Gospel Dynamite with J. Allen Mashburn

Will You Pray for Me? | Romans 15:30-33 | J. Allen Mashburn

Paul was without a doubt one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Christian who has ever lived. He was a man of power who was used of God in some very magnificent ways. He saw the Lord work more miracles and save more souls that you and I would probably see in several lifetimes. You would think a man of his stature would have needed no one or nothing. However, such is not the case. Several times in the writing of Paul, 1 Thes. 5:25; 2 Thes. 3:1; Heb. 13:18, he is found asking the people of God to pray for him. Here is a man who is on top of the heap spiritually speaking, yet he feels the need to have God's children battling for him in prayer. Yet, here is a man who is keenly aware of the benefit of having the saints of God lift you up in prayer.
As Paul is asking the question, "Who will pray for me?", he is also illustrating for us one of the greatest privileges that is ours as believers. We have the privilege of being part of the ministry and work of others. When we pray for them and carry them and their needs before the Lord, we have a part in their ministry. So, while Paul is asking for people to lift him up, he is also inviting them to join him as he serves the Lord!
You see, down through the years, God has given us some great spiritual giants. However, behind every one of them were people who prayed and touched heaven on their behalf. The names of the prayer partners may not be remembered here, but when the rewards are handed out at the Judgment Seat of Christ, those who labored in the closets will receive as much as those who labored in the field! Let's look at Paul's closing plea to the Roman Christians. He seems to be asking "Who will pray for me?"
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Jacob's Trouble | Matthew 24:1-31 | J. Allen Mashburn

Today, we will be looking at a period of time known in the Bible as "The Time Of Jacob's Trouble."
This phrase is found in Jeremiah 30:6-7. In these verses, Jacob, or the nation of Israel, is portrayed like a man who is about to give birth. This man is suffering great pains and is bowed in agony. The Bible tells us that there are no days to compare with those that Israel must endure. However, verse 7 shows us that Israel will be saved out of those days.
By way of introduction, I would like to share two major reasons for this time known as the Tribulation. 
There are many more reasons that could be stated, but these seem to stand out to me as some of the more crucial.
 
1. To Punish The Gentile Nations - Rom. 1:18; 2 Thes. 2:12-13; Rev. 19:15. For many thousands of years men have spurned the call of God to repentance and salvation. During the Tribulation Period, God will visit wicked humanity with the fruits of their sin: divine judgment!
2. To Purge The People Of Israel - Eze. 20:37-38; Zech. 13:8-9; Mal. 3:3. The Nation of Israel is guilty of rejecting the Messiah and of having a part in His death. However, God will use the terrors of the Tribulation to prepare Israel for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus returns to the earth in power and glory, He will be met by a believing remnant of the Jewish people.
For some, this material can come across as frightening, however, we need to hear these things because there may be those people here who have never repented of their sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. These people, if Jesus returns in their lifetime, will face many of the things we will discuss during the course of this message.
Those of us who are saved will not be here for even one minute of the Tribulation, but we too need to hear about these things. We need our hearts stirred about what the lost of this world are going to face. We need to realize that the responsibility of reaching this world before the Tribulation is on the shoulders of the redeemed people of God. May the Lord use these truths to stir the hearts of His children to action!

The Autobiography of a Traveling Man | Romans 15:22-29 | J. Allen Mashburn

Many people in the world love to travel. They enjoy going from destination to destination seeing one thing after another. I suppose that if I had the resources, traveling is one thing I would do as well. Our text is about such a traveling man.
Paul was probably the greatest missionary that has ever served the Lord. When he lists some of the things he endured for the sake of the Gospel, one of the things he mentions is the fact that he was "in journeyings often", 2 Cor. 11:26. As this great man moved from location to location, he did not do so as a mere tourist. Although the cities through which he traveled contained some of the wonders of the ancient world, Paul wasn't looking for a t-shirt, nor was he just trying to fill his scrapbook with snapshots of the temple of Diana, the coliseum in Rome or the Parthenon in Athens. No, Paul's plans and purposes in traveling were far greater than such earthly things. He traveled from place to place not as a sightseer, but as a soul winner.
As we investigate these verses about the travels of Paul, there are insights that we can learn that will help us as we travel through the Christian life. You see, every Christian is a pilgrim in this world, 1 Pet. 2:11. If we are to travel while we are here, then let us at least learn to make it count for God. 

How to Recognize a Missionary | Romans 15:18-21 | J. Allen Mashburn

We have already seen from this chapter that Paul was a soul winner. He had a heart for the lost and did all he could to reach them for Jesus. In ths passage, Paul portrays himself as a missionary. There is a sense in which these words are interchangeable. However, there is another sense in which they are not. In this second sense, a soul winner is someone who reaches out to the lost where he lives, in his community, in his family, at his place of work. A missionary, on the other hand, is someone who has been sent by the Lord to another place or another country to share the Gospel message.
Now, for a church to be considered a real, New Testament church, that church must be engaged in the business of carrying out the Great Commission. 
This involves our witnessing where we are and from there, reaching out into the whole world. We are to have a program of evangelism where we are, and we are to have a plan that encompasses the entire world in its scope. This is the mandate of the Lord Jesus, Acts 1:8.
So, whether we are at home, at work, or on the foreign field, we are to be soul winner/missionaries all the time. This was Paul's heart and it is the heart that should be within each of our bosoms this evening. I want to take a few minutes to look at this passage and tell you How To Recognize A Missionary. 

