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ONE OUT OF TEN AIN’T BAD

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One out of Ten Ain’t Bad

One out of ten“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” Luke 17:17-18

In the early days of my ministry I invited people to church, and they looked me straight in the eye and said, “I’ll see you Sunday.” If I got ten promises, I expected ten people. I soon discovered that most people do not keep their commitments. Since I had no way of knowing who would come, my only option was to raise the odds; I would get more promises.

Some pastors are disappointed when they count the meager returns. But don’t despair, if you get ten professions and one returns, you are doing as good as Jesus did. The way to raise the returns is to raise the professions. I would rather have ten returns out of a hundred than one out of ten.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The way to raise the returns is to raise the professions.[/pullquote]

Remember, no one knows who really get’s saved. We don’t know how and when the Holy Spirit is working in the heart of another. Don’t let the fear of picking “green fruit” or the possibility of getting a “still birth” keep you from winning people to Jesus. There are three parts to winning people to Christ.

# 1. Your part: get them to trust Jesus.
# 2. Their part: trusting Him.
# 3. God’s part: saving them.

If you only get one out of ten, it ain’t bad.

MUST A PERSON REPENT TO BE SAVED?

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 Saving Faith and Repentance

MUST A PERSON REPENT TO BE SAVED

BY Ken Blue

Certainly, there’s no shortage of Scripture on the subject of repentance. The shortage appears to be in the understanding of where, and how the word is used in Scripture. Strictly speaking, one may repent and still not be saved. Yes, repentance is a vital part of salvation. However, we discover that after we are saved, we spend the rest of our life repenting.

Now, in the matter of salvation, faith and repentance are just two sides of the same coin. Repentance is a “change of mind.” The Bible says God repented. “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” Jonah 3:10.  When God saw their repentance, He also repented! They turned and God turned. So, repentance is a change of mind that parallels turning.

When a person puts his faith in Jesus, he is believing. By believing he changed his mind about two things. One, he needed a Savior, and two, Jesus would save him. The Holy Spirit moves in and through the Word, begins a process we call Christian growth. Not all believers grow at the same pace, and it is a day by day decision. Paul said, “I die daily…”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The longer you are saved, the more you understand that your problem is not your sins, but a sinful heart![/perfectpullquote]

I never tell a person he must repent, or turn from his sins. It only frustrates the grace of God, and leaves the convert confused. One person sows, another waters, but God gives the increase. Why not trust Him to bring about the change in the new born? When a sinner exercises saving faith, he is repenting! I think it is safe to say, in the context of saving faith, that faith is a synonym for repentance.

I never worry about the sinners’ repentance. I have discovered, once he believes in his heart, he has taken the first step of repentance. He will find that it is a lifelong process after that. Is there anything in your life, right now, of which you need to repent? The longer you are saved, the more you understand that your problem is not your sins, but a sinful heart! I know from personal experience.

EASY BELIEVISM

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What could be easier than getting saved?

LogRolling

By Ken Blue

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.

While a student In Bible College, I remember a story that I will never forget. Dr. Malone was preaching, and he told a story about a student who brought a lost man to the “altar.” Dr. Malone said he overheard the sinner say, “I don’t feel like getting saved today.” The student said, “You don’t have to feel like it, you just need to believe what Jesus did for you on the cross.” The sinner responded, “But I want to feel something.” Again the student assured him it was not a feeling he needed. He only needed faith. Finally the sinner knelt and prayed, asking the Lord to save him. Dr. Malone said, “As soon as the two of them stood, the student asks, how do you feel?”

One of the issues confusing pastors and sinners, is the concept that one must “feel” a certain way or his salvation is not real. The problem is we have made feeling a synonym for conviction. Now, feeling may follow conviction. However, feeling need not, and many times does not. Feeling is not conviction, nor is conviction a feeling.  Conviction is a conclusion that one comes to about an issue. Some who get saved may weep and tremble, while another may laugh and shout. Then, there are those who show little or no emotion. Now, who of us can say for sure which person REALLY got saved? The answer is, none of us.

Getting saved is the easiest thing in the world. For the life of me, I can’t figure why pastors and evangelist want to put razor wire between the sinner and the Savior. “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:8-13. Now, what could be easier? The text says the word is in the heart and mouth.  

