GRESHAM, Ore. (BNc) by Bob Towell — A World English Institute teacher sent the following comments: “I’m having a wonderful experience: 81 and spreading the Word without having to put my coat on and walk out my door.
“At a Wednesday night home Bible study several weeks ago, before everyone got their coffee, I took some time to promote Internet teaching. I told how easy and rewarding the experience is and about the need for more teachers. Would you believe everyone got their treats, headed for the dining room and talked ball scores and golf, without a word ever said about the open door to the world that lay open before them?!
“To this day, NOT A WORD! The group included five or six retired Christian college professors and the prayer regularly includes, ‘Lord, help us …’ — you know the prayer.
“God never commanded Bible study on Wednesday night, but He did have something to say about carrying the message of redemption to the ends of the earth. We have clearly defined faithfulness as ‘attendance’ on Sunday morning, evening, and Wednesday night. ‘Old Brother So-in-So is a faithful soul, he’s here every time the door is open!’ These are nice people and do good things, but we have institutionalized evangelism and feel we’ve participated in the process when we drop our offering into the collection plate!”
The number of teachers using WEI‘s teaching website increased to 284 during the first quarter of 2013. However, current teachers cannot always add new students, so the number of new students dropped from an average of 750 per month last year to fewer than 500 per month.
Please help us continue recruiting new teachers! Souls are waiting to hear the good news of Jesus. When new students wait as much as 48 hours for a teacher, we must decrease Google advertising. Reaching more souls means more advertising, which means more new teachers will always be needed.
What will we say to the Lord when we stand before him if we have failed to carry out his commission?
Read Matthew 9:37, 38.
Bob and Jan Towell are coordinators of WEI. This text excerpted from the Jan-Mar, 2013, WEI report, Dick Ady, editor.
2013-05-04 at 1:49 pm
Is it true to say that The church in America is in apostasy and dying?
The little booklet, THE GOOD NEWS FROM GOD, is available free to anyone who will give it to others: http://goodnewsfromgodbook.wordpress.com/ It is available in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and will soon be in several other languages.
2013-05-04 at 2:25 pm
This is an oddly written article. To say that these people are putting their souls in jeopardy for not being involved in WEI is a stretch. How do we not know that they are not involved in some other sorts of evangelism and they don’t want to brag about their work? I would be very careful publishing an article like this and washing our laundry in public without all the facts.
2013-05-04 at 3:18 pm
A brother told me that in 2011 he visited 100 congregations in 18 Western states. 3 were teaching and baptizing souls. 97 were dying. I know a congregation in TX that some years ago had 2000 in worship and baptized 300+ per year. In 2011 there were 1100 in worship and 25 baptisms. Anyone can hand out THE GOOD NEWS FROM GOD and Bible DVDS [50¢ each] to mass evangelize but few will do it.
2013-05-04 at 4:36 pm
Sounds like our brother is learning something about apathy among members.
2013-05-04 at 8:15 pm
In 1 Kings 19:10 we read the words of Elijah, “And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
Then in verse 18 we read, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”
It is pretty easy to get the Elijah complex when we do not know what others are doing. I am not teaching for pay anymore, but I have never worked harder in my life to take advantage of every opportunity the Lord offers me. There is not a day that goes by that I do not teach someone.
2013-05-05 at 8:39 am
It would be difficult to disagree with any of the thoughtful responses posted here already, pro or con, so perhaps the operative principle here is the “if the shoe fits…” clause.
2013-05-05 at 6:11 pm
Some of the comments to the feature article do have some valid points. The fact of the matter though is this attitude, this apathy is rampant in the church. I am not saying that good is not being done by the Lord’s people be it giving of money, food, clothes, hospital visits, doing volunteer work, etc.. However the fact of the matter is what good is it if we do not include sharing the soul saving message of Jesus. It is all for nothing because the food, clothes and the rest are earthly and our mission is for eternal things. Why is it, if you tell people about the work you are doing that it is boasting? Jesus also told people all the time He was doing the work and will of the Father. Maybe if more of us share what we do and how easy it is to be an internet teacher to people who really are interested in learning the bible, they will get excited too. I sure hope so because teachers are needed for WEI, WBS, and others.