I revised my "Fruits" tract, also known as the "Jamba Juice Coupon". It is aimed at false converts but should be useful to anyone. Your thoughts are appreciated, as I gear up to print 5000 of these.
Thank you very much, your thoughts will be considered carefully.
PS: If anyone wants this template, I'll send it to you. I print through AmericasPrinter.com. Much cheaper than purchasing tracts from most places.
Wow dude... thats pretty cool! I wouldnt change a thing.
Krispy
Wow, you have packed a lot of great Biblical teachings into one page! The challenge, of course is for all of this information to be unpacked and assimilated by the reader.
Why not print off a few copies and give to your non-Christian friends and relatives, telling them you would appreciate their input. Then, through your discussions you may see ways you wish to modify your presentation. That could also give you great opportunities to testify to what Christ has been doing in your life, and what he means to you.
(Because my eyes are not as good as in former years, the colour contrast presented a bit of a strain, especially the light green on the orange. You may wish to increase the contrast.)
Above all, lay your "seed" on the altar, and let the fire of God consume it, and grow your ministry into beautiful fruit for the name of Jesus.
"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." Jn 12:25
Hey, you are on the right track(t) for sure. After all, the Gospel is GOOD NEWS! You want your readers to know WHY it is good news!
Diane
Thank you both very much. Sharing some "test tracts" with unsaved friends is a great idea. I'll adjust the contrast too.
Mike, it looks great.
One problem though, Calvinists don't believe in evangelism! ;-)
Kidding, kidding.
You missed out Heaven and Hell!
One problem though, Calvinists don't believe in evangelism!
Actually some Calvinists are very evangelistic. Spurgeon was.
However, I have recently run across several Calvinist (or "Reformed" as they prefer to be called) pastors where I live who preach [i]against
"God doesnt need our help... He's sovereign!" is their justification for that.
However, most Calvinists do evangelize and carry out the Great Commission. You can quote Calvinistic doctrine till the cows come home and the pigs get slopped... as long as you telling others about Jesus, it doesnt bother me.
Krispy
Great message Michael! It might make a good script for a podcast as well.
MC
Two things I would change, mostly on back.
1st: More about God's Love for them AS a sinner, and His desire to see them saved. God loved me before He saved me.
2nd: Less words, more "white space". It seemed crammed a bit, and somewhat doctrinal. People aren't apt to finish if not easily read.
Otherwise, I like the idea.
Krisy said,
However, I have recently run across several Calvinist (or "Reformed" as they prefer to be called) pastors where I live who preach against evangelism... believe it or not.
That's disgusting. If that is what someone thinks is Calvinism, call me something else. I certainly believe in the sovereignty of God, but I also believe we ought to obey what is black and white. The bible says preach, it says cry, it says plead. These are means ordained by God, just as eating is the usual means to health, or planting seeds and tending the field is the ordinary means of having it grow.
The response of sinners to evangelism, like the growth of the field, is not my business to force. But if I don't see a response, expect me to start tilling rocks.
DeltaDom - "where's heaven and hell?"
It's there. Catch these lines - "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire." (Hell) "Shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Heaven) "Not everyone shall enter the kingdom of heaven" (Heaven and Hell) "Endured the penalty of God's wrath" (By implication, wrath if you don't have Jesus) "Will have everlasting life." (Heaven)
BrotherTom - I agree, I'll try to reword it to emphasize that his love logically precedes his foreknowledge of our coming to Him. He loves us, not because He saw our coming, but out of grace in Christ.
Less white space may not happen. It's a risk we'll have to take.
On the front page, you have "thistels". Should be "thistles".
I think it's a great tract.
Thanks everyone! Thanks, Joseph, for catching the typo. I printed 5000 tracts once with a wrong verse reference. :-?
I rewrote it once more and enlarged the font (slightly) since all of this has been discussed. If you have the patience, please read it one more time and let me know what you think so I can get this ready to print.
Here it is:
[url=http://theopenlife.blogspot.com/2008/05/revised-fruits-tract.html]Final Version of Tract
Very nice!
Thanks, HeartSong.
For those of you who purchase or make your own tracts, I recommend Americasprinter.com.
It can be as cheep as $99 for 5000 full color tracts, or $250 for 20,000!!! (One for every person in a small town)
I usually print on 16pt (thick) glossy card stock, in the 1/8th page size. These resist moisture and are sturdy enough to stick in car window seals, and fit in my wallet. This is a little more expensive, at $129 for 5000, or $170 for 10,000. They hold up real well, though.
I likey very, very much.
Very nice!
I see that your main target audience is:
It is aimed at false converts
Of course, one of the characteristics of false converts is their uncanny ability to nod in aggreement to Biblical teachings, and also assess themselves as having the character of a true convert. With that in mind, you have a tough challenge: to break through the astronomical barriers and immunities. Without the work of the Spirit preparing the soil, the seeds will likely merely fall on rocky soil. For sure, your project is totally reliant on God.
Thus, laying it on the altar is of utmost importance. Without the Spirit, it would be like trying to drive a car without gas.
May the Lord be your strength and guide. And may he give you discernment.
Wait on the Lord.
