What Evangelism are you doing in the New Year?

bobinfaith

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Dear brothers and sisters;

Where we live, evangelism in our community is a very tough and diverse crowd. I'm sure many of us can relate in our towns and cities. Still, I'm always hearing testimonies how God works and reveals others coming to Christ.

Brothers and sisters have shared how they build their lives on His Word and sharing His Word among the unreached and even believers, and how to live and serve God. This should always be constant.

2 Timothy 2:15, 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

I'd like to pass this on to everyone, I visit the business hubs in our town, barber shops, banks, fast food, restaurants, post office, etc...I share with the manager or owner that I just stopped by to say hi, that I care about their business and ask if I can pray for them. 8 out of 10 will appreciate prayer and 2 per cent are too busy or just not interested. But I keep going back just to say hi. Over time, some have come to visit our church worship services or Bible studies and one time our police officers visited, and others were saved and baptized.

Do you have a testimony of your church or personal evangelism that you can share with us?

God bless you and your families.
 
Please heed this warning. Since the 1950's, evangelism has welcomed 52% of Americans, but only 22% walk the walk. (1) This is because evangelism is to bring in disciples, not numbers. Evangelism has become "1, 2, 3, pray after me" without any real understanding of repentance. As such, nothing changes except they're worse off, because they now believe their going to heaven because of a formulated prayer and have never changed or have a real relationship with Jesus. Real evangelism isn't standing on a street corner or witnessing to someone, it's listening to the Holy Spirit to guide us to do something, not for the sake of doing it because "it's right" but because the Holy Spirit is doing a work. Without the movement of the Holy Spirit, the movement is just manmade and thereby false. Christianity isn't an act of fulfilling a list of dos and don'ts but a relationship with God, a life altering, power-filled life.

1 Corinthians 4:20 (KJV)
For the kingdom of God [is] not in word, but in power.

The prayer shouldn't be "Lord, let us win souls today for you," but instead be, "Lord, show us who's willing to listen." When 52% think they're saved, but only 22% act on it, that leaves a whopping 78% lost with 30% thinking they're saved and are not. God only knows how many of the 22% are really saved. Just because they act on it, doesn't mean they're really His, Matt 7:21-22. Bring the power of the Holy Spirit and you'll see real salvation.

Just say'n...


(1) http://news.gallup.com/poll/16519/us-evangelicals-how-many-walk-walk.aspx
 
Hello Abdicate;

I agree with you and remember the similar statistics you shared. Evangelism isn't just introducing another to Christ and then leaving that person there standing once they are saved. Its vital to follow up immediately with our new brother or sister in Christ and help them form their new relationship with Jesus as the Holy Spirit begins to do a new work in them.

In Paul E. Little's How To Give Away Your Faith, he writes how it helps to develop a common ground for building communication with the person we are witnessing to.

In the church, evangelism training is necessary, for example (just as studying another language before going on a short or long term missions to another country.) Statics in training should be revealed, as Abdicate shared, to prepare us for the area in our community, city or overseas where we will be evangelizing.

Thank you, Abdicate, God bless you and your family.
 
There seems to be more new people in our local church lately...! It is not numbers or visitors but people actually wanting fellowship and discipleship and they are coming for bible study.
Some of the main ministries has been into rest homes, prisons, people living on the streets, in primary schools, theres a lads workshop, also theres a new youth pastor.

Because I live in a merchant city with heaps of immigrants there is always opportunity for evangelism. Many people come from all over the world intially attracted by the lifestyle and prospects, but they might not have any idea about who Jesus is. It is up to us who know Him to tell them and share. Communicating the gospel can be do in so many ways but one thing I learned (from some training I did) is to have an eye opener. But also I think there needs to be an 'ear opener' as well!


There is quite a strong missions focus as well for sending people overseas and we have missions people in indonesia, tonga, germany, india, etc. Usually these people have a calling and theyve spent some time training in bible college. They often report back on their progress, when they come back for furlong they call it.


