He who wins souls is wise!

The fruit of the righteous refers to the results of the actions of the righteous, i.e. those act appropriate to their faith in God. These would include living a transformed, holy life and proclaiming the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God. They are like a tree of life which saves people by attracting them away from the path that leads to death and destruction.

The New Normal

THE NEW NORMAL

Isaiah 43:19

¹⁹  Behold, I am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

People queuing to enter a supermarket in Subang Jaya, Malaysia.

After lockdown things will not be the same again.  Even when the government relaxes the lockdown rulings, people will avoid public gatherings.  They will prefer to travel in single rides (as in driving own vehicle or taking a taxi) instead of public transport.  Granted the poorer folks will have less choices but they may now be willing to walk further than previously.  Shaking hands may be replaced by nodding the head or bowing (ala Japanese).

More people will work from home.  More businesses will stagger work hours. And more people will be more lonely than before.  Consequently, more people will be seeking the meaning for our existence and there will be a rise in interest in spiritual things.  People will want to engage but there will be a greater adverse to public gatherings.  This effectively means that people would like to hear the gospel but they won’t want to go to church. The church’s mandate is still there.  Technology is available and improving. The church needs to innovate.  So is there a greater opportunity to train more believers to share their faith, one on one?

What do you think? 

The Evangelism Widow

The Evangelism Widow

We’re here tonight to praise the Lord

For the ways that He’s been working

And also praise the Evangelism Team

In service, they’re not shirking

But there’s another matter

About which little’s said

And I thought perhaps I’d warn you

About what may lie ahead.

You’ve heard of football widows

Golf widows, space widows too

Baseball widows, bowling widows

Just to name a few.

Well now there’s a new one

It happened just this year,

It’s the Evangelism Widow –

One stands before you here.

Now I’m glad my husband’s serving,

It’s where the Lord wants him to be

But I’m pleased and quite relieved

They go out in teams of three!

For it’s funny how how his fellow teammates

Don’t sound much like fellows to me

Especially not with names like Bev,

Or Helen, or Lois or Dee

He’s been out with Cynthia

Edith, Ki and Chloe

And there’s one named Lynn and one named Linda

With whom he keeps hoping he’ll get to go!

And then there’s the homes he calls on

Can you imagine my plight?

To meet a strange woman who smiles and says

“Oh yes, your husband was over last night”

Now aside from all this there’s another matter

That causes consternation.

A strange thing has happened around our house

Regarding our conversation

For example, he comes home from work

He looks at me with a glimmer

And asks, “Have you come to the place in your cooking

Where you know you could serve dinner?”

Or the time we’re having a party

All afternoon I’m slaving,

He opens the door and greets our guests with:

“Why should I let you into my haven?

And when my birthday came around

As he lavished presents on me

He said, “It’s nothing you’ve earned or deserved

All these gifts are free.

On day as he scolded the children

I heard him exclaim loud and clear

“I may be a merciful father,

But I punish sin around here!”

And then there’s that evening we spent alone – we two

We watched the moon in its flight

He squeezed my hand and tenderly said,

“Suppose you should die tonight….”

Well, so much for my marital problems

I see my time’s been spent

I still have faith in my husband

And that’s more than intellectual assent!

I’m proud of the way he’s serving

I’m glad he’s found his place

But I’m not leaving here tonight

Till I find that girl named Grace

(Written by Gerry Rogers and read at an EE Banquet.

Gerry is the wife of Mr. Beach Rogers, an EE trainer.)

