Tag Archive for: Evangelism

Leigh Robinson

Because of Bill

Earlier today, I had the privilege of sharing with the kids attending the RUC holiday club. It was great. The Jerusalem Hall was packed. Wall-to-wall kids and leaders. There was a great vibe. The walls were decorated with eye-catching, contemporary graphics, and the holiday Club theme — MISSION — hit me in the face as I entered. The place was pumping.

I began my brief talk by writing 60+9=69 on a flip-chart and asked the kids what they thought it meant. Some bright spark called out, “You’re 69!” I asked, “Do I look 69?” There was a mixed response. Shucks! I was hoping they’d all shout, “NO!” I then wrote 47 on the flip chart and explained that that is the number of years I have been a pastor, and that as a pastor I have had the privilege of preaching and sharing the Word of God with thousands of people all over the world.

Then I pointed them back to 9. I was 9 when I came to know Jesus. I was 9 when my sins were forgiven. I was 9 when I was called into ministry. How did it happen? His name was Bill.

Bill was in Grade 3 with me at Stanger Secondary School in KZN (‘Natal’ back then). He was the son of the local Station Master. He lived down the road. We played cricket and soccer and marbles together, and explored our small town on our bikes. Bill was not super-good-looking or exceptionally bright, but he was my friend. We were mates.

One day Bill invited me to attend Sunday School with him at the local Methodist Church. The very thought of another day of school was a turn-off, so I said no. The next week he invited me again and I gave the same answer. But he persisted. Again. And again. I can’t remember for how long he kept bugging me, but eventually I went with him.

I can still smell the musty smell in that little church hall. I can still see the rather large lady who led the worship (it was called ‘singing’ back then). I enjoyed it. I was hooked. And in the weeks and months that followed, I — a boy who came from a home where there was no Bible or church or prayer or Jesus — heard the gospel and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, came to faith in Christ. The trajectory of my life was changed at the age of 9 because of a boy named Bill. Because of Bill, 60 years of following Jesus have followed. Because of Bill, 47 years of full-time ministry have followed. BECAUSE OF BILL!

Without knowing the terminology, Bill was a REDEMPTIVE INFLUENCE.

Will you be Bill to someone?

Your friend and pastor,

Leigh

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Leigh Robinson

“Hold Out the Word of Life”

American evangelist Billy Graham died on Wednesday 21 February at the age of 99.

Ever since I came to know Christ at the age of nine, Billy Graham has held a special place in my heart, as he has in the hearts of millions of others all over the globe who believe the Bible and love his clear, powerful preaching of the good news of the gospel. My special ‘link’ with him is the fact that I was born on his 30th birthday, 7 November. Ever since I discovered this, I would remember him with joy and thanksgiving on my birthday. What a remarkable servant of God he has been.

Over the years of his ministry, he preached the gospel to an estimated 215 million people, in 400 evangelistic crusades in 185 countries on 6 continents! Wow!

At the beginning of his ministry, Billy Graham experienced what he called “a crisis of faith”. At a student conference in August 1949, in the San Bernardino mountains of California, his faith in the Bible was put to the test. Charles Templeton had asked questions about the Bible’s truthfulness that Billy could not answer. He went out in the forest and wandered up the mountain, praying as he walked: “Lord, what shall I do? What shall be the direction of my life?”

He saw that intellect alone could not resolve the question of the authority of Scripture. You must go beyond intellect. He thought of the faith used constantly in daily life: he did not know how a train or plane or car worked, but he rode them . . . Was it only in things of the spirit that such faith was wrong?

“So I went back and I got my Bible, and I went out in the moonlight. I got to a stump and put the Bible on the stump, and I knelt down, and I said, ‘Oh, God; I cannot prove certain things. I cannot answer some of the questions Chuck and some of the other people are raising, but I accept this book by faith as the Word of God.’”

That was a defining moment in the life and ministry of Billy Graham, and from then on, he confidently held out the word of life to millions through his preaching.

I am persuaded that unless we believe that the whole Bible is indeed the word of God we will not “hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:16) to people where we live, work, and play.