I am sad that a lot of evangelism by other churches is rather formulaic and I have a hard time with people that 'got saved' by the 1 2 repeat after me prayer and then werent ever followed up - it like they were preached to by a drive by evangelist. But then I think well thats sometimes the case in big cities and some preach for their own gain but at least the word is being preached. The thing is there are so many churches, for a new believer how would they know which one to go to, and obviosuly you cant go to them all at the same time. I have encountered a lot of people who believe they were saved but then have no idea what repentence is or means, and so its frustrating because they are still holding on to their old man/old life and wont let it go. And you cant tell them otherwise because they say well Ive already heard about Jesus and believe him. In cases like that sometimes I think its best to just start all over again and treat them as if they are unbelievers because obviously they have not made up their mind to follow Him!
 
) This is because evangelism is to bring in disciples, not numbers. Evangelism has become "1, 2, 3, pray after me" without any real understanding of repentance

1, 2, 3, pray after me" without any real understanding of repentance. As such, nothing changes except they're worse off, because they now believe their going to heaven because of a formulated prayer and have never changed or have a real relationship with Jesus.



I agree with you and remember the similar statistics you shared. Evangelism isn't just introducing another to Christ and then leaving that person there standing once they are saved. Its vital to follow up immediately with our new brother or sister in Christ and help them form their new relationship with Jesus as the Holy Spirit begins to do a new work in them.

am sad that a lot of evangelism by other churches is rather formulaic and I have a hard time with people that 'got saved' by the 1 2 repeat after me prayer and then werent ever followed up - it like they were preached to by a drive by evangelist. But then I think well thats sometimes the case in big cities and some preach for their own gain but at least the word is being preached.

Greetings All,
I truly find these quotes to be inadequate and incomplete and hear say.

Men Plant and Water and God gives the growth.

I have yet to see any alter call to follow as in these quotes above.

Unless God moved in their hearts, they would not be there to receive Christ.
Those who do accept Christ are sent to another area where they are ministered unto and given materials and ADVISED to seek out a church in their own area.

Unless any of you have spent months working with these evangelist or spent months serving with these ministries then you truly have no real understanding how things operate.

I am saddened how brothers and sisters are so quick to put down on the work that God has chosen them to do.

Perhaps a true blue examination of ourselves, seeking how we compare and stack up to the plan God has for us would be much more productive.

Blessings
FCJ
 
While I firmly agree that there is more to evangelism than bringing someone to the point where they acknowledge their need and accept our Lords sacrifice, I do think that the original question is an important one.

We need to be aware of opportunities, for they are arranged by our Lord. When an opportunity occurs, we must seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit in making those opportunities count.

While the plan is His,
  • we should always be self aware enough to prayerfully meditate on our place within it,
  • to strive to make others know who we serve,
  • and having identified with Christ before others be a good witness to living for the Lord.
  • Along the way, the Lord and His message should be gently on our lips letting those around us know who we credit for our good fortunes, and who we look to in our need.

Some of those conversions will blossom into a greater discussion where Christ can be presented, possibly with application to the person hearing the Gospel, sometimes just in a general way.

As we are blessed to be used by the Lord and witness another soul commit to Him, we should be ready to ensure that the new believer has training in discipleship. We should know how to disciple another, and failing that guide them to where they may receive that which we are unable to perform ourselves.

They are not our converts but the Lords (we should do this in humility), but they now serve the same Lord, and we serve our Lord by helping mold them into useful servants.

The Lord expects this to be a way of life for the committed believer. It may manifest itself differently in different lives, but we should all be ready at all times to be used by God.

We should see ourselves as not only spreading the word of Christs love, but to be used by the Lord to build up more spreaders and teachers.
 
Greetings All,
I truly find these quotes to be inadequate and incomplete and hear say.

Men Plant and Water and God gives the growth.

I have yet to see any alter call to follow as in these quotes above.

Unless God moved in their hearts, they would not be there to receive Christ.
Those who do accept Christ are sent to another area where they are ministered unto and given materials and ADVISED to seek out a church in their own area.

Unless any of you have spent months working with these evangelist or spent months serving with these ministries then you truly have no real understanding how things operate.

I am saddened how brothers and sisters are so quick to put down on the work that God has chosen them to do.

Perhaps a true blue examination of ourselves, seeking how we compare and stack up to the plan God has for us would be much more productive.

