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The Practice of the Presence of God (Free PDF)

“In conversation some days ago a devout person told me the spiritual life was a life of grace, which begins with servile fear, which is increased by hope of eternal life, and which is consummated by pure love; that each of these states had its different steps, by which one arrives at last at that blessed consummation.

“I have not followed these methods at all. On the contrary, I instinctively felt they would discourage me. Instead, at my entrance into religious life, I took a resolution to give myself up to God as the best satisfaction I could make for my sins and, for the love of Him, to renounce all besides.” (Second Letter)

“Brother Lawrence said that many do not advance in the Christian progress because they stick in penances and particular exercises while they neglect the love of God which is the end. This appeared plainly by their works and was the reason why we see so little solid virtue. He said there needed neither art nor science for going to God, but only a heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him and to love Him only.” (Third Conversation)

“Gradually become accustomed to worship Him in this way; to beg His grace, to offer Him your heart from time to time; in the midst of your business, even every moment if you can. Do not always scrupulously confine yourself to certain rules or particular forms of devotion. Instead, act in faith with love and humility.” (Seventh Letter)

Download “The Practice of the Presence of God” PDF

The Myth of Everlasting Torment (Free PDF)

The doctrine of hell has been a tender one for believers and unbelievers alike. The notion that a merciful God would send His children into eternal conscious torment for a period of finite blindness, rebellion or ignorance finds many placing themselves in the judgment seat over God or simply running from what they view as a cruel and heartless Creator.

Maybe even worse, there are those who would label themselves as “Christian” who choose to water down the promises of God (specifically, those pertaining to judgment) to assume a more comfortable relativism. They throw out the judgment teachings (along with the notion of sin) and arrive at a place where God can’t possibly hold His position as righteous judge because God is love. Yet this position turns a blind eye to almost the entire Old Testament and Israel’s repeated idolatry-judgment-destruction-repentance cycles. Yes, God is love, but He is also a righteous and holy God of order and justice and law.

I once heard a beloved pastor confidently take the traditionalist position of judgment-upon-death from the platform. This idea seems to not quite fit when held up to the White Throne Judgment we find in Revelation 20:11 where all are called to give an accounting for their lives. (I’m still wrestling with the tension between those two judgment events, as well as the third if a premillennial resurrection is a bodily resurrection and not a reference to the supernatural regeneration experienced by believers, per Revelation 20:5.)

The pastor was so sure of his position I was compelled to ask him about his thoughts on soul sleep after the service. With equal surety, he quickly dismissed soul sleep as having no Biblical foundation. When I contradicted him, he rightly asked for examples. Unfortunately, I had studied enough on conditionalism and soul sleep to recognize these concepts had a Biblical foundation, but I had not studied them enough to teach on them. I alluded to Psalm 115:17 with a clumsy reference to “the dead know nothing” and reassured him there were other Scriptures in support. Though the momentary look of self-doubt on his face told me he took my comment seriously, the bustle of the moment didn’t really allow for a deep dive and we have never reconnected on the issue.

Eventually, I stumbled across this thoughtful writing from a ministry called Wordonly. I have compiled the entire writing into a downloadable PDF for easy consumption and given them full credit for the work. Though a little rough around the edges at times, the evidence this piece puts forth must be considered if one is to stand with intellectual honesty on the debate between conditionalism (the extinction of sinners at the final judgment) and traditionalism (eternal life of conscious torment for sinners after final judgment.)

Download “The Myth of Everlasting Torment” PDF

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Matthew Schoenherr

Christian vs Narcissist: Fight the Good Fight

Being self-centred and self-loving is what we humans do best.

Me, my family, my community, my religion, my state, my country…. we come tuned that way. Rarely do we venture outside this realm.

But time and again Christians and non-Christians have made bold attempts at defying these norms and have put themselves at odds for an outsider.

But what if that outsider is a narcissist?

Narcissist: “A person who takes excessive interest in one’s self and one’s physical appearance.”

