Share Jesus Without Fear

I have studied many different approaches to evangelism, but in August 2000 the Lord led me to discover a simple, easy way to Share Jesus Without Fear as taught by an evangelist named Bill Fay. I’ve been practicing this for about 19 years now, and it has been used by the Lord to help me share comfortably with people without fear.

People have many offensive ways of sharing their faith.  The gospel is going to offend people, but we don’t have to be offensive in the way we share it. This is a non-threatening way of asking people simple diagnostic questions, in order to find out where God is at work around you, so you can join Him. It’s not a technique, but a way to partner with the Lord in ministering to the lost.  It’s something I cannot fail at, if I am simply obedient. It’s a way to share that emphasizes prayer, preparation, power, presence, and partnership. I'm talking about the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and our partnership with Him. I have actually felt the power and presence of the Holy Spirit while sharing my faith this way. It doesn’t require you to commit to giving additional time each week to going out and doing evangelism. It’s a lifestyle of sharing with people, especially those closest to you, such as friends and family.

In addition to using this approach myself, I have also taught it to others including pastors, elders, and disciples of Christ in the US and abroad. When I taught this in our home church in New Hampshire here in the US, I spent four weeks with each of the three home groups that met together once each week. So it took me a total of twelve weeks to teach this to all three groups. During the four weeks I spent with each group, one person came to Christ through one of the people in that group, so that at the end of twelve weeks, three people had accepted Christ. They did so not as a direct result of my sharing with them, but through the people in the home groups that learned this approach and began to put it into practice. Praise the Lord!

I hope you will take the time to study this way of sharing the Lord by going through the presentation that I have created (with permission) based on the book called Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay and Ralph Hodge. You won't regret it. Now here is the link to the presentation, which is not for duplication.

DTS Requirement: If you are a DTS student, please be sure to watch both videos featured above and view the presentation at this link.

Resources: You can find more resources related to Share Jesus Without Fear online, such as the book, the workbook (which I highly recommend), the Share Jesus Without Fear New Testament (also available here), and the DVD Leader Kit. When I originally taught this it was on VHS video tape, and our church bought the leader materials for me to use in order to teach it, so I would recommend getting the DVD Kit if you can afford it.

Attribution notice: All material in the linked presentation is from Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay and Ralph Hodge, copyright 1997 Lifeway Press, Nashville, TN. Duplicated and used by permission.
 
Author's note: You are invited to read How to Mark Up a Bible to Share Jesus Without Fear, Rescue Souls!, Here I Am Send Me, Give Me Children or I'll Die!, The Sin of Silence, Confrontational Evangelism, How to Reach a Muslim for Jesus Christ, and Being a Witness for Christ. You may find more articles about being fruitful and multiplying on the Home Page of this blog. You may also find my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

What is That in Your Hand?

When God created man, He put within him a seed to reproduce after his own kind, just as He did with the animals and the vegetation.

"Then God said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them'; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good." (Gen 1:11-12).

In this manner, apple trees produce apples and reproduce apple trees, orange trees produce oranges and reproduce orange trees, cats reproduce cats and birds reproduce birds. Apple trees will never produce oranges and dogs will never produce humans, nor will humans produce cows. The seed God has placed within enables us to produce after our kind.

When God blessed Adam and Eve and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it (Gen 1:28), He put within them the seed to fulfill that command. Likewise, when God created each one of us, He created us for a purpose. He put within each one of us certain talents and abilities. When we come to know Christ and He baptizes us with His Spirit, we also receive gifts of the Spirit. So we all have these talents, abilities, and gifts from God -- some more and others less. We must commit these to God, consecrating them for His service, so that He would be glorified by our lives. Then He will take those and use them for His glory in ways that go beyond anything we ever imagined.

Let's look at some examples from Scripture of how the Lord does this.

Moses Delivering Israel from Egypt
In our first example, we have Moses, whose parents noticed when he was a baby that he was no ordinary child. God had given talents and abilities from birth. Then he was raised in Pharaoh's household. He was "educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds" (Ac 7:22). But look at how he saw himself when God called him at age eighty to deliver His people from Egypt.

Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."  (Exo 4:10). That's typical for someone to view themselves as not having what it takes when in fact God has given them all they need.

