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Personal Evangelism&
Discipleship
Go and make disciples of all nations… JesusGo and make disciples of all nations…
The right way
please…
Isaiah 43:10-12
"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen”…I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed--I, and not some foreign god among you. “You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.”
Barna Research Group
Only 46% feel they are responsible to
communicate faith to nonbelievers
Less than 10% said they have ever intentionally
built a relationship with someone in hope of being
able to lead the person to Christ.
Fewer than 20% claimed to know a non-Christian
well enough to share their faith with that individual
in a context of trust/credibility
(Little, How to Give Away Your Faith)
Barna Research Group
Only 4% consider sharing their faith with
nonbelievers the most important outcome they
want to accomplish in their life
Only 1 in 8 adult believers feels adequately
prepared to effectively share their faith
How do you talk about Jesus Christ to…
Skeptic
Pagan
Moral Relativist
Drop-out
Hedonist
Materialist
Famous
Common Folks like Family & Friends
Evangelism…It’s Not About Formulas…
It’s learning to accept, and work with
what you already are in Christ –
A live “witness” to his salvation!
Go and witness ????
God’s Witnesses (that’s us) are commanded to…
…go and “make disciples”
Disturbing Barna Research Christian attitudes, values, and behaviors
=Secular attitudes, values, and behaviors
Significant confusion on basic worldview / beliefs
Marching Orders…Are certainly in order!
Not an insurmountable problem…
simply a golden opportunity!
Society is crying out for authentic Witness...
some really Good News
“JESUS”We Call Him Jesus: The Lord Saves
Joel Atwell MessageINSTRUCTIONS:
Go to http://www.grace-community.net/resources.htm
and download (or live stream) the audio file for “Jesus” by
Joel Atwell, on 2007-12-23.
You may listen to the entire message, but you will need
to listen to the portion from minute 16:00 onward (about 6
minutes) to complete the questions below. [Worth 15 pts.
toward first Quiz]
Personal Evangelism&
Discipleship
“Calvin don’t want the ball!”
Christ’s Ambassadors2 Cor. 5:11-21
REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS
1. In what fashion does Isaiah 43 portray
our role as God’s people?
2. If personal evangelism is not essentially
about formulas, plans, and programs,
what is it about?
3. As followers of JC, we are commanded
to do what in the Great Commission?
Dever’s Top Ten ExcusesWhy We Don’t Do Evangelism
[“The Gospel & Personal Evangelism”]
ABOUT US…
10) Evangelism is illegal
9) I don’t speak their language
8) I don’t know non-Christians
7) Other things seem more urgent
6) Evangelism could cause problems at work
Dever’s Top Ten ExcusesWhy We Don’t Do Evangelism
[“The Gospel & Personal Evangelism”]
ABOUT THEM…
5) They already know the gospel
4) They won’t be interested
3) It probably won’t work
2) I doubt they will believe
1) They don’t want to hear!
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THERE TO BE AFRAID OF?
Few (if any) natural born “fearless” witnesses Nearly all believers desire to share faith
Fear-factor prevents vast majority from communicating
their faith “I never found witnessing to come naturally and easily…by
nature I’m a shy reserved person; initiating conversations is sometimes difficult for me…even sharing the greatest news ever announced is not always as easy for me as you might imagine.”(B. Bright, Witnessing Without Fear, p.18)
(Bright, Witnessing Without Fear)
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THERE TO BE AFRAID OF?
Intimidation: That roaring lion that seeks to devour us… Intimidation is natural (in our nature)
Intimidation is normal (in our experience)
Forces producing intimidation Social pressure (power to conform) silences us Privatization of Religion Western “virtues” of self-sufficiency / reliance Secularization
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THERE TO BE AFRAID OF?
Responding to Christian fear/intimidation: Two Approaches
1) Retreat: become isolated and defensive
2) Engage: be the salt/light within our intimidating
world through power of HS
TWO INGREDIENTS TO OVERCOMING
FEAR / INTIMIDATION
Don’t know what it means to witness (or to do personal evangelism)
Witnessing: All that we are and do
Evangelism: Art of explaining to someone the Gospel of Jesus
Evangelization: Transmission (verbal/written) of the Gospel message
Gospel = euangelion = Good news …
One who bears good news is “evangelist”
#1 INFORMATION!
#1 INFORMATION
What personal evangelism is NOT:
Imposition
Personal Testimony
Social Action / Public Involvement
Apologetics
Guaranteed Conversion
(Dever, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism)
#1 INFORMATION
Bill Bright’s perspective on success/failure
1. Even Jesus did not convince everyone to believe in his Good
News, yet he could report: “I did everything you told me to do.”
2. All Christ asks is for obedience, not results (command is not to
convert, but to bear witness / spread Gospel)
3. Lack of positive response is not failure – still preparing soil
4. Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ
in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God.
(Bright, Witnessing Without Fear)
#1 INFORMATION
We don’t know how to proceed
Can comprehend the task/mandate, yet be frustrated
Pretty easy to “be a witness” in today’s world…
Challenge: to “evangelize” in today’s world
Procedural component is major point of breakdown
Reluctant to “train” for “doing” evangelism
(Dever, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism)
#1 INFORMATION
We don’t know what to expect How will people respond to my verbal witness?
What will I do if they object?
What if they desire to receive Christ —
How should I lead them?