Taking this dictionary definition into account, who isn’t one? The name being derived from a mythical character Narcissus who fell in love with himself has been thrown left, right and centre about almost anyone for an act as simple as clicking a couple of selfies to the self-styled god-men and women who demand worship.

Don’t be surprised a good number of them include “Christians” too.

But I am not talking about the regular guy or girl who can’t take their eyes off the mirror. DSM 5, the ultimate authority for psychiatric diagnoses defines Narcissistic Personality Disorder as something far more sinister. These people, or patients rather, imagine themselves to be the very picture of perfection, entitled to belittle whomever they please; also flatter whomever they please (mostly for self-advancement). They totally lack empathy and feel justified to take advantage of others to achieve their own ends. Know someone like that??

The list might have narrowed down, but I am sure you all personally know at least one. The ‘narc’ in my life happened to be a senior colleague and she sure gave me a hard time at work. I regularly had to answer to non-issues that were blown out of proportion. Eventually, my otherwise benign boss had me called to a faculty department meeting for disciplinary action. All the while I was left wondering what was going on? I usually had a good rapport with all my colleagues, her included, or so I believed. But, she managed to turn my entire department against me.

I was not her only target. The narcissist usually leaves a train of victims in their wake. But, with time, I managed to gain the trust of my other colleagues and the truth started pouring in from different quarters. That helped me to get the whole picture of what was happening and eventually, I identified the person behind the curtain.

Hurt to know I was being played, I wanted to confront this person straight away. But my grad school training raised a red flag. I decided to research personality disorders and soon enough could put my finger on it. It was textbook. The textbook goes further to describe that narcissists lack insight and the worst thing you can do is call them out to their face. They will never own it up. There is no kiss and make up. Even if you manage to prove beyond doubt that they are the problem, it just gets stored up as narcissistic injury which will be unleashed at the opportune time.

So, what now?

Does the Bible have an answer to narcissism?

Let’s look into the life of David, our underdog shepherd boy, the only one who stood up to Goliath’s challenge while King Saul and his warriors were quaking with fear. The minute he completed the task, Saul went back on his promises. Saul denied him his first daughter’s hand in marriage. Then, when it looked bad on him, Saul offered his second daughter to David in return for another task that was sure to take his life. And when that didn’t work, Saul specifically asked for David to be his personal harpist, not because he liked music but because he irrationally feared David might plan a move against him, so he kept him close. Two murder attempts later, David decided to flee. He would have never harmed the Lord’s anointed and he proved it by sparing Saul’s life twice. Yet, Saul held malice in his heart against David.

But notice what David did; he went to the Lord in prayer. David distanced himself from Saul, but he did not take matters into his own hands. Matthew 10:16: “Behold I am sending you as sheep among wolves, therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.”

The root cause

Many psychiatrists agree that the underlying cause of narcissistic personality disorder is a deep-rooted sense of worthlessness that mostly stems from unpleasant childhood experiences in the form of real or perceived trauma. The narcissist perpetrators were likely victims themselves. They have chosen to hide this deep inner void by creating a pseudo persona of perfection, at the same time making sure that the others in their life are degraded so that their own self-degradation is bearable. I know its twisted and I am not making an excuse for them. But there really isn’t much these patients can do to help what they feel or do. There is no single or easy way to deal with them. But I would like to share a few thoughts on doing this the Christian way…

1. Determine if you’re dealing with a true narcissist

Look for the signs. Research narcissism. Yep, that is the first thing I did. And it was a wise decision. I learned about the disorder and realized that reasoning with them, as I would with any normal individual, is pointless.

2. Pray to God for wisdom to deal with the situation

Realize that if God has put them in your life, there is a reason for it. In my case, I was reminded that my faith will be tested like gold in fire. Difficult people and situations should never be a deal-breaker for a Christian. I had to wait for over a year before my other colleagues could begin to see the lies and understand that they were being manipulated against me. In the due course of time, she and her “flying monkey” (a narcissist’s enabler) were singled-out and lost face across the entire department.

