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[00:00:00] In the word of God this evening, first in Luke, chapter five, from verses four to eleven.
[00:00:13] Luke five, from verse four to eleven.
[00:00:21] And when Jesus had left speaking, he said unto Simon, put out into the deep, or launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a drop.
[00:00:32] And Simon answered and said, master, we toiled all night and took nothing but at thy word, I will let down the nets.
[00:00:44] And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their nets were breaking. And they beckoned unto their partners in the other boat that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink. But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus knees, saying, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was amazed, and all that were with him at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. And so were also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their boats to land, they left all and followed him.
[00:01:34] And then, if you will, turn to John and chapter 21.
[00:01:39] John and chapter 21. And from verse one. John, chapter 21. From verse one. After these things, Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he manifested himself on this rise. There were together Simon Peter and Thomas, called Didymus and Nathanael of Canaan and Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, we also come with thee. They went forth and entered into the boat. And that night they took nothing. But when day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach. Yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore saith unto them, children, have ye aught to eat? They answered him, no. And he said unto them, cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast therefore. And now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. That disciples, therefore, whom Jesus loved, saith unto Peter, it's the Lord. So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his coat about him, for he was naked and cast himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about 200 cubits off, dragging the nets full of fishes. So when they got out upon the land, they see a fire of coals thereon, fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, bring of the fish which ye have now taken. Simon Peter therefore went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes. A for all there were so many, the net was not rent. And Jesus saith unto them, come and break your fast. And none of the disciples durst inquire of him, who art thou? Knowing that it was the Lord Jesus cometh and taketh the bread, and giveth them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples. After that he was risen from the dead.
[00:03:54] I want to take up from last Thursday evening one point and finish it this evening. In fact, we didn't get to it. You remember last week we were speaking about soul winning and everything to do with soul winning. And we spoke about finding people, we spoke about speaking to people of Christ, and we have spoken about bringing them to Christ. Now this evening I just want to speak first of all about the aftercare of souls, one to Christ. In other words, follow up. The aftercare of souls won to Christ. Soul winning does not and must not end with a person's conversion.
[00:04:47] Many people's idea of winning souls is that once you've got them converted, that's the end of all your responsibility. But it isn't in many ways. It's the end in one sense, of a certain kind of responsibility. It's the beginning of a new kind of responsibility.
[00:05:05] Making disciples is our commission, not converts.
[00:05:12] And making disciples is infinitely more difficult than making converts. If to win converts is difficult, making disciples is almost impossible. But for the grace and power of God. Now our commission is not just to go and preach the gospel and win converts to get decisions.
[00:05:40] It would be much simpler if it were our commission, which is given to every one of us. Whole church is to make disciples of all nations.
[00:05:53] So there is much, and must be much follow up work and aftercare both immediately. That is the moment you've led a person to Christ. There is immediate follow up there and then, and then in the succeeding months there must be much.
[00:06:12] Whilst we know that it's God's work and God's work alone, which will endure, and that he only is able to keep and nurture those whom he has saved, we have also a very great responsibility. It's not enough to leave newly saved ones with the elementary fundamentals of conversion. We have a duty to care for them. If you turn in your bible to one corinthians chapter four, we read of the apostle, now apostle Paul, and his concern for them. One corinthians 414 to 16, I write not these things to shame you but to admonish you as my beloved children, for though ye have 10,000 tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I begat you through the gospel, I beseech you, therefore be ye imitators of me.
[00:07:20] Now we see straight away that the apostles concern wasn't just to get a convert.
[00:07:27] Like many, an evangelist just moves in and says, my job is to preach the gospel full stop.
[00:07:32] The apostles concern goes much deeper than that. He says, I'm not just an evangelist. I'm not even just an official apostle. I'm a father. I begat you, and having begat you, having, as it were, conceived you, I can't just leave you. I can't just, as it were, tip you out to the mercies of this world. I am not just a tutor. He says, you may have 10,000 teachers who can just do a little job of teaching, but you have only one father and that fathers me. Now that in a nutshell is this whole matter of follow up. The trouble with so much christian work is that we've got lots of people who are tutors. They are able to give the points 1234 and five, and thats the end.
[00:08:26] They are able to give them a gospel, and thats the finish of it. We have very few who have that relationship of father to child which cares for the one whos come to the Lord, which prays for the yearns for that one. Now weve got it again in Galatians chapter four. Galatians, chapter four, verse 19 and 20.
[00:08:51] My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you. Now note the word travail, and note the little word again.
[00:09:04] So evidently this dear man in whom the spirit of God found such a home, this man had travailed. He hadn't only preached the gospel, full stop. Seen conversions. Full stop.
[00:09:20] He had travailed over those people who came to the meetings.
[00:09:26] He had inward pain, something conceived in him by the Holy Spirit which caused him inward pain and burden, and probably is what he was speaking about in Romans eight groanings which cannot be uttered but which are according to the mind of God, something deep, deep within him conceived of God, which just couldn't get out.
[00:09:52] It was conceived but not born, and he travailed until he brought them to birth. Now, you would have thought that was the end of it. You would have thought the apostle could have left it to other sub apostles or mini apostles or somebody. Oh, not the apostle Paul. He follow up is in the man's spirit. Follow up is in the man's heart and soul. What does he say? He says, my little children, of whom I am again in Travail. So he's prepared to labor for them again, actually labour, as in childbirth, for them all again, this time that Christ may be fully formed in them. You get this all the way through his letters. I strive, I labor, that I may present every man full grown in Christ, he said.
[00:10:41] And so again and again, all through his letters, I count, I'll do anything. If I may help you. This man isn't just a tutor. He isn't just someone who knows the technique. He isn't someone who's got points one to seven. He is a man who is a father, and follow up is in his soul. We have again the thought in one Thessalonians and chapter two and verse seven. But we were gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own children. Strange figure he uses here. The apostle says, we were really gentle, just like a nurse whose whole life is bound up with this little child that she's looking after. Now here we have follow up after care.
[00:11:43] Some people will only need a little care, thank the Lord.
[00:11:48] They're strongly born of God, and all we have to do is to pray for them and help them at certain points, and they go right on with the Lord. Others will need much more care, and others are long and endless cases of care.
[00:12:11] Indeed, there are some, I think, who are born of God, who are pretty well lifelong responsibilities due to some kind of problem or weakness or other. There are therefore these three kinds, some whom we praise the Lord for, they get born of God. They need real help and care in the beginning, and like good, strong children, they grow up into adults and sooner shouldering responsibility. Others we have a lot of problem with, but they come through and they take responsibilities. Others, something goes wrong and they are lifelong problems that need much care and attention. Now, a few things about immediate follow up. Now, we're taking it that you've all led someone to the Lord. You've been with them on your knees, you've gone through the scriptures, they've come to the Lord, as we said last week, you've given them a gospel.
[00:13:05] At the back. You've got some scriptures you'll find quite helpful, if it's one of these ones or the other kind, and you've brought them to the Lord. Now, what are the essentials which every newly saved one ought to be given? And when you give these, you should get them to write them down or write them down yourself for them.
