We just had a terrific series of lessons presented by Brother Berry Kercheville last week. Most of our able-bodied members were here and a few visitors from other congregations came to support this effort. I am confident that those who came were blessed. Those who did not or could not missed a real spiritual treat. But just like tasty morsels that titillate our tongues, even tasty spiritual meals can soon fade from our memories. However, we can prevent this from happening if we want to.

The long term benefit of spiritual truths are dependent upon our "want to". This is true with regard to every "serving" of the word of God. Jesus deals with this principle in the parable of the sower. Remember how there was one set of conditions that produced a bountiful harvest? Only when the seed (the word of God) took root in the fertile soil of the good and honest heart (Luke 8:15) was it productive in the life of those who heard and received it.

Berry really did not advocate anything fundamentally new or different. God has given us the perfect formula for reaching the lost with the perfect message. Berry simply presented these timeless truths in a fresh and exciting way. So, now what?

Most gifted men are able to stir people up with a few exciting talks (sermons). But I know this was not Berry’s intent nor was it our purpose for asking him to come. We wanted to learn from him and gain insight from his experience in reaching the lost so that we might be able to help others learn and obey the gospel. His and our goals are long term. He stressed this throughout his lessons. He made it clear that the Lord wants His followers to make personal evangelism a way of life.

Sadly, the typical result of "personal work" efforts are not ongoing. They often fizzle after a few weeks of "flame fanning" by the local evangelist. We do not want this to happen here. One "flame fanner" cannot keep a fire going. The embers will only continue to glow IF each person is determined that he/she will keep his/her own fire burning.