If I were a betting man, I'd wager dollars to donuts that for the vast majority of Christians, evangelism is the hardest part of their personal walk with God. And I'm sure I'd win a lot of donuts. I know that this is something that I struggle with. In fact, almost all of my evangelistic encounters were to fulfill requirements from school. Why is it so hard??
I've got several observations that I've made from my personal experience that I hope will help whoever reads this to be the witness for Christ that we are each called to be.
#1- The single, absolute most important component to evangelism is prayer. Pray for specific people by name for their salvation. Get others to pray for them as well. Pray for boldness to steer conversations into religious waters and not to shy away from difficulties. But above all, PRAY!
#2- An often overlooked part of actually presenting the gospel is listening. Ask open ended questions. In my experience, people have a lot to say about religion and their beliefs, and they are not really shy about it, when asked politely. Also, part of good listening is showing genuine interest and respect for the other person. This is part of what is commonly called "winning the right to be heard." Most people are turned off by sales pitches and high pressure tactics, but many will respond positively and listen politely when they are treated like a person and not a prospect.
#3- Say anything!! I want to encourage people to take baby-steps. For me, personally, I don't like to do things unless I know I will be good at it. I know my wife is the same way. That makes evangelism intimidating, like if I mess up, the other person will go to Hell. Remember, God can do a lot with our little bit, but we have to do something: talk about who God is, invite them to church (and make sure to meet them there and sit with them), tell them how Jesus changed your life, tell them what Jesus did, just as long as you say something. Especially when you pray beforehand, I know you'll be surprised at what God can do with your "little" efforts.
You don't have to give an amazing answer for everyone's questions. Jesus didn't. Just realize that there are millions of Americans who want to go to church, but don't feel comfortable because they don't know anyone. They are waiting for someone to go with them. Will you invite someone to meet Jesus??
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Visioneering -4- The Bible
I feel like I came across almost anti-Bible for the previous post. For the record, I am not.
I know some of you out there in Blog-land are going to hate this, but I am an inerrantist. I believe the Bible is completely true and accurate, and even more, the only objective authority in our life. Having said that, as my theology professor says, "The Bible is not the fourth person of the trinity." I get a little weirded out when churches start singing hymns and choruses of praise to the Bible, such as "Holy Bible, Book Divine," or "Ancient Words."
I also get a little nervous when people start using the biblical inerrancy platform to say that their interpretation is also inerrant on everything. Here we see the fuzzy line between the Bible's authority and my authority.
Here's my point. I love the Bible; I want to live like the Bible tells me; I want others to love the Bible and read it every day. However, LECTURE IS BORING!! I want to explore other ways to teach the Bible to people without boring them and putting them to sleep. Lecture is NOT the only God-ordained way to teach and preach. This is why video, art, music, and drama are so important. They capture the attention and imagination better than a boring lecture (TWO boring lectures if you also go to Sunday School!).
Nobody better accuse me of taking the Bible lightly. I am, however, very open to accusations of how I take the Bible to others, so long as you don't lecture me.
End Communication.
I know some of you out there in Blog-land are going to hate this, but I am an inerrantist. I believe the Bible is completely true and accurate, and even more, the only objective authority in our life. Having said that, as my theology professor says, "The Bible is not the fourth person of the trinity." I get a little weirded out when churches start singing hymns and choruses of praise to the Bible, such as "Holy Bible, Book Divine," or "Ancient Words."
I also get a little nervous when people start using the biblical inerrancy platform to say that their interpretation is also inerrant on everything. Here we see the fuzzy line between the Bible's authority and my authority.
Here's my point. I love the Bible; I want to live like the Bible tells me; I want others to love the Bible and read it every day. However, LECTURE IS BORING!! I want to explore other ways to teach the Bible to people without boring them and putting them to sleep. Lecture is NOT the only God-ordained way to teach and preach. This is why video, art, music, and drama are so important. They capture the attention and imagination better than a boring lecture (TWO boring lectures if you also go to Sunday School!).
Nobody better accuse me of taking the Bible lightly. I am, however, very open to accusations of how I take the Bible to others, so long as you don't lecture me.