[00:13:29] Here they are, the absolute essentials that everyone who comes to the Lord ought to know first. Witnessing, witnessing. Romans ten 810, Romans ten eight to ten, we'll just read verse nine. Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Why do many people lack assurance of faith when they've come to the Lord? Because they have never confessed Jesus as Lord with their lips.
[00:14:12] They have never gone to another person and said, I am saved by the grace of God. I have become a Christian through the work of the Lord Jesus. But when a person opens their mouth in the office or in their home or to someone else and says it that moment, the spirit of God witnesses with their spirit that it's happened.
[00:14:35] Now this is the key to many a weak birthday because people come to the Lord and they're never told to confess with their lips Jesus is Lord. Some brethren I know always insist that when a person has come to the Lord, they should go out at the door and speak to the first person they meet and tell them just that. This principle might be established. Because when a person confesses with their mouth, there is a witness of the spirit of God with their spirit that they're children of God.
[00:15:05] Many a weak birth is the result of non confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there are some Christians who have gone on for years and still have these doubts about whether they're really saved because they have never confessed with their mouth Jesus as Lord.
[00:15:22] Not said, I think I'm a Christian, but have said, I am a Christian. They've taken a step of faith and said, I am a Christian. One thing. Second thing, Bible reading. Two timothy, 316 17.
[00:15:38] Very well known scriptures. I think you know them all. Scripture is inspired of God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, which is in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. Now, why do we have to say about the word of God? Because we've got to say to someone who's come, they've got to feed. You can't feed them, they've got to feed themselves. And if we have given them a gospel or they've got a bible of their own, then I always suggest to them, they read so many verses a day and not too much, see, not too much. And not to bother about what they don't understand, but to dwell on what they do and say to them, now this is food. It's not just literature, it's food. And if you will only first ask God to help you and come to you in your reading, he will give you something out of your reading every day. The trouble with some people is they get bogged down on the difficulties. What they dont understand, they go round and round and round and round and nothing happens, except they get confused, and they dont dwell on what they do understand. Well now that is very important for them to understand. They must read the word of God, and then prayer. Matthew 26 41.
[00:16:57] Watch and pray always, that ye enter not into temptation.
[00:17:02] Again, we explain what prayer is. I always say, people say, well, I can't pray. Could you give me a book of prayers? I've been asked once and twice, why should you? Won't need those. But I couldn't possibly pray. Well, of course they've got all those, the ideas of those high flowing prayers in church. Oh Lord have mercy upon me. Lord, have mercy upon us. And all this kind of beautiful language, which they feel they can't come up to, but I always say, now look here, just forget this, when I talking with you, it's conversation, but when I talk with God, it's prayer, but it's the same thing. I must be reverent, but I'm talking to the Lord. So just talk in your own language. Get into the habit of praying without ceasing. Talk with the Lord at all times, only don't talk out loud or people think you're mad, but get into the habit of talking with the Lord in your heart all the time. Now, prayer, that's the third great essential.
[00:17:58] The fourth essential is confession. One, John one seven nine.
[00:18:07] Those scriptures are the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son. Cleanseth us from all sin.
[00:18:13] If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin. Now, many a young believer has stumbled within days because some evil thought has been injected into their head by Satan. Then he tells them that they have thought it, and then they don't know what to do, and no one's told them what to do. And they now believe that christians are people are pure.
[00:18:35] Never an evil thought flits through their mind. They've looked at all those scrubbed faces, seen all those shining people, and they think every one of them's a saint. They don't know us yet. You see, they think every one of them is a full blown saint. Not an evil thing ever comes to them. They're all loving and one and in harmony. It's all wonderful. It's another kind of life, and people and then they have a fall. They lose their temper, they get irritated. Something happens, we can be sure, because there's an enemy, and they don't know what to do. Now you must. Now we all fall.
[00:19:11] We all fall.
[00:19:14] If any man says he has no sin, he has not sinned, he's allowed.
[00:19:18] Now what we do is this. And here we tell them what we do. We confess. And then immediately the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin, and we can go on together with the Lord.
[00:19:31] A fifth essential is obedience.
[00:19:34] Obedience. Luke, chapter six and verse 46.
[00:19:44] Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? If we could only teach every single person who comes to the Lord that the supreme thing is obedience. Trust and obey, they would grow strongly from the day they are born.
[00:20:05] Obedience. Faith in obedience is the key to everything. Trust and obey. For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to be trust and obey. I remember what the Lord's mother said to the servants when she couldn't understand the rebuke she got from her son. She turned to the servants and she said, evidently a little bewildered, whatsoever he saith, do it.
[00:20:32] Obedience, that, I would believe, is the fifth essential and then the last essential. I would mention out, of course, many, many matters we could is fellowship. Acts 242, what does it say? They continued acts 242, and they continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and of prayers. And then I would link with that Hebrews ten and 25, not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is, and so much the more as ye see that day approaching. Now, I always say, now, look here, you're born into a family, and you need your family, and the family needs you. They've got to care for you and look after you. And just as in a human family, you must be found together. You must try and come along as much as you're able to at those gatherings. Now very much, again, depends on this matter of real fellowship and an understanding from the beginning of being part of the family of God. Well, now, those are the six. I think they are the six essentials that in follow up.
[00:21:46] There are many others, but those are six that I think are really essential. Some people will put prayer and confession together and make them five.
[00:21:58] Make sure that they have a Bible, or at least some portion of God's word. Whether I came to the Lord Jesus Christ in a church of 500, I was never given a Bible.
[00:22:12] No one ever asked whether I had a Bible. I or my sister. No one ever inquired, asked or sought in any way. They naturally thought in this christian country. It's a few years ago that every family had a Bible and that every person had a Bible. Now, neither I nor my sister had a Bible, and they gave us a gospel of John. It was one of those little yellow ones. Some of you may remember them, the old SGM ones. And, well, my sister and I, we read through our little gospels of John till they literally, I think I must have read it through all 30, 40 times. But the only thing I had of the Bible, I had nothing else. We used to read through a little and come to the end of it and go back again. And that's why to this day, I know the gospel of John better than any other part of God's word. Perhaps it was the Lord's doing, I don't know. I have. I can almost tell you what were in the chapters of Gospel of John because of that. But it was amazing to me, if I look back, that no one ever asked us had we got a Bible. After quite a few months, I think it was a year or two, my sister and I went on a rampage around the house and found my grandfather's old Bible. And then we shared that for a while. But make sure that a person has a bible, and if they have not got a Bible, at least make sure that they have a gospel to go on with for the time being.
[00:23:47] It's good, I think, to explain the relative value of different versions. Not a huge, great long discussion, but I mean, when you are responsible for the follow up of somebody, it's good to explain to them understanding their type. If it's a sort of very academic type of person, the older version, they'll be all right with it. But if it's a younger person who perhaps doesn't do too much reading, then you've got to think for a while first. Now then, what are we to do with this person? And I always first of all say, now, here's this. Now I think you should get a modern version. And later on, you know, after a month or two, we'll talk again about the version. Perhaps that will be most helpful. Helpful to you.
