May 28, 2000 Volume 1 Number 22
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The
Road To… Everyday
in our lives we are or should be walking the road that leads to Heaven,
but there is something we must keep in mind. This road to heaven is
actually a two-way road. In one direction it’s a road that leads us to
eternal bliss, to the very presence of God Almighty.
In the opposite direction it is the road to eternal death,
eternal misery, eternal separation from God, it is the road to hell. The
Bible paints a clear picture of the two roads and their distinct
characteristics. Matthew
writes in chapter 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide
is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there
are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is
the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Just
like we have to work to travel the road to heaven we must also work to
go to Hell, although the labor is much easier. The
Road To Hell We
would like to consider some verses in Chapter One of the book of Romans:
First of all, notice verse 18, which tells us, “For the wrath
of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Who
are the ungodly and unrighteous? Who are the people who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness? Beginning in verse 21 we will see what one
must do to be classified as such a person. It will also illustrate for
us how to travel the road to hell. Verse 21 says, “because,
although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were
thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts
were darkened.” F The
first step to travel in this direction is taken when we
do not glorify God as God. Throughout
Scripture we see example after example of God being glorified as
supreme. One way we glorify
God by honoring His word. The Holy Spirit disclosed God’s Word to Man
(John 16:7, 13-14). Jesus
glorified God by teaching His Father’s will and not His (John
7:16-18). Man must glorify God by obeying God’s will and teaching it.
In 1 Pet 4:11, it says, “If anyone speaks, let him speak
as the oracles of God…that in all things God may be glorified through
Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and
ever. Amen.” When we speak we
need to do so in accordance to God’s words. We must also listen to God’s
words. Ecclesiastes 5:11
says, “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw
near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not
know that they do evil.” We
are to draw near and listen. Along
with listening we must also do God’s will. Jesus glorified God by
accomplishing the work God had set aside for Him. John 17:4 says, "I have glorified You on the
earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do”. By
fulfilling the Old Testament Law and bringing into fruition prophetic
statements made about the Messiah, He, Jesus, glorified God. As mere men
we must and can glorify God by doing God’s will. The middle part of 1
Pet 4:11 says, “…If anyone ministers, let him do it as with
the ability which God supplies…its
conclusion is as quoted above…that in all things God may be
glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the
dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
We must work in the Lord’s vineyard.
If we don’t
glorify God as God, we will take the first step down a slippery path
which leads to hell. Next
week we will continue our study in this section of Scripture.
It is not only important to know what steps we must take to make
it to heaven, but also the signs, or steps, that will lead us the wrong
way. Have
you ever been lost while driving to a new destination? O.K., Let’s
rephrase that. Remember the
last time you were lost driving to a new destination? When you looked at
the map you looked for signs to determine what direction you were
traveling. When a sign came
that indicated your direction you either breathed a sigh of relief or
your jaw hit the map in front of you, either way, you new your
direction. When we stop honoring God and His will we begin to travel the
wrong way. The way, that
leads to hell. We also
begin to listen to someone else’s voice; the voice of Satan.
Guess which way he wants us to travel?
I think you get the picture. There
are but two ways to travel in this life.
To Heaven or Hell. Make
sure you know the road signs. By
the way, don’t think you can just stand in the middle, if you do, you
just become “road kill.” ~Carlos Aguilar  How Do You Deal With An Angry Spouse? A
Bible School teacher met me in the hallway one Wednesday night, several
years ago, to confront me over a mistake I made. I could almost see the
fire shooting out of her eyes as she said, "Norman, I'm really angry
with you." I'm usually not very sharp in a situation like that, but I
thought I came up with the perfect response. I said, "You can't be
angry with me. The Bible says, 'do not let the sun go down while you're
still angry,' and it's after sundown." That didn't slow her down. She
said, "I've got until sundown tomorrow night." From that
experience I learned that a humorous jab combined with a proof text does
not turn away wrath. How
do you handle an angry person? If you're married, you have probably faced
an angry spouse more than once. I know I sure have in our thirty-six years
of married life. I know a lot more about what doesn't work than what does,
so let me share a few other techniques of responding to anger that usually
turn sour. Ignoring
the angry person. When your spouse has a legitimate grievance and you just
ignore it, you can expect intensified anger. The other party has an
additional reason to be angry. He or she is not being taken seriously. Responding
with clever put down statements. Most of us are competitive by nature and
we harbor the illusion that a sharp reply renders the opponent helpless.
