Category: Evangelism

friendship handshake men

Using Relationship Principles For Powerful Evangelism – Part 1

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Somehow I got into a debate online with someone who was complaining about God ordering the death of some people in the Old Testament. We went back and forth until finally I explained that the root reason for God’s judgment was that the people were destroying relationships. They had embraced a destructive culture even to the point of sacrificing infants to their idols. The other person didn’t respond to my comment. What could he say? Usually when we think of apologetics in evangelism we think of presenting evidence related to facts of the Christian faith. But sometimes apologetics relates to values or ideas that listeners already embrace. For example, when Paul evangelized gentiles he did not use the same ideas that he used with Jews. When he spoke to gentiles in Athens, Greece he talked about general ideas about God that many gentiles already had, such as the idea that Continue Reading →

baby

Is Evangelism Hurting Your Discipleship?

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About a year ago I was at a conference that was promoted as a growth conference for Christians. One of the speakers pastored a church that was very successful at evangelism. At one point he said that occasionally someone asks him if his church produces mature believers. He responds by saying he doesn’t know if they are producing mature believers, but that‘s not his focus. I sat stunned for a few moments. It’s not often a pastor of a big church all but admits that he isn’t trying to produce disciples of Christ, but rather focus on evangelism. Doesn’t this lead to many Christians being stuck as spiritual “babies”? Of course this approach flies in the face of the many passages in the New Testament about becoming mature, growing in Christlikeness, or at least growing to the point of the maturity of an elder. God doesn’t want us to remain Continue Reading →

open door

Open Doors To Unbelievers Around You

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You overhear a co-worker talking about their belief that people go through reincarnation until they eventually become god. You are friends with them and you want to talk with them about your faith. So how do you bring up the topic without coming across as combative? How do you say something that they would actually listen to? Do they have any ideas that you agree with that could be a bridge to them? What doors are open to them? Consider the following list of traits that Christians value: Hope Optimism Self efficacy Problem solving Creativity Wisdom Courage Positive emotion Self esteem Love Emotional intelligence Empathy Attachment Forgiveness Humor Gratitude Faith Morality Coping Well being Now here is the surprise. This list is not from a Christian or a Christian book. It is from the secular book Positive Psychological Assessment, by Shane Lopez and C. R. Snyder, published in 2003 by Continue Reading →

anxiety

Anxiety vs. Focus On The Kingdom – Matthew 6:33-34

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In 1985 19% of college freshman reported being overwhelmed by all they had to do; in 2016 it was 41%! Anxiety has become a huge social-psychological issue. A New York Times article quotes that “Anxiety is the most common mental-health disorder in the United States, affecting over one third of both adolescents and adults.” Mental health providers report that for youth anxiety is often linked to fear of failure, perfectionism, comparisons to others (often through social media), or difficult neighborhood environments. We all feel anxiety some of the time and some of us feel it much of the time. Anxiety is an issue in every place and time. But the Kingdom of God that Jesus announced was a place where one could become free of anxiety. In his compassion he taught us how to do this. In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus talks about the anxiety of having enough food and clothing. Continue Reading →

communism, marx, communist

A World Even Better Than Socialists And Marxists Could Dream

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In the 19th century Karl Marx and Frederick Engels presented their strategy for producing an ideal society. It begins by the workers overthrowing the merchant class (“bourgeoisie”) by force if necessary. The workers then confiscate all the private property of the merchants and others. At the end of chapter two of the Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels claim this will lead to a society where “the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.” Of course we object to their strategy but their goal wasn’t that far from what Christians hope for. We too await the day when everyone will be free to use the gifts God gave them. It seems God has put this desire for an ideal society into the hearts of humans so that we instinctively know it is the proper place for humanity. Thus, this desire for an ideal society is Continue Reading →