Category: Evangelism

Universalism and Buddhism: What Does Christianity Say?

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  This post will help you talk to any of your reincarnation and/or Buddhist/Zen friends about Christianity. It will help you explain how Christianity goes farther and higher in a friendly way. Universalism is a popular idea today. There are different versions of it but the general idea is that God will save everyone eventually. Of course this is an attractive idea; who doesn’t want everyone to be saved? Even scripture says that God is “not wishing that any should perish” (II Peter 3:9). But scripture also says in many places that God will send some people to punishment after He judges them for their destructive, unloving lives. We won’t look at all the verses on that because the purpose of this post is to look at why God takes that view. One of the best ways to understand Christianity is to compare it to other religions. This will help Continue Reading →

When Our Society Declines: Being Missionaries Everywhere

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It’s not really fair to expect unbelievers to act like believers. We are in this world as lights, not as adversaries to the world. We love our enemies as well those who are not our enemies (which I think covers everyone). If we change our mindset then we won’t be so discouraged when our culture becomes destructive. Instead of thinking we have a right to live in the kind of place we want, it might help to think of ourselves as missionaries in our community and our world. As missionaries we need to understand the culture around us. Since there is such a diversity of views wherever we go, our lives are a constant cross-cultural experience. Even talking to our neighbor is often a cross-cultural experience. We can think of our lives as a challenge to finding the right words and actions that will draw people to God. This is Continue Reading →

Is Our Highest Calling Worship or Evangelism?

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Subtitle: The Great Commission, the “Great Catechism”, and the Great Commandment Sometimes we hear people debate a Christian’s greatest calling. A couple of professors from Liberty University (one teaches at the seminary) posted an article that reflects this debate very well. They ask: “So is it worship or evangelism? Which one is our greatest calling that deserves our most fervent effort?” They go on to say that the two are so closely connected that both deserve our top attention. (The article is about two pages and can be found at http://www.lifeway.com/Article/great-commission-worship-witness-evangelism.) In my experience worship and evangelism have been the activities most mentioned in American Christianity as the most important things we do. But is this what we find in the New Testament? Are worship and/or evangelism taught as the most important things that all Christians are called to? Strangely, the authors of the article don’t actually cite any verses Continue Reading →

Part 1-When We Explain Our Faith What Is Our Central Theme? The Union of Love.

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When we think or talk about our faith do we focus on our union of love with God or do we focus on lesser matters? Do our hearers understand that God is the author of ultimate relationship or do they feel like we are trying to prove the faith? How do we speak to ourselves about what our faith is about? I believe our union of love with God in Christ is the grand unifying theme of biblical theology and spirituality. Every element of the gospel is best understood in the context of His desire to be in a strong and loving relationship with us and His desire for us to live in community with fellow believers. He wants to be our Father, our teacher, our lover, and our friend. Jesus summed this up in Matthew 22:37 by saying that the greatest commandment was to love God with all your Continue Reading →

Think Like A Missionary – Appeal to Their Desires

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If your culture seems resistant to Jesus remember to think about what they desire that Jesus fulfills. This is what some missionaries do. So you can ask people: “What if there was a religion that:” 1. Didn’t require any particular organization 2. The writings were in everyday language the average person can understand 3. Isn’t based on people trying to figure out the truth, but on God’s revelation in historical events 4. Is centered on fairness and love 5. Is centered on healthy relationships 6. You don’t have to earn salvation with great works 7. Teaches us to treat all people with respect and courtesy 8. Is not elitist and doesn’t require leaving society to be spiritually advanced. The last shall be first and the first shall be last. 9. God will restore loving community one day and keep out destructive people. By asking these questions you let people decide Continue Reading →