SHARING THE GOSPEL
By Greg Hooker
I used to be one of the greatest at arguments concerning the Bible in my early years as a Christian. I could quote Scripture and go toe to toe with the best! But you know what? In all those years of trying to argue the Bible I never once led a soul to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!
Yes I was born-again, but the Lord just wasn’t giving me fruit for my labor. Even when I won the confrontations, I felt empty and began to ask myself “what did I just gain”?
The Lord began to deal with my heart and slowly but surely, He changed my whole outlook on the means, or methods I was using to try and win others to Christ. I felt ashamed and started to seek God on how to witness with love and the power of the Holy Spirit.
God began to teach me that hate, decisiveness, and always seeking to win an argument was fruitless. He showed me that it’s not me that touches the hearts of individuals, but the Word of Gods love embedded by the Holy Spirit in the souls of people that made the changes.
So when I share the Gospel Message now, I let the Holy Spirit convict and call hearts to repentance. Often times others will want to argue and call me out, even to the point of calling me a heretic, but I stand down, pray for them, and God will then be able to do His work in their lives. It’s not through the means of brow-beating others with the Bible, but the message of the Bible that enters their hearts, causing godly conviction, and brings about saving grace through the power of the Gospel.
So my advice gained over 40 years is to present the Gospel, love the sinner, ask for a saving commitment to the Gospel, and leave it to God to give the increase. I believe if you follow these biblical guidelines, God will use you to bring souls to the foot of the cross for His glory.
By Greg Hooker
I used to be one of the greatest at arguments concerning the Bible in my early years as a Christian. I could quote Scripture and go toe to toe with the best! But you know what? In all those years of trying to argue the Bible I never once led a soul to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!
Yes I was born-again, but the Lord just wasn’t giving me fruit for my labor. Even when I won the confrontations, I felt empty and began to ask myself “what did I just gain”?
The Lord began to deal with my heart and slowly but surely, He changed my whole outlook on the means, or methods I was using to try and win others to Christ. I felt ashamed and started to seek God on how to witness with love and the power of the Holy Spirit.
God began to teach me that hate, decisiveness, and always seeking to win an argument was fruitless. He showed me that it’s not me that touches the hearts of individuals, but the Word of Gods love embedded by the Holy Spirit in the souls of people that made the changes.
So when I share the Gospel Message now, I let the Holy Spirit convict and call hearts to repentance. Often times others will want to argue and call me out, even to the point of calling me a heretic, but I stand down, pray for them, and God will then be able to do His work in their lives. It’s not through the means of brow-beating others with the Bible, but the message of the Bible that enters their hearts, causing godly conviction, and brings about saving grace through the power of the Gospel.
So my advice gained over 40 years is to present the Gospel, love the sinner, ask for a saving commitment to the Gospel, and leave it to God to give the increase. I believe if you follow these biblical guidelines, God will use you to bring souls to the foot of the cross for His glory.