When God spoke to Moses in the burning bush, Moses replied, "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.'" (Exo 4:1). Listen closely to what God said to him. "The LORD said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' And he said, 'A staff.'"  (Exo 4:2).

Moses did not have to go and find something he didn't have. God used what he already had in his hand, which was a common staff. God told him to throw it down on the ground, and when he did God turned it into a serpent.

Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. But the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail"--so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand-- "that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."  (Exo 4:3-5)

And thus with this staff Moses confronted Pharaoh, performed signs and wonders, parted the Red Sea, and delivered the people of Israel out of slavery. God used what He had put within Moses at birth, and He used the very staff that was already in Moses' hand.

Likewise, God will use the talents and abilities He has put within you, so that you can fulfill the purpose  for which He created you. He will use what you already have in your hand.

Saving Faith
It's the same with saving faith. Listen to the apostle Paul.

But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' (that is, to bring Christ down), or 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Rom 10:6-10)

See how it works? God has given each person a measure of faith inside their heart. When they hear the gospel, they already have a measure of faith. They simply need to get it to come from their heart, to their mouth, and out. With your heart you believe, but it is with your mouth you confess and are saved.

Confessing publicly before men that Jesus is Lord is essential to our salvation. I know a brother who spoke to his daughter the night before she got married. She had received Christ into her heart earlier in life, but he asked her if she had ever publicly confessed to anyone that Jesus was her Lord and Savior. She had not, so he encouraged her to do so. And when she did, her walk with the Lord changed in a wonderful way. She met up with other believers and began to grow. That marked the turning point where God changed her life.

We don't have to go looking elsewhere for a priest to confess our sins to, or a holy river to bathe in as the Hindus do, or a holy city to travel to on pilgrimage as the Muslims do to Mecca or the Catholics do to Rome. The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.

In fact, that's the way God created the universe. "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." (Heb 11:3). God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Whatever He wanted to create, He spoke it into existence, because He is God. Since He is God, He had within Him the Word necessary to create everything. And when He created you, He put within you what is necessary to accomplish the purpose He gave you in life.

David Defeating the Giant

Another great example is when David defeated Goliath the giant. Here were all these great warriors of Israel, older, stronger, more experienced in battle than David. But they were afraid of the giant and allowed him to curse the living God.

However, David did not put up with that. With the king's permission, he fought the giant. It was not with the king's armor that he did so. He could not wear the armor of someone else. Just as he had killed the lion and the bear who attacked his sheep without any armor, so he fought the giant without armor.

But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you." (1Sa 17:34-37)

It was his faith in God that made the difference. God was his strength and his shield. By faith, he took his stick in his hand, his sling, and chose five smooth stones.

"He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine." (1Sa 17:40)

You see how he did it? David slew the giant with a sling and five smooth stones. The giant mocked him for coming at him with sticks and stones, but by faith, David defeated him. God used what was in his hand.

Jesus Multiplying the Fish and Loaves
The final example I would like to give is our Lord Jesus multiplying the fish and the loaves.

"Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, 'Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?' This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.'" (Joh 6:5-7)

Do you see the question the Lord asked to test them? "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?" This was to test them, because the Lord already knew what He was going to do to feed them. When you survey the situation you find yourself in, you may be wondering, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?" Your task may not be feeding a multitude of five thousand people as on that day, but it may be feeding your own family. Or it may be feeding those who come to your gospel rescue mission that you operate. Or it may be some other task that is unrelated to feeding people, but you may be wondering where you can go to find the resources you need to accomplish the task.

In Mark's gospel, he records Jesus asking the question of His disciples, "How many loaves do you have? Go look!" (Mar 6:38a). This is the same way the Lord taught Moses when He said, "What's that in your hand?" He was teaching His disciples that they could do all things through Him with what they already had on hand.

Here is how they replied to His question: "One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, 'There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?'" (Joh 6:8-9). Mark's gospel says, "And when they found out, they said, 'Five, and two fish.'" (Mar 6:38b).

All Jesus needed was what they had on hand. As soon as they told Him, he commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass.

"And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish." (Mar 6:41-43)

The apostle John recorded it like this in his gospel: "Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted." (Joh 6:11)
 
Once they had sat down, He gave thanks, blessed the food, and broke the loaves. Then He kept giving it to the disciples to set before them, and He did the same with the two fish. So once again we have the same lesson as with Moses and David. God's supernatural power enabled the disciples to feed thousands with the food that one single boy had on hand.