3. Guard yourself

Be confident in who you are in Christ. The narcissist is known to lie, love-bomb, gaslight, berate and ignore you. Make sure you don’t give into it.

4. Don’t pay them back in their own coin

Tempting though it may seem, don’t stoop down to the narcissist’s level and react with gossip, insult or anger. Remember vengeance is the Lord’s.

5. Love your enemy

Sometimes it can seem too much to ask since narcissists have a way of sucking the life out of you and they might have been utterly savage in the way they brought you down. But remember, our battle is not against flesh and blood. Understand that these people are also a deceived lot like we once were. This did help me in the course of my own life lessons on forgiveness and compassion.

6. Share your faith

This is the ultimate gift you can give anyone and more so a narcissist. Because only Jesus can truly heal the hurt within by restoring the intrinsic worth of the narcissist and bringing about a genuine change in their personality. And who are we to deny them?

I am not just there with my colleague on this one. It is hard to convince even normal folk that they are sinners who need a saviour, much less a narcissist. But it’s on my heart for sure and I am confident God will make a way. Let’s challenge ourselves to step out of our “me and mine” circle and stand in the gap.

We may be their only hope.


Zephana Estefan, a doctor by profession, has come to the Lord in her late 20s. Ever since, she has had it in her heart to reach out to others struggling with their faith. She has always found writing as her forte and has been writing sermons for local Christian Youth Groups on and off. With the mission statement of 2 Corinthians 1:4, “We can comfort others when they are troubled with the same comfort God has given us,” she hopes to take His message to the one that needs to hear.

11 Prayers from the Bible Every Pastor Should Pray

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The Bible has much to teach us about prayer, but does it have any specific lessons on prayer that a pastor can learn?

Here is a list of eleven prayers prayed in the Bible and how they can be utilized as targeted prayers for pastors to pray.

1. The prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane

“Nevertheless not my will, but Thine be done.” (Luke 22:42-43)

Jesus knew His purpose from the start. He articulated it to His mother and father in Luke 2:49, when He boldly declared He must be about His Father’s business. But all this confidence and assurance of His purpose came under its heaviest pressure in the garden of Gethsemane. When hit with the harsh reality of what would happen soon, Jesus began to waver at His purpose! There are few, if any, truly called ministers who have never faced, or will never face the same dilemma. Like a knee-jerk reflex, the prayer most readily blurted out is “Let this cup pass from me!” Jesus did it, praying an honest prayer for how He felt—but He didn’t stop there. He surmounted fear with a prayer of surrender, thus setting the stage for an angel to minister to Him the strength He would need for the journey.  I think getting an angel to minister to you is enough motivation for any pastor to pray this prayer of Jesus.

2. The prayer of Jabez

“Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)

Is your ministry in a rut? Does the enemy have you stuck in stagnation? Perhaps it’s time to pray the prayer of Jabez. Now we know that challenges and seasons are expected in any pastoral ministry. But there is also the reality of demonic oppression that will stifle the spiritual productivity and purpose of a pastor and his ministry. In these situations, a wise pastor should deploy the prayer of Jabez. Pray this prayer to press into the promises that God has given to you. Use it to resist every principality that is intent on blocking God’s full will for your ministry and purpose. Use it to humbly and earnestly appeal to God for the release of His favour over your ministry.

3. The prayer of Solomon for his role as king

“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad” (1 Kings 3:6-14)

If you’re a new minister just starting the daunting duties of pastoral leadership, or—if you have been in the ministry for decades—the prayer of Solomon should never be forgotten. Solomon, in 1 Kings 3:6-14, had not yet been endued with the supernatural gift of wisdom. Yet, he was still wise enough to ask for understanding to lead and judge ‘so great a people’. The people of God should always be viewed as ‘so great a people’, who deserve being led by one who is himself led: by the Holy Spirit. The task of spiritual leadership should be met with a humble plea for Divine wisdom and understanding for the myriad of issues that a pastor will face every day. The prayer of Solomon is one for every pastor to cling to.

