Prison Ministry New Converts: Please write letter of Encouragement… Aaron Hickerson (~30) Randall Vaughn (Age 53) Christopher Olive (Age 42) Mail Letters To: Henderson County Jail 170 Justice Center Dr. Lexington, TN Attn: Inmates Name

Why Do We Not Take Advantage of More Opportunities? Fear (Revelation 21:8). Ignorance (II Peter 3:18). Bad experience (Matthew 10:14). Discouragement (Galatians 6:9). Indifference (I John 3:14). As Christians, we must continually examine our lives (II Cor. 13:5). From time to time, we may find areas of inadequacy that need our attention. One of the most fundamental obligations of a Christian is surprisingly neglected by some.

and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 NKJV)

Acts 8:26-40

Make Yourself Available To People... Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." (Acts 8:26-29 NKJV)

Take The Initiative… So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" (Acts 8:30 NKJV) We need to approach people, not simply respond to them. The message of the gospel is still "go!" (Mt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15).

Be Tactful… And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth." So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?" (Acts 8:31-34 NKJV) We need to be sure that if one is offended, he is offended at the message, and not by the messenger. But "tact" cannot be allowed to stand in the way of "contact".

Be Precise… So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. (Acts 8: NKJV) Get to the point, and don't allow yourself to become sidetracked. Side issues are often tempting, but refrain. John 4:20-24; John 16:12 The primary issues in evangelism are not: What is the mark of the beast? Do you believe in guardian angels? Where did Cain get his wife? The primary issue in evangelism is, "What is your relationship with God?”

Lift Up Your Eyes… "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! (John 4:35 NKJV) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:6-9 NKJV)