Three Men…Three Worlds…One Choice

by Grant McClung

Meet Michael, Miguel, and Mustafa—three men from three different “worlds.” Each one has arrived at his appointed destiny before God’s judgment seat (Matt. 25:32; Rom. 14:10; Heb. 9:27). Each one is rehearsing his personal moment of reckoning.

Michael. “I think we must know each other,” says Michael as he “approaches the bench.” Michael supposes that he will be eternally “okay” since he had lived in the United States of America—a gospel-saturated world with a proliferation of evangelical churches, Christian programming in his language on multiple television channels and radio stations, a flood of Christian literature, and other “Christian” cultural amenities. From the bench comes the sobering reply: “Sorry, I never knew you.” The verdict for Michael: “lost.”

Miguel. Miguel had a similar story, reared in the context of a religious system that provided enough of a distant, superstitious, medieval religiosity that inoculated him against the real thing. The “real thing”—a personal born-again experience with Christ—was certainly not a hidden thing in his Latin American country where evangelicals and Pentecostals were front-page news across his cultural world in dynamic, explosive growth.

In Miguel’s “world,” the good news of the gospel was proclaimed openly, frequently, and with passionate evangelistic fervor. It raced like wildfire among families and across neighborhoods, transforming entire communities and nations. Like his North American counterpart, Miguel had come face to face with many gospel exposure opportunities and numerous gospel invitations.

But because he never accepted Christ, Miguel’s verdict was the same as Michael’s: “lost.”

Mustafa. What had made Mustafa’s world different from Michael’s and Miguel’s? Mustafa had lived in the vast, unevangelized Muslim world and his name could be exchanged with many other personal names from the Hindu, Buddhist, or Tribal worlds (the world’s largest blocs of least evangelized humanity). Mustafa, like the billions of others from those massive unreached populations, was born, reared, and eventually died in a world where there was absolutely no prominent evidence or understandable symbols of Christian presence or proclamation. Mustafa’s personal world was void of any exposure to the gospel: no gospel presentations, not one Christ-follower, no local fellowship of believers in Jesus.

The verdict for Mustafa is likely the same as that of Michael and Miguel: “lost.”

In the end, all three men from three very different worlds were likely tragically lost without Christ. Biblically speaking, there are no “degrees” of lostness. One can miss heaven by an inch or by a mile—but he or she has still missed heaven, whether he or she has lived in Tennessee, Tabasco, or Timbuktu.

 

One Choice for Those Who Follow Christ 

But there is “one choice” that must be made by those who follow Christ and obey his missional agenda for the “three worlds” and the remaining least evangelized worlds on our globe. The one indispensable and strategic choice that must be made is the prioritization of preaching the gospel to the least evangelized as quickly as possible. Mustafa must have as equal an opportunity to hear (at least once) and respond to the gospel as Michael and Miguel have been given in repeated gospel presentations.

Here is God’s “one choice”: He does not want “…anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Scripture indicates that God “…commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30) and has given marching orders to us to make sure that they have the basis upon which to repent—the presentation and understanding of the gospel (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8). Romans 15:14-15 says,

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? 

Let us not give up on our efforts to evangelize the worlds of Michael and Miguel. If we, however, like the original missional Church, are serious about the least evangelized who have never had their first gospel presentation, our “one choice” will practice the Apostle Paul’s passion:

“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand’” (Rom.15:20-21).

Three men…three worlds…one choice. Mustafa is waiting.

Dr. Grant McClung, president of Missions Resource Group, is a member of the U.S. Lausanne Advisory Committee and missiological advisor to the World Mission Commission of the Pentecostal World Fellowship. He is on the editorial council for Evangelical Missions Quarterly.

Who’s Palette Is It Anyways? The Spirit on Mission

by Laurie Nichols

Gene Daniels*, a cross-cultural worker among Muslim peoples, once wrote:

Real, Spirit-gifted ministry is simply God expressing himself through a human heart….Ministry is divine art. It is heaven painting with very human brushes, or composing eternal symphonies through lives still present in this reality. Developing a new ministry is God’s art; we, as his aides, have the honor of holding his painter’s palette.[i]

We, as Christians in the twenty-first century, are in the second part of the most creative story written. It began when Jesus, upon rising from the dead, appeared to his disciples, saying, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).

