"There is a foundational work in leading men to Christ. Before one opens his mouth before man, he first must open his mouth before God. Some brothers and sisters are very zealous to lead men to Christ, but they do not pray for them. A man may have a great interest in people, but if he has no burden to pray before the Lord, his work of saving souls will be ineffectual. A person must have a burden before the Lord before he can witness to men.... We have to present these people one by one to the Lord and pray for them fervently before we can effectively lead them to Christ. Those who are good at leading men to Christ are good at prayer. If you have trouble getting answers to prayer, you will have trouble witnessing for the Lord. If you have no confidence in prayer, you will have no confidence in leading men to Christ. Hence, you must learn to pray in a practical way and not let this matter slip by."
In Nee's booklet: Witnessing, he notes:
"You should not meet the Lord empty-handed. You should bring many with you when you meet the Lord. How can a person sit still and act as if nothing has happened when he has believed in the Lord Jesus and is saved? If a person has believed in the Lord Jesus and yet does not feel anything, if he considers this to be nothing marvelous or special, we doubt whether he has believed at all."
And finally,
"Many Christians do not have much joy because they have never spoken anything for the Lord; they have never led a person to the Lord.....Platform preaching can never replace the personal work of leading people to the Lord. A person who knows only to preach from the platform may not know how to lead people to the Lord. We are not exhorting you to give a message on the platform. We are asking you to save men. (Speaking of people who do not know how to lead others to Christ....) They do not know what to do when a person is brought to them. They are of little use. The really useful ones are the ones who can lead men to Christ one by one."
Pray for us as we go tomorrow...that God would open doors for men to come to Christ! - Stu
2 comments:
I was at SBCC when God sent Stuart to us this morning. Amazing message! The Spirit of God convicted my heart that "I" am the one... We the church are the tool that God chooses to use to give opportunity to the lost. And God is not a God of confusion. He has called men to lead our churh. We are so blessed to have Godly men as Pastor Richard, our Elders, and our Deacons to guide us. Our vision statement can be found right on the information board in the fellowship hall. God's holy word was the blueprint. We as the "church" must be committed to that God given vision. And I count it my reponsibility to KEEP the leadership of my church ... yes I want to make it personal, it is my church and my responsibilty to protect the blessings that God has given... to KEEP them lifted up before the Father. Many churches do not have God fearing men that can step up to the plate like we have. We must keep them saturated in prayer. Make no mistake, the enemy is aware that they have a heart for God. Precious Lord keep them! Put your hedge of protection around them. Protect their families. Grant unity and peace. And mighty God in heaven pour out a double portion of your spirit on Pastor Richard and each of our Elders and our Deacons. They need you! Stir the hearts of each of us as we come to be fed week after week to keep them saturated in prayer! May we come before you with expectant hearts. Not only that but stir us to reach out to the lost... pour something out leaving room for you to pour more into our spirits for YOUR glory. May your perfect will be done in our church. We love YOU, Lord!! Bless Stuart and his family. Thank you Lord for allowing us the pleasure of hearing your heart for us thru him. Bless him and all his efforts.. agian to your glory! I also want to lift up John Mashburn and his fiance' to you Lord. Bless them to your glory. Keep them. Plant them. Thank you John for going out with Amy and myself yesterday. You are an inspiration, John. God's best for you. Love to you and your beautiful wife Stuart. In Christ Jesus, Linda Wilson.
Linda...your enthusiasm is awesome. SBCC is in a good place and Sunset Beach families are ready for you to reach them like never before. Thank you for all the love you extended to me and the 180 church family. We are praying for the fullness of God in and through you and your church!
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