[00:24:31] Now we've got the new american standard Bible, which is a good modern one and a very accurate one.
[00:24:38] There are other versions too, but I think it is good to, especially when a person has come to lord and they want to buy a bible to help them in their understanding of what version they should use.
[00:24:53] Always get their name and address and any other details which might be helpful without appearing to be nosy or officious, you know, for goodness sake, do be careful. You know, there are some brothers who will ask a sister, and what's your age? Now, of course, if the girl is under 20, of course, that's not so bad. But if it happens to be a lady in the more delicate years of her life, she may be most put off by being asked. I mean, those kind of. Do be careful. Those. That's an extreme point, but it does happen. And there are people who are very, very strange. You remember the lady, the case of the lady who was fished in from the street.
[00:25:33] An older lady who, with high Dudgeon, said that she was not going to the parish church anymore. Because they had wanted her name and her address.
[00:25:45] And she went on and on and on about this. And of course, that evening, the person who finished her in said, well, don't worry. No one will ask you that at Halford House. So she decided to come in. And of course, that particular Sunday evening. I preached on the verse, what is thy name?
[00:26:07] Oh, dear. She didn't quite get over that one.
[00:26:11] Anyway, the thing is that don't take name. And do always take a name. Just when a person's come to the law. But do be careful of being either officious or nosy. But there are times when there are details. For instance, if a person's got a particular background of one kind or another, it's really helpful to know that background that we may pray about it. Other details along that line. They happen to be another nationality. It might be good to know that nationality. So that we can put others that are maybe amongst us in touch with them. If they happen to be the same nationality. And so on and so forth. See that those who are in charge.
[00:26:51] Have a copy of the name and address. And any other details you take in succeeding weeks and months. Take inward responsibility. Now, this is our great failure.
[00:27:06] People take a certain amount of care over the immediate follow up. But it is the succeeding follow up that there is so much collapse and failure over in the succeeding weeks and months. Take inward responsibility for that person. Pray for that one regularly. Write to them. Not every day, but I mean write to them now and again. Visit them if necessary. It's so often the quiet, patient and sensitive follow up and love. Which the Lord uses in establishing one who's come to know the Lord. Many of us here in this meeting, just in this small meeting this evening. Are probably here because of someone who persevered in prayer for us.
[00:27:55] And sort of wrote to us or visited us or helped us in one way. It was in the succeeding months that so much was done. Now, I have noticed again and again that when a person comes to the Lord, they're very wobbly often, and then there's often about three, four months of very great wobbliness.
[00:28:13] And then all of a sudden, they take root and you see a sudden change come, and they start to come in more and more and more.
[00:28:22] Sometimes the other happens.
[00:28:26] The cares of this world, like weeds, grow up and choke the seed. Sometimes the root hasn't gone deep enough, and the sun comes up and beats down upon the path and they die. But this is what happens when a person really comes to the Lord. It's a wonderful thing, conversion. It's a wonderful thing, real spiritual birth, because it is just like physical birth, only in the spiritual world, someone is actually born, literally born of God. It's not just a little religious figure, it's something that's real.
[00:29:07] Now, it is the quiet and sensitive follow up and love which is so important. Supply the church with details for prayer and intercession concerning that, but don't uncover them.
[00:29:20] Don't give every single personal detail, but do supply the real need for prayer, because as always in spiritual things, it requires spiritual means, really, to bring such a one right through. If they do not live locally, seek to get them put in touch with local christians. That's a very important thing. If you know someone living the other end of the country, we must do all we can to put them in touch with some local Christian.
[00:29:54] Let's watch that. Now, there are one or two things just to remember before we pass on to the matter of outreach. Remember, your responsibility does not end with a person's conversion. It begins in a new and deeper way.
[00:30:11] God holds you responsible for the care of that one. Remember that. You will answer for that one day.
[00:30:18] Secondly, avoid smothering someone who has recently found the Lord. This is the other end of the pole, as it were. There are those who care so much for those who found the Lord that they positively smother them. And, well, I could give you many examples of this. Let them grow originally. You can kill them with good advice and loving counsel.
[00:30:49] You know, someone comes to the Lord and they get, oh, a person fastens onto them like a leech, and every turn they're telling them about this and about that and, dear, that. Minnie, don't you think an inch or two down? I mean, you're a Christian now, or this or that or the other or that perfume you're wearing it's a little bit too much, you know, you're Christian now, or sometimes, you know, they go up and start shoving literature into their handsome fellow about how they'll die of lung cancer before they're 30 if they carry on smoking. And have you. There's a program on television showing Tallulah bankid just before she died of lung cancer. And did you hear that Betty Grable died of lung cancer, only 56. You're a Christian now. You need to help. You see? Why didn't you go to the brothers and ask for deliverance?
[00:31:48] This is the way to kill a person who's come to the Lord. I mean, the poor thing has taken a great step in faith. It's been a great upset earthquake in their life. We can do great damage. Now, there's two ways in which we can do damage. First of all, they may be themselves people with their own will, and they feel they're being smothered. And so as they feel they're being smothered, quite automatically they start to go onto the defensive, and they will not accept what you say anymore. You see, that's one thing. The other thing that happens is this, you do sometimes get the other kind of person who will accept everything you say, and that's just as dangerous, all they say. And they drop the mini by two inches, all they say, and they try to give up smoking. Oh, you mustn't do. I won't do it. And of course, it's not their life. With the Lord, a vacuum is being created, which in a few years time, when the real pressures of life start, they will collapse under the weight of it. It's not an original walk with God.
[00:32:48] I think half our troubles in this matter is that we forget ourselves. If we would only remember how slow we were to get through some of these things, we'd be much more understanding with others who've just come to the law. But we forget that we think that, you know, we've learned so much and we want them to jump right over the hole into what we've got. Well, now, just be careful. Let them grow originally and again, you see, we often appear to those in such a case as dominant, possessive, opinionated, even dictatorial.
[00:33:23] So just be careful there. Always throw back onto the Lord those who recently found him. Be careful of directing.
[00:33:32] Our job is to help them to know the Lord for themselves. It says about the new covenant, every one of them shall know the Lord from the least of the greatest.
[00:33:41] That's a wonderful word. That's the new covenant. Now, what do I mean, by this. Now, you will get people who will run to you for everything. They've come to the Lord, you've led them to the Lord. And so they come trotting along and they want to know, shall I do this? Shall I do that? Go on, tell me. Well, you ought to know, you see. Now, be careful of just. It's very, very easy and flattering when people run to you, especially if you're not used to it, you sort of feel rather important. So you say, well, I think that you should. I'll pray about it, but I think that you should do cells. I'll give you a wing later on, when I prayed about it. And of course, you prepare and you phone them and say, yes, I think you should go to Timbuktu.
[00:34:20] You know the kind of thing. Now, you see that it. It all sounds very good, but what you're doing is this. You are, without realizing it, taking away that person's dependence upon the Lord, force them back on the Lord. Now, sometimes when someone's young, they get very angry with us because they say, oh, why don't you say something? But don't. Don't say anything. That person's got to learn to find the Lord's mind themselves. It's essential that they do.
