ACTIVE FOR THE LORD
Manipulated or Motivated?

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
This is a clear statement of God’s desire and purpose for His people.

Acts 17: 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
This gives His demands upon the entire human race.


I The question is: How are men moved toward meeting God’s expectations?
A. They can be manipulated to make an outward appearance of conforming.
1. This means the will of the Manipulator is being done.
B. They can be Motivated, which means their wills have been changed. They obey God because they want to do so.

II Manipulated professions of faith;

A Much child-evangelism and some ‘soul winning’ methods fall into this category.
Children, by their very nature, are vulnerable to manipulation.
1. Asking an entire class of children to pray for salvation.
2. Peer pressure professions – some youth camps are a good example of this.

B. Positive reinforcement professions –

1. i e “You don’t want to go to hell, do you” (nod your head to elicit the correct response)

You believe Jesus died for your sins, yes? Then repeat after me – Lord, I accept your free gift of salvation, Thank you, Amen!
Of course this is a condensed, perhaps exaggerated, version, but it goes on much too often. No place for the Holy Spirit to convict, nor for repentance.


C. Salvation to ‘qualify’;

1. "I can’t date (or marry you, or run around with you.) unless you become a Christian (or join my church),

While these should be criteria for a Christian, it is not the way to lead a person to Christ. They must repent and commit themselves to Christ because they are convinced (Paul used the word ‘persuaded’) of their condition before God, and accept the remedy God has provided, not to meet someone else’s conditions.

III Motivated Professions of Faith
A. How God motivates sinners
1. By the hearing of the word
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
2. By the convicting of the Holy Spirit
Jno 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
3. All this is the kindness of God, leading to repentance
Rom 2: 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?


B. Our part in motivating sinners;
1. By presenting the word
I Cor 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
2. Convict them by our Godly living
I Pet 2: 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
3. Appeal to their sense of self-preservation
Jude 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Judgment, hell, fire and brimstone are all powerful motivating factors when coupled with things previously mentioned.

IV Manipulated into service –
A. Many like to be manipulated to temporary service, because it provides a temporary high with no lasting commitment!
Examples: “Help me win a contest”; Match MY efforts: Win a prize (sample offerings I’ve heard of, range from a big mac to a new car)
B. Others fall into a trap and then resent having been used!

V The Bible always speaks of True service as having been MOTIVATED
A. From the standpoint of personal gain –
1.Temporal blessings

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.


2. Eternal treasure

Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:


3. A Crown or crowns

II Tim 4: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
4. Bridal relationship

II Cor 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.



Jno 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.


B. From the standpoint of fear:
1. Of Loss

ICor 3: 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
2. Of Becoming a castaway

I Cor 9: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
3. Of Chastisement

Heb 12: 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?


VI Best motivation of all
I The Mercy Of God –

Rom 12: 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2. The love for God –
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.


I Jno. 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
I Jno 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

3. That I might win Christ
Phil 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,.


4. An incorruptible crown
I Cor 9: 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.


I Pet 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.




Rev 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.



Can YOU say with Paul?

II Tim 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Are you a personal worker who witnesses and desires to lead the lost to the Lord! God Bless You! Consider your motivations. Is it only from a genuine concern for that lost soul, or have other things crept in like pride: I won this many; or our church has bigger numbers and more professions than your church does.