Archive for Evangelism
“Oh Crap, They Got Me” – Part One October 6, 2010
I’m a MAC user…and I make zero apologies for it. I have a Mac book pro, and ipad, two ipods…and would have an iphone if the service wasn’t with AT&T. (Iphones do not work on the Anderson campus of NewSpring…I wrote about this in more detail here and here.)
BUT…things haven’t always been that way for me…
There was a time when I was walking in the darkness…when there was little to no hope for me at all…many of you know those days well, back when we had a PC.
My life with the PC was awful…I can’t remember EVER having one that made it three months before it crapped out and crashed. My PC would always freeze up…and it seemed like we needed a full time IT guy just for me to keep the computer I had going.
Friends began to tell me about MAC’s…and that I should get one. They talked about how “life changing” a MAC would be…how much better it would make my life…how much more simple it was to use.
But…I had a hard heart and resisted the truth they were trying to speak to me. I was somehow going to make this PC thing work…I just needed to get the right computer, the right system, the right software, the right…uh…something.
YET…the result was more and more frustration. And…all the while my MAC friends kept telling me, “Perry, trust me, come over to a MAC, you will never regret it.”
SO…I did. Understand that I was still very much a skeptic and I didn’t want to become a MAC evangelist like my buddies were. (Seriously, they were obsessed with converting the world…they looked down on people who had PC’s and quite often would make sneering remarks about them.) I agreed to get a MAC…to try it out…but I was NEVER, I mean EVER, going to be a MAC snob. :-)
I didn’t like the MAC at first…my conversion was not an easy one. It was SO different…yet after about a week I had the hang of it…after about two weeks I fell in love with it…after a couple of months I bought my wife one…when the ipad came out I got one…I became a guy who became fiercely loyal to MAC products and (GASP) actually began telling people about them.
And today…I’m “that guy,” you know…the guy I said I would never become. Two things happened to me recently to put an exclamation point on that subject…
#1 – My sister in law was at our house and had a problem with her PC…so I said I would take a look at it (which if you know me is funny because of my lack of computer knowledge.) UH…I didn’t even remember how to use it. I am so used to a MAC and the way it is SO user friendly that I had a hard time even looking at the menu items on it…
AND…
#2 – I was in an airport recently and walked by a guy using a PC…and both looked down on him and felt sorry for him at the same time. It was right then that I realized, “CRAP…they got me!” I said I would NEVER do that…but now I was…
And then I began to reflect on how we as Christ followers often go through the same thing when it comes to our conversion…I will explain that in detail tomorrow…
A Divine Slap In The Face September 14, 2010
To say that God “rocked my world” last week would be an understatement…it was more like a divine slap in the face and a sobering reminder that lost people really do matter to God!
Here’s the way it happened…
Charisse (my three year old daughter) and I went to get ice cream last Friday night. (One of her favorite things to do!) There is a place near our home called “Yogo Express” that has become one of her favorite places…you go in, get a cup, put the yogurt in it, THEN go to the toppings area and put your toppings on and then you pay…by the ounce.
When we walked in the place was slammed, there were people everywhere. So…I held her hand and we walked together to the area where we got our yogurt cups…she wanted chocolate yogurt with mint chips for her topping, so, I put all of that in her cup and then got ready to get mine.
BUT…when I looked down to tell her that hers was ready…she was GONE!
GONE!!!
I looked around and didn’t see her anywhere.
She had been right by my side five seconds before that…
I panicked!
Seriously…the scenarios that can run through a parents mind in a short amount of time are unbelievable.
I began calling her name…and I literally was plowing over people…trying my best to control my heart as it was literally about to explode out of my chest.
Then, after only about seven seconds (seemed like an eternity though) I saw her…she had gone to get napkins for us but had not told me.
I scooped her up and hugged her…and I can’t explain to you the overwhelming joy that shot through my body as I knew that she was not lost! (If you are a parent and this has happened to you…you know exactly what I’m talking about.)
