Tossed bread.

Ecc. 11:1 Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.

What an odd thing to think about, to cast bread on the water, what happens if we do that? Will it come back later or will fish and birds consume it, or perhaps just sink to the bottom and decay? It is hard to expect a loaf or even pieces of bread to float back to us once it has been tossed out, rather it will dissolve and not be found again at all, so more likely it we might say our bread is gone and lost.

Or is it? Fishermen know that bread might be used for bait to catch fish. Others know that birds will come and eat crumbs until nothing is left. If anything remains of bread it nourishes the ever lower forms of life, so that nothing is lost or wasted, whether on the ground or in the water. Maybe our bread cast out does return as we find a bounty in what is fed by it.

Ecc 11:2 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.

We become focused on one goal and at times we build in the path of ruin. We speak only to those who understand as we do, to those who we desire and approve of, seeking our will portrayed as hope. It isn't our choice on where to place our efforts but rather to the tasks that present themselves. Not by our own agendas can anything be built, nor by our dreams realised. It isn't by our will but by God's. The further we spread out what we do increases the influence our efforts make, we do not know with certainty the results, we know only a call to diligence in labour.

Ecc 11:3-5 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.

As much as we want to determine the future and to get what we want, to fulfill our own agendas and wishes, all things are by His will alone and for His purposes. Even when we act in wisdom and watch the signs we are limited to hoping for the results. What we do is in obedience not expecting reward but relying only on merciful grace. What reverence is there is saying "this we will do" and not follow it with "Lord willing"? With so many schemes and contrivances we go forward saying what will result when there is no guarantee at all.

Ecc. 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

How easy it is to do work and think the results are certain and that no more needs being done when complete. At times our work is done and no more is needed yet at others times there is only hope it will produce what we expected. Slackness and laziness will diminish a harvest. It is just as easy to neglect a sermon preached in the evening and place hope on only one preached in a morning. Is it a sermon preached in the morning or in the evening that reveals to the heart it's sinfulness and the need of Christ? It might be slothfulness and excuse for avoiding an opportunity then since we do not know the will of God and when His timing brings about an abundance. In diligence much is done, and in faithfulness much is produced, but in all things it is by God's own providence an increase is realised.

When we evangelise, and when a sermon is preached, are we casting our bread out on the waters or only tossing it where we want to find it? Maybe we aren't looking at God's will or providence but at our own agendas and prejudice. Is it our choice to say where a seed is planted or what we will reap from it? Often we want to save those we like, to ignore those we reject or believe worthless, to proclaim where we find satisfaction rather than go where the abundance is. Maybe we place confidence in ourselves and our intellect, supposing that those destined to be saved by God will be and already are saved so no effort is really needed to evangelise. Such is often the accusation against those that speak of election and predestination.

If we do believe in Election and Predestination of sinners to salvation, that God has chosen who He will redeem, then we must go forth to proclaim that Gospel and leave the choice to God alone. We can not choose who those are, when we pretend to do so then we only manipulate God, and those that seek to manipulate God are idolaters. Therefore, cast that Bread of Life out to every unworthy sinner having a broken and contrite heart, for it is effectual to each one who unconditionally belongs to Christ.

Luke 10:2 And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.


All Scripture texts quoted from NASB(1995)

Should Christians Say That Their Aim Is to Convert Others to Faith in Christ?

First of all, why am I asking this question? Three reasons:

1. Because in our delicate and dangerous setting of global religious pluralism, how we speak about our aims can get us kicked out of a country or worse.
2. Because we want to follow Paul’s pattern of honesty: "But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).
3. Because we need biblical clarity about our role in converting others to Christ, lest we shrink back from the aim of conversion for mistaken reasons.

Let’s begin with a definition.

Christian conversion is the act or process of being changed (without coercion but through our own volition) into a person who believes and treasures Jesus Christ, his saving work, and his promises above everything else, including all that we were believing or treasuring before conversion.

Given that definition, my answer to the question is Yes, all Christians should aim to convert people to faith in Jesus Christ. This is one of our aims in all we say and do. We hope and pray that everything we say and do will have this effect. In other words, our aim is not to say things and do things that are ineffectual. We desire—we hope, we yearn, we pray—that what we say and do will have this effect: that people will treasure Christ above all. Not to want this is either unbelief or lovelessness.

