by Robert C. Veil, Jr.
We have a Gospel Meeting scheduled to begin Friday evening at 7 o’clock. Some have been
working and planning for this meeting for many months. Will it be successful? Will it be one of
the highlight experiences in the history of this congregation? The answers depend on each of us.
As we think about gospel meetings in general, allow me to share a few good ideas:
- It would be a good idea to secure an excellent speaker. This has been done! Brother,
Eric Lyons is respected across the brotherhood for his soundness in the faith, his amazing
capabilities in presenting the truth, his hard work as executive Director of Apologetics Press, his
family and faithfulness over the years. I have known Eric for many years, and I know that he will
do his part in making this meeting an amazing success. It would be a good idea to spend time with
him while he is here, get to know him and Jana better, thank and encourage him in his work.
Parents, make sure your children hear the special youth session on Saturday morning. - It would be a good idea to focus on a biblical, timely theme. A more scriptural and
needed theme could hardly be imagined than the following: Fortify Your Faith! Looking over the
list of lesson titles [see pg. 5], we can see that each of them supports this worthy goal. Each lesson,
if earnestly received and applied, should help us to become more faithful and courageous in our
work for the Lord. - It would be a good idea for every member of this congregation, to make a diligent
effort to be present for every session. Whether this will happen, of course, remains to be seen.
But it is hard to imagine having a successful gospel meeting if our members do not fully support
it. I hope you have been planning for these dates, and have had them on your calendar for a long
time. If you haven’t, there may still be time to make last-minute plans. - It would be a good idea to involve every age group, especially our young people in
this meeting. There are meetings where the young people sat in a large group toward the front,
which was especially encouraging to them and the speaker. In some congregations the Bible
School classes made a point of praying for the meeting for some time in advance, and made special
materials or had special promotional activities to invite others to the meeting. In addition, it would
be a good idea for the parents to find creative ways to energize their children, and help them be
excited about this meeting. - It would be a good idea if we invited all of our sister congregations in the area to help
us promote and support the meeting. This has also been done. In fact, we have twice sent letters
to our sister congregations with flyers that they can post and otherwise use to help get the word
out about this meeting. - It would be a good idea if we invited the community to come to the meeting. This has
also been done. Our door-knocking teams have diligently invited our neighbors, and left flyers
with them with complete information about the meeting. - It would be a good idea if each of us prayed for brother Lyons, and for the meeting
itself. Pray for safe travel, as Eric and Jana will be coming from Alabama. Pray for good health
and strong mental focus. Pray for receptive hearts, and a good atmosphere for reception of the
truth, (Psalms 122:1). Pray for good numbers, and for a strong interest on the part of everyone who
attends. - It would be a good idea to have a sermon showing the scriptural precedent for gospel
meetings, and reminding us of the biblical imperatives involved. I am going to try to present
that sermon this Sunday morning. I truly hope it is helpful and well received. - It would be a good idea to bring our friends and family to the meeting, especially if
they are unsaved. Gospel meetings such as this are valuable to members, but they are usually aimed
at evangelizing the lost. It’s a golden opportunity for them to hear the message of salvation.
May this Gospel meeting be successful in every good way – the best one yet!
