Tag: Evangelism

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

When the Gospel Invades Your Office – Interview with Tim Keller (via Gospel Coalition)
It is quite possible to believe that your deepest identity should be in Christ, but still have a heart functioning as if it is grounded in your work.

8 Observations About Sacrificial Giving – J.D. Greear
Everybody had a part because God was not after a few resources of a few wealthy people; he was after the hearts of all his people.

Seven Reasons Why Evangelism Should Be A Priority Of Your Church – Thom Rainer
Pastors and other leaders must fall on their faces before God and ask Him to reignite their congregations with an evangelistic passion. When evangelism dies as a priority in the church, the church has already begun to die.

6 Simple Ways To Be Missional – Tim Chester (via Resurgence)
We all eat three meals a day. That’s 21 opportunities for church and mission each week without adding anything new to your schedule. And meals are a powerful expression of welcome and community.

How To Grow In Courage – Kevin DeYoung
You will not be bold to speak of Jesus unless you spend much time with Jesus. Courage comes out of communion.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping our great God with your local church!

Passsion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good articles related to evangelism and missions:

Factfinder: Misquoting Francis of Assisi – Glenn Stanton (via Gospel Coalition)
One very clever and popular quote we often knock around among ourselves is:  “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”  But here’s the fact: Our good Francis never said such a thing.  Duane Liftin, president emeritus of Wheaton College, recently addressed the trouble with this preach/practice dichotomy….   “It’s simply impossible to preach the Gospel without words. The Gospel is inherently verbal, and preaching the Gospel is inherently verbal behavior.”

D.A. Carson on Angry Christians and the Devil’s Tactics – David Rogers (via SBC Voices)But at the end of the day, if you can’t do it with compassion, and gently, and leave the doors open for evangelism, boy, you destroy everything. I think one of the devil’s tactics with respect to the church on the Right today is to make them so hate everybody else that at the end of the day they can’t be believed anywhere, not even the proclamation of the gospel.

What I Want For All Missionaries – Mike Pettengill (via Gospel Coalition)
We want to know people are thinking and praying for us. If my team members were reminded that others care and pray for them, they would have strength to endure the hard days.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshipping the Lord and getting spurred on to lovingly speak the gospel and support missions for the advancement of His kingdom!

Acts Articles – Witnes 02-3

On By BrianIn Book of Acts

Throughout the book of Acts, we see the early church proclaiming the gospel.  But what is the gospel?  One probable reason for the many evangelistic sermons recorded in Acts is to help us better understand the gospel and so better share the gospel.  John Stott in his commentary on Acts gives four categories of the content of the evangelistic messages, and so four categories we must include when sharing the gospel.  His four categories are: gospel events, gospel witnesses, gospel promises, and gospel conditions.  Here I want to apply his categories to the messages in Acts 2 and 3, and then to the message we share:

  • Gospel Events:  We must tell others about what Jesus has done that our salvation is based on.  In Acts 2, Peter speaks of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension.  In Acts 3, Peter focuses on Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  We too must tell others what Jesus has done to save us – especially his death and resurrection.
  • Gospel Witnesses: In both Acts 2 and 3, Peter gives two witnesses to what Jesus has done.  First, he appeals to Scripture, quoting numerous Old Testament passages that point to Jesus doing exactly what he did.  Second, he appeals to his own witness of Jesus’ resurrection.  This was an essential part of being an apostle – that they had seen the risen Christ.  And the apostles have recorded their witness for us in the New Testament.  So when we share the gospel, we should use the Bible.  The prophecies and eye-witness accounts point to the truth of our message.
  • Gospel Promises: In Acts 2, Peter focuses on forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit.  In Acts 3, Peter rewords them as the blotting out of sin and times of refreshing (a reference to the Holy Spirit?), and then adds another: the return of Jesus for the restoration of all things.  And of course there are many more gospel promises we could mention: reconciliation, justification, new life, adoption, sanctification, and on the list goes.  When we share the gospel, we should include some of the gospel promises that would attract that person or group of people to Jesus.
  • Gospel Conditions: Finally, we need to tell people how they can receive these gospel promises made possible by the gospel events as given to us by the gospel witnesses.  In Acts 2 and 3, Peter calls the people to repent, to turn from their rejection of Jesus, and as such to believe in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior and King.  We too must call people to turn from their sin to Jesus, to repent and believe.

Gospel events, witnesses, promises, and conditions.  This is the gospel presented in Acts that we present to others.