Blessings
FCJ
Well brother, I'm a fruit inspector. The claims don't match reality. If 75% of American are indeed Christians, why is it 62% watch pornography monthly, supplying almost 25% of all viewers in the world, the next is the UK with 5%. Here's some more:
Pornography:

1. Porn sites receive more regular traffic than Netflix, Amazon, & Twitter combined each month. (HuffPost)​
2. 35% of all internet downloads are porn-related. (WebRoot)​
3. 34% of internet users have been exposed to unwanted porn via ads, pop-ups, etc. (WebRoot)​
4. Porn increased marital infidelity by 300%. (WebRoot)​
5. At least 30% of all data transferred across the internet is porn-related. (HuffPost)​
6. The most common female role in porn is women in their 20’s portraying teenagers. (Jon Millward.) (In 2013, Millward conducted the largest personal research study on the Porn Industry in the U.S. He interviewed 10,000 porn stars about various aspects of the business.)
7. Recorded child sexual exploitation (known as “child porn”) is one of the fastest-growing online businesses. (IWF)​
8. 624,000+ child porn traders have been discovered online in the U.S. (Innocent Justice)​
9. Child porn is a $3 billion industry. (TopTenReviews)​
10. Porn is a global, estimated $97 billion industry, with about $12 billion of that coming from the U.S. (NBC News)​
11. In 2016 alone, more than 4,599,000,000 hours of porn were watched on the world’s largest porn site. (PH Analytics)​
12. Eleven pornography sites are among the world’s top 300 most popular Internet sites. The most popular such site, at number 18, outranks the likes of eBay, MSN, and Netflix. (SimilarWeb)​
https://fightthenewdrug.org/10-porn-stats-that-will-blow-your-mind/

Drugs
  1. Over 20 million Americans over the age of 12 have an addiction (excluding tobacco).
  2. 100 people die every day from drug overdoses. This rate has tripled in the past 20 years.
  3. Over 5 million emergency room visits in 2011 were drug related.
  4. 2.6 million people with addictions have a dependence on both alcohol and illicit drugs.
  5. 9.4 million people in 2011 reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs.
  6. 6.8 million people with an addiction have a mental illness.
  7. Rates of illicit drug use is highest among those aged 18 to 25.
  8. Over 90% of those with an addiction began drinking, smoking or using illicit drugs before the age of 18.
Alcohol
  1. Binge drinking is more common in men; 9.1% of men 12 and older reported heavy drinking 5 or more days in a month, while 2.6% of women reported this.
  2. Over 11% of Americans have driven under the influence.
  3. Out of 16.6 million people with alcoholism, 2.6 million were also dependent on an illicit substance.
  4. It is estimated that over 95% of those who need treatment for alcoholism do not feel they need treatment.
  5. More people receive treatment for alcohol than any other substance.
  6. Over 30% of those who received treatment in 2011 reported using public or private health insurance to pay for treatment.
Not to mention many more like this: https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/addiction-statistics/

46% divorce rate, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm

59% of the population is married
24% never married
10% divorced
7% widowed
http://www.divorcemag.com/articles/us-divorce-statistics

57% of men admit to invidelity
54% of women admit to invidelity
https://www.statisticbrain.com/infidelity-statistics/

Only 3% wait until marriage to have sex down from 11% in the late 1950's to 60's.
http://waitingtillmarriage.org/4-cool-statistics-about-abstinence-in-the-usa/

75% of shoplifters are adults
9% of the population in the USA are shoplifters
http://www.shopliftingprevention.org/what-we-do/learning-resource-center/statistics/

75% of employees have admitted to stealing from their employers at least once
https://www.statisticbrain.com/employee-theft-statistics/

50% teens have had oral sex
Men have had up to 8 sexual partners in their lifetime
Women have had 4 sexual partners in their lifetime
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/us/nationwide-survey-includes-data-on-teenage-sex-habits.html

93% of Americans have been a victim of a violent crime
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv16_sum.pdf

18% have suffered from rape in their lifetime
1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before the age of 18
https://www.nsopw.gov/(X(1)S(k4kfkypyapi053ci04ngtcpm))/en-US/Education/FactsStatistics

I won't even get into the other "stuff" out there.

"1,2,3, pray after me" doesn't work as the norm. If people use this formula and do not change, they're not saved.

Matthew 7:18 (KJV)
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
 
Greetings All,
I truly find these quotes to be inadequate and incomplete and hear say.

Men Plant and Water and God gives the growth.

I have yet to see any alter call to follow as in these quotes above.

