Dr. C. S. Lovett’s
MARANATHA FAMILY NEWSLETTER
May 2023
Sermon on the Mount © 1969 L. Lovett
OBEYING THE GREAT COMMISSION
How many Christians are there in the world? Statistics show in 1910 there were 600 million and in 2010 over 2 billion. The number has quadrupled in the last 100 years. The overall population of the world has rapidly risen from an estimated 1.8 billion in 1910 to over 6.9 billion in 2010. Today Christians make up about the same percentage of the world’s population (32%) that they did in 1910 (35%). What does that say about Christ’s command to take the Gospel to every creature? (Mark 16:15).
DOES IT LOOK IMPOSSIBLE?
The Bible says “The Gospel must first be preached to all the nations” before the Lord comes again (Mark 13:10). This bothers many believers. They realize the "go-to-church" method isn't doing the job. Attracting people into a building or stadium, hoping they will hear the Gospel and be saved, doesn't come close to getting the job done. There are more than 375,000 evangelical churches in our country and the nation doesn't know Jesus is alive. If we made those 1 million churches, the results would be no different if we persist in the present methods. Even very fine ministries produce only a trickle.
That’s not God's total answer. He wants all of His people in action, not just a few professionals. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). In spite of this dismal state, I believe world evangelism is still possible. I’m convinced the job could be done quickly and easily if we changed our approach and harnessed the POWER OF PRINT.
THE POWER OF THE PRINTED PAGE
Did you know the man who invented the printing press was a born-again Christian? The reason God made Johann Gutenberg the "father of modern printing" was because of his vision to reach the world for Jesus. More than 600 years ago he wrote:
“God suffers because there are multitudes whom His Word cannot reach. Religious truth is held captive in a small number of manuscripts that guard the treasures. Let us break the seals and give wings to the truth...that it may fly to every soul born into the world!”
God honored his vision. He gave Gutenberg the printing press and with it the means for fulfilling the Great Commission. Once the Gospel could be reduced to tracts that could be circulated by ordinary Christians, it suddenly had wings. The world could now be reached for Jesus. There's no Biblical reason for supposing God’s Word is more powerful on a man’s lips than on a printed page. Did not God commit the revelation of the Living Word to the written Word? In our day, when people give far more authority to what they read than to what they hear, we have no excuse for not finishing the job. We have both the means and the power.
Listen to the missionary statesman, Dr. Oswald J. Smith: “After studying the challenge of world evangelism for more than 50 years, I know of no other way to carry out the Lord's command to reach every creature apart from the printed page. There is no other method to compare with it.”
EVANGELIZE THE WORLD?
By "evangelize" I do NOT mean only win souls. The Lord Himself taught that only a few would be saved (Matt. 7:13,14). Therefore, "evangelize" cannot mean winning the world. He wants EVERY PERSON TO RECEIVE THE INVITATION TO BE SAVED. What finer way than by giving individuals a PRINTED invitation to Jesus? A Gospel tract can do the job better than 98% of most Christians, for each word is carefully chosen and no one can argue with a piece of paper. Besides, many Christians are afraid to speak of Jesus to others or don't know how.
There’s nothing new about using literature to evangelize the world. For years various organizations have sought to flood the world with the news of Jesus. The message has been dropped from planes and offered over radio, TV, and the internet. Evangelists have toured the nations and all sorts of mass literature programs have been tried—but it’s not enough. As good as these works are, the job isn’t being done. Why? Because it takes ALL of God’s people to get the job done.
The Lord made it clear that He calls ALL His people into action—not just a few! He has commissioned every believer as a witness. And now that He has given us the printing press, every believer CAN go into action.
Suppose our churches embraced this vision and supplied their people with the best literature. What would they do with it? Where would they go with it? That brings us to the crux of the matter. It's one thing to produce good literature, and another to get it into the hands of EVERY lost person. There's only one place any believer can go with his literature—into his OWN PRIVATE WORLD! Jesus' command sends each of us into that world of which our HOME is the center.
He wants us to reach those whose paths we cross in the course of our daily routine. Serving Jesus is a DAILY matter, not a religious outing. Within the routine of daily living, there are those you contact more often and influence better than anyone else. Your private world is your mission station. Johann Gutenberg made it possible for you to reach it. If you don't, no one else will.
THE CHURCH IS RESPONSIBLE
To see that the task is properly carried out, the Lord has charged the church with training and equipping each Christian for his own personal ministry (Eph. 4:12). In other words, God has centered the program in the local church. All outside efforts are doomed to frustration. Besides, no one has to be a professional. Christianity is a LAY movement. Jesus' disciples were laymen.