[00:34:46] Then again, you will all have difficulties if you really grow in this matter where people will come to you and will ask you all kinds of things. And when they get your answer, if you answer too quickly, they won't half give it to you, you know, they sort of say, do you think this coat is worldly?
[00:35:03] You see?
[00:35:04] Well, what are you to do? You can't say yes or no. You've either got to say yes or no. If you say, well, I don't know, they won't take it. So go on, say. So. In the end, you say, well, I think it is a bit worth.
[00:35:18] Off they go, oh, we had this some years ago. I remember one sister in such a state, she said, I was told about. So. Oh, I said, how terrible. That's quite wrong. No one should tell you a thing like that. So I went to investigate and I found that the particular sister had actually choked this person almost until they got something out of them. And then when they'd been told, were furious about it.
[00:35:47] It is difficult.
[00:35:51] You know what? It is difficult. And one of the things is this, that you will learn grace.
[00:36:00] Like every mother has to learn grace with her children. You will learn grace with those that have come to the Lord. And they, in their turn, when they take responsibility for someone else will be put to the test just as you are being put to the test.
[00:36:14] Sometimes some form of simple Bible study outline can prove very helpful. For instance, there's these very simple Bible outlines by the Billy Graham organization, personal commitment, followed by my personal walk, my personal witness and follow up, and my personal study on my own. They're very simple, but sometimes they can be help. Don't give them all at once, one at a time. And we've known folks who've been greatly helped there. Now there are also another series of studies which are, I think, very, very good indeed. They're by the SGM, and all they are, literally, is a collection of scriptures.
[00:36:55] And at the bottom, further scriptures for study one is called everyday life, and it goes through all kinds of things, home life, personal life, social life, religious life and so on. It really covers everything practical as well. Following that is a little book that could have been written for ourselves, christian fellowship. And it's all to do with church life. It's just collection of scriptures. And following that is another little book called christian stewardship. Now, these are all simply only collection of scriptures under titles. And again, those three can prove a very, very fine, simple type of Bible study.
[00:37:35] Books that are suitable can be a tremendous help when they're given at the right time. Biographies, for instance. Again, you've got to know the person you're giving it. You've got to know the kind of person they are and what really the approach is to be. But I think of biographies like C. T. Stud that I imagine would help any, anybody, really. Or I think of that wonderful little book by searching by Isabel Coon. There are many others that I think can help people.
[00:38:06] Biographies or testimonies that are very simple, clear and vivid, which can help people when they're young in the Lord. Or again, there are other books that can help people cross and switchblade. There are others in that whole realm, simple books. They're vividly written, they're true books, and they can help very much. Of course, when a person's older, there are many other deeper books indeed which may help.
[00:38:35] Let all that you do in follow up always be in fellowship with the church.
[00:38:41] Don't do things just off your own bat. Do it always in fellowship.
[00:38:46] And I think in you'll find that in so doing, we all grow together and we pray together, and we are a real team in the Lord in this matter. Now I want to say something about evangelistic outreach.
[00:39:02] Under this heading, we shall consider fishing, street work, house to house work, etcetera. All that kind of thing.
[00:39:11] I'm going to particularly consider fishing since most of what we shall say on this matter has as much bearing on the other forms of outreach as well.
[00:39:26] If evangelistic gifts and meetings are for the unsaved, then we must find ways and means of reaching them with the gospel, either to bring them under its sound or to take it to them.
[00:39:44] There should be no sitting and waiting for folk to miraculously appear.
[00:39:51] Now, of course, this whole problem is that we have had a history culturally where everyone went to church.
[00:40:00] It was the done thing and therefore the place was packed. 100 years ago, most places were packed and you didn't have, in one sense to go for the people because they came to you. People no longer come. The vast majority are outside. They don't ever come to a meeting of the church. So we now have to go right back to our original commission.
[00:40:28] It's no good waiting, sitting and waiting till folks appear. This is a completely false idea of the sovereignty of God.
[00:40:37] The word is continually that we should go. Go ye therefore, and preach the gospel in the whole creation. Mark, 1650.
[00:40:49] Go ye and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 20 819.
[00:40:55] Ye did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear much fruit, not stay, which would have been very much in keeping with abide in me and I in you. If he'd said, I have appointed you that you should abide and bear me. Think of the sermons we would have got out of that abide. No, he said, go and bear much fruit and that your fruit should remain. Or acts one and verse eight.
[00:41:28] When when the Holy Spirit but Jesus shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and ye shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Now, the Lord did not say, ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and ye shall be my witnesses in the church at Jerusalem or in the churches in Judea or in Samaria. To the Ottomans. He said, in Jerusalem, right in the community in which you're living amongst the unsaved people, you shall be my witnesses. Furthermore, this command is to all. It's not just to teenagers and young people. I can't understand the idea that all evangelistic outreach is really for the young people. They ought to go and do it. This is a commission to everyone. There's no question of age in it. It is a matter of the whole church of God, every member of the body of the Lord Jesus. It's to the whole church it is go ye not go some of ye.
[00:42:37] Go ye and preach the gospel. Go ye and make disciples. You. I did not. You did not choose me. I chose you. Doesn't that true of every one of us, whatever age, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear much? Ye shall be my witnesses. Old or young, you shall be my witnesses. And the very sad thing that the failure of the church in which I was brought up was simply that all house to house work, or very much of it, and very much of the street work was done by teenagers.
[00:43:15] Now, this is nothing against teenagers, but again and again and again we got the same reply. You don't know anything about life.
[00:43:26] I remember once when we had an open air and we were all teenagers, someone shouted out at us, you don't know what sin is.
[00:43:35] Well, of course we did know what sin was, but I mean, it was very hard to explain to them.
[00:43:42] They probably, by the look on their face, knew very much what sin was.
[00:43:48] But the problem is, you see, that this is a commission to the whole church. It's not just to youngsters. And I think it's a terrible thing when there is a mentality which appears to leave this whole realm of things, this vitally important realm, to the youngsters, the unmarried youngsters of the church.
[00:44:15] Some may not be as gifted in street work as in house to house, or getting into personal contact with people at home or office, but the commission is to all who belong to Christ. There can be no dead, barren branches in the vinegar in this whole matter of fruitfulness. In this connection, the Lord Jesus said that every branch that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.
[00:44:40] Now, this has nothing to do with just youth, is it? The whole church?
[00:44:47] And therefore we may not all be gifted in street work or house to housework, but we are all to be involved in this witness, in the community in which we live.
[00:45:01] My point is this, that I think we have to explode once and for all, that deceitful mentality, which sort of excuses. I'm not really meant for this work.
[00:45:16] All right, all right. It may be true. It may be true that you are not so good at house to house work. You may be excellent at personal contact with friends and neighbours, your own neighbors, but are you contacting friends? And that's the point. Or is it just a deceitful excuse?
