Most Recent Blog Posts

A common saying, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, is “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” This expression is used as a recommendation for how we should primarily evangelize and that is by our deeds or works. As attractive an option this is, it is not true evangelism. Jesus, the apostles, and the early church understood that the word “Preach” means to use our words proclaiming the “Good News”.

It is difficult for most people to share or “preach” the Gospel because most are uncomfortable talking about spiritual things. As a result, we would rather do good deeds, but all this does is make you look like a “good person”. Which in itself is not a bad thing but preaching or proclaiming the Gospel means that our speech is pointing them to the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Remember the Great Commission is the command to make disciples, we do that by proclaiming what Jesus has done for us. That means we are a witness to what He has done for us personally, not what He has done for others. Another important ingredient to evangelism is to use key scriptures to make our point. Our testimony is our experience, the scriptures are the authority that we speak the truth with.

My favorite Gospel witnessing scripture is Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. Let’s take this verse apart:

1. For by Grace, the subject is salvation and grace means that salvation or deliverance is a free gift.
2. You have been saved, means salvation, Heaven is yours.
3. Through faith, this gift of salvation is obtained by believing Jesus died for you and your sins have been forgiven.
4. It is the gift of God, not of works, this simply means that this gift of salvation is unearned and undeserved.
5. Lest anyone should boast, and this means person that a person will not be able to say “I earned or deserved this gift of salvation.

Another verse that I would suggest is Romans 10:9-11, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.

Isn’t that powerful… the individual being witnessed to must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess that with their mouth. This means that they have to tell someone of their new belief in Jesus and that they are now a Christian.

A well-known evangelism series of scriptures is called the “Seven Steps of the Roman Road” because all seven verses are from the book of Romans. I will highlight the sense of the scripture and verse. For the full text go to https://www.PastorVicsNuggets.com.

1. The Natural State of Man
   Rom 3:10-18 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” 13 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues, they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; 14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
   
2. The Reason
   Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” of the glory of God.
3. The Cause
   Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned
4. The Penalty
   Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
   
5. The Love of God
   Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
6. The Remedy
   Rom 10:9-11 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
7. The Decision
   Rom 10:13 for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Remember it is God who draws an individual to Himself (John 6:44), it is your job to speak the message of life (evangelism)- the Gospel or Good News. You are the messenger; the individual makes the decision. Never become discouraged when someone says no to the message you bring.  Think of evangelism as planting seeds. It is God who makes the seed grow into eternal life.

On the other hand, there is great joy when someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior and you get to share in that joy.

The word commission simply means an assignment. The Great Commission or Great Assignment is the assignment from God to every Believer to make Jesus Christ known. It is not optional but should be seen as a normal response of gratefulness for what God has done for us.

All four Gospels contain Jesus’ words in regard to this Great Commission:
Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:44-49, and John 20:19-23. The most well-known of these is Matthew 28:18-20 listen to what Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

With great gifts comes great responsibilities and that is what the Great Commission is a great responsibility. It is a responsibility to love! When we understand God’s kind of Love which is unconditional which means “to live your life for someone else’s good”, it is then we recognize that loving unconditionally is a great and challenging responsibility.

Let’s take a closer look at the terms of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20.
What did Jesus mean when He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth”. It means that there is no one greater than He and He is able to give that authority to whomever He desires. You have the authority to carry out the Great Commission!

• Look at what Jesus says in Acts 1:8,  Let’s look at the three points mentioned here:
  • When Jesus says, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”, He is using the Greek work Dynamis, and that means miraculous power, boldness! Dynamis is where we get our word dynamite. So, you are being empowered with dynamite power to share the Gospel/Good News.
  • When Jesus says, “you shall be witnesses to Me”, He is saying “I want you to share what I have done for you”! Your personal testimony is the most powerful thing you can share. No one can deny your testimony because it is yours.
  • When Jesus said you shall be witnesses to me “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”, He is saying you start locally (family, friends and acquaintances), then move out to your neighboring cities and states, and then to foreign lands, if you are called, by God, to do that.

There is only one objective or mission in the Great Commission and that is to “Make disciples”. A disciple is one who is already a Believer and has decided to follow Jesus.

