Thursday, April 16, 2009

True and False statements about evangelism

Christians should be a witness of Jesus Christ locally, regionally and throughout the world.

True.

Acts 1:8 - "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."


Evangelism should be sensitive and relevant to the recipient.

True.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 - "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you."


Evangelism should take place only if we have the time.

False.

Acts 5:42 - "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."


Evangelism should include the preaching of repentance and remission of sins.

True.

Luke 24:47 - "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."


Evangelism doesn't include showing your good works before mankind.

False.

Matthew 5:16 - "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."


The laborers are many, but the harvest of souls is few.

False.

Luke 10:1-2 - "After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."


An evangelist is rewarded by God based upon whether they establish or disciple new converts.

False.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9 - "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."

(adapted from "Evangelism Quiz" at http://www.christianet.com)


A friend e-mailed me the above photo, along with the link http://av8ng.blogspot.com/

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Evangelism should be sensitive and relevant to the recipient.
True.
This needs to be spread far and wide, (and dare I say, given its own topic)! Far too many take the approach of “Beat ’em over the head with a Bible, and don’t stop until they covert!” That does nothing but drive people away.

Great pic, by the way.

Jeff said...

PCGuyIV,

Far too many take the approach of “Beat ’em over the head with a Bible, and don’t stop until they covert!” That does nothing but drive people away.

I have seen a few people carrying signs and yelling Scripture verses. Personally, I would doubt that would be very effective.

Great pic, by the way.

Thanks!

Dr. Russell Norman Murray said...

'I have seen a few people carrying signs and yelling Scripture verses. Personally, I would doubt that would be very effective.'

I have seen this is downtown Vancouver previously.

Thoughts that go through my head:

-Turned off.
-Wonder if they are somewhat cultic.
-Think they probably turn off typical secularist British Columbians.
-I question their education, although they may be very educated, but why do they need to yell to make their points? Are they afraid and need to yell to attempt to prove points to themselves and others? Why can't they simply nicely hand out tracks and dialogue? The signs are noticeable enough to the public, without yelling.

Good morning, Jeff.

Jeff said...

thekingpin68,

Thoughts that go through my head:

-Turned off.
-Wonder if they are somewhat cultic.
-Think they probably turn off typical secularist British Columbians.
-I question their education, although they may be very educated, but why do they need to yell to make their points? Are they afraid and need to yell to attempt to prove points to themselves and others? Why can't they simply nicely hand out tracks and dialogue? The signs are noticeable enough to the public, without yelling.


Yes, at one city festival I was handing out tracts to people, and 2 or 3 guys were walking down the street, holding a huge sign, and yelling "Repent!" to everyone as they walked. Even I, who was handing out tracts to people, was embarassed and turned off by that.

Thanks, Russ.

Great Googly Moogly! said...

Freaky photo!

We all need to be reminded now and then that we are "witnesses" for (or against) Christ all the time.

Nice list to help us keep our eyes on the ball.

GGM

Jeff said...

GGM,

Nice list to help us keep our eyes on the ball.

Thanks, and yes, you're right; we do need reminders. Many Christians I have met are fearful of evangelizing and feel incompetent and lack confidence. Of course, the only way that witnessing can be successful is if we are empowered and filled and led by the Holy Spirit. However, "waiting to be led" is too often used as an excuse not to do it.

Greg said...

In summary, effective evangelization is one that makes the Way look attractive. Of course, not in a worldly sense (whoo, look at all the fun I'm having!!), but in a way that makes those around us say, "Now, there's something different about that one. I wonder what makes them that way. I want that for me." It's subtle, and it sometimes takes years or decades, and a lot of humble believers, to turn someone to Christ.

Placards and door-to-door harrassment (like I mentioned from the Mormons before) are a total turn-off. Besides, any nut can do that; it's living the life that has the greatest impact. :)

Jeff said...

Greg,

In summary, effective evangelization is one that makes the Way look attractive. Of course, not in a worldly sense (whoo, look at all the fun I'm having!!), but in a way that makes those around us say, "Now, there's something different about that one. I wonder what makes them that way. I want that for me." It's subtle, and it sometimes takes years or decades, and a lot of humble believers, to turn someone to Christ.

Yes. I think that would be considered "lifestyle evangelism," and I do believe that we should practice that. However, I do not believe that we should rely solely on that.

Placards and door-to-door harrassment (like I mentioned from the Mormons before) are a total turn-off. Besides, any nut can do that; it's living the life that has the greatest impact. :)

I believe every means/technique available should be utilized. As my previous post pointed out, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons reported the largest membership increases in a year, and they do it through means of going door-to-door. It also pointed out that the late James Kennedy increased his church's membership from 17 people to over 2,000 people in nine years, using door-to-door techniques. And in my own personal experience, I have seen people become church members from door-to-door invitations. David Yonggi Cho, who has the largest church in the world, used door-to-door methods to grow his church, and at one point, his church became 8 times as large in just 3 years, by knocking on doors (from Wikipedia). Therefore, those that have argued that door-to-door is ineffective are obviously wrong.

I think the most important things to remember and put into practice are:
-Do everything in love
-Pray for a burden for souls to be saved from Hell, and pray that you would be obedient to the Great Commission
-Be zealous and constant in evangelism
-Spend time memorizing Scripture verses that have to do with salvation
-Read and study material such as that found on The Way of the Master and Mark Cahill's website, both for instruction and for motivation and encouragement
-Through spending both quality and quantity time in God's Word, as well as in prayer, seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that when you witness to others, you are doing it through the power of the Holy Spirit instead of 'in the flesh'

Dr. Russell Norman Murray said...

God is not omnipotent because he cannot ride a bicycle, or type a blog article?

nitewrit said...

Jeff,

Hi, you are currently following my "Night Writing in Twenty-Oh-Eight" Blog. I'd like to suggest you follow at www.nitewrit.com, which is where i am doing my Posting this year. That is my "Night Writing in the Morning Light'. That way you will get my latest stuff.

Thanks,

Larry E.