SUGGESTIONS ON USING THE INTERNET FOR EE MINISTRY

SUGGESTIONS ON USING THE INTERNET FOR EE MINISTRY

1.    Training Materials - Catalog, Distribution & Sales, including Ordering and Payment Processes

2.    Promoting Witnessing

3.    Promoting Training 

4.    Proclaiming the Gospel

5.    Sharing Salvation Testimonies

6.    Sharing Personal Training Stories

7.    Sharing Implementation Testimonies

8.    Donor Relationship & Fund Raising

9.    Maintaining Ministry Presence/Promoting National Ministry Identity

10. Sharing Vision for Your Nation

11. Providing Online EE Training

12. Providing Other Online Training for Staff/IFWs/LAT members

13. Repository to Download Training Tools eg Format for OJT/CA reporting

14. Conducting and Explaining Accounting & Administration Processes

15. Communication with EE community, teachers, trainers, students

16. Receiving EE Community Feedback

17. Links to EE International’s website and other EE national ministries or Local Area Teams

18. Advertisement & Registration for Clinics and other events

19. Registration of newcomers for your Emailing list

20. Staff and IFW Recruitment

21. Short videos promoting EE training

22. FAQ of the EE ministry

23. Promoting Prayer for the Ministry/Nation

24. Link to Social Media for interaction

25. Link to Churches implementing EE (or link to EE testimonies on church websites)

26. Promoting (& Explaining) Different Types of EE.

27. Displaying ministry newsletter

28. Explaining and Receiving Certification Requests

29. Helpful links to other ministries’ websites eg Discipleship & Follow-Up materials

30. EE Statement of Faith, Vision, Mission and History

31. Displaying Contact Details, location address including map, to your National Office

Innovative Ways of Sustaining Local Church EE Ministry

Innovative Ways of Sustaining Local Church EE Ministry.

EE Trainers must be the pastor's best friends. 

In most churches those who actively share their faith or bring friends must be in the minority.  Yet we often don't do enough to encourage them.  Here is a list of suggestions for you:

1. Train church members to be facilitators and have them conduct training outside the church i.e. at offices, schools, homes where they can reach a wider group of prospects.  They can also invite their colleagues, schoolmates, etc who are believers from other churches to be trained (when the training is within the office surroundings and the prospects are office colleagues, this should not pose difficulties with their church leaders).

2. Conduct the training during cell group times e.g. you can have an EE Training cell where folks are transferred from existing cell groups to these training cells for the duration of the EE training and they can be transferred back to their original cells after the training.  The advantage of this is that it will not take another slot in a busy church calendar.

3.  As in paragraph (2) above but start a class for EE during the Bible Study or Sunday School time slot.  On-the-Job Training and Connect Activities can follow the class sessions or they can be on another evening during the week.

4. Keep the EE trainers together as a group and don’t let them drift away. Organise dinners (perhaps quarterly) for them to hear testimonies and invite an EE pastor (perhaps from another EE church) to give motivational talks on evangelism.

5.  Allocate church budget/calendar slot for annual retreat for the EE trainers.  

6. Plan for missionary clinics with your church EE trainers.  Take a team to another part/region of your nation or continent.  That way, the EE trainers have an outlet and some motivation to keep going strong in their ministry.

7.  Plant new churches and send out your EE trainers to be part of the church planting team.

8.  At each semester graduation, honor those who have served faithfully for many semesters.  Give them some award in recognition for long service.

(If you can think of other ways, please be sure to share them with me.  YW – vpasia@eeworks.org)

Lessons from the Well

Lessons from the Well

John 4:1-26

Introduction

Many people come to Christ through personal and private conversations.  The Gospels record many personal conversations of Christ as he travelled about.  Here Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman; something counter culture.  Jews do not speak with Samaritans and men likewise do not speak with women.  Here are 7 principles a follower of Jesus might engage in order to share their faith with others.

1. Witness On the Way.

⁴ And he had to pass through Samaria. 

There are many people you can share your faith with.  Look around you.  Those you share with could be those folks that you meet in the ordinary course of your daily activities.  Evangelism need not be a special activity only on special occasions.  Perhaps you could share with a neighbour down the road or a loved one staying in the same residence.  Whilst many are asked to stay at home during this virus pandemic, perhaps you could pick up your phone to speak to a friend.  Ask God to help you see those around you who need to hear the good news.

2. Slow Down Your Life!

⁶ Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well.

To connect you need to give time.  You cannot win people if you are on the go all the time and have very little time to make friends.  Sit down a while.  Look around you. During this pandemic, many governments have authorised lockdowns of various kinds in order to slow or stop the spread.  Looks of people are forced to slow down: they can't go out, socialise or to work.  This might be an unprecedented opportunity for those wishing to slow down their lives to engage with others.  Walk slowly today, even if you're home.

3. Take the initiative to Connect.

⁷ A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 

Take the first step.  Do NOT pray: “Lord, let him ask me and I will share with him.”  Jesus took the initiative and spoke first to the lady.

4. Speak a relevant message.

⁷ A woman from Samaria came to draw water.

