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"God Gave Some To
Be Evangelists"
I
experienced God's thrill of victory until the age of 12,
then I experienced six years of agony and defeat. I was the
prodigal son sowing my wild oats. I did not want to obey
God's call, but after six years I returned home to God.
Several
months had passed and that Sunday night I was sitting on the
back row at church with some other teens. I knew God wanted
me to go forward during the invitation, but I found myself
saying, "God, you have already forgiven me!" With God's help
I obeyed and made that long trip down the center aisle of
the Winchester, Indiana, church. As I knelt and prayed I
began to sense bodies gathering around me and the warmth of
the saints and the wind from their prayers. I was already a
Christian but I had further business to do with God. The
songwriter says it best.
"I
yielded myself to His
tender embrace,
and faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters
fell off and 1
anchored my soul:
the haven of rest is my Lord."
My prayer was
simply,
"All the
talents 1 have
1 have laid at Thy
feet;
Thy approval shall be my reward.
Be my store
great or small, 1
surrender it all
to my wonderful, wonderful Lord."
That sanctifying
moment made the call of God stronger than ever. After three
months of praying, "Please Lord! Let me know definitely what
you want me do," God spoke. Twice He spoke the words,
"evangelist/song evangelist." The call was as definite as
the peace that came with it. As my heart welled up with
praise and gratitude my eyes looked down at my watch. God
called me to be an evangelist and song evangelist at 1 :30
p.m., January 23, 1967, at Lynn, Indiana.
Today the God-called
evangelist is a threatened species much like the spotted
owl. In many North American churches, people seem to think
that the itinerant evangelist was a frontier North American
phenomenon that has now become an anachronism and isn't
needed anymore. But I will be forever grateful to the Church
of the Nazarene for acknowledging the office of the
God-called evangelist. From its begimiing to the present,
the role of the God-called evangelist-as authorized by the
church-is to promote revivals and to spread the gospel of
Jesus Christ abroad in the land. The Church of the Nazarene
recognizes three levels of itinerant evangelism to which a
district assembly may assign ministers: registered
evangelist, commissioned evangelist and tenured evangelist.
Every believer has the mandate to go into the world and
preach the gospel, but God called some to be evangelists.
Why? "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians
4: 12).
I urge
every reader to examine your call and renew your commitment
so that together we can fulfill the great commission. We
face a humanity that is too precious to neglect. We know a
remedy too wonderful to withhold. We have a Christ who is
too glorious to hide. And we have an adventure that is too
thrilling to miss.
Evangelist Duane Smith
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To every person is given the power of choice. Many of life's circumstances are
created by three basic choices:
1. The disciplines you choose to keep,
2. The people you choose to be with; and,
3. The laws you choose to obey.
It’s a
good idea to take an interest in your future, because that’s
were you'll spend the rest of your life. Remember, we are
today where our thoughts of yesterday have brought us and
we’ll be tomorrow where our thoughts of today take us. It’s
our choice!
I want
to share with you the greatest thing in the world. This
information is more important than anything else in the
world. I can't begin to tell you how valuable it is. But,
for you to receive this information, you need to not only hear
it, but desire it. Desire it so much that you will listen
intensely. Listen so intensely as to expect that once you
have heard it, you'll understand it, and receive it by faith.
And if you do, it will change your life forever, and you will
never be the same.
Everyone
has to make many decisions in life, but the three most
important decisions you’ll ever make are:
1. What
am I going to do with Christ?
2. Who
am I going to marry for my companion?
3. Where
am I going to work for my career?
Out of
those three decisions, there is one that is the most crucial,
because that decision will influence all other decisions. That
decision will influence all your thinking and all your
choices, your marriage, your parenting, your work, and your
future. That decision is not where you are going to work, or
who you are going to marry, or where and when you may retire.
But the most important decision you will ever make in life is
this: "What you are going to do with Jesus Christ?"
It would
be nice if every person could realize how much God loves them
and cares about them, because if they did, they would turn
their life over to Him. You may be short, tall, fat or
skinny, have shorthair, long-hair, curly hair, straight hair
or no hair, be white, black, red or yellow, but believe me
when I tell you, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for
your life. God wants to work all things for your good, but,
your decisions will either help Him or hinder Him from doing
that.
1. If
you will trust God, here is what will happen. You will
discover that true love comes from God and true forgiveness by
a holy God.
2. Your
faith in God will enable you to embrace the Bible as God's
infallible Word and to follow its teachings. Believing the
Bible to by God's Word will give you direction for everything
that you do in life.