Our Mission at RUC to CALL, EQUIP, and SEND disciples for the glory of God is rooted in our conviction that the Bible is the Word of God, and that Jesus’ words are true: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

It is my prayer that our new sermon series, MADE FOR THIS (Finding your place in God’s mission), will strengthen our grip on the gospel and sharpen our skills in holding it out to others.

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Leigh Robinson

The Missing Prayer

Imagine that your prayers over the past six months were recorded, categorized, and analysed. What would they tell you about your passions and priorities? Would they reveal a preoccupation with yourself and your immediate family? Would they be mostly about your safety, your struggles, your sins, your stuff? Would phrases like “help me”, “bless me”, “give me”, guide me”, “save me”, “heal me” occur again and again? And what about our corporate prayers in church services and in our Community Groups and Life on Life Groups? Would we see a similar pattern there? What might be MISSING in our prayers? What do we not pray for that the early church did pray for? Can you guess?

The first recorded prayer of the early church is found in Acts 4:24-30. A bit of background will help us appreciate the significance of this prayer. Peter and John had been instrumental in the healing of a crippled beggar at the temple gate called Beautiful. Understandably, this miracle caused a stir in the city of Jerusalem and people came running from all over to see the guy and those who had healed him. Peter wasted no time in grasping the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with the gathered crowd. So many believed, that the number of disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem grew to about five thousand. This greatly disturbed the religious authorities. Peter and John were hauled before the Sanhedrin, the highest religious council in the land, and strictly forbidden to teach or preach in the name of Jesus ever again.

The response of the two to this prohibition is remarkable under the circumstances. They said, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). They were then threatened and released. On their return to the other disciples, they held a prayer meeting. What do you suppose they prayed for — protection from further harassment and persecution? No. Here’s what they prayed—

“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“’Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.’

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”


(Acts 4:24-30)

Did you notice what they prayed for? They prayed for “great boldness” in sharing the gospel.

Look how God answered—“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).

This tells me that a prayer for boldness is a prayer God delights to answer. In the chapters that follow we see God answering this prayer again and again in the most remarkable ways.

I suspect that the first prayer of the early church—the prayer for boldness in witness—is often the last prayer we think to pray. The prayer for boldness is the MISSING prayer in our lives, yet it is a prayer that God delights to answer.

In the new year we are planning to run multiple Alpha courses at the church, in Community Groups, and in contexts outside the church, like the workplace. It takes boldness to invite a family member, friend, or colleague to an Alpha course, that’s why I urge you to add this MISSING prayer to your “prayer list.” Of course we may and should pray for all the things that concern our lives, but let’s imitate the early church in praying for boldness . . . and see what God will do.

Click here for resources you can use to invite your friends to Alpha

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Gerhard Venter

A thought about the nations

“Go and make disciples of all nations…”

A command (Great Commission nogal!) well-known, well-quoted, well-memorized and… well… missed (= well-missed!) by most of us!

I grew up in a home where my dad prayed for, supported and spoke regularly about missions and missionaries, still today at the age of 90! This influence and example have never been far away from me. Therefore, throughout my ministry as a pastor and theological educator I have had some involvement in and passion for reaching the nations, although I personally never felt a calling to go to a foreign nation to learn the language and preach the Gospel as a “foreign missionary”. Being a pastor at Rosebank Union Church gave me the opportunity of going on several short-term mission trips, adding to my understanding of what it will take to “make disciples of all nations”.

As the desire to preach more and lead a church again increased over the past few years, I prayed for the Lord’s to clearly lead me where He sees fit. Since several doors in South Africa closed, I naturally started to look abroad. The International Baptist Church of Bratislava, Slovakia caught my attention – a small church of 40-50 members, representing 17+ nations or nationalities, many of them on short-term contracts in the city. The Lord spoke to me through Abraham’s calling to be a blessing to “all peoples on earth” (Gen 12:3), as well as reminding me of Luke’s reference to the “God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5) gathered in the city of Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. I started thinking about pastoring a church where “the nations” come and go, and the influence such a small congregation could have in reaching the nations!

