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Posts by Ben Simpson (Page 42)

5 Evangelism Principles on the Way to the Seller of Purple

We Southern Baptists are a Great Commission people.  It’s in our denominational blood!  As we come into the state convention season of SBC life, we will undoubtedly be challenged again and again to share the gospel, sHaRe tHe gOsPeL, SHARE THE GOSPEL!  Indeed, I welcome that clarion call from Scripture because it captures the heart of God and needs to be sounded again and again, but the Bible doesn’t simply tell us to share the gospel.  It also gives us principles for how to share the gospel.

One of the richest places to gain some vital principles for sharing the gospel comes from Acts 16.  There were find the history of Paul preaching the gospel in Asia Minor and Europe on his second missionary journey, which led him to a seller of purple named Lydia.  Five principles of evangelism jump out to me there in vv. 1-15 as Paul is heading for a divine appointment with this lady.

Train Your Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord: An Encouragement to Catechize

The greatest responsibility of Christian parents is to train their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6.4). This responsibility is also to be one of Christian parents’ greatest joys. Certainly, we have found this to be true. Recently our hearts were blessed as our 5-year-old son led us in the Lord’s Prayer before bedtime; and then we were blessed even more because our 3-year-old daughter insisted we do it again but with her in the lead. They both did a great job. What a joy that was!

Child with Bible

Training our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord doesn’t just happen through an hour of Sunday School a week, which never equates to an hour of teaching anyway. It’s truly a 24-7 thing. We are to be instructing all the time, which is beautifully captured in the Lord’s command to us in Deuteronomy 6.4-9:

Wednesday Is for Worship: I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art

On this Wednesday morning, have you said “hello” to Jesus yet?  If not, stop what you are doing and do so right now.  Recognize His presence and His lordship.  And now, get ready to worship Him! Today’s song that will help you do so is originally entitled “Je Te Sa­lue Mon Cer­tain Re­demp­teur,” which translated from French is “I Greet Thee, Who…

Yes, Indeed, God Loves “Gays”

“Why doesn’t God love gays?”  That was the question a teenager asked on a recent Wednesday during our youth ministry time.  To be honest, the question was sort of out of the blue since the discussion was on the return of Jesus, but clearly it was on the heart of at least one, if not many, of the teens there that night. …

The Replacements Are Way Better!

With the NFL football season now thankfully underway (Is there anything worse in the sports world than that stretch between the end of the NBA finals and the kickoff of the NFL season?!  It’s like athletic purgatory.), it’s time to see which team of pros is going to rise to the occasion and bring home that Lombardi Trophy.  Maybe it’ll be the…

Bless Your Heart: A Biblical Look at the Heart of Man

Helen Keller once said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart.”  We certainly live in a culture and day where the heart has been elevated to preeminence.  How many times have we heard someone give the advice, “Just follow your heart!”?  That’s the wisdom of the age, but…

“Heroes of the Pulpit” – George Whitefield

Over the summer, I want to draw attention to some of my preaching heroes.  Not only do I commend them to you, but I also want to give you an example of their pulpit ministry. ___________________ George Whitefield, who lived December 27, 1714 – September 30, 1770, is one of the greatest preachers in Christian history.  Although he was an English Anglican preacher, he…

Wednesday Is for Worship: “Come, Thou Almighty King”

This Wednesday I’m in the middle of Vacation Bible School week, and we’re thoroughly enjoying Group’s Kingdom Rock.  One of the reasons that we always do Group’s VBS material is their great music, which is geared more toward actual worship than other VBS music seems to be.  They do a great job of introducing our kids to contemporary and historic hymns of…