Do it 'coz you LOVE God!

A quote I want to share to you from John Dawson, a leader in Youth With a Mission

"Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have a love for the lost?

This is a term we use as part of our Christian jargon. Many believers

search their hearts in condemnation, looking for the arrival of some

feeling of benevolence that will propel them into bold evangelism. It will

never happen. It is impossible to love "the lost." You can't feel deeply for

an abstraction or a concept. You would find it impossible to love deeply an

unfamiliar individual portrayed in a photograph, let alone a nation or a race

or something as vague as "all lost people."

DON'T WAIT FOR A FEELING OF LOVE IN ORDER TO

SHARE CHRIST WITH A STRANGER. You already love your Heavenly

Father, and you know that this stranger is created by Him, but separated\

from Him, so take those FIRST STEPS IN EVANGELISM BECAUSE YOU

LOVE GOD. It is not primarily out of a compassion for humanity that we

share our faith or pray for the lost; it is first of all, love for God. The Bible says in

Ephesians 6:7-8: "With good will doing services, as to the Lord, and not to men,

knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord,

whether he is a slave or free."


Excerpt from 'Let the Nations Be Glad' by John Piper

Allan GonzalesQUT 2 Life Group, Hope Church Brisbane Afternoon Service

The Regal Standard - a useful newspaper to strike up a spiritual conversation

The Regal Standard is a newspaper originally designed to counter the atheist convention in Melbourne in April 2012, with contents such as science and faith, a prominent atheist renouncing atheism and the problem of suffering. I find this newspaper a useful tool for spiritual conversation starters with friends. I have tried that on my housemates. It worked. Every week we handed out dozens of Regal Standard and I believe the newspaper can change people’s life. You can read the newspaper on this website and share it with your friends: http://regalstandard.com.au/

Articles Include:

I Was Wrong! The world's most notorious atheist details his surprising reversal after 50 years of active atheism.
Three eminent scientists explain how science and faith go hand in hand.
An honest atheist academic explains why Africa needs God.
Why suffering?
What about Christian "evil"?
"I saw a miracle" – an extraordinary miracle witnessed by hundreds.
Amazing Bible prophecy fulfilled: a stamp of God's authority. Much more!

The Regal Standard is an effective tool you can use:

Conversation starter for friends, family, colleagues.
Answers for questions people will ask you.
Distribute in communities, universities, workplace.
Equip your church.

Charlie Lam

Clayton Science/Arts life group, Hope Melbourne Waverley Centre

What is success in evangelism?

A quote from lesson 36: open air preaching part 3 in Ray Comfort, school of biblical evangelism


Many don’t understand that the salvation of a soul is not a resolution to change a way of life, but “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Billy Graham said, “If you have not repented, you will not see the inside of the kingdom of God.” The modern concept of success in evangelism is to relate how many people were “saved” (that is, how many prayed the “sinner’s prayer”). This produces a “no decisions, no success” mentality. This shouldn’t be, because Christians who seek decisions in evangelism become discouraged after a time of witnessing if “no one came to the Lord.” The Bible tells us that as we sow the good seed of the gospel, one sows and another reaps. If you faithfully sow the seed, someone will reap. If you reap, it is because someone has sown in the past, but it is God who causes the seed to grow. If His hand is not on the person you are leading in a prayer of committal, if there is not God-given repentance, then you will end up with a stillbirth on your hands, and that is nothing to rejoice about. We should measure our success by how faithfully we sowed the seed. In that way, we will avoid becoming discouraged.

Charlie Lam
Clayton Science/Arts life group, Hope Melbourne Waverley

How to share your faith by using WDJD: The Four Stepping-Stones

Two men are seated on a plane. The first is given a parachute and told to put it on, as it would improve his flight. He’s a little sceptical at first, since he can’t see how wearing a parachute on a plane could possibly improve his flight. He decides to experiment and see if the claims are true. As he puts it on, he notices the weight of it upon his shoulders and he finds he has difficulty in sitting upright. However, he consoles himself with the fact he was told that the parachute would improve his flight. So he decides to give it a little time.