[00:45:36] When people are really involved in fulfilling this commission, then we know everything's okay if they. If they don't go house to house, but they're always bringing in friends.
[00:45:46] Or if we find that somehow or other they're always going across the street to different ones. They've always got contacts. People are coming to the Lord through them. We understand entirely, but it is a terrible thing when we have a great area of dead wood in the church and people will say, well, of course I'm not gifted in this way and I'm not cut out for that. That's where we have to be very careful, we have to settle it, that none of us are excused from being involved in the outreach of Christ.
[00:46:17] All of us are to be witnesses by life and lip in the community in which we live. All of us are to be fishers of men.
[00:46:26] We are to find the people, not wait for them to find us.
[00:46:31] Many feel they cannot participate in this kind of work. As I've said, you often hear people say, well, I can't fear. Or you hear other people say, I'm not cut out for that sort of thing, but just wait. Who is naturally cut out for it?
[00:46:48] Who is naturally cut out for it?
[00:46:52] I'm not at all sure that there are people who are naturally cut out for this. For when a person is naturally cut out doesn't mean a single thing.
[00:47:05] You don't win people by natural gifts.
[00:47:09] You win people by being in union with Jesus Christ and dependence upon him.
[00:47:18] Only Christ can train and qualify us for such work. What does he say in mark one and verse 17? He says, come after me and I will make you to become fishers of men. Follow me and I will make you to become. Now we must follow Christ and we must start straight away.
[00:47:43] Here's the point. In other words, he is the only one who can train us and qualify us. How are we going to be trained? How are we to be going to be qualified? By following him.
[00:47:54] And if we really follow him, he will do the training and the qualifying. But we must start.
[00:48:03] We must start.
[00:48:05] Those disciples began straight away, you know, the Lord took a great risk when he sent them all out two by two. Don't you think so? Before the day of Pentecost. Sent them out two by two.
[00:48:18] Think of what they were all going to do. All going to deny the Lord and forsake him. You thought, that's very wrong, very wrong. Should have waited till after Pentecostal before they were sent out. But you see, the Lord was training them. Part of it was to send them out, let them make their mistakes. Collapse in a heap.
[00:48:34] Now, how many of us have collapsed in a heap?
[00:48:37] Number of us. Why have we collapsed in a heap? Because we have gone out. We've got on with the job, and we've come to the end of ourselves.
[00:48:46] But those who've done nothing, if they're collapsed in the heap, it's for other reasons, certainly not because the Lord is training. See, we've got to allow him, we've got to obey him, we've got to follow him and let him start the training. Part of the training's negative, part of the training is positive, part of the training is to explode all the false ground basis, and part of the training is to get us on the right. Now, we've had all this in the studies on mark.
[00:49:13] If you turn to mark 834 35, Jesus said, if any man will follow me, let him deny himself shall take up his cross and come after me.
[00:49:24] He that will lose his life for my sake. In the gospels, the same shall find it, and he that holds onto his life, the same shall lose it. Now, much of our refusal to engage in outreach work is a refusal to deny ourselves and take up the cloth. Now, if we're honest, that is true.
[00:49:43] Our refusal to be really engaged in this kind of work is often just that. We are.
[00:49:49] We don't want to look a fool, we don't want to expose ourselves, we don't want it's not easy. And all the rest of it. We don't want to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. But there's no other way.
[00:50:00] Furthermore, by the Holy Spirit alone can we be clothed with power and constituted his witnesses. Luke 24 and verse 48 and 49 puts it so very simply. Luke 24 48 49. Ye are witnesses of these things, and behold, I send forth the promise of my father upon you. But tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high. Clothed with power from on high. When a person is rightly clothed, they don't think about it.
[00:50:32] Now think about that.
[00:50:34] When you're rightly clothed, you don't think about it. That's the whole thing about clothing. No embarrassment. No embarrassment. If you walked into a a big affair in London, you know, one of these foreign office receptions, and you went in with your sleeves rolled up and your tie down here and a pair of jeans, you would feel, if you're normal, a little bit embarrassed, you're not clothed for the job. I mean, if the foreign minister of West Germany starts to speak to you, you might well feel as if somehow or other, you're not quite clothed for the job.
[00:51:18] But if you are dressed correctly, you don't think about your dress, only about the business and the work, whatever it is, whatever the discussion's about now. This is what it means when you're clothed from on high. When you're clothed with power from on high, it's in order that we be no longer self conscious, that we can get on with the job without all the time thinking about ourselves.
[00:51:42] We're clothed with power from on high. Ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon me, upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, in Judea, and unto the outermost parts of the earth. So it is by the Holy Spirit alone that we can be clothed with power and constituted his witnesses. We need to seek the Lord for a real experience of that clothing so that we can serve the Lord unself consciously, able to just get on with the job, able to speak in the office, able to speak to people in the street, able to just testify to the Lord, because we're clothed with power.
[00:52:23] There are now, therefore, four matters that I think are vital in this matter of evangelistic outreach. Very, very simply, I mentioned them. The first is the presence of the risen, glorified Christ. Note it. Matthew 20 819 20. Go, ye make disciples, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Now I find this a wonderful promise. Many people don't recognize that it's all to do with evangelism and evangelistic outreach.
[00:52:56] Go, and I am with you always, right to the end of the age. Of course, the fact of the matter is, he's with us right to the end of eternity. So what's he saying to the end of the age? But this is a specific promise for the job we've got for this age. Don't you see it? It's a specific promise for the great job of evangelism in this present age, the calling out of a people for God. He's with us.
[00:53:22] The problem with most of our evangelistic outreach is that we haven't got the presence of the Lord with us. We think we're testifying to some truth, some doctrine, some ideal.
[00:53:31] It's the presence of Christ that matters. The living presence of Christ is the determining factor in all outreach. Apart from me, ye can do nothing, the Lord said. In the end, it's not the tracks you give out or even the words you say. It's his presence which counts. We are to be, in fact, the members of Christ. The means of his expression, even when we are quite unconscious that he is present. As far as feelings go, he can be manifesting himself through us to unsaved ones. I've heard this again and again and again, people have brought someone in, and when they've come to the Lord, I've said to them myself, what brought you in? Well, it was something about the person who stopped me. Now, that person you find has had a bad time.
[00:54:14] They felt hopeless, hopeless.
[00:54:18] Again and again it happened. We find it often in ministry, we feel, oh, what a hopeless time that was. And then afterwards we hear people have been blessed. Oh, they met the Lord and you think, isn't that amazing? I felt terrible death in us, life in them.
[00:54:35] You see, it's so. If we would only understand. The Lord has committed himself in this matter. I am with you. If you will go, I am with you. You go. I am with you.
[00:54:50] It's his presence that matters. Don't just be a track machine or automatic inviters to a meeting, you know. Here's a track, there's a track, here's a track, here's a track, here's a track, here's a track, here's a track. I've done a great work today.
[00:55:04] I understand there are not too many of those now in these days, praise the Lord. But we have to be careful of that kind kind of thing or just automatic. Invite us to a meeting. It's the same problem. The Lord is with you. When you're standing trembling on that corner or in front of that house, the presence of a risen Christ is with you. He's actually committed himself. He said, go, and I'm with you. You may not feel it, but you can depend upon him. He's there. And sometimes when you feel absolutely at a loss, he's going to most greatly use you.
