Folllow up on evangelism....

The post on facebook had a lot of response.  This is in response to those responses....if that makes sense.

So….after posting earlier this week, I have been praying a bunch.  Based off of posts from others in response, I thought that I needed more guidance.  I felt that there had to be a right answer to the question of which approach of evangelism is correct.  I thought I had the right answer, then I went to church today to confirm it with some people that I love and respect.

I was really convicted through the sermon today.  It was all about trying to control situations yourself.  Even if someone feels they’re backed into a corner, the idea is to put your trust in God and let Him do things through you.  So many times, people, including myself, try to get control without seeking to find out what God wants you to do.

The same is true in this situation.  Having seen both sides of the fence, and hearing others' strong convictions of those sides, I felt there was one true answer.  That answer was people are inclined to either relationships or the intentionality and urgency of sharing with as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.  I felt I was inclined to only build relationships and share the Gospel that way.

The truth is, I was trying to control what I wanted to do, not what the Spirit was leading me to.  Each situation and each person requires something different.  Taking the advantage to talk someone on a plane, going door to door, or evangelizing through a relationship all depends on the situation and what God is leading you to do through His Spirit. 

We try and put God in a box and into our own perspectives by saying one or the other is the true way to do it.  Truth is, God works His will in His way.  We cannot understand it nor can we put it in our human sized box.  This means that with every opportunity, we should pray for guidance and follow what the Spirit leads us to do.  It also means stepping outside of our comfort zone and making sure we do not ignore His guidance.

Neither side is right or wrong in this area.  The problem is, we think that there is a side.  Placing ourselves on one side or the other makes us wrong and tries to put us in control of God’s will.  Pray for the Spirit to lead as I will, and ask God to take control of your life.  The Bible shows us over and over that when we try to control things, we lose.  Releasing control of all aspects of our life, including how we share the Gospel is key to the heart of the discussion of my earlier post.

Thanks so much for your comments, I hope this makes sense, and God bless.  Go share the Gospel and listen to what God has to say, not yourself.

So....as per my last post, I'm taking a class on evangelism.  This class has led to projects for evangelizing people, including just plain witnessing.  My current assignment is one that I'm struggling with.  The assignment is this:  witness to someone and bring to the point of a decision for Christ.  I'm scared out of my mind.  I haven't been strong enough to let go and let God do the work here.  There's also the idea of doing this without building a relationship with that person first.  That is also scary.

Down to the point....based on a book we've read by William Fay, there's a down and dirty witnessing idea that I want to put past you all and see what you think about it.  I welcome and encourage all comments.  Once again, these are ideas from Bill Fay, not myself.  As you read down, this is the sequence....

Conversation Joggers:

1. May I ask you a question?
2. What are the biggest problems women face today?
3. What’s your favorite sport?  How much money would it take for a man’s life to be perfect?
4. Do you go to church anywhere?
5. May I give you a five question survey?
6. You know about my spiritual beliefs, but I don’t know about yours.  What are they?
7. Do you ever feel uncertain about what you are depending on spiritually for hope in your life?
8. Has anyone ever told you the difference between religion and a relationship with Jesus Christ?
9. May I have your permission to share seven Scriptures that have changed my life?
10. How many people would it take flipping a quarter before one person hits heads thirty times in a row?  One reason I believe the Bible is true is because of the thirty recorded prophecies of the birth, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus that have come true.  That’s a lot like landing heads thirty times in a row.
11. Does truth matter to you?
12. Has anyone ever explained Christianity to you?
13. I need to ask you forgiveness.  I have not told you about the most important thing in my life.  I have not shared how you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and I want you to know I’m so sorry.
14. You know, I’ve had many problems as well, but I’ve found a solution for my pain.

The Five Share Jesus Questions:

1. Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs?
2. To you, who is Jesus Christ?
3. Do you think there is heaven or hell?
4. If you died, where would you go?  If heaven, why?
5. If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?

You might ask at this point if you could share some scripture.  If they say yes, continue, otherwise do nothing.  You have not failed because you have been obedient to sharing the gospel and the results belong to God, not us.

The Share Jesus Scriptures:

1. Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
2. Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
3. John 3:3 – “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. John 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”
5. Romans 10:9-11 – “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.’”
6. 2 Corinthians 5:15 – “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
7. Revelation 3:20 – “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he will hear me.”

The Five Commitment Questions

1. Are you a sinner?
2. Do you want forgiveness of sins?
3. Do you believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and rose again?
4. Are you willing to surrender your life to Jesus Christ?
5. Are you ready to invite Jesus Christ into your life and into your heart?

Sinner’s Prayer

            Heavenly Father, I have sinned against you.  I want forgiveness for all my sins.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.  Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish.  I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart.  This I ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

The Why Principle

If someone says no, ask why until they have no explanation.

New Believer Questions and Directions

1. How many sins has Christ paid for?
2. How many of your sins does Christ remember?
3. Where does Christ live?
4. Let’s pray. (New believe should say what’s on his/her heart)
5. Who has been praying for you?
6. Do  you know where your friend goes to church?
7. Do you know your friend’s phone number?  Let’s call that person now!
8. May I take you to church with me?
9. Read the Gospel of John.
10. I will call you tomorrow to see if the Word became different. 

Thoughts?  Comments?

Passages on Evangelism

As I am beginning a new class, I am doing some studies in new ways. I would like to take the opportunity to share those here, in this forum. My current class is cross-cultural studies as it relates to evangelism.

After thinking for a while, I've decided that there are too many passages that address the subject of World Evangelization. As I wrote them down, I decided to categorize them into three topics or categories.

First, there is a reason why we must evangelize. We must realize that God loves us greatly. He wants us to be with Him forever. That being said, he also has no tolerance for wickedness or those that turn away from Him. This is our reason for urgency and evangelization. The Bible explicitly lays this out in many passages. A few of these passages are Proverbs 11:30, Mark 16:16, John 3:3, 3:16-18, 14:6, and Romans 6:23. How can we deny the reasoning?

Second, we are commanded to evangelize. We are not to keep the Good News to ourselves. The New Testament is riddled with passages making sure we know that we are supposed to do this. Some of these passages include Matthew 9:37-38, 28:18-20, Mark 13:10, 16:15, Acts 16:31, Hebrews 10:25, 1 Peter 3:15, and 2 Timothy 4:5. We cannot ignore the commandments of God!

Third, we are told to follow Jesus' example and the example of those that followed Him. Jesus led the way by evangelizing others, teaching about evangelization, and telling stories to show that example. His disciples also taught us about evangelization and we can also follow their examples. We can see this through various passages including Psalm 71:24, Matthew 13, 24:14, Luke 9:23, John 20:21. Acts 2:38, 8:4, Isaiah 6:8, 1 Cor 1:17, and 11:1.

Basically, it's hard to narrow down the list to a few. There are so many passage, a lot of which say the same thing in different ways. How could any be more important than the others?

Take the time to look these passage up and let me know what you think?