Newsletter

         Well, school has started back and summer is almost over. Words of Life had a great summer this year. We had the privilege to share the Gospel at the mall, the Pinnacle in Turkey Creek, in front of Borders Books at Turkey Creek, the Water Angels Ministry, and so far a couple of Churches in our area. God has been so good to us this summer. This fall we are planning on going to the Sugarlands Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains, some U.T. football games, and of course the mall. Please continue to pray for us as we go, and I hope you look for opportunities where you can join us.


"To know HIM and make HIM known"

Newsletter

         It seems like the last few times we have gone out to share the Gospel,  all the people I have met either say they are atheist or agnostic. It seems like it is a growing trend among our culture. I think the allure to such a position is because it sounds so “intellectual” to people. As a Christian, we sometimes feel intimidated to talk to such people, but we shouldn’t, because we hold within us the Truth and they don’t.  They are trusting in a theory, and we trust in the Truth. When you engage a atheist/agnostic, the best thing to do is to ask them questions about what they believe. Let them defend their position. Listen to them, and then in love, tell them about the God of the Bible. I have discovered that most atheist/agnostics are willing to believe in ANYTHING, regardless of how irrational or untrue it may be, rather than to believe in the God of the Bible. Ask the next atheist/agnostic that you meet this question in regard to the Big Bang Theory. When was the last time something exploded and created order instead of disorder? I ran across a great definition of atheism that I would like to share with you that might help you next time you talk to one. 

What is the Gospel? Part One

What is the Gospel? It sounds like an easy question, but is it? If you were asked to define the Gospel, what would you say? The Bible warns us in Galatians chapter one, that there is but one Gospel, and to distort it or get it wrong, is a curse and can be damning to the one hearing it. Verse 8 says,” But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." The warning is so strong that it is repeated in verse 9, so it is imperative that we get the Gospel right. It truly is a matter of eternal life or eternal death. We cannot afford to get this wrong, because wrong belief will effect your eternal destiny. There is NOTHING more important, so what is the Gospel? First, let's look at what the Gospel is not. The Gospel is not works based (be or do enough good to earn it). It is not religion (being a member of a church) or mere belief (just believe and you will be saved). It is not if you become a Christian, all things in your life will become better. I believe that the Gospel today has been reduced down to a few Christian cliches that go something like this, "just repeat this prayer", "ask Jesus into your heart", " invite Jesus into your life", "make a decision for Jesus", "accept Jesus into your life", "make Christ Lord of your life", and " God has a wonderful plan for your life and if you just believe that you will be saved". Nowhere in the Bible will you find that any of those phrases are a means of salvation or the Gospel. I know what you are thinking. "Royce that sounds like semantics to me", or "you are just playing on words". I am not saying a person cannot come to faith in Christ by hearing those phrases. I am saying they are not the complete Gospel. I think R.C. Sproul said it best,

"People think they're preaching the Gospel to you when they tell you, "you can have a purpose to your life", or that "you can have meaning to your life", or that "you can have a personal relationship with Jesus." All of those things are true, and they're all important, but they don't get to the heart of the Gospel."

What is the Gospel? Part Two

I can in no way answer all of the questions about the Gospel in this short Blog. Before we talk about the Gospel, I would like to suggest some books that might help you answer some of the questions that you might have about the Gospel. The books are The Gospel The Gospel According to Jesus , Faith Works (The Gospel According to the Apostles), and Hard to Believe, all by John MacArthur, and also, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer. The short answer to" What is the Gospel?" is this.

"God being completely Holy and righteous sent His only son Jesus born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit who was completely Holy and righteous to earth who lived a sinless life and died on the cross to make atonement for the sins of mankind. He died and rose again on the third day by the power of the Holy Spirit and ascended to the right hand of God. If we by God's grace through faith repent and believe that we shall be saved."