4. The prayer of Jehoshaphat when confronted by three armies

“for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (2 Chronicles 20:6-12)

The spiritual battles faced by a true minister are numerous and varied. They can even reach the point of causing a pastor to feel worn out and overwhelmed. When Jehoshaphat was made aware of the great multitude coming against him, it was enough for him to faint with fear. Such is the warfare a pastor faces at times. It is a multifaceted and vast attack, with no clear solution in sight. Any servant of God in such a position should grab hold of Jehoshaphat’s powerful appeal to the God in Heaven. Put all your hope in His help. Confess your impotence and ignorance in light of what you are faced with. Pray the prayer of Jehoshaphat and let your eyes be on the Lord.

5. The prayer of Stephen at his stoning

“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” (Acts 7:59-60)

Western Christianity tends to forget the reality of severe persecution faced by our brethren in other parts of the world. Many believers, including pastors, encounter daily threats to their property and lives, just for being connected to Jesus. The prayer of Stephen when he was being stoned to death, is a prayer that every Pastor should pray when he is attacked for his faith. For other ministers who may not face blatant physical assaults, this same prayer of forgiveness is still applicable. Criticism, slander, mockery and the like, must still find the pastor praying as Stephen prayed. Jesus proclaimed this principle in Matthew 5:44, when He taught His disciples to pray for those who spitefully use and persecute them. Praying this prayer will honour God, and pave the way for many persecutors to be saved! There’s also an added bonus: it will guard the heart of a pastor from becoming trapped in the web of bitterness.

6. The prayer of Abraham’s servant

“let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac” (Genesis 24:12-52)

Premarital counseling is one of the services many pastors offer to their members. It is meant to be preparation for marriage and the challenges that can arise in it. In spite of having formal training and certification in counseling, a pastor must always approach premarital counseling with a humble and deliberate dependence on God for His leading. It is a situation that requires discernment and sensitive discretion, and every pastor should pray for Divine guidance. What does God have to say about the couple before you? Is he or she the one God has appointed for the other? Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say. Let Him show you the areas to address in your counseling sessions. Pray with the couple. Pray the prayer of Abraham’s servant and ask the Lord to reveal if the starry-eyed sweethearts are really the ones God has appointed for each other.

7. The prayer of Ezra for the sins of the people

“We are before Thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before Thee because of this.” (Ezra 9:6-15)

When Ezra heard of the transgression of the Jewish remnant, he was stunned. The news drove him to tear his garments, and even to pluck hair from his own beard and head! He then prayed. With shame, Ezra stood in the gap for God’s remnant, always confessing inclusively. He knew that, although he himself was not directly guilty of the sin, God would be angry with the nation as a whole and would judge the people as a whole. When as a pastor you become aware of sin in your congregation, it should never be taken lightly. In fact, Ezra 9:2 specifies that it was the princes and rulers who were the main participants in the transgression! The ones who sin in your membership may well be your trusted leaders! What should you do? Get broken in prayer before God and confess. The prayer of Ezra will open the way for God’s mercy and for spiritual restoration (see Ezra 10).

8. The prayer of Jonah for deliverance from the fish

“I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.” (Jonah 2)

Have you been sensing God’s call to the ministry? Or, have you strayed from your calling and are suffering the consequences? Jonah was a true prophet of God yet he thought he could run from God! Silly, right? But sometimes our foolish flesh causes us to think we can somehow outsmart God. If God has called you to the ministry, life will not be easy, but the life on the road to Tarshish will be, and probably has been, worse. The prayer of Jonah is a cry you can lift up to God from the belly of the fish you are in. Don’t be so ashamed of running from God that you won’t run back to Him. Like Jonah, you can look again toward God’s holy temple and decide to say ‘yes’ to His will for you in Christian service.

