Well today starts the holiday weekend.  Three long  day of sharing the Gospel to the crowds at Virginia Beach and Colonial Williamsburg.

Please pray for our local team as we share the Gospel with hundreds of people this weekend…possibly even thousands.

Updates will come Monday.

Until then…

Soli Deo Gloria.

It’s  headline news when a pro-lifer pulls a gun on a murderer of  60,000 children. But when pro-lifers who are trying to stop the death of innocent children have a gun pulled on them it’s not news worthy?

Well click here to see a very small local news report on this incident.

It’s the only thing you’ll here about it.

Have you ever wondered why those who are out there on the streets are so passionate about the things of God. Have you ever wondered why those who are not sharing their faith are so apathetic to the things of God.

I think this verse sums it up.

‘The full knowledge of every good thing’ can be gained by sharing the Gospel.

Let me ask you a question.

What is the central focus of God’s will here on Earth?

God’s will is centrally located in his Glory, through the saving of souls.

Everything that Christ did, everything that Christ is doing is culminated in the work of evangelism. Evangelism is the primary battlefield and those who share their faith know the General, because they are right there at war beside Him.

This is why I believe that those who share their faith are more aware of how God is working. They are more aware of what God is accomplishing.

It is this same reason that those who share their faith want to run up to the front of their churches, scream and yell, demanding that people get out on the streets! Those who share their faith plead for pew warmers to come with them…Not because they are selfish, prideful and want everyone to look at them…but because the evangelist is gaining the knowledge of all good things while those in the pews are far away from the work of God turning their back to an amazing Joy found only when your in the very heart of God’s will.

Those who share their faith see God working in amazing ways, that those in the pews will never see. We see men wrestle with demon possession, we see the true nature of man, we see the work of God inregeneration , we see the true apostasy of the American church, we see numbers added to the invisible church, we see true Christian unity with people we have never met before and we see persecution and hatred for the Gospel which can only lead to the persecuted loving it more.

This is why the pew warmers are always seeking the next spiritual high and wonder why they are not close to God as they used to be…the answer is simple. The reason the pew warmers are not close to God, is because God is not there. God is on the streets saving souls,regenerating wicked men…God is not stuck in the walls of the temples, God comes to Church to be worshiped, not to make men feel good about themselves. Not to make men fill their Sunday with something traditional.

But be warned this “knowledge of all good things” can lead an evangelist to think he knows better. It can be a source of pride. It can get him in trouble with his arrogance. Trust me I know.

Being right in the heart of God’s will, in the center of the stream can be dangerous. The prideful rapids are tough to navigate and we must be on guard.

Encourage your pew warmers to come out with you, rebuke them humbly for ignoring God’s command but remember, your passion for the Gospel is only given to you by the pure pleasure of God to show his Grace and Kindness.

So pray for the pew warmers, that God gives them the knowledge of all good things by giving them a boldness that is encouraged from the evangelist’s humility.

May your feet be beautiful…

So today was one of those days where on break from work, I decided I would stop in and eat Chinese food at this buffet that just so happened to have a WiFi within range of my iPod.

The plan was to eat the fake crab meet in butter sauce, update my feed reader and catch up on my blog reading.

The plan was going very well. I was enjoying reading one of my favorite blogs (TeamPyro) when it was interrupted by these two ladies who were talking about God. They were very vocal about what the church they went to  (a local prosperity church) and surprisingly their struggles with sin. (They were placing a lot of works on themselves.)

Honestly, I just wanted to eat my Chinese food in peace. I wanted to come here and feed myself buttered fake crab meat. Now I am being placed into this position of having absolutely no reason to not speak to them and expound on the Gospel.

For those of you that do not know me. I have a terrible fear of sharing the Gospel on my own. Some of you hear me preach and say “Wow, I wish I had that boldness” but when it comes to solo one on ones, or even passing out a tract…I freeze.

This time not having any reason to just leave, I finished my meal, asked the waitress for my check and went beside them and told them I was happy to hear people speak so openly about God. I asked if they minded if I sat down a minute and discuss what they were talking about.

A problem for me, and I would love for some help here is when you tell the Gospel to someone and they agree word for word.