That is the Gospel or "the good news". Now how do we explain the Gospel to a lost world? I believe the Bible teaches us that salvation starts with God and understanding who God is. The Bible teaches that God is completely Holy, Just, and Sovereign. The requirements to be in His presence demands that we be Holy (I Peter 1:15-16) and perfect (Matthew 5:48). Complete holiness and perfection are God's righteous requirements to be in His presence(heaven). If that is God's standard, then how do we stack up? The Bible teaches that we all have sinned (Romans 3:23). We have all broken God's laws. We have all told a lie and have broken the ninth commandment. We have all not loved the Lord God with all of our hearts and broken the first commandment. The Bible says if we have broken one of the commandments, we are guilty of them all (James 2:10). We are all hell bound and hell deserving, but there is hope found in Ephesians 2:4, " But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved.)" Jesus Christ lived the perfect life and fulfilled God's Law and died to make atonement (payment for our sins). (2 Corinthians 5:21) The Bible teaches if we confess our sins, repent (turn away from our sinful ways), and trust and receive Jesus Christ in our life as Lord and Savior, we shall be saved. This, upon doing so, WILL produce fruits unto righteousness or evidence of the new birth (Matthew 3:8, Galatians 5:22-24). There is so much more that could be said about the Gospel. We may continue this conversation at a later date. I hope this helps you, as you study more about this Great Gospel God has given us.

My Thoughts

I heard an interesting story the other day. It is a true story, although it is so shocking it may not sound true. The story goes like this. While the ocean linear Titanic was sinking, some of the crew were busy going about their normal jobs. Some of the staff were seen dusting tables and polishing mirrors, all while the ship was sinking. Instead of showing the passengers how to get to the life boats, they were still doing their jobs around the ship. What a tragedy. You may say that can’t be true, but it is. You may ask how could that be? I do not know for sure, but I think they thought that this great ship would never sink. When I heard that story, I thought how we, in our Christian lives, are so busy “dusting tables” and “polishing mirrors” that we never take the time to show people to the “life boat” Jesus Christ. I thought how absurd the staff on the Titanic were by not helping the passengers to the life boats. How much more absurd is it that we do not tell the people around us to get in the “life boat”, the ship is sinking! The Titanic did sink, and the people around us one day will die and face the judgment of God. The question is, will we stop being so busy doing insignificant and non essential things that do not and will not matter beyond today and tell them the Good News of the Gospel, that not only will save them from the wrath of God, but give them eternal life. I would only hope this story would give us a sense of urgency to redeem the time we have, because the ship is sinking, and Jesus Christ is the only “life boat” that can save us.

My Thoughts

Coram Deo is a Latin phrase, which translated means “in the presence of God.” We live our lives in the presence of God, whether people see us or not, God always sees us. The Psalmist said in Psalm 139:7-8 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” As Cory Mayfield said a few Sundays ago when speaking about Jonah, we too can not hide from God. We live our lives Coram Deo. The sheer gravity of that statement should cause us to consider where we go, what we say, what we think, what we look at, and what we spend most of our time doing. Knowing that God is watching us does not always affect the way we live our lives. When that happens, we are nothing more than “practical atheist” meaning we live our lives as if there is no God. We all do that from time to time, but let us be aware of those times, and repent and turn back to a Holy God and may those times be few and far between. I would like to challenge us this week, myself included, to live our lives with the reality of Coram Deo and see what a difference it makes in ALL of our actions.

My Thoughts

Distractions, we all have them in some way or another. I have been thinking about distractions lately in the spiritual sense, in that they rob of us of time with God. We all at some time get distracted by t.v., movies, music, cell phones, computers, making money, sports, and our friends and family, etc... None of those things are "bad" in and of themselves. It is when we spend too much of our time doing and thinking about those things and not enough time alone with God. I have noticed that most people that are lost need those distractions in their lives. It seems to help them escape from reality or their current problems, or even thinking soberly about God and facing Him one day. For the Christian though, it is a battle to keep from being distracted by the things of this world that fight for our attention. Please take some time to look up these verses, I Cor. 2:12; James 4:4; I John 2:15-17, 5:5. Are you distracted? If so, I would like to encourage you from the Word of God ,"Be still, and know that I am God;" Psalm 46:10. Find some time this week and everyday to study your Bible, pray, read a devotional ,and listen to music that lifts up our God. Begin to remove the distractions in your life. You may have to turn off the t.v., cell phone, computer, or what ever else might be distracting you, and replace them with the things of God, NOT the things of this world. Oh what a difference it will make in your life and your walk with God.