9. The prayer of Manoah for parental guidance

“Teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.” (Judges 13:8-15)

Manoah’s wife was barren, but that did not stop God from sending a word of promise for a son to be born. Imagine what it must have felt like to have an angel tell a barren mother she would conceive! But Manoah was not satisfied. He wanted to know more. He wasn’t just caught up in the excitement of the news his wife had brought home. He wanted to know how to raise this child of promise. He asked God to send the angel again with instructions. As a pastor, it is important that you seek God for spiritual guidance for your children. Now I know all children are special, but a pastor must understand that his children will face issues and challenges and even spiritual warfare that other “non-ministry” children won’t face. Be like Manoah and ask God’s involvement and direction in raising your children.

10. The prayer of Paul for the Ephesians

“That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-21)

What is your ultimate aim or desire for your members as a pastor? Is it that all your members become employed? Or is it that all your members be educated to the doctoral level? These are okay, I guess. But the foremost intent of any pastor for his congregation must be spiritual growth and maturity. Paul bowed his knees to God for the believers in prayer, but for no carnal reasons. He petitioned the Father for them to be strengthened in their inner man; for them to be rooted and grounded in love; for them to know the love of Christ; and that they be filled with all the fullness of God! Pursue these ideals as your most important vision for your membership. Even if there is no known sin in your flock, there is always more maturity and depth to attain. Do not cease to pray this prayer of the apostle Paul consistently and earnestly for your congregation.

11. The prayer of Moses for a successor

“Set a man over the congregation, …that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.” (Numbers 27:15-17)

Moses is one of those rare Bible characters who was chosen from birth. He spent most of his life leading God’s people in a wilderness with great miracles and wonders. But He was not to live forever, and he knew it. The wise leader knew that a bigger mission and purpose was to outlive him, and he wanted to leave it in capable hands. So he prayed. Moses approached the selection of a successor as a prayerful, spiritual matter. He wanted God to do the work of choosing who would replace him after his death. This is the safest approach to ministry succession for pastors, especially those who head their own ministries. But even if you are part of a large Christian denomination and will be retiring or relocating, still pray the prayer of Moses. Ask the Holy Spirit to set a man over the congregation who will be a true shepherd.

Conclusion

If every pastor embraces a deeper and more faithful prayer life with these 11 prayers, there’s no limit to what God could accomplish through them!

Hope Deferred but Not Destroyed

Tell me about it.

Twelve years have gone by after my marriage and still waiting.

No, this is not how I imagined life would be when I tied the knot and neither did I realize that something was amiss in the first three years of marriage. Given that both me and my husband were residing in two different states of the country pursuing higher education at the time and that we met only once in three or four months, it didn’t raise any alarms.

Obviously, you have to be living together to conceive, right? So, I thought.

But after 6 months of living together in our fourth year of marriage and trying purposefully every single month, it dawned on us that we could be having fertility issues.

As a medical practitioner, I got my scans and my husband’s counts done right away. No issue there. I took some basic advice from my gynecologist friend but still, nothing. At this point we decided to meet the experts and thus began the ugly journey down the infertility road…

The Onslaught

Now I cannot even begin to tell you what it feels like. Those who’ve been there know exactly what I am talking about.

The medications—mostly hormonal—take a huge toll on your psyche.

Then there are the long waits in front of the doctor’s office, the tedious procedures, the mounting expectations, the expenses, the interfering relatives both close and distant, the incessant questions, the fact that both of us craved for kids so dearly and the huge letdowns that resulted in a literal crampy, bloody end, only to repeat itself all over again every month, every year…

The Unkindest Cut of All

What hurt the most was that I had become a believer in Christ with an authentic born-again experience right before this ordeal began, and to think that God was giving me the silent treatment was unbearable.

“Ask and you shall receive.” Well, I have been asking Him ever since I discovered the problem.

In fact, I cried, prayed, fasted, believed for my miracle, confessed even unknown and generational sins—anything to get His attention.