Jesus: “Give me a drink.”

Jesus: “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

When you're both at the well, what better topic than "water"?  Jesus lead the topic.  He reveals Himself as the living water.  We need to speak with relevance.  Jesus is the answer but what is the question that others are asking?  In difference occasions Jesus has presented Himself as "light of the world", "the good shepherd", "the resurrection and the life", etc.  We need to speak a message that is relevant to our hearers.

5. Don’t be afraid to confront sin.

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 

Jesus brings out the subject of the woman’s sin into the conversation.  Sin destroys and people know that.  Jesus died to pay for the penalty of our sins.  People cannot save themselves.  Committing sin condemns us to an eternity without God. Jesus came and became the Saviour of the world.  Tell them that God hates their sin but loves them so much that He sent His one and only son to be their saviour. 

6. Beware of Being Side-Tracked

¹⁹ The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 

The woman tried to change the subject.  Don’t be argumentative.  You will need to stick to the subject and to present the gospel.  It is the gospel that has power to save. Therefore you much share that message.  Spurgeon once said "the word of God is like a lion.  You don't need to defend a lion. All you have to do is to let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself." Don't be side-tracked in your conversation with other topics.  Steer it back to the message of the cross.

7.  Center your conversation on Jesus.

²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 

Share the person of Christ and His work on the Cross.  The apostle Paul said “but we preach Christ crucified,” (1 Corinthians 1:23).  "Preach Christ" -- this is our clarion call.  Don't talk about yourself or your church too much.  Don't even talk bad about other religions.  "Preach Christ crucified!"

Conclusion

Encourage your hearer to exercise faith and accept God’s provision for salvation:

Ask them to:

A. Admit They’re Sinners and Cannot Save Themselves.

B. Believe in (Place Their Faith on) Christ.

C. Commit Their Lives to Christ.

Amen.

Carrying Other People

Carrying Other People

Mark 2:1-12

People are self-centered — perhaps more than any other time in history. Urban migration, pressures of work and the demands of the family have left us with very little time for our friends. When we do have some time, we wish to relax and unwind in our own privacy. There is a lack of interest in spending time with other people, to be concerned for them and to share in their struggles. 

During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, many believers are home bound, either by choice or government edict.  Perhaps this is an opportunity to phone, text or Skype a friend whom you have been meaning to catch up on.  He or she may also be at home.

As followers of Jesus, we are commanded to share with others the good news of God’s saving grace through the Lord Jesus. Unsaved people do not know how to trust in Christ and we need to lead the way for them to follow. Just like the four friends in Mark 2:1-12, we need to carry our friend who is "paralysed" by sin and suffering to be healed by the Lord Jesus.

This passage tells of four (4) principles that we need to observe when we consider carrying other people. So, how do we carry others?

Firstly, we need to carry our friends. This means we need to befriend others and earn their trust so that they will allow us to carry them to where they can find help. The American poet, Will Rogers said that, to him strangers do not exist. They are just friends that he has not yet met. If one has a choice, he will not allow himself to be carried by others that he does not know.

Secondly, we need to carry our friends to Jesus. The direction we bring them towards is the Lord Jesus Christ. The four friends brought the paralytic to Jesus. Our friendships must be intentional. It is not helpful to carry our friends all over the place, no matter how enjoyable that is to him. Often Christians get so caught up with helping their friends they forget to take their friend to the Lord Jesus, the best Helper available. Jesus, promises complete help — help for the body, soul and spirit. We have seen Him change lives. He makes a difference!

Thirdly, we need to carry our friends above other people. When the four friends saw the crowded house, they lifted their sick friend above all the other people. This calls for creativity and a willingness to expend effort and finance (roof repairs!) to get our friend to Jesus. Many today do not have a passion for souls. If anything, the effort at soul winning is pathetic. We say a prayer now and then for our friend. The presentation of the gospel is ignored and if we manage to squeeze something in, we hardly persevere when the initial response is not enthusiastic. We need to work harder! Like the four friends we need creativity, we need to give priority to salvation of our friends. We need to eat souls, sleep souls and even dream souls! The eternal destiny of our friends must so occupy us that on occasions, even our loved ones need to take second place. We need to carry them above other people.

