Category: Level: Intermediate

Empathy is one of the most valuable qualities of a disciple of Jesus. Empathy goes to the very heart of Christianity. The supreme act of empathy was the incarnation. God chose to identify with us, put himself “in our shoes”, by becoming a human. He became what we were so we could become the full image of what he is. He did this by choosing to experience the same troubles, pain and suffering that we do. Even more, he allowed himself to be crucified to take the responsibility for our sins. If God is willing to be that empathetic for us shouldn’t we become known for our empathy for others? Empathy means training ourselves to stop our thoughts about ourselves and focus on where the other is coming from. It means being willing to consider the challenges and pain the other has faced or is facing. Or maybe just making Continue Reading →

Scripture instructs us to do something we do not like to do: admonish our brothers and sisters. Admonish means to warn or correct someone. Galatians 6:1 instructs us: “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path” (NLT). Colossians 3:16 states: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” (ESV). Paul said to the Ephesians that he “did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears” (Acts 20:31, ESV). He also told the Colossians: “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28, ESV). (See also 1 Thess. 5:12, 14; 2 Thess. 3:15.) Considering the biblical passages about admonishing others, we need to take advantage of opportunities to Continue Reading →

To build healthy relationships it is important to examine the issue of anxiety in our communication. No matter what type of conversation we are in, it will be very helpful to make ourselves aware of any anxiety we are feeling. Signs of anxiety include stuttering, incomplete sentences, hurried speech and being at a loss for words. Anxiety is a warning light that something is out of order. Most of us feel anxiety in conversations because of insecurity about ourselves and about how others are perceiving us. When our words are influenced by anxiety we cannot be our true selves nor can we connect very well with the listener. Have you noticed that when you are speaking with someone who is insecure it is more work to communicate and more stressful for you? Their fears are veiling their true selves. Likewise, our anxiety puts extra pressure on the listener and hinders Continue Reading →

The New Testament teaches that God has given people with the calling of evangelism to congregations (Eph. 4:11). Therefore, one of the keys to reaching the lost is identifying and equipping believers with the calling of evangelism and releasing them into society to minister. It is puzzling and self-defeating that extremely few congregations have full-time evangelists on staff. Evangelists must be highly committed to a biblical approach to evangelism. An authentic evangelist should be able to convict others of their sin, their separation from God and God’s coming judgment. They should be able to lead seekers to make an initial surrender to Jesus’ lordship. Evangelists need to understand the culture, be excellent listeners and be able to speak God’s truth so that it shakes listeners to their core. They should be gentle, kind and humble. They should be successful in converting adults individually and not rely on large meetings.  Evangelists Continue Reading →