Have you ever talked to someone that says the following?

“Yes were all sinners. No, I am not Good. Yes, I deserve Hell but Christ saved me, I think Creflo Dollar is an awesome man of God.”

It’s such a difficult situation. I just decided I would present the law and Gospel and let God do the rest. I admit that I was not as thorough as I should have been  in my presentation but it’s difficult when people nod their head and agree with every word…but there was something missing.

There has to be…So eventually I gave up. I did not want to argue with her because there was a chance that she really might have been a Christian, just under the deception of false teaching. So I sent her to JustinPeters.org and I left.

Along the way out the door a guy came up to me and said “Did you hear that Creflo Dollar is being charged with copyright infringement?”

He was listening to our entire conversation!

That’s when it hit me…

Other people heard the Gospel because of my conversation with them.

How sovereign in the Lord of the Universe to ordain the very cravings of our stomach at the right time and place so others might hear the Gospel, even those who we do not know.

If you have any tips on how to share the Gospel with those who agree with everything, but somethings not right…Comment and let me know.

We here at Transplant Ministries are all about a high standard of journalistic ethics.

Because of this we do not care that you can receive an entry into the Logos Calfskin Bible Giveaway if you talk about it on a blog post.

Sure, we would love to have a Calfskin Bible, but to sell out the trustworthiness of this site for some Bible covered in real animal skin? No. That’s not us and it never will be.

Oh and to all you other so called “Christian Blogs” who are doing this. Shame on you. I mean really an animal skin Bible? I’ll have you know I live no less then 20 minutes away from PETA’s national headquarters and I am tempted  to go over there and tell them about it. That’s right, I said personally knocking on  their door.

So watch out for blogs who are placing posts with stuff like this below and if your a baptist, boycott them for selling their soul for the hope of worldly material possessions.

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

It’s stuff like this that makes me think that not only is Joel Osteen wrong for proclaiming his false theology but he is also mocking the death of these individuals overseas who are being burned alive for their Best Life Now the Glory of God shown through Christ’s death.

Summer Camp Conversions

As a camp counselor, before I was saved, we warned many of the teens that they would go home on a spiritual high. We tried to encourage them to read their Bibles, keep going to church and other works that would keep that High. We would say things like “The Devil is going to make you lose your passion as soon as you get home.”

But what were we really doing?

We were ultimately trying to make poorly placed seeds, sprout for longer then normal.

Summer camp was always a sorta fertilizer on bad ground. It could make the most spiritually dead child come to life and sprout up quickly. Yet it always seemed to just die off after camp.

It did for me, and I went to seven plus years of Bible camp.

But this blog post is not about summer camp at all It’s really about false conversion and the failures of youth programs to use discernment over decisionalism.

Summer Camps are not the only breeding ground for decisional regeneration. It’s a whole industry of youth programs. Summer Camps, Conferences, Events and Concerts all lead to a devastating false sense of being “right with God.”

That is until they go home. Once the summer dies, once the daily bible studies, forced prayer time and worship services are over. The seed begins to die. The ground is exposed to scorching heat and soon it faces death…until the next event. Then it sprouts up as a perennial, bright and lovely, doomed to die again.

Youth Pastors, you have to teach your youth more then the basic American version of the Gospel. You have to get dirty, get down to the root, expose their sin and refuse to walk them in a sinners prayer. Any false convert, mocker of God and heathen pastors kid can be catapulted into a state of emotional dizziness and say a prayer. Only God can lead one to repentance and trust in Christ that will never die.

Is it to much to ask my fellow Youth Pastors to just stop. Stop trusting the prayer.

Yes, I know. It gives you something to tell the parents so they think you are doing a good Job.

But when does the approval of the parents outweigh the approval of the Lord of the universe.

I was told by a youth pastor that perhaps one of the reasons, I am not allowed to speak to any of the local youth about the Gospel was because the youth pastors feared what would happen if the parents got upset at the message.

All I have to say to that is this…If your ministry be it youth or whatever, is run under the fear of man as opposed to the fear of God. You have no ministry. God is not in it.

