“What the World Needs Now is…...Phil?”

It wouldn't have made it to the top of the charts way back when,

and it is unlikely Burt Bacharach would have thought it had the

same catchy ring as "love, sweet love". But it is true, - in fact it is

urgent. What the world needs now, from the Church of God in

Canada and beyond, is P.H.I.L. Let me explain.

I had the recent joy of meeting with pastors of a large city church in

Toronto. The focus of the conversation concerned evangelism.

The pastors wondered what it might take for the congregation to

impact the community in a positive way for Christ. Basically, they

were asking the ultimate question: how can we help our people

share their faith in the 9 to 5 of life?

That is when P.H.I.L. came to mind. The Thai Statement on

Evangelism dates back to 1980. Though it doesn't mention Phil by

name, the way I've been able to remember the vital points of that

wise and helpful statement was to give it a name. For me, PHIL is a

simple way to remember the following essential points for any

church that cares enough to share.

Vol. 9—Issue 2 July 2012

Threshold Ministries 105 Mountain View Drive, Saint John NB E2J 5B5

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Watch for some changes that will be coming to the next issue of Influence. We have decided to change the look of our Newsletter for a couple of reasons. First, in our commitment to be frugal, we have decided to change the format to a regular tri-fold style so that it can be mailed in regular envelopes. The larger envelopes are much more costly and this move will help to keep the cost down. Second, with our official partnership status with Threshold Ministries it seemed a significant mile-marker in the ministry of E2 and a change in our Newsletter will reflect this new milestone. Why not help us celebrate this change by doing one of three things: 1. Forward your copy of Influence to someone who you think would

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3. Make a donation to E2 as a way to affirm our new partnership. To be honest the summer is a very difficult time financially and even a small gift at this time will go a very long way to encourage and enable us to press forward.

Meet PHIL:

P - power There is no escaping the fact we are in a spiritual battle. St.

Paul reminds us that 'we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against

spiritual powers in high places'. Spurgeon would tell the church of his

day "Woe betide the Christian worker who neglects the armour of

God". Evangelism often involves a power encounter of one kind or

another. We can buy books and programs and strategize till the cows

come home, but it is the 'effectual prayer of the righteous' that avails

much. In a word, our concern for evangelism can rightly be measured

by how earnestly we pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to open doors

and lives to the message of Life. A caring church resolves to pray for

such power to become reality.

H - humility There is no need to rehearse the many sad and shameful

failures of the church, past and present. There have been a sorry list of

evils carried out in the name of Christ that has given people good

reason to question our motives and actions. At times we can be a

shallow bunch, to say the least. For many outsiders, hypocrisy has

served as a huge stumbling block when it comes to considering the

Gospel. A little humility would go a long way in conversations with our

neighbours about Jesus. A caring church resolves to share the good

news with greater humility.

I - integrity It is an old saying, but true: no one cares how much you

know until they know how much you care. Another old one: I'd rather

see a sermon than hear one any day. That same St. Paul who spoke so

urgently about the armour of God also spoke so passionately about the

fruit of the Spirit. The songwriter of old prayed "Let the beauty of Jesus

be seen in me; all His wondrous attraction and purity. O Thou Spirit

Divine, all my nature refine, till the beauty of Jesus is seen in me". As a

caring church, we need to resemble Jesus if we hope to speak about

Him with any integrity.

L - love It truly is safe to say that evangelism without love simply isn't

evangelism. "There is no room for prejudice, disrespect, or hostility

toward those we want to reach for Christ". (From the Thai Statement

on Evangelism). As another noted, our failures in evangelism are often

failures in love. The question to ask ourselves concerning those we long

to reach for Christ is this: do we love people because we want them to

be converted, or do we want people to be converted because we love

them? A caring church resolves to love others as Christ as has loved us -

no strings attached.

It may not become a hit, but it sure hits the spot: What the world needs

now is PHIL. Why should we keep them waiting?

Bruce Smith

Ambassador-at-large

Threshold Ministries

Just Released One of our own team, David Macfarlane, has published his first book; Ignite Your Life. Filled with inspiring stories and practical motivation to use your one and only life to make a difference. You can buy it on line here if you are receiving this electronically or you can request a copy by visiting www.davidamacfarlane.com when you are at your computer.