Ex-Convict Finds Her Purpose
A friend of mine, named Jerry, works in a faith-based organization that helps people who have been in prison to get back into society and lead productive lives, rather than ending up back in prison. Normally the rate of recidivism in the USA is now about 77% (i.e., three out of four ex-offenders go back to jail in less than three years). But his group's rate of success is between 77%, and sometimes as high as 85%, meaning these participants get a job and stay out of prison. 

He told me the story of one woman, who had been incarcerated for a while and told him that she had never held any job at all and didn't "know how to do anything but sell drugs." Her mother had been a prostitute and she did not know her father. As Jerry was counseling her on what she could do in life now that she was out of prison, he asked her what was the last thing she remembered doing that was really enjoyable to her.

She said, "Well, drug dealing wasn't fun. That was scary." As she thought further, she said something like, "I remember one time helping my father take care of some animals, and I really enjoyed it." She helped brush their fur. So Jerry asked her what kind of animals, and she said, "All kinds -- cats, dogs, bunnies..." He asked if she minded picking up their feces or anything like that, and she said it didn't bother her at all. So he said, "That's it! That's what your supposed to do." Now she has a job working with animals, caring for them.

Putting it All Together
As we have seen from Scripture in these examples, the Lord will use whatever you have on hand. Once you have committed it to Him with thanks and prayer, He will by His supernatural power enable you to do whatever is necessary, in order to bring glory to His name.

It's easy for any of us to think we don't have anything to contribute, and to see others as more talented than we are. You might look at a concert pianist and wish you could play like they do. But they started with a raw talent and then honed it. The same goes for an artist who paints beautiful pictures, like Danny Hahlbohm. He told me it took him years to hone that talent. People don't come out of the womb painting with such skill. It has to be developed. But when we commit it to God, the Holy Spirit can do anything He wants to with it.

Let me ask you today, "What is that in your hand?" What are your talents and abilities? What are the skills you possess? What resources do you already have in your possession -- monetary and non-monetary? Once you take inventory of them and you know what you have on hand, then commit it to God with thanksgiving and ask Him to use it for His glory. Take what you have and put it to use. Then watch and see the great and marvelous things that God will do with your life.

Now I'd like to ask you an even more important question below....

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 
 
Author's note: If you would like to be equipped to use what's in your hand for God's glory, please consider enrolling in our international Doulos Training School. You are invited to read The Kingdom of God is Like This, Multiplication, The Link Between Two Realms, Be a Star for Jesus, God's Supernatural Hand in Crisis, Being a Witness for Christ, The Sin of Silence, Baptized with the Spirit, Gems from Heaven, Give Me Children or I'll Die!, and Covenant Prayer. You may find more articles about being fruitful and multiplying on the Home Page of this blog. You may also find my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Give Me Children or I'll Die!

Today I want to talk to you about the kind of attitude and prayer that touches the heart of God and moves His mighty hand to save.

In the book of Genesis, we find that while Jacob's wife Leah bore him many children, his wife Rachel, whom he loved, bore him no children.  For she was barren. But she was not content with staying that way! "Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or else I die!'" (Gen 30:1)

The Lord spoke to me through Rachel’s prayer, “Give me children or I’ll die!”  He did give her Joseph, who was the most important of all Jacob’s children in that he became a great ruler and saved the whole family in famine.

"Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. So she conceived and bore a son and said, 'God has taken away my reproach.' She named him Joseph, saying, 'May the LORD give me another son.'" (Gen 30:22-24)

Again the Lord answered her prayer and gave her another son, Benjamin, whom she died giving birth to (son of my trouble), yet who was so dear to both Joseph and Jacob (son of my right hand).  Although she only had two children, she gave everything, including her own life, so that they may have life. 

The Lord Jesus Christ
This is what Jesus did.  He said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (Joh 15:13).  And He willingly laid down His life on the cross, taking the punishment in our place, so that you and I could be forgiven, receiving the gift of eternal life with Him in heaven, if we repent and believe in Him.

And the Holy Spirit spoke of Him through the prophet Isaiah saying, “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.” (Isa 53:10).

