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1, 2, 3 OR A, B, C?

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IT’S AS SIMPLE AS A, B, C.

A, B, CBy Ken Blue

Some of the brethren, having run out of things to criticize others about, have now resorted to finding fault with how one gives an invitation to salvation or how one leads a soul to accept Christ. This is done with a cute little saying called the “1, 2, 3 repeat after me” method.

All of us are guilty of picking up some little tidbits or scraps thrown out by others and then regurgitating them to the pups when we get back to the den. Cute, may sound pleasing and stroke our pride, but there is a world of difference between cute and accuracy.

Most of us are familiar with a small gospel tract that says salvation is as “simple as A, B, C.” I’ve yet to hear any complaints about its presentation. It goes something like this:

A- All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

B- Believe Jesus died to pay for your sins.

C- Call upon him now and ask Him to save you. The tract continues with a simple prayer for the sinner to repeat. This is called the A B C method.

The 1, 2, 3, method, however is not received with as much grace. We think we know why and will explain later.

This method obviously begins with the number, one.

1. All have sinned and come short of God’s glory.

2. Believe Jesus died to pay for your sins.

3. Call upon Him and ask Him to save you. The sinner is then led in a verbal prayer of salvation.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Only the Devil would complicate such a simple method of salvation as A, B, C.[/pullquote]

Now, anyone with an ounce of spiritual discernment can see the vast difference between the two methods. You may have to study them for a while before the dissimilarity becomes evident.

Still having trouble? Here it is. One is A, B, C and the other is 1, 2, 3.

We are not naive. Not every sinner who prays, any sinner’s prayer, is saved. It is not the method or words a man or woman mouths that merits them salvation. Salvation is an absolutely free gift to any man or woman who accepts it by faith. No other conditions are required.

Only the Devil would complicate such a simple method of salvation as A, B, C. Lost Pastors teach you must work to get it, and some saved pastors teach that you must ask a certain way or you don’t get it.

Now what is behind all this cute little saying we hear now and then? The answer is control. Another reason for the criticism is that the critic is not getting sinners saved with any method. He doesn’t have one.

Some pastors and evangelist are so desperate to secure a following that they create one more schism in the body of Christ in order to secure a following. We all enjoy a little comedy now and then, but don’t be too hasty to rush back to the den with those little tidbits to regurgitate them.

DEBATING WITH FOOLS (ATHEIST)

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THE ATHEIST ILLUSION

By Ken Blue

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.” Psalms 53:1.

Recently I watched a debate on TV between an atheist and a Christian. The atheist demanded proof that God exist. He was asked what proof he would accept. He said, “Just any proof you have.” The Christian said, “No, I see no need to go through a list of proofs that you have already made your mind up to reject. So, to save time, tell me what proof you would accept, and I’ll see if I have it.” He said, “OK, show me God.” The Christian said, “You got me on that one. I can’t do it.”

Next, the Christian asked the atheist to prove that God does not exist. The atheist responded, “Since you can’t provide the proof demanded, I am not required to prove that God doesn’t exist.” The Christian asked, “Since I cannot give the proof you demand; are you so dense you think your lack of proof gets you off the hook?”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The atheist has faith in his blindness and his personal reasoning about what he cannot see.[/perfectpullquote]

The believer should understand that the atheist operates with two sets of rules. One, you must present “proof,” which none of them will accept. Secondly, since they don’t believe God exist; they reason that they aren’t required to prove anything. Their ignorance drives their arrogance.

The problem is not that proof for God’s existence is lacking. The issue is, the fool has made up his mind to reject any and all arguments you present. They pretend they follow science, yet they can’t prove one point of their argument with established scientific evidence.

Don’t be intimated. The atheist does not have any proof for his argument. He cannot explain the origin of life, and he doesn’t KNOW for sure if his argument is valid; he merely believes it is. The Christian and the atheist both operate from the platform of faith. The Christian has faith in the Scriptures and the evidence he sees. The atheist has faith in his blindness and his personal reasoning about what he cannot see.

Any Christian struggling with this issue should read The Evolution Cruncher, by Vance Farrell.

Now, there are only four possible answers to the argument.

1. Matter is eternal.
2. Matter came from nothing.
3. Matter came from an eternal, intelligent Creator.
4. Nothing matters; all is an illusion, and we aren’t really here.

THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE

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HOW THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO THE CHURCH

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By Ken Blue

“The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule,[1] the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.[2][3] Business management thinker Joseph M. Juran suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population.[3] It is a common rule of thumb in business; e.g., “80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.” Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

This principle is found to be accurate in “many” endeavors. The business world has understood it for years. It is time that pastors consider it, and see if it might apply to their ministry investments and returns.