3. The
Bible answers life’s basic questions, such as who I am, where
did I come from, why am I here, where am I going and how do I
get there.
4. The
Bible will give you valuable guidelines to govern your life,
such as the Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments.
5. God's
Word will not only reveal Jesus Christ as God in the flesh and
His unfailing love for you. But it will reveal valuable
promises and assurances, of how “God will supply all of your
need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil.
4: 19).
6. The
Bible will reveal not only how to cope with sorrow and
problems but to also enjoy true and lasting happiness. For
instance, “Jesus said that He came that I might have life and
life more abundantly” (I John 10: 10).
Believe
me, trusting God and His Word has given me an abundant life
here and great hope beyond the grave. I have never regretted
making the most important decision of my life. Not for one
moment have I ever regretted repenting of all my sins, and
asking Jesus to forgive me and following the Bible as God's
Holy Word.
If you
make the most important decision of your life, you too will
accept Jesus Christ into your heart, repent of all your sins
and you’ll be born again, born of the Spirit, born anew and
your life will be changed. Then you will find:
1.
Encouragement in times of trouble,
2. Hope
in times of despair and
3.
Strength in times of weakness.
And
always remember this; as disciples of Jesus Christ, we do not
approach God's will as a buffet table from which we choose
only what pleases our personal tastes. But once we understand
God's will, He requires that we passionately act upon it.
Evangelist Duane Smith
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"Life Is Measured By
God's Grace"
All of us are
conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware, beautifully wrapped in
what others may consider a small one.
I had a very
special math teacher in high school and remember him well because
he was dying of cancer. A few years before, his son had
unexpectedly died. Throughout that year He shared his insight
with the class. Something I took for granted at the time was, he
being a Christian, he was demonstrating God’s living and dying
grace.
Regrettably, I
struggled terribly to live for Christ until the end of my senior
year. But, to this very day, I still reflect on that teacher’s
insights and the impression they made. He never said it outright,
but everyone knew he was fulfilling God's will, because, amidst
his circumstances, he had joy and excitement. I realized from him
that only when we truly know God and understand our time is
limited on earth, and have no way of knowing when our time is up,
that we will begin to love each day to the fullest, as if it was
the only one we had.
I learned that
it doesn’t matter how long we live, but how. We are put here on
earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves.
None of us know when life’s experience will end. It can be taken
away at any moment. Perhaps this is God’s way of telling us we
must make the most out of every single day. I also learned that
we need to look for ways to help and love others. We need to find
something beautiful to notice and cherish the little things we
often take for granted. This may sound trite to some, but we need
to remember, at any time, they can all be taken away.
I know all of
us are busy, but we need to keep working to appreciate all those
things that are easily overlooked. For I’m convinced, it’s not
always the things we do that we often regret, but the things we
didn't do. I’m thankful that God’s grace not only helps us learn,
share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves while we are living,
but helps us to live so we won't cry because life's over; but
smile because it happened.
Evangelist Duane Smith
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The
Secret to Inner Contentment and Peace is God
The secret to
inner contentment is not having an all-together life, but having a
heart and mind that is all-together focused on Christ. Then we
can choose not to be ruled by the things of this world.
So often we let
situations determine our state of mind. If things are going well,
we’re happy. If they aren’t, we’re unhappy. But there is a
difference between happiness and joy. Happiness comes from
external things: what we have, what we do, what we look like and
who our friends are. And just as external things make us happy,
they also let us down; your company gets bought out, you lose your
job, your boyfriend decides he wants to “just be friends,” and
your brand-new car is rear-ended.
Joy on the
other hand, comes from within. It is an inner fulfillment and
strength of spirit that can shine even in the midst of extreme
hardship. It is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. As a
Christian, I have good reason to be joyful! God is love, but
God’s love does not cause Him to overlook sin, but it’s God’s love
that caused Him to care enough about us to do something to cure
sin. 16"For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe
stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name
of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light
has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light
because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil
hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that
his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the
truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that
what he has done has been done through God."
Because God
loves me unconditionally, paid the price for my sins, this gives
me rest for my soul and my life has peace, purpose and meaning.
Read Romans 8 -
“Life through the Spirit”
1 Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me
free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law
was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,
God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be
a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4
in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be
fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature
but according to the Spirit.
5 Those that live according to
the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature
desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have
their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind
of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is
life and peace; 7 the sinful mind[f]
is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do
so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot
please God.
9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful
nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And
if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong
to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is
dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of
righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised
Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from
the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his
Spirit, who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it
is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will
die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the
body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by
the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not
receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of Sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we
are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we
are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we
share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his
glory.
