PREACH THE GOSPEL!—21ST CENTURY

INTRODUCTION
Today, we have awesome tools with which to reach the world with the gospel. We need to be creative with how we can do this. Unfortunately, so many believers fail to use these tools as a means of preaching the gospel, and worse still, is the fact that so many abuse these tools to use for empty, time-killing useless entertainment.

TELEVISION
This is being used widely on a local and international level to get the truth of the Word out to all. Just as the focus of big business is to put millions into advertising on secular programming, so should we, as the church, pour millions into secular programming outreach.

The sad thing about TV is that so many believers spend so much time watching secular TV. What smoking and drinking alcohol is to the body, secular TV is to the soul. It puts a person into a pattern of passivity that steals their time with God and the Word, kills passion for the lost, and destroys spiritual vitality and fitness. What is so bad, too, is that as this happens to a person, they do not realize it, and they justify their position with one reason or another.

God uses out of shape believers, but how much more can we be used if we are in top shape spiritually, mentally, and physically. We all must watch and pray and guard against influences that rob us of our spiritual vitality. Jesus Himself warned us of these influences in Luke 21. 34-36 “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass,and to stand before the Son of man.”

When we fail to simply believe and act upon the words of Jesus, then we’ve left our first love, we have no passion for the lost, and we have no motivation to keep our body and mind and time under control. Then, instead of using the tools before us to preach the gospel, we allow ourselves to become slaves to the tool.

TELEPHONE.
In the business world, the telephone is the tool of the times. Being in touch with guidance and solutions in a quick phone call makes the business world tick smoothly. Being able to call key people, using pre-recorded voice message boxes, using 800, 24 hour call lines, using 3-way conference calls—these are just a few of the ways phones are used as a tool to promote million dollar businesses.

These are things that most of the church world has never dreamed of using in an aggressive way to preach the gospel. We can have pre-recorded voice message boxes with people’s testimonies of salvation, healing, and deliverance in every way, that can be accessed by anybody at any time. We do have a few 24 hour 800 numbers that we can call, but local churches of size could have their own 24 hour 800 number manned by a rotation of members. But, there has to be an aggressive outreach program for this to be of any use. There can be 3-way calling so when visiting with someone over the phone from the comfort of your own home, you can 3-way them to another person and there can be conference testimony, prayer, and guidance. That way, you get to hear and learn and the counselee hears and learns. Cell phones have many uses in the area of canvessing areas in outreach.

Again, many believers use the phone as a mere tool of time-consuming entertainment and worse, of listening to or spreading lies and gossip.

THE INTERNET.
Touch the world with truth 24/7, low cost. People are hungry for truth. The internet is being used to preach the gospel in an increasing way. Email puts us in touch around the world to share vital truths that will work to set people free.

Believers should not allow pointless use of the internet to dominate them. Time is so precious, and the internet can eat up time like crazy, plus it will try to suck you into pollution of heart and mind.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
Because communication is so fast, when you touch one, twenty can hear it from your neighborhood to the nations in a matter of minutes. It still requires that somebody has the love and boldness to go and share and tell the message. With all our technology, we still need to take the time to visit our neighbor next door. The world is ripe for harvest. Let us give ourselves to reap.

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