Unless God moved in their hearts, they would not be there to receive Christ.
Those who do accept Christ are sent to another area where they are ministered unto and given materials and ADVISED to seek out a church in their own area.


Unless any of you have spent months working with these evangelist or spent months serving with these ministries then you truly have no real understanding how things operate.

I am saddened how brothers and sisters are so quick to put down on the work that God has chosen them to do.

Perhaps a true blue examination of ourselves, seeking how we compare and stack up to the plan God has for us would be much more productive.

Blessings
FCJ

Hello Brother FC Jim;

I agree wholeheartedly with you, "that men plant, water and God gives the growth".

"Unless God moved in their hearts, they would not be there to receive Christ.
Those who do accept Christ are sent to another area where they are ministered unto and given materials and ADVISED to seek out a church in their own area."


Your quote is aligned with the key verbs from the 3 posts you addressed - "bring in disciples", "Its vital to follow up immediately", and the objective but truthful "then werent ever followed up"

The training I received was so important before I went out into the community. There was no way I could have been prepared for evangelism without prayer, study of the Word, my disciple attitude and understanding why we witness Christ to the unreached.

When we reference Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

Brother Jim, what I read you saying are the people taken to be believers who stop working because they know Jesus would return immediately. This goes both ways, the evangelizer who need teaching so they can understand the plan, and the new believer who needs nurturing and understanding the major decision they just made.

When I did the prayer of acceptance to the brother or sister at their front door, or on a street corner, or an altar call during worship service, it was exciting when they came to Christ! When we followed up immediately with the newly saved, we were prepared to hand out new disciple materials and, accepting that our church may not nesessarily be the church God is leading them to serve. This all came with the training.

I also was prepared for the ones who gave me "choice negative words" about Jesus, then walked away leaving me standing there. Or, when they did receive Jesus, their hearts may at the time have been sincere, or not really, and after a short while or couple of months they apostasized.

I don't feel we are putting down the work of God, brother Jim, truthfully, many will reject Jesus and many will come to Him. This comes with the training because many Christians feel rejected (I used to) when people they witness to walk away, not realizing that it's Jesus that the unreached are rejecting.

As far as inadequacies, incompleteness and hear say, we're all weak. God understands our frailties in our called ministries. Thats where His strength comes in.

Point is, I agree with you that a true examination must always be made of ourselves, doesn't matter how long or how little we have been doing God's work. Its wise to receive re-training and refreshing our serving gifts so we stay sharp for the Kingdom.

God bless you, Jim, and if my post doesn't align with yours, then lets discuss this and help me understand what you are teaching.
 
Well brother, I'm a fruit inspector. The claims don't match reality.

I guess I missed the memo where we are to judge the degree of others salvation.
I am old school where Only the Father and Jesus and The Holy Spirit truthfully know ones heart.

Your numbers won't work this time.
How can you take numbers of people in general and then use them as results of people who accepted Christ at one time or another?


1,2,3, pray after me" doesn't work as the norm. If people use this formula and do not change, they're not saved.

Matthew 7:18 (KJV)
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

You are saved correct?
If Jesus stood by and judged fruit in EVERY AREA of your life.........will all fruit be seen 100 percent approved?

You are judging salvation by how much light you see.
Blessings
 
Hello Brother FC Jim;

I agree wholeheartedly with you, "that men plant, water and God gives the growth".

"Unless God moved in their hearts, they would not be there to receive Christ.
Those who do accept Christ are sent to another area where they are ministered unto and given materials and ADVISED to seek out a church in their own area."


Your quote is aligned with the key verbs from the 3 posts you addressed - "bring in disciples", "Its vital to follow up immediately", and the objective but truthful "then werent ever followed up"

The training I received was so important before I went out into the community. There was no way I could have been prepared for evangelism without prayer, study of the Word, my disciple attitude and understanding why we witness Christ to the unreached.

When we reference Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

Brother Jim, what I read you saying are the people taken to be believers who stop working because they know Jesus would return immediately. This goes both ways, the evangelizer who need teaching so they can understand the plan, and the new believer who needs nurturing and understanding the major decision they just made.

When I did the prayer of acceptance to the brother or sister at their front door, or on a street corner, or an altar call during worship service, it was exciting when they came to Christ! When we followed up immediately with the newly saved, we were prepared to hand out new disciple materials and, accepting that our church may not nesessarily be the church God is leading them to serve. This all came with the training.