It was the next event which gave the “how” this could in fact happen: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (20:22). It was as though the great Artist were telling his pupils, “Go and create. Envision. Dream. Wonder up something beautiful because you have the only tool you need—Me—My Spirit.”

We are called to focus diligently and passionately on being light in this world. We are asked to step outside of our typical bubbles of family, friends, and work to dream bigger. We are asked to look at the canvas God has placed around us that hasn’t been claimed for Jesus and to insert our signature—to stamp “Created by God!” in big black ink across the hearts and minds of those who don’t yet know Him.

Think you can’t reach your Iranian Muslim neighbor for Jesus? Think that homeless man on the street will never quite understand you care, no matter how often you stop to talk and give him money? Think your hard-crusted, agnostic neighbor will see you as silly as you shyly ask, “Wanna go to church with me?” Well, think again.

“…’even so I am sending you’….and he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

Call him what you will. Comforter. Helper. Holy Ghost. Guide. Keeper. He is the reason that our passion for missions can be ignited…and why it can lead to fruit for the kingdom. In Acts 1-2, the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon many, equipping them for great ministry: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses….and when the day of Pentecost arrived….they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (1:7-8; 2:1; 4).

Our ability to passionately pursue ministry lies on the foundational truth that God has indeed left us with His Spirit and continues to work through us as a result. Even the great evangelist Billy Graham, who has led millions to Jesus, once said, “Many people have come to Christ as a result of my participation in presenting the gospel to them. It’s all the work of the Holy Spirit.”

C.T. Studd, missionary to China and founder of what is today WEC International, warned nearly a century ago, “How little chance the Holy Ghost has nowadays. The churches and missionary societies have so bound Him in red tape that they practically ask Him to sit in a corner while they do the work themselves.”

The sad reality is this might be so. The sadder reality is that if this is so, then we too are hindered (in fact, maybe even halted!) from seeing God compose “eternal symphonies through lives still present in this reality.” The missional mindset requires many things, but greater than all is the belief that God really has breathed His Holy Spirit on us…and that His Spirit will paint the most beautiful picture of hearts turning to Him if we are willing to hold His painter’s palette.

For it just may be that when we have come to the end of our efforts, laid down our own plans, and turned our backs in discouragement, that we find something new: the precious and powerful Holy Spirit of God whispering to us, “It is time. Pick up My palette. Go. Dream big and watch as I woo your neighbors to Myself.”

“…for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:12)

[i] Daniels, Gene. 2006. “Receive or Use.” Evangelical Missions Quarterly. July.

Laurie Nichols is director of communications at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College and editor of the www.evangel-vision.com blog. She is also managing editor of Evangelical Missions Quarterly.

Lead Your Church to be Evangelistic

by Thom Rainer

Each year it seems local churches are devoting less time, less funding and less emphasis to equipping, encouraging and sending people to share the good news of Christ, particularly within their immediate communities. I believe the lack of evangelism within the local church is reaching a crisis stage.

Entire regions within North America are largely unchurched. Even in areas saturated with churches, scores of people have yet to hear the gospel. Now, more than ever, we have a pressing need for more evangelistic churches. The sad irony is that our evangelistic efforts are diminishing while a significant number of non-Christians are more receptive to hearing about Jesus from a Christian.

As a church leader, you have a responsibility to honestly assess your current effectiveness in evangelism. Does your church have intentional ministries focused on spreading the good news of Jesus Christ? What training programs are in place to ensure your members are equipped to confidently share their faith? And, perhaps most importantly, what are you doing to be more evangelistic and to demonstrate your commitment to personal evangelism?

The number one commonality I see in evangelistic churches is a pastor who leads by example. Here are 10 ways pastors can lead their churches to be more evangelistic.

1. Begin with prayer. Ask God to send out workers into His harvest. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel.

2. Build relationships with non-believers. Be intentional about developing friendships with people who don’t know Christ. And then allow the gospel to overflow from your life into your conversations.

3. Become accountable to someone else for sharing the gospel. That person could be a family member, another church member or another pastor.

4. Start new groups. Churches that intentionally start new groups tend to be more evangelistic. These new groups could be Sunday school classes, small groups or new ministries.