As he waits he notices that some of the other passengers are laughing at him for wearing a parachute on a plane. He begins to feel somewhat humiliated. As they continue to point and laugh at him, he can stand it no longer. He slinks in his seat, unstraps the parachute, and throws it to the floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart, because as far as he was concerned he was told an outright lie.

The second man is given a parachute, but listen to what he is told. He’s told to put it on because at any moment he’ll be jumping 25,000 feet out of the plane. He gratefully puts the parachute on. He doesn’t notice the weight of it upon his shoulders, nor that he can’t sit upright. His mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he jumped without the parachute.

We have a brand-new flight attendant. It’s her first day. She’s carrying a tray of boiling hot coffee. She wants to leave an impression on the passengers, and she certainly does! As she’s walking down the aisle, she trips over someone’s foot and slops the hot coffee all over the lap of our second passenger.

What’s his reaction as that boiling liquid hits his tender flesh? Does he say, “Man, that hurt!”? Yes, he does. But then does he rip the parachute from his shoulders, throw it to the floor, and say, “The stupid parachute!”? No; why should he? He didn’t put the parachute on for a better flight. He put it on to save him from the jump to come. If anything, the hot coffee incident causes him to cling tighter to the parachute and even look forward to the jump.

This story is an illustration of how we present the gospel. The parachute is Jesus Christ. The other passengers refer to temptation, tribulation, and persecution. Let’s now analyse the motive and the result of each passenger’s experience. The first man’s motive for putting the parachute on was solely to improve his flight. The result of his experience was that he was humiliated by the passengers, disillusioned, and somewhat embittered against those who gave him the parachute. As far as he’s concerned, it will be a long time before anyone gets one of those things on his back again.

The second man put the parachute on solely to escape the jump to come. And because of his knowledge of what would happen to him if he jumped without it, he has a deep-rooted joy and peace in his heart knowing that he’s saved from sure death. This knowledge gives him the ability to withstand the mockery of the other passengers. His attitude toward those who gave him the parachute is one of heartfelt gratitude.

If we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ for the right motive—to flee from the wrath to come—then when tribulation strikes, when the flight gets bumpy, we won’t get angry at God, and we won’t lose our joy and peace. Why should we? We didn’t come to Christ for a better lifestyle, but to flee from the wrath to come. If anything, tribulation drives the true believer closer to the Saviour. Sadly, we have multitudes of professing Christians who lose their joy and peace when the flight gets bumpy. Why? They are the product of a man-centred gospel. They came lacking repentance, without which they cannot be saved.

Don’t open with Grace
It may be a relief to know that you shouldn’t walk up to someone and begin a conversation by talking about Jesus. Instead start in the natural realm (talking about everyday things) and then swing the conversation toward the spiritual realm (talking about spiritual things). That’s what Jesus did in John 4:27: he changed from the topic of a drink of water to “living water”.

There are different ways to start a spiritual conversation. For example, you can use a gospel tract and say, “Did you get one of these? It’s a gospel tract. Have you had a Christian background?” Another good question is: “What do you think happens after people die? Where do they go?” You haven’t mention God, sin, Judgement Day, or Hell. You are just asking what they think, so you won’t feel uncomfortable. Most people are pleased to give their opinion on anything.

WDJD: the four stepping stones in sharing our faith (see Mark 10:17-22)
If you can remember four stepping-stones, you can confidently lead any witnessing encounter, and you will be in control of every conversation you have about your faith. Imagine, you will know exactly where you are and you will know exactly where the conversation is going. The stepping-stones are represented by four letters: WDJD, which stand for "What Did Jesus Do?" Remember the question and the acronym to help you to help you to remember the four stepping stones.

W: Would you consider yourself to be a good person?

D: Do you think you have kept the Ten Commandment (Exodus 20:3-17)?
Start with the 9th, 8th, 7th and 3rd Commandment. If the person is still trying to defend himself/herself (I am not a bad person), go through a few more Commandments.

J: On the Day of Judgement, if God judges you by the Ten Commandments, will you be innocent or guilty?

