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Post by SlowBro on Jan 26, 2007 19:40:46 GMT -5
I was coming home from our "fishing trip" (one 2 one witnessing at the mall) this evening, thinking about how to grow in boldness. I only watch when I go, still far to timid to even open my mouth with others. So I was thinking of how to grow in boldness. Like a lightning bolt, the answer hit me: HUMILITY! I MUST cultivate more humility. I suddenly had this very distinct impression that humility will be a HUGE help in witnessing. It can be quite difficult to reject or hate someone who is humble. Such a person is in a unique position of power. Amazing, huh, that humility = power? LOL ;D A humble person asks many questions (think about Jesus... he was a questioning person). A humble person listens carefully to those he witnesses to (and others). A humble person is rare and winsome. A humble person is attractive and leverages influence. The answer came like a lightning bolt, in a flash of brilliance (so to speak). You should have seen the smile on my face Humility! A powerful weapon in the toolbox of an evangelist. Now I just need to discern from the LORD how to cultvate humility. C.J. Mahaney wrote a very well-acclaimed book on humility, I plan on asking someone for the highlights and recommended practices/mind set. Let's cultivate this very necessary and very neglected character trait, guys, and win souls for Christ. MAY THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!!!
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Post by alan4jc on Jan 26, 2007 19:53:52 GMT -5
Andrew Murray also has a great book titled Humility
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Post by Paul Mcgrade on Jan 27, 2007 0:50:39 GMT -5
I can testify that we ought to ask the Lord to make us as humble, like Jesus, as much as we can be. I may be wrong about this but there are certain times while I open air preach that the Holy Spirit will be my Helper. There are other times when it seems as though He lets me sink in my own wisdom that He might be glorified. Yet when He is my Helper, my words come from a broken, contrite, and humble heart. Every word that I say is like a sharp sword. Every look and every gesture and every thing about me works to the glory of God.
I remember one time I didn't want to place any confidence in anything but God to draw a crowd, keep them, convict them, kill them and raise them. I stood on a box and began yelling:
"We're giving away free money! Come get your free money! We're giving away free money..."
The crowds kept passing by and no one came. I began to become desperate for God to rend the heavens and fall upon these people. I cast off all hope in drawing the crowd by money and began to stand there on the box like a fool, not saying a word. I started to literally almost cry there because I didn't want to trust in anything but God to come but I was trying to get a crowd with the money and I knew that unless God would come, that these people would not be saved and nothing would profit one bit.
So a guy who looked to be 19 years old came up and I began to talk with him very quietly. I didn't exagerate, I didn't play around, I didn't joke one bit but spoke to him as though he really was on the earth about to meet his Maker. As I was speaking with him, tears would swell up in my eyes because I saw his soul cut off from God as I was talking to him. I wasn't making any drama but the humility that God granted to me, my heart was so broken that I could just look at him and he would gulp because he knew that I cared for his soul.
People began to stop and hear what I was talking about to this guy. Every word was driven by the Spirit of God to every heart. Not a listener was looking around but all under a spell it seemed. A heckler would come timidly to me because of the humility God allowed me to have. He would not dare disrupt my audience. He was a heckler that asked sincere questions but yet very unsincere and the very first response I gave him, with tears in my eyes, was to throw rocks into heaven untill God came down and he began to ask questions but God even granted me such discernment that I told him straightly:
"Your not sincere and you need to go home and get on your face and beg God to forgive you."
After this, this just made the audience even more attentive because the guy did not know what to do but bow his head and shrink back. It was true. So I began speaking and after about 20 minutes of speaking to every single person that was there since the beginning, I ended and told them to go home that night and get on there faces and seek God with all their hearts untill they find Him. After I was done, they asked me to keep on speaking and I did for about 5 more minutes.
I hear alot of preaching on YouTube, alot of preaching from many people on these forums, and alot of people over at GNN. Much of the preaching today does not cut every man to their heart because God is not in it. It seems to me that much of what is said shoots over their heads and does not kill them that God might give them life. Sure many sound religious, they may sound intelectual or charismatic. They might be able to hold their Bibles up and preach a strong message but if God does not save them, how will they be saved?
So I say, if God does not make you humble, contrite, and poor in spirit. These things you've heard of and things you've heard of from revivals of the past and greater things than these, you will not see them. These things I've written and the things that took place in past revivals were great and marvelous things. They did bring God glory. Yet I believe with all my heart that God is able to do greater and mightier things than we have ever dreamed. They too will bring Him glory because He will do it for His names sake.
"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." - Psalm 37:5
If by writing this I've proved that I am filled with pride because perhaps some will say this is boasting, then I'm filled with pride. However, God is able to remove my pride and fill me with humility, which tastes so sweet and smells so good. (I trust)
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