And finally, we need to carry our friends by faith. In Mark 2:5, Jesus saves the paralytic because of the faith of his friends. Similarly, we can bring our friends to the Lord and asks that He save them. No doubt each person needs to exercise his own freewill to choose the Lord in order to be saved. But we can pray that the Lord will bring about the right circumstances for that person to put his trust in Him. How many mothers have prayed for their children’s salvation and how many have had their prayers answered!  Faith is the ability to see God in every situation.

We are living in perilous last days. We need to make our lives count. Indeed he who wins souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30) We must look beyond our own personal situation and look out for others. Who are you carrying to Jesus today?

The Impact of Equipping over Preaching

Evangelism Explosion International (EE) recently released their worldwide results for 2019, and a whopping number of 11.8 million people was reported as having made professions of faith as a result of their On-The-Job Training (OJTs) during their training sessions.  From 2001-2019, this works out to 129.4 million souls, representing 1.725% of the world's population today of 7.5 billion. This was reported as results for the EE training sessions which would have involved tens of thousands of EE trainers.  Unreported OJTs and Way-of-Life witnessing would push the total much higher.

By comparison, Billy Graham is said to have been responsible for 3.2 million people coming to Christ.  This is the result of Dr Graham's preaching ministry.  This figure is huge and probably might never be surpassed but with due respect to Dr Graham, this figure would be static as he is no longer around in person to keep preaching and saving souls. This is why Dr. Graham was such a proponent of EE (he even wrote the forward to the book Evangelism Explosion).

The impact of Dr D.James Kennedy, EE's founder on the number of souls won appears much greater. The total now is 129.4 million and still counting! Although Dr Kennedy is in Heaven now, the number of people coming to Christ as a result of the EE ministry is still increasing every year. With much respect to these two great men of God whom were used mightily in their time, the difference in impact is due to their methodology: the results of equipping (training) compared with that of merely preaching. In equipping, we train others to do and 'multiplication' is the key word whereas in preaching the key word is 'addition'.  One ministry is developing fishermen whilst the other is catching fish.

The EE training methodology is founded on four biblical principles:

1. It is the responsibility and privilege of every believer to do the work of evangelism (Acts 1:8);

2. It is the job of the pastor to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Eph 4:11-12);

3. The training of soul-winners is best accomplished through on-the-job training (Mark 3:14); and

4. It is better to train a soul-winner than to merely win a soul (2 Tim 2:2).

If you would like to know more about the EE training and what it can do for you and your church, you might consider attending a nearby clinic which equips church leaders to train their congregation members. 

For more information, please click: Evangelism Explosion International

My Friend

My Friend

My friend, I stand in judgement now.
And feel you’re to blame, somehow.
On earth I walked with you each day,
And never once did you show the way.

You knew the Lord in truth and in glory,
But never did you tell that story.
My knowledge then was very dim,
And you could have led me safe to Him.

Though we lived together on this earth, 
You never told me of the second birth.
And now I stand this day condemned
Because you failed to mention Him.

You taught me many things, that’s true,
I called you friend, and trusted you.
But I learned now that it’s too late,
You could have kept me from this fate.

We walked by day, and talked by night,
And yet you show me not the light.
You let me live, and love, and die,
You knew that I’d never live on high.

Yes, I called you friend in life,
And trusted you through joy and strife.
And yet, on coming to this end,
I cannot now call you “my friend”

D.J. Higgins

The Importance of Certifications

The Importance of Certifications

Introduction

..

Dr Kennedy used to say, 'people do what is inspected, not what is expected'. It is therefore incumbent upon EE National Offices to review each completed semester and to ensure that all the requisite work has been completed and is of a high standard.  When this review is satisfactory, then EE certificates may be issued to the qualified participant.

National Offices should never give out blank certificates without first ensuring that this review process has been completed.  This will only cheapen their value. To further enhance the value of EE certificates, academic credits might be applied for those who have completed the EE training which would be evidenced by them receiving a properly signed and attested certificate issued by the National Office.

A proper certification process is important to the EE national ministry for the following reasons:

1.    Data Collection. 

Request For Certification Forms (sample attached) helps in the data collection.

Type of Data Collected:

-       Trainee’s Names and Contact Details

-       OJTs/CAs reports for Ministry Reports

-       Ministry Stats e.g. No. Trained and Professions, for Donor Giving

-       Teachers’ Records for promotion to future Clinic Teaching

-       Local Church Implementation

Information requested in Standard Format makes compilation of National Statistics easy.