D: Destiny – will you go to heaven or hell?
If the person doesn’t understand the concept of hell, you can share bible verses such as Mark 9:44, Luke 13:28, Matthew 25:46, Daniel 12:2, Jude 1:7,13.
Don’t feel pressured to share the good news with a proud self-righteous sinner who is not willing admit his guilt before God. Remember Jesus didn’t present the gospel to the rich young man, because he needed the Law to humble him first. If the person admits that the possibility of going to Hell does concern him, only at that point should you present the gospel.

Sharing the gospel
Begin the presentation of the gospel this way: “Do you know what God did for you so that you wouldn’t have to go to Hell? He provided a way for you to be forgiven. The question, how do you obtain this forgiveness?” Share John 3:16.

Don’t rush people to pray the traditional sinner’s prayer if they are not repentant. It is ideal for people to pray to God in their own words because the words are from their heart. You can encourage them to think deeply about your conversation and get their heart right with God as soon as possible. You can also get them a Bible and encourage them to read daily and obey what they read. Also, encourage them to get into a Bible-believing, Christ-centred church.

Source: Ray Comfort 2006, The Way of the Master, chapter 17, Bridge-Logos, Alachua, Fl, USA.

Charlie Lam
Clayton Science/Arts life group, Hope Melbourne Waverley Centre

Quotes from Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon said, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that."

He continued, "The saving of souls, if a man has once gained love to perishing sinners and his blessed Master, will be an all-absorbing passion to him. It will so carry him away, that he will almost forget himself in the saving of others. He will be like the brave fireman, who cares not for the scorch or the heat, so that he may rescue the poor creature on whom true humanity has set its heart. If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for."

The Parable of the Fishless Fishermen Fellowship

The fishermen were surrounded by streams and lakes full of hungry fish. They met regularly to discuss the call to fish, the abundance of fish, and the thrill of catching fish. They got excited about fishing!

Someone suggested that they needed a philosophy of fishing, so they carefully defined and redefined fishing, and the purpose of fishing. They developed fishing strategies and tactics. Then they realized that they had been going at it backwards. They had approached fishing from the point of view of the fisherman, and not from the point of view of the fish. How do fish view the world? How does the fisherman appear to the fish? What do fish eat, and when? These are all good things to know. So they began research studies, and attended conferences on fishing. Some travelled to faraway places to study different kinds of fish with different habits. Some got doctorates in fishology. But no one had yet gone fishing.

So a committee was formed to send out fishermen. As prospective fishing places outnumbered fishermen, the committee needed to determine priorities. A priority list of fishing places was posted on bulletin boards in all of the fellowship halls. But still, no one was fishing. A survey was launched to find out why. Most did not answer the survey, but from those who did, it was discovered that some felt called to study fish, a few to furnish fishing equipment, and several to go around encouraging the fishermen. What with meetings, conferences, and seminars, they just simply didn’t have time to fish.

Now, Jake was a newcomer to the Fisherman’s Fellowship. After one stirring meeting of the Fellowship, he went fishing and caught a large fish. At the next meeting, he told his story and was honored for his catch. He was told that he had a special “gift of fishing.” He was then scheduled to speak at all the Fellowship chapters and tell how he did it.

With all the speaking invitations and his election to the board of directors of the Fisherman’s Fellowship, Jake no longer had time to go fishing. But soon he began to feel restless and empty. He longed to feel the tug on the line once again. So he cancelled the speaking, he resigned from the board, and he said to a friend, “Let’s go fishing.” They did, just the two of them, and they caught fish.

The members of the Fisherman’s Fellowship were many, the fish were plentiful, but the fishers were few! —Anonymous

Source: Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort, School of biblical evangelism, lesson 7.

Charlie Lam
Clayton Science/Arts life group, Hope Melbourne Waverley

Quotes from 'Follow'

Disciple-making is not something we do once people are converted; we make disciples by plundering hell and rescuing people from prison. We disciple the lost to be converted, not convert the lost to be discipled. Disciple-making is about being among those who don't know Jesus and finding ways to invite them on a journey with us toward Jesus. Church is a living, breathing, obedient community of disciple-makers. Jesus told Peter, "I will build my church." Will you let Him build it through you?

