Tag: Evangelism

Questions for Easter Gatherings

On By BrianIn Holidays

How can we direct our conversations this Easter time toward Jesus and what he did for us?  Whether you are talking to a co-worker, classmate, neighbor, friend, or family member, how can you lead your discussions toward the cross and empty tomb?  Donald Whitney suggests several questions to guide our conversations toward Jesus:

What was your favorite Easter tradition as a child?

Why do you think people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus?

What makes this day different from all others?

See all 10 questions on his website.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

A few good posts on the grace and evangelism for your weekend reading:

Grace: A good illustration from Tullian Tchividjian reminds us that we are saved by God’s grace and not by works.  And then, a quote from Jerry Bridges calls us to remember God’s transforming grace in  our daily lives. 

Evangelism: Four pointers for evangelism from J. Mack Stiles.  And then, Mark Altrogge clears up a common misunderstanding that predestination and evangelism don’t go together.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with God and his people!

Next week, we will look at the single life….

Easter Outreach

On By BrianIn Uncategorized

Thought I would pass on an outreach resource for this coming Easter.  Two years ago, Crossway put together Christmas packets that included a New Testament, tract, customizable invitation, and bag.  Our church used them this past Christmas, adding some home made cookies and going through our small town caroling.  We also encouraged church families to deliver them to their neighbors or co-workers.

Crossway now has Easter packets with the same components plus an audio New Testament CD.  Our church is planning to hand them out to neighbors around the church, as well as to families that come to our annual kids Easter Egg Hunt.  If you are interested, you can find out more info here.

Christmas Questions

On By BrianIn Holidays

It is Christmas – time for all those work parties and extended family get-togethers.  What do you talk about?  And how might you turn the conversation toward the true reason for the season?  Donald Whitney gives us ten great questions to ask people to get the conversation rolling and help us move the conversation toward Christ.  He makes this available as a bulletin insert which I distributed to my church family this past Sunday.  Well worth taking a look.

Let Us Go Over

On By BrianIn Church Life

Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”  And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish.  Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” – I Samuel 14:6-7

“Come, let us go over”

The Philistines had invaded Israel.  The two armies were camped on either side of a large ravine.  Jonathan wanted to go over to these uncircumcised – those who were not God’s people, those who did not know God.  His mission was to defeat them and chase them out of the land.  We too need to go over to those who are not God’s people, who do not know God.  Our mission however is different – to make disciples, to show the way to God, to point people to Jesus.

Jonathan needed courage to go.  There was a great risk.  He could have been killed.  We too need courage to go, though the risk is not usually physical death but death to our pride – they might ridicule us, laugh at us, reject us.  It would be easy for us to sit around as Saul did (see v1-5), but God calls us to go.  Are we seeking opportunities to share the gospel with others?  Come let us go over.

“It may be that the Lord will work for us”

Jonathan is hoping God will deliver Israel from the Philistines and bring about a great salvation.  We hope that God will deliver people from their sins and bring about a great salvation.  Salvation is God’s work.  We must go over and share the gospel, but God must convict of sin, and give grace to respond.  We are completely dependent on God for the results of our going over.  As such, we ought to pray, asking God to bless our efforts, asking God to change lives.  Pray – it may be that the Lord will work for us.

“By many or by few”

Saul was concerned with numbers – 600 Israelites against thousands of Philistines.  Jonathan understands that numbers mean nothing when God is at work, and so he goes over.  The result?  God brings a great victory (see v8-23).

Have you noticed that God loves to use the small, the humble, the few?  Jonathan and his armor-bearer against thousands.  David against Goliath.  Gideon amasses a great army, and God says, “Too many.”  God reduces the army until we would say, “Too few.”  But God uses them to bring about victory.  There is a church near us in a town of 125.  Four years ago the church had 6 people.  Today it has over 100.  God delights to use the small, the few, the humble.  Will we trust that God can work through us?  By many or by few.

“I am with you heart and soul”

Jonathan’s armor bearer is also a great example to us.  He is of one heart with Jonathan.  They will go over together.  As local churches, we must be united around the great commission.  We ought to pray for each other to have opportunities to share the gospel, and courage to make use of those opportunities.  We ought to support our church’s outreach efforts – whether through prayer, or inviting people, or helping to do the work.  What a wonderful thing when each person in a church can say to the other – “I am with you heart and soul.”