He did sacrifice Himself as an offering to God for our sins, and now He is able to see and have a personal relationship with His millions of children.

He taught us to live like He did, saying, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Mat 16:25)

The Apostle Paul
The apostle Paul also had the same attitude in that he considered his life worth nothing, so that He might preach the gospel of God’s saving grace.  "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” (Act 20:24).  He said, “But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” (1Co 9:15-16).  And he said, “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” (1Co 9:22)

We know that the Lord used the apostle Paul mightily.  He could say,

"Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.” (Act 20:26)

Paul did not only preach to a few people, he preached to everyone he could.

"Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth" (Colossians 1:4-6).

"If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister" (Colossians 1:23).

The Apostles Peter and John
Likewise, the apostles Peter and John had the same kind of attitude.  They preached the gospel, no matter what the cost, even when they were threatened.

“And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened;” (Act 4:18-21)

Since they continued to preach in Jesus’ Name, they were put in jail, but that did not stop them either.

“They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, ‘Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.’ Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach…” (Act 5:18-21a)

“When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'” (Act 5:27-29)

Not only did the Jews persecute them, but also King Herod, who had James put to death by the sword and wanted to please the Jews by doing the same to Peter.

“When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” (Act 12:4-5)

And the Lord sent His angel to the prison during the night to release Peter, so that he miraculously escaped.  He continued to preach the gospel after that for the rest of his life. 

“But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.” (Act 12:24)

Modern Missionaries
Likewise, many modern missionaries, evangelists, and pastors have been inspired to do the same, laying down their lives for the gospel. A couple of examples are Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, who were killed by the Waodani (or Auca) Indians of Ecuador that they so lovingly went there to reach.  But in the 50 years that have passed since that time, the Lord has used their sacrifice to bring about the reconciliation and transformation of the tribe. 

For example, one of those Indians, who took part in the now infamous 1956 attack on the five missionaries during Operation Auca, is Mincaye Enquedi. He was one of the killers during the attack, and is now a preacher and church elder.  This took place, because Jim Elliot's wife, Elisabeth, and the other missionary wives did not hate those who killed their husbands.  Instead they went back to those same people and evangelized them. (You can see the interview of Mincaye and Steve Saint, son of Nate Saint here).

During Jim Elliot's lifetime he would say, "Only one life, twill soon be past.  Only what's done for Christ will last."  Certainly the work that he and his fellow missionaries did for Christ in Ecuador has made a lasting impact with eternal value.  This story has inspired thousands to serve Christ.

Putting it All Together
Therefore, we have several, great examples from Scripture, as well as modern history, of the kind of attitude about souls that pleases the Lord.  Rachel exemplified that in her desperate plea, “Give me children or I’ll die!”  And she really did die giving birth to her second child.

The first child she had was Joseph, and as a type of Christ, he brought salvation to the Jews.  So while she may not have had many children like her sister Leah, the one son made a huge impact that has been remembered for thousands of years. 

Our Lord Jesus was the greatest example, because nobody had any greater love than He did.  He laid down His life for us on the cross, although He had no sin.  And now He has many children. 

The apostles Peter, John, and Paul followed in Jesus’ steps, by preaching the gospel at all costs, so that they could bring more souls to Jesus.  People who have this attitude pray prayers like, “Give me spiritual children or I’ll die!” and “Give me souls for Christ or I’ll die!”  Is that your heart's cry to God?  Is that your prayer and your desperate attitude?  If so, I know the Lord will be pleased and will answer your prayer. 

As you are faithful to preach to others, whom the Lord puts in your path, even if you don’t lead thousands to Christ, you will know that you have been obedient to God.  And even if only one comes to Christ, he could be a chosen instrument of God like the apostle Paul that could reach untold thousands with the gospel that would otherwise have never heard.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "One Solitary Life" paintings © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading Compassion for the Lost (poem), Be a Star for Jesus, Fishers of Men - the 419 series, International Impact of Pentecost, Life Transformation Groups, Multiplication, and the other posts available through the Home Page of this blog.  If you would like to become a disciple who multiplies disciples, please prayerfully consider enrolling in Doulos Training School, our international, distance education ministry. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Fishers of Men - the 419 series

The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Jacopo Bassano, 1545

For all who are called to follow Jesus and become fishers of men, these are words of encouragement and strength. It’s a series of 4:19 verses from the Bible that I call the 419 series or "FM419" (Fishers of Men 4:19).