Key objective of first half of this course… To reduce / eliminate unknowns
(Dever, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism)
Never again need to be afraid that you will be embarrassed
in a witnessing situation
Never again will you lack the essential scriptures / key
thoughts to share with seeker
Find it more and more natural to begin spiritual
conversations and lead people to Jesus
Know how to handle questions, distractions, and objections
Learn how to guide a person to a definite commitment to
JC, and how to help them start in their new faith
If you will approach this course with open, eager heart/mind…
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because
it is the power of God for the salvation of
everyone who believes…
Romans 1:16
Have the Confidence of Paul to Say:
TWO INGREDIENTS TO OVERCOMING
FEAR / INTIMIDATION
God: Biblical mandate Clear command of God to evangelize
Logical deductions from Scripture
Key to our own spiritual vitality/maturity
Bill Hybels four motivations Stockpile factor
Honor of being an agent of God
Reality of Hell
Reward of leading someone to Christ
#2 MOTIVATION!
Bill Bright: Five key concepts
Clear command
People are lost
People are truly hungry
We posses the greatest gift available
Love compels us
#2 MOTIVATION
Typical Barriers: Lack of practical know-how Spiritual lethargy Believing lies of the Enemy of the Gospel
Robert Tuttle on “motivation” Never assume people are motivated to do evangelism Compassion - Seeing everyone as God sees them
#2 MOTIVATION
Five models for evangelism
1) Proclamation
2) Confrontational
3) Intentional
4) Passive
5) Relational
SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS: THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT
(Peel & Larimore, Going Public With Your Faith)
Principle of Supply & Demand & Distribution God insures surplus on supply side Research confirms demand exists Distribution → evangelism economics breakdown
SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS:
THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT
Crusade or TV show 0.5 %A special need drew them 1-2 %Church visitation program 1-2 %A church “program” 2-3 %They just walked in 2-3 %Sunday School program 4-5 %A pastor 5-6 %A friend or relative 75-90 %
God’s distribution system Witnesses at the workplace
Forfeited the major distribution method We confuse being a witness with witnessing
Witnessing is an event (mechanical) Being a witness is a process (organic)
Bible consistently employs an organic model New life in Christ is a spiritual harvesting process
SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS:
THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT
Four Phases of Evangelism Cultivating
Focus: preparing heart – addressing emotional barriers Goal: present benefits of relationship with Christ Period of trust building / spiritual influence
Competence / character / compassion / communication / courage
Planting Focus: settling the mind – addressing intellectual barriers Goal: planting seeds of biblical truth
SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS:
THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT
Four Phases of Evangelism
Harvesting
Focus: person’s will – addressing volitional barriers
Goal: to gently persuade
Multiplying
Focus: planting newborn into community of spiritual growth
Goal: establishment, growth, and reproduction
SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS:
THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT
Post-modernism challenges & opportunities Downside
Everything is relative Insistence on tolerance Prevailing skepticism Resultant despair and cynicism
Upside Correction of the overconfidence in human reason Spirituality is acceptable and welcome Importance of relationships is being rediscovered
Breaking up the Fallow Ground(Peel & Larimore, Going Public With Your Faith)
Post-modernism challenges & opportunities
Opportunity for evangelism
Starving for meaning and order/purpose to life
Wide door to meet them on level of relationship
What they truly need (deepest longings), Jesus
still offers
Breaking up the Fallow Ground
Relevance of Gospel: Demonstrable in seven areas
1. Inner emptiness
2. Purposelessness
3. Fear of Death
4. Desire for inner peace
5. Loneliness
6. Lack of self-control
7. Need for integration of thinking (worldview coherence)
Breaking up the Fallow Ground(Little, How to Give Away Your Faith)
I am God’s witness…
Salvation through His Son is my testimony…
Empowered by His Spirit,I can live it & will give it!
I am not ashamed of the Gospel… Apostle Paul [Rom 1:16]
REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS
What personal evangelism is NOT
Imposition
Personal Testimony
Social action / Public involvement
Apologetics
Guaranteed conversion
REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS
Motivation for witnessing
God: the Biblical mandate
commands, logic, spiritual fulfillment/vitality
Hybels: 4 factors
Bright: 5 factors
Tuttle: Primary motivation of “compassion”
REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS
Spiritual economics of evangelism
Five models of evangelism (Handout)
Law of Supply, Demand, and Distribution
Man’s vs. God’s distribution system
REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS Four “agrarian” phases of evangelism
Cultivation (emotional barriers) 5 Spiritual influence requirements (Handout)
Planting (intellectual barriers) Seeding biblical truths
Harvesting (volitional barriers) Gently persuading
Multiplying (discipling) Reproducing
REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS
Is post-modern society a ripe field? Downside
Relativity / Tolerance / Skepticism / Despair/cynicism Upside
Human reason humbled Spirituality welcomed Relationships rediscovered
Opportunity Hunger for order/purpose Welcome the messenger more than message Basic needs still met in Christ
Relevance of Gospel: Demonstrable in seven areas
1. Inner emptiness
2. Purposelessness
3. Fear of Death
4. Desire for inner peace
5. Loneliness
6. Lack of self-control
7. Need for integration of thinking (worldview coherence)
Breaking up the Fallow Ground(Little, How to Give Away Your Faith)