But every month the answer was the same. Infertility is generally looked upon as a curse in the Bible, though there are some favored couples who did experience barrenness for a season like Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Elkanah and Hannah, Zechariah and Elizabeth.

But these examples hardly gave me any comfort. I kept asking, “Why God?? Why me?? Why won’t you answer my prayer? Isn’t the very purpose of a Godly marriage to bring forth Godly children??”

I have heard of couples who prefer to be child-free but we were the opposite. Why would God unite us to such a malady? Furthermore, in the physical realm, after all the testing, no proper medical cause was identified for our inability to conceive. The doctors explained that in some cases there was no explanation, which gave me all the more reason to believe this was a spiritual attack more than anything else.

So again, that put God in the driver’s seat.

But, yet again, the deafening silence…

The Chiseling Begins

An often-used metaphor for the sanctification of a believer in Christ includes the picture of a sculptor chiseling a stone to make his masterpiece.

If the stone could do anything about it, it would most definitely resist the chiseling, the pain, oblivious to the fact that every cut is necessary to shape the features of the exquisite handiwork that it is being made to.

It took years of pain for me to realize that I am His masterpiece being fashioned to fulfill His purpose, not mine. That a ‘believer’ is expected to receive Jesus as his Saviour and Lord. Most of us prefer the Saviour part, but is He our Lord?

Have we surrendered our will, hopes, dreams and life entirely to Him; because if we have, we can be at perfect peace knowing that every circumstance in our life is orchestrated by Him.

Rest assured, He is more than capable of making every one of those circumstances work for our good. Not what we, with our limited knowledge, perceive as good but the actual ‘good’. That is His promise.

And to be part of this Perfect World of His, we have to die to self and be born anew. This is what “born again” truly means. And unless one is born-again, he shall not enter the kingdom of God.

The biblical promise, “Ask and you will receive,” has often been quoted out of context and is misunderstood, just like I misunderstood it myself. Jesus talks about asking for the Holy Spirit, for everyone who asks for the Holy Spirit (sincerely, that is) receives.

The Bible was never about living our best life here on earth. It was never about having all our desires fulfilled on this planet. If, my friend, you believe in Jesus for a smooth sail through this life, I hate to break it to you:

You are up for major disappointment.

But if you have realized this life is but a test to see if you will make it to His Perfect World and the choice you make is the only thing that matters, you will begin to see the present in a very different light.

My Conclusion

Nothing seems to have changed in my predicament of being barren and I am not getting any younger.

Ordinarily this circumstance should have left me a desperate and depressed mess of a person.

But instead, now with a renewed perspective, I can see Him at work. I can notice a stillness in my spirit, a calm assurance. “Relax. He knows what He is doing.”

I have stopped the testing, the consulting, the medications—the whole package. We enjoy our days as when we were just married.

I am not going to lie that I don’t feel the sting anymore. When I see other couples with their precious bundles of joy, there is the familiar tug at the heart.

But at the same time, I realize the peace and purpose I have in Christ now far outweighs the pain.

I feel like the person in the parable who finds a hidden treasure in a field and sells everything he owns to buy this field. No earthly pleasure is worth missing that treasure.

I now see infertility no longer as a stumbling block, but rather like the pupa stage of a metamorphosing butterfly.

And I am waiting for the day when I fly!


Zephana Estefan, a doctor by profession, has come to the Lord in her late 20s. Ever since, she has had it in her heart to reach out to others struggling with their faith. She has always found writing as her forte and has been writing sermons for local Christian Youth Groups on and off. With the mission statement of 2 Corinthians 1:4, “We can comfort others when they are troubled with the same comfort God has given us,” she hopes to take His message to the one that needs to hear.

The Call to Evangelism: Who Will Go?

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? – Romans 10:14

The call is great; it is one that never retires, and the call is life because the call is Salvation towards men. I so love how the Bible captures it in the above verse, “How shall they hear without a preacher?”