5. Preach the gospel. While every sermon does not need to be an evangelistic sermon in the classic sense, every message should point to Jesus. There should be some presentation of the gospel in all of the pastor’s messages.

6. Include evangelism in new members classes. Part of the new member conversation should be the expectation that they will continue to develop relationships with the unchurched for the purpose of sharing the gospel.

7. Celebrate new believers. What is rewarded becomes normative. When pastors lead their churches to celebrate a person becoming a Christian, evangelism becomes a part of the DNA of church life.

8. Get the gospel in all the ministries. Many churches have dynamic ministries. Pastors should ask if every ministry is designed to point people to Jesus.

9. Evangelize young people in the church. Pastors of evangelistic churches seek to make certain the youth in the church are presented the gospel. If churches were to evangelize “their own,” the number of conversions would double or triple in most congregations.

10. Have a meal with a non-believer. I borrowed this insight from Tony Merida, pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He encourages his church members to invite non-believers to have a meal with them on a regular basis. In this issue of Facts & Trends, he makes a powerful case for biblical hospitality.

Evangelism can easily become a forgotten element of the church. It takes intentional effort to make evangelism a priority. Talk about it from the pulpit and in your informal conversations with church members. When evangelism wanes as a priority in the church, the church has already begun to die. The enemy would love for us benignly to neglect evangelism.

Millions of lost people are waiting to hear the good news. The church must not be silent.

(This article was originally posted in Facts & Trends.)

Thom Rainer (@thomrainer) is the president of LifeWay and author of the new book Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive and the best selling I Am a Church Member.

Gossiping Jesus

by Joe Handley

While on vacation in the U.K., I dropped hints of hope pointing to Christ. It was like gossiping Jesus.

Last summer, my family was on a vacation to the U.K. On one of our several-hour long train rides, I had the privilege of sitting next to the man pictured here – a Sikh man whose family was originally from India, then immigrated to Africa and then to London. They currently live in the UK and have business there that extends to Los Angeles, Africa, and India.

He spoke proudly of his company and their secrets of success and was curious about what I did. After hearing that I’m involved in leader development in India, he was curious to learn more.

I shared a number of leadership traits we hold in common from our differing spiritual perspectives. His curiosity piqued all the more. The more we talked, the more I dropped hints of hope pointing to Christ. It was like gossiping Jesus.

To learn more about gossiping Jesus, listen to my colleagues Eric and Sue Takamoto share in this podcast posted by my friend Peter Thomson.

Tell us how you are gossiping Jesus… I want to learn from you!

Joe Handley (@jwhandley) is president of Asian Access. His passions are faith, family, and mission, and he strives to develop leaders who multiply churches that transform nations. Learn more: Asian Access Blog

The Priority of Prayer

by Nick Hall

When we pray, God moves.

“Pray as if everything depends on God. Work as if everything depends on you.”

Throughout history, many have shared Augustine’s thoughts on prayer. His statement is just as true for believers today as it was in the fourth century.

Often, the Church seems to divide evangelism and prayer. Yet Jesus provides the model for both – passionate prayer and passionate love for the lost. When we spend time with Jesus, we get the heart of Jesus. Prayer then becomes the driving force of evangelism.

But many of us don’t realize the priority of prayer.

Without prayer, we cannot know God at the level we were created for. Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, intercession – prayer is at the heartbeat of our relationship with God. If we aren’t people who pray, how can we be people who share Jesus with others?

Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18. Why? That “they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Jesus assures us – prayer is never in vain when our hearts are set on seeking God.

And God answers when we pray! God’s word encourages us and reminds us to pray and work for the spread of His name. When we pray, we ask for His victory on earth as it is in heaven. When we share Jesus, we do it from a place of promise – God hears us and responds.

Let’s face it, we’re either prayerful or we’re prideful.

Prayer allows us to know God’s will. If there’s one message I can leave, let it be:

“Spend time with Jesus.” 

This is first priority. When it comes to prayer, a former mentor of mine used to say, “We need to prepare our lives with pre-prayer!”

We have the choice to program our priorities. When prayer is a priority, we can take heart. No one who prays according to the will of God should be a coward – God hears and answers! This is true in prayer, and it’s true in sharing our faith.

Make no mistake, the best thing about prayer is that it allows each of us to know God. By reading the Bible and praying, we are empowered to share the love of Jesus with our families, friends, and neighbors who need Jesus to rule in their hearts and lives.

