Placing My Church And My Evangelism In The Balance

Text:  Job 31:6

Introduction:

                In our text Job is answering the charge of Bildad. His answer covers several chapters speaking about God’s power, how God had blessed him and both his integrity and righteousness before God. In our verse he is defending his integrity and states that it is before his God, on God’s scales that he seeks to be weighed, that God may know his integrity, or innocence against these charges. God does know, but Job wants God to bare testimony of his integrity. The charges are, as we know, that you cannot be right Job, you must have done something wrong or doing something wrong or you would not be in the state you are in. face it Job your troubles are a result of some sin in your life, something vastly wrong.

                I want to make application to the charges against the state or condition of many of our Baptist churches. Do we have integrity when it comes to preaching the gospel and winning souls? Are we willing to be weighed in an even balance that God may know and make known our integrity? I would object to being weighed in the balance of men whose modern methods are nothing short of contemptible and results, though numerous, lack substance and perseverance. I must say though, that I would rather take this question before God alone and discover if there is a problem rather than being filled with pride and ignorance and end up being weighed and found wanting for all to see. I wonder if we are really willing to be weighed in the even balance of God?

I.       The Charges Against Baptist Churches:

A.     Usually come by some who have weighed us in their own personal balance or the balance of contemporary social issues:

1.        We are old fashion, outdated, unsophisticated, and uninspiring.

2.        I would agree with at least two.

a)       We are old-fashioned. We use the same gospel and the same methods of preaching that God has employed since the fall of Adam.

b)       We are unsophisticated in the sense of how the world knows sophistication or good taste. We simply do not soften the preaching about sin, righteousness and judgement.

3.        But what about outdated and uninspiring?

a)       I would hope that we are not outdated. I would hope that we are speaking to the times as did the children of Issachar in I Chronicles 12:32, “which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…”

b)       I would hope that we are not uninspiring.

(1)     We may be uninspiring or uninteresting to the world of the religious.

(2)     But when our preaching, teaching and services do not illuminate, convict and direct lost souls to the Savior. Or when we do not see cold and backslidden hearts turn back to God we may have to accept the charge that we are uninspiring, or ????

B.     Sometimes come to us by our own conscience and the ministry of the Holy Spirit:

1.        There is no growth in grace or growth in numbers.

2.        The church is no longer a place of refuge for the unwanted, unloved, and unaccepted. We cry out leper and run when we see an ugly sinner come through the doors.

3.        Or we speak ill of other Christians instead of dropping to our knees and pleading with God for their life and ministry to be delivered from the roaring lion that seeks to devour all he can.

4.        If weighed in an even balance would we be innocent of the charges?

II.    Are We Involved In The Battle ?

A.     Or have we abdicated our charge to pulpit psychologists, puppeteers, playwrights, poets, merchants, and those who teach works instead of grace?

B.     The battle of winning our brethren:

1.        I am going to start here for reasons that should become clear as we proceed.

2.        PRO 18:19, A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

3.        What does this show us of our own natural corruption?

a)       Cain and Abel, Joseph and his brothers, Absalom and Amnon only to name a few.

b)       A Brother offended… not an enemy.

4.        If there is contention in our churches between brethren how can we expect to really evangelize and win souls? It is a battle that we must be engaged in.

5.        EPH 4:3, Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Endeavoring, to make haste, to exert oneself, to labor. It won’t be easy, it never is.

6.        The difficulty does not diminish the obligation. It is hard to line people up in the battle to advance on the strongholds of Satan when they don’t want to stand next to one another.

C.     The Battle of winning souls:

1.        Requires submission to and communication from the Captain of our faith is essential.

a)       I need his directions on how to speak, when to speak, and what to speak to those to whom I witness. Isn’t that true? Acts 5:19-20.

b)       Why do you suppose that Paul spoke to some in the Greek language as he witnessed and at other times spoke in the Hebrew language? Acts 21.

c)       We might say it had only to do with the circumstances and people to whom he spoke. Don’t you think he was in contact with his commander?

d)       Was it just logic and reason that directed him to use an idol and subscription to an unknown God to introduce the God that he knew?

e)       Why did Paul speak “after the manner of men” at one time: to them “who know the law” at another: not to speak of some things to the Romans, not to speak in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, or that to some he spoke as unto carnal, and to others as unto spiritual?

f)        Paul spoke either by command or permission from his Captain and Chief; 1CO 7:6, But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.

g)       Is that what we do? Are we in submission to and communicating to our Captain? Or when weighed in an even balance will we be found wanting.

2.        Requires at times entering into the arena of the enemy. 1Thess 2:2, But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi , we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

a)       Spurgeon, in lecturing to his students said; “a true soulwinner often has to come into close quarters with the devil within men. He has to struggle with their prejudices, their love of sin, their unbelief, their pride and despair.”

b)       Some might overlook one part of his profound statement here. “The devil within men.” He is directing his students not to struggle with men, but the power of Satan, the principalities, powers and rulers of darkness.

c)       Whether it be animosity, apathy, anxiety, or arrogance, the root cause is from Satan and the blindness he keeps the lost in until we are used by God to shine the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

d)       We often lose sight of who we are really doing battle with. We are fighting for the soul of one who is in bondage unto Satan.

e)       I would be remiss if I did not also speak of love.

III. Are We Moved By The Love of Christ? Do We Speak In Love?

·         2CO 5:14  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

·         1CO 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

A.     It is one thing to be engaged in the battle. It is all-together another to moved by, or motivated by, Christ’s love and to speak in love of Christ.

1.        Christ did not come, suffer, die, and rise again to teach morality or to bring about reformation.

2.        He came to seek and to save His lost sheep whom he loves.

3.        JER 31:3, The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

4.        Remember the day you knew that God loved you and sent his Son to die for you?

5.        Do we have that same love? Do we have a passionate love, a burning desire to see souls awakened out of their sleep in sin?

6.        Are we bent on being used of the Lord to find his lost sheep? Do we seek for others to know the love we have enjoyed all these years? If weighed in an even balance…?

B.     Do we preach and pray with compassion and love?

1.        I fear if we do not realize the sad state of death that the lost are in. If we do not feel compassion and pray with fervency for their souls we will not enjoy the blessing of seeing folks walk the aisle and make professions of faith.

2.        Are we engaged in prayer before our services, during our services and even after our services?

3.        Oh that we would not only see their sad state of being dead spiritually but that we might see the coming of God’s awful wrath upon them if they are not quickened and made alive.

4.        Oh that we might hear just a simple sneeze from that dead body, as did Elijah after much prayer. It was a sign of life and that is what we are looking for once we preach and pray with love and in love.

C.     If I were to place myself, my church, and my evangelism in the even balance of God would I be found wanting?