Category Archives: Evangelism

Starfish On The Beach

Evangelism, Making A Difference, Mission

The story was told about two men walking down a Mexican beach, talking with one another. They could see a man in the distance throwing something into the ocean. As they got closer, they saw that he was bending over, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. The closer they got they noticed that he was one of the natives.

There were starfish on the beach which were left by the outgoing tide. The native was throwing them out where they could swim away. One of the two men asked, “What are you doing?” The man replied, “I am throwing the starfish back out to sea. If they don’t get back into the deeper water, they will die.” The other man replied, “I understand that part, but look at this beach. It is covered with starfish. There must be thousands stranded out here. How do you feel that this will make a difference?”

The native bent over, picked up another starfish, hurled him out to sea, and with a smile on his face said, “Made a difference to that one!”

There are thousands who need the Lord and need the care of Christians. Each one of us can “make a difference” to someone.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Comfortable In The Pigpen

Evangelism

In our quest to reach people for Christ, we must caution ourselves to never compromise the gospel’s standards in order to accommodate those people who are not interested in repentance. Billy Graham’s sentiments on this concern are most appropriate: “We are dangerously near to saying to the prodigal son, ‘It is not necessary to return to your father and home; we can make you comfortable in the pigpen.'”

Quoted from the Sermon Fodder Email List

Master’s Card

Evangelism

There are some things money can’t buy, for everything else there’s Master card. I’m sure you’ve all received their applications in the mail.

However, I’m here to advertise a different card. You see, my life is a product for others to see. I’m a card carrying representative for The Master’s Card. That’s right, The MASTER’S CARD.

**Let me tell you about it.**

There are no finance charges, no payments due. My bill has already been covered…it’s a prepaid deal. I couldn’t afford the price, so Jesus stepped in and paid it for me.

My name is written on the card for all to see. It is accessible twenty-four hours a day from anywhere in the world. The MASTER’S CARD has so many benefits it’s hard to list them all. Let me share some of them with you… you might want to apply for a personal card yourself.

Just for starters there is:

**UNLIMITED GRACE.
That’s right, there is no preset limit to the amount of grace you receive from the MASTER’S CARD. Have you been looking for love in all the wrong places? Then, look no farther than The MASTER’S CARD. It offers the greatest rate on love that has ever been offered.

The MASTER’S CARD gives you access to many “members only” benefits. Want real joy despite the difficulties of life? Apply for the MASTER’S CARD. Want a lasting peace? Apply for the MASTER’S CARD. Looking for something you can always rely on in a jam? The MASTER’S CARD is perfect for you.

Another great thing about The MASTER’S CARD is that it never expires and will never be canceled. Once you’re a member, you’re a member for life… eternal life, that is. Membership has its privileges, you know.

So why not apply today? It’s only a prayer away…..

Catherine Majorfor Quoted from Cybersaltlists.org email list

Better To Do Something Than Nothing

Evangelism

One day a lady criticized D. L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord. Moody’s reply was “I agree with you.I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?”

The lady replied, “I don’t do it.”

Moody retorted “I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it”

Quoted from Pulpit Pieces Weekly email list

Father’s In Faith

Evangelism, Families, Fatherhood

If a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow. If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow.

But if the father is first, there is a 93 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow, according to figures from Focus on the Family. Yet out of the 94 million men in the U.S., 68 million don’t attend any church, although 85 percent of those say they did grow up with some sort of church background.

Statistics from Focus on the Family Publishing, “Promise Keepers at Work.”
See http://www.baptistpress.com/bpnews.asp?ID=15630

Too Long To Wait

Evangelism

A troop of Boy Scouts was being used as “guinea pigs” in a test of emergency systems. A mock earthquake was staged, and the Scouts impersonated wounded persons who were to be picked up and cared for by the emergency units.

One Scout was supposed to lie on the ground and await his rescuers, but the first-aid people got behind schedule, and the Scout lay “wounded” for several hours.

When the first-aid squad arrived where the casualty was supposed to be, they found nothing but a brief note:

“Have bled to death and gone home.”

Only in games and tests can we delay helping the lost.

Quoted from www.cybersalt.org email list

Spurgeon’s Heart

Evangelism, Mission

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

Charles Spurgeon – Quoted from the Sermon Fodder email list

You don’t even know your way to the post office

Evangelism, Mission

The Rev. Billy Graham tells of at time early in his career when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon.

Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy told him, Rev. Graham thanked him and said, “If you’ll come to the Baptist church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to Heaven.”

“I don’t think I’ll be there,” the boy said.

“You don’t even know your way to the post office.”

Quoted from funny(at)net153.com email list

Honk If You Love Jesus

Evangelism

The other day I went up to a local Christian bookstore and saw a “honk if you love Jesus” bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper. Boy, am I glad I did! What an uplifting experience that followed!

