It was John Wesley who coined the term "The Prevenient Grace of God." It is the grace that goes before saving faith. The Holy Spirit is actively involved in the salvation of souls, and He knows how to bring conviction for sin in the hearts of those we want to share the Gospel. Before you speak to a relative or a friend God has already preceded you and has been preparing them to hear you share the Gospel with them.
I read this yesterday in Dr. Frank Tunstall's electronic newsletter called "Cutting Edge" a statement by Jim Eby: "Thanks, Frank for ... Five Top Priorities for Increasing Your Church [March 6 Cutting Edge]. May God help our pastors and leaders not only to read it, but to take it to heart and act on it. I would simply add an action-point #6: 'Earnest prayer for the lost is the fuel for church growth.'"
"Every follower of Jesus should have an active Evangelistic Prayer List which includes at least 10 people ... who are not born again. We need to be praying regularly for them, asking God to bring deep conviction of sin, and asking the Holy Spirit to draw them to Jesus. I wonder what would happen in our churches if we took seriously this challenge to pray for lost people?"
Our belief in Christ must be personal. While we believe God's Word that tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, we must come to realize that Jesus shed His blood for me, and that eternal life has been given to me that begins now in this life and continues in the life to come.
John Wesley expresses for those who are drawn to Christ for salvation when he tells the story of listening to a layman reading the Preface to the Book of Romans written by Martin Luther. Luther describes the change that God works in the heart through faith in Christ. Wesley stated that "my heart was strangely warmed. I felt that I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for my salvation, and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
I remember well the day I was saved in a Daily Vacation Bible School in a Christian Missionary Alliance Church in my neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama. I was six years old, and I remember it as if it were yesterday. As my sister, Mary Evelyn, three years older than me, and I walked home together, I was filled with joy and an assurance that my sins were forgiven, that Jesus lived in my heart, that my name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that one day I would go to heaven to be with Christ Jesus for all eternity. My immediate response was to tell others in my neighborhood that I had become a Christian. And I did just that as I went to every family in my block to tell them of my new found faith In Jesus Christ. Although I was a stutterer I did not stutter when I gave my testimony. The Holy Spirit gave me the ability to speak about God's saving power in Jesus Christ Who had become my Savior and Lord.
I am praying for all of you who will be sharing your testimony and the plan of salvation with your relative or a friend. Stay tuned for the leading statement or bridge that is calculated to open the heart of those you wish to share the Gospel.
I read this yesterday in Dr. Frank Tunstall's electronic newsletter called "Cutting Edge" a statement by Jim Eby: "Thanks, Frank for ... Five Top Priorities for Increasing Your Church [March 6 Cutting Edge]. May God help our pastors and leaders not only to read it, but to take it to heart and act on it. I would simply add an action-point #6: 'Earnest prayer for the lost is the fuel for church growth.'"
"Every follower of Jesus should have an active Evangelistic Prayer List which includes at least 10 people ... who are not born again. We need to be praying regularly for them, asking God to bring deep conviction of sin, and asking the Holy Spirit to draw them to Jesus. I wonder what would happen in our churches if we took seriously this challenge to pray for lost people?"
Our belief in Christ must be personal. While we believe God's Word that tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, we must come to realize that Jesus shed His blood for me, and that eternal life has been given to me that begins now in this life and continues in the life to come.
John Wesley expresses for those who are drawn to Christ for salvation when he tells the story of listening to a layman reading the Preface to the Book of Romans written by Martin Luther. Luther describes the change that God works in the heart through faith in Christ. Wesley stated that "my heart was strangely warmed. I felt that I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for my salvation, and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
I remember well the day I was saved in a Daily Vacation Bible School in a Christian Missionary Alliance Church in my neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama. I was six years old, and I remember it as if it were yesterday. As my sister, Mary Evelyn, three years older than me, and I walked home together, I was filled with joy and an assurance that my sins were forgiven, that Jesus lived in my heart, that my name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that one day I would go to heaven to be with Christ Jesus for all eternity. My immediate response was to tell others in my neighborhood that I had become a Christian. And I did just that as I went to every family in my block to tell them of my new found faith In Jesus Christ. Although I was a stutterer I did not stutter when I gave my testimony. The Holy Spirit gave me the ability to speak about God's saving power in Jesus Christ Who had become my Savior and Lord.
I am praying for all of you who will be sharing your testimony and the plan of salvation with your relative or a friend. Stay tuned for the leading statement or bridge that is calculated to open the heart of those you wish to share the Gospel.