[00:55:40] You are a member of Christ.
[00:55:43] Whether we feel it or not, he is in us to reach others. Now, the second thing that's vital in this matter is the exercise of living faith. That's why we read those two passages in Luke five and John 21, the exercise of living faith. We cannot go on feelings, nor can we go out of a sense, a mere sense of duty. We must launch out in deliberate faith. Thus, now, listen to this. When we feel most dead and most unable, God can use us the most if we will go in faith. Now, how many people don't go out on a Sunday evening because they don't feel like it? You fool. You fool.
[00:56:27] I know it says in the word you shouldn't call your brother or sister a fool. But really, I mean, I have to be excused on this matter. You're a fool.
[00:56:35] You're robbing the Lord of the best bit of glory he could get in that Sunday evening. Time.
[00:56:41] Don't you understand that it's the spirit of God who makes you feel bad, who makes you feel unable. And then the devil comes along and says, don't you go. You're no good. Why, with a face like that, poof. You'll just put them all off, stand up and say, praise God. I feel so dead, I feel hopeless. I'm going.
[00:57:06] You know it.
[00:57:08] I know you. Some of you probably think this is just a joke, but it isn't.
[00:57:15] People think they can only exercise faith when they feel everything. Smart. Rubbish.
[00:57:21] Often that kind of faith isn't worth anything. Why? Because it's all emotion, that's why. You feel wonderful, feel marvellous, and out you trot and out come your own words and your own things and, oh, you're carried along, but it's all you.
[00:57:39] But when you feel hopeless and dead. And then you. You don't go out saying, I'm dead. I'm dead, I'm dead. Oh, no, no, no. I'm not saying go out like that. No, you say now deliberately. I'm going out in faith. I'm going out in faith. I feel awful. Praise God. He's with me. He said, go. I am with you. Always. I'm going. Then when you go, you see some great big hulking person coming at you. Oh.
[00:58:05] And then you speak in faith.
[00:58:08] Happens, he gets saved.
[00:58:12] I don't think it can't happen. It can.
[00:58:19] So you see, we've seen this again. Again. Now, let me give you an example of this. Sometimes when it's the worst weather of all, we find the most people come in. Now, we brothers before the Sunday evening time, have found this again and again when we've prayed. I've often said to the Lord in those times. Now, lord, you know that the folk who are going out tonight are going out in sheer faith. Look at it. Blizzard conditions or raining cats and dogs. I mean, it's stupid to go out. There's no one in the streets anyway. Why go out? Ridiculous. But they go out. Now, there's always few that go out when that happens. Most people say, oh, it's never good going out. There's no one there.
[00:58:54] Unbelief. But the few who go out, we can say, lord, they're going out in faith, honor them. And do you know, we find again and again. That's the night they'll all bear me out. When the most come in, few will go out fishing, and many more come in. And it's not just because people are trying to get out of the blizzard or out of the rain. I mean, where are the people? Isn't it marvelous? You see, that's because that night it was faith. If we could only get it. They went out in faith. And when it's all lovely and there are thousands of people milling around, we can go out thinking, well, they're all there. There'll be lots in tonight. See, it's not really faith we're going on circumstances, on sight, on feeling.
[00:59:39] What did we got the illustration in Luke five. Faith is to be the springboard of all our activity. Just note what Peter said, lord. He said, we've toiled all night and taken nothing. Logic, reason and experience, Lord, we've toiled all night and taken nothing. What does logic say?
[01:00:01] Don't be stupid, Lord. You're not a fisherman after all. We've been in the fishing business for years. You're not telling us that after we've fished all night, just go and launch out again and we're going to get a hold? No, no, logic. Logic based on experience and reason.
[01:00:20] But listen to what Peter says. But at thy word, I will let down the nets. That was faith.
[01:00:30] And when he let down the nets, they couldn't pull them in for the number of fish that they caught. There, you've got it. And what did the Lord Jesus say? He deliberately said to Peter, Peter, from henceforth, you shall take men alive.
[01:00:44] That's the actual word. Take men alive, you shall catch men. In other words, this is to teach you a lesson. Whenever you go out fishing for men, wherever it is, whatever realm, it's whatever sphere, form it takes, remember, at thy word, logic, reason, experience is all against anything happening, but at thy word living faith.
[01:01:09] So we must go in faith, we must witness in faith, we must fish in faith. Even when we give a tract out or an invitation, let it be given out in faith. When you give it out, don't just give it automatically sort of thing. But say now, Lord, I am blessed. You're going to use that sort in your heart. Don't say it out loud.
[01:01:27] Let it be given in faith. As the person goes away saying, thank you, Lord, we're going to use that.
[01:01:34] Let it be faith.
[01:01:38] Then we must be witnesses unto him. We must never forget that normally God uses human beings. To each human beings, a witness is not some inanimate piece of spiritual machinery, some divine electronic brain, a well oiled piece of technique, biblical technique.
[01:01:56] Not even a powerful spiritual salesman with his eye on profit, you know. Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if I got someone converted tonight?
[01:02:09] Think of it next Tuesday when Mark stands up and says, turns out, got converted. Nashville said that kind of idea.
[01:02:25] He or she is a human being saved by the grace of God, joined to Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Be what you are, a witness to Christ. Ye shall be my witnesses.
[01:02:41] It's this that the enemy so strongly resists. He doesn't mind you giving out a tract. He doesn't mind you giving out imitation. It's your testimony he wants to bind. And haven't we all found that? That's the thing that's so difficult just to speak of Christ.
[01:02:57] It's much easier to speak about going to church than to speak of God. Speak of Christ in a direct manner. Be yourself natural, not artificial.
[01:03:09] Don't use useless phraseology.
[01:03:12] And lastly, preparation of your heart. Individually and with others, we must guard our relationship and walk with the Lord. We cannot make disciples unless we ourselves are disciples. Remember that we may, as we heard at the weekend, we may all have a big ticket with l on it. We're a learner, but as LONG as we've got the ticket with l on it, that's good, we can make other disciples. Then we are learners ourselves. The word must dwell in us first. We should always pray before ANy form of OuTreach, both individually and with others. If fishing, always seek to be at the time of prayer at 530 and take part.
[01:03:56] Some people seem to think they're going to go straight out onto the street without any preparation at all. No wonder they don't bring folks in.
[01:04:05] We need to pray. We need preparation, not only individually, but together? We know we have a rushed life, but we must at least Give the lord his rights HerE in this man. Expect a battle in the secret place, some people say, oh, it's so difficult. Well, what do you expect?
[01:04:21] Do you honestly expect you can go out into enemy territory and take captives from the enemy and not have a battle? Do you think he's going to bow down and say, oh, how wonderful, so glad these christians at Halford House are coming out to take my people from me? Of course not. The enemy hates it. He'll put up every resistance he can.