Acts Articles – Service 03

On By BrianIn Book of Acts1 Comment

In Acts 3, Peter and John come across a lame man whom they serve by healing in Jesus’ name.  The result is praise to God and an opportunity to share the gospel.  Their example suggests several principles for us as we seek to serve others:

  • We should serve others using the opportunities God gives us.  Peter and John were on their way to a prayer meeting.  They could have been too pre-occupied to notice the lame man.  They could have been tired and not felt like helping.  But they stopped.  They used the opportunity God gave them.  Are we watchful for opportunities to serve?  Or are we too pre-occupied with our own agendas?  Are we too tied to our feelings?
  • We should serve others using what God has given to us.  Peter and John tell the man they have no money to give him.  But God has given them the power to heal the man, and so they do.  They used what God gave them.  We may not have money to help someone.  We probably can’t heal anyone.  But we shouldn’t worry about what we can’t do.  Rather we should focus on what we can do, serving in the ways God enables us.
  • We should serve others as representatives of Jesus.  Peter heals the man in Jesus’ name – according to his power and authority.  Peter is just a representative of Jesus.  As the crowds gather, Peter asks the crowds why they stare at him as if he had made the man well.  Instead, he points the crowds to Jesus.  Here is an important point.  In serving others we point to Jesus not ourselves.  This means our actions require explanation.  Without explanation, the crowds would have been impressed with Peter, so Peter points them to Jesus.  In serving others, it is possible for people to become impressed with us, and so we need to point them to Jesus.  Our service is not about us, but about Jesus working through us, so we must point to Jesus.  Lifestyle evangelism requires words to explain our good deeds, or we witness simply to our own goodness.
  • We should serve others so that God may be praised.  The lame man who is healed begins leaping and praising God.  The crowds too begin to praise God (4:21).  Certainly one goal in our serving others is to help them – because we love them.  But our ultimate goal should be that God would be praised – because we love him.  People are to see our good works and glorify God.  But if we don’t point them to Jesus, who gets the glory?  Often we do.  People praise us.  They are impressed with us.  And we rob God of his glory.  This is a serious matter.  We need to be careful when we serve that we point people to Jesus so they praise God and not us.
  • We should serve others with the hope of sharing the good news of Jesus.  Peter’s service led to an opportunity to share the gospel.  That should be our hope – that our service would open doors to share the gospel.  Their greatest need is Jesus, so our greatest service is to tell them about Jesus.  May our service bring many such opportunities.

Passsion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points1 Comment

Here are some good posts on evangelism for your weekend reading:

Are You Missional: 10 Diagnostic Questions – Jason Dukes (adapted bt Trevin Wax)
10 questions to help Christians discern whether or not they are operating with a missional mindset.

Tim Keller’s Top 10 Evangelism Tips – Martin Salter
A while ago on our elder retreat we listened to a talk Tim Keller gave at Lausanne. As part of that talk he gave 10 tips to help our lay folk in their evangelism.

8 Simple Instructions For Sharing Christ – Nate Shurden
These practical instructions are just that: instructions. This is not a formula. It is a way of preparing your heart and organizing your life for gospel impact in the life of others.

The Great “Unawareness” and Sharing the Gospel
An encouraging example of using an opportunity to share about Jesus, with a few good points along the way.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Acts Articles – Witness 01

On By BrianIn Book of Acts1 Comment

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth. – Acts 1:8b

Jesus spoke these words to the 11 apostles (identified as his listeners back in v2).  They were given the special task of being witnesses to the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and especially to the reality that Jesus rose from the dead (see v21-22).  From their witness, thousands were saved who then themselves became witnesses to the apostles’ testimony about Jesus and their own testimony of what Jesus had done in their lives. 

And so it is for us today.  We are witnesses of the apostles’ testimony found in the Word of God.  We are witnesses of what Christ has done in our lives.  We must share the good news with others.

Jesus called the 11 apostles to be his witnesses starting in Jerusalem, then moving out to Judea and Samaria, and then to the end of the earth.  This is exactly what happened, and it makes a good summary of the book of Acts.  Chapter 1-7 are centered in Jerusalem.  Chapters 8-12 find the gospel moving out to Judea and Samaria.  Chapters 13-28 show the gospel beginning to go out to the end of the earth.

This pattern is good for us as well.  We should begin in our own Jerusalem, the people we know, our own community.  There are many without Christ.  Our local churches need to be missions posts from which we go out to a very real mission field. 