I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is… and I didn’t notice that the light had changed. It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn’t honked, I’d never have noticed!

I found that LOTS of people love Jesus! Why, while I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, “For the love of GOD! GO! GO! …Jesus Christ, GO!” What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!

Everyone started honking! I just leaned out of my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people. I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!

There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a “sunny beach”… I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. then I asked my teenage son in the back seat what that meant, he said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well, I’ve never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My son burst out laughing…why, even he was enjoying this religious experience!

A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed. So, I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away.

Washed Clean Magic – Magic Cross Trick

Cross, Easter, Evangelism, Jesus, YouTube Videos

This is BRILLIANT – I’ve used it in both All Age Services and School Easter Assemblies/Services.

I eventually worked it out with Iodine, spray starch and Sodium Thiosulphate. I used some of the links and information below to work this out.

http://www.crosstrick.com/cross-trick.htm

http://childrensministryperspectives.blogspot.co.uk/2007/02/object-lesson-on-salvation.html

http://professorwonder.com/magic3.htm

Another version:

You will need a large clear jar with a lid that can be sealed, a second container of some type, some Chlorine bleach, some Iodine, and two light colored sponges. Cut one sponge in the shape of a heart. Cut the other in the shape of the cross. Both need to be of a size that will fit in the jar with a lid.

Fill the jar with a lid about half full of water, and the other container with a very strong solution of bleach and water (half and half will do). Set the cross in the bleach solution as you begin your lesson (not too long before, it could disolve the sponge).

For the lesson, show the children the heart shaped sponge. Talk about sin and put some drops of iodine on the sponge to represent those sins. You can talk about how impossible it is to remove those stains by yourself. Even dip the heart shaped sponge in the jar of water and show it is still dirty. Then, put the heart shaped sponge in the jar of water and leave it. Now take the cross out of the bleach solution, keeping as much of the solution in the sponge as possible. Tell the children about the power of the cross to cleanse the heart from sin. Put the cross in the jar with water and the stained heart, seal it with the lid, and shake it up a bit as you talk some more about the cross. Then, open the lid and take the heart out. It will be clean.

You should experiment with this lesson once before you actually give it to be sure you have a strong enough bleach solution to clear the iodine from the heart shaped sponge. Be sure to rinse the heart shaped sponge very clean with clear water so the iodine stains will remain when you do the real lesson.

Here is a YouTube video of this process being used in the context of an alternative worship event:

Tools:
2 Clear Glass Bowls
1 small bottle of Iodine
1 bottle of Film Fixer
1 Purificator or Handkerchief

Preparation:
Fill the two bowls with approximately 1 litre of water, in one bowl have approximately 150-200mls of fixer in the bottom [adding the water could be part of the story]

The Wordless Book

Conversion, Evangelism

I first came to accept Jesus as my personal savior at age 6.

My mom had a doctor’s appointment one morning and left me to be watched by her friend, Pearl.

Pearl was a wonderful Christian woman. She loved the Lord.

She asked me if I would like to hear a story. Naturally I said yes, for entertainment and for much craved attention!

She showed me a “wordless” book with different coloured pages.

“GOLD is for Heaven and God wants us all to go there but…” as she turned to the black page, “we can’t because of our BLACK sins. Turning to the red page she stated, “RED is for the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross for us”. She then turned to the white page and continued with the story, “and when we ask Jesus to forgive our sins and come into our hearts as Lord and Saviour, our BLACK sins are turned WHITE as snow.

She turned back to the gold page and continued on, “When we die we can go to Heaven (GOLD)” and closing the pages, she showed me the cover and said “the color GREEN is for all growing things and we can GROW in the Lord.”

I accepted the Lord as my Saviour right after the plan of salvation was presented to me in The Wordless Book.

From: www.lifestorywriting.com/wordless.htm

Boy George

Church, Evangelism, Worship

Singer Boy George said, “On Sunday I attended the christening of my year-old godson Michael, and he was as restless as everyone else. The priest was a lovely man with impeccable dress sense, but I was confused from the moment he took the pulpit. Most of us only ever go to church for weddings and funerals, so sticking to the Book is pointless…and what’s the point of rattling on about sin when most of us are doomed to eternal damnation? It doesn’t warm people to Christianity, it only makes them feel like hypocrites. Worse still are the utterly depressing hymns. I’d like to see live music, acoustic guitars, and percussion. Church should be a joyous and liberating experience–[it] badly needs a facelift because it is God’s theatre on earth, and he should be packing them in.”

Boy George, London’s Daily Mail, Feb. 23, 2000

Now Go And Do It

Church, Evangelism

A congregation turned up one Sunday morning to find the church barred and bolted at the normal service time. On the door of the church was pinned a note in the Vicar’s handwriting. It read “You have head about it long enough, now go and do it.”