Future Glory
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not
worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of
God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected
to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one
who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself
will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the
glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning
as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits
of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption
as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this
hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who
hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for
what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our
weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the
Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance
with God's will.
More than
Conquerors
28 And we know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified;
those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If
God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not
spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not
also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is
God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ
Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the
right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or
hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all
day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither
death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor
the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Evangelist Duane Smith
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The
Good News About Salvation & Sanctification
The Good
News is this, God is willing to perform a miracle through
a new birth where our basic natures are changed and we are made
new creatures in Christ. And for more Good News,
when believers are brought into a state of entire devotion to God
by presenting themselves a living sacrifice, God’s grace cleanses
the self-life where their heart is and made free from original
sin.
As salvation
makes a way for the believer to be delivered from the guilt of
sins and the penalty of the law, sanctification makes a way for
the believer's entire deliverance from the power of sin in their
sinful nature.
God in
Christ made the provision for the complete salvation of every
person. “The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but
that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3: 9)
God also wants all to be transformed into the image of Christ and
filled with His Spirit. The Bible tells us God wills to impart
His holiness to all who call upon Him.
"May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and
through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is
faithful and he will do it" (1 Thessalonians
5: 23, 24).
The
Manual in the Church of the Nazarene states that: “Entire
sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought
instantaneously by faith, preceded by entire consecration; and to
this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.”
Christians
are always growing in grace. After we’ve been born again and
entirely sanctified, the Christian will always be in a continual
process of being transformed into the likeness of Christ, because
God is never finished with us.
Also,
Christians will always be tempted and susceptible to yielding.
However, when the believer's will is wholly aligned with God's
will, the fullness of love expels their desire to sin and the holy
obedience of love is made perfect. So let’s praise God for making
a way for the entire deliverance from not only the penalty of the
law, but from the power of sin as well.
“Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what
we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like
Him, for we shall see Him as He is” - (I John 3: 2).
Evangelist Duane Smith
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“What Kind of a
Christian Are You?”
As the Lord
directs, it is our intention to reach as many people as possible
with the Good News, while encouraging God’s people to be
authentic, genuine, sincere Christian’s everyday in everyway.
There is nothing that compares to the joy of living wholly and
completely surrendered to the will of God.
Let me begin by
asking, “What kind of a Christian
are you?”
I’m not asking
if you are a member of a church or what “brand of church” you
attend. Nor am I asking where you were baptized or when did you
last take the Lord’s Supper.
I am more
interested in the strength of your commitment to Christ, the
confidence you have in His Word, the loyalty you show to His
Church, and the degree to which your faith in Christ affects your
life.
Do
you think as Christ would have you think?
It is a
question that I often ask myself. That question also helps me
make it a practice to honestly answer these questions:
1. Have I tried
to do what God wants me to do, and only what he wants me to do?
2. Have I faced
what is happening in my life with the confidence and faith that my
Heavenly Father is watching over me? Am I always rejoicing,
constantly praying, and giving thanks in every situation?
(I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
3. Have I,
after doing what God wants me to do, leave all things absolutely
up to Him? Am I resigned to do whatever, go wherever, and be
whoever He wants me to be?
4. Have I taken
back any of the commitments I have made to God?
5. Have I been
cheerful and kind in what I have said and done?
6. Have I been
faithful to speak out for virtue in my community & home?
7. Have I tried
to win someone to Jesus?
It is important
that we openly and honestly confront these questions. It is
really not a matter of “if”, but when” we will face the truth. It
is better to face the truth, and to repent now, than it is to wait
until it is too late.
The Apostle
Paul warned that a time would come when people would have a “form
of godliness,” but they would not experience God’s saving power.
We are seeing that today. Ritual has replaced right living.
Feeling good has replaced being good. Pop psychology has so
diluted Christianity that there is little similarity between
Biblical Christianity and the modern day church. And slick
marketing schemes have been substituted for our Lord’s call to
discipleship.
Surely God is
looking for leaders who will stand in the gap, and make up the
hedge. Surely God is looking for people who will not bend their
knees to worship the idols of contemporary man—carnal pleasure,
worldly entertainment, and a lifestyle that caters to the flesh.
THANK THE LORD!
Not every Christian has bought into cheap grace. There are still
people who take seriously their commitment to Christ. There are
still people who are taking up the cross and living as disciples
of the Crucified. There are still people who are walking “in
the Spirit.” There are still people who have not segmented
Christianity to one hour of their week or to only one aspect of
their lives.