Who will go? A question for an individual, family, group of people or organization that will say like Isaiah, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

Many souls await the word of life and healing, many may have not heard the word, there are those on the wrong path, many know the word, but do not understand, and many understand but do not want to accept. It is for these people that the call was made. But how will they hear without a preacher?

The call has therefore gone out. Who will go into the world to proclaim the gospel of Christ to the dying and lonely at heart? Who will go deliver the sick, save the oppressed, bring back the backsliding soul, restore the faith of the weak and show forth the light of Christ without being ashamed? Will you answer the call, not minding the trials and persecution, not minding the society?

The souls of men are yearning and waiting for the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God. The uttermost gift a believer can give to his neighbor is to bring his neighbor to Christ. We should not forget that the key to the kingdom of God is not in gaining wealth, but faith in the Word, accepting Christ and the baptism of the water and spirit (John 3:5).

God is looking for men and women like you and me for His glory and proclamation, we are his witnesses (Acts 1:8) because the Holy Spirit bears this witness within us, we are the sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:16).

Reasons we should answer the call: Who will go?

The harvest, therefore, is plenteous, but the laborers are few– (Matthew 9:37)

There are many reasons we should answer the call. Out of the very many reasons, I will dwell on a few:

1. It is a command (Mark 16:15)

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,”

The command is to go; not to stay in our church or home. He said, “Go out there, move out of your comfort zone in search of the lost, spread the Gospel. Tell them about me, tell them I can accept them just the way they are. Heal the sick, raise the dead because you have the authority.”

Ours is to do His bidding. To go forth into the world.

If you love him, keep His command.

2. We are witnesses (Luke 24:48, Acts 1:8)

…And you shall be witnesses to me…

He has called us his witnesses; we have read, seen and heard of his mighty work, the sick are healed, the lame can walk, the blind can see, the bound freed, so he is saying take these testimonies abroad all nations, be a witness, speak the truth, speak what you have seen and heard, the truth is the living word of God which can save and bring the sinner to repentance, remember Christ sent out his disciples two by two, telling them to preach about his kingdom. Be a witness for Christ, answer the call.

3. They will not go to church

This point reminds me of T. L. Osborn’s book on Soul-winning, where he said:

“They will not come to the church. We must go out after them—out where they are so that Christ can speak to them through us.”

During Jesus’ ministry apart from teaching in the synagogue, he taught publicly, in an open space, seizing every opportunity that came his way to teach about the kingdom of God and call people to repentance.

Jesus knew those that needed saving were out there and would not come to church. It is therefore our responsibility as sons and daughters, as unselfish children of God, to spread the love of Salvation to them. Jesus went to the tax collector and sat with him, and other tax collectors and sinners came to him.

“For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,”

Would you not be so glad seeing a recent convert in your church on Sunday and knowing that God used you to save a soul? It is therefore our duty to go into the world and speak to them because not until we go out into the world will they come into the church.

4. You are anointed (Isaiah 61:1-2)

You have been anointed to preach. Yes, you read well. The calling to the office of a pastor is different. We have all been anointed to spread the gospel, to preach deliverance to the captive, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed and the acceptable year of God.

This is the reason we must go; people need to hear the Good News. The call is urgent. The call should be as important to us as studying the Bible is. The Word of God we read and study is not only meant to benefit us but also those around us who haven’t known Christ.

5. There will be joy in heaven over a repentant soul (Luke 15:7)

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

Wow! Imagine the joy in heaven over a repentant soul you led to Christ. Imagine God looking down at you smiling and saying well done for bringing this soul to His kingdom. What other things can satisfy you more than knowing God is pleased with you?

6. The nations are waiting for our manifestation (Romans 8:19)

The world is waiting for us to act, we should not be timid, they want to see what we can offer; they want to hear what we have to say; they await the revealing. Ponder on this, How can God’s will be revealed if we do not go, if we say it is not our business and remain comfortable, the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

7. To lift burdens (Luke 13:16)

“So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years be loosed from this bond?”