The witty reply can easily backfire on you. In the long run everybody who
plays the one-upmanship game probably loses. Making
yourself a martyr. Some people try to win by appearing to lose. If you can
make people think that your critic has taken unfair advantage of you, then
you can often gain sympathy for your cause and scorn for your adversary.
Thus some people wear their feelings on their sleeves, hoping to
capitalize on the natural sympathy that people show to the underdog. When
martyrdom becomes a conscious means of manipulating sympathy, it's
dishonest and most people can see through that ploy. What does work? Perhaps James gives the best advice when he says, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:19-21). Think before you react. It will keep you out of a lot of trouble. Norman Bales Make
Your Marriage Great ! Follow-up
on Visitors Leads to Conversions
Recently while visiting a congregation, I became acquainted with a
man who uses a very successful plan for personal evangelism. Every
congregation could have his program in operation. As you read this account
of what he is doing, be thinking about how you could do something similar.
The brother works like this. Every Sunday he "works the
lobby" of the church building. He is very alert to watch for anyone
coming to a service who is not a member of the congregation. As such a
person enters the door, he moves quickly to greet them and to help them
feel welcome. He is sure to get their name, address, and phone number. He
helps them find an appropriate class or a place in the auditorium. He
seeks to make their first experience a very pleasant and beneficial one.
On Sunday afternoon or Monday he calls to let the person or family
know their visit was appreciated. He also drops them a letter. After all,
if they have taken the initiative to visit a service, they obviously are
sending a message of interest that deserves immediate attention. His first
objective is to get them back a second time and he does whatever is
appropriate to achieve this end.
When the person or family visits a second time, our brother not
only welcomes them and assists them, but invites them to lunch at a
restaurant after service. He wants them to feel appreciated and accepted.
He does not take them home because some people will feel more comfortable
in a neutral location. At this lunch, he asks questions and seeks to get
to know the person or family. He lets them talk. He seeks to find out
their needs and interests. He listens and notes what spiritual needs could
become the basis for more contact. He does not bring up the church at this
lunch. He does not want the person to feel "pounced on." If they
ask questions about the church, he will answer, but his primary objective
at lunch is to let the person talk and to feel someone is genuinely
interested.
In the week following the luncheon, our brother calls the person or
family and asks to visit their home. Since they are now pretty well
acquainted and have established a warm relationship, they will probably be
willing to welcome him to their home. At this visit, he seeks to show how
the church can meet the spiritual needs of the person or family. His
objectives now are primarily to keep the person or family attending and to
start with them a home Bible study.
If they are willing, he will begin to study with them according to
what he thinks will work best for their particular situation--maybe open
Bible study, maybe videos, or some other approach. He seeks to tailor the
approach to the particular case. At the right time in the study, our brother will, of course, ask the person or family to act on the basis of the study--to be baptized or, if they are wayward members, to make the necessary steps to become faithful. He is patient with this step but, at the same time, is not shy about a call to action.
Through this plan, our brother has brought twenty to Christ during
1999. The plan is one every congregation could put in place. One member or
a few members, depending on the size and interest, could follow this
approach. They would have as their objective to identify every visitor to
a service and initiate an effort to get them back a second time. On the
second visit, they would invite the family out for a meal following the
service or make some other type of contact to provide an opportunity for
developing a personal relationship and for listening to their needs. After
this, those working the plan would make a direct contact to seek to set up
a personal study.
The plan is simple, something any congregation could do and it
costs no money. Those who take the initiative to visit services are
certainly excellent prospects and a very carefully developed plan of
immediate follow-up is essential if a congregation is to take advantage of
the opportunity such visits afford. One of the keys to the success of this
plan is that the person who greets a guest in the lobby is also the one
who makes the personal contact and eventually seeks to set up the study.
This approach makes the whole process seem much warmer and builds on the
personal relationship established. Give this plan a try. Every congregation could be doing it. Every member in the congregation could be helping. We could be doing it too! Sentence
Sermons More people are
run down by gossip than by automobiles. The road to ruin is wide and broad and is easily traveled. We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study. 2
Sam 22:31
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