[1st file of 5= AR-A.TXT] ARROWS FOR YOUR QUIVER: a collection of short evangelistic articles prepared for individual re-release in various media by local Bible-believing, disciple-making churches, written by Clyde C. Price, Jr. (c) 1989 by Clyde C. Price, Jr. All rights reserved. This version of "Arrows for Your Quiver" is released electronically under a "Shareware" concept. Downloading for reading and evaluation is FREE, as far as the author is concerned. The widespread sharing of this material through electronic media is encouraged, in whole or in part. If you reissue any or most or all of these articles serially or occasionally in a church publication, or 501(3)(c) religious organization publication, I would ask you, what size honorarium would you give to a guest preacher? Please consider that this took a lot of time and work. If any of these articles are reprinted in a non-501(3)(c) publication, please send me a reasonable payment for one-time publication. Hey, you might bring me in to preach for you. My minimum requirements are travel expenses and room & board for myself and maybe a companion. Anything beyond that will be appreciated. Write to me! I pray for churches that send me their newsletters, and I pray for folks who ask me (the Lord enabling me). Clyde C. Price, Jr. (404) 761-2327 CIS# 76616,3452 P.O.Box 667, Red Oak, GA 30272-0667. P.S. More than any appeal for renumeration, I ask you to PRAY for me, for my continued refreshing in the Lord and my personal hunger and thirst for the Word and prayer, and also for my physical health. Thank you, and God richly bless you. ccp INTRODUCTION I wrote this collection of Scripture centered articles because I saw a need for this type of "ad-copy" for local churches and Christian organizations. The idea for this series came as I was preparing short evangelistic articles for weekly newspaper advertisements for my home church at the time, the Word of Life Fellowship of East Point, Georgia. I offer this material freely for use by any Christian organization which holds to the inerrant Scriptures as the full and sufficient rule for faith and practice. It is my prayer that this gospel seed would proliferate all over the planet in newspaper advertisements, bulletins and newsletters, radio spots, the backs of special event handbills, and any other appropriate media, for the purpose of strengthening the ministries of Bible-believing churches, schools and other ministries. Many Christian organizations use the mass media to try to meet other evangelical Christians. I think the very best way to meet Christians in the general public is to EVANGELIZE! It is my conviction that nearly all the activities of the local church can and should have an evangelistic slant. I give you these articles as a tool for this purpose. I didn't ask anybody's permission to quote Scripture. But I want to acknowledge that these articles are the fruits of my ruminations on the Scriptures contained in the Navigators' Scripture Memory Pack, "Sharing Christ With Others." I wanted to alert the readers and potential users of this collection to this fact, and to suggest that you purchase the verse-packs from the Navigators (NavPress), or your local Christian bookstore, and memorize the Scriptures week by week together. I have never been affiliated with the Navigators, though I have benefited greatly from their ministry, especially Dawson Trotman's glove-across-the-face challenge in his address, "The Need of the Hour." Each article STARTED with one Scripture text. My aim for each article was to unfold and apply the truth of THIS bit of Scripture to a mixed audience of Christians and non-Christians. There is considerable repetition, but with a different text for each one, there is a constant variety. Instead of using the same ad each week, this should develop a cumulative effect, as more and more people notice, and come to look for it to see what it's about THIS week. The regularity of a weekly ad should increase your visibility and reduce your rates. Please use these articles as tools to enhance your other ministries: As you meet people in public or in door to door visitation, ask them, "Have you seen our ads in the (paper)? What did you think about them?" Use these conversations as opportunities to invite Christians and share the gospel face to face with non-Christians. Send clippings or copies to friends, neighbors and relatives. Please do NOT use advertising as a gimmick or a substitute for the personal witness of your people, but together bathe this and all your ministries in Scripture-based, believing prayer that the Lord of the Harvest will bring to Himself THROUGH YOUR WITNESS many precious souls. Remember that your purpose is not to tickle ears, but to PREACH THE WORD! Apply the Law to convict of sin and show the need of a Savior. Never apologize for the