Personal Evangelism & Discipleship

1. Personal Evangelism&Discipleship The right way please… Go and make disciples of all nations… Jesus Go and make disciples of all nations…

2. Isaiah 43:10-12 • "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen”…I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed--I, and not some foreign god among you. “You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.”

3. Barna Research Group (Little, How to Give Away Your Faith) • Only 46% feel they are responsible to communicate faith to nonbelievers • Less than 10% said they have ever intentionally built a relationship with someone in hope of being able to lead the person to Christ. • Fewer than 20% claimed to know a non-Christian well enough to share their faith with that individual in a context of trust/credibility

4. Barna Research Group • Only 4% consider sharing their faith with nonbelievers the most important outcome they want to accomplish in their life • Only 1 in 8 adult believers feels adequately prepared to effectively share their faith

5. How do you talk about Jesus Christ to… • Skeptic • Pagan • Moral Relativist • Drop-out • Hedonist • Materialist • Famous • Common Folks like Family & Friends

6. Evangelism…It’s Not About Formulas… It’s learning to accept, and work with what you already are in Christ – A live “witness” to his salvation!

7. Go and witness ???? • God’s Witnesses (that’s us) are commanded to……go and “make disciples” • Disturbing Barna Research • Christian attitudes, values, and behaviors =Secular attitudes, values, and behaviors • Significant confusion on basic worldview / beliefs

8. Marching Orders…Are certainly in order! • Not an insurmountable problem… simply a golden opportunity! • Society is crying out for authentic Witness... some really Good News

9. “JESUS”We Call Him Jesus: The Lord Saves Joel Atwell Message INSTRUCTIONS: • Go to http://www.grace-community.net/resources.htm and download (or live stream) the audio file for “Jesus” by Joel Atwell, on 2007-12-23. • You may listen to the entire message, but you will need to listen to the portion from minute 16:00 onward (about 6 minutes) to complete the questions below. [Worth 15 pts. toward first Quiz]

10. Personal Evangelism&Discipleship “Calvin don’t want the ball!” Christ’s Ambassadors2 Cor. 5:11-21

11. REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS • In what fashion does Isaiah 43 portray our role as God’s people? • If personal evangelism is not essentially about formulas, plans, and programs, what is it about? • As followers of JC, we are commanded to do what in the Great Commission?

12. Dever’s Top Ten ExcusesWhy We Don’t Do Evangelism [“The Gospel & Personal Evangelism”] ABOUT US… 10) Evangelism is illegal 9) I don’t speak their language 8) I don’t know non-Christians 7) Other things seem more urgent 6) Evangelism could cause problems at work

13. Dever’s Top Ten ExcusesWhy We Don’t Do Evangelism [“The Gospel & Personal Evangelism”] ABOUT THEM… 5) They already know the gospel 4) They won’t be interested 3) It probably won’t work 2) I doubt they will believe 1) They don’t want to hear!

14. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THERE TO BE AFRAID OF? (Bright, Witnessing Without Fear) • Few (if any) natural born “fearless” witnesses • Nearly all believers desire to share faith • Fear-factor prevents vast majority from communicating their faith • “I never found witnessing to come naturally and easily…by nature I’m a shy reserved person; initiating conversations is sometimes difficult for me…even sharing the greatest news ever announced is not always as easy for me as you might imagine.”(B. Bright, Witnessing Without Fear, p.18)

15. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THERE TO BE AFRAID OF? • Intimidation: That roaring lion that seeks to devour us… • Intimidation is natural(in our nature) • Intimidation is normal(in our experience) • Forces producing intimidation • Social pressure (power to conform) silences us • PrivatizationofReligion • Western “virtues” of self-sufficiency / reliance • Secularization

16. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THERE TO BE AFRAID OF? • Responding to Christian fear/intimidation: Two Approaches 1) Retreat: become isolated and defensive 2) Engage: be the salt/light within our intimidating world through power of HS

17. TWO INGREDIENTS TO OVERCOMING FEAR / INTIMIDATION #1 INFORMATION! • Don’t know what it means to witness (or to do personal evangelism) • Witnessing: All that we are and do • Evangelism: Art of explaining to someone the Gospel of Jesus • Evangelization: Transmission(verbal/written) of the Gospel message • Gospel = euangelion = Good news … • One who bears good news is “evangelist”

18. #1 INFORMATION (Dever, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism) • What personal evangelism is NOT: • Imposition • Personal Testimony • Social Action / Public Involvement • Apologetics • Guaranteed Conversion

19. #1 INFORMATION (Bright, Witnessing Without Fear) Bill Bright’s perspective on success/failure • Even Jesus did not convince everyone to believe in his Good News, yet he could report: “I did everything you told me to do.” • All Christ asks is for obedience, not results (command is not to convert, but to bear witness / spread Gospel) • Lack of positive response is not failure – still preparing soil • Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God.