Source: Floyd McClung, Follow: a simple and profound call to live like Jesus (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2010), 194.

Charlie Lam
Clayton Science/Arts life group, Hope Melbourne Waverley


See this illustration as well

God looks at the heart

While I was having my weekly prayer time with a brother on Monash Caulfield campus, God revealed to me his heart about how he sees a person.

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart"." (1 Samuel 16:7).

When we do outreach, do we see people as God sees them? God looks at the heart, not the appearance.

Have we hesitated to share the gospel to certain people before because of their appearance?

Evangelism restores the person we approach to who God wants them to be. A violent person might be a person who is inside in deep need of love and acceptance. By pointing to these people who they can be in Christ, God can transform their lives for the better.

The heart of the matter is 'love your neighbour as yourself'. If we love people, we would love to have them experience the loving relationship with God. In this way, outreach and evangelism are no longer to fulfill an obligation, but to release the true love of God to the broken.

Let’s learn to see people's heart as God does.

Charlie Lam
Clayton Science/Arts life group, Hope Melbourne Waverley Centre

Prayer evangelism in four easy steps

Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this house.” And whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat what is set before you: and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:5, 8, 9).

This method is one of the many methods to share Christ. As with other evangelism methods, we must always go back to the scripture to see whether it is biblically sound. This method can be problematic as it does not mention anything about the day of judgement and hell. It might have the danger of presenting an imbalanced gospel

1) Speak peace to them.

Reason 1: We need to declare peace because we, as Christian, have been at war with the lost.

Reason 2: If we bless the lost, we will stop cursing them.

Reason 3: We speak peace in order to neutralize the demons that have been assigned to blind our neighbours to the light of the gospel.

Blessing opens the door to unbiased fellowship.

2) Fellowship with them.

· Fellowship provides an opportunity to show unconditional acceptance by welcoming our neighbours just the way they are instead of the way we want them to be.

· Spend time with our neighbours, receive from them.

· The lost too were made in the image of God.

· Fellowship establishes a level of trust, allowing our neighbours to share with us their felt needs.

3) Take care of their needs.

· Prayer for miracles that meet the felt needs of unbelieving people. That need is something unable to meet on their own.

· That prayer touches my neighbours at the deepest level, the heart level. It improves the spiritual climate of my relationship. Naturally, my neighbour will now be interested to know more about God.

4) Proclaim the good news.

· This is the last step, not the first. Or else it would not work.

· When we intercede for our neighbours, the kingdom of God comes near them in a tangible way (Luke 10:9).

Sources: Silvoso, Ed 2000, Prayer Evangelism, Regal Books, California, U.S.A.

Written by Charlie Lam, Clayton Science/Arts life group, Hope Melbourne Waverley

THE GATE OF SALVATION

John 10:7-10

7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

INTRODUCTION

In Jesus’ time, shepherds keep their flocks in a shared fold, which is an area bounded by a stone wall. The gate of the sheepfold was a mere gap in the wall, no wider than a sheep, which the shepherd filled by standing or lying down in it himself. A sheep might leave the fold, or a wolf or thief enter it, only over the body of the shepherd. He was himself the door. In this passage, Jesus talks about being the gate. We are going to learn about what he meant by being the gate.

THE GATE TO ETERNAL LIFE

7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. (John 10:7-8)

Christ is the gate. There is no other way to enter the kingdom of God but through faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot come to God the Father except through Christ. Nor can we take part in Christ’s covenantal blessings, in His church, in eternal life except through Christ. All who claimed to be Christ before Jesus himself were thieves and robbers.

"There is no other way to enter the kingdom of God but through faith in Jesus Christ".

The Greek word for gate, thura, means the door of the kingdom of heaven, it denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God. In John 14: 6, Jesus states that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the father except through him. This is the condition for eternal life [or the kingdom of heaven], that we believe in Jesus Christ and acknowledge his work on the cross for us.