People Living in Darkness

The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. (Pro 4:19)

The Lord loves those wicked people living in darkness and does not want them to perish. 

Becoming Fishers of Men

He calls His disciples to follow Him.  And all who obey the call, He will make fishers of men.  And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Mat 4:19)

Unfruitful Hearers

"And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mar 4:18-19)

The fishers of men cast the gospel net to bring men into the kingdom of God.  But they are also sowers who sow seeds.  Yet sometimes those seeds are sown among thorns, and those who hear the Word are unfruitful.  They allow the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word. 

Labor Until Christ is Formed

The fishers of men labor to see Christ formed in those who come to Him.  But often they do not continue to grow in the Lord.  They sometimes fall backward. This is what happened to the Galatians.  After they came to Christ by grace through faith, preachers led them astray.  These preachers told them they would not be justified by God, unless they did the works of the Law.  Paul wrote to the Galatians, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal 4:19).  He felt that he must labor once again for them like little children until Christ was formed in them. 

If you’re a fisher of men and those you care for have gone backwards, don’t give up on them or become discouraged.  Continue to labor to see Christ formed in them. 

The Time of the Lord’s Favor

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." (Luk 4:18-19)

Now is the day of salvation.  Now is the acceptable time to come to Christ.  Later will come the day of vengeance of our God, but now is the time of God’s favor.  The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus and anointed Him to preach the gospel to the poor, release captives, give sight to the blind, and set the oppressed free.  His disciples are to walk as Jesus did, and do even greater things.  We must work while it is yet day, for the night comes when no man can work.

Prophetic Evangelism

When Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, He asked her to go call her husband. When she said she had no husband, He validated her answer and said that she had previously had five husbands. The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. (Joh 4:19)

In sharing the gospel with people, we need the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon us.  We need the gifts of the Spirit in operation, so that we can demonstrate the power of the Spirit, confirming our message.  Just as Jesus told this woman everything she had ever done, the Spirit of Prophecy wants to be powerfully involved in our evangelism.

Obey God Rather Than Men

But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; (Act 4:19)

Peter and John had been preaching, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Act 4:12).  And the religious leaders of their city tried to stop them.  They were told to preach no more in Jesus name. 

The enemy hates it when we preach the message of salvation only in Jesus name.  He will try to stop us, and even use religious leaders to do so.  But we cannot fear men.  We must obey God rather than men, just as the apostles did.

Without Being Weakened in Faith

God had promised Abraham that He would become the father of many nations, and that his descendants would outnumber the sands of the seashore.  Even though Abraham was elderly and his body was as good as dead with respect to having children, his faith was not weakened. 

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb;” (Rom 4:19)

In hope against hope he believed.  With respect to God’s promise to him, he did not waiver in unbelief.  Rather he grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully assured that God was able to perform what He promised.

The fishers of men, who are following Jesus, also desire to have many spiritual children.  And this is the promise of God to them.  They are children of Abraham by faith and the same promise given to him applies to them also.  They are called to do greater works than Jesus Himself (Jn 14:12).

Fishers of men are often met with what seem to be little results.  They sow seeds but do not see the harvest.  Very few accept their message.  Yet they mustn’t waiver in unbelief.  They must not despise the day of small things.  Instead they need to give glory to God with their mouths, as well as their actions, and believe that God is able to perform what He promised.

Power of God

Paul told the Corinthians, “But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.” (1Co 4:19-20).

After Paul had laid a foundation in Corinth, other men came along, who were critical of Paul.  They were polished speakers and criticized Paul.  They won the hearts of people and drew a following among the Corinthians.  But Paul said that he would come and find out what power these arrogant preachers really had.  He knew that the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 

There will be arrogant talkers today who criticize the fishers of men, but have no power to back up their talk.  We mustn’t allow them to discourage us.  The fishers of men today must not simply be talkers, but demonstrate the power of the Spirit.

Divine Provision

Another obstacle to the work of the gospel is provision.  The fishers of men have needs and so do their families.  They need to trust God every day to supply all their needs.  The promise of God to them is this: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phi 4:19)

The Father is rich, and He is able to supply all our needs as we go about spreading the gospel. 