There are three steps in making a disciple.

• First, you have to “Go”. You can’t simply wait for candidates to come to you. That may happen, but we are challenged to go, leave our comfort zone, and share the Gospel or Good News.
• Second, “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. This means that they have to be believers first before you can disciple them. The Word of God will not make sense until the Spirit of God lives in them.
• Third, “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”. Disciples need to be taught. Taught those things that Jesus taught, and those things taught by God to the writers of the Bible. Therefore, we teach the truths of the Bible and not the opinions of man. We teach by words and example. Not words only but doing what is necessary to help them become immersed in “the Love of the Father, the Sacrifice of the Son, and the Power of the Holy Spirit”.

Jesus ends the Great Commission by making a promise!
“I am with you always even to the end of the age”. When Jesus ascended to heaven the Holy Spirit descended to live in the Believer. To empower and embolden the individual to share the Gospel. As we walk by faith (2 cor. 5:7) God will do the rest.

It is important to understand that you cannot save anyone. Your responsibility ends with sharing the Good News/Gospel. Only the Holy Spirit can actually change a heart. You are the messenger, Jesus is the message! The Holy Spirit is the agent of change!

When it comes to the Great Commission the greatest obstacle the Devil can put in our way is Fear! The fear of rejection, looking foolish, or ridiculed are all very real fears. You overcome that fear by realizing that you are sharing the love of God with people you love or care about. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “what you don’t know can’t hurt you”. Well you know that isn’t true, denial is never a good option in life. Just as someone shared the message of life to us, we in like manner share with others.

If someone should say “no” to your sharing of the gospel, don’t be discouraged. Keep in mind that you are not responsible for their decision. Jesus makes it clear that some plant “seeds” of truths that may eventually lead to salvation (1 Cor 3:6-8). Studies have shown that most people need to hear the Gospel 4-6 times before they make a decision for Jesus. Our responsibility is to share; it is the Holy Spirit’s responsibility to do the supernatural.  

So, in the simplest of terms, the Great Commission is about telling others about what Jesus has done for you. Then becoming a friend to them so that you may disciple them. An old Christian saying is, “Make a friend, be a friend, and then bring that friend to Jesus”.

A worldview can be defined as your overall perspective from which you see and interpret the world. It’s a collection of beliefs about life that you hold as an individual.

Many people have opinions based on nothing more than feelings. These feelings are often a result of sub-conscious peer group pressures, societal pressures, family pressures, and even media pressures. For example, as individuals, we have opinions about the following issues: capital punishment, abortion, homosexuality, pornography, political party, the role of government, truth, relativism, sin, god, and church to name just a few. The question of your worldview is, how did you come to your opinion and why? Are the opinions you have taken based on whim or carefully considered thought or illumination against a foundation of core beliefs?

In western culture all morality is based on what is known, as the Judeo-Christian ethic, which is essentially the 10 commandments and the truths of the Bible. If this is true wouldn’t it makes sense that a biblical worldview is what we need to make sense of life today?

Agreeing with a biblical worldview is one thing, but here is a question, is it possible to have a set of core beliefs and be very inconsistent in how you apply those core beliefs? In other words, are you living what you believe?

The pressure to be “tolerant” often expresses itself as anything goes or “I think it’s wrong, but I wouldn’t judge someone else for doing it.” It has been said, “if you don’t stand for anything you will fall for everything!” It takes faith and courage to go against the flow of popular opinion and be a man or woman of conviction. Compromise is always wrong when it means sacrificing moral principles.

In order to have a biblical worldview, it is necessary to have as part of our core belief system certain truths such as those we have been studying in Hebrews 6:1-3. We can break up these six foundational principles into three pairs of related truths. 

• First Pair – Repentance and Faith in God. These are the foundation for Salvation. Without Repentance and Faith Toward God, true spiritual growth in Christ cannot follow.

The term “saved or salvation” means to be “delivered” from. Well, that poses the question, delivered from what?

This word “salvation” is used for the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians (Ex 14:13), and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the New Testament, it is specially used with reference to the great deliverance that Jesus Christ produced from guilt and sin.

