Comments on: Evangelism and the Erskine Brothers http://www.outreachnorthamerica.org/2010/04/evangelism-and-the-erskine-brothers/ Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 02 May 2012 14:45:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John Kimmons http://www.outreachnorthamerica.org/2010/04/evangelism-and-the-erskine-brothers/comment-page-1/#comment-105 John Kimmons Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:04:22 +0000 http://www.outreachnorthamerica.org/2010/04/evangelism-and-the-erskine-brothers/#comment-105 We have some church members who are employees about an hour away at the Univ. of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. They have felt somewhat isolated. They described their feelings as being in a spiritual wasteland. So for about the last six months I have been traveling there. The only proviso was that the core group had to keep inviting new folks. My job would be to teach and theirs would be to invite. We have as many as 20 - 25 there and we have even had to shift locations. We meet at lunch break and we walk through Scripture. Presently we’re using a John MacArthur Study Guide on I John. Recently we were asked to move once again. This time to the hospital cafeteria. The study gets great visibility there! One Wednesday, as we wound the study down, just as almost everyone had left, one man quietly said, “Well, I’m a Catholic and this seems different than what I’m experiencing. You understand and teach the Bible and Catholics don’t. What’s the deal?” Those are words of invitation to a former Catholic. There were two other men in the room, friends of Nick (not his real name), and I asked if they wanted to stay and if it was OK with Nick. Everyone agreed and in a relatively short time I had explained the real Good News to him. Just as you might have expected, when it came time for me to ask him, “Who would you say that Jesus really is?” - well another group had come to occupy the room and the tables! After re-locating to a smaller, nearby unoccupied office, Nick encouraged me to finish what I was telling him. He heard, perhaps for the first time, through newly opened ears, about the substitution of Jesus and His righteousness for Nick’s sinfulness. He was very quiet when I explained that temporary faith and intellectual faith just wouldn’t cut it. When I asked, Nick said that he absolutely would like to receive the gift of eternal life. His friends rejoiced at Nick’s response to the Good News. We prayed and when we lifted our heads, God had done the same thing in Nick that he had done with me. He changed Nick’s countenance! It was not hard to see that something was different in Nick. That was a few weeks ago now. I remember returning that evening and speaking with the elders and telling them that our investment had begun to pay dividends. God had smiled on our efforts and produced His results. It seems as though the drive to Galveston isn’t nearly as long these days because I’m wanting to know what’s new in Nick’s life. Nick is married. He has two kids. God isn’t finished with that family at all. He’s a rough, tough guy from the other side of the tracks. He’s all tattooed up and now he’s eminently lovable. And his friends who were waiting and praying for him to make that decision? They are both African-Americans and growing stronger in their faith each week. They needed to hear that the prosperity gospel and the health and wealth approach was to be questioned from Scripture. Now we’re praying for several of our other Wednesday attenders and I keep passing literature to Nick. It’s a pleasure to hear how he is growing each week. We have some church members who are employees about an hour away at the Univ. of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. They have felt somewhat isolated. They described their feelings as being in a spiritual wasteland. So for about the last six months I have been traveling there. The only proviso was that the core group had to keep inviting new folks. My job would be to teach and theirs would be to invite. We have as many as 20 – 25 there and we have even had to shift locations. We meet at lunch break and we walk through Scripture. Presently we’re using a John MacArthur Study Guide on I John. Recently we were asked to move once again. This time to the hospital cafeteria. The study gets great visibility there!

One Wednesday, as we wound the study down, just as almost everyone had left, one man quietly said, “Well, I’m a Catholic and this seems different than what I’m experiencing. You understand and teach the Bible and Catholics don’t. What’s the deal?” Those are words of invitation to a former Catholic. There were two other men in the room, friends of Nick (not his real name), and I asked if they wanted to stay and if it was OK with Nick. Everyone agreed and in a relatively short time I had explained the real Good News to him. Just as you might have expected, when it came time for me to ask him, “Who would you say that Jesus really is?” – well another group had come to occupy the room and the tables! After re-locating to a smaller, nearby unoccupied office, Nick encouraged me to finish what I was telling him. He heard, perhaps for the first time, through newly opened ears, about the substitution of Jesus and His righteousness for Nick’s sinfulness. He was very quiet when I explained that temporary faith and intellectual faith just wouldn’t cut it. When I asked, Nick said that he absolutely would like to receive the gift of eternal life. His friends rejoiced at Nick’s response to the Good News. We prayed and when we lifted our heads, God had done the same thing in Nick that he had done with me. He changed Nick’s countenance! It was not hard to see that something was different in Nick.

That was a few weeks ago now. I remember returning that evening and speaking with the elders and telling them that our investment had begun to pay dividends. God had smiled on our efforts and produced His results. It seems as though the drive to Galveston isn’t nearly as long these days because I’m wanting to know what’s new in Nick’s life. Nick is married. He has two kids. God isn’t finished with that family at all. He’s a rough, tough guy from the other side of the tracks. He’s all tattooed up and now he’s eminently lovable. And his friends who were waiting and praying for him to make that decision? They are both African-Americans and growing stronger in their faith each week. They needed to hear that the prosperity gospel and the health and wealth approach was to be questioned from Scripture. Now we’re praying for several of our other Wednesday attenders and I keep passing literature to Nick. It’s a pleasure to hear how he is growing each week.

]]> By: John Donald Jordan http://www.outreachnorthamerica.org/2010/04/evangelism-and-the-erskine-brothers/comment-page-1/#comment-102 John Donald Jordan Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:09:34 +0000 http://www.outreachnorthamerica.org/2010/04/evangelism-and-the-erskine-brothers/#comment-102 Great words John and if we would be as eager about missions and evangelism as we are about other things we would put the ARP church on the go. Thanks for your emphasis. Don Great words John and if we would be as eager about missions and evangelism as we are about other things we would put the ARP church on the go. Thanks for your emphasis. Don

]]> By: Jan Sattem http://www.outreachnorthamerica.org/2010/04/evangelism-and-the-erskine-brothers/comment-page-1/#comment-101 Jan Sattem Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:04:16 +0000 http://www.outreachnorthamerica.org/2010/04/evangelism-and-the-erskine-brothers/#comment-101 Well, how about if we circulated success stories? How about if we mutually encouraged each other by sharing how God had used us in His harvesting process? Maybe it would light a fire if we heard how God was using our brothers to scatter seed and to harvest? Perhaps our palates need to be salted so that we can thirst with a holy thirst to be used more by God in His kingdom expansion. We have plenty of great success stories here at Good Shepherd that I could speak about! I wouldn't be a bit surprised if other pastors weren't experiencing the same! Well, how about if we circulated success stories? How about if we mutually encouraged each other by sharing how God had used us in His harvesting process? Maybe it would light a fire if we heard how God was using our brothers to scatter seed and to harvest? Perhaps our palates need to be salted so that we can thirst with a holy thirst to be used more by God in His kingdom expansion. We have plenty of great success stories here at Good Shepherd that I could speak about! I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if other pastors weren’t experiencing the same!

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