Many people are weighed down by the burden of life. So many don’t have the will to move on. So many are covered in shame and despair. They await a witness to free them from the shackles of the enemy and this we can achieve only if we have the compassion Jesus showed this woman. The only way to show this, is to go out there.

“Some carry burdens whose weight has for years crushed them with sorrow and blinded with tears, yet one stands ready to help them just now if the will humbly in penitence bow,” – Harry Dixon Lees

The only person you need for this assignment is the Holy Spirit.

Benefits following anyone who answers the call

1. The person prospers (Mark 10:28-30)

Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time–houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions–and in the age to come, eternal life.

What an assurance of both earthly and eternal blessing because we answer the call, “Who will go,” we say like Isaiah, “Yes God, here I am, send me.”

2. The Holy Spirit teaches you what to say (John 14:16)

Most times we may feel dry, even as a teacher of the Gospel, but the Bible says when that time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say. He will bring to your remembrance all things that Christ has said. You will not have to worry about what you should say because the indwelling Holy Spirit is there saying, “You just open your mouth and I will fill it.”

3. No evil counsel against you shall stand (Isaiah 8:10)

Yes, this is a fact; no evil counsel shall stand. You are too precious. Doing his bidding guarantees your protection anywhere you go. God will be your shield and buckler.

“Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us,”

4. It increases the Church (Acts 2:41)

This is the multiplier effect of answering the call. As the church increases, we depopulate the kingdom of hell and increase the kingdom of God. It multiplies the church. The testimonies in the book of Acts say this better.

“And with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, be saved from this preserved generation. Then those who gladly received this word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”

This is the power of evangelism.

5. His promises are yours (Genesis 12:1-3)

When God called Abraham out of his family, He set him apart for greatness: “I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great.” We know the people of the Bible that God has used mightily. Let us consider current-day men and woman we know that answered the call and how mightily God used them. Billy Graham, T. L. Osborn, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Hagin, Kathryn Kuhlman; these are just a few. There is no Christian on earth that has not at one time heard of these great names, just as he has promised.

6. He will never leave you nor forsake you (John 14:16-17)

Have you ever felt helpless while preaching? Especially when on the street in one-on-one evangelism? That feeling that you are alone, when people are looking at you strangely, not understanding you are doing your father’s bidding? Most times. When preaching one-on-one, I always take consolation in the assurance knowing He will never me nor forsake me.

He dwells with you and will be in you.

Methods of Answering the Call

1. One-on-one, two-by-two, house-to-house, public or mass evangelism (Acts 20:20, Luke 10:1, Matthew 10:5-15)

These are methods by which we can evangelize to people. It does not leave out those called into the office of a pastor. The call to evangelize is for all.

2. Sharing tracts

Sharing tracts is one of the oldest and most used methods of evangelism and is still effective today.

3. Missionary work

Mission work is a sacrifice, leaving behind all you have ever loved and known, going to remote areas of the world and preaching about Christ willingly, with all zeal for the love of the perishing.

4. Community gathering

When you have a community meeting or local neighborhood meetings, it is an avenue to share the gospel of Christ to those around you.

5. Social media and podcasts

With the Internet and technology, we can use our social media and podcast accounts to share the Gospel. This is an advantage, as no one will have an excuse. Your social media and podcast accounts should preach Christ, talk of his love and lead people to repentance.

He who wins souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30)


Jolaade Olatunbsoun is an experienced Christian writer, having written for clients, local churches and youth fellowship. Jolaade’s focus is on expounding biblical passages and expressing God’s love through writing. Her writing infuses faith into daily life, helping readers grow in the knowledge and love of God and His words. 

Desiring to help people understand the Bible, maximize their potential and have a deeper fellowship with God, Jolaade develops content for Sunday school materials, Christian material for books, devotionals, ebooks, articles, short stories and poems. Her blog may be found at https://theseekers2020.wordpress.com/.