Entrust Your Soul to a Faithful Creator

The work of the gospel is not easy.  There are many trials and hardships.  Peter knew this first hand.  When we suffer for the sake of the gospel, that’s the will of God.  “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” (1Pe 4:19).  Don’t quit, but commit your soul to God and keep fishing for men.  Keep sowing seeds, and making disciples.

Our Reason for Loving

“We love, because He first loved us.” (1Jo 4:19).  Jesus loved us while we were yet sinners.  He laid down His life for us.  And all those who follow Him should love others with that same kind of love.  We love others, including lost sinners, because He first loved us. This is always the heart of why we fish for men.

I hope that this "FM419" series has been an encouragement to you in your labor for the Lord.  Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1Co 15:58)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Photograph of painting in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA by Alexander R. Pruss. The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, Jacopo Bassano, 1545

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend Give Me Children or I'll Die!,  Rescue Souls!, and Here I Am, Send Me. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Jesus Film Project

Are you looking for a way to share Jesus with your friends and family?  There are many ways to share your faith with them.  But one way is to give them the Jesus Film.  I have done this by sending my friends a link to the film online, where there is a full length, two-hour version offered in more than 1,120 languages.

It has been such a blessing for us to have this internet tool available, because we are foreign missionaries, and this gives us a way to give the gospel to people we love and care about, so that they can view it in the privacy of their own homes in their own language. 

We usually just send them the link, so they can watch it online, but you can also purchase the video or DVD.  Then you can either invite people to come and view it, or you can give it as a gift to someone.

This short, two-minute video will show you what the Jesus Film is, in case you have never heard of it.

There is an adult version, and a children's version, and the banners below will take you to them when you click on them.  Our children enjoy both, and we have watched the film more than once before.   We hope you will, too.

The Lord has used this project in a powerful way.  There have been over 6 billion recorded viewings of the film, and over 200 million recorded decisions for Christ connected with it. It's also a great way to help reach restricted areas with the gospel, such as the Mideast.

In many of these places, misguided people worship one of the millions of gods of Hinduism, who cannot see or hear or save them. Others are into the New Age occult, trying to visualize peace, joy, or success, which they will never find outside of Jesus Christ. Others follow Muhammad or Buddha, whose bones are still in his grave. But if you go to Jesus' tomb, you will not find his bones, because they are not there!  He has risen from the dead and is alive forever! "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Heb 7:25)

The apostle Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Rom 1:16).  I personally am not ashamed of the gospel either.  This is the only message that has the power to save a person from perishing for eternity.  There is no other name but Jesus given among men, by which we must be saved.

I hope you are not afraid to lovingly share Jesus with others. Be bold, and take advantage of this powerful tool available to us online from the Jesus Film Project!  We have been given the awesome privilege of proclaiming the good news to all nations, and together we can complete the mission.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, I also recommend Rescue Souls!, Here I Am, Send Me, How to Reach a Muslim for Christ, and Being a Witness for Christ. You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  Also see Jesus Film Project.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Evangelism only for the Healthy?

Does the Lord expect every disciple of Christ to share his or her faith? What if the person is emotionally unhealthy, in need of psychological healing, such as someone who has recently come through a hurtful divorce?

I expressed my views about every disciple being a witness for Christ in my earlier post on this blog, called "Being a Witness for Christ." That sums up my viewpoint.

I teach people a very comfortable way to share Jesus with others, which I learned from Bill Fay. I have practiced this for eleven years now. It is Scriptural, using the approach that Jesus used. And it does not raise people's defenses. Neither the person sharing nor the non-believer needs to get nervous when this approach is used. It is based on letting the Bible speak for itself and allowing the Holy Spirit to move as we pray and watch. I have seen people come to know Christ when I have shared this way. I have also taught this to believers in a few different countries, including Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, and the US with fruitfulness.

With that said, I will add that every living thing is designed to reproduce after its own kind. Dogs, dogs, apples, apples, humans, humans, and disciples, disciples. If something or someone is not reproducing, then it is probably a health issue. So the person needs to be healed in order to produce healthy offspring.

Yet aren't we all in a healing process to some extent? Perhaps we could say that. So we cannot delay sharing our faith forever with the excuse that we need emotional healing.