I kept her close to me for the rest of the night…and when I put her down to bed I hugged her a little longer and and little tighter…I thought she was lost, gone…but she wasn’t, and for that I was (and AM) so thankful.
However, later on that evening I felt the Lord say to me, “Now you know how I feel about lost people.”
BAM!
Seriously, I have preached on the importance of evangelism for a long time. In fact, one of our core values here at NewSpring Church is, “Found People Find People.” However, I had NEVER viewed the importance of evangelism through the lenses of a father who is obsessed with the lost…not like that!!!
The feeling God allowed me to feel for seven seconds was one of the deepest, most intense feelings I’ve EVER felt…and because of that Luke 19:10 has taken on a whole new meaning!
God is PASSIONATE about reaching lost people…and HIS followers SHOULD BE AS WELL! Evangelism is not an option for those who say they are followers of Jesus…it is a COMMAND! AND…read through Luke 15 and notice that in each of the three stories something is lost, what is lost is found…and because of the lost being found a party/celebration begins!!!
Lost people matter to God; therefore, they should matter to HIS church!
One more thing…NewSpring Church, let’s keep doing this…let’s keep doing ALL WE CAN to reach out to people who are far from God! Let’s share our faith with them…let’s get them to church THIS Sunday…and let’s continue to BEG God to give us a harvest of souls unlike the world has ever seen!!!
Dear NewSpring Family… August 23, 2010
Howdy!
As I said in last nights post I feel like the Lord is doing something amazing in our church right now…I have never witnessed this level of excitement and anticipation at any point in our 10 year history.
A couple of weeks ago (on August 8th) we began our current series (I Love The 80′s) with a message entitled “Found People Find People” where we looked at the story in John 1:43-51 about how Phillip found Nathaniel. In that service we passed out refrigerator magnets and had everyone write the names of people who we were going to pray for AND invite to church on August 29th. (THIS COMING SUNDAY!) BTW…you can watch/listen to that message here if you missed it…OR if you want to see it again.
We also had a live event at each campus where I taught for two hours on why evangelism is so important AND how to practically share Christ with someone (and we are already hearing stories of people receiving Christ as a result!) Over 4,000 people attended and were trained! (You can watch that event here or download it for free on itunes – it is on the NewSpring Church podcast.)
And so…this coming Sunday is THE SUNDAY I asked you to pray for and invite people to in regards to us doing a service where a very clear presentation of the Gospel is given…and there is a very clear call to respond.
Every time we have done a service like this we’ve seen HUNDREDS of people come to Christ…and our church is NEVER the same as a result. Needless to say…I can’t wait for Sunday…and would ask you as our church family to do several things…
#1 – Take some time every single day this week to pray for our services this Sunday.
We have worked hard and prepared for months for this day…but if God does not move then we’re screwed! Let’s take some time this week to BEG HIM to move in and be THE DIFFERENCE in our services…let’s LIVE OUT Isaiah 62:6-7 and literally not leave Him alone all week long!!!
#2 – Make yourself available this week by praying every single day, “God, here I am, take me and use me to invite people to church and/or share my faith today!”
#3 – Do whatever it takes to get people to church on Sunday.
I know that it CAN be discouraging to keep inviting people and then you are told “no,” don’t give up…they may need just one more invite. Let’s live out II Peter 3:9 to those who so desperately NEED HIM!!!
#4 – Get to church a little earlier this Sunday.
We are expecting record attendance at each campus…so whatever time you normally get to church…try for about 10 minutes earlier.
Like I said earlier…I cannot wait to see what Jesus does this weekend! I really do LOVE our church…and I love the way that you respond each time this challenge is issued!!!!
Let’s do ALL we can to reach ALL we can and then place it ALL in HIS HANDS!!!
A Final Thought On Evangelism From This Week August 13, 2010
WOW…what an amazing week…over 5,000 people trained in how to share their faith.
