Church of God

Jack M. Bailey

This almost seems a question not worth asking. Why do I witness? Well, let’s turn that around. Why would I not witness? Jesus Christ is my Savior and the Lord of my life. He commanded me to witness. His last words on earth were, “. . . but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NASB). Jesus didn’t instruct us to witness “if it is convenient” or if we “feel like it.” He was very emphatic in commanding us to witness everywhere. I want to follow His instructions because I love Him.

There are so many people who need Jesus! Ordinary people going through life in their homes, on the streets, in their businesses and in shopping centers are hungry to know about Jesus Christ. Matthew 9:37-38 says, “He [Jesus] said to His disciples. `The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest’” (NASB). This has never been more true than it is today. People are searching desperately for real meaning in their lives.

Almost every time the Evangelism Breakthrough class participants go out into the community to witness, people pray to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. A lot is said in our society today about people being hostile and rejecting the gospel message, but only a very small percentage of the people we have approached have reacted in a negative way. In fact, the opposite is true. They are quite anxious to hear the Truth and to invite Jesus into their hearts.

There are a few situations that stand out in my mind as “miracle moments.” One of these happened on a cold January night at the Jimmie Hale Mission. God had orchestrated a divine appointment as I sat down at the dinner table across from a young man. I’ll call him Dale. When I asked if I could share with him he agreed.

“Do you know for sure that if you were to die tonight that you would spend eternity in heaven?” I asked.

“No,” he replied. “In fact, I’d go straight to hell.”

Dale listened patiently and attentively while I presented the gospel message to him. During the presentation I noticed that he kept taking a picture out of his shirt pocket and looking at it.

Before I finished the presentation Dale interrupted to tell me his heart-wrenching story. He used to be a happy man. He had a beautiful wife, a young daughter, a new mobile home, a brand new pick-up truck, and a good job. One day he stopped off at the local bar after work and had too many drinks. He called his wife to tell her he was on the way home.

“You wait there for me. You’re in no condition to drive,” she insisted.

But as she drove to get him at the bar, a collision with an 18-wheeler took her life.

Devastated by the burden of guilt that he felt, this young man left his five-year-old daughter with his mother and hit the road. For months he wandered from place to place, trying to drown his sorrows in a bottle of booze. He said that he had been drunk every day for the past six months, but he had been unable to take a drink for the last 24 hours. He wondered why.

When I finished the gospel presentation, Dale tearfully asked Jesus to come into his life, forgive his sins, give him a new life, and be the Lord of his life. On that night he passed from death into life. He no longer has to face death and hell. He can look forward to spending eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ . . . and you wonder why I witness!

Through the Jimmie Hale Mission, transportation was provided so that Dale could return to his hometown. At last report, he was successfully dealing with his grief. He had a good job and was making a home for his little daughter.

Examples like this are what make me want to witness for Jesus. And I could tell many more stories of life-changing witnessing encounters.

Lastly, I witness because of God’s great love for me and for all mankind. God does not wish for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9b). How will they know that God loves them unless I tell them?

Don C. Warrington

“They don’t care what you know until they know that you care” is the motto of many pastors and evangelism directors, but it also describes well the ministry of Mr. Joey Blake, Local Church Lay Coordinator of the Harvest Temple Church of God in Montgomery, Alabama. Brother Blake is the “Pastor’s Partner” for Pastor Rich Deem, and together they have seen normal Sunday morning attendance double.

Part of this success can be attributed to the new “Care Ministry Team” program which Brother Blake heads up. Started at the beginning of 1998, the program has its Biblical basis in Matthew 25:42-45 and Matthew 28:19-20. Its object is to minister to new people in the church from the time they first step in the door. It accomplishes this with a four part program:

1. Greeters
2. Ushers
3. Visitation
4. Altar Workers

The first group of people to swing into action are the greeters. There are about twenty of them; they staff every entrance of the church during the Sunday morning and night services and during Wednesday night as well. Their task is to welcome everyone into the house of the Lord. Brother Blake uses the Lord’s guidance in recruiting the greeters. He wants to make sure that those who are chosen are faithful, and he seeks the approval of the Pastor for every appointment. He also trains them in their task and organizes their rotation schedule to prevent burnout. He began the whole “Care Ministry Team” with the greeters before organizing the rest of the program.

At an appropriate point in the service, the greeters seek visitors, and hand them a packet which includes: a brochure describing the ministry of the church, a tape, a letter from the Pastor, and a visitor’s card. The ushers—who help the visitors find a seat—collect the completed cards and pass them along to the visitation teams.

