Goal in 2009

[1Timothy115]

I have a goal for this year. I?ve prayed about this and I know God has called me to do it. I don?t know what the outcome will be, but I am compelled. I am to go door to door in our community, as many as will receive me, I am to leave the Gospel of Christ and invite them to my local church. I am to let God use this effort to His glory and not fret over outcomes.

I recall an exhortation from a previous pastor, ?A call to preach is a call to prepare,? Rod Bell, Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church (TBC), 1980s. My effort is not a formalized call to be a ?preacher? in the modern context; it is everyone?s call to witness and so, preaching to a certain extent.

This is the reason the doctrines study is important to me. There will be some who have never heard God?s Word, some cults, and some main stream denominations. I need to know what God?s Word says to face any objections and resistance Satan will offer to people. That is why I started with the doctrine of salvation. Evan?s book like so many others begins with God and there are reasons. If you don?t see God as Holy and yourself (man) as totally depraved and lost, how can you ever be saved? Many pastors like to say, mine included, you have to get some people lost before you can get them saved.

Originally, cults were a concern to me. After borrowing my pastor?s Kingdom of the Cults (by the way suggested here at OB), I refreshed on some of the main tenets. I believe the Holy Spirit was not leading me further in that direction. When witnessing, you have to listen to the individual and understand what they are saying about Jesus Christ, God?s Word, God the Father, the Virgin Birth, works, and know when people depart from scripture. You have to know Christ as Savior, be led by The Holy Spirit, know the Word of God, and go in the meekness and love Christ espoused.

I recommend a personal statement of faith and know it. Our local churches have a statement of faith and it provides guidance and direction for the focus of church effort. I adopted my personal statement of faith from my local church, Decatur Chapel, and TBC. There was little to nothing to modify from my own faith. You can go on line to either of those churches, or your own church, and read/copy the statement of faith.

Some of my posts here have been critical, in a loving way, of what we must do during these days of rampant apostasy. My posts are self-incriminating and continuing exhortation to me; more so than any intended harshness toward brothers and sisters. I regret my requiring continuing admonition to go and do what my Lord has called me to do but, there is Satan causing me to procrastinate.

The next step in this effort will be to find someone to go with me. Jesus sent them out by two and I want to follow His leadership. Also, there are too many circumstances which await an individual to derail the effort. I would love for the other person to be my wife, having a woman along can open many doors which, I could not enter into.

Here is where I stand. This Statement of faith and doctrine is modified in several areas from my local Church and previous churches I?ve attended. If it can be accepted then we can join in fellowship for the purpose of sharing the gospel with others in an effort to further build the Church of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Where I modified my PSOF:

The Word of God

"I believe the original texts are the divinely inspired Word of God in its entirety, written by men as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, and that it is the sole authority for the Christian's faith and conduct. I believe the King James Version of the Bible is the preserved Word of God for teaching and preaching to English speaking people. This is what I will use. I believe other English translations contain the Word of God including the latest Roman Church authorized version, The New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition. (2 Timothy 3.16-17; 2 Peter 1.20-21)"

and at the end for missions...

Missions
I believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the gospel to all nations (world missions). As ambassadors for Christ, we must use all available scriptural means to go to the foreign nations with the gospel. I will admonish other members to pray for missions, give toward missions, go and accomplish missionary service when possible, and participate in sending missionaries to reach the lost. (Matt. 28.19-20; Mk 16.15; Acts 1.8)

I do feel a great urgency to share the Gospel. I believe other Bible believing Christians feel as I do, that the Lord?s return is imminent.

[John81]

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You mentioned you would like your wife to go witnessing with you. What does she think of this?

We are taking steps to be more active this year, individually and as a family.

[1Timothy115]

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You mentioned you would like your wife to go witnessing with you. What does she think of this?

We are taking steps to be more active this year, individually and as a family.

John, you missed my admission in another thread. My wife joined the Roman Church some time back. I'm afraid she would not be very helpful at present. I find this all very confusing at times but, my God and my Savior are in control. God is such a great God! I sit back and marvel at times just like now and thank Him.

[John81]

John, you missed my admission in another thread. My wife joined the Roman Church some time back. I'm afraid she would not be very helpful at present. I find this all very confusing at times but, my God and my Savior are in control. God is such a great God! I sit back and marvel at times just like now and thank Him.

Yes, I realized this which is why I was wondering what your wife thought of all this.