exclusivity of the claims of Christ nor the necessity of His blood atonement. Proclaim the reality and hideousness of Hell, and (warning with tears) that those who fail to trust in Christ are going there. Opposition is better than apathy, and hot controversy may actually be good publicity. In all your ways, make known the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will direct your paths. May all the glory and praises go to the Lamb! His, Clyde C. Price, Jr. LIST OF TITLES AND PRIMARY TEXTS 1. Full Maturity Colossians 1:27-28 NIV 2. Commissioned Ambassadors II Corinthians 5:19-20 NIV 3. We Aim to Please I Thessalonians 2:4 NIV 4. Christian Sensitivity I Corinthians 9:19 NIV 5. International Harvesters John 4:35 NIV 6. "Lookin' for Love" I Thessalonians 2:8 NIV 7. "I'm good enough" Romans 3:10-12 NIV 8. "I don't believe in Hell" II Thessalonians 1:8-9 NIV 9. Imitation Christians I Peter 2:24 NIV 10. The Source of Holiness II Timothy 1:9 NIV 11. Is the Devil a Christian? Romans 10:9-10 NIV 12. Eternal Security John 10:28-30 NAS 13. "I'm not so bad!" Proverbs 21:2 NKJ 14. "Too much to give up" Mark 8:36 NKJ 15. "I don't understand" John 7:17 NKJ 16. "I'm not good enough yet" Luke 5:31-32 NKJ 17. "What will people think?" John 5:44 NKJ 18. "I can't hold out" Hebrews 7:25 NKJ 19. "I'll wait 'til later" Proverbs 27:1 NKJ 20. "Too many hypocrites" Romans 14:12 NKJ 21. Only One Way Acts 4:12 GNB 22. "I have my own kind of religion" Proverbs 14:12 NKJ 23. "God won't send anybody to Hell" Matthew 25:41 NKJ 24. What about the heathen? Romans 1:20 NKJ 25. Trying to balance the scales I Peter 1:18-19 NKJ 26. Be Reconciled II Corinthians 5:18 NAS 27. Squeamish about blood? Ephesians 1:7 NKJ 28. "Sin License" Romans 6:14-15 NKJ 29. Children of God Galatians 3:26 NKJ 30. Primary Loyalty I Peter 2:9 NKJ 31. "I am righteous" II Corinthians 5:21 NIV 32. Who Gets the Credit? I Corinthians 1:30 NIV 33. Perfect for All Time Hebrews 10:14 NAS 34. Big Sinners and Little Sinners Romans 3:24 NIV 35. Dual Citizenship Philippians 3:20 NIV 36. If You Are Seeking Fulfillment Colossians 2:9-10 NIV [In seeking to evangelize the unchurched, I use contemporary English translations of Scripture without apology. I have made the value judgment--for myself-- that clarity of expression to the unevangelized is more crucial than deferring to people who recognize only a nearly unintelligible traditional version. If you are among those who prefer the King James Version because of long familiarity and verses memorized since childhood, please don't be angry with me. The New Testament was written (mostly) in very simple Koine Greek, the widely understood common trading language of most of the Roman Empire. I think simple English has the same place in today's world. "Sound it o'er the rolling tide...Shout the message far and wide...JESUS SAVES!" "Make the message CLEAR AND PLAIN, CHRIST RECEIVETH SINFUL MEN!" Hallelujah! ] DEDICATION This collection of articles is dedicated in appreciation to several people: To Ben Wilkinson, who faithfully exhorted me, "Clyde, EVANGELIZE! Get out there and see the people! Preach the Word! DO IT!" and who showed me how to do it. To Dr. C. Gregg Singer, who showed me by precept, by history, and by personal example that there is no conflict between being a serious scholar and an evangelist. To all the international students I've worked with, who taught me to be careful about my language. To all the children that I've taught (many of whom now have children of their own), because they taught me that the deepest truths of Scripture are the simplest. And especially to my parents, who gave me a name that means, "heard from afar," and who have stood by me faithfully in the lean years of studying, and of "apprenticeships" in ministries, some of which were painful. FULL MATURITY The goal of our church's ministry is not simply to see a whole lot of people born into the kingdom of God and leave them squalling as spiritual babies. Our goal for ministry is the same that the apostle Paul wrote of to the Colossians: "To them (the saints) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ." (Colossians 1:27-28 NIV) The Greek word here translated "perfect" could also be translated "complete" or "mature". The Scripture-based goal for our ministry is full maturity in Christ for EVERYBODY. God has given us all the equipment that we need in the Scriptures of the Old and New Covenants. Paul wrote to his trainee, Timothy: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16-17 NIV) We are learning that the Bible is not only inspired and inspiring, but also USEFUL for identifying and CORRECTING problem areas and teaching us how to live. We challenge you to read the Bible for yourself. Start in the New Testament in the Gospel of John. Come and grow with us. [Clyde Price Arrows 1] COMMISSIONED AMBASSADORS