3 Things That Still Work

Yesterday was our annual Chuck Wagon Sunday at Ballenger Creek Baptist Church. We had such a great time! The music, provided by the Marshall family from Littlestown, PA, was a great blessing. Pastor Sharff preached a great message from 1st John 1, and the food was absolutely delicious. We had several visitors, some from relationships with our church members, one from door-knocking. Most importantly of all, two people got saved yesterday! When all the festivities were over I brought everyone into the meeting room and gave a short devotional before everyone went home, I called it 3 Things That Still Work. Let me give you those three things:

1. Soul-winning Still Works
In the past 3 weeks over 1,000 doors in our community received door hangers with information about our church and an invitation to Chuck Wagon Sunday. As a church plant, we are still trying to get the word out about our church, nobody knows where we are! I was beside myself with joy yesterday when a man came up to me and said that he was invited through a door hanger! He also said, "My community was curious about the church because all of them received door hangers too, so they sent me as a guinea pig!" He really enjoyed himself and said that he will absolutely come back. To those who say that reaching people door-to-door no longer works, I will say to you, "Yes, it does!"
2. Bible Preaching Still Works
Yesterday we did have a lot of food and we did have great music, but when it was all said and done, the preaching of God's Word was the central part of the day. Those two people that got saved yesterday were not saved through the music or through the fried chicken, they were saved through God's Word, and God's Word was presented yesterday through preaching! I am so thankful that I am in a church that has not set aside Bible preaching for the rock music, or for "discussion time", or for any of these other silly ideas that take the place of Bible preaching. I understand that some preachers have used the pulpit to preach their opinions, badger and belittle people, or be just plain mean; ket me say that those things do not work. God will not bless the church or the preacher that uses the pulpit to his own advantage. But when the man of God gets into the pulpit and preaches "Thus saith the Lord," You'd better believe that God is going to bless!
3. Prayer Still Works
The other day as I was driving to the area that I was going to put up door hangers, the thought came to my mind that I was wasting my time. You might think this contradicts my first point, but it doesn't. You see, I can invite people door-to-door until my feet have blisters, we can prepare and have everything on the property and in the program perfect, we can have the best food and music, and we can be the most excited, but none of that will matter, it is all in vain, if the hand of God isn't in it. A church can't be built without God's working, and God will not work unless you ask for it. Prayer is so key in God's blessing, but it is often so overlooked! We practically kill ourselves doing the work of the ministry, but when we don't see any fruit for our labor we wonder why and very often the reason is, is that we didn't ask God to bless. I have heard my dad say very often, "Work like it all depends on you; but pray like it all depends on God." I cannot think of a truer statement for this topic. We cannot ever overlook the power of prayer.
So these are the three things that still work. I hope it is a blessing to somebody; and I hope it encourages someone to continue to serve God.