I also was prepared for the ones who gave me "choice negative words" about Jesus, then walked away leaving me standing there. Or, when they did receive Jesus, their hearts may at the time have been sincere, or not really, and after a short while or couple of months they apostasized.

I don't feel we are putting down the work of God, brother Jim, truthfully, many will reject Jesus and many will come to Him. This comes with the training because many Christians feel rejected (I used to) when people they witness to walk away, not realizing that it's Jesus that the unreached are rejecting.

As far as inadequacies, incompleteness and hear say, we're all weak. God understands our frailties in our called ministries. Thats where His strength comes in.

Point is, I agree with you that a true examination must always be made of ourselves, doesn't matter how long or how little we have been doing God's work. Its wise to receive re-training and refreshing our serving gifts so we stay sharp for the Kingdom.

God bless you, Jim, and if my post doesn't align with yours, then lets discuss this and help me understand what you are teaching.

I agree there needs to be follow up but the follow up does not have to come from the ones who led them to the Lord.

A small church has the responsibility to nurture those who are there.

The so called evangelist that are in question may not be called to shepherd those who they lead to Christ.

Look at it this way.......God got them there where He had His servant and the Holy Spirit tugged in their heart and some make the wise choice to go down and accept Christ.

The ministry teams there do work with them and pray and give them material.
Now don't you think God can direct them to the Shepherd He wants them to be nurtured under?

I have seen how things work within the bigger ministries especially where God has sent a pastor to another area to speak.
There is time spent with the new believers.

Those that led them to the Lord can not stop what they are told to do to baby sit the new believers beyond that. That's the local church's responsibility.

That's all I am saying.
It's so easy to be an arm chair Christian judging other ministries and find so called fault but it's another thing to actually know what the Father has set forth.

Blessings
 
Well brother, I'm a fruit inspector. The claims don't match reality. If 75% of American are indeed Christians, why is it 62% watch pornography monthly, supplying almost 25% of all viewers in the world, the next is the UK with 5%. Here's some more:
Pornography:

Yea, we got problems. We visit many of those upon ourselves.

At times, when I note trends similar to those you mention, I wonder if it is more a measure of how hard the enemy is working rather than a measure of false conversions.

Some never really accepted and fell away and will end in the pit. They are part of the enemy's plan, and we should resist it.

However, I am loathe to discredit the validity of the faith of others. The Lord will know the truth of their conversions. Beyond that, nothing is required for them to enter the Lords Kingdom. No further works, nor standards of holiness. Their sin: past, present, and future was paid for 2000 years ago, and they have joined in that greatest of blessings the moment they accepted our Lord.

He will have mercy on whom He has mercy, and condemn those He will condemn.

Many of those who accepted but were never fertilized and watered will enter the Kingdom as spiritual babes, who have never progressed as the Lord would prefer, but they will enter and the Lord will be pleased to welcome them.

We should be looking after our spiritual newborns teaching them to resist the enemy just as we as parents teach our children to be strong and resist the problematic influences of the world they inhabit.

This is also part of what evangelism is.
 
Well the parable of the sower springs to mind.

As you know, or learn with gardening when you sow a seed, well sure you sometimes you can scatter them anywhere and just leave it and it will grow. But what about weeding, what about the soil, what about timing? Does anyone who gardens just plant a seed and then forget bout it and not bother with it? Not water it or feetilize or check its growth? That is irresponisble. Do you just let weeds take over and choke your plants?
 
I am not trying to be contentious or rude here but if you know how Jesus said to Peter to feed my sheep and feed my lambs, he was not saying to Peter oh it doesnt matter about the sheep and lambs they can look after themselves and find their own way just use 'wet and forget' I mean, that is callous.

Has anyone worked in a nursery, either plant or childcare. Do you know babies cannot feed themselves. They need the best start in life. Babies literally need to be held they cant just reach up and suckle they cant even talk, or even walk! The same it is with spiritual babes.
 
I think that evangelising anywhere can be tough. Its tough in Britain too. I have no stories that are worth telling. But i do enjoy the work, even with all the rejection and swearing. Its incredible to say that people can hate the message and us for telling it and showing care for them.
 
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