My Thoughts

Have you ever stopped to consider God's "Common Grace"? It is called common, because it is extended to everyone, so it is common to everyone. An example of this is found in (Matthew 5:45) " He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." I was at Dollywood a couple of weeks ago, and I was people watching and listening. I observed people laughing and enjoying life and the beautiful day, then it dawned on me that they were under God's Common Grace. They probably did not even know it, because the vast majority of them were probably lost and without Christ, but they are still able to enjoy life just like the saved person. You see, Common Grace does not justify us before a Holy God, but it does show us a Holy God. (Romans 1:19-20) says, " because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse" Their conscience and creation both point them to God and that is why on the day of judgment they will be without excuse. They also enjoy life now but God would be completely just and Holy if He chose to take our lives after our first sin, because the wages of sin are death,(Romans 6:23) but He is a gracious and longsuffering God that desires all to come to saving faith in Christ.(1 Timothy 2:4) That is called "Saving Grace". I may talk about that later. Think about God's Common Grace this week and how it applies to you and the people around you.

My Thoughts

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 19. I remember the first time I read it after I came to faith in Christ. It was early one morning in my car while waiting to go into work, the sun was just beginning to come up above the trees, and this is what I read.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.... The last verse really spoke to me. It says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

 WOW! What a great chapter to start your day with, to let our words and our thoughts be pleasing in God's sight all day. If you have time this week, get up a little earlier and read Psalm 19, and think about the words in all 14 verses.

My Thoughts

This might be a long e-mail, but please take the time to read it. I ran across an article the other day about Penn Jillette. You may know him as the "talkative" half of Penn and Teller. He is a very outspoken atheist. He posted a video blog about a man who gave him a Gideon Bible after a show and how it impacted his life. Here is a part of what he said about the man after he gave him the Bible.

" I believe he knew I was an atheist. But he was not defensive. And he looked me right in my eyes. And he was truly complimentary,...it didn't seem like empty flattery. He was really kind and nice and sane and looked me in the eyes and talked to me and then gave me this Bible. And I've always said that I don't respect people who don't proselytize. I don't respect that at all. If you believe that there is a Heaven and Hell and that people could be going to Hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that, well it's really not worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward...How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn't believe it, but that truck is bearing down on you, there's a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that. And I've always thought that and I've written about that and I've thought of it conceptually."

After I read that article I was so humbled by the fact that a self professing atheist had that much conviction about how important it is to share the Gospel. We all could learn a lot from what he said. I walked away from that article with a fresh and a new spirit to be more bold about sharing the Gospel, even if it is "socially awkward". The apostle Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ". My prayer for you and me is that we all would see how important it is to share the Gospel to a lost and dying, and yes, a Hell bound world. I would that our eyes and our hearts would be open to that reality, and that alone would motivate us to "tackle somebody".

My Thoughts

We have all heard about the recent deaths of some "big name celebrities" Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson to name a few.


It reminded me of a statistic. That is every second two people will die. We are all part of the great statistic. 10 out of 10 people die. Death should not surprise us, but it does somehow. The bible says " it is appointed unto a man once to die and then the judgment", (Hebrews 9:27) and "we are a vapor." (James 4:14) We all are involved in a not so slow death march. I tell you this sobering news to remind us to redeem the time, (Eph. 5:16) knowing only what we have done for eternity will last. (I Cor. 3:11-14) I want to ask you a question that was asked of me one time. If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do? Think about that for a second. What came to your mind? Why aren't you doing it? None of us are promised our next breathe, so live your life as if you only had 24 hours to live, because you just might.

My Thoughts

I ran across a great Puritan prayer the other day and I want to share it with you.

"Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, and the exceeding wonder of grace. I am guilty but pardoned. I am lost but saved. I am wandering but found. I am sinning but cleansed. Give me perpetual broken-heartedness. Keep me always clinging to Thy cross."

What a great prayer! I would hope that it would become my prayer and yours also. Take some time this week and remember all that you have in Christ Jesus, the Holiness of God, and His Sovereign grace.

My Thoughts

A couple of Thursday nights ago, we were in the mall sharing the Gospel and I was talking to a young guy who said he was an atheist. We began to talk about the God of the Bible and he asked me if I had ever read the Quran and I said "I don't read fiction." I said that for two reasons. I really don't read fiction, and I wanted him to see the supremacy of the Bible. You see, if we believe the bible to be absolutely true, then ALL other religious books have to be false or fiction. I tell you that to encourage you. You do not have to know everything about all religions to share the Gospel, but you do need to know what you believe, and why you believe it. The truth and the Word of God will always prevail against the false religions so do not be afraid or ashamed to share the Gospel. If you are born again, you know and hold within you the Truth. (I John 4:4) "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

My Thoughts

I love the words to the old hymn " I Stand Amazed" by Charles Gabriel. The first verse says:




"I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,


and wonder how He could love me a sinner, condemned, unclean"



All too often we do not slow down or stop long enough to be amazed by God or what He has done for us in Christ Jesus. At some point we stop being amazed at the depths of His mercy and grace that removes the penalty we deserve. Romans 4:5 says, "God justifies the ungodly". I would like to encourage you to sometime this week slow down, stop, and be amazed in the presence of a Holy God. Consider who He is and who you are, and then you will stand amazed in His presence.

