The People Had A Mind To Work - part 3

"I would do personal work, but I just don't know enough about the Bible." This is about the poorest excuse any child of God could offer for a lack of effort in doing personal work. It comes from a basic misunderstanding of what personal work is. Personal evangelism is preparing people to be receptive to hearing the gospel and then getting them in an environment where they can be taught. It does NOT mean that you or I have to do everything alone. Note the example of the limited commission given to the seventy disciples in Luke 10. Jesus sent them out to teach and preach two by two. The majority of the people I have baptized through personal work were those who were brought to me by a friend or relative. The Christian life lived before the unbeliever prepared them to hear the truth of God's Word. Then the non-Christian was given the opportunity to hear the truth. In some cases, the one who brought the non-Christian to me for study never said a word.

However, ALL Christians should desire to achieve an understanding of the scriptures that would allow them to study one-on-one without the need of another's assistance. Not only is this to be desired, it is to be pursued, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15 NKJV). Peter gave the following admonition, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet 3:15).

If you don't feel comfortable leading a friend or loved one in a Bible study, ask along someone whom you trust who has a good working knowledge of the Bible. It doesn't have to be the preacher. Some people feel intimidated by preachers. If you believe that to be the case, ask one of your elders or deacons. However, because of the denominational world's practice of the "single pastor system," taking a preacher along often gives credibility when the differences between denominational systems and the true church arise. As I have said before, so say I now again- nothing would please me more than to fill up the evening hours in personal Bible studies set up by my brethren.

By setting up and sitting in on personal Bible studies, you will learn the various passages that can be used to teach matters relative to salvation, how to deal with the controversies that will inevitably arise, how to anticipate and answer objections in future studies, and the great internal struggle people often go through to break away from what they have been taught all their lives to embrace simple New Testament Christianity (speaking from personal experience, this will leave a lasting impression on you).

What keeps us from having an adequate and working knowledge of the Bible? Many Christians are under the impression that they do not have enough time to learn the scriptures and use them effectively. This is not true! Stop for a moment and take a personal inventory of how you use your spare time (time not spent working, eating, or sleeping): Do you read a paper every day or nearly every day? How many non-religious magazines do you receive and read each month-- e.g., Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Time, Newsweek, Reader's Digest, Sports Illustrated, Southern Outdoors, etc.? How many non-religious books do I read each month? How much time do I really spend watching television each week? (If you will keep a personal log of the actual time- you might be surprised!) How much time do I spend talking on the phone every day? I believe if everyone will be honest in the previous evaluations, everyone will see that we do have time to read and study the Bible each day.

Next week, helpful hints on how to "redeem the time" (Eph 5:16). TC