A great chasm exists that separates unbelievers from believers1. An example of this chasm is presented in the Gospel of Luke, “And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.”2 The chasm is presented in the “afar off” statement. This chasm, as pointed out by David Wheeler and Richard Leach, is what makes evangelism necessary. Essentially, every Christian is to seek a way to bridge these chasms bringing the unbeliever face-to-face with their Creator3. In order to perform this great task, and the task was as great in the Apostles’ day as today, “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest”4 the Christian servant today must rely on the Lord in every aspect and seek out opportunities to present Christ to those around him. Seeing then that there is such great work ahead, and the laborers have been assigned their task, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him”5, the only success to be found is through sharing the faith by the Word of God through the Spirit…
William Fay begins the book, Share Jesus Without Fear by pointing out the underlying reason for evangelism. He argues that evangelism is not about bringing people to Jesus or “winning souls” but it is about obedience (p.3), motivated by faithfulness. Fay challenges believers about their “sin of silence” by pointing out that only five to ten percent of Christians have shared their faith in the past year (p.6). He argues that there are two groups of Christians: those who talk to the lost and lose who only talk about the lost (p.8). He encourages believers to talk to the lost and avoid the “sin of silence” and the lack of urgency concerning evangelism.…
In his book Share Jesus Without Fear, William Fay lays out an easy and attainable way for one to reach people for Christ. A former mobster, and prostitution house owner, Fay says that if “God can take somebody like me and change him, he can take anybody in your life and change him as well.”1 In an easy to understand, comprehensive way, Fay shows how to overcome your fears and witness to those who are lost. By breaking down the six most common excuses one uses not to evangelize, he shows how to overcome the roadblocks that we place on ourselves. For instance, one of the fears he addresses is the fear of rejection. Fay points out that one must realize that this is not a contest. He says, “success is sharing your faith and living your life for Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with bringing anyone to the Lord.”2 He goes on to say that it takes someone 7.6 times of hearing the Gospel before they give their lives to Christ. Just because you may have been the 3rd, does not mean that it didn’t make a difference. Throughout the book Fay lays out questions to ask, verses to go to, and objections that you will encounter, to lay out a way for you to share your faith with others without excuse.…
Fay's work Share Jesus Without Fear is a highly systematic method that is meant to be used as guide for otherwise ineffective christians share the Gospel. Fay begins the book by sharing his extremely sinful past and his path to redemption. Fay follows with his frank criticisms of evangelicals. Fay writes on page three that evangelizing is about being a faithful follower not about saving souls. Fay points out that only five to ten percent of christians have shared their faith in the last twelve months. He goes on to state that most Christians find comfort in their new community of believers instead of returning to the community of non-believers to share what Jesus has done in their lives. On page six Fay shares his…
It reminds people of the love of God and his mercy, and yet causes people to remember His holiness and the truth of His words at the same time. Although this message isn’t perfect, it does provide a strong balance to some of the common teachings that are deceiving people in this generation. Such a message, if preached today, could help the church to wake up from its slumber, and help to prepare believers for the return of…
In regards to discipleship I do think the Western Church has drop the ball. We have misinterpreted the model Jesus set for us when it comes to discipleship. We have move discipleship from walking with some one and teaching them day today to a class that you signed up for and complete. Robby Gallaty in his book rediscovering discipleship lays out the model Jesus use for discipleship (1) lead why the disciples watch (2) lead while the disciples assist (3) assist why the disciples lead and (4) watch the disciples lead for whatever reason I think we have moved away from this model.…
This resource offers innovate way in expressing what has changed the believers heart. This could also be taught to an entire church on how to start an evangelism program. This philosophy can be implemented right away into an every day conversation. A person would probably need to read through the work possibly twice to fully understand the concepts being presented and to see how to implement them into their daily lives. It would have to become part of them. This book helps clarify a simple way to share the faith. There are a multiple of programs, methods, and marketing technique that are available to sharing the Gospel these days. However, the approach that was examined in “Sharing Jesus without Fear” alleviates the pressure that some might feel to follow a system. This system is heavily dependent on the scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit to do the convicting. It really does help me to understand that the Gospel can be shared virtually anywhere without being so in the face of people. This is opening a door to ask someone to share what they believe with the believer and in return showing the true. Instead of saying out from the beginning, you are going to hell. It does take evangelism in a different direction and his emphasis on living out the Gospel. To having a powerful impact in regards to the Gospel one must be living it and this is so…