But to say that Christian conversion is our aim does not yet define what our role is in bringing conversion about. That’s what needs clarifying from the Bible.

And here I only want to bring one clarification: The fact that God is the ultimate and decisive cause in conversion does not mean we are not causal agents in conversion. We are. And as God’s agents in conversion we aim at it—we choose what we do and say in the hope that it will be used by God to bring about conversion.

The fact that Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (John 6:65), does not mean we are not instruments in bringing people to Christ. “The Spirit and the Bride [the church] say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come’” (Revelation 22:17).

The Bible does not infer from God’s causing people to come that we should not say, “Come.” Our aim and effort is that they come. And God is decisive in whether they come. To say that we are not aiming that they come contradicts the command of Jesus (Luke 14:23), contradicts the human instrumentality of the gospel (Romans 10:13-15), and contradicts love.

Consider five other ways that the Bible talks about our role in the conversion of others.

1. Christian conversion involves spiritually blind people being able to see the glory of Christ. Though God opens the eyes of the spiritually blind (2 Corinthians 4:6), Jesus sends Paul to open their eyes.

I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins. (Acts 26:17-18)

For Paul to say that his aim is not to open their eyes would be disobedience to the mission Jesus gave him.

2. Christian conversion involves winning people from treasuring anything above Christ to full devotion to Christ. Though God is decisive in changing people’s affections (Jeremiah 24:7), Paul says his aim is to win people.

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

For Paul to say that his aim is not to win people to Christ would contradict his mission.

3. Christian conversion involves bringing people back from the path of sin and destruction. Though God is the one who decisively brings us back to himself (Jeremiah 31:18; Isaiah 57:18), the Bible speaks of us bringing people back from sin and death.

Whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:20)

To say that we do not aim to bring people back from sin and death would put us out of step with this text and imply we don’t care about the death of unbelievers.

4. Christian conversion involves turning the heart toward the true God away from wrong ideas about God and wrong affections for what is not God. Though God is decisive in turning the human heart to himself (2 Thessalonians 3:5), John the Baptist was commissioned to turn the hearts of Israel to God.

He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.” (Luke 1:16-17)

For John the Baptist to say that he does not aim to turn the hearts of the people to God would make him disobedient to his calling.

5. Christian conversion involves being born again. Though the Spirit of God is the sovereign cause of the new birth, blowing where he wills (John 3:8), nevertheless, Peter explains that this happens through the preaching of the gospel by human beings.

You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. . . . And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:23-25)

For the preacher of the gospel to say that he is not aiming at the new birth in his preaching would put him out of step with the Spirit and contradict the design of God in how people are born again.

Therefore, I conclude that it is unbiblical to say that we are not aiming at conversion because God is the decisive, ultimate cause of conversion. He is. But we are his agents, and he calls us to join him in this goal. Not to aim at it is to put ourselves out of step with his command and his Spirit.

For the cause of God and truth,

Pastor John

2009 © Desiring God

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.DesiringGod.org

Evangelism 101: Part 01 - First Things First…

“1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.””

John 3:1 – 8

The very first thing right off the bat that every Christian needs to know is that ‘truly accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior’ is a Fruit of the Spirit. This is of the utmost importance to realize, as I have seen many friends and family beat themselves up over the fact that someone died and didn’t know Christ whom they were witnessing too. You should not do that; you need to realize that you are only an instrument that God the Father has chosen to use to bring people to Christ. It is not by man’s will or decision that man is Born Again; it is an EXCLUSIVE work of the person of the Holy Spirit in both the Evangelist and the Spiritual Dead. Let us to Ezekiel for further examination of this…

“1The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.””

Ezekiel 37:1 - 14

Ezekiel tells us that the only way for us to live is by God putting His Spirit into us, and he further tells us that only the living will be placed in the Kingdom of God (looking at verse 14 in light of John 3:3). Since God had chosen to condescend and use us to bring His sheep to Himself, as the tool or instrument we need to communicate with God to know what to do. So before doing absolutely anything we need to devote ourselves to both Prayer and Devouring of God’s Word. Notice in Ezekiel that Ezekiel is in conversation with and being shown something by God, then he prophesizes God’s very Word to God’s DOA Elect, and through both the prayers to (communication with) God and the preaching of His Word (the Gospel) the Spirit works, to both guide the Evangelist and the Spiritual Dead.