The word “saved” or Gk. word “Sozo” means to save, heal, cure, preserve, keep safe and sound, rescue from danger or destruction, deliver. To be saved from physical death by healing, and from spiritual death by forgiveness of sin and its effects. Sozo in primitive cultures is translated simply, “to give new life” and “to cause to have a new heart.” NSFLB 

• If the first pair of repentance and faith toward God produces salvation; the Second Pair –Baptism and the Laying on of Hands represent the Spiritual nature of growth in obedience for victory in this life.

Baptisms – Water Baptism, Baptism of The Holy Spirit

Water baptism represents obedience to God and symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

The Laying on of hands is associated with physical and spiritual healing.

• Finally, the Third Pair – Resurrection and Eternal Judgment- recognizes that there will be judgment for all, but we as Believers have the assurance of Heaven in the next life.

Resurrection – All will rise again after physical death

Eternal Judgment – Heaven for the believer; Lake of Fire for the non-believer

When the truths of a biblical worldview make up the “lens” through which we see life and the world, it becomes so much easier to know why and what our position should be in life. While the first step is to know the truth, we are also faced with the daily responsibility of doing what we know to be true

Keep in mind that today many are presenting as “truth” personal opinion, secular humanism, and other forms of the “traditions of men.” The Apostle Paul cautions us against accepting a non-biblical worldview when he says in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

Now all of this leads us to something all believers are called to, the Great Commission! Which we will examine in the next episode.

For more free audios, videos and resources go to PastorVicsNuggets.com

Until then, may God richly bless you…

It will not be a judgment for salvation, but a judgment of the Believer’s works done on earth. Good and bad. Salvation was accomplished when you, by faith, put your trust in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the Cross of Calvary for you. While you can be secure in your salvation the Bema judgment is for rewards that can be gained or lost.

The White Throne Judgment mentioned in particular in Rev 20:11-15, is a judgment for those who have denied or rejected Jesus Christ.

In John 3:16 God the Father states His love for mankind, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”.

Verse 17 shows that God does not condemn the world, but instead proves His love by sending Jesus for mankind. Verse 17 states, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”.

In verse 18 God makes it clear that a person condemns himself when they refuse to believe in Jesus the Son whom the Father has sent. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”.

Jesus is the expression of God’s love and to reject Him is to reject the love of God and condemn oneself to eternal separation from God, or Hell.

In Matt 25:31-46 illustrates that God will separate those who belong to Him from those who don’t. He likens it is separating the sheep from the goats. The sheep or believers on His right hand, and the goats or non-believers on His left. Each group is identified by how they lived their lives in Christ. The righteous believers live their lives motivated by the love of God demonstrated by service to those whom God loves, mankind. The unrighteous live their lives for themselves, not ever seeing or caring to demonstrate God’s love to the needs all around them.

That is why God says in Matt 25: 41, “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels”. This is the White Throne Judgment.

The scriptures that speak directly to the White Throne Judgment are found in Rev 20:11-15. This period of time represents the end of time and human existence. The entire world is judged. Those who are saved have already been found innocent and righteous and are not subject to this terrifying moment. These are the ones whose names are written in the “Lambs Book of Life”.

One can only imagine the horror of those lost souls who rejected God and, at that moment, realize the catastrophic mistake they have made. But it will be too late!

Rev 20:13 says, “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire”.

Just as a side note the lake of fire is where the Devil, the beast, and the false prophet are: Rev 20:10 says, “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”.

The lake of fire is not for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The second death is for those who have not been Born-again. Those who have not been born-again spiritually will experience death twice. Once a physical death, then a total separation from God into total darkness, the second death.

That is why it is so important to share the Gospel the, good news, with as many as possible. We are the representatives of Jesus to a lost and dying world, hoping to “snatch” as many as possible from the jaws of hell to populate Heaven. Where only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter (Rev 21:27).

If this “Nugget of Truth” has been helpful to you, please like, share, subscribe, or follow so that others might benefit too. Thanks… and God Bless you. 

Before going on to the Great White Throne Judgment, I feel I need to say something about works and judgment and judging. These terms are used throughout the scriptures involving Eternal Judgment.