I think the main healing that must take place is spiritual healing. In other words, we are multifaceted. Our mind, body and spirit are interconnected. And if one part is sick, the whole person suffers. If a disciple is healthy spiritually, it will create the best environment for emotional and physical healing to occur. And as long as he is healthy spiritually, he should be sharing his faith. The emotional healing will eventually happen.

We are not necessarily saying that these emotionally unhealthy people should become mentors or pastors or provide leadership to others. That could do a lot of damage. But there is nothing to stop them from sharing Jesus.

Let's take the demon possessed Gerasene man for example. He was delivered from many demons that were tormenting him with self-destructive thoughts. When they came out of him, an entire herd of pigs could not resist the temptation to commit suicide when the demons entered them. Imagine what the man must have gone through when those demons were tormenting him! But once he was set free, he asked permission to travel with Jesus in ministry. While Jesus did not grant that request (at least not immediately), he told the man to go share his testimony with the people living in his home county or region. "And He did not let him, but He said to him, 'Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.' And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed." (Mar 5:19-20)

When the man did this, his efforts were fruitful. Everyone who heard him was amazed. However, do you think that after being demonized for so long, that there may have been some emotional or physical healing still needed in this man's life? Quite likely there was still some. The easiest part is always casting out the demons. The hard part is working with the person over the long term to maintain their deliverance and get the healing deep down in side, so they don't return to their old ways and become demonized once again. So even though this man very likely still had consequences to deal with or emotional healing still needed, the Lord used him, as he was obedient to share his faith.

Another example was the woman at the well. Imagine her emotional condition. She had already been married five times and was now living with a sixth man out of wedlock. We should not assume that the reason her first five marriages did not work out was solely the fault of those five husbands. Certainly she must have had psychological issues that led to dysfunction in her relationships. And if she did not have any beforehand, she would certainly have emotional damage after surviving five divorces!! Yet what did she do?

"So the woman left her water pot, and went into the city and said to the men, 'Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?' They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. (Joh 4:28-30)

She testified of what Jesus did for her. She was obedient to go call her former husbands to meet Jesus, as He had told her to do. She led many people to Christ. They were coming to Him. Her simple act of sharing Jesus resulted in great fruitfulness!

"From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all the things that I have done.' So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.' " (Joh 4:39-42)

So I think these two examples are enough evidence that we don't need to wait until we are completely healed of all our emotional problems before we share our faith. Once we come to know Him, the Lord expects us all to testify to the people in our lives of what Jesus has done, so that they may come to know Him, too.

Too often people make excuses why they cannot share Jesus with others. They put it off until later. So if we tell them to wait until they are emotionally healed, we are just giving them one more excuse. There needs to be a sense of urgency about sharing the gospel! As Jesus told his disciples, after the woman at the well went to tell others about him, "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest." (Joh 4:35)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's Note: You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Fullness

I was talking to my friend, Owen, recently and he said that people sometimes ask him, "Do you see the glass as half empty or half full?" His response is, "I don't see it half empty or half full! I see it filled all the way up to the top and overflowing, everywhere I look! Maybe that's not normal, but that's how I see it."

The reason he can say that is not because he is simply an optimistic person, but because of his faith in Jesus Christ and his understanding of fullness in Him. I think that if we could catch a glimpse of the fullness God intends for our lives, we would have a brand new perspective and a renewed faith.

Let's begin with a brief Greek word study.

Greek Word Study
In a related post on the topic of multiplication, I noted that the word “multiplied” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word "plethuno", which means "to abound or multiply." That word "plethuno" has its roots in the Greek word "plethos", which means “fullness”, that is, a large number, throng, populace, bundle, company, or multitude. This is not only used in the New Testament, but even in the Old Testament. There is a Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. In the Septuagint, this same Greek word plethuno is used for “multiply.”

This present study looks at the word "fullness" in the New Testament. It is the word "pleroma". "Pleroma" means "repletion" or "completion." In other words, it can refer subjectively to that which fills (as contents, supplement, copiousness, or multitude). In this sense, it refers to that which is put into something in order to fill it up. It can also refer to the piece that filled up, fulfilling, full, or fullness. On the other hand, it can also refer objectively to that which is filled (as container, performance, or period).

"Pleroma" comes from "pleroo". "Pleroo" means "to make replete," that is, (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc., accomplish, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.