Data collected can be compared with other churches as well as with past performances.

Makes submission of reports simple and standardised.

2.    Quality Control

Acknowledgement that the clinician/trainee has satisfactorily completed the required training and are qualified to lead the ministry in a local church.

Maintaining minimum standards of excellence.  E.g. number of OJTs/CAs, passing mark for oral and written check ups, quality of personal testimonies.

People do what is inspected, not what is expected.

Enabling the reproduction of quality from teacher to trainer to trainee, even years down the road.

Biblical precedent for quality control – Leviticus 22:17-25.  (Sacrificial offerings were to be flawless.)

Luke 10:1-17 – Jesus set forth specific guidelines for the 70 who he sent forth to witness.  Then, as they returned to report to Him, He evaluated carefully their effectiveness in completing these assignments. 

1 Thessalonians 1:6-8, Paul sent a written statement acknowledging that the believers there had followed his and Timothy’s example and had reproduced a quality ministry of evangelism throughout that part of the world.

3.    Advanced Levels Courses and Progression

Levels of Certifications – progression from trainees to trainers and teachers/facilitators.

When records are kept, qualifications of participants for advanced courses can be ascertained.  

Those qualified to attend abbreviated Crossover Trainings, eg XEE Crossover from Classic EE can also be ascertained.  This is to reduce learning time and make the course more attractive.

4.    Concluding the Local Church Semester Training

The certification process provides the means to conclude the semester training.  Usually the training activity trails towards the end when the balance of the OJTs/CAs need to be completed.  

Decisions will need to be made as to who can be certified and who cannot.  This is achieved via completing the Request For Certification Form.

5.    Graduation Ceremony – Recognition and Awards

To the good and faithful servant, Jesus says, “Well done! Enter into the joy of your Master.”  Conducting a Graduation Ceremony allows those who have gone through the equipping process to be recognised and rewarded.  

The graduation ceremony usually takes the form of a sermon on encouragement and motivation to witness, the presentation of the certificates and the opportunity to pray for the graduands. This is often followed by a celebratory meal. 

The graduation event allows us to celebrate the things that heaven celebrates i.e. the salvation of souls and the faithfulness of the believers to be equipped to witness.  Due to the often discouraging nature of this ministry, we need to devote more effort to celebration and motivation.

When the certificates are presented by the National Director or some other national leader, it becomes an opportunity to meet and encourage those who have completed their training.  He or she is often given the opportunity to share about EE’s vision and mission especially for their nation and this helps to develop ownership of the national vision.

We can further add value to the certifications by arranging for accreditation from the local seminaries for our EE training.  Then students with EE certification will enjoy exemptions for their course work.

6.    Contact Information: Trainers and Trainees can be approached to be donors to the national ministry.

The data collected for the certification process can be used in a variety of ways.  Foremost is that the contact information of all trainees and trainers form a valuable database to share the national vision and to solicit for financial support to accomplish that vision.

Other uses of the contact information database include sending motivational and encouraging emails on evangelism and discipleship, making strategic announcements on staff recruitment, national conventions and equipping clinics.

7.    Statistics for the Local Church as well as for the National Ministry.

When we have a certification culture and consequently a culture of data gathering, we will be able to see trends in our ministry over the years.  Some of the important trends might be:

·      The growth or decline of a certain type of EE.

·      The changes in profession rates over time.

·      The different profession rates between different language mediums for a similar type of EE.

·      Demographics of EE participants.

These statistics when analysed and presented in a helpful way will help our ministry to be more effective.  Many donors review statistics when making decisions on giving.

8.    Clinic certification is modelling for Local Church Semesters.

When certificates are presented at the conclusion of the training of pastors and church leaders there is great celebration and elation at their achivements.  This is good and should become a model for the local church semester training.  

We celebrate great events in our lives e.g. birthdays, weddings, graduations.  The Book of Revelation speak of the celebration at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  The world celebrates temporal events but we try to celebrate what heaven celebrates.  

In Jesus’ parable of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin and Lost Son, there was a great celebration when what was lost was found.  We celebrate the salvation of souls as we conclude each local semester.