How to Recognize a Soul-winner | Romans 15:14-17 | J. Allen Mashburn

We are entering the final section of the book of Romans.  Throughout this great book, Paul has been dealing with the great doctrinal themes of the Christian faith.  He has struck a note so clear and so powerful that there is no disputing his logic, or doubting his conclusions.  Now, as he nears the end of his letter to the Roman Christians, he begins to speak of things that are personal in nature.  Before he closes, Paul wants to share his heart and his motives for service with the believers in Rome.
One of the great things that becomes clear about this man from this passage is the fact that he has a heart for the lost.  Paul was a great preacher, of that there is no doubt.  Paul was a prolific writer.  After all, his pen gave us 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament.  Paul was a pioneer missionary.  
He traveled from place to place starting churches and feeding the sheep of the Lord.  Yet, running through all of this was the fact that Paul had a deep, burning desire to see men saved.  Everywhere this man journeyed, he told men about Jesus.  When he was chained as a prisoner of Rome, Paul was telling men about Jesus.  When he stood before kings and world rulers, he told them about Jesus.  When he encountered a group of women praying by a river, Acts 16, he told them about Jesus.  Paul’s heart was aflame with the message of the Gospel.  He wanted men to know the same Jesus he himself knew so well.
In the verses we have read this evening, Paul’s heart becomes as a soul winner becomes very clear.  As he shares his personal thoughts with us, he also paints a portrait of what a soul winner is. 

Who is the Antichrist and When Will He Appear on the World Scene?

It would appear that there is much confusion about the man of sin, who is to be the final human enemy of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He will be wicked to the core and infused with power by Satan, himself.  The English language does not afford the adequate adjectives to describe the wickedness this man will possess and wield during the Tribulation.  
It is our prayer that by the Word, we can point out truths about this man, his identity during this time of wrath, and his characteristics.  Join us for this study.

The Gospel According to Nebuchadnezzar | Daniel 4:34-37 | J. Allen Mashburn

For over two decades a defiant, cocky man by the name of Napoleon created turmoil in Europe. Despite his small stature, 5 feet 2 inches, he caused great trouble for all the people around him. In a bid to regain some of the power he had lost due to a forced exile, Napoleon led his armies in a swath of devastation across the battlefields of Europe. On June 18, 1815, Napoleon and his armies faced the allied armies of England, Prussia, Russia, Austria, Belgium and The Netherlands, led by the Duke of Wellington.
Before the battle commenced Napoleon, speaking to of his commanding officer, said "We will put the infantry here, the calvary over there, and the artillery in that spot. At the end of the day, England will be at the feet of France, and Wellington will be the prisoner of Napoleon."
The officer responded, "But, we must not forget that man proposes and God disposes."
With his typical arrogance, Napoleon stood as straight and as tall as his 5-foot-two-inch frame would allow ans replied, "I want you to understand, sir, that Napoleon proposes and Napoleon disposes!"
Victor Hugo, the writer, penned these words concerning that battle, "From that moment Waterloo was lost, for God sent rain and hail so that the troops of Napoleon could not maneuver as he had planned, and on the night of the battle it was Napoleon who was prisoner of Wellington, and France who was at the feet of England."
Pride is a ruthless taskmaster! It will convince us that we have all the answers and that we know better than even God. The passage we have read today gives us the testimony of a man who has learned a harsh lesson about the sin and pride that was in his own heart. In these verses, and in several others that precede them, we are given the details of Nebuchadnezzar's journey from sin to salvation. Join us in our study of The Gospel According to Nebuchadnezzar.

The Abundant Life | Romans 15:8-13 | J. Allen Mashburn

I read a story of two mountain villages.  One of these villages got its water from a mountain spring.  In the summer months when the weather was dry, that spring would dwindle down until there was barely a trickle of water coming into that little village.  There is just barely enough water to keep the village alive until wetter weather comes in.
In the center of the other village, there is a fountain that is always flowing with a seemingly endless supple of thirst-quenching, life-sustaining water.  It is an artesian well that continues to gush regardless of how dry the summer months may become.  This village always has an abundance of water for its own needs and for the needs of others.
These two towns stand as a parable for you and I.  They picture to two kinds of Christian life that are available to each of us.  Some believers live a life that is like a dwindling, trickling little stream that barely gives evidence of its existence.  Others live a life that is overflowing with the spiritual blessings of the redeemed: peace, joy and power.  When Jesus was here on this earth, He said that He came to give us “abundant life”, John 10:10.  This is a life that is overflowing with all the blessings of the Spirit of God.  He tells us that when we trust Him, we will be like that artesian well.  Our life will literally gush with the overflow of His work within us, John 4:14.