As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
In the previous installment, I began building upon a statement by my professor of systematic theology at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Myron J. Houghton. Basing his thoughts on 2 Cor. 2:15-16, Dr. Houghton stated: “Your ministry is like a fragrance. It will attract some, and it will repel others.”
I marvel with gratitude at the wonderful opportunities that the Lord God has given me to learn from some exceptional teachers. My appreciation of this gift only grows as the years go by—and as I speak with other Christian leaders who, for one reason or another, never had such an opportunity.
One of the men who has had the greatest impact upon my theology and thinking is Dr. Myron J. Houghton, about whom I have written before. I had the awesome privilege of studying under him in five courses at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary.
“if, as Paul explained, some labor where others have sown, we can’t limit the church’s mission to pioneer work among the unreached.” - TGC
“it’s increasingly difficult to talk to anyone when everybody is wearing headphones or ear pods…We communicate via texts—and even then often without complete words. In fact, we speak with emojis quite often” - Chuck Lawless
“…there will always be those who aren’t really regenerated. Likewise, there will always those who WILL be.” - Randy Alcorn
“Evangelism is central to the church’s mission. But some methods are decidedly more effective than others.” - Kainos
In a previous blog post, we evaluated a few common approaches Christians use when communicating the gospel. There were two main concerns that I expressed about some of these approaches. First, the gospel can unintentionally be presented as a means to a self-centered end. Secondly, these approaches assume that the listener has a Biblical framework to process gospel truth. We can’t presume, however, that people understand what we mean when we talk about God, sin, Jesus, repentance, or faith.
“All of these efforts are laudable, and I’ve been involved in plenty of them. However, here’s an idea: Let’s just focus on reaching one person. That’s right. Just one.” - Phil Cooke
“The Scriptures, however, make it clear that when we come to the Savior, we are saved from the wrath to come (see 1 Thessalonians 1:10). That message is offensive because it paints God as being angry at sinners.” - Ray Comfort
“As the Lord deepens my burden for evangelizing non-believers, fasting has become a critical component of those efforts.” - Chuck Lawless
Discussion