Evangelism Coach

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Gas on the Fire:

The Fuel for Evangelism 

 

Tips to keeping your

Evangelistic Temperature High

 

Date:

August 7, 2008 9pm EST

 

Popularity: 5% [?]

I keep adding to the list.  If you have found some tips helpful for pastors to keep their personal evangelism passion high, please send them to me via email, contact us form, or simply give me a call at 804-335-1445. 

See these prior posts:

• 5 Evangelism Tips for Pastors
• 4 More Evangelism Tips for Pastors

1.  Obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit

God opens the doors to evangelistic conversations. 

The Lord might point out someone to you, as he did in the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch.  “Go and stand next to THAT chariot.”

As you go through the day, can you recognize the promptings of the Lord?  We need to respond to those promptings and seize the moments that He gives us.  He’ll use us to touch the hearts of others, and it is my experience that our own life will be changed as well.

Sitting on an airplane (what evangelist doesn’t have an airplane story?) I notice those that start a conversation with me. 

On one of my last trips, my seat mate and I had a long spiritual discussion over why he is not a Christian.  I had the chance to discuss my faith, help him to explore his own lack of faith, in the process explaining why following Jesus is the greatest thing on earth.  For 150 minutes, we talked about faith, about life, and about Jesus. 

I make it a habit of praying for those that I will sit next to, that God may use me in their journey to faith. 

2.  Review God’s work in your life

I have found that the more I explore my testimony, and the more I recall God’s current activity in my life, I find a wellspring of gratefulness bubbling out of my heart.

I see God’s active grace in my life.  I see God’s care, I see His concern.  The more I look over it, my motivation to share my faith rises.  The more grateful I become, the more passionate I am to help others find this faith.

This is the inebriation of grace.  The mystery of being part of God’s kingdom.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude, perhaps melting in gratitude, and that inspires me to share with others.

Take the time to reflect on God’s activity in your life.  What is God doing in your life now that makes the gospel good news?

3.  Keep your evangelistic edge

How often do you

• Read books on evangelism?  (order books from Amazon)
• Attend an evangelism conference? 
• Participate in a webinar on evangelism?
• Read Evangelism Coach? (Grab the Feed and get it automatically). 
• Read a biography of an evangelist?
• Study a course?
• Being coached in personal or corporate Evangelism?
• Down load evangelism training podcasts?
• Searched You Tube for evangelism training videos?
• Surround yourself with other passionate evangelists?

These kinds of things can help you keep your evangelistic passion high.   Making the intentional effort to keep your passion high.

I find that when I attend a conference, I get excited once again about seeing lives changed. 

I find that when I teach a conference I get excited when I see some newly trained evangelists jazzed up to change the world.

Right now, as I’m doing evangelism coaching for a few people, I get excited as they share with me their evangelistic conversations that have occurred between our conversations over the phone.   They are excited that they can do this, and I am excited knowing that perhaps destinies are being changed.

Let me ask you this?

What tips have you found helpful in your own life to keep the evangelism passion high?  Share them with us.

Popularity: 13% [?]

I’ve been recently reading “One To One: How To Share Your Faith with your Friend” by Michael Green (unavailable from Amazon). 

This book focuses on personal evangelism skills, and in the opening chapters, Green reminds of various reasons to do personal evangelism (p. 8-11)

1.  God is the supreme evangelist.  He loves us and pursues us.  I wrote a post on this at “God, The Evangelist“

2.  Jesus displayed constant and profound care for those he called lost: lost in loneliness, separation from God, defeat, lack of purpose in life.

3.  The Holy Spirit was given to us to fulfill his plan to reach the lost.  It is the Holy Spirit who goes before us to prepare the way, and empower us to full his plan.

4.  We’ve been entrusted with the Gospel — therefore we are his ambassadors.

5.  People’s need.

6.  The greatest joy on earth — to see one come to faith in Christ.

A deathbed confession

This morning, my taxi driver shared with me that, he was at the bedside of a lady dying with cancer.  As a family friend, he was called in to be with the family. 

The lady was slipping in and out of consciousness, and clearly was in her final moments.

With great passion and urgency, he shared the gospel with her, in a gentle and non-obnoxious way, not knowing if she was receiving the information, or what God might be doing. 

It’s hard to know what is possible in a situation like this.  Could she comprehend, could she respond if she didn’t have the ability to speak any more?

He asked, “have you received Christ in your heart?  Can you tell us?” 

The lady opened her eyes, squeezed his hand and said 4x, yes, yes, yes, yes.  Then her final breath, and she passed into eternity.

It was a brief story my taxi driver told me.  But he did share with me the greatest joy on earth — seeing this woman come to Christ and hear her declaration of faith in Him, just before she died.  He’s excited to share his faith, and is propelled with great joy to continue to do so.

He routinely shares his faith with those on the streets, who have no home, and he notices people that God underlines for him.

Let me ask you this?

Who can you share your faith with today?

Popularity: 13% [?]

At FirstRP.org Report on First RP Conference on Biblical Evangelism, three MP3s are available from a conference they held on evangelism in Grand Rapids Michigan.

The speaker was Dr. David Murray (lots of sermons at SermonAudio.com), an ordained minister in the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) and a professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed.

He spoke on the subject of evangelism, presenting three lectures to a crowd of roughly 150 attendees. The makeup of the audience was wide, with over 10 denominations and 29 congregations being represented.

They are unedited audio files, so there are some housekeeping and announcements.

See the links to the audio files:

Biblical Evangelism’s Motive

Biblical Evangelism’s Message

Biblical Evangelism’s Method

Here is a sample from the Motives for Evangelism:

• The definition of evangelism as “bringing the gospel to our neighbors” while missions is “bringing the gospel to those far away.”
• Some people evangelize for the wrong reasons.
  • Assurance of their own faith.
  • Sake of their own reputation (to raise a name as an evangelist).
  • Competitive spirit:  God is with our group over your group.  “We are better” kind of pride.
  • Finances: need more money, need more givers.
  • Guilty conscience.  To assuage their own guilt over their own sin.
• What is biblical motivation for evangelism?
  • The glory of God.  Calvin: “God has created the entire world, that it should be the theatre of His glory by the spread of the gospel.”
• How does the “glory of God” energize our evangelism?
• Fear of God: “Knowing what it is to fear God, we compelled to persuade men.”
• Love God: “The love of Christ compels me. . . . .”
• Election: God calls people to faith, He can use us even if we are inept witnesses.
• Worship: experience the presence of God.
• God’s presence: We are promised the God’s presence as we go.
• Glory of God is the destiny of our evangelism.
• When people come to faith, God gets the glory.
• God is glorified because His name is made known.
• God is glorified through using appointed means of sharing faith.

Each runs between 60-90 minutes in length and are downloadable if you wish to throw them on your IPOD.

Popularity: 26% [?]

1. When was the last time you had a conversation about faith with someone who wasn’t a Christian?
2. What was the last book on evangelism that you read?
3. When was the last time you preached (or heard) a series on evangelism?
4. When was the last time you took the initiative to greet a first time visitor, and took the time to converse with them, beyond the handshake?
5. How would you answer the question from a non-Christian: “Why do you believe in Jesus?”
6. When was the last time you prayed for your neighbor to know Christ like you know him?
7. How many friends do you “do life with” that do not know Jesus?
8. How many Bible studies or church events do you go to that keep you too busy to be with non-churched people?
9. What gospel scripts have you learned and are ready to use at a moment’s notice?
10. Who are the new believers in your church that you can help coach in evangelism?

Popularity: 41% [?]