Then we hear the criticism about “the sinners’ prayer.” I am not sure how a sinner gets saved without a prayer. I guess there is some kind of sinners’ prayer that doesn’t work. If anyone knows what it is, they should enlighten us. We hear that one, two, three, repeat after me, won’t save the sinner. I would be curious how anyone knows that the sinner led in a prayer isn’t saved. The fact, my dear brother is, you don’t know if anyone gets saved or not. If they bawl and crawl their way to the “altar” on their knees, you and I have no assurance they really got saved. Personally, I would no longer announce if people get saved or not. I think the safe thing to say is we had a certain number of professions.

The Scriptures tell us how to believe, and what to believe. But, we are never told what emotional response or feeling one must demonstrate. Let me conclude with one example, and I have many.

About fifty-five years ago, my wife and I went to her brother’s house for the sole purpose of leading him to the Lord. Vernon worked on the rail road, and the heat in his boots had caused a rash. He was setting at the table applying alcohol. I presented the gospel to him, and ask if he understood. He said he did. I ask him if he would be willing to accept Christ, if I prayed with him. He responded with a “yes.” We prayed, afterward he continued to rub the alcohol on his leg. There was no weeping, shouting, or visible emotion. Vernon is still living for the Lord, and I am as sure of his salvation as I am that of any person reading this.

I believe in easy believism. I think there is a mindset that we are in some kind of “Laodicean period,” where people have no interest in salvation. That mindset conditions our attitude toward the lost. So, we put every obstacle before them, and if they aren’t willing to jump them, we beat them up to confirm what we believed. I think we should remove every obstacle between the sinner and the cross, and do everything in our power to get people to accept Christ; so did Jesus, and Paul. Believing is easy for those who believe.

“…unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:18-22

 

DON’T BELIEVE THE CAMEL STORY

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Eliminating Camel Humps

By Ken Blue
Many pastors agonize over the summer and winter months when it comes to church  attendance and offerings. They have been programed to believe that these two seasons are predestined to lower church attendance. Dr. Elmer Towns compared it to a two humped camel. The gap between the camel humps is supposed to represent these two seasons. Growth could only be expected in the spring and the fall.

However, there are some who do not accept this view of defeat, and they work, pray, and expect to see God work in a great way. The following note from Pastor Murphy illustrates my point. He gave me permission to post it.

“Pastor Blue praise God for a great outreach at our annual Freedom Celebration (July 2012). We had over 800 in attendance with 300 + first time visitors and 14 people indicated they trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

That next week we had a great team of members and staff that visited over 130 homes with one profession of faith in those visits. Since this outreach we have had multiple families come back as they are looking for a church home.

What a blessing to see the church body come together to make this possible as we try to reach the community God has placed us in.

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily….. Acts 2:47”

Pastor, don’t be discouraged, and don’t quit. You can do better! I pray that some pastor, by the grace of God will accept the challenge.

FOOT IN MOUTH

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OPEN MOUTH.  INSERT FOOT.

FOOT

By Ken Blue

We are all guilty of saying things that are just plain stupid. It is not intended, but when revealed to us, we end up being embarrassed. Recently I heard a man preach who made this blunder. I am confident he was a sincere, and a good man. I am also sure he had no idea that he “put his foot in his mouth.”

In the early part of his message, he explained why he attended a Bible preaching church for the first time and heard the gospel. The church was having some type of outreach program where those who brought the most visitors  received points. He said he attended to accommodate the young girl and help her win. It was there he heard the gospel and was saved!

However, toward the end of the message, he spoke out against programs to reach the lost or get them to church. He had just put his foot in his mouth and didn’t know it. That was how he got to church and was saved.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Many are simply parroting their peers and have no idea what they are saying.[/perfectpullquote]

He continued by saying, “If you use programs to reach people, you will have to continue the program to keep them.” BINGO! There went his foot in his mouth again. I have been in the ministry for over 40 years, and can assure you that the motivation that brings a person to church does not have to continue to keep them coming. Those who use that argument simply have not thought through what they are saying.

Pastor, let me give you a little challenge. On some Sunday, ask the congregation how many of them were saved in church. Then ask “How many of you had decided prior to attending church you were going to get saved that day?” You will be amazed. Most lost people do not come to church to get saved or hear the Word of God. Like our pastor friend, most attend for some other reason.

I went to church because it was Easter Sunday, and my girlfriend had a pretty dress. That Sunday I was saved! Secondly, It is not Easter or the pretty dress that has keep me attending church for 50 years.

So, don’t let the anti-program crowd stop you from having as many outreach programs possible. Many dear pastors are simply parroting their peers and have no idea what they are saying. Try to keep your foot out of your mouth.