Topic(s): Humor

During an impassioned sermon on death and facing judgment, the visiting evangelist said forcefully, “Every member of this church is going to die and face judgment.” Early on in the sermon he noticed a gentleman smiling on the front row.

The minister kept pushing his theme: “Every member of this church is going to die.” The guy smiled even more while everyone else in the congregation had a very somber look. In an effort to get through to the guy, the preacher repeated it several more times forcefully, “EACH MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH IS GOING TO DIE.”

Each time the phrase was repeated, the man smiled more. This really got the preacher wound up and he preached even harder. The man still smiled. The preacher finally walked down off the platform to stand just in front of the smiling man and shouted, “I SAID, EACH MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH IS GOING TO DIE!”

At the end of the service the man was smiling from ear to ear. While everyone else was looking pretty grim from the prospect of entering eternity, the man seemed quite happy. After the service the preacher jumped down off the platform and worked through the crowd to find the man. Pulling him aside, the preacher said, “I don’t get it. Every time I said, ‘Every member of this church is going to die,’ you were laughing. I want to know why you did that?”

The man looked the preacher square in the eye and said confidently, “I’m not a member of this church.” —James Merritt

“A merry heart doeth good . . .” —Proverbs 17:22

The Lord Only Made One Race

Topic(s): Church, God

There is question that the Bible teaches there is only one race—the human race.

God created mankind in His image and in His likeness. We are the pinnacle of His creative activities. The Bible clearly states that all of the lineage of humanity came through one woman, Eve. She is defined as the “mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). But do we really believe that?

While congregations would argue that they are not racist, most congregations still remain segregated. While we preach about diversity and everyone having a special role in the body of Christ, we do not promote or celebrate integration because for many it is not comfortable . . . .

How many times have conversations been started in which a Christian says, “I’m not a racist or prejudiced, but . . .” But what! Christ is the Savior of blacks and whites. If we are going to purify the hearts of our children and grandchildren, we need to stop playing the blame game and start actively teaching them the biblical perspective that there really is only one race. —Brad Harrub

Door-Knocking

Topic(s): Evangelism, Family

Leon Estep, who for several years produced the “Open Bible Study” materials, says that the latest polling information places less than 2 percent of current Christians having been reached by door knocking. Statistics claim that you have to knock on average 95–140 doors to set up one Bible study. Of those Bible studies, on average it takes between 7–10 individuals to get one baptism. In essence, you have to knock between 700 and 1000 doors to get one baptism. Not good odds.

On the contrary, 73 percent of current Christians were reached by friends and family members. This means that our fields are in our own back yards. People in today’s climate will usually study only with someone they trust. Educating members to recognize opportunities to invite and encourage friends and family is crucial. “Friends and Family” days are creating great opportunities to have individuals at our facilities, but follow-up is critical.

I in no way minimize the importance of the 2 percent. Their souls are invaluable to our Lord; He died for them. However, we are also stewards of our time and resources. Should we spend the majority of our time on 2 percent or on 73 percent?

I don’t believe in America it is so much hostility to the gospel, as it is hostility toward those we associate with door knocking—Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others. Door knocking was once effective. Times have changed. We must never change the message, but we have to change our approach to the situation in which we find ourselves. —Mark Jamieson

On the Other Hand...

Topic(s): Evangelism

Recently (3 weeks ago), we concluded a 10-day campaign in which 5,500 flyers were distributed to homes in our community. While the flyers were not the main focus, it did introduce the church to a portion of the community. The main focus was to set up Bible studies. We did receive some hostile reaction. Generally, the main reaction was a “thank you, but not interested.” However, 26 Bible studies were set up. Some have drifted by the wayside. We have about 15 who said they are interested, but they were going on vacation or something similar. We will follow up on these contacts. We are still studying with a little over half of the original 26. This past Sunday, we baptized one as a direct result of the door-knocking campaign, and four others are seriously considering baptism. I write all of this to say although the “climate” in our society may be growing more negative towards the truth, there still are some who will open their hearts to God. —Robert R. Stephenson