A church empowered by prayer is a church empowered to evangelize. Both are important, and one is the drive and fuel for the other. Start with prayer, and then put feet to your prayers.

Nick Hall (@nickhall) is founder and primary evangelist for PULSE. His passion is to “awaken culture to the reality of Jesus.” Nick serves on the student advisory team for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), and is one of four partner evangelists with the Luis Palau Association.

Killing the Me Monster

by Nancy Grisham

The Me Monster rears its gnarly head in our thoughts, actions, conversations, and…even in evangelism.

You shared the message of Christ, but the person didn’t “get it.” You could-have-done-should-have-done a better job. Me Monster is busy doing a post-mortem.

You gave a talk and shared the gospel. But no one came to faith or just a couple of people. You’re disappointed. More would have been better to report. Oops, Me Monster meant to say, “…for the glory of God.”

 

Me Monster Self-promotes

Who wants to be the star? Me Monster, Me Monster! But all the while it tries to play it cool and fly below the radar. After all, nobody likes a prideful Christian.

Me Monster wants to ride in first place. It drives us to be out front, be the best, and be recognized by the movers, shakers, and leaders.

Me Monster wants more retweets, “likes,” “friends,” and subscribers. It wants to shine a little brighter than its peers.

Me Monster lives and breathes on what others think of it. It envies those who get what it craves, is bruised when criticized, and fed when praised.

Me Monster is fueled by fear–fear of not being good enough, not being accepted, not being loved.

Me Monster drains the joy right out of evangelism…and life.

Me Monster must die.

 

Winning the Me Monster Battle

Maybe you’re like me in that every time you realize you have stepped in front of Jesus your heart is grieved. You desperately want Him to increase and Me Monster to decrease.

Practically, how do we go through the day dead to Me Monster and alive to Christ? The monster only has power if we yield to it instead of the Holy Spirit. When we choose obedience through faith we win the battle. Temptation isn’t sin.

We CAN win the Me Monster battle, because Christ has won the monster war.

Here’s a few things that I’ve learned to help me slay the tyrant in more of my daily battles. As you read, think about the things that help you kill the monster.

1. Submit to God, resist the devil…and the monster.

Sounds old-school, doesn’t it? It is and it works! Talk to God and tell Him, “Lord, I submit to You. I come under Your authority and rule. I choose Your will, even when I ‘want’ my will. Have Your way in me, through me, and in this situation. Thank you that the enemy outside has no authority over me and no place in me. As I submit to you and resist him, he HAS to leave. Lord, your rule extends both around me and in me. I humble myself before You. Jesus, I pray that You increase and that I decrease. I give you the reins of my life.”

2. Don’t rely on what you can understand. Trust God.

Do you catch yourself playing out scenarios in your mind, trying to figure things out, and reconciling outcomes? Do you worry about what people think? Do you beat yourself up, because you don’t measure up, do enough, or could have done better? Are you afraid of the looming “what ifs”? Stop it! Ask God what He thinks. Rely on His thoughts and ways, not your understanding or feelings. He’s got the ultimate record for right outcomes. Trust Him.

3. Stop wrong thoughts in their tracks.

Run your thoughts through this grid: Does it bring Jesus’ life and abundance into your situation? Is it true? Honorable? Right? Pure? Lovely? Of good repute? Excellent? Worthy of praise? If so, camp there. If not, kick the thought to the curb – now. This part is equally important: replace wrong thoughts with God’s truth.

4. Rely on the Greater One in you.

You really are never alone. The Spirit of the living God LIVES in you! While He is there He’s not sitting idle. He is at work on your desires and ability to do His will. Cooperate with Him. Let Him have His way and happily join Him!

5. Live from who you are in Christ, not from how you feel.
The real you is not the Me Monster. You are ALIVE to Christ and dead to sin. The real you is righteous, holy, forgiven, loved, self-less, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Don’t settle for anything less. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in YOU and nothing is too difficult for Him – nothing.

The Me Monster will always try to make a grab for the reins and ride to center stage. But who wants to ride a dead horse? Not you, because you are meant for so much more.