We believe that God has given us as a local church and as individual believers a commission as His ambassadors to present God's terms of peace to people who have been at enmity with Him. The apostle Paul wrote, "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." (II Corinthians 5:19-20 NIV) God could have written His message in the sky. He could have sent angels to tell every human being on the planet. Instead, He chose to entrust the telling of His message to the people who had themselves believed it and had begun to receive its benefits. When we talk with folks, or send out books or tapes or print articles, it is not simply as motivated individuals or an active organization seeking publicity. It is God Himself appealing to people through us, appealing even TO YOU, to be reconciled to God on the only terms He will accept, on the basis of the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, who now lives to be your Savior and Lord. Read the New Testament for yourself. In the Gospels, you will find out more about the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Letters, you will read about what His life, death and resurrection mean and how it applies to your own life. God appeals to you through us: Put your trust in Jesus. [Clyde Price, Arrows2] WE AIM TO PLEASE Ordinarily, public relations and publicity campaigns and advertising are for the purpose of pleasing people. While all our inreach and outreach activities are intended to be of benefit to people, our aim is not primarily to please people, but TO PLEASE GOD. If our message is rejected, we will not change its substance to please people. When it is accepted, we will not glory in "our" success. Our policy is the same that the apostle Paul stated, "We speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men, but God, who tests our hearts." (I Thessalonians 2:4 NIV) Our faith is determined not by the majority of our "constituency", but by the Holy Scriptures, the Old Covenant interpreted through the New Covenant. Our programs and ministries are generated by our "standing orders" in the Bible, and not simply by the "felt needs" of our membership or our target audience. We want to fit into God's program, rather than asking Him to put His stamp of approval on ours. We're aware that some of the things we do are affected by people and "tradition" in meeting times and formats and some of our operating procedures, but the "housekeeping details" are always much less important than our mission as the people of God on the earth. In a sense, we are propagandists, and our primary message is best found in the Gospel of John. A "propagandist" is one who is deliberately trying to persuade people to a new viewpoint. We are part of a grassroots "God movement", and seeking to spread the influence and promote the interests of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ. We warmly invite you to read our favorite "propaganda", in the New Testament. It is our ambition to bring glory to God by attempting such great things for Him that if He does not energize us with His own mighty power, we can only fail. This way, when we succeed, we can only give the glory to Him. We aim to please GOD. Come join us. [Clyde Price, Arrows3] CHRISTIAN SENSITIVITY Deference is an area in which evangelical or fundamental Christians are often weak. We glory in our "freedom in Christ", and forget sometimes that what we may indulge in with moderation will be excused in excess by those who observe us, including our children. While refusing to compromise on matters central to the gospel (see Galatians 2:5), the apostle Paul voluntarily limited his freedoms in other areas in order to reach as many people as possible with the gospel. He wrote, "Though I am free, and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible." (I Corinthians 9:19 NIV) In the context of what he wrote to the church at Corinth, Paul said that he was willing to adapt to a wide variety of circumstances and conditions in order to minimize objections to his person or his message. We Christians are sometimes guilty of a lack of sensitivity to other Christian groups or the culture or customs or preferences of people we are trying to reach with the gospel. Some of the most common areas of sensitivity are modes of relating to the opposite sex, the handling of money and food, appropriate subjects for humor, and ways of discussing differences between racial and cultural groups. Let's learn how to put our Christianity into practice by simply being considerate and kind to the people around us. Our message is much more than "Be Nice," but if we "come over" as being insensitive and obnoxious, nobody will listen to us when we speak of God's love in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our message is important enough to put on a tie, and if necessary, endure a