Evangelism - The Jesus Way #11

In this last in a series of 11 blogs on evangelism the way Jesus did it in the four Gospels I simply want to summarize and remind you of what we have been looking at - and ask you to make a decision. A simple yet profound decision.

It is interesting that the typical non-believer needs between 7 to 10 positive experiences with Christians and the Gospel before deciding whether or not to follow the Lord. So, during that time it is possible for them to be exposed to more than one of these seven methods of evangelism that we have been considering - in fact, they may be exposed to all seven.

So, as Paul writes, “Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News and in doing so I enjoy its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23)

The NIV version which you are most likely more familiar with states: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I might share in its blessings.”

So, we do everything within our power to bring Christ to the people who do not yet know Him. Our work is not to bring people to Christ as that is the task of the Holy Spirit. Our work is to bring Christ to the people so that they can consider Him who is life. There is a very big difference in these two understandings.

And, you must make the decision to be intentional. If you do not make a daily decision to intentionally look for opportunities and openings to share the Gospel you never will share the Good News that Jesus saves. It must be a daily quality decision that each of us makes in the early morning so we are ready and prepared for a day of exciting adventure.

And remember, once you lead someone into the Kingdom - that is just the beginning. Now you are responsible to disciple, train and equip them so that they become effective believers and soul-winners and thus healthy disciples of the Lord.

Posted in Evangelism and Soul-winning | No Comments »

Christian Prayer

When Jesus talked about spiritual practices like prayer, tithing, and fasting, He never prescribes any one religious routine to follow. Instead He gives guidelines to keep these practices focused on a relationship with God rather than on format or appearance. He assumes that once we have a right view of God and a right desire to connect with God, then we will pray and dialogue with God because we want to, not because our religion mandates it.

So, He begins His teaching on prayer by saying, “when you pray” (see Matthew 6:5-7), assuming we will pray, rather than “You MUST pray, and you must pray this many times a day, in this manner, facing in this direction.” For Jesus, prayer is assumed rather than commanded because He sees prayer as a relational act between two loving parties who WANT to communicate.

Jesus speaks of the “new wine” of His message needing “fresh wineskins” (Matthew 9:17) - those structures, patterns, and ways of living that contain and transport the substance. As new wine ferments and expands, the wineskin that contains it must likewise stretch along with it. If we try to put new wine in an old wineskin that has become brittle and cannot stretch any more, it will eventually burst open and the wine will be lost.

Jesus is not again the wineskin of structure. All relationships can benefit from a degree of flexible structure, and our relationship with God is no different in this way. But Jesus emphasizes that structure must submit to substance, the forms of religion must be molded by the essence of faith, and not the other way around. Patterns of spiritual exercise must remain flexible and relational, lest we try to contain the new wine within antiquated and inflexible traditions that simply cannot contain the fullness of ever-expanding wine of the gospel. Wineskins are needed but only as vehicles for the wine. And no wineskin is sacrosanct.

If you are a religious person or a spiritual person doing religious things, ask yourself this: What would happen if your religious institution or denomination were to close down entirely? What difference would that make to God’s activity on the planet? If your church, denomination, or long-standing tradition ended, would God’s way of salvation be hindered?

If you think your religious tradition or organization is indispensable to God’s saving activity on planet Earth, then you are clinging to a brittle wineskin. It is time to let it go and move forward into a living, dynamic, daily relationship with the Lord out of which will come the practices and disciplines needed and necessary to sustain and nurture the life-flow in that relationship. In other words, focus on what you are building (the wine - the relationship) and not on the supporting structure and scaffolding (wineskin) needed to build the relationship. But first make sure that your existing wineskin is not hindering your building of that relationship - the new wine flowing from the Holy Spirit.