The real you wants to help more people to know Christ – for their sake and His glory. It’s part of who you are and what He created to do. You’ve handed over the reins of your life to the King Himself. Trust Him and get ready for the adventure of your life.

Ride on, O King of Glory. Ride on!

Nancy Grisham (@nancygrisham) is a speaker and founder of Livin’ Ignited. She is author of Thriving: Trusting God for Life to the Fullest, has frequently taught at Willow Creek Community Church mid-week classes and served as the evangelism pastor in a church of 6,500 people led by Stuart Briscoe.

Has Your Faith Traveled with You?

by Lorna Dueck

Time to get refreshed in how natural, and welcome, a conversation about Jesus can be? Try going cross-cultural. I have always stuck to my own ethnic social circles, and am embarrassingly short of friends, colleagues, and relationships outside the circle of people who represent my own demographic.

This comfort zone was upset recently when an evangelist took me under the wing on a friendship walk to Muslims. My guide was an energetic, white Canadian who had the gift of welcoming people of any color but his own.

I had no idea Muslims were far more spiritually conscious and ready to explain their faith then my own demographic was.

I had no idea the bridges between our faith were ones that could be easily travelled and engaged respectfully.

As a recent article in Christianity Today points out, these are people who are expectant to have an encounter with God. As my brother in Christ sought out the ethnicities different than himself, he showed me how easy it was to learn to say “Hello, how are you?” in languages such as Urdu, Turkish, Arabic, and Farsi. A simple greeting melted hearts and broke strangers into smiles, and a quick conversation of “Do you know more of my language?” From there, it was a quick conversation into “How have you come to this country, and has your faith travelled with you?”

The parties we most engaged with, Muslims, are far more spiritually atuned and keen to ask about sin, visions of Jesus, the application of holy books, and the importance of being taught our faiths. I soon discovered the freedom, forgiveness, love, and power we experience through our salvation in Jesus is an enticing package to discuss with Muslims. These are spiritual cravings Muslims are familiar and well versed in, and our biblical ideas and spiritual experiences are winsome to them. Our culture’s sin is an anathema to Muslims, and since so much of Western culture is called “Christian,” expect to have some explaining to do on that ground!

I now see the ethnicity different than my own as much closer to my calling to share Christ than I thought. It’s my prayer to live so intimately with the Holy Spirit infusing me, that I have the ongoing encounter with His presence to share with others.

Lorna Dueck (@lornadueck) is executive producer of Context TV, a current affairs program, and a commentary writer on Christianity for Canada’s largest national newspaper, The Globe and Mail.

To Spark a Movement

by John Crilly

Everything has a first cause.
It’s a law of nature. For a movement to begin, it has to start somewhere.
Rosa Parks.
Nelson Mandela.
Jackie Robinson.

The first domino has to tip.

So, as I recently read the Bible, I found two noteworthy passages that inspired me:

Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ. – Romans 16:5(b)

You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. – 1 Corinthians 16:15

Epenetus was the first follower of Jesus in Asia. Stephanas was the first follower of Jesus in Greece. They do not have celebrity status in the Bible. Two ordinary men mentioned rather offhandedly at the end of Paul’s letters. Yet, their surrender to Jesus was a pivotal tipping point resulting in a tectonic shift for their cultures.

The good news of Jesus would later sweep through both of these geographical areas, transforming their societies and the lives of millions living there.

Epenetus was the first spark of a Jesus movement in Asia. Stephanas was the first domino of a Jesus revolution in Greece.

Two Christian friends and I meet regularly with a group of six to eight men to discuss their spiritual questions about God, life, and what the Bible has to say. They all have different beliefs about these things than the three of us. But they are friends and we love them and are authentically curious about their faith journeys.

One evening, we were discussing John 14:6 and several men were protesting about how exclusive Jesus was. Aren’t there a lot of ways to get to God? Why did Jesus have to make it only one? Toward the end of the discussion, we asked them a question: What if Jesus was actually being inclusive? Inclusive enough to offer anyone who takes him up on his offer a way to connect with God?

And so, we concluded that meeting with a question for them all to ponder: What is the offer that Jesus is making to you?

At our next gathering, one of the men, Peter, walked in carrying a piece of paper and plopped it down in front of me, saying “I Googled your question, and this is what I found.” Expecting the worst the Internet might have to offer, I hesitantly looked down at his search printout—and then grinned inwardly to see the gospel presented by Charles Swindoll!