Things Needed to be Done for Evangelism

1. Devoted Prayer to God for His Will and the Individual Sinner in Question (or people you meet in General)
2. Knowing and being familiar with and regular reading of God’s Word

Common Grace and Witness-Bearing

Cornelius Van Til on Common Grace and Witness-Bearing

The Duty of the Church: Evangelism in a World that Desperately Needs the Grace of God

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
Ezekiel 3:17 – 19 (ESV)

When someone thinks of duty there are many things that can come to mind. Duty to the Military, Duty to Parents, Duties of your Job... One of the things that is almost never talked about in relation to the Christian faith is that we have duties as Christians, and these duties are not to be held in the same contempt as other duties like doing the dishes or cutting the grass. We need to think about these duties... What are Christian duties? There are many of them, and they are all listed in the Bible. You find a lot of our duties in Exodus like the Ten Commandments, in Matthew 5 like the Beatitudes, or like in the corresponding text in the New Testament that we are going to be looking at, the very last earthly command of the Resurrected Christ in Matthew 28:18-20:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You may be thinking, “He is about to cross the line and interfere with my life.” and I am saying, “Yes, I am about to meddle.” Let us look at another related text in the Old Testament from Ezekiel.

In 3:17, God is speaking to Ezekiel telling him the duty of a prophet. He is a watchman. What is the first duty of a watchman? To be a lookout and an alarm. The watchman is continually looking out for danger and suspicious people or things in order to safe guard something, in this case the people of God. The other duty of a watchman is to sound the alarm at the first hint of danger. You sound the alarm to alert the people and to raise the army to the ready. The people are alerted to flee to safety and the army is sounded to defend the people. So the prophet is the very first line of defense against an enemy spiritual or otherwise, and he does this by keeping a vigilant watch and recognizing potential dangers. The second duty that he performs is the alerting of the people, and the prophet does this by giving information to the people.

You might be thinking, “Well that is all fine and good but that is just for the prophet, right?”. Let's consider that question in light of Scripture. As Christians, with the Holy Spirit working through us, the average Joe in a small part acts as a prophet and as a priest; what is commonly called the “priesthood” of all believers. We are all, as Christians, told to profess and proclaim the teachings of Christ and Him crucified (see Matthew 28 above). In a sense, the Church, the Body of Christ has replaced the historical prophet with a composite of all believers, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God as contained in the Bible as well as the directive from the Christ Himself to take the Word of God to the ends of the earth.

One of the results of genuine conversion is the immense desire to tell everyone in the world the good news of what Christ has done in them. I know that I had this when I first accepted Christ, and the Holy Spirit was working through me. But as time drew on, the initial fire and passion chilled to a simmering ember through the general wetness and heaviness that life likes to pour on us. We need to continually stoke the fire and keep it burning hot. Note I didn't forget or loose my grip on Christ, my fervor just dwindled.

In Ezekiel 3:18 God says the following to the prophet, “When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.” This speaks of great personal importance. God gives us a saving message. He expects us to carry it to everyone to whom that message is pertinent. By withholding it we demonstrate to our brothers that we either have left over pockets of sinful resistance in our souls or at worst demonstrate that we lack the love for others to desire that anyone escape the fires of hell. That should give us sober pause.

God then concludes his warning to Ezekiel in 3:19, “If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.” The man of God, we see here, saves his heart from hardening by the sharing of the same message that saved him. God desires mercy, and His message is a message of mercy. That foundation of mercy grounds our salvation. The more intimate that we become with our Savior's story and message, the more intimate we become with ourselves and with God.

What do we gather from Ezekiel 3:7-19 and Matthew 28:18-20? First of all, God gave us a message that saves us from death and condemnation. Second of all, He wants us stand at post like a watchmen, ready to give this message to everyone. Finally, it is out of love that we give this message to the sinful world in order that through hearing they may be saved. The prince of preachers of the 19th century put it this way:

“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
C.H. Spurgeon