End Communication.
Visioneering -3- Groups
I may need to write more about this, but I was on a roll, and thinking about how I've seen many Sunday School/Small Group times done. I think a lot of it is not very beneficial.
Before I begin, I just want to say that the main purpose of group time should NOT be merely getting through the lesson. Nor is it just about fellowship. But there should be priorities, and groups should be given as much time as necessary to get through all their business.
FIRST of all, the highest emphasis should be on meeting group members' needs and prayers. And by prayers I mean specific prayers for the members in your group, what their struggles are, what their needs are that week, what is stressing them out, etc. I cannot overemphasize the need I see for people to start obeying all the biblical commands to bear each other's burdens and pray for one another. The apostle Paul often uses the language of "struggle" for intercessory prayer. Could you say that about your prayer life??
SECOND of all, groups need to get to know each other. This is why I don't like Sunday School, because there is no time to get to know the others in the group. Some people call this the process of "going from friendly to family." Sometimes the fact that my best friend just died is more important than what some dude across the country wrote about Leviticus.
THIRD of all, groups need to be heavily involved in evangelism. This is another area where the Sunday School model doesn't work well. Because of the overemphasis on the Bible, the whole experience is disorienting and weird to outsiders. But when outsiders can meet in non-threatening areas (such as homes) and see tangible expressions of God's love for others, a lot of the awkwardness disappears. Groups should be open to outsiders, and groups should be concerned when they don't have outsiders on a consistent basis.
NOW, groups should use the Bible. Groups can worship with a Psalm, or offer a prayer prayed by the saints of old. Group members should hold each other accountable for spending time with God in His word every day. Groups should talk about whether or not certain actions are biblical. Groups should encourage each other to do the right thing because it is in the Bible.
What I want to get away from is task-driven teachers who sacrifice everything for the sake of the lesson. The teacher is not the authoritative dispenser of truth. Rather, groups should learn to walk together with the Truth, that is, Jesus. I don't think there's ever a point where we go beyond needing the Bible, but there is a point where we need to start doing and being church for one another, as opposed to getting up early on the weekend just to listen quietly to someone.
Before I begin, I just want to say that the main purpose of group time should NOT be merely getting through the lesson. Nor is it just about fellowship. But there should be priorities, and groups should be given as much time as necessary to get through all their business.
FIRST of all, the highest emphasis should be on meeting group members' needs and prayers. And by prayers I mean specific prayers for the members in your group, what their struggles are, what their needs are that week, what is stressing them out, etc. I cannot overemphasize the need I see for people to start obeying all the biblical commands to bear each other's burdens and pray for one another. The apostle Paul often uses the language of "struggle" for intercessory prayer. Could you say that about your prayer life??
SECOND of all, groups need to get to know each other. This is why I don't like Sunday School, because there is no time to get to know the others in the group. Some people call this the process of "going from friendly to family." Sometimes the fact that my best friend just died is more important than what some dude across the country wrote about Leviticus.
THIRD of all, groups need to be heavily involved in evangelism. This is another area where the Sunday School model doesn't work well. Because of the overemphasis on the Bible, the whole experience is disorienting and weird to outsiders. But when outsiders can meet in non-threatening areas (such as homes) and see tangible expressions of God's love for others, a lot of the awkwardness disappears. Groups should be open to outsiders, and groups should be concerned when they don't have outsiders on a consistent basis.
NOW, groups should use the Bible. Groups can worship with a Psalm, or offer a prayer prayed by the saints of old. Group members should hold each other accountable for spending time with God in His word every day. Groups should talk about whether or not certain actions are biblical. Groups should encourage each other to do the right thing because it is in the Bible.
What I want to get away from is task-driven teachers who sacrifice everything for the sake of the lesson. The teacher is not the authoritative dispenser of truth. Rather, groups should learn to walk together with the Truth, that is, Jesus. I don't think there's ever a point where we go beyond needing the Bible, but there is a point where we need to start doing and being church for one another, as opposed to getting up early on the weekend just to listen quietly to someone.
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