I think Church’s have major responsibilities to communicate the gospel message. We need to remember that it was God’s kindness that saved us. Church’s shouldn’t focus too much flaws and focus more potential. The challenges churches face in today society is how to change with the times so that they can meet human needs without losing a sense of mission and without compromising the central Christian message. Christianity is often misunderstood. Much of the misunderstanding with the local Christian church lies in its inability to be seen as "good" within the local community. The Church by definition is a collection of Christian believers from all over the world and from all times who are bound together by the shed blood of Christ and his resurrected presence. What happens week in and week out in the 4 walls of our churches should be shared with the surrounding community in one way, shape, or form. Churches should feel like a free place that is open to anyone who needs them in any way. It could be simple gestures like offer a public bathroom with a shower during business hours to anyone who needs it. Have church members bring canned foods to service every Sunday and start an open pantry for the local community. It’s these simple things that we take for granted that can have a major positive impact on our local community. Even as we proactively look for ways to reach out to those outside our 4 walls, let’s…
Evangelist Billy Graham took Christ literally when He said in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”…
This mission reminds us that for the Kingdom of God to continue to break in, individual lives need to be changed, while being motivated and equipped for transformation. Our Book of Discipline offers this cue: “God has used our church to save persons, heal relationships, transform social structures, and spread scriptural holiness, thereby changing the world.” When we change lives and introduce people to the all-loving nature of God, we indeed transform the world. When making disciples, the Church welcomes people into community, educates them on God’s call for Christians, and equips them toward using their spiritual gifts to serve as change agents playing a role in bringing about the Kingdom of…
One of the greatest privileges of the Christian life is to go and proclaim the gospel to every nation, tribe, and tongue (Rev. 7:9). It is the task and duty of every believer to share Christ. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to the disciples, He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). The task of sharing the gospel can be done in one’s own community, workplace, or with family. However, in order to fulfill the Great Commission, Christians must go to every nation, tribe, and tongue to fulfill the task of reaching the world for Christ.…
The evangelism method I chose to summarize for you today is The Romans Road. The Romans Road is one of the intellectual methods of evangelism. This method is a straight forward method as to why we need salvation. The Romans Road tells us who needs salvation, why we need salvation, how God provides salvation, how we receive salvation and the results of salvation. This method is sort of like a paved road using the book of Romans. There are advantages and disadvantages of using the Romans Roads. One of the many advantages of this method is that is very straight forward and to the point. Where that is an advantage it can also be a disadvantage. It seems it can be to forward. Even though you follow each step if you don’t confess with your mouth that you are a sinner and believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we can all have eternal life then this method will not be followed correctly.…
We live in a day when many ministers claim that God has called them to preach only a specific part of the gospel. We have been called to preach the WHOLE COUNSEL of God [Acts 20:27], be it Salvation or Sanctification or Baptism of the Holy Ghost, Prosperity, Faith, and Deliverance etc. etc. We must be balanced and be careful of not to overemphasize or under-emphasize…
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."…
We took him to mass every sunday for the next three years and took care of him and visited him until he passed away. We believe that he is now in heaven with his wife like he always wanted. Seeing this take place especially when I was young was a big witness to the power of patience and the necessity for a renewal of evangelization within the modern Church. In the Roman times there was barely a fraction of the amount of Christians now and even with the small amount that there was they converted an entire empire and eventually all of europe. This evangelization was not just done by priests it was done by normal everyday people living their lives as Jesus wanted. They did not only evangelize with words, but also with actions and how they treated each other. This is what the church needs to revive itself from just some old religion that is counter cultural. How can I and all of us as Christians evangelize the message of Jesus while still living our normal lives? Is it possible for the church today to reach all of those people who have fallen away from the faith and bring them back or is it too…