1. You must be walking with Christ
John 15:4– “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
John 15:5– “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:16 – ”You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide …”
Psalm 51: 12, 13 – “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.”
2. Remember, you don’t need to know everything about God
Mark 5:19 – to the Gerasene Demoniac- “Go home to your friends and tell them … ”
Acts 11: 19 – “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.”
1 Peter 3:15 – ” … but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
2 Kings 5:3 – “She said to her mistress, ‘Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” How old was she?
3. Believe God is sovereign; He will bring providential encounters
John 9 – The man born blind: Landscape people, Machine people, a man with a Soul that will never die
Luke 19: 1-10 – Zacchaeus – “I must stay at your house today … ”
Acts 8:27,30 – “And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship … So Philip ran to him … and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?”‘
4. Remember what the Gospel is—and let it saturate your ministry
1 Corinthians 15 – “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you … ” 2 Timothy 2:8-” Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel.”
2 Timothy 2:1 – ” … be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus … ”
5. You need an attitude of humility
Luke 18:9-14 – Pharisee and the Tax Collector – “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt. .. ”
2 Tim 2:24 – “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil … ”
Acts 20:19 – “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews … ”
6. Don’t do outreach from a sense of duty alone
Matthew 28:18-20 – Great Commission
Matthew 9:36 – “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Jonah 4:1 – “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”
7. Pray for a love for the lost … love on those of other cultures
1 Corinthians 13:1-8 – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
Matthew 22:37-39 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
1 John 4:10 – “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Revelation 2: 1-7 – “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write … ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”‘
John 13:35 – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
8. Do it because God has shown mercy to you!
2 Cor. 4:1 – “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.”
1 Timothy 1:15 – “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
9. It is the Word that has power—memorize your favorite Scriptures
Romans 10:17 – “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Isaiah 55:11 – ” … so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Romans 1:16 – “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Ephesians 2:8 – “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
10. Remember, people without Christ are dead in sin
Ephesians 2:1,4 – ” … you were dead in the trespasses and sins … but God made us alive…”
1 Peter 1:23 – ” … you have been born again … through the living and abiding word of God.”
11. Remember to pray!
Pray for an open door – Colossians 4:2,3 – “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ… ”
Pray for the Lord to open hearts, like Lydia – Acts 16
Pray when needed … quickly! Nehemiah 2:4-5 “Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king … ”
Pray for whole groups of people – Romans 10:1 – “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”
Pray for boldness, and ask others to pray for you – Ephesians 6:18-20 – ” … making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Pray for power of Spirit to witness – Acts 1:8 – “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Pray that you’ll overflow with hope – Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Be full of hope!
Pray to be as wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove – Matthew 10:16 -Pray that the message comes with the power of the Holy Spirit- 1 Thess. 1:5 – ” … our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”
Pray for God to open your lips, Psalm 51:15- “Open my lips …”
12. Don’t be afraid—God will guide you
Matthew 10:19-20 – Don’t worry about what you will say—God will give you the words to say
John 16:13 – “When the helper comes, the Spirit… He will guide you … ”
1 Samuel 17:45 – Remember David’s attitude toward Goliath- ”You come … I come … ”
13. Look for evidence of the grace of God and be optimistic
Acts 11:22-24 – Barnabas – “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.”
14. You may find opposition!
Acts 13:50-51 – people incited opposition against the apostles
John 15:18 – Jesus said, if they hate you, it’s because they hated me first
15. Remember what a privilege you have!
Acts 13:47 – “the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”‘
Isaiah 6:8 – “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
2 Cor. 5:20 – You are an ambassador of Christ!
Acts 5:41 – left rejoicing, worthy, suffer
1 Corinthians 16:9– “a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”
Westminster Seminary California (WSC) held its annual Robert G. and Nellie B. den Dulk Lectures on Pastoral Ministry on Thursday and Friday, March 20 and 21, 2025, with Rev. Eric Hausler (OPC pastor/church planter). Rev. Eric Hausler’s lectures were titled “O Lord, Open My Eyes: From Escondido to the Edge of the Everglades.”
Rev. Hausler’s second address explored the lessons gleaned through four decades of experience. His lecture titled, “The Rearview Mirror of a Church Planting Pastor,” considered the words of Paul in Philippians 4:9, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” The lecture included two Top Ten lists: The Do’s and Don’ts of Church Planting. In addition, Rev. Hausler shared 15 Biblical Principles needed for effective outreach and pastoral/practical/purposeful counsel regarding “next steps.” Rev. Hausler’s handout with additional notes, examples, and biblical references is available here.