You can not stress the gospel too much Happy 85 th B'day Sumner

You can not stress the gospel enough. Happy birthday 85th birthday, Sumner

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

"I declare unto you the gospel...how that Christ died for our sins...and that he was buried, and that he rose again and that he was seen by above 500 people" ! Cor 15:1-6.
Time after time you hear people and preachers tell, "You ought share your faith" or "You ought to share Christ." NO. We need to stop saying that. We are to share the gospel! For it is the gospel that is "the power of God unto salvation" Rom. 1:16. If you want to see people get saved, born again, become new creatures, GIVE THEM THE GOSPEL.

Share you faith
It is common to talk about the "Baptist faith" or "Methodist faith" What it implies is the Baptist's or Methodist's doctrine. People are scared to death they are going to have to defend their beliefs. NO. We are to share the gospel not defend or declare or deliver our faith. There is a world of difference and we muddy the waters telling people to "share your faith." The truth is no one ever got saved by us sharing our "faith."

Sharing Christ
People often think they have "witnessed" if they admit they are a Christian or talk about Jesus or talk about church or religion. No, we witness when we tell the gospel.

Share the gospel
The "gospel" means "good news." Boy do we ever have good news for a sin sick, lost world. God has not asked us to share bad news but good news. Please let this soak in until you are so excited about telling family, friends, and foes the good news.

"Christ died on the cross"
Is not the gospel. Those two thieves died on a cross. The good news is not that Christ died for us. Those soldiers are dying for us. The gospel is the Christ died for our sins, paid the debt in full, rose again and was seen by hundreds. Sin is the bottom line problem. Read tracts listen to sermons carefully and it will shock you how often they say "Christ died for us" or "Christ died on the cross" and feel confident they have preached the gospel. THINK. The unsaved person does not have a clue what it really means that Christ died on the cross. The liberals look at it as though He was martyred or showing a great example of love. No, He was dying for your sins and mine. The debt has been paid in full! Now that is good news. The only reason I will not go to hell is Christ for all of my sins paid the debt in full and rose again and was seen by hundreds, the proof he was risen from the dead.

People aften say, "Sumner" you are a great soul-winner. NO. I just give the gospel over and over and as clear as possible. People then believe the gospel and receive the Lord Jesus and their lives are changed. Doesn't that make sense?

Someone said, "You have the best website with more encouragment" Enter the drawings for packs of tracts www.sumnerwemp.com .Order some for you and your church 1-877-872-2871: Go to Feature Section, read encouraging articles.

Why I say, what I say - This will help you witness effectively

There is an old saying about witnessing that has gone around for years. It is, "You have to get them lost before you can get them saved." NO, NO, NO. If you do not remember anything I say, please remember this, we are to give them the gospel, the good news to people, that Christ died for their sins, was buried, rose again and was seen by hundreds. 1 Cor 15:1-4.  THAT is the power of God unto salvation. The Holy Spirit is to do the convicting and convincing.

You must stay focused on giving them the gospel.

Lost people, unsaved, non Christians really do not know that God loves them. NEVER start out telling them they are sinners, so are you but you know God loves you. When I heard that it blew my mind and still stands out in my mind. John 3:16 starts out "God so loved the world." Campus Crusade's Four Spiritual Laws starts out with that truth and is probably most used tract ever put out.

You are a sinner is so prominent in tracts and witnessing and so terrible often the good news is not even given as pointedly and emphatically. "We are all in the same boat, we have all done wrong, we have all sinned haven't we" is a far better way to put it. I NEVER have someone not agree they too have sinned when I present it that way. Use it. It works.

There are two groups of people in the world, One expecting to get to heaven by what they do, the other by what the Lord Jesus did, when He died for our sins, paid our debt in full. This summarizes and clarifies your witness like nothing else I have ever seen.

Do you "understand" what I have explained? Five times in Matt 13, God uses the word "understand", The seed that fell on bad ground are those who "understand it not" the seed that fell on good ground (Mat

13:23) are the ones who "understand"  and bring forth fruit. This is vital to getting a genuine conversion. You will see far more results from witnessing if you are careful that they understand the gospel.

Hope this helps, love you, ABC Sumner

"Thanks. This is a really a neat way to witness. I am definitely going to use this" Hope you do too.

Someone else wrote, "You have the best website with more encouragement" Enter the drawings for packs of tracts http://www.sumnerwemp.com/drawing.htm. Order some for you and your church

1-877-872-2871: Go to Feature Section, read encouraging articles

Let me tell you some good news that someone told me

God loves you and me and has done all He can to prove His love and prepare us for heaven.  (Tell , right now, in one or two sentences where you heard this gospel, in a church service or though a tract or a friend told you). Here is how I do it. "I was seventeen years old, a  friend invited me to go with him on a Sunday in 1940. I had been only once as a 10 year old boy before that at the invitation of another friend  who also was also ten. A good lesson in this I will tell next time.

That preacher told us that day how God loved us. That blew my mind for I had never heard that God loved me but I thought He was a big cop ready to clobber me into hell.  He pointed out we are all in the same boat for we have all done wrong, we have All sinned too, haven't we. Next he pointed out that the wages of sin is death, spiritual death, separation from God forever.

Now  he told how God sent His own son, the Lord Jesus, to suffer and die for our sins, paid our debt in full, was buried, rose again and was seen by hundreds of people." By now the Holy Spirit was doing a pretty good job of my convicting me of my sins. I have found He always does if I depend on Him to do the convicting and I give the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.

Now the whole issue is whether we will believe God that Jesus paid our debt of sins in full.  The whole world is divided into two groups of people. One believes in what  they are doing to get them to heaven.  Many will say, "Lord, haven't we done many wonderful things, in Thy name" and expect to get into heaven because of the good thing they have done. He will say, "Depart from me, I never knew you. "Many believe in some ritual, getting baptized or joining a church and trying to live right and do good things is going to get them into heaven. The other group believes what the Lord Jesus did, suffering and dying for our sins, paid the debt,  and rose again so we can be forgiven. If we will just trust Just Jesus paid our debt of sins in full and receive Him as our personal Savior we will be saved , born again.  Do you understand that! Doesn't it make sense?

Wouldn't you like to receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior right now? Just as a man says "Yes" to the Preacher, I take this woman to be my wife, could you tell God, I believe the Lord Jesus paid for my sins too and I want to receive Him as my Savior right now. If they say yes, (I all ways expect them to say yes") "Say, let us bow our heads for a quick word of prayer and you pray, and pray this pray out loud to the Lord?  "Dear God, I know I  have sinned too. I am so sorry.  I believe You that the Lord Jesus suffered and died for my sins, paid my debt in full, was buried, rose from the dead and was seen by hundreds of people. Lord Jesus. I trust you, I believe you die for my sins too and I want to receive you as My Lord and Savior.

Give me a new birth and the power to live for You, In Jesus name I ask this.

"Recently you have been writing about very practical ways to start conversations and move them towards the gospel. This is perhaps the most valuable thing I can learn. Thank you for this,"

"Pray for souls" You have not because you don't "keep on asking"

Let's go fishing this week. ABC Sumner
http://www.sumnerwemp.com