Once you have read this book, we hope that you will see we ...

1 Once you have read this book, we hope that you will seeits importance and want to share it with others. However,we would be grateful if you would abide by these condi-tions: This PDF copy is intended for your own use, or foryou to share with interested friends. It is the property of its author and is not to be dis-played on other websites, redistributed, sold, reprinted,or reproduced in printed or any other format withoutpermission. If you want to tell others about this book, please providea LINK to our you for your Waters Box 1172, Bellflower, CA 90707 800-437-1893 AA SShhaatttteerriinngg PPuubblliiccaattiioonn!! LeonardRavenhillLiving Waters Box 1172 Bellflower, CA I served Dr. Bill Bright as his theological editor, and wasprivileged to work with him for seven years ..Before you begin chapter one of this book, let me ask you to set aside anypreconceived thoughts you have about personal evangelism andjudge everything you read according to the Scriptures.

2 FROM THEFOREWORD BYJOHNBARBER, Why do 9 out of 10 children raised in Christian homes leave the Church? Why do many professing Christians show little or no evidence for their faith? Why do 80 90% of those making decisions for Christ fall away from the faith?For decades, the world s most popular gospel message has beendrawing the lost by promising God s wonderful plan for theirlife. But behind the fa ade of the wonderful plan message is thereality of the trials, temptation, and persecution that Jesus can we reconcile the two?In this life-changing book, best-selling author Ray Comfortexplores whether this common gospel approach aligns with real life and with Scripture. The vital biblical principles he reveals will forceyou to reexamine your ideas about the gospel and will teach youhow to reach unbelievers the way God intended. A must-read for allwho care about the the author of more than 70 books, including The Evidence Bible, aGold Medallion Award finalist.

3 He has a syndicated radio program with MoodyRadio and is the co-host (with actor Kirk Cameron) of the award-winning televisionprogram The Way of the Master. His teachings have been commended by JohnMacArthur, Josh McDowell, Ravi Zacharias, Franklin Graham, D. James Kennedy,R. C. Sproul, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, Lee Strobel, George Barna, JerryFalwell, Joni Eareckson Tada, and many other Christian leaders. This book rocked my world! It forever changed my view of thegospel and ignited a passion for the lost. Kirk Cameron AA SShhaatttteerriinngg PPuubblliiccaattiioonn!! LeonardRavenhillLiving Waters Box 1172 Bellflower, CA I served Dr. Bill Bright as his theological editor, and wasprivileged to work with him for seven years ..Before you begin chapter one of this book, let me ask you to set aside anypreconceived thoughts you have about personal evangelism andjudge everything you read according to the Scriptures.

4 FROM THEFOREWORD BYJOHNBARBER, Why do 9 out of 10 children raised in Christian homes leave the Church? Why do many professing Christians show little or no evidence for their faith? Why do 80 90% of those making decisions for Christ fall away from the faith?For decades, the world s most popular gospel message has beendrawing the lost by promising God s wonderful plan for theirlife. But behind the fa ade of the wonderful plan message is thereality of the trials, temptation, and persecution that Jesus can we reconcile the two?In this life-changing book, best-selling author Ray Comfortexplores whether this common gospel approach aligns with real life and with Scripture. The vital biblical principles he reveals will forceyou to reexamine your ideas about the gospel and will teach youhow to reach unbelievers the way God intended. A must-read for allwho care about the the author of more than 70 books, including The Evidence Bible, aGold Medallion Award finalist.

5 He has a syndicated radio program with MoodyRadio and is the co-host (with actor Kirk Cameron) of the award-winning televisionprogram The Way of the Master. His teachings have been commended by JohnMacArthur, Josh McDowell, Ravi Zacharias, Franklin Graham, D. James Kennedy,R. C. Sproul, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, Lee Strobel, George Barna, JerryFalwell, Joni Eareckson Tada, and many other Christian leaders. This book rocked my world! It forever changed my view of thegospel and ignited a passion for the lost. Kirk CameronLiving Waters PublicationsBellflower, CAGod Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life:The Myth of the Modern MessageLiving Waters Box 1172 Bellflower, CA 90707, 2010 by Ray Comfort. All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted by any means electronic, mechanical, photo-graphic (photocopying), recording, or otherwise withoutprior permission in writing, unless it s for the furtherance ofthe gospel and given away by Lynn CopelandCover, page design, and production by Genesis GroupCover illustration by Gustave Dor ,The Dor Bible Illustrations,Dover Publications, Inc.