One final thought…in the seminar I spoke about II Corinthians 5:16, how we are to not look at people from a worldly point of view…in regards to that Scripture I wanted to share this quote from “The Weight of Glory” by C.S. Lewis…
“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would strongly be tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.”
Let’s reach the world NewSpring Church!!! (He didn’t say that, I did!) :-)
SEE YOU ON SUNDAY!!!
David December 23, 2009
There is a dude that most of you will never meet on this side of eternity named David…and at one time in my life I wanted to punch him in the throat because he would not leave me alone…EVERYTIME I turned around he was inviting me to his stupid church!
When he saw I wasn’t going to come to a Sunday service he asked me to come and play basketball…which TOTALLY got my attention. AND…I started playing football with a crew from his church on Sunday’s as well.
Then he asked me to come to a Bible study…to which I told him what I thought about the Bible and was about to lower to boom when he told me there would be hot girls there…
I went…and didn’t miss a night for about six months or so! (BTW…NONE of them were hotter than Lucretia…I’m just sayin!)
David started inviting me to church in the Spring of 1989…he was always nice, always offered to take me there and bring me home and NEVER gave up on me. And so…several MONTHS later after throwing out every excuse imaginable…I went…and was BLOWN away by how friendly people were…and how powerfully the Gospel was preached.
I went back the next week…and the next…until finally on a Sunday night in May of 1990 I surrendered my heart to Christ and told Him I would follow Him for the rest of my life.
There are so many things that happened to bring me to that place…but one of the MAIN INFLUENCES on me was a guy named David. He didn’t sing a song or preach a message or wear a REALLY bad Christian T-shirt…he simply decided to be my friend and, for some reason, he NEVER gave up on me.
I tell this story on today’s blog because…all of us need to be a “David” in someone’s life. God has placed in where we are in this world and in our circles of influence for a reason! Who is it that you are allowing God to absolutely burden you for? Whoever it is…don’t give up.
Today we begin our Christmas services here at NewSpring Church…and there will be MULTIPLE opportunities for you to bring someone to church. (Here is a link with the service times for each campus…and even if you haven’t yet RSVP’d…COME ON, we’ve got room for you and WHOEVER you want to bring!)
Don’t give up on that person…
And NEVER take the responsibility of inviting someone to church lightly (See Acts 10:14 and Acts 10:17). When God changes someone’s life the possibilities are potential in that person becomes unlimited.
SO…NewSpring Church…do what it takes…get people here, and BEG for Jesus to capture hearts and draw people to Himself.
I can’t wait!
URGENCY!!! (Part Two) December 11, 2009
One of the things I’ve been begging God for is a renewed sense of urgency when it comes to reaching this world for Christ!!! I don’t ever want to get to the point where I get so wrapped up in “church work” that evangelism is neglected.
Which takes me back to my story yesterday about Jennifer. There was a CLEAR opportunity in front of me…she CLEARLY was in danger…she was CLEARLY unaware of what was taking place…she CLEARLY thought I was joking around the first time I spoke with her…and all of this makes me think…
#1 – WHAT IF I had simply decided to just commit to praying for her?
#2 – WHAT IF I had decided that I didn’t really want to place myself in an uncomfortable situation?
#3 – WHAT IF I had turned my back on what was happening right in front of me?
#4 – WHAT IF I had said, “this isn’t REALLY that important…and now’s just not the best time to draw attention to this?”
#5 – WHAT IF I had said, “Well, I can’t help everyone being robbed…what about the person in the jungle who gets robbed, who is going to help that person?”
#6 – WHAT IF I had given up on trying to get her away from danger after she didn’t respond the first time?
#7 – WHAT IF I had decided to enroll in Bible studies on how to warn people who were being robbed?
#8 – WHAT IF I had not realized that someone’s life was at stake?
IT COULD HAVE GONE BAD…REALLY BAD!!!
