Sometimes when waiting to board a plane to return home after an event, I’m sad for the group of Christians I’m leaving behind. Sometimes the group is very small and individuals struggle to find the teachers and encouragement that they need. That’s not the case as I leave the Lakeside church in Orange Park (Jacksonville) Florida. I watched elders who were onsite all day long for four incredible days. Not only were they onsite, but their radar was obviously up for any problems. They were moving about the kitchen, the auditorium, greeting the people and, in general. working to be sure things ran smoothly. It was obvious they had spent time in planning and prayer prior to the event. There were good numbers of people present and ladies in my classes were extremely encouraging. The singing was incredibly moving and the lessons were packed with the Word and practical applications. I’m richly blessed and so grateful to have been a part of this strengthening Spark, produced by this church and Polishing the Pulpit. The hospitality and kindnesses to Glenn and me were so very generous.
The reason I’m writing, though, is that there may be readers who are still unaware of the great resource that the combined efforts of House to House/Heart to Heart, Polishing the Pulpit, and Glad Tidings provides to those who find themselves trying to serve our Lord from areas of the world that are struggling though spiritual famine. Here’s a short and non-exhaustive list of what you may be needing.
***Affordable books and an awesome variety of tracts that are encouraging and are great tools for evangelism (from Glad Tidings).
***Thousands of lessons on hundreds of topics available with your subscription to PTP365 (from Polishing the Pulpit).
***Two yearly conferences that are the best and biggest for Christians held each summer in Branson, MO and Sevierville, TN. Hundreds of lessons and speakers for all ages and spots in the body of Christ. This is a great place to start! If you go once, you’re hooked (from Polishing the Pulpit)! …There’s a recap video of this year’s PTP on this page: https://www.facebook.com/PolishingThePulpit
***An annual nationwide door-knocking opportunity with provided materials to expedite evangelism in your community. (from House to House).
***Several and varied annual locations for PTP Spark conferences. These four or five day mini-PTP conferences are great opportunities to get the feel for what the large summer conferences in Tennessee and Missouri offer. PTP puts together your topics and speakers and lots of the advertising for your congregation. It’s a great opportunity to boost the Lord’s work in your area. (This is the event we just finished in Jacksonville, Florida. It’s from Polishing the Pulpit.)
***House to House/Heart to Heart is a monthly publication distributed to the community that surrounds your congregation’s meeting place. Full of information about the church and lighter spiritual reading for those in your community who may know little about the church, House to House also makes sure the local congregational events you’d like your community to know about are displayed in each issue.
***The Spiritual Sword is also a monthly publication mailed to thousands of locations around the world,. Each month there’s a particular doctrinal theme. The little book is full of articles by good and faithful writers who have studied the Word. Difficult questions are often addressed. This is meat! (House to House/Heart to Heart…If it’s not there yet, ;look for it soon!)
***Congregational Evangelism Seminars by Rob Whitacre. I cannot wait for this to happen at my home congregation next spring. I’ve heard so many good things about this work (House to House/Heart to Heart)!
Today, I’m just saying you can grow spiritually, by leaps and bounds, if you take advantage of even one of the resources listed. The entire list may seem overwhelming. Wade slowly in, though, and you will be swimming in deeper (and more fulfilling) spiritual waters! The best part is, every single one of the resources listed here have produced multiple opportunities for people to come to know Christ. Through each of these, people have been saved by the blood of Christ. Some of them have been the door for hundreds!
Here are the three sites you need:
You’ll be blessed!
