Without hearing about God’s gift of salvation through faith in Christ’s work on the cross, there is no hope after death for the human soul. And hearing is just the first step; trusting in the message is the key that opens the doorways of heaven, but how do we get our friends and family to listen to the message in the first place?
Tony Watkins has written an article that is long, complex, valuable, and the subject of today’s ‘Readables‘ post. He starts by pointing out that with the introduction of postmodernism during the latter part of the 20th century, which among other things “doesn’t accept anything as true for everyone…, very often, our evangelism doesn’t hit the mark.”
“Now, more than ever,” he states, “we need to understand others’ beliefs…we need to be able to help them see the weaknesses in their worldviews. If they can see the problems, they will be far more likely to see the relevance of Jesus Christ.”
There’s much more in store for you if hop on over to Tony’s article, “Engaging the World“, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
And Speaking of Hopping...
- Check out some other Readables
- Learn about a BIG word in Evangelism – IF
- Read the Top Ten Reasons – a favorite series of mine
Boldly Barna – Where to Start
Many Christians who believe people without Christ will, when they die, be separated from God forever and spend an eternity in hell, don’t like that idea and want to be part of the process of moving that eternal state to one of closeness with the Father. It’s how we go about it that sometimes gets us in trouble.
George Barna, in his book, Evangelism that Works, gives us a couple of key thoughts to consider about how and when to share our faith. First, he says “outreach efforts that take advantage of the credibility, accessibility and trust of an existing friendship have a better chance of succeeding than does ‘cold call’ evangelism.”
A friend of family member, who is deeply aware of a Christian’s genuine care for them, is more likely to respond favorably to a spiritual discussion than a total stranger on the street that we walk up to and ask, “Do you know Jesus?” But there’s more to it than just having a good relationship; there’s the matter of sensitivity.
“Evangelism that starts at the nonbeliever’s point of felt need and ties the gospel into that area of need has the greatest capacity for capturing the mind and heart of the non-Christian.”
A friend displaying pride, fear, anger, or any other hurtful emotion or behavior, may be perfectly comfortable with their actions and resent our telling them that God has a way they can change. However, when they share remorse at how they’ve behaved, and especially when God has cleaned up our life in the same area, the door to sharing is much more open.
So, as we work at exhibiting the behaviors featured in today’s ‘Comments on Quotes’, here’s a ‘simple’ way to spot a possible sharing opportunity. I call it “Grace Reminders” and believe it can be used by God to help make you more aware of the ‘right’ time to speak up about your faith.
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