Throw into the mix the fact that Joan and I love travelling, that we are at a life-stage where our kids are ready to leave home (or are we leaving home?!!), as well as the fact that this could be the last “full-blown” ministry innings I may have, then the initial prompting of the Lord was confirmed. Furthermore, the church leadership was unanimous in their decision to ask the members to call me and Joan to come to Bratislava, even after they heard me preach!

And so, off we go to “make disciples of all nations”. Please pray for us as we go!

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Leigh Robinson

Ready to Risk

Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with an unbeliever is risky business. It has always been that way. Jesus had more people reject his message than he had receive it (John 1:11-12); and the apostles at times got into some serious hot water when they proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:5-20; 7:1-60).

We’re unlikely to face the kind of persecution they faced, or that Christians in different contexts to our own face today, but sharing the gospel in any context demands that we be READY TO RISK. When we openly proclaim our allegiance to Jesus, or share his gospel with someone else, we risk facing reactions of rejection, mockery, hostility, and pity. We risk the humiliation of being asked a question that stumps us, or being accused being narrow-minded, old-fashioned, intolerant, intrusive, judgemental or stupid. The very thought of facing such reactions fills us with fear, and fear keeps us from taking the risk. This explains why so few of us regularly share the gospel and why we see so few conversions to Jesus Christ.

When a fireman suits up and heads into a burning building to rescue a trapped person risk is involved, but he goes in anyway with a mixture of fear and confidence because he has been trained to do this and is equipped with the necessary gear. He goes in because it’s his job and, hopefully, because he cares about the person in peril. In the little letter of Jude in the New Testament Christians are commanded to “snatch others from the fire and save them” (Jude 23). That certainly implies risk.

To help every member of the RUC family to be READY TO RISK we have planned a 6 week sermon series designed to equip us to take the risk of sharing the gospel. The Sunday sermon series will be accompanied by a Study Guide for Community Group members to take us deeper into each week’s topic and help us grow together in our passion and ability to share the message of Jesus. I hope that you will be faithful in your Sunday and Community Group involvement and that you will ask the Lord to equip you to share the story of his love with others.

My prayer for you as we enter this series is expressed by the apostle Paul in his letter to his friend Philemon:

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ”
Philemon 6

Paul clearly implies that something special happens in us, and in our grasp of what we have in Jesus, when we take the risk and share the gospel with another.

Let’s get ready to risk it!

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Leigh Robinson

If you’ve got it, Share it!

Since we have the best news in the world, it is criminal not to share it.

An email from Dave Gilchrist, a RUC member recently transferred to Bangkok on business, shows just how natural sharing our faith can be. Dave writes,

“I was in Hong Kong on business recently, and was greatly encouraged by a conversation I had with a Chinese business colleague named Shannon, from Guangzhou in Mainland China. I went out for dinner with her and another colleague one of the nights, and mentioned to them that I was going to church over the weekend. Shannon asked me if I was a Christian and I said yes. The next day, just before the start of an important meeting, I was sitting next to Shannon and she referred the conversation back to where we had left off the night before, by saying that her husband (also Chinese) had become a Christian 15 years ago, while on a business trip outside China! I enquired about her faith, and she said in an open way that she was being stubborn! I then had a great opportunity to explain how amazing it is to be in relationship with God, and how you can’t be born a Christian, you have to become a Christian, just like you can’t be born married, you have to get married. I told her in a conversational way that her husband will have to keep witnessing to her at home and I would witness to her at work. We left the conversation here … I praise God for the opportunity I had to share with Shannon … I pray that she will give her life to Christ in the future.

For now, I’m handing out Thai tracts to the local taxi drivers who drive me to and from work. I was encouraged this morning, when I handed the tract to my taxi driver and he said ‘Jesu’ back to be with a smile … the taxi drivers have all accepted the tracts, which I’m thankful for.”

Ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities around you. When you see a chance to share your faith, shoot up a prayer, then just do it!

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