Derek’s Dilemma and Deliverance!

(excerpt from Revolutionary Evangelism)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:18

Ministry opportunities abound even as we do mundane, ordinary things. While at the laundromat, I met Derek. When he walked in the door, the LORD prompted my heart that He was going to minister to this man. As usual, I wondered how this would transpire and, yet, rested in the well-tested fact that God would arrange it if He was in it (John 3:29; 6:44).

Speaking of kindness being a soul winning weapon … about an hour had passed when Derek walked by me and I simply handed him a copy of the RIP (Rest In Peace) soul-winning Gospel tract and said, “It contains the message of the Gospel!” He stopped dead in his tracks, opened the Gospel tract and began reading. He seemed glued to it as the Holy Spirit was drawing His precious soul ‒ and obviously had been for some time.

Derek and I looked at Exodus 20. We trekked through several of the LORD’s Ten Commandments, each readily acknowledging our guilt before a holy God who is the Judge of our eternal souls (Romans 3). We discussed how our sin separates us from our “Holy, holy, holy,” Maker (Isaiah 6:3; 59:1-2; Revelation 4:8).

Other specifically named sins were discussed as we read together through lists of sins in the New Testament which clearly reveal that any person living in them is not in Christ and will not inherit the kingdom of God  (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21).

Right in the middle of that laundromat this man and I bowed in sincere prayer to the Father and Derek laid down his life and gave it over to our LORD in faith! His life and walk with Christ had begun. On that rainy day at this local laundromat, the LORD ordained a collision between a precious 26-year-old man named Derek and one of His servants!

Plowing the Soil of the Heart

Tilling the soil of the sinner’s heart deeply with the steel plow of the Law is an essential foundation to build upon in evangelizing lost souls. Turning up the soil of their heart is what cultivates a deep conviction which brings them to Christ (Galatians 3:24; 1 Timothy 1:7-11). The turning over of the heart soil makes for a deeply rooted seed that can germinate and produce a firmly entrenched tree. This is so very important in that the root determines the fruit.

So many will be in Hell due to the disservice done to them by Christians who did not communicate the Word of God as He told us to. Today there are millions of false converts who were misled by Christians to believe that if they uttered a magical type prayer that God was going to save their soul. Had the Law been administered to them, they’d have been deeply convicted and driven to their knees in true repentance, laying down their lives before the LORD.

We are all surrounded by false converts. There are so “many” in our midst as Jesus told us there were (Matthew 7:22-23). Sadly, they’ve been led to believe they are right with God and yet have never truly repented which Jesus says is essential to salvation (Luke 13:3, 5). In fact, over the last few years, by the grace of Christ, several precious souls have come to me to seek God in true repentance. They’d heard His Word through the ministry and realized after many years of thinking they were saved, that they simply were not born again. Remember, nothing pierces and convicts the human conscience with Holy Spirit-led conviction like the sharp edge of the Law. Please use it in God’s love. The results will be out of this world!

In His desire to bless us with the gift of repentance, the LORD has laboriously and specifically identified the sins which identify a violator’s separation from Him. This is a blessing and an essential beginning point to victory. In light of this, Derek and I read the following passages in the New Testament which name classes of sinners who will not inherit the kingdom of God.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 9 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Ephesians 5:5

The reason it is important to list the sins that establish exactly and specifically violate divine holiness, is to lay the foundation for repentance in the heart of the person to whom we are ministering. Deep conviction of sin is essential to salvation and the deeper the conviction the more certain that person is going to receive Christ and truly lay down their life in authentic repentance. For this cause, I do not rush through this time of plowing the soil of their heart, which lays the foundation for their salvation. Many have been cheated out of this blessing by a false message of cheap grace, which does not include conviction of sin, the fear of God, or repentance.

When we see that so very many among us who profess to be saved but show no manifest fruit that is consistent with a born again, abiding in Christ, disciple of the LORD Jesus, we must wonder if they were given the Law to begin with to bring that deep conviction whereby a sincere repentance can ensue. Remember that true repentance always brings forth the fruit of a life that pleases the LORD. Listen:

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: ⁹ And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ¹⁰ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Matthew 3:7-10

Derek’s Prayer of Repentance

Does the Law really work to bring about deep conviction in the hearts of sinners? As a follower of Jesus who sought extensively to bring people to Him by my own influence and even using Scripture, I must say “Yes” to this question. I have personally found that the Ten Commandments work wonders in the hearts of sinners. For the first 11 years of my being saved, even using Scripture, my efforts were fruitful and blessed and, yet, not to the degree they are now and have been since beginning to use the Law to make the way for the Gospel. Beloved Derek is no exception.

The Holy Spirit and God’s Word convicted Derek in his heart.

Many believers as well as I have found and can testify that using the Law first, then the Gospel, is the best order of administrating God’s Word. This is the biblical pattern and direction and makes for successful witnessing. The LORD works this way to bring lost souls to Himself.

After going through several of the Ten Commandments with Derek, he was asked if there was any reason he couldn’t repent and receive Jesus Christ and begin his walk with the LORD right now. Derek said, “No, there’s no good reason not to receive Christ right now.”

After he received Christ, we conversed about the goodness of God and thanked Him for saving Derek. At one point, he shook his head and said, “Man, there’s a deep peace and touching affect inside of me!”

We then began to build the foundation of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11). Derek was given Scripture such as 1 Peter 3:15 and 2 Timothy 3:16 for the LORD to begin establishing in his heart the imperative of getting into the Word of God so the LORD’s Word could get into him.

We read several more foundation-building passages of Holy Scripture, such as:

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: ⁷ Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-18.

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.” 1 Peter 2:2.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

Then, I asked Derek to take my King James Bible and go read two chapters. Derek took the Bible and went and sat down, and began fervently reading Psalms 51 and Proverbs 3. Twenty-five minutes later, Derek was still pouring over the Holy Scriptures!

We exchanged phone numbers and Derek agreed to be added to the Moments with Our Master email list so he could be fed and taught our LORD’s Word (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18). Brother Derek and I have conversed and prayed for one another on many occasions since Jesus saved his precious soul! Often he tells me he’s praying for me which shows how our LORD is continuing that good work He began in Derek’s life (Philippians 1:6; 2:12-13). Amen, Jesus!

Derek took a few dozen Gospel tracts with him in order to distribute them. Oh, and he already asked how he could do ministry and be in the service of our LORD!

After this all happened, I called a brother in Christ who had given $60 to the ministry the day before without which there was no fuel to run on (literally). Every gift counts and the ministry outreach is fueled by the love offerings of individuals like yourself. No group or church organization supports this New Testament work and so the gifts are life giving and enable the work of Christ.

YOUR Prayer: Holy Father, thank You for finding, convicting and saving precious souls for whom You died! Thank You for continuing that good work You have begun in the lives of those You save until the day of Christ’s soon return. Now LORD, also, please continue to equip and to use me to reach out to lost souls for whom You died and rose again. Please fill me afresh, LORD Jesus, with Your Holy Spirit, and take over and empower me as You alone can do. I lay my life in Your holy hands afresh, right here and now. Thank You for finding and saving me, LORD, and for using me to bring glory to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Revolutionary Evangelism (book)