Then, Peter said, “I’ve never heard it put this way before.” And as he scanned the page with me, he pointed to two words about halfway down the page and asked, “What do these words mean?” The two words were “substitutionary atonement.” We were able to have a brief discussion right there, and later we met for breakfast to talk it over more. I also was able to follow up with a web link to a profound sermon on substitutionary atonement by my pastor.

Who knows…maybe Peter will be the Epenetus, the domino for all these men to know Jesus? That is what I am praying for.

I live on Jefferson Avenue. There are 18 homes on my street, accounting for 31 adults and 24 children, for a total of 55 people (at this count!). What if God’s Spirit swept through my block? Who is the Stephanas who could lead the way for every household on my block to know and experience the love of Jesus? Who is the Epenetus who will launch the transformation of those families and extended families?

For me, it’s time to dream a little bigger and pray a little bolder. Maybe it’s time for all of us to ask the Lord of the Harvest to raise up the workers and to bring a harvest in our regions.

Will you pray with me for a first domino to tip in your spheres of influence? For the Epenetus at your office? For the Stephanas at your school or in your neighborhood? For an Awakening to begin that sparks a movement?

That’s what I am praying for.

John Crilly is the national field director at Q Place, a ministry empowering Christians to engage in meaningful conversations about God with people who believe differently. Check out Q Place on Facebook.

Accepted or Rejected? We Are Simply Called to Share

by Dave Sterrett

I’ve been running around the park recently. I frequently pass by this older man in his sixties who is always evangelizing. He passes out literature, and to the general public, he may come across a little awkward.

But God is using him tremendously.

He told me that he was praying for 20 people to place their faith in Christ and that just today he led about six people to faith in Christ, including the 20th person to place his or her trust in Christ within about four weeks. I encouraged him and told him that I share the good news about Jesus at James Madison University on Sundays.

As we were talking, two teenagers walked by us who were about 18 years old. A young man and a young woman. I’ll call them Fred and Stacy. Fred and Stacy were holding hands. I introduced myself and told them that my friend and I were Christians and we were out having spiritual conversations. I asked them if they believed in God. They said yes, but acted a little disgusted towards us. I asked a few questions and they seemed to have the right Sunday school answers. They went to church. The girl was finishing her last year of high school. The two of them met at work. They trusted in Jesus for their salvation. I thought that was good, but these two young churchgoers seemed a little turned off as this older man and I talked about Jesus.

About that time, a car pulled up and parked. The guy started walking towards the four of us. He was Fred’s best friend, named Doug. I asked Fred, “He’s your best friend, he must believe like you do.” I introduced myself to Doug and asked, “Doug, do you believe in God?”

Doug said no. I responded, “We’ll surely Fred has told you about God, hasn’t he? You’re his best friend, right?”

“No, I haven’t.” Fred said. “Why don’t you tell him now?”

“I don’t want to, but you should.”

Doug agreed to hear about God and engage in conversation. I asked him what were the main reasons he didn’t believe in God. I listened. I asked him if he believed evil was real. I listened. I asked other questions and asked him on a scale from 1-10, how sure he was that God didn’t exist. He said 5. I asked him, “If I could provide good reasons for you to believe in God, would you humble yourself like a child and trust in Jesus?” He paused and said, “Maybe.”

I told him that I believe God gives people a chance to respond, to receive or reject his grace, but I don’t believe God forces himself on anybody without each person making a decision to receive Christ.

My friend then shared the gospel with him, and Doug prayed to receive Christ. I’m not sure if he was sincere. Some of his body language made me skeptical, but God knows his heart. We just trust the Spirit to do his work. I’m reminded of the need for all of us to get out and share the faith.

Last Sunday, I took a couple people out sharing the faith on the campus of James Madison University. One of my friends walked up to a basketball player and started telling him about Jesus. The man prayed to receive Christ. It wasn’t that complicated!

We just need to go. Be bold. Be loving. We don’t have to be perfect communicators or have all knowledge. I find that nonbelievers from many different backgrounds sometimes even respect our conviction, even though they reject our gospel. I tell atheists that I’m 100% convinced that Jesus died and rose again. Sometimes, they might even appreciate it. Many have left atheism and become agnostic after I shared certain questions revealing their own inconsistencies.