Evangelist Duane Smith
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Total Consecration
To believer’s who have decided
and are determined to be absolutely and entirely God's, then
nothing shall separate you from the love of Christ. Paul asks
that question and answers it this way.
“Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or
nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written; for your sake we
face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death
nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the
future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of
God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro. 8: 35 – 39).
Total consecration is a question
of will, not of debate, nor of reasoning, but a complete surrender
of will. God wants lives so consecrated to him, that whether they
live or die, there will never be any love greater than their love
for Him. He is their all in all. God wants believers to be so
determined, that nothing will deter them from doing His will.
Every person comes down on one side or the other on that
decision. And, from the moment of that decision, every person
will know which side they are on. If they are considering what it
will cost them, or others, or what they have to give up, then they
are still deciding, and their consecration is not complete.
Satan would love to drive a
wedge between Christians and the witness of the Holy Spirit.
Satan knows if Christian’s debate and question their
consecration, eventually it will discourage and divide them until
they fall. But God knows, united will stand, and when one is
completely consecrated to Him, they will have the peace and
empowerment to live victoriously.
Christians live by faith, not
feeling, in total obedience to God, with their will lost in His.
As they learn more of God’s love they understand their own
limitations and humanity. They learn how merciful God is on those
difficult days when their attitudes and patience are lacking and
in those moments, immediately want His forgiveness. God is not
quick to condemn, but anxious to forgive, pick up, brush off and
say, spend more time with me.
Total consecration is not just a
one time thing, but it’s continuous and without compromise.
Christians must obey the dictates of the Spirit, because the world
is constantly trying to squeeze them into its mold. One cannot
allow the natural life to rule, for God must rule in absolutely
every thing. If there is any compromising on the dictates of the
Spirit in any area, the Spirit is quick to reveal it. If there is
one standard revealed by the light of God and one does not come up
to it, and does not feel inclined to come up to it, that is the
beginning of backsliding, because one’s conscience does not answer
to the truth. Once a truth is revealed, one can never be the
same; they either obey and go on as a true disciple or go back as
a deserter. Total consecration gives one the power to live in the
present, the faith to look to the future and the peace to leave
the past with God.
Some may have trouble forgiving
themselves. If one debates, doubts or questions their
consecration, they may need to ask these questions:
1. Has God forgiven me?
2. Have I forgiven others and
myself?
Answering these questions
affirmatively brings God’s peace and assurance. However, there is
another question one could ask, and that is; do I need to ask
forgiveness from others? If so, an apology must be made. If
apologies have been made and others are not willing to forgive,
that must be left with God. Before making restitution; one should
be certain it is of God. God encourages His children to try the
spirits. “Dear Friends, do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from
God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (I
John 4: 1). Satan is out to hinder making mountains out of
a mole hills and if he gets
an inch, he'll be a ruler. However,
God is not the author of
confusion and for those who are eager to obey; God will reveal
what needs to be done.
Let me encourage everyone to
live a totally consecrated life to God and be Jesus to the best of
your ability 24/7. May Paul’s words encourage you as they did
Timothy, “For I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy
1: 12). To
those determined to be absolutely and entirely God’s, His peace
and power will keep you unto that day.
Evangelist Duane Smith
For
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John Wesley’s Holy Club
Members of John
Wesley’s Holy Club, over 200 years ago, asked
themselves 22
questions each day in their private devotions:
1. Am I consciously or
unconsciously creating the impression that I am a better
person
than I
really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I
honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I
confidentially pass on what was told to me in confidence?
4. Can I
be trusted?
5. Am I a
slave to dress, friends, work or habit?
6. Am I
self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
7. Did the
Bible live in me today?
8. Do I
give God time to speak to me every day?
9. Am I
enjoying prayer?
10. When
did I last speak to someone else of my faith?
11. Do I
pray about the money I spend?
12. Do I
get to bed on time and get up on time?
13. Do I
disobey God in anything?
14. Do I
insist on doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
15. Am I
defeated in any part of my life?
16. Am I
jealous, impure, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
17. How do
I spend my spare time?
18. Am I
proud?
19. Do I thank God I am not as
other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised
the publicans?
20. Is there anyone I fear, or
dislike, or criticize, or resent? If so, what am I doing
about it?
21. Do I
grumble and complain constantly?
22.
Is Christ real to me?
Evangelist Duane Smith
For
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D U A N E S M I T
H M I N I S T R I E S , I N C .
P. O. Box 7
Randolph, Kansas 66554
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