January/February 2018
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GRACEINFOCUS www.faithalone.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 thethe brokenbroken recordrecord approachapproach toto evangelismevangelism Denying the Faith? / Faith in Christ / The Armor of God / Do Not Be Ashamed / PLUS The Threefold Message of the Cross / Fear Changes Your Focus / Conflict Resolution JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 CONTENTS 3 From the Editor 4 The Broken Record Approach to Evangelism BY BOB WILKIN 8 Denying the Faith? (Blog) BY KEN YATES 10 The Armor of God: Our Assurance of Salvation (Ephesians 6:13-18) BY BILL LEE 15 Mailbag 43 Conflict Resolution—Genesis Style BY MARCIA HORNOK 16 Do Not Be Ashamed (2 Timothy 1:1-18) BY ZANE C. HODGES 46 Fear Changes Your Focus (Luke 12:4) (Blog) 22 Faith in Christ Does Not Mean BY SHAWN LAZAR Faithfulness or Fidelity BY WAYNE A. BRINDLE 25 The Bookstore GRACE IN FOCUS 33 Mobile Grace Volume 33, Number 1 GRACE IN FOCUS is a free, BY BILL FIESS © 2018 by Grace bimonthly magazine about Evangelical Society the gospel, assurance, and 34 The Threefold Message of the Cross related issues. For your EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BY LEWIS SPERRY CHAFER free U.S. subscription Robert N. Wilkin, Ph.D. sign up on our website 41 Grace on the Go EDITOR AND DESIGN or send your name and Shawn Lazar address to P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202. If SOCIAL MEDIA you would like to make a Brad Bell tax-deductible donation to OFFICE MANAGER offset the costs of printing Bethany Taylor and postage, it would be CIRCULATION greatly appreciated. Mark “String Bean” Gray Address changes? Comments? Prayer requests? Testimonies? Send them to [email protected]. Theological questions? Send them to ques- [email protected]. Or write to Grace in Focus, P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202. 2 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 faithalone.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 FROM THE EDITOR e have now entered a new year: 2018. In May we will commemorate 70 years since Israel became a nation again. WThere was much fervor at that time that the Rap- ture had to be soon. Those expectations rose greatly in the Six Day War in 1967 (June 5-10). A few months later, Zane Hodges famously said in chapel at Dallas Theological Seminary that he did not expect to be at DTS in a year. He thought the Rap- ture would occur within the next year. A year later in chapel he joked that he had now proved that he was definitely not a prophet. I remember being in the library at DTS in 1980 and reading an article where Hal Lindsay was asked when the Rapture would occur. He said that we couldn’t know the day or hour, but we do know that it will be within 40 years of 1948, when Israel was regathered. So he said the Rapture would occur before the end of 1988. Oops. 1989 came, and lots New Year’s Light of books were proved wrong. Some added 40 years to 1967 and came up with Bob Wilkin, EDITOR 2007. But that came and went too. I long for Jesus’ soon return. It would be great if it occurs in 2018. I know it will be soon. But soon 2018 could be the year that you or I go to be with from God’s perspective is not the same as soon the Lord via death or the Rapture. In any case, we from ours. Remember, a thousand years is as but should all be watchful. He is coming again soon. a day to the Lord. So while it could be this year, it Let’s live each day in light of His soon return. might be decades or even centuries before the Lord We on the staff of GES and Grace in Focus maga- returns. We must not live as though it has to be this zine wish you a happy New Year. Our prayer is that year. If we burn ourselves out, we will not be able to you grow more like our Lord Jesus Christ this year. serve the Lord effectively in the years ahead if He Hang in there. He is coming soon! should tarry. My aim in life is to be well pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:9-11). I long to hear Him say, “Well done, good servant” (Luke 19:17). I live in light of the Bema, the Judgment Seat of Christ. His praise and approval are what really matters! faithalone.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 3 Are you comfortable sharing your faith with others? By Bob Wilkin What Is This Approach? By the end of the first hour I’d asked about ten problem passages and Warren had quoted Eph t was the start of the fall semester of my 2:8-9 at least ten times. senior year in college. A friend, John Carlson, By grace. had invited me to a College Life meeting, a You have been saved once for all. IChristian outreach event. He got me there by Through faith. asking, “Is it possible that your view of the gospel And that not of yourselves. is wrong?” It is the gift of God. It is not of works. After that, I began meeting with staff member No one can boast. Warren Wilke. I told Warren I lacked assurance. Broken record! Could he help me? I agreed to meet again a few days later. Another We met at the student center for an hour. hour. Ten more times he quoted Eph 2:8-9: For Warren introduced me to the broken record by grace you have been saved through faith, and approach to evangelism. that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of He started by saying that I could have assurance works, lest anyone should boast. I kept asking if I simply understood and believed the message about passages that concerned me. He kept saying, of Eph 2:8-9. Then he quoted it, “For by grace you “Whatever that means, it can’t contradict the clear have been saved through faith, and that not of meaning of Eph 2:8-9. yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest This went on for five visits. Around fifty times anyone should boast.” Warren quoted Eph 2:8-9. He was like a broken That was one. record. He was stuck on Eph 2:8-9. And you know That sounded good, I said. But what about this what? It worked. I got it. That fifth week I was -con other passage? I asked about a tough text like Jas vinced. I knew that by grace I had been saved once 2:14-26. and for all through faith in Christ and that my Warren gave a short answer, but then said, “But salvation was not of works. There was no ground whatever that passage means, it can’t contradict of boasting for me. Eph 2:8-9 which is crystal clear. For by grace you Man, was I happy. That’s probably too weak of a have been saved through faith, and that not of word. I was overjoyed. I was ecstatic. I felt like I’d yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest been delivered from eternity in hell. Well, I had anyone should boast.” been. That was two. When I started sharing my faith on campus that year, I used a booklet, The Four Spiritual Laws. 4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 faithalone.org he Broken T Record Approach to Evangelism 123RF faithalone.org JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 5 I used it that year, the next year The result is dialogue. Dialogue Campus Crusade for Christ’s new as a grad student, and then for four about the promise of life by faith seminary. years on staff with Campus Cru- apart from works. When I spoke with the vice sade for Christ. Read John 4:1-25 and notice how president in charge of setting up But I longed for the broken the Lord’s interaction with the interviews, I told him I no longer record approach. That is what I woman at the well is indeed an used the Four Laws. I just use the wanted to use. interaction. Bible. He said that was fine. But after teaching six separate The Simplicity of the One-Verse Evangelism hours in various classes, I was Broken Record Approach In the year 2000, a Navigator interviewed. Question 1: Are you What I love about this approach staff member, Randy Raysbrook, willing to take students out and is that you take one verse or one wrote an article on one-verse teach them how to share their faith short passage and you cling to it. using the Four Laws? No. I use the You do not get off your text. You Bible. come back to it again and again. “If we study I was now told that disqualified The person is encouraged to Jesus’ approach to me. engage you in a discussion on the The very approach that Campus meaning of the passage you are evangelism, we see Crusade for Christ used to lead me repeatedly quoting. He basically used to faith in Christ was not consid- You don’t need to remember ered a valid one. the exact wording of four or five the broken record Of course, I fully understood points. You don’t need to be able to approach.” and accepted the position of ISOT. recall a dozen different passages in Campus Crusade for Christ had a a precise order. model of ministry. It required all All you need to be able to do is staff, including seminary profes- explain the promise of everlasting evangelism.