God — The Evangelist
We can't cause, create, nor bring results in evangelism.
Evangelism is ultimately a spiritual activity. The fruit (i.e., a disciple) of our evangelism work is truly God's doing.
Example of Spiritual Thirst: A Wild Conversation
What does spiritual thirst look like in a conversation? How might you recognize it? Here is an example of spiritual thirst from one of my trips to Panama.
Are you a Genesis 3 Christian?
I listened to the testimony of an adult woman from Guatemala. She is 2nd from the left in the image. Her journey to faith brought me to tears, and once again aroused my desire to help other people share the good news of Jesus Christ. As you read or listen her story, ask yourself this …
The urgency of the gospel in personal evangelism
A driving force behind personal evangelism is a sense of urgency. Without a sense of urgency, evangelism loses one of its core motivations. Without a sense of urgency, the persecutions that believers suffer for the sake of the gospel becomes something to be avoided. The urgency of the gospel has propelled missionaries to all corners …
Video: Dr. Michael Green examines What is the gospel
Michael Green has had a tremendous influence on my ministry through his books that I read while in seminary. Michael gave the first talk at a recent confidence in the gospel event. If you have 18 spare minutes, listen to his challenge to us to be faithful to the Apostolic Gospel. Michael Green provides the keynote …
Did John Calvin have a heart for evangelism?
I found the following article that I think might help answer the question Did John Calvin have a heart for evangelism and mission? Dealing with predestination in the Institutes, Calvin does not directly address evangelism specifically, but neither does he describe it as unnecessary. He does, in fact, write several times about the gospel being preached …
Book: Erasing Hell by Francis Chan
How could a loving God send people to hell? That is a troubling question. The question of hell is one that I encounter in my conversations with people who are still wrestling with the goodness of God or contemplating the justice and wrath of God. It’s a question that can lead to great theological or …
How to kill spiritual thirst
You’ve probably seen it: An opening in a conversation when a non Christian expresses their spiritual insight, or opens up about some restlessness in their heart. Then well-meaning Christians become a one-way torrent of gospel information about what a person needs to believe and why other religions are wrong. Or maybe you’ve seen this: Your …
Book Review: Untamed Alan Hirsch
“There are two kinds of people in the world: those who live the adventure, and those who only read about others living the adventure.” Alan Hirsch lives the adventure of being a follower of Jesus. His experiences and learnings show clearly in his writings, and even more so in this book written with his wife, Untamed: …
30 Days of Prayer: Day 12 – The mystery of conversion
“Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.” – Mark 4:27 How does the seed grow? I remember science projects I did in elementary school to make seeds sprout. We played with the variables of soil, light, water, and even gravity (by using …
Every life has a story
Watch this video and comment below. Every life has a story. One