Come, let us go over!  It may be that the Lord will work for us – by many or by few.  I am with you heart and soul.

The Coming of the Spirit

On By BrianIn God & His Glory, Habit of Prayer

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus predicts the coming of the Holy Spirit.  He tells the disciples, “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).  The Spirit will come with power, and in that power they will witness.

We see this play out in next few chapters of Acts.  In Acts 2, the Spirit comes upon them, empowering them to speak different languages to share the good news with Jews from many nations.  In Acts 4, Peter is filled with the Spirit and boldly witnesses to the same people who had Jesus crucified.  Later in the same chapter, the church prays for boldness to witness, and the Spirit powerfully comes upon them, giving them boldness to declare the gospel.

The Spirit empowers us to witness – giving us boldness and courage.  It is of course also the power of the Spirit that changes lives, making our witness effective.  We need the Spirit’s help to witness.  Do we seek it?  Are we praying for the Spirit to give us boldness.  Are we asking him to change lives?

Web Weekly

On By BrianIn PASSION Points1 Comment

The best around the web this week that I found deals with spiritual disciplines – habits that help us grow in love for God and people, and indeed that are expressions of our love for God and people.

Coram Deo reminds us of the need to keep it simple, coming back to the basic disciplines of life.  Chris Brauns calls us to consistent prayer with a quote from Bryan Chappell.  He Is My Delight gives a great example for compassion in outreach.

Web Weekly

On By BrianIn Idolatry, PASSION Points

Here are a few posts I recommend checking out from this week:

Trevin Wax addresses the issue of idolatry in relationship to blogging.  Idolatry is something we slip into so easily.  If you blog (or even if you Facebook) check out this link.  May God help us to find our contentment in him.

This blog often focuses on Christ’s passion for us and our passion for God, but we can’t forget the compassion for people part.  Kevin DeYoung gives us a great example from James Davison Hunter of how to love people consistently in the small things.  He also notes seven habits of highly evangelistic Christians from Thom Rainer.  If we really love people, we have to point them to Jesus.

Gospel Shaped Suffering 4

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous

How should the gospel shape our suffering?  We have looked at six ways already.  Let’s look at two final ways today.

Bearing Witness to Christ (Evangelism)

We receive the gospel by faith, but how will people hear the gospel unless we bear witness to Christ?  Suffering offers us a powerful platform to share the work of Christ in our lives.  Several people in my church have shared how they have had opportunities to tell others about Christ in the midst of their suffering.  There are records from the early church of people who witnessed the suffering and death of Christian martyrs and were saved as a result.  Courage, trust, and hope in trials leaves a lasting impression, a strong witness for Christ.  In fact, sometimes are suffering is for the purpose of bearing witness.  Jesus told his disciples that they would be taken to court, flogged, and dragged before rulers for his sake, “to bear witness before them” (Matthew 10:17-18).  Using our suffering as an opportunity to bear witness to Christ is gospel shaped sufferings.

Counting All as Loss for the Treasure of Christ (Worship)

The gospel is spread through evangelism and received by faith, but what is the goal of the gospel?  The goal is worship.  As John Piper writes in his book on missions, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”  We were created to glorify God, but we all sin and fall short of his glory (Romans 3:23).  The gospel exists to save us from our sins and change us back into worshippers who glorify God, worshippers who love God and serve God, who treasure God above all else.

Worshippers like Paul.  In Philippians 3:7-11, Paul says he suffers the loss of all things for Christ.  What is suffering?  Often it is loss – loss of heath, loss of a loved one, loss of comfort, loss of a relationship, loss of a dream.  Paul says he suffer the loss of all things, counts it all as loss.  Why?  Because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus.  He will share in the sufferings of Christ because what he wants most of all is Christ.  Gospel shaped suffering means we are willing to suffer loss because in Christ we have the greatest treasure of all.

What is gospel shaped suffering? It is:

  • Following the path of Christ
  • Becoming more like Christ
  • Resting in the love of Christ
  • Rejoicing in the hope of Christ
  • Trusting God like Christ
  • Comforting others in Christ
  • Bearing witness to Christ
  • Counting all as loss for the treasure of Christ

May God help us suffer in this way for his glory.