So please stop doing silly things to feed the momentary spiritual high. Only Christ can sustain it. Feed youth Christ. Make Christ precious to them. Show how Christ is more valuable then all their desires, all their passions, all their friends, all their lusts…Christ is Everything.

Your programs, your games, your summer camps and mission trips are of no value to those who are dead in sin. Don’t you understand that events where the Gospel is not being proclaimed rightly are not Christian. No matter what name they put on the marketing materials.

So please, I beg you…

Stop feeding the bottomless pit of spirituality and beg your youth to seek true repentance, a hatred of sin so devastating to their self esteem and pride that it can only come from God, who is bigger and more sustaining then any spiritual high.

Well the Lord is good and he has given us several new places to preach during the middle of the week!

One of those places is an inner city, urban beach in Hampton, VA called Buckroe Beach. Every Tuesday night in the summer the city puts on what they call the “Pomoco Family Movie Series at Buckroe Beach”

The great thing about this place is that it is filled with young teenagers who are longing for truth and substance. The first time we came out we had trouble with the Authorities but as I finished preaching everyone came up to me right in front of the police officers and shook my hand and applauded (not what we ever do this for applause or ever get applause) but God used it because the Police saw we were not as much of a problem as some thought we were and since then we have had no trouble with the park officials or police officers…in fact they know exactly who we are.

So here are some photos of our new favorite place to share the Gospel.

So…  Though I’m fairly new to sharing my faith on a regular basis and extremely new to Open-Air preaching of the gospel, it didn’t take long for me to understand that when the gospel is presented correctly it usually isn’t received all to well.  For my first blog entry on transplantministries.com I’d like to focus on dissecting the reason for why the gospel isn’t received with joy by the majority of those who hear it.

One thing that is common about the rebuke and rejection of the gospel is that an alternative is usually almost always given.  For instance, instead of telling people that they have broken God’s law and will stand guilty before a Holy and Righteous God on the day of judgment who will be forced by his goodness to cast them into Hell for all of eternity, the alternative that most would like to hear from you is to tell people how they can be made whole, how Jesus can satisfy their lives, and how God will bless them.

Now lets be very careful not to reject the alternative as unbiblical or not true, because they are true and very valid.  However, they aren’t a proper lead-in nor or they intended to be a draw card to bring somebody to Christ.  Why?  Well the answer is very simple, all three of these statements focus on what God promises he will do for the believer… and they aren’t believers yet…  Not only that, the very premise of these statements being used as draw cards are based off of secular humanism which teaches that the whole reason for existence and meaning of life is the happiness of man.  Think about that for a second…  If Jesus will make me whole, satisfy me, and bless me then hey…  The whole reason for existing the whole meaning of life has been fulfilled.  I’m happy!  And so begins a very distorted view of the relationship between a believer and the one whom he is command to believe in, until of course I stop being happy!  Then I’m disgruntled because what I was promised when I ‘made my decision’ didn’t come to fruition so now I think Christianity is a crock…

The difference between secular humanism and the gospel is that the gospel teaches that the reason for existing and the meaning of life is to glorify God.  That’s why everyone and everything was created, to the glory of God.  There’s just one problem, humanity has miserably failed to do just that.  The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Usually when we hear that verse today it’s ripped out of context and used as a means of justifying ourselves by saying, “well everyone else sins too.”  There’s just one problem with that logic…

If you are guilty of murder and you stand before a judge and say…  ”You know what Judge, I know I murdered, but so did the next ten guys waiting in line so what’s the big deal?”  He’s gonna be irate at you cause now not only do you know that you’ve committed the crime but you have used the fact that others have committed the very same crime to allow yourself to feel absolutely no remorse and you are still only concerned with your own skin!  So when we compare ourselves to other people, who are comparing themselves to other people, who are comparing themselves to other people…  We’re missing the point of that verse…  ”For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD!”   Not other people.

So what is the point of the gospel?

The point is to reconcile SINFUL man to a HOLY God through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross paying the price for sin. (Rom 6:23)

What is the goal of presenting the gospel?  What is not the goal of presenting the gospel?