[01:04:43] Expect a battle and praise the Lord for his victory. Always obey those who are in charge of the time. Now some practical observations. Swiftly.
[01:04:54] Always be ready to learn from others, especially those who are responsible and those who are obviously greatly used of the Lord in this kind of work. Be teachable when corrected.
[01:05:08] Many people cannot be corrected by anybody, and they won't learn.
[01:05:15] You cannot be used of God unless you're ready to learn and be corrected. Secondly, remember, it is the people who matter, not your sermonettes or how many hundreds of tracts you give out. Don't be a mere tract machine.
[01:05:29] Be reasonably careful of the tracts you use. Remember the famous occasion when someone had some ghastly tracts called you are not a Turk, and handed one out and the man said, patellar motor.
[01:05:49] Or I remember another even worse track which had a great dustbin on the front and said, is this the end? And I remember one very sort of aristocratic lady known to my family who said to me, I think it's dreadful being given such a thing in the high street.
[01:06:12] Well, we don't want just scandalized. We know the cross has got an offense, but I think we have to be a little careful of the tracts we use, to be perfectly honest. Do not use the same approach for everyone or every house. Be natural and let the Holy Spirit lead you. You've all heard the story of a couple who went and banged on the door and they said, oh, Jehovah's Witnesses, and shut the door. And went to the next door and they opened, oh, Jehovah's Witnesses, shut the door. So when they got to the next, they know what to do. As the door opened, they said, we're not Jehovah's. And they said, well, I am, and shut the door.
[01:06:48] Don't always use the same approach. Don't just try to overcome things by natural means. Be natural and let the Holy Spirit lead you. Keep within your own experience when testifying to others. A lot of trouble comes when people try to testify about other things because they know they're true when they're not their own experience.
[01:07:09] Keep your own experience. Whereas I was blind, now I see, and you'll be safe there in your testimony. Do not use the same stock answers for everybody's problems.
[01:07:19] Allow the Holy Spirit to use you. Some people have got stock sort of answers, you know, and they just doesn't matter what question they ask, they come out with this little stock answer, oh, be careful of it. Let that be natural.
[01:07:35] If you are asked a question you cannot answer, do not waffle. Be honest. Many christians think that if they are asked in the street a question that is very difficult to answer because they are a Christian, because they know Christ, and because Christ is the answer to everything, they must of necessity give the impression that they know the answer.
[01:07:53] So they waffle and waffle and waffle and waffle. Someone who knows their subject can see right through it. Be honest. When you can't answer a question. Say you can't answer a question. But you do know that the Lord has saved you and that he's alive and has power and so on. Those are things you know. Do not talk or do not talk all the time. It's good to listen sometimes, and to listen genuinely. Some people had this great habit. They appeared that they never want to listen to anyone, only to tell them, tell them, tell them, tell them.
[01:08:26] Sometimes it's good to listen when you're out fishing. Not the whole of the time, but it's good sometimes to listen.
[01:08:34] And don't get involved in political wrangles. It's an old one of the enemy. Start you on one of those. Get you well tied up while all the fish that you ought to be getting in are floating by, while you're arguing about whether Mister Heath is a Christian or not.
[01:08:53] Question 9.9 when out fishing, don't be selective, scatter the seed. Never get tied up on who you should speak to and who not. You know, some people who get terribly tied up on this thing as people go by, they're sort of all tied up, you see, on now am I just speaking that one on that or that one on that one?
[01:09:15] Relax.
[01:09:16] All your prayers should have been done beforehand. Now you go out in faith and trust. Now, obviously, when we say don't be selective, you can't speak to everybody, especially on a crowded highway where on a sunny summer's day you can't.
[01:09:34] You cannot help but be selective in such cases. But trust the Lord. Scatter your seed and trust the Lord that you will just be speaking. You will be often very surprised that the people you least expect to respond and come to the Lord are the ones who come and the ones you thought would be absolutely they don't remember that. Scatter your seed, cast your bread upon the water, and after many days it shall come back to you. Normally, young people should reach young people and older people should reach older people. And again, we need to be a little careful. If you're a young girl, it's not such a good idea if you're just two girls or a girl on your own to go up into a great group of fellows and ask them. You're only asking for a lot of rivalry or the other way around. So we have in certain cases to be selective. But my point is this. You can't stand there on the street corner having a little time of bed deciding, shall I, shall I not, shall I, shall I not, shall I, shall I not scatter your seed and you'll find that the Lord will take care of the other we remember years ago when we used to send them out, we said, now stand in this street, select five houses. We used to say, now don't get bound up, just bow your heads and say, lord, we're going to choose five of these houses out of the 20 here and we're going to knock on the door and we're trusting you to lead us to the right ones. Well, again and again, it was the right ones. That was the amazing thing. And it taught everyone a lesson.
[01:11:00] It wasn't that they felt something in saying, knock on this door, don't knock on that door. They just went up and knocked on the door. And amazingly, afterwards they go, isn't it amazing?
[01:11:08] Being led person came to the Lord.
[01:11:11] Amazing. I could tell you some amazing stories in that connection. Fishing or house to house work is not the time for deep fellowship with saints or with your coworker. So often two people go out and appear and then before there they are in the shop door.
[01:11:28] And a marvelous time of fellowship, going over all the needs of some particular family or the church or something is not the time for it. You've gone out to reach people, not to have deep fellowship with your coworker, or sometimes it's a saint on their way to church and they stop and then you have a long talk with some dear, sanctified beloved and your whole time out is wasted. In that sense, be careful there. When there are two of you, work together and in fellowship with one another.
[01:12:02] Here is a big weakness. It seems that folks go out in twos and then they just simply work independently.
[01:12:08] Work in fellowship, your team, work together in fellowship and also in witnessing. It doesn't, you know, you should know when each of you can chime in in the time, inwardly it's good. Dad. The reason we often have a boy and a girl is simply then they can approach anybody. Fellow and a girl can approach anybody.
[01:12:32] There are one or two other things here. We're often found out here. In this matter of co working, I find it very, very difficult. And this is the whole matter of real fellowship. We just find we can't really work together, but we must work together. It's a very, very important point in this, going out to work together. If you should bring people into a gathering, look after them the whole time, introduce them to other folk. It's amazing. Sometimes people bring someone in and then they just dump them, walk off.
[01:13:04] If you brought someone in, look after them, introduce them to other people, people care for them the whole time. It's your responsibility.
[01:13:15] While so often it's a mere excuse. Some folk are not gifted for street work or house to house work. Nevertheless, we're all involved in this commission and must fulfill it. It can be fulfilled in bringing friends, neighbors, relatives and so on in, even in soon work. No one's got an excuse not to be involved in in the commission that the Lord has given us. We can all be involved in some way or another in this work and must be.
[01:13:44] Be smart, seek to be normal, not weird.
[01:13:51] Be clean and presentable. If you can be smelt a yard off and it shouldn't need to be said, but it has to be said amongst christians. Unfortunately, if you can be smelt a yard of, it's not much point really.
[01:14:11] You're witnessing to something else.