From there we go out to our Judea and Samaria– perhaps our state and country.  I found statistics showing that 50% of Americans have no religious affiliation at all.  Of those who do, it takes little consideration to realize many of them are also without the gospel.  We have a mission field right here in our own country.  What can we do to reach our Judea and Samaria?  Our churches can send out missionaries and church planters who will minister in our own country.  Larger churches might partner with smaller churches struggling to reach their small communities.  We can raise our own children to be witnesses, many of whom will eventually live in another city or state – our Judea and Samaria– as witnesses.

And then we are to go to the end of the earth.  And so our churches send missionaries around the world.  Perhaps in light of Jesus’ call, we need to increase our commitment to world-wide missions, with a focus on reaching people with no gospel witness, training pastors around the world in the Word, and helping churches in other countries with the many resources we have been blessed with.  Perhaps God would call some of us to go.

When an employer gives us a task, we are expected to do it.  Our Lord has given us a task.  Let’s be his faithful witnesses to a world that needs Jesus.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points1 Comment

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Looking Firmly at the Cross of Christ – J. C. Ryle (via Erik Kowalker)
Great quote on our need to constantly come back to the cross.

20 Ways Satan May Seek To Destroy You This Week – Paul Tautges
We dismiss the devil too easily.  He wants to destroy us.  This post is a great look at his strategies that we might beterr be on our guard.

Self-Love and Loving Others – Barnabas Piper (via World Magazine)
Loving others does not start by loving yourself more.

This One Thing I Must Do – Thom Rainer
We must love one another.

Show Hospitality and Share the Gospel – Tim Chester
I’ve been reading Chester’s book, A Meal with Jesus.  This post is an excerpt from the book that really caught my attention about a Jesus-practiced evangelism strategy.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day focused on the cross and loving your brothers and sisters in Christ!

Loving the Lost

On By BrianIn All About Love

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
– Matthew 22:39

If we love our neighbor in this way,
we will want them to know Jesus as we do.
We will care about their spiritual condition.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Luke 19:10

Jesus sought the lost.
He died to save the lost.

As we follow Jesus, we will share his heart.
We too will seek out the lost that they might be saved.
We will follow Christ’s call:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:19

But 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.
Acts 1:8

We do this not in our strength
but in the strength of the Spirit.
We begin where we live
and move out from there.
There are countless millions who need a Savior.

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest
to send out laborers into his harvest.
– Matthew 9:37-38

So let us pray.

And let us go.

With the heart of Christ.

With the power of the Spirit.

Father, grant us a growing burden for the lost.
Help us to seek opportunities to share our faith,
and use those opportunities we find.
May the gospel spread in our

families

places of employment

schools

neighborhoods

communities

and throughout the world

for your glory!  Amen.

If Sinners Be Damned

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes1 Comment

If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. 
And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees,
imploring them to stay. 
If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions,
and let not one person go there unwarned and unprayed for.

– Charles Spurgeon (as quoted in Christ Alone by Michael E. Wittmer)

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Wow, there are a lot of good posts from around the web for your weekend reading.

First, let’s consider the important matter of salvation.  How do you know you are saved?  At issue here is the danger that many people have a false assurance of salvation.  To help us think through this and examine ourselves, Mike McKinley suggests five things that all Christians have.  He also addresses the important issues of perseverance and preservation.  And then Tim Challies suggests three statements on assurance, and reminds us of where our assurance lies.

Second, Kevin DeYoung addresses our tendency to get excited about minor issue instead of focusing on the core doctrines.

Third, Mark Altrogge reminds us that faith is like a power cord that plugs into God’s power as we pray.  Faith in itself has no power (despite the many songs proclaiming all that faith can do).  The power is found in the object of our faith.  So the strength of our faith is not so much the issue as the strength of the one we place our faith in.  God can use our flimsy faith.

Fourth, here are a couple of good ideas for evangelism.  Tim Chester suggests using meals for evangelism, while Brian Croft suggests asking people about the sermon they heard on Sunday as a way for evangelism. (Don’t knock it until you read the post!)

Fifth, Stephen Altrogge helps us cut the nerve of complaining.

Finally, Kevin DeYoung suggests 10 principles for church singing – Part One and Part Two – that you might consider before going to worship on Sunday.  It will help you think about what you are going to do even if you don’t agree with every point (and I will have to at least disagree with his preference for organs!).

Have a great Lord’s Day worshipping with your church family!