So when we read about "fullness", we should understand it is something that has been crammed, like a vessel leveled off at the top, filled up to the brim, and made full.

Here are the instances in the New Testament where the Greek word "pleroma" appears. The English word for pleroma in each verse is bolded below:

A patch sewn used to repair a tear in a garment is considered fullness (pleroma)
"But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. (Mat 9:16)

The baskets used to collect left overs after Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves were full (pleroma)
"and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish." (Mar 6:43)

"When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?" And they *said to Him, "Seven." (Mar 8:20)

When the Israelites come to faith in Christ, they are considered fulfilled or completed (pleroma)
"This is set in contrast to their transgression and failure: Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!" (Rom 11:12)

When all the Gentiles who are going to be saved have been saved, then that people group will be considered complete or full (pleroma)
"For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." (Rom 11:25)

The relationship between love and the law is that love is the fulfillment or completion (pleroma) of the law:
"Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Rom 13:10)

Paul intended to visit the Romans with the fullness (pleroma) of Christ’s blessing
"I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ." (Rom 15:29)

All that the earth is full of (pleroma) belongs to the Lord
"For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." (1Co 10:26)

When the time comes for certain events in God’s plans to be carried out, the time for those events is considered to be full (pleroma)
"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law." (Gal 4:4)

"with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth." (Eph 1:10)

God Himself has a completeness or fullness (pleroma)
"and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:19)

All of God’s fullness resides in His Son Jesus Christ, and God is pleased to have it that way
"For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him." (Col 1:19)

God’s fullness (pleroma) and all that He is dwells in Christ in bodily form
"For in Him all the fullness (Gr., pleroma) of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete (Gr., pleroo), and He is the head over all rule and authority." (Col 2:9-10)

It is from the fullness (pleroma) of Jesus that we have all received
"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." (Joh 1:16)

The church, the Body of Christ, is the fullness (pleroma) of Jesus Christ
"And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Eph 1:22-23)

Christ has a fullness or completeness (pleroma). Attaining this fullness in our level of maturity is the end state of the body of Christ
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Eph 4:11-13)

Putting it All Together
It's clear from God's Word that a patch sewn into a garment to repair a tear is considered fullness. Just as a patch fills up an entire hole in a garment, this is what it means when there is fullness. The entire need is met, the entire empty place filled up.

The baskets used to collect leftovers after Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves were full. So not only did he fill up and complete the crowd’s need for nourishment, but even the baskets containing the leftovers were brimming full.

When the Israelites come to faith in Christ, they are considered fulfilled or completed. When all the Gentiles who are going to be saved have been saved, then that people group will be considered complete or full.

The relationship between love and the law is that love is the fulfillment or completion of the law.

Paul intended to visit the Romans with the fullness of Christ’s blessing. When the time comes for certain events in God’s plans to be carried out, the time for those events is considered to be full.

God Himself has a completeness or fullness. All of God’s fullness resides in His Son Jesus Christ, and God is pleased to have it that way. It is from the fullness of Jesus that we have all received grace upon grace, because it continues to overflow from Him and fill us.

The church, the Body of Christ, is the fullness of Jesus Christ. God’s intention is that we will all one day attain to the measure of the stature that belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Christ has a fullness or completeness. Attaining this fullness in our level of maturity is the end state of the body of Christ.

The word for “multiplied” in the Bible is the English translation of the Greek word plethuno, which comes from the word pleroma that we have researched in this word study.

Since this word for “fullness” is a root for the word meaning “multiply”, we can better understand what God is doing when He multiplies. He causes everything to abound and increase exponentially until every hole, every need, every ditch, every deficiency, and every area lacking is completely filled up. When He does this, we end up with a large number, a throng, a populace, a bundle, a company, or a multitude.

I hope this study has helped to open up your understanding of fullness. Hopefully you are able to begin seeing the glass completely full to the brim now, instead of just half full. It's only possible through the eyes of faith when you know Christ.

If you already know Jesus Christ personally, but are not experiencing His fullness in your life, then let me encourage you today. Why not take a moment right now to cry out to Him from your emptiness and ask Him to bring about His fullness in your life. Then read the related post in this blog on Multiplication and watch the Lord increase your faith in Him to do that in your life.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: You are invited to visit the Home page of this blog, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.