6 ; modified by Dale JacksonPrinted in the United States of AmericaISBN 978-1-878859-49-5 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from theNew King James version, 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas NelsonInc., Publishers, Nashville, quotations designated AMPare from The AmplifiedBible, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, quotations designated TLBare from The Living Bible, 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, references designated KJVare from the King otherwise noted, emphasis within Scriptures and otherquotations has been added by the , by Dr. John Barber ..51 Phenomenal Growth ..92 The Way Out of Problems? ..213 The Happiness Dilemma ..334 The Lost Key ..455 Making Grace Amazing ..576 The Motive and the Result ..697 What Did Jesus Do? ..838 Raiders of the Contents of the Lost Ark ..99 Appendix: For My Campus Crusade Friends ..109 Endnotes.

7 125 Resources ..128 FOR EWORDOne cannot fully understand what one is saved tounless one also understands what one is saved are saved from the consequences of our sins, which ishell. Jesus said, If your hand causes you to stumble, cut itoff; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, havingyour two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchablefire (Mark 9:43). It was with the knowledge of hell thatJesus graciously and lovingly called people to repent oftheir sins and to trust him as Lord and Savior. He thusbegan his public ministry proclaiming, The time is ful-filled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent andbelieve in the gospel (Mark 1:15).It is an unfortunate commentary, but we are living ina day when the saving message of Jesus Christ is beinglost in our churches. Replacing it is a new set of concernsthat are quick to speak of God s love, mercy, and grace,but are slow to take up the implications of His holiness,judgment, and wrath.

8 Being disturbingly silent on thesignificant issues of sin and judgment to come, muchcontemporary evangelism is producing a bumper-crop ofunregenerate erosion of gospel values first came to my atten-tion years ago as a young proclamation evangelist inConnecticut. I was shocked to discover the extent to whichthe softer, gentler vision of God, heralded by the early5nineteenth-century Universalist William Ellery Channing,continued to inoculate scores of New England churchesto the Christ of the later, I served Dr. Bill Bright as his theologicaleditor, and was privileged to work with him for sevenyears. Dr. Bright was well aware of the dangers awaitingthe unconverted. Toward the end of his life, his greattrepidation for the lost led him to author two additionalbooks: one on the Ten Commandments, and another onthe vital subjects of heaven and hell.

9 I was delighted thathe was addressing such important topics. The hours Ispent editing those two books further solidified in myheart the importance for people to be exposed to the gen-uine gospel of Jesus the same time, I discovered the evangelism ofRay Comfort. Upon watching his videos, which includeKirk Cameron, it became clear to me that Ray had hisfinger on the problem. He had made a monumentaladvance in reclaiming the evangel all of which he hadcondensed in an exciting and easy-to-learn approachcalled The Way of the Master. Once I became the pastor of a church, I couldn t waitto implement Ray s materials. So far, I have been privi-leged to lead our people in several training sessions of The Way of the Master. The results have been nothingshort of remarkable. Not only have trainees developed agreater understanding of the gospel, and a love for thelost, but also we have exposed scores of people to thegospel with the result that many have become am also encouraged that some of these new believershave joined our church and are now active AWONDERFULPLAN FORYOURLIFET here are many ways to articulate the gospel.

10 Butbefore you begin chapter one of this book, let me ask youto set aside any preconceived thoughts you have aboutpersonal evangelism and judge everything you readaccording to the Scriptures. I believe that you will findhere an approach that takes its cue from the very wayJesus of Nazareth called people to the family of , 1 PHENOMENALGROWTHWe live in exciting times. All around us we are seeingthe phenomenal rise of megachurches with con-gregations in the tens of thousands; pockets of revivalhave sprung up in the United States and other parts ofthe world; and we have heard of millions of people inRussia, China, and Africa coming to the evangelist, for example, claims that his world-wide tour has led nearly 1 million people to make deci-sions for Christ since denomination reportednearly million decisions for Christ in organization reported over 10 million deci-sions for Christ in 2009,3and another ministry has seenan incredible 45 million documented salvations world-wide in just six are indeed exciting , with all the excitement about the growth of thecontemporary Church, it seems that many have over-looked a few statistical inconsistencies.