A NEWSLETTER FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE GREENWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

VOLUME 2 NO. 19                                            June 26, 2005

PERSONAL WORK MEANS “PERSON TO PERSON”

BY W.R. JONES

Some Ways You Can Do Personal Work:
DISCUSS the Word of God with a friend if you have any opportunity to do so.
GIVE A TRACT to a prospect on some appropriate subject.  Keep one on hand at all times.
LET THOSE ABOUT YOU see how happy you are to be just a Christian.
INVITE acquaintances to attend worship services with you and introduce them to others.
TEACH a home Bible study if you are able to arrange one.  Try to arrange a study.
RING DOORBELLS, hand out literature and invite people to the worship services.
BRING children into your home and conduct a Bible class and sing some children's songs.
ENROLL your friends in your Sunday or Wednesday night Bible classes.
PLANT a seed of Truth in someone's heart as you engage him/her in conversation.
WRITE A LETTER to a loved one expressing your interest in his or her soul.
INVITE a prospect for the Truth in your home for a meal.  Develop a friendship if you can.
EXHORT other Christians that they not forsake the assembling of the saints (Hebrews 10:25).
REBUKE worldly and indifferent members, but do it in meekness and fear (Galatians 6:1).
ENCOURAGE the weak and the faint hearted (Romans 15:1).
COMFORT the bereaved in their loss.  They are hunting and they need to know that you care.
BRING SUNSHINE to those who are shut-in and to those who are hospitalized.  It doesn't take long to send a card or make a short visit.
NEVER FORGET---Your mission---to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15).

It is not likely that any Christian can accept all these challenges, but there is no reason you can't pick out some of these and do them.  It is easy to make excuses and ignore your duty before God.  It helps me to remember that Christ did not make excuses when He was called on to die for you and for me.

I recently saw a man wearing a T-shirt, which had an inscription on the front.  The simple statement was:  “JUST DO IT!”

This solves the problem in a hurry.  “Preacher, let's have some meetings and talk about personal work.”  Of course, this might help, but while all this planning is going on why don't we go out and “JUST DO IT?”  “Preacher, we need some expert to tell us what to do in personal work.”  Perhaps this would help, but nothing takes the place of self-motivation that prompts us to “JUST DO IT!”

It is easy to be like the sister who came to the elders and said, “I want to be a part of the visitation program.”  They were elated, of course, to have a volunteer.  They gave her a card with the name of a very discouraged lady and urged her to visit this person and help her.  Weeks passed and the visit had not been made and the card had not been returned as requested.  The elders urged her to fulfill her assignment.  Another week passed and she returned to the elders with the following explanation; “I don't think you understood me.  I want to be in the visitation program, but I wanted to be in the planning group.”  As the old saying goes; “we all can't be chiefs, some of us have got to be braves.”