(Let us know how your non-converted friends and family members respond to the tract.)
Diane
As someone who came to Christ as an adult and a "foriegner," who lives in North America I see through slightly different eyes perhaps.Most of who I believe to be "false professors," would agree with everything on the tract. They would not identify themselves as the target audience becuase they believe that they are a work in progress and they "rely," on the grace of God.
When I attempt to adress this with people I simply ask them when they were born-again, the day and the hour. Any genuine Christian would love to share this information. Then I ask about their "experience." What did they "feel." Two dirty words amongst the religious folks. For instance, if they did not "feel," remorse for their sinful past, a sense of conviction, if they were merely purchasing fire insurance, then they probably fall into the thorns and thistles category.
If they have never "experienced," the presence of God then again, the same category. There is a difference of course, from knowing about Jesus, and actually "knowing," Him. I was born and raised a Catholic so I know all about knowing about Him. I also "gave my heart to the Lord," when I was nine. I liked God when I was nine, it was expected of me to do it since my mother was now a Christian, I had good thoughts about Jesus when I was nine, but I certainly was not saved.
My life went on to prove that. Most American Christians I know were "saved," as children. Their lives as adults prove otherwise. There are no grandchildren in the Kingdom, only children. So, when I gave my heart to Jesus when I was 26, I was actually saved. If you are a parent of a child who was "saved," as a child, do not be fooled. Their actions, their fruit, will show you what kind of tree that they are. Do not give them false hope. The importance of giving your adult life to Jesus cannot be overemphasised. There is a reason why over 90% of kids "lose," their salvation when they go to College and it has nothing to do with the College system, it simply proves that they were never saved in the first place.......Frank
Appolus and RoadSign, I agree with both of your observations. I made it through a bible college, and was a foreign missionary to Australia for some time, before I was brought to acknowledge my need to be born again.
I can only be as clear as possible and trust the rest to the Spirit. I am certain that He will "add daily to the church such as should be saved." (Acts 2) Praise God that my role is to use means, and His to secure ends.
If I print and distribute 10,000 of these and just one person is awakened, then that is one eternally valuable person forever crowning Christ and enjoying heavenly fellowship. God's will be done.
Dear Michael,
Your design is great and I can see you have put much effort into creating this tract. You may get some good responses when all is said and done. However, there is something which a tract [i]cannot
2Co 3:2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
2Co 3:3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, [i]written [u]not with ink[b]the Spirit of the living God[i][u]not on tablets of stone[b]on tablets of flesh[b]of the heart
What the Spirit of God has written on your heart surpasses by far any written document to an unknown person. When the Lord met with people, He discerned in the Spirit what they needed to hear and He spoke those words. They were Spirit and they were Life. It was not a sure-fire formula. There is something manipulative and dishonest about using a gospel tract, even this gospel tract. You sort of unload it on the person (who usually doesn't know what this is) and move on. So you become this impersonal messenger, which makes the preaching of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ no different than peddling commercial flyers at a street corner or gateway.
This is not about getting people to come to Christ, but about [i]showing them the real Christ[i]the adequate reality[i]being a God-sent preacher of the Word
So these are the questions you need to ask yourself before printing and giving out the tracts. Are they presenting an adequate view of the living God? Or are they cheapening the Gospel, and serving as a bail out of the responsibility to walk as Christ walked on earth, [i]in the power of the Spirit
I have given out Gospel tracts in the past, and I can testify these have been some of the most humiliating and spiritually mortifying experiences of my life--when God even used unbelievers to speak truth into my life, showing me I had an inadequate and lesser understanding of Himself.
Whether we [i]all
In Christ,
Slavyan
When I attempt to adress this with people I simply ask them when they were born-again, the day and the hour. Any genuine Christian would love to share this information. Then I ask about their "experience." What did they "feel."
Looking back over my many years in evangelical churches, where salvation “experience” was the prime litmus test of authenticity, I now see your criteria questions in a different light. A person’s “feel” experience may indeed be a sense of God’s presence, his blessings, and like for ancient Israel in the desert, a taste of the Spirit (Heb.) There may even have been some degree of conviction, even the “appropriate” prayers, tears, and rituals. But eventually, mayby not for years, it becomes evident that the seeds fell on rocky soil.
Actually, there is no example in scripture where any of these means are used to assess authenticity. There may be a good reason for that. As humans we are remarkably chameleon-ish. That means, we can easily adapt to the environment we are in, and take in its colur, its social/spiritual expectations. And thus, it is natural to conform to the expectations. I am a good example of this.
In fact, I could use myself as a prime example of an “exception” to your model. The spiritual birth process in my life took far more than a “minute”, and often during that time I was aware of no “feel”. Much of the process involved a shedding of faulty thinking and false trusts.
If I print and distribute 10,000 of these and just one person is awakened,
it cannot substitute a testimony of Christ with "a demonstration of the spirit and of power.
I think people have a right to see the reality of Christ in a flesh and blood person – those who care about them, are genuinely interested in their lives, and above all model the beauty of Christ. In our emphasis on “mass” evangelism, we still need to retain the value of loving people into the kingdom: one at a time.
But, hey, don't throw out those tracts! There's a lot of good seed there.
Diane
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