Hopefully, God will save them. Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me before men, I’ll be ashamed of him before my Father in heaven.” Let’s talk about our faith, friends!

Dave Sterrett (@davesterrett) is an evangelist and apologist for a new generation. He is author/co-author of six books, including I Am Second and Why Trust Jesus? Dave has ministered to hundreds of youth leaders in Africa, orphans in Russia, and young women walking into abortion clinics in America. Learn more: http://davesterrett.com

Disciping Skeptics & Seekers: A Free Resource

by James Choung

Beau Crosetto (fellow InterVarsity staff worker, fellow church planter, and blogger at Release the APE) and I wrote a free eBook on evangelism for the Exponential network. It was Beau’s initial idea, and he persuaded me to join the project.

Over the past couple of months, we worked on this together for many, many hours. A couple of times, we completely overhauled the book’s structure so that it would be something useful and helpful in your hands. We really believe, as we write, that “evangelism is the discipleship of skeptics and seekers,” and that if we’re serious about discipleship, we also need to be serious about being humble, faithful, and winsome witnesses of the hope that we have. Here’s a blurb about Discipling Skeptics and Seekers:

In this new FREE eBook, the authors help leaders understand two things: (1) Why every believer needs to be doing evangelism and leading people to faith and (2) How you can create a culture of witness in your church or faith community. For too long we were pressuring people, and now we have become passive in evangelism. The time is now to seek a third and better way!

To further whet your appetite, here is a short excerpt from the book:

We have so much trouble with evangelism because we are rightfully allergic to pressuring people, or to making it all about helping people get “saved” instead of being transformed. I get that. But we swing too far when we make it all about the journey, passively reacting to our friends. 

I am not saying we shouldn’t care about the journey, our friends’ feelings, or the right time to talk about Jesus. But there has to be a starting point. Friends are not going to just fall into the Kingdom of God by themselves. They need you to offer a conversation, an interpretation, and an invitation. 

In sum, here’s how we often think of evangelism: 

Pressure Evangelism: We need to have the slick sayings and the right tracts. We need to “convince” people to believe. We need to argue to the death and if none of this is working we lay it on them with a “Do you know where you are going to go when you die?” statement. 

High pressure, high stakes evangelism. This way it is all about the evangelist and we twist people’s arms to fit our agendas. There is little awareness of what God may be doing in that moment with the person. We all hate this. But then we reacted against this in a second way: 

Passive Evangelism: We have become a church that is idealistic about the journey — never wanting to make someone feel uncomfortable and making sure everything we present is all on their terms. We don’t challenge our friends or culture much. Instead, we try to woo them with the gospel and the red-letter words of Jesus, and when they are finally ready to follow him, we will gladly help them get into the baptismal tank. 

In this version of evangelism, their needs and comfort are our primary focus, and many people stay in the faith community unconnected to a relationship with Jesus for far too long. I would also argue that many times that this version of evangelism is highly unaware of what God is doing in the moment, in part because we can never imagine that God would ever do or say anything that would make you or the seeking person feel uncomfortable. But we want to propose a third way: 

Proactive Evangelism: What if we could be a church that wasn’t full of people with slick sayings and simplistic truths, but we also weren’t a church that was so passive and afraid of turning over the proverbial apple cart that we initiated nothing? 

What if we could journey with our friends, have great discussions, yet also be expectant and urge them to give their lives to Jesus? What if we could be a church where our members knew how to challenge their friends with the gospel but still do it with love and in the context of relationships? What if we could be people that are discerning enough to know how and when to offer truth, interpretation, and an invitation to the gospel? 

What if we could be a people that knew how to wait and journey, but also seized God-given kairos moments? What if we could faithfully lead people into a relationship with Christ at work, in the coffee shop, in the dorm room, and on the street? Why can’t we be proactive, and yet still be relational and transformational? 

Let me know if the resource is helpful. You can email me at james.choung@intervarsity.org. Be sure to also check out 14 other free eBooks from Exponential as well.

James Choung (@jameschoung) serves as InterVarsity’s national director of evangelism and leads a house church called the Vineyard Underground. He is author of True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In and its follow-up, Real Life: A Christianity Worth Living Out. Learn more: jameschoung.net