20. #1 INFORMATION (Dever, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism) • We don’t know how to proceed • Can comprehend the task/mandate, yet be frustrated • Pretty easy to “be a witness” in today’s world… • Challenge: to “evangelize” in today’s world • Procedural component is major point of breakdown • Reluctant to “train” for “doing” evangelism

21. #1 INFORMATION (Dever, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism) • We don’t know what to expect • How will people respond to my verbal witness? • What will I do if they object? • What if they desire to receive Christ —How should I lead them? • Key objective of first half of this course… • To reduce / eliminate unknowns

22. If you will approach this course with open, eager heart/mind… • Never again need to be afraid that you will be embarrassed in a witnessing situation • Never again will you lack the essential scriptures / key thoughts to share with seeker • Find it more and more natural to begin spiritual conversations and lead people to Jesus • Know how to handle questions, distractions, and objections • Learn how to guide a person to a definite commitment to JC, and how to help them start in their new faith

23. Have the Confidence of Paul to Say: I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes… Romans 1:16

24. TWO INGREDIENTS TO OVERCOMING FEAR / INTIMIDATION #2 MOTIVATION! • God: Biblical mandate • Clear command of God to evangelize • Logical deductions from Scripture • Key to our own spiritual vitality/maturity • Bill Hybels four motivations • Stockpile factor • Honor of being an agent of God • Reality of Hell • Reward of leading someone to Christ

25. #2 MOTIVATION • Bill Bright: Five key concepts • Clear command • People are lost • People are truly hungry • We posses the greatest gift available • Love compels us

26. #2 MOTIVATION • Typical Barriers: • Lack of practical know-how • Spiritual lethargy • Believing lies of the Enemy of the Gospel • Robert Tuttle on “motivation” • Never assume people are motivated to do evangelism • Compassion - Seeing everyone as God sees them

27. SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS: THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT (Peel & Larimore, Going Public With Your Faith) • Five models for evangelism 1) Proclamation 2) Confrontational 3) Intentional 4) Passive 5) Relational

28. SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS: THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT • Principle of Supply & Demand & Distribution • God insures surplus on supply side • Research confirms demand exists • Distribution → evangelism economics breakdown

29. SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS: THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT • God’s distribution system • Witnesses at the workplace • Forfeited the major distribution method • We confuse being a witness with witnessing • Witnessing is an event (mechanical) • Being a witness is a process (organic) • Bible consistently employs an organic model • New life in Christ is a spiritual harvesting process

30. SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS: THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT • Four Phases of Evangelism • Cultivating • Focus: preparing heart – addressing emotional barriers • Goal: present benefits of relationship with Christ • Period of trust building / spiritual influence • Competence / character / compassion / communication / courage • Planting • Focus: settling the mind – addressing intellectual barriers • Goal: planting seeds of biblical truth

31. SPIRITUAL ECONOMICS: THE AGRARIAN CONCEPT • Four Phases of Evangelism • Harvesting • Focus: person’s will – addressing volitional barriers • Goal: to gently persuade • Multiplying • Focus: planting newborn into community of spiritual growth • Goal: establishment, growth, and reproduction

32. Breaking up the Fallow Ground (Peel & Larimore, Going Public With Your Faith) • Post-modernism challenges & opportunities • Downside • Everything is relative • Insistence on tolerance • Prevailing skepticism • Resultant despair and cynicism • Upside • Correction of the overconfidence in human reason • Spirituality is acceptable and welcome • Importance of relationships is being rediscovered

33. Breaking up the Fallow Ground • Post-modernism challenges & opportunities • Opportunity for evangelism • Starving for meaning and order/purpose to life • Wide door to meet them on level of relationship • What they truly need (deepest longings), Jesus still offers

34. Breaking up the Fallow Ground (Little, How to Give Away Your Faith) • Relevance of Gospel: Demonstrable in seven areas • Inner emptiness • Purposelessness • Fear of Death • Desire for inner peace • Loneliness • Lack of self-control • Need for integration of thinking (worldview coherence)

35. I am not ashamed of the Gospel… Apostle Paul [Rom 1:16] I am God’s witness… Salvation through His Son is my testimony… Empowered by His Spirit,I can live it & will give it!

36. REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS • What personal evangelism is NOT • Imposition • Personal Testimony • Social action / Public involvement • Apologetics • Guaranteed conversion

37. REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS • Motivation for witnessing • God: the Biblical mandate • commands, logic, spiritual fulfillment/vitality • Hybels: 4 factors • Bright: 5 factors • Tuttle: Primary motivation of “compassion”

38. REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS • Spiritual economics of evangelism • Five models of evangelism (Handout) • Law of Supply, Demand, and Distribution • Man’s vs. God’s distribution system

39. REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS • Four “agrarian” phases of evangelism • Cultivation (emotional barriers) • 5 Spiritual influence requirements (Handout) • Planting (intellectual barriers) • Seeding biblical truths • Harvesting (volitional barriers) • Gently persuading • Multiplying (discipling) • Reproducing

40. REVIEW:LAST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS • Is post-modern society a ripe field? • Downside • Relativity / Tolerance / Skepticism / Despair/cynicism • Upside • Human reason humbled • Spirituality welcomed • Relationships rediscovered • Opportunity • Hunger for order/purpose • Welcome the messenger more than message • Basic needs still met in Christ

41. Breaking up the Fallow Ground (Little, How to Give Away Your Faith) • Relevance of Gospel: Demonstrable in seven areas • Inner emptiness • Purposelessness • Fear of Death • Desire for inner peace • Loneliness • Lack of self-control • Need for integration of thinking (worldview coherence)