20 - 20 Vision

Ac 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

I call this 20-20 vision "publickly, and from house to house,"

Now I know that there are many that say that door knocking is "old school" and a waist of time but we will continue to go simply because I believe God teaches us to. We will use other means as well but weather it works or not we will not stop going out and knocking on those doors.
When I came to Northwest Baptist Church I was told that the church has never had an organized soul winning and visitation program. So I started started soul winning classes on Thursday nights and last night was our first time out door knocking. We only run about 35-40 on Sunday morning but we had 8 out last night and I know of 4 more that will be going out Saturday morning. I am not sure how many doors were knocked but I know there were many good prospects and one lady trusted Christ.
There are 35,000 people in Leavenworth if we figure 3 people per house that's about 12,000 homes if we can knock on 250 homes week we can cover the town in a year. I get excited to think about what God will do here in Leavenworth as a result of this effort.
The Lord was very good to us last night and we are anxious to see what the results will be for the rest of the week.

The King James Version "Why"

Our Church has decided to stick with the old "KING JAMES VERSION" of the Bible. The alarming number of English Bibles is one of the most important religious phenomena of recent years. It is our view that the production of these new translations has served to undermine the spiritual foundations of our country and weaken the message of her churches. The new versions are not really better than the old one. We are going to keep the King James Bible for several compelling reasons.
THEOLOGICAL REASONS
TEXTUAL REASONS
PHILOSOPHICAL REASONS
CULTURAL REASONS
PRACTICAL REASONS
Many publishers claim that the new translations are easier to understand, misleading people into thinking that they will be able to better understand the Word of God but the derivative copyright law insist that:

"To be copyrightable, a derivative work must be
different enough from the original to be regarded
as a 'new work' or must contain a substantial
amount of new material. Making minor changes
or additions of little substance to a pre-existing
work will not qualify the work as a new version
for copyright purposes."

Therefore, all new Bible versions must change the simple one or two syllable Anglo-Saxon words of the King James Version into complex, multi-syllable Latinized words.

For all of these reasons, it just makes good sense for conservative, Bible-believing churches to keep the old King James Bible as their standard text. The new versions present to many problems and simply are not fit to replace the English version we have trusted for so long. Lets stick with the King James! The movement to abandon it will move us from clarity to confusion, from authority to anarchy, from faith to doubt. We ought not to make such a move!

Today Matters

Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Ex 32:29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD

What you today matters, not just to you but to those that are around you. What you do today will determine what will happen to you tomorrow, It is sad but most people don’t lead their lives - they accept their lives. John Wooden said, “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” “Make each day your masterpiece.”
I want to give you some practical things you can do to help make the most of today because "today matters"

Attitude - Choose and display the right attitudes daily The confident person increases his chances for success. The pessimist invites the negative outcome he expects.

Priorities - Determine and act on important priorities daily We cannot change time, only our priorities. Time management has nothing to do with the clock, but everything to do with organizing and controlling your participation in certain events that coordinate with the clock.
Excellence comes from doing the right things right. People who reach their potential and fulfill their dreams determine and act on their priorities daily. I must prioritize my life and give focus and energy to those things that give the highest return. Ask: (1) What is required of me; (2) What gives me the greatest return; (3) What gives me the greatest reward.

Health - Know and follow healthy guidelines daily Your health impacts you emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

Family - Communicate with and care for my family daily Home ought to have unconditional love; be a safe place to fail; make members feel secure. Success means having those closest to me love and respect me the most.

Thinking - Practice and develop good thinking daily Thought is the original source of all wealth, all success, all material gain, all great discoveries and inventions, and all achievements. Value people with ideas.

Commitment - Make and keep proper commitments daily Commitment gives a person great tenacity.

Finances - Earn and properly manage finances daily Money is a tool to achieve one’s goals. Debt brings unhappiness.

Faith - Deepen and live out my faith daily Faith will carry a person through all of life.

Relationships - Initiate and invest in solid relationships daily If you like people, then no matter where you go, you’ll meet a friend. If you have one true friend in life, you are fortunate. If you have two real friends, it is highly unusual. Love others unconditionally, look for ways to add value, and bring joy to your relationships.

Generosity - Plan for and model generosity daily I will live to give. It comes from the heart.

Values - Embrace and practice good values daily Values are your ‘North Star’; your ‘Anchor’; your ‘Faithful Friend.’ Value to be a man of God; to live up to your potential; to be a spiritual leader.

Growth - Desire and experience improvements daily Overcome stagnation with personal growth. If I grow, the church will grow. Grow in areas that will add value. Improve a little everyday and you will make great progress.

Confidence

Sometimes people question my confidence, they think that I should not exercise so much confidence. I try to make it known that my confidence is in the Lord and not in my own abilities. This is something, I believe that can be developed, if we will learn some principles and apply them to our life.
Here are a few things we can implement in our life to develop confidence in God, and confidence in the fact that God wants to and will use us to accomplish His will.

Job 31:24 ".... Thou art my confidence" Pr 3:26 "For the LORD shall be thy confidence,..." Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Focus on your potential instead of your limitations.
Avoid comparing yourself to others. You are unique. Focus on your uniqueness. Do not put on a mask – be yourself. Do the best you can with what you have.

Accept your imperfections.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Aim for personal excellence.
Find your ‘gift(s)’. Work in the area that is your strength. Your strengths and abilities make you unique.

Replace self-criticism with right thinking.
Express statements of hope. Today will be a great day. This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Dare to be different.
It is a danger to try to please others. Be yourself. A true friend is someone who knows all about you and accepts you anyway.

Overcome the fear of failure.
Failure is an event, not a person. A just man falls seven times and rises up again.

Dealing with guilt.
Determine if it is from sin. If so, accept God’s gift of forgiveness. When God forgives, forgive yourself and move on. If guilt is unreasonable, quench each thought of guilt and tell yourself that that guilt is unreasonable and why it is unreasonable.

Fully Persuaded

Ro 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Persuasion comes from Latin ‘Per’ means ‘through’ and ‘suasio’ means 'sweetness'.
Before you can persuade people, you need to know what it is you want to accomplish.

Place yourself in the other person’s shoes. We persuade from getting the perspective of others. Ask: What do they know? What do they feel?
A calf wouldn’t return to the barn. A little girl thrust her finger in its mouth. Lured by this maternal gesture, the calf followed the girl into the barn. People are like the calf. Give them a good reason – one of their reasons – a way in which they will benefit, and they will gently follow along. People do things for their reasons – not your reasons.
And those reasons are emotional, aroused by the ways they feel.
Expose problems immediately. Always deal with the problem issues up front. This establishes a base of trust.
Leaders are going somewhere, and they are able to persuade other people to go with them. Effective risk-taking leadership takes place when I sense conviction (the cause is right), and when I sense confidence (I can do it and others will help me do it).
Appeal to a higher vision. Most people are inherently decent and fair and they want to do the right thing. They’re not always sure what fairness and rightness is, and they are often full of anxiety when forced to say yes or no. It is your job, as the persuader, to make them understand the human values represented by your position. They must be able to feel empathy for what you are trying to do so that emotionally they want to give you the response you seek. Appealing to a higher vision is simply helping others become not only what they are capable of becoming but what they really want to become.
Cover your topic with enthusiasm. If the facts are on your side, hammer the facts. If you have the law on your side, hammer the law. If you have neither the facts nor the law, hammer the table.