Posted in The Apostle | No Comments »

Evangelism - The Jesus Way #10

The seventh and last method of evangelism that I have noted in the Gospels and the ministry of Jesus as well as in the Book of Acts and the ministry of the early Church is PROPHETIC EVANGELISM. The Bible states that we must all pursue the spiritual gifts especially that we may prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1). Paul (and thus the Holy Spirit) encourages all believers to desire to flow in and minister with all the spiritual gifts (9 of them as found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11). He singles out prophecy (a revelatory gift) as one that every born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit believer should place first on their list.

Of course, this gifts and all the supernatural gifts are to operate in love (1 Corinthians 13) and take the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) to have a positive impact upon the people we are witnessing to. And “being a witness” is what the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the power, and the gifts are all about. Acts 1:8 states, “And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be My witnesses…”

The purpose of the gift of prophecy then is to bear witness to the fact that Jesus is alive - resurrected from the dead and Lord and Savior. As we minister with the gift we remember that it is never used to expose a person’s sins, to embarrass them, or to rebuke them. Prophecy has three purposes (1 Corinthians 14:3) and they are to build up, stir up, and cheer up. 1 Corinthians 14 states that in a worship service the gift of prophecy can “reveal the secrets of their hearts” referring to an unbeliever in attendance. These “secrets” are not necessarily sins - they are most often wounds, inner pain, and things from their past (habits, hurts, hang-ups) that need the touch of God to heal and deliver. And, only they know these things as the prophetic word was given to the whole congregation and did not specifically point out one person. Prophecy brings the inner life to the surface and then the unbeliever can know that God is there with them and that Jesus truly is alive and cares about them and for them.

Here is how it works when evangelizing:
You, as a believer, receive a strong impression - sensation - picture concerning a person you do not know
There is a sense that you must share what God has just revealed to you - a pushing on the inside
You approach the person, ask permission to share what God has revealed to you, and then share it clearly and with great sensitivity
This catches the unbeliever’s attention and often allows you an open door or opportunity to share the Gospel with the person.
Always remember - the purpose is to evangelize the person - not simply to prophesy over them.

Today’s younger generation is looking for this type of “experience” with God. They are not interested in “explanations” or “education” - they are wanting to experience the supernatural. For this reason I believe this is a very effective method of evangelism in the world in which we, as Christians, now need to operate.

Posted in Evangelism and Soul-winning | No Comments »

Evangelism - The Jesus Way #9

The sixth way of evangelism as seen in the life and ministry of Jesus (the Gospels) and the early Church (Acts) is POWER EVANGELISM.

POWER EVANGELISM was really reintroduced to the majority of the Church today in the 1980’s through the ministry of John Wimber who took over as leader of what is now known as The Vineyard Movement. POWER EVANGELISM is the key focus of those who are focusing on and embracing the Kingdom of God (one of 8 main emphasis today in the Church - see article on the main web site).

In Scripture we see many examples of POWER EVANGELISM including Matthew 10:7-8 where Jesus is sending Hs disciples out on one of their first evangelistic trips into the harvest fields. He states, “As you go, preach this message: The Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

They were, in other words, to follow the example of Jesus who preached and taught with more than words - as often He performed miracles, signs and wonders as well as preaching and teaching. Sometimes He did this to draw a crowd for His message. Other times, He healed because of the response to His message. Either way, he presented the Gospel of the Kingdom with words and works. And, He commands us to do the same. In Mark 16:15 He tells us to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel…” In John 14:12 He tells us that we are to do the same things that He did. So, we too must move in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul did just what Jesus did… He put God on public display everywhere he went. In 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 he states:”I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

Near the end of His ministry Paul wrote to the Romans (15:18-19) “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So that…I have fully proclaimed the Gospel of Christ.”

I firmly believe that we can more effectively evangelize the lost if the lost see miracles, signs and wonders. Healing is often a “calling card” introducing the Lord to a non-believer so that they are then open to hearing the Gospel of the Kingdom and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. However, all nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to those who are born again and have received the experience known as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. We are called to walk in the power of God (and use the gifts) so as to witness to the resurrected Jesus. (Acts 1:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

Posted in Evangelism and Soul-winning | No Comments »