Works
When the Bible talks about works it is often in relation to the Old Testament and the Law. Works in particular good works or works of righteousness were very important in obeying the Law of Moses. The practicing Jew was expected to do at least one Mitzvah each day, that is a good deed. For example, a mitzvah could be showing kindness to a stranger.

Of course, if there are righteous deeds there must be unrighteous or evil deeds which are contrary to the Jewish Law. When one knowingly and willfully performed an evil deed, it resulted in condemnation.

So, observing the Torah, the Hebrew Bible was filled with regulations or works to protect the Jew from condemnation. Tradition has it that there are 613 Laws based on the first 5 books of the Torah or what we call the Old Testament. Every practicing Jew had to observe those laws to be considered righteous.

Now let’s jump to the New Testament. Should a Christian do good works? The answer is of course- yes! What is important to note though is that works, righteous or unrighteous, are not the basis of our salvation! In the New Testament, our salvation depends on repentance and believing in Jesus Christ alone. We repent of our sins, not believing or trusting in Him, and now turn our lives to Him.

So now how do works come into the picture, especially as it relates to Eternal Judgment? Works are the evidence of our faith! As a Believer we want to please God and so we order our lives in words and deeds to please Him.

Now here is where it gets tricky for us human beings. When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, are we instantly changed in the natural? Spiritually the change is instantaneous, but habits and practices over a lifetime take time to overcome.

As Christians, it is often difficult to not judge another’s behavior and then conclude they are or are not true Christians. The question is are they a new Christian and pretty rough around the edges, or a mature Christian and should know better? Or are they in fact not Christians?

We tend to measure maturity by years lived, but Christian maturity is based on a relationship with Jesus. I remember a saying,” It’s not how long you’ve been on the road, but how far you’ve traveled”. There are some individuals that may have accepted Christ 20 or 30 years ago but have not traveled or matured very much. They may not look like model Christians!

Judging
When the Bible talks about judging it is often in the context of condemnation, in other words, heaven or hell. The scriptures are clear we are not to judge anyone based upon their words or works (Matt 7:1-5, Luke 6:36). This is because we can only see the outward workings, but only God is able to examine the heart, or motivation (1 Cor 4:5).

We can never know if another person is “saved” or not. God is the judge of the motives and the intents of the heart. every believer is “a work in progress”. This is not to excuse bad behavior but to realize that we don’t know the end of someone’s life.

What we are encouraged to do is examine the fruit in a “believer’s” life. That is to look for the fruit of the Holy Spirit which comes with Christian growth, love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).

Saul become Paul
Perhaps you’ve heard it said that we “should not judge a wine before its time”. This simply means that the wine won’t taste very good until it has matured. This is exactly the point I am trying to make. As an example, this statement fits very well into the life of the Apostle Paul.

If you were to look into the first part of Paul’s life you would know that his name was Saul. Saul was a religious, fanatical Pharisee. As a matter of fact, he described himself as a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He took it upon himself to wipe out a new radical cult called Christianity, which he saw as a threat to Judaism.

Then there was that fateful day while on the road to persecute the Christians in Damascus, he encountered the risen Christ (Acts 9:1-19).

Then everything changed for Saul, his name, his identity, his destiny. He would eventually embrace everything he sought to destroy. He would inspire thousands for Christ and suffer greatly for the cause of Christ. He would also be responsible for writing most of the Epistles or books of the New Testament. Yet and a very big yet… after his conversion most Christians at the time would not even associate with him (Acts 9:26). He didn’t look like a Christian, didn’t act like a Christian, yet He was sold out for Christ.

He went into isolation separated from the mainstream Christians at the time. He spent time with the Lord and received profound revelations from God. And so, he matured and matured until some 14 years later he came out of the “closet” so to speak, and began his ministry (Gal 2:1).

The point is that almost everyone condemned this Saul/Paul character. He can’t be a Christian, look at what he has done to Christians! But God knew who Paul would become. God did not look at the externals but was able to see a heart that would be sold out for Jesus. In the same way, we as believers need to be very careful about judging others, in a sense when we judge condemnation, we are taking the job that only God can do perfectly.

If this “Nugget of Truth” has been helpful to you, please like, share, subscribe, or follow so that others might benefit too. Thanks… and God Bless you.