As with the greeters, there are about twenty people at this time involved with visitation, and Brother Blake provides them with training and organization. Once a visitor’s card is received, the visitor is ministered to with a seven step process:

1. A phone call from the Pastor.
2. The visitation team visits their home and brings them baked goods.
3. A visit from the Pastor.
4. For the men, a contact from a LifeBuilders^® Men’s Ministry representative.
5. For the women, a contact from the Ladies Ministry representative.
6. Contacts from the appropriate Sunday School classes.
7. An invitation out for a meal.

In this way visitors have no doubt they are wanted by the church.

The altar workers are trained to minister to people at the altar and to help them receive what they are seeking from God.

With such a program in place, visitors (and present members) are not only wanted by the church; they are needed too.

In speaking of the Care Ministry Team program, Brother Blake emphasizes that one of the main benefits is that it involves people in the life of the church, and in doing so, ministers to them. In the past, lay people had the idea that unless they taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, ushered, or served on the Church and Pastor’s Council, there was really nothing for them to do. Now they can get involved in vital ministries of the church, and in doing so, their attitudes–and indeed the attitude of the church in general–change, from a group of spectators to a team of participants.

Brother Blake never forgets that without the Lord behind him, his ministry wouldn’t amount to anything. With the Bible as his guide he depends on Jesus Christ who ultimately saves, calls and equips all of us to the advancement of His kingdom and the salvation of souls.

Leonard C. Albert

Elton Trueblood said, “The church is intended as a concrete answer to the prayer that laborers be sent forth to the harvest. The company of Jesus is not people streaming to a shrine; and it is not people making up an audience for a speaker; it is laborers engaged in the harvesting task of reaching their perplexed and seeking brethren with something so vital that, if received, it will change their lives.” During the past 26 years I have visited hundreds of churches of all types and sizes. The ones I remember as being truly powerful, successful congregations are those who used the talents and abilities of the lay members to minister to the lost through weekly, ongoing, consistent outreaches. A healthy church will always be involved in at least five ministries:

• Edification—the members worship and pray together
• Fellowship—the people of God build up and encourage one another
• Service—the church develops ministries to touch human needs in the community
• Evangelism—the members find and reach the lost with the message of salvation
• Outreach—the people conduct church services outside the sanctuary on a regular basis

Here’s how your church can begin.

See the Need

Jesus looked upon this old world as a vast harvest field that needed to be reaped. He said in John 4:35 (NIV), “. . . Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” In Matthew 25 He gives the church a clear mandate to establish ministry outside the four walls of the building. In just two verses (35 & 36), He tells us to feed and clothe the needy, visit the hospitals and nursing homes, minister to strangers (outreach chapels) and set up a jail and prison outreaches. In Acts 2:41-47 (read this passage!) the believers became better Christians (v. 42), they were committed to each other in the Body (v. 44), they remained in touch with the lost around them (v. 47a), and new people being saved was a normal thing (v. 47b).

Find the Places

To begin with, check out the population demographics. Look carefully into the characteristics of the community in which the church is located. What is the ethnic mix of the area? What is the income base? The average income? The professional and educational level of the people. Next, take a good look around your church community. Look at the many places that outreach ministries are needed. Begin by checking out the nursing homes in the area and see if a Sunday morning Bible study could be organized (usually other churches go in the afternoon). Find out about public housing. Is there a community room where a Sunday morning outreach could be conducted? Try to first begin a non-denominational class and then progress to a worship service in these types of outreaches. City and county jails are excellent places to minister on a weekly schedule. Unchurched neighborhoods are good places to begin outreaches. Look for a vacant home or office building that would be suitable for worship services. Begin with a children’s ministry, then expand to a Bible study and then to a worship service. One church has started four other church congregations this way. Retirement homes, senior adult housing, and convalescent centers are also great places for outreaches.

If you’re in the wrong place, the right place is empty!

Select the Workers

Jesus prayed all night before He called the disciples into full-time service. Begin by praying for God to send laborers. Look for those who might be capable but are not yet involved in the church. Some congregations are small and there are “slim pickings” as far as workers are concerned but when they are given the right circumstances, they have the potential for ministry. Look for faithful people, not just those who seem to have ability. God will give the ability if we are faithful to Him (1 Corinthians 4:2). Recruit the people privately and on a one-on-one basis. When Jesus called His disciples He did not go to the temple and publicly call people on a random basis. How many would have answered His call if He said, “We’re going to have something called disciples. If you would like to be one meet me at the base of the mount tomorrow at 9 a.m.”? He went to where the workers were living and working and recruited them personally.

