Evangelism Training

   
Teachers: Mark Williams and Pastor Stan Parker

    Sometimes life makes it all too easy for us to take the passive approach. We hear the teachings in church and even shout our "amen" once in a while. We are all fired up for God when we are around other believers, but it is not what you do around other people that makes you who you are, but the things you do when no one is watching. This week's lesson on Evangelism training at JFC taught me that I really need to take a more active role in my Christian walk, and I hope this summary encourages you as well.

     We started the night by first reading Matthew 28:19-20. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." The key word in this scripture is "go."  One of the words Christians tend to not like in the bible or practice is the word go. The reality is that God did not call us to a life where we just serve him in private or only talk to our friends that are already believers. We need to go out into the world and tell people about the good news! Before Jesus had made this commission he had just been resurrected which means that he will no longer be walking the earth. He wanted those men and us to be his mouthpiece, hands, and feet.

   If you study statistics you will see that all major denominations are in a decline. Jesus is the answer, but so many people do not know he is the answer and how can they when no one is willing to go out and tell the story. The first thing we need to do is get real, and be honest, and admit that a lot of us are afraid to evangelize or the famous excuse "I do not want to look like a Jehovah Witness." We are allowing perception to stop us from doing what we have to do, but as we all know God has a sense of humor. "But you will receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth?" Acts 1:8 So we are to be a witness? One of God's names is Jehovah right? Exactly. God is amazing however, and although for many of us evangelizing is a step outside our comfort zone we can take comfort in the fact that he will be with us. He says right here in his word that we will receive power. How amazing he is.

  We were asked to list our top three obstacles in life, and for me it was laziness, fear, having the courage to be different, but for you it could be evangelism is uncomfortable and inconvenient. We also tend be afraid of not knowing the unknown, but you can not conquer your giant until you are willing to face. With any giant that you might be facing ask yourself this when it becomes hard to push through. Was it convenient for Jesus to die on the cross for us? He has done so much for us, and one of the greatest things you can do after you get saved is help someone else get saved to advance the kingdom. I will be honest with you and let you know that evangelism is not easy and there a multitude of obstacles to evangelism. "The Five P's"

• Pray-before you even evangelize you need to be prayed up. One of the major reasons you are saved today is because someone prayed for you. Prayer is the preparation of God's presence. Prayer is an evangelistic tool. When you use God he can change some things.
• People/props-it is people who are called to evangelize and it is people we have to evangelize too. People are the heart of this mission. All types of things can be used to get the message across. Find your tool and use it.
•  Perseverance-John 15:20. You are going to go through some trials; it is unavoidable, but Jesus told us a long time ago that they will not be rejecting us they are rejecting Him. Satan will try to get you to find reasons why you shouldn't go, but persevere my brothers and sisters in Christ for you are fighting the good fight.
• Patience-Society today is like a microwave; we want everything and we want it now. Once we do not see change immediately we want to give up. One of the reasons Christians get a bad rep it is because we like to force things on people, but remember salvation is a gift, and a person has to say yes to the gift with their own heart.
• Praise- We got to give God he praise because he created us for a specific purpose. Your primary purpose is that God get the Glory out of your life and help in kingdom building. It is a privilege to know who you are as so many people struggle trying to find out. We are heroes for God whether we are a prayer warrior for a law firm, or a doctor who hands out scriptures to every patient. Whatever it may be let God get the glory, and his will you are pursuing.

Hopefully by now your heart is starting to turn towards wanting to evangelize, but you may ask yourself how? There are a myriad of ways to evangelize.

• conversational evangelism-share your story. Share your testimony. Let people know what God has done for you and how you got where you are
• service-show people God's love. God has been good to all of us, and because he has taught us how to love pass it on
• Roma's Road (probably the most famous approach)-Roman's Road is a series of scriptures in the book of Romans. (1) Romans 3:23, (2) Romans 6:23, (3) Romans 10:9-10. These verses reiterate the fact the consequences of sin, that we are all sinners, and the confession of the mouth that Jesus rose from the dead and the belief in your heart is all you need for salvation. These scriptures are proof of all that you believe in.

The best way to serve God is the theology of presence. What will you do to help the lost. There are people right here on campus who are in dire need. Our challenge: each one reach one. Make the goal to at lease lead one person to Christ.

Questions to Ponder:
1. What do you think is your evangelistic style?
2. Is there someone in your life you think you can lead to Christ?