The goal of presenting the gospel is to Glorify God, not to appeal to the masses, not tickle people’s ears, and NOT to get decisions.

What is the proper response to the gospel message?

The proper response is to recognize one’s own sins, depraved nature, and hopelessness.  Therefore knowing of only one route that leads to safety from God’s wrath and indignation and only one way that leads to salvation and that is repenting (turning toward God) and trust in the Savior who died for the sins of wicked men.

What does the gospel mean?

The gospel is translated “the good news.”  But why is it good news to tell someone that Jesus died for them so they could go to heaven.  You’re telling someone who believes they’re morally good and deserves God’s favor that someone had to die in their place just for them to have a relationship with God?  That’s not good news at all.  In fact it doesn’t even sound fair cause after all, they’re good and they deserve a relationship with God!  So what makes the gospel “good news.”  The gospel is only good news if God’s law (The ten commandments) is used properly to show the sinner that his sin is exceedingly sinful.  Paul describes how the law used properly helps us understand that the good news is actually good news indeed.

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” -Romans 7:7

Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  -Galations 3:24

So what is the gospel?

The gospel is this…  The Bible says it’s appointed to a man once to die and after this the judgment.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  If you have lied you are seen as a liar.  If you’ve stolen, God sees you as a thief.  If you’ve used his name in vain he sees you as a blasphemer.  If you’ve looked with lust he sees you as an adulterer of the heart.  If you’ve harbored hate in your heart or had anger without cause he sees you as a murderer of the heart.  When you stand before a Holy and Righteous God on the day of judgment he will see you as a guilty criminal and he will be forced by his good nature to cast you into hell of all of eternity.  BUT, the Bible also says that God is rich in mercy, mighty to save, and patient toward you, and that is why he gave his only begotten Son that whoever might believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  If you will repent (turn to God, turn from sin) and trust in Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross then God has promised you will pass from death unto life and he will give you a new heart with new desires and you will be a new creature in Christ.  Jesus called this being “born again” and unless it happens to you, you won’t see the kingdom of God.

That gives Glory to God…  It won’t tickle as many ears, it won’t get as many ‘decisions,’ and it won’t make everybody happy, but it is the gospel and we are commanded to share it.  Those who rebuke the gospel here don’t rebuke it because they don’t like the delivery, they rebuke it because they don’t like the message…

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.  For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.  -Galations 1:8-10

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  -1 Corinthians 1:18

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  -Romans 1:16

But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.  -Romans 10:14-17

Do you have beautiful feet???

Everyone say Hi to Rett.

If you don’t know he is then I suggest you listen to the Transplant Radio where he gave his testimony. Over the past month Rett has started going  out with us to share the Gospel and has become a great friend.  It brings me great joy that he is willing  to slave away at this Blog. Not only do I believe that Rett is more knowledgeable in the Word then me, he is also a much better speller. To the joy of all those spell check police out there.

So here is his Bio.

Hi, my name is Rett Copple and Marcus has asked me to contribute regularly on TransplantMinistries.com.  So Marcus thought it wise for me to type up a short bio so that I could introduce myself. My testimony is as follows…

I was raised a church kid and grew up in a modern day christian culture. Was baptized, gave a profession, made a decision, said a prayer, and was pronounced to be saved. However, I never had a love for God’s word or concerned myself with truth. As a teenager and young adult I rebelled as many do and lived a life that glorified me instead of God. It wasn’t till I was 25 that I really picked up the Bible for the first time. Through reading the Sermon on the Mount, God broke me with the use of his law to show me I was a guilty sinner deserving of nothing but the wrath that was applied to Jesus Christ in my place. I believe at that moment I was born again. Since then I’ve spent most of my time reading, studying, witnessing, singing, and now even preaching the gospel.

I have a YouTube channel were you can check out video’s of Marcus, myself, and all the guys open-air preaching the gospel, as well as a few blogs, and some gospel songs by the quartet I currently sing with from time to time. Just go to Youtube and search my account name (YeeeHaw83)

Also feel free to e-mail me here:

YeeeHaw83@yahoo.com

Facebook.com/Rett.Copple

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. -2 Peter 1:2

In Christ,
Rett Copple