Robert Schuller once said, “Find a hurt and heal it.” That is what outreach services are all about—going out and finding needs, and, through the power of God’s Word and the Holy Ghost, filling those needs.

by John Campbell

I remember my first game experience in the National Football League. My children say it was during the Old Testament period, but I remember it as though it happened yesterday. I was a rookie with the Minnesota Vikings, and we were in Chicago playing the Chicago Bears. As we were standing in the tunnel waiting to go out onto the field, the Chicago fans took the liberty to express their feelings toward us. To say there was a bit of disrespect involved would be an understatement. I don’t know how long we stood there but it seemed like hours, just standing there listening to the fans vent their feelings. Suddenly, one of them yelled, “You guys look like a bunch of Easter eggs!” After a short pause, someone on our team said, “You know, we do look like Easter eggs!” The purple, light gold and white did give us a unique look.

We must have performed like a bunch of Easter eggs because we lost the game, and I remember some of the veterans informing me, “That’s the way it is when you’re on the road. Nobody likes you and you’re always outnumbered.” It did not seem to matter what city we were in, the reception and the challenge always seemed the same. It was not long before I, too, was accepting the belief that it is indeed “tough to win on the road.” When they talk about home field advantage, it is a real factor. In sports, the winning advantage for home teams over visiting teams is substantial.

What brought this to mind was a seminar I attended in Cleveland, Tennessee, that dealt with issues facing the church having to do with the law, the court system and liability issues. The first presentation dealt with children who have been exploited and abused. This was like an ice cold shower for many of us. The next session also dealt with children, but looked at them not as the victims, but as the perpetrators of crimes—young people committing violent acts thought only done by hardened adults. This session did nothing to calm the shocking information presented in the preceding presentation.

In our hearts we all want to do what God has challenged us to do, but in our minds, we have relegated the criminal-type issues to that other “criminal-type” world. Our mindset is one of a Christian “no-fly zone” when it come to dealing with these types of matters. In short, if it’s in the court it’s out of the church. Because we are not comfortable in that setting, we choose not to get involved. To put it in sports language, it’s like playing on the road and we all know, it’s “tough to win on the road.”

That night, in my motel room, I tuned in to view that “other” world on the 6 o’clock news. The first five stories dealt with the same type issues we had been introduced to earlier that day. The only difference was that this night, the newscaster presented the proof of what the seminar speakers referred to. I concluded, if we wanted to get involved, we may have to leave the air-conditioned atmosphere of mutual respect, concern, and desire for a resolution to the problem (which is the usual home-field setting for Christian conflict), and go out “on the road” where we may not feel as confident.

The disciples went out on the road and came back with wonderful reports. Jesus had told them that they would be going out with His power and that was the reason for their success. Will He not do the same for us? The Bible tells us of the ultimate road trip, in Philippians 2: 6-8 “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross” (NIV).

From the throne in heaven to a stable in Bethlehem. You can’t get any further away from home than that! For 33 years, the Creator became the created, culminating with His standing in front of a large crowd and hearing that crowd yell “Release Barabbas to us. We have no king but Caesar.” and “Let his blood be on us and our children!”

Hearing these accusations coming from the voices He had created, pierced Him every bit as much as the crown of thorns, nails, and spear. Three days later, the empty grave told us all we needed to know. Because He came down and won “on the road” we now can do the same. The challenge was given, power is available, now the choice is ours.

Ray H. Hughes, Jr.

In the Mediterranean Sea west of Lydia and east of Crete is a tiny island in whose northeast corner is the city of Rhodes. At the entrance to the city’s harbor once stood the famous Colossus of Rhodes, a huge bronze statue of the sun-god Apollo measuring 105 feet tall placed there in 280 B.C. So imposing was the towering statue that it was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Thirty-six years after the statue’s completion it was thrown into the sea by a powerful earthquake. No longer were people influenced by this gigantic pagan image upon entering the harbor. It was submerged forever and forgotten.

Perhaps as a lay coordinator there are things that loom large before you that become stumbling blocks or hinder you from doing your best for God. Like the Colossus of Rhodes they seem bigger than life and unmovable. Such obstacles as the “fear of failure” (the overpowering sense that you may not be qualified) or “indifference,” (let the pastor do it) can rob you of being all God intends for you to be. We have nothing to fear, for Jesus assures us in Luke 12:32 “Fear not . . . for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Also, in Isaiah 45:2, God says, “I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.” With God preparing the way, no obstacle is too big—not even mountains!

God has empowered all believers to work in His kingdom. Prayerfully choose the areas of ministry best suited for you and your congregation. Remember, don’t be afraid, for He has prepared the way for you. Then, in the vernacular of my youngest son, “Go for it.”