My Thoughts

Do you ever compare your life or yourself to "bible characters"? You know they were not "characters" like you would read about in any other book. It is easy sometimes to think about them as "not real" but they were real people just like you and I. What a life they lived! I think of John the Baptist, Peter, and Paul. Who do you think of or compare your life to? Who do you have the same attitudes, characteristics, or personalities of? The one that humbles me the most is when I compare myself to Christ. We are all called "to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2) We may see ourselves in the "bible characters", but do we see Christ in ourselves? I think John the Baptist said it best when he said, "He must increase,but I must decrease." (John 3:30) That is my prayer for me and you that Christ would increase in our lives.

Newsletter

We had a great time this past Sunday at Centerpointe Baptist! I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for having us come out. It is a tremendous privilege to share the gospel at every opportunity that we have. Please pray that God would continue to open more doors for us to go through. I have been asked in the past to re-post some of my older devotional thoughts, so instead of doing that here, I have put some on and will add more to our Blog under the label heading “My thoughts”. Just click on the link at the bottom of this e-mail to go to our Blog. I hope you enjoy them. Let me know if you read any of them and your thoughts.
"To know HIM and make HIM known"

My Thoughts

A quote from the great Reformer John Calvin "Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God." I think of several men in the Bible when I read that quote. I think of the Prophet Isaiah who saw the Lord and said, "Woe is me, for I am undone." I think of John the Baptist who said, " I am not worthy to carry His sandals" and " I need to be baptized by You." I think of the disciples in the boat during the storm when they woke Jesus up to help them. After He calmed the storm, the Bible says they were terrified and said, "who is this man who the wind obeys?" They were scared during the storm, but terrified after it because of what they saw. (Mark 4:41) In Luke chapter 5 we have Peter who said after the great catch, "Depart from me for I am a sinful man." Paul said, " I am the chief of all sinners." R.C. Sproul says in his book The Holiness of God, "It is one thing to fall victim to the flood or to fall prey to cancer; it is another thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Have you ever experienced the presence of God's holiness? If so how did you react? For me, it is a very humbling experience. It reminds me of Psalm 8:4, "What is man that You are mindful of him." I hope you take some time this week to stop and reflect on who God is.Think about His holiness and His majesty.

My Thoughts

Mark Cahill is an evangelist from Stone Mountain GA and he said "I don't have to go to Zimbabwe [to share the Gospel], I can go to Subway." It reminded me of what most people think when they think of mission work. Most people think you have to go around the world to tell someone the Gospel. We forget about the people in our own backyard who need the Gospel just as bad as the people on the other side of the world. Let us engage the people around us. We may not come back with pictures, slides, and great stories of things we saw and did, but the eternal reward is just as great. I guess if I had my own quote it would say " I don't have to go to Nepal, I can go the the mall."

My Thoughts

Another great quote,“ The man whose little sermon is “repent” sets himself against his age, and will for the time be battered mercilessly by the age whose moral tone he challenges. There is but one end for such a man- “off with his head!” You had better not try to preach repentance until you have pledged your head to heaven.”Joseph Parker That is a sermon we do not hear anymore. But it is our only message! It is the same one John the Baptist preached (Mark 1:4) and he lost his head. It is the same one Christ preached (Mark 1:14-15) and they crucified him. And so it is with us, it is the one and only sermon we should preach! It's what is missing today in "the church". Let's get back to that, it is the only message that will save a lost and dying world.

My Thoughts

I saw a church sign the other day, it said "Jesus Loves You Wow". That statement is so true, it should drive us to our knees. It is such a simple statement one we have heard all of our lives, we sometimes forget how awesome that statement really is. You see God loved you before you loved Him. When you were His enemy He loved you. I John 3:1 says "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" Think about God's amazing love today, and where you would be without it. Then remember that is where a lost and dying world is without Christ. Hopeless,Helpless,and Hell bound. If you have a chance today, tell them about the Love of Christ. "For God so loved the world".