Tag: evangelism

I Can’t Talk About Jesus With Others

Have you ever said (thought) those words?  I know I have in the past.

So, what prevents us from speaking about Christ to those we interact with every day?  Why is it that talking about Jesus on Sunday feels just fine, BUT it feels awkward at the grocery store, gas station, or workplace?

complicated

I suggest 2 possible reasons this can be true for many believers:

Acknowledgment | What are you and I taking notice of in our ordinary daily lives?  If we’re not NOTICING God’s hand throughout the week (and even outside of trials and stress), we are obviously not going to be mindful to mention Him.  This is a dangerous place to be, because when we don’t acknowledge Jesus in our relationships, successes, and personal growth we take credit ourselves!  And eve if we don’t SAY IT, simply NOT giving Him credit assumes an unhealthy level of autonomy.

Excitement | Think about this.  We rarely find it difficult sharing our excitement with EVERYONE when our team experiences a huge win, when we’ve had a big personal success, or after we return from the most amazing vacation EVER.  The details and passion within these personal experiences come through easily and quite clearly, don’t they?  I would conclude, then, that our excitement and energy around the things of Jesus can have a direct effect on how much (if at all) we share his involvement in our lives with others.  If we are not excited about Jesus adjustments must be made.  Something needs to be changed so we can experience Him in new and fresh ways.

Take a look at the attitudes of Peter and John in Acts 4:20 (emphasis is mine).

“…for we CANNOT but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

The attempts to hush Peter and John were unsuccessful.  Their experiences and beliefs were so strong that they COULD NOT refrain from speaking of Jesus.  Notice this passage does not use the phrase ‘will not.’  It would seem that their situation went beyond obedience.  Witnessing about the life of Jesus was not an option.  It was practically automatic.  To refrain would require much effort.

How do we get to the place that Peter and John were?  Well, the excitement and acknowledgement needs to be there first.  Next, intentionality and desire must follow.

Lord, may you give us eyes to see your works in our lives…and a humble love for others to want to tell them about it.

 

 

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4 Ways To ‘Be’ The Church Outside Of Sunday

Be REAL.jpg

There are 4 tangible action steps (probably more) to be mindful of that will help give us a Kingdom mindset.  After receiving some positive feedback on a recent message, I thought I’d post a brief summary of the acronym used in my 4 points.

Message title:  Be R.E.A.L.

Relational in every opportunity | Constantly looking for opportunities to connect with others while we go about our daily lives.  Look, and be attentive of those around us and be sensitive to what they are going through.  The body of Christ is the Church’s best evangelism plan.

Excited about the things of God | When we take notice of all the incredible ways God is moving in our lives, it should show.  And when excitement shows in us, others will often enquire as to what it is.  Bingo….there’s an open door to talk about how awesome Jesus has been to you.

Active in and out of the church | Two parts here: 1. Do something to support your church home.  Get involved, serve, give, lead.  2. Do something with a Kingdom mindset outside of your church.  This helps to keep us from being an inwardly focused church and looking at the bigger picture of God’s Church around us.

Love for the lost | Pray for God to give you a deep, heart-felt compassion for the lost and for their needs.  Why?  Because compassion drives action.

You can actually listen to the full message from October 26, 2014 HERE.

Is there anything you would add?  Or, which of these I’ve listed tends to be the most difficult?

Please leave your comments below.

Photo credit: http://www.wallpapervortex.com 

Yesterday’s tools: Ineffective!

Wow…1891 to 2007  is represented in this picture.  Roughly 116 years between these two phones and the primary function remains the same…..communication.  The rotary phone could make single phone calls.  That’s it!  It couldn’t take messages, offer call-waiting or conference calls, or utilize a contacts list for speed-dialing.  The iPhone, however, can do all these…plus countless additional methods to send and receive information.  Here’s the problem with the rotary phone today.  It can’t be used with today’s technology!  It has become obsolete.   The need for making phone calls, however, still remains a need today.

Question…

How would you personally react to a friend of yours if they were insistent on keeping their rotary phone and refusing to move forward with technology?  One might think they are ignorant, irrelevant, and/or disconnected from society.  Ironically, many of our churches are like this person.  Figuratively speaking, they are attempting to Tweet, Blog, and Facebook the vision of their church and the love of Jesus…using a rotary phone!  These churches are becoming ‘ignorant, irrelevant, and/or disconnected from society.’  Now, can they still ‘DO‘ good works for the Kingdom?  Absolutely!  Many times, however, the topic turns to audience.  Who and how many do you want to reach with the Gospel message?

I don’t recall who actually coined this statement, but I remember it from a conference a few years ago.  Referring to the Gospel they said, “Its necessary to constantly change HOW we spread God’s Word, so long as the Word itself doesn’t change.”  Jesus modeled this for us.  He taught outside in public gatherings.  He also used parables.  He realized that if He only taught in the synagogues His audience would be limited.

In what ways is your church using Social Media to advance the Kingdom?  Or…if you have been resistant to, what have been your reasons?