quarter, I challenged each student to select three individuals that they had an influence with whether that be…
The Heart of an Evangelist
Of all the people in the New Testament, there is only one person ascribed the name, “The Evangelist.” In the book of Acts, we read of a man named Philip, a man who wound up working in Caesarea. Before that, Philip was one of the seven chosen in Acts 6 as one of the men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom according to verse 3. Many believe this was the first institution of deacons…
The Greatest Conundrum Facing the Gospel Today
If someone were to sit down and begin writing a list of the greatest problems facing the Gospel today they would end up with a pretty extensive list. Division, confusion, hate, false teaching, comfort-zones, divisiveness, bias, and apathy are some, just to name a few, of the conundrums that the Gospel and those who proclaim it face on a daily basis. No doubt these are some troubling factors contributing to the issues, but they are not the greatest issue. The…
What Will You Become
Change is an unavoidable and inevitable fact of life. It will happen and does happen to every single person. In some areas of life there might be a need for change, while in other areas of life people would prefer you stay the same. Change is hard to deal with and hard to accept when something happens that you know will threaten your routine, your schedule, and possibly even place you in a state of doubt or worry. However, no…
Chosen or Frozen
There is no doubt that the people of God are the called out, the elect, the special people, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, and the chosen people of Earth. In fact, the Apostle Peter would blatantly point that fact out in the beginning of 1 Peter 2:9. It would be no surprise for many to open that passage up and think, “Oh yeah, I have heard this verse all my life.” Countless sermons and lessons have been extended and…