[01:14:15] Need really of a bath. And I don't think it's too good a testimony. Be clean and presentable. Be as modern as you wish to be, contemporary as you wish to be. Be as you feel right before the Lord, but be clean and presentable.
[01:14:33] That's the point. And let it be obvious that you are a temple of the Holy Ghost, that God has done something in your life.
[01:14:41] I remember once Mary Reese, in her own inimitable way, when a fellow went in there, she looked at him as he came up the steps to her in the downstairs room, up into the study. And she said, well, she said, the Lord will not only save you, but he'll clean you up.
[01:15:01] Now this fellow was an unsaved man.
[01:15:05] But sometimes I fear that some get saved, but not cleaned up.
[01:15:13] I think we need to get cleaned up. Particularly be careful of torn tight and tatty jeans. I think that's rather lovely, isn't it? Corn tight and tatty jeans, especially on sisters.
[01:15:28] Now again, some of the sisters will say, oh, why should he say that about us? I don't really feel that the sister's figure is really so suitable for genes. You see some of them really sort of waddling along.
[01:15:42] And although I realized that now and again, you need to perhaps be dressed the same way as some others to reach them, it does seem to me be rather sad when you see, I'm not sure that it really is a testimony.
[01:15:57] Both brothers and sisters, we should adorn the gospel. It says in Titus 210 that we should adorn.
[01:16:05] In Titus 210 we should adorn.
[01:16:10] What does it say? Let me read it. They may adorn the doctrine of God our savior in all things. Now I wonder whether sometimes some of us are adorning the doctrine of our God and savior in all things. Or in psalm 9017 it says, let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.
[01:16:30] Now, this isn't to be regimented or even uniform, but there is something that I don't know, it's something inward. You always know when God is in a person, when he's really in a person, when a person is unclean, slapdash, untidy, something's wrong. It's a sure indication that the God of order has not got that life into real order yet. There's no testimony. So we need to ask the Lord to help us in these things that we may adorn the doctrine of our God and savior in all things. Be polite in your approach to people.
[01:17:07] There is no excuse for rudeness.
[01:17:11] Years ago, I remember an older lady at a church nearby here who had a very responsible position on the financial side in that church. She was irish, she was from Dublin, and at least she had a great sense of humor. And she came to me again in high Dudgeon about the fact that as she was going down, I can't copy her irish accent, but as she was going down the street, she said, when she got to Water Lane, a young man jumped out. She said upon me, string my way and said, are you saved?
[01:17:50] So she said, I said to him, I will save before you were born.
[01:17:59] She then he. Then she said, he then looked up at me and said, where are you going?
[01:18:04] She said, I am going to church. He said again, church.
[01:18:09] No, she said, a baptist church, which is alive.
[01:18:15] So she complained to me about the manners of some of our people. I've never found out who it was.
[01:18:23] No one's ever owned up to it. But there's no excuse for rudeness. Do not shout at people. Sometimes nerves. Remember this. Sometimes nerves make us lift our voice and so we appear to be sort of shouting at them. Don't stand right in front of a person. Remember that the law of our country is that no one should be barred in a public right of way. Now, the police can get you on this. If someone goes into the police station and says that certain people stood in front of me with tracks, you can be. You can be run into the police station for obstruction. Now remember that. Always stand on the side and let people pass. Never bar their way. Don't stand in front of them and bar completely their way. Be careful of getting provoked. Remember, some people, they delight to irritate christians with the feeling that somehow or other they can only get them to lose their temper. It's a great sight. Now, there are christians who just do that very thing, who get more and more irritated. And finally they've gone up and they say exactly what they think.
[01:19:37] Well, now, be careful. Don't get provoked. When we're out on Sundays for lunch and tea, or just tea, are our hosts aware of the fact, or hostesses, that we would like to go fishing?
[01:19:58] You see, sometimes we've not said to whoever's asked us out, I'll have to go early to be at Alfred House at 530.
[01:20:08] Now, this is just a little practical point.
[01:20:12] If you just tell the people you're going to before you go, well, I've got to be there at 530. They'll understand, either you've got to go, there may here be a place for fasting.
[01:20:25] You probably had an enormous meal in the middle of the day, so there may be a place for not having tea. It says in job 23 and verse twelve, I have not departed from the command of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
[01:20:52] Now, take it to heart on this matter, because often this is where the test comes. If tea is late, especially the men, they see the lovely cream cake, and they think of the dying souls in the streets, and then they see the cream cake, and they think of the souls in the street, and then the cream cake. And it's the cream cake that wins nearly every time, believe me, which doesn't say too much for us. There are just one or two other very small points, but they are important.
[01:21:32] Don't barge in to other people's conversations, especially brothers. I don't know why, but the brothers seem to feel that if some dear sister is engaged in speaking to somebody, they have a right just to butt in and take over. Don't butt in ever, in the matter of fishing when someone else is already talking.
[01:22:01] Well, now, I think that's covered many matters in the whole question of outreach. Of course, we talked very much, really, about fishing. That's out in the streets, but really coffee bar work, house to house work, even personal contact with friends. Many of these things we've said here apply to all these other forms of evangelistic outreach. Now, if we could only all ask the Lord to teach us, and every one of us say to the Lord, now, Lord, are any of these practical points my failure? Help me if they are, and if you want to be absolutely sure about it, go and ask somebody else. If you're ready to expose yourself in such a way, don't go and ask someone you know will agree with you. Oh, no, no, no, not you.
[01:22:54] Go and ask someone that you feel may well tell you the truth and say, do you think that I might fail in this matter?
[01:23:05] Because this is the way we need to correct and help one another in these things. And then again, may I just say one thing and I'll close. Even when we know our failing, we don't necessarily come over it. That's an interesting point. It seems to be a psychological theme. We might know that we do something in a wrong way.
[01:23:26] It's got to click, as it were, in our own brain. Suddenly it's got to come home. You're doing it. You're doing it. That moment you start on the road to deliverance.
[01:23:39] Think about that. It's absolutely true. You have someone else tell you and still go on and on even though you know it's your fault. It's when suddenly, whilst you're doing it, suddenly it comes to you, I'm doing it.
[01:23:50] Stop.
[01:23:52] The first step on the road to being free. That particular habit of failing. Now if we ask the Lord to help us in this, imagine these practical things, he will.
[01:24:04] So shall we pray?
[01:24:11] Lord, we've covered some very, very important matters this evening. Aftercare and follow up this whole matter of fishing and house to house work and outreach. Lord, oh, we pray that thou wilt really burn into our hearts something of the truth or what we've been speaking about. And we pray, every one of us, Lord, that thou teach us. Teach me thy way.
[01:24:43] I will walk in thy truth.
[01:24:46] Lord, wilt thou help us in this matter? We need thee, Lord. We need thee greatly. Come to us, make us aware of the things that are flies in the ointment and grant. Lord, we pray that we may move on with thyself like wheels within wheels. All may be a harmony of divine, divine life is where the spirit of life within the whole moving, directing, expressing and manifesting the power and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[01:25:22] We ask it together in his name.
[01:25:25] Amen.