All that is needed is for every believer to take action at his own level. When the right kind of literature is supplied, ANYONE can witness, educated or uneducated, young or old, mature Christians or babes in Christ. This approach WILL get the job done. If our 375,000-plus evangelical churches will equip their people and show them HOW to reach their private worlds, the Great Commission could be carried out in a short time. The secret is EASING the people into action. Once that is done, the Holy Spirit will see that their pieces of paper get into the right hands.
WE NEED TO WITNESS
Leaving a small Gospel tract in a private area is a great way to start off your witnessing experience. Even if you are too shy to place a tract in someone’s hand, there are other ways and places they can be left in secret. Anyone can learn to reach their private world with a tract. Here are some ideas of places you can leave tracts: public restrooms, store dressing rooms, pockets of clothing that you might donate, laundromats, and hotel rooms. As you become more comfortable with leaving tracts, step out of your comfort zone and put them in your bills, letters, and cards that you send out. Then try leaving them with a generous tip in restaurants, as you pay at a fast-food drive-thru, or even in little gifts that you give to your neighbors during the Christmas season. The possibilities are endless.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
Do we mean it when we say, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus?” Then we'd better get serious about the job that must be done BEFORE HE CAN COME. God’s way is the ONLY way. We must press the masses of His soldiers into active duty and arm them with simple techniques for placing the Lord's invitation in people’s hands. If we do this, we will hasten the Lord’s coming. I’m sure the Holy Spirit will affirm that my word on this is trustworthy.
Is the task really impossible when you consider that we have the means, the manpower, and the knowledge? If our churches will respond to this nudging of the Spirit and give the necessary leadership, the Great Commission could be carried out more quickly. Getting the multitude of God’s people into action will mean every Christian would fulfill his part in . . .
OBEYING THE GREAT COMMISSION!
C. S. Lovett
Copyright © 2023 Personal Christianity. All rights reserved.
(For more information about witnessing, read Dr. Lovett’s book, Witnessing Made Easy. Click on the book in the Resources section.)
Since our ministry is an online ministry, we no longer sell tracts. We do suggest you contact your local Christian bookstore so that you can get started right away in fulfilling your part in evangelism. You may also want to contact the following organizations that sell tracts:
Amazon.com—search “religious tracts”
Christianbook.com—800-247-4784
Crossway.org—877-872-2871
Gospeltractsociety.org—816-461-6086
Moments with the Book (mwtb.org)—814-623-8737
TESTIMONIES
JOYFUL WITNESS NOW: “WITNESSING MADE EASY” was written just for me. I have learned a whole new way of serving the Lord. I’m a witness now. I have learned to invite the Holy Spirit along everywhere I go. This has given me the strength I didn’t know I had. I have learned to pray it before I say it. This joy will last a lifetime. There is no stopping me now.” (O.D.—OR)
INSPIRED AND CHALLENGED: “Of all the books I’ve read dealing with sharing your faith, WITNESSING MADE EASY is by far the most practical. I’m inspired and challenged to tell others about Jesus. The chapter on ‘your private world’ came from the Spirit and opened my eyes about my witnessing obligations. (M.H.—MN)
RESOURCES
LOVETT’S LIGHTS ON THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (2022 edition): 372 pages. Available on Amazon.com and sells for $15.99 HERE.
LOVETT’S LIGHTS ON JOHN (2021 edition): 381 pages. Available on Amazon.com sells for $15.99 HERE.
WITNESSING MADE EASY (2019 edition): 213 pages. Purchase on Amazon.com for $14.99 HERE.
DEALING WITH THE DEVIL (2018 edition): 241 pages. Available on Amazon.com and sells for $14.99 HERE.
THE PREPARED LIFE (2017): 159 pages. This book is available on Amazon.com and sells for $13.99 and is also available in Kindle form for $7.99 HERE.
You may order these books on Amazon.com. Barnes and Noble bookstore can also order these books for you. Tell them they are print-on-demand books.
ORIGINAL OIL PAINTINGS BY LINDA LOVETT are available on our website. Click HERE. This is a good way to support our ministry. You decide which of the original framed paintings you would love to have in your home and then contact us by either email or phone. Visit the ART GALLERY on our website to see photos of the paintings available. Shipping only available in the USA.
CONTACT US:
If you would like to send us a letter, comment, or prayer request, you may contact us at:
Personal Christianity, PO Box 918, Middleton, ID 83644
626-338-7333
www.cslovettbooks.com
info@cslovettbooks.com
“Preparing for His Appearing” Since 1951