Guess what…when it comes to sharing Christ and inviting people to church…there is WAY more at stake than there was with Jennifer in Ryans that day. We’re talking eternity.
There really is a heaven…and there really is a hell…and people really do go to one or the other!
And we can’t make excuses any longer…we’ve got to be willing to do whatever it takes to reach these people and tell them about Jesus…
If you are a member or regular attender of NewSpring I am asking you to do three things…
#1 – Read Luke 14:15-23 and Luke 15:1-10 and see how JESUS feels about people who are lost and far from Him!
#2 – Ask God WHO you need to BRING to church with you THIS MONTH!!! Seriously…ask Him to place someone (or multiple people) on your heart after reading the Scripture above. (We are going ALL OUT THIS SUNDAY to share the GOSPEL…you SERIOUSLY NEED to get people here!!!)
#3 – SEIZE the opportunities that God puts in front of you! Read Isaiah 40:6-8, we have a limited time on this big ball of dirt we call earth…and we have a direct command from our Savior to REACH the world for Him (Matthew 28:18-20)…the WORLD begins with those who God has placed right in front of us…so let’s go for it!!!
URGENCY!!! (Part One) December 10, 2009
Have you ever been robbed?
I remember working at a steakhouse here in the upstate MANY years ago (before I knew Christ) and experiencing what I NEVER thought would happen…
It was a Saturday afternoon and, for some reason, we were slammed. The line was literally out the door and I happened to be working the cash register. (People would go through the line, get their drink, order their food and then pay before they sat down.)
So this guy handed me his ticket…I looked at him and noticed he had the hood on his jacket over his head…AND he had on a pair of gloves. I literally thought to myself, “It’s not cold outside…maybe this guy is going to try to rob me.”
I told him how much he owed…he threw a $20 bill at me…and I opened up the cash register to get his change…
That’s when he reached inside of his jacket (and as I saw his hand I began to tell myself, “THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!!”)
He then began pulling out the largest knife I’ve EVER seen in my life and said something like, “You need to hand me the money.” To which I simply hit one button on the cash register…it opened up…and I told the guy, “it’s yours” while backing away with my hands in the air.
He instructed me to come back to the register and hand him the money…and I told him in a very direct way that his command would NOT be happening! (Did I mention the knife was HUGE?)
So, he came around the counter and approached the register to take out the money…
Then I saw Jennifer.
She was a waitress who worked there…and wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on. The cash register was right next to the window where the servers would come get the food…and she was standing there goofing off with the guys in the kitchen.
He stopped looking at the money for a second and looked at her…so I said, “Hey Jennifer, could you come here for a second.” (By this time I had backed WAY up and was standing about 10 feet from where the robber was.)
She looked at me and noticed that I had my hands up and said something like, “Oh Perry, you’re so funny!”
I realized she thought this was a joke…that I was playing around…and she didn’t notice that right behind her was a dude who had a knife and was seemingly trying to decide between taking the money or taking her.
So I screamed…REALLY LOUDLY (and I think I might have used profanity) that there was a man behind her with a knife…and that she needed to cease and desist flirting with the kitchen boys and walk away. (That is the edited version.)
When I screamed the entire restaurant looked at me…and became VERY silent. Jennifer SPRINTED out of there…and the robbed grabbed the money and ran out the door.
(They caught him 15 minutes later…he was very high and wanted the money to buy more drugs.)
Looking back on that situation makes me see several things…
- Jennifer was in danger
- Someone had to tell her…she wasn’t going to just figure it out…she wasn’t paying attention
- I tried to tell her nicely…but she thought I was joking.
- Understanding the urgency of the situation I cast aside what others thought about me and was willing to make an idiot of myself to get her out of the danger that was right behind her that she was unaware of.
- Romans 10:14-17!!!
We are called to do the same with our friends and family members who do not know Christ!!! More about this tomorrow…