shave and a haircut. We would like to "win" you over, too. Our message is based on the Bible, and we invite you to start reading in the New Testament. Come and visit us; you are welcome here. [Clyde Price, Arrows4] INTERNATIONAL HARVESTERS At our church, "evangelism" is not something that we reserve for certain times of the year or for special meetings. We do set aside specific times to go out and "meet the people", and from time to time we have special meetings and guest speakers, but we don't (or shouldn't) limit our outreach to that. Our Lord, the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, tells us that the "crop" of this planet is ready for harvesting NOW. He tells His people, "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35 NIV) The seed for this crop is the Word of God, the Good News ("Gospel") about Jesus Christ. The Hebrew Scriptures tell us of the Promise that God will indeed redeem a people for Himself through the victory of Messiah, the promised King who will rule the earth. The New Covenant tells of the fulfillment of God's promises in the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, who lived the perfect life, died as the perfect atoning sacrifice for sinners, and rose victoriously from the dead. He will come again to the earth to reign as King. The soil for our seed is the hearts of people, and our goal is to "sow the seed" in every living human being. We don't know how long it will take to germinate, or for an individual, IF it will. We only know that we want to be real "international harvesters" for Jesus Christ. If you meet one of our members in public, or on your doorstep, or anywhere else, don't be afraid of being "harvested". We are here to share with you the best and most exciting news you have ever heard. We hope that you will listen to us, believe the good news we bring, and join us in getting to know our adorable God. [Clyde Price, Arrows5] "LOOKIN' FOR LOVE" Lots of folks are out there "lookin' for love in all the wrong places", even some Christians. When we set OUR HAPPINESS as a goal, it will elude us. LOVE involves more than people acting happy together. Intimate relationships CANNOT be formed solely in "recreational" or social activities. Infatuations can be, certainly, but nothing really deep. The apostle Paul wrote to a group of people with whom he had become very close, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." (I Thessalonians 2:8 NIV) The genuine "dearness" of that relationship had grown as a byproduct of Paul's labor to share with them the Good News of Christ, and to help them grow in His grace as they were in turn sharing with others. If you think water skiing is fun, try washing cars with a bunch of teenagers to raise mission/project funds. If you think gardening is fun, try going with some friends to clean up the yard of an elderly or handicapped person. If you think bridge is fun, try a conversational home Bible study such as Neighborhood Bible Studies: Mark, by Kunz and Schell. Happiness and close personal relationships are one byproduct of "seeking first the Kingdom of God." We challenge you to read the little letter of First John, near the back of the New Testament, and then the Gospel of John, the fourth book in the New Testament. In the writings of John, the apostle of love, you will find that the Source for real love is God Himself, made known through the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're really "lookin' for love", take a look at Jesus Christ. Come look at our place. Serve Jesus with us. [Clyde Price, Arrows6] "I'M GOOD ENOUGH" One fairly common response to the gospel is, "I think I'm good enough. God will accept me just as I am." The Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ is meaningless unless we understand that on our own we can NEVER meet God's standard. The apostle Paul wrote, "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one: there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.'" (Romans 3:10-12 NIV) No human being who ever lived, with the exception of Jesus of Nazareth, ever had a record of his or her own good enough to be accepted by God on the basis of that record. Even Mary the earthly mother of Jesus said, "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior". Even Mary knew she needed a Savior. Even just ONE sin disqualifies us works-wise (see James 2:10). Sinners need a Savior, and if you claim you're not one, you're a liar. (See I John 1:10.) Now you're ready for the Good News--see John, chapters 1-21. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, and forsake your trust in your own goodness and in anything else you were trusting; then He will give you an eternal and abundant life as a gift. Don't wait. Receive Him right now. Come and visit us. We'd like to meet you. [Clyde Price, Arrows7] [end of the 1st file of 5]