When we go out to share the gospel, keep in mind that it only by faith in Jesus that people can receive eternal life.

THE GATE TO SECURITY

9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:9-10)

Jesus said all who come in through me will be saved. This means when someone believes in Jesus they are saved and their needs are met.

The Greek word for Save is sozo meaning to keep safe and sound, rescue from destruction and danger. This means that through Christ we can be rescued from danger and destruction including eternal destruction.

"When someone believes in Jesus, they are saved and their needs are met".

As God’s sheep we are under his protection, we have pasture and access to the kingdom. There are still plenty of people in danger of destruction, lacking the safety of a sheep pen (church) or a good shepherd. Some don’t even know that they are in danger. However it is not our job to save them but we can point them to the gate, Jesus Christ, So that through him they too will be saved.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus is the gate to the kingdom of heaven and He is the Savior of the world. Let us grasp this truth and so we can share it with conviction to our friends and the people we meet in evangelism.

Questions to Ponder.

Who do you think were the thieves and robbers Jesus was referring to?

What do you think Jesus mean by the word 'pasture' in this passage?

Written by Nsofwa Sukwa

ONCE BLIND, BUT NOW SEE!

John 9:35-38

35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

36"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."

37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

INTRODUCTION

The blind man’s sight had just been miraculously restored by Jesus. At the inquiry of the religious leaders, he testified to the miracle as having been the work of God but was refuted by them and subsequently, excommunicated

PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING

35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man? 36"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him. (John 9:35-36)

Jesus had not chanced upon the “blind” man, who could now see. In fact, Jesus had gotten news that the religious leaders had him excommunicated, and he searched for him till he found him (v35).

This indicated to us the heart that Jesus had for the lost, that he does not passively wait for them to come to Him, but rather Jesus went out to bring them in.

People are searching for meaning and purpose in life, but in vain.

The blind man, in a short time span, had regained his sight but at the same time, he lost his place in the community and his confidence in the Mosaic system, which had just excommunicated him (v34). Desperate, he asked Jesus who the Son of Man was.

Effectively, this could be paralleled to society today where people are searching for a new meaning in life due to many reasons. Maybe the previous way had failed them or did not satisfy their answers. Or maybe, they faced a major setback that destroyed their zeal for living. We all know such people because we were like them before – lost and searching for some meaning and purpose in life… till we found Jesus. Now that we have found our life’s meaning, shouldn’t we be telling others about it?

LET CHRIST BE RECOGNIZED

37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." 38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. John 9:37-38

Although the blind man was now able to see, he had not truly “seen” until he recognized Jesus for who He really was – the Son of Man and the Messiah he had read about since the time of Moses!

Not only did he regain his physical vision, he had gained something even more important – his spiritual sight and he began to see Jesus for who he really was! All along, the way to salvation and life was in front of him but recognition eluded him until Jesus said those words and it was as if scales fell off his eyes.

We once were blind but now see, once we were lost but now are found.

The same could be said of people nowadays. People have become so engross with their own passions, joys and sadness, or basically so caught up in life itself, that they are unable to identify the true giver of life. We need to be the ones to point them in the right direction and tell them the way to salvation and eternal life. Quite literally, we are the ones who can help them restore their spiritual vision and help them to recognize the Savior our Lord Jesus Christ!

CONCLUSION:

People in the world today need the Lord. Once we were a blind people but now that we can see, we have to lead others, who are blind, to recognize the true Healer.

Questions to Ponder.

How were you different before from now?

Recall how you felt when you first “saw” Christ?

Written Ian Koh

LABOURERS FOR CHRIST

John 9:1-4

1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

INTRODUCTION

Praise God that though we were sinners and Jesus Christ has set us free! But many do not know the foundational truth and are still dwelling in their sins and sufferings. These people need God! How then can they know the truth?

THE TRUTH OF GOD

1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"John 9: 1-2

Is our sufferings brought upon us by our own sins or our parents’ sins? That was the question asked by the disciples in John 9:2. In fact in the Jewish culture, it was often believed that great suffering was caused by a major sin. This is a common misconception that God only allow bad people to suffer. However, good and ordinary folks do go through time of afflictions as well.