If a pastor will check the income of the church against the membership, he will discover that approximately 20% of the people are giving 80% of the income. The same rule will follow when it comes to ministry involvement. In addition, the church building will usually maintain about 80% of its seating capacity. These may vary, depending on the size of the church

Another factor that should be considered it that 80% of the financial and manpower investment, in many churches, only produce about a 20% return in souls saved and membership growth. This fact should motivate every pastor to search out which investments produce the greatest returns. Retailers know they only have one shot per year to make it big, and that time is the Christmas season. If they fail here, red ink will be the result.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]You want people in your city to think of your church when they consider attending a church.[/perfectpullquote]

Do pastors know the best seasons for harvest? It there a best place to seek for souls and one method that nets more visitors than another? The answer to the last question is yes. Again, the facts show that 80% of all visitors come to church because a friend or family members invite them! If that is true, then shouldn’t 80% of our outreach efforts be directed getting church members to bring others?

The question is, how can a pastor get his members to bring these visitors? The answer, many have discovered, is to have something going on at the church that members will want to invite their friends and family to attend. Dr. Jack Hyles and Dr. Lee Roberson built their large attendance on the “big day” philosophy. That is, they would have at least three big days each year. They pulled out all the stops and invested a major portion of the 80% to reach the community and get them to church. Some were always gleaned from those who attended.

For many years at Open Door, we invested greatly in Christmas, Easter, and the fourth of July. It was not uncommon to see the attendance increase by two or three hundred on those days. Now, I can hear the sarcasm of the critic; “how many came back?” No one knows the answer to that question, but one thing is for sure; those who came now know who we are and where we are, and seldom did a Sunday go by without visitors, or sinners making professions of faith.

Here is something to think about: It is not uncommon to see the Goodyear Blimp floating above football stadiums during the season. Thousands see it from the bleachers, and many more see it on television. Now, can the Goodyear tire company tell you how many people purchased their tires because of the blimp? They cannot, but evidently they KNOW the return is worth the investment. When people think of tires, they think Goodyear!

The same principle is true with your church. You want people in your city to think of your church when they consider attending a church. You make this happen by getting your name and exposure out before them any way you can and as often as you can.
Preachers must get over the false concept that if the members are busy, good things will happen. Good things will only happen if they are busy working on the things that will produce the 80% results or more.

GET OUT OF DEBT FREE

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YOU OWE A DEBT YOU CANNOT PAY

By Ken Blue

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23.

That most Americans are so far in debt they can’t see a way out is an understatement. However, there is a much greater debt accumulating that few know about or give much thought to. God tells us that our sins carry with them a debt. All of us are sinners, therefore all are debtors. We sin each day in word, thought, and deed. If you only committed three sins per day; at year’s end you would have 1095 sins, and you would be practically perfect if you only sinned three times per day.

Suppose you live fifty or sixty years and only commit three sins per day, you would face God with 65,700 sins against your account. You see, the wages of sin is death; sin is death to your spiritual life, to your physical life and to your eternal life. You and I owe something that we cannot pay!

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]You can get out of debt free![/perfectpullquote]

Now, for the good news; you can get out of debt free! Notice that our text says the gift of God is eternal life. Because we sin willfully, we have accumulated a debt we cannot pay. Because Jesus Christ never sinned, He paid a debt He did not owe. In simple bookkeeping, we have a -1 in our account and He has a +1 in His account. If we could get His +1 moved to our -1, it would balance the books and we would not owe anything!

That is exactly what God does for every sinner who realizes that he cannot pay what he owes. We acknowledge our hopeless state and receive God’s gift of mercy and life in Christ. You see, death is the wage for our sins, but eternal life is God’s free gift to all who will receive it.

Notice that it is a free “gift”. You don’t work for a gift, you can’t pay for it, nor do you deserve it. Your only option is to reject it or accept it. If you want to get out of debt FREE, accept God’s gift in Jesus Christ today.

LET GOD USE YOUR INFIRMITY

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GOD CAN USE YOUR INFIRMITY

InfirmityBy Ken Blue

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;” Philippians 1:12

Last week I received a phone call from a lady whose fiancé has ALS. Her doctor is a member of Open Door, and she suggested I be contacted because I too am afflicted with this terminal neurological disease. We set a time for a meeting at the church.

When I first met Charles, it was obvious that he was very ill and troubled. I spent some time getting acquainted and sharing my story and history of ALS. I explained how I became a Christian and why I have perfect peace concerning my death and meeting the Lord Jesus Christ. I assured him that I am not looking forward to the process, but I am sure of heaven after I die.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]God wants to use your infirmities to help win others to Christ.[/pullquote]

After presenting the simple gospel story, I ask if he too would like to accept Jesus as his Savior. Again, I made it clear that this would not change the nature of his disease, but would change his destination at death. I also reassured him that it is acceptable to trust Christ, even when one is dying. It does not mean he is praying a “foxhole prayer.” I told him of the thief on the cross and that he was saved that very hour.

Charles agreed that he wanted to accept Jesus as his savior and in faith bowed his head and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. I showed him a couple of assurance verses and we rejoiced together.

Two things I would like to ask you to do. One, please pray for him and his family as Charles nears the time of his departure to be with the Lord. Next, don’t complain about your misfortunes; God wants to use them to help and win others if you will be available. Believe me, I am not glad I have ALS; but if this one soul will be in heaven because of it, then I thank God that He could use it to win others to Him.