I T HAS BEEN A REAL JOY to study the subject of personal evangelism with you. The important thing now is to put into practice these vital points for your life and spiritual maturity. Per haps there are some who have already come to know the Lord because you have been willing to be used for His testimony. In I Peter 3:15 we read, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a rea son for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” This one verse outlines in a “nutshell” the prepara tion for personal evangelism. What does it mean to “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” ? First of all you must accept Christ as your personal Saviour. Second, you must ac knowledge Christ as your Lord and Master. Third, you must appropriate Christ as your life. Many of the Lord’s people never really understand what h appen s when they receive Christ. Yet the practicality is so simple. The Saviour said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in.” John 1:12 assures us quite clearly that “as many as received Him” have eternal life. We actually receive a Person, not some inanimate “thing.” Too often we are so inter ested in all the blessings we receive that we forget that our basic gift is Christ himself. He resides as a living reality in my heart. He comes in the person of His Holy Spirit. In all the power of His resurrection He dwells within me. Too often, too, we are pre pared to accept Christ as our Saviour but not to acknowledge Him as our Lord. In Luke 6 :46 we read His pene trating words, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” The whole essence of the Lord
ship of Christ is obedience to His commands. In the area of witnessing He has told us to do something spe cific. We are to tell others what we know for ourselves. If we are living in disobedience we have no right to call Him Lord. With too many Christians, nothing has really happened since they were saved. Do you know why this is? Sim ply because they have not learned to appropriate Christ as their life. He came to be; the great “I am” in you. Our Lord Jesus, when He came to earth, came that He might live in you. He wants to make things “go” in you. So often, however, we want to do things for Him instead of letting Him do things in us and through us. You must recognize your own inability to be or to do anything of eternal con sequence without Him. Appropriate all that He has for you. You will find the result one continual glorious experi ence. As far as witnessing is concerned, when an opportunity comes along you won’t need to throw up your
Two Biola graduates and members of the Biota family are Professor and Mrs. Phil Sutherland. Mr. Sutherland is a member of the psychology depart ment. With him and his wife are their three children from left to right, Susan, Timothy, and Sharon.
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