"The consequences of sin affect all people and not just those born with disability."

We need to understand since the fall of creation, everyone was born into this world as sinners and suffering is now part of this world. The foundational truth is that only Jesus Christ can take away our sins and sufferings (Rom 3:23-25).

People will constantly be plagued with problems and physical sufferings. Ultimately, people need God. It’s only through our sharing will the unbelievers know the truth of God. Then will the truth set them free (John 8:32).

THE WORK OF GOD

4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. John 9:4

In John 9:4 (KJV), Jesus was telling his disciples to do the work of God. The word “work” in Greek, “ergazomai”, means to labour, thus we are labourers of Christ. However, “there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end” (NLT). I believe that Jesus was saying this to his disciples with a sense of urgency to labour the work.

"Do the work of God with urgency".

What is the work of God? The disciples were curious about why the man was blind but Jesus saw beyond that, instead he was looking at what could be done to help the man. God’s work is not just to heal people but to save them. Our job as labourers of Christ is to help people turn to God and to tell them only God can meet their needs.

CONCLUSION

Let us be labourers for Christ and look far beyond what we can see and do physically for others. See through the eyes of the Holy Spirit! Seize that opportunity to share the gospel because everyone needs God! With just one touch from God and lives can be transformed!

Questions to Ponder.

What other misconceptions do people have about God?

How can you help meet the needs of others?

Written by Joan Cher

SALVATION: ESSENTIAL STEPS

John 8:7-11

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

INTRODUCTION

Many people do not see their need for God or salvation. By comparing the Pharisees and the adulterous woman in this passage, we can learn about essentials steps to salvation. We can also help people see this truth.

CONVICTED BY THE LAW

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. (John 8:7-9)

In this passage, the Pharisees were condemning the adulteress while not being aware of their own sin. In verse 7, Jesus makes them aware of their sinful condition by pointing them to the law, which is the perfect standard of God.

He told them that anyone who knew no sin could throw the first stone. The word Jesus used for sin is hamarteō (ham-ar-tay-o), which means missing the mark. To God, sin is anything that falls short of His standard, which is perfection. For example, people see sin as outward actions like murder or adultery. However, God sees being angry at someone as murder in the heart (Matt 5:22), and looking at someone with lust is adultery in the heart (Matt 5:28).

"Jesus makes the Pharisees aware of their sinful nature through the law".

For people who do not know the law, we need to point them to it, so they can see their sin (Rom 7:7). This is because people need to acknowledge their sin before they can repent and be saved. Therefore, let us follow Jesus example and point people to the perfect standard of God to help them be aware of their need for God.

SAVED BY GRACE

10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:10-11)

Verses 10 to 11 shows the adulteress, standing without excuse in front of Jesus. She knew the severity of her sin, and realised the impending judgment, which was death. However, she acknowledged her sin so she was also able to receive God’s forgiveness and salvation. .Jesus told her that

He would not condemn her, and she was forgiven, free to start a new life. For some one who acknowledges and repents of their sins, God forgives them in His grace. Romans 8:1 states that “…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.

After we point people to the law, we then tell people of God’s mercy and grace.

In evangelism, after we point people to the law, we then tell people of the good news of God’s mercy and grace. We can share about the amazing gift of salvation. Only after someone truly feels the weight of their sin can they fully appreciate God’s gift of salvation. This can be likened to a cancer patient who recognizes the value of a miracle cure, and grasps at it only after he/she realises that cancer is a deadly disease. The result of such a revelation is a truly repentant heart and a life turned away from sin.

CONCLUSION:

Let us apply these steps when we share to others, first by making sure they see their sin and need for God by pointing them to the law, and then explaining the good news of salvation by grace.

Questions to Ponder.

Do we sometimes excuse ourselves, or judge others by our own standards instead of God’s perfect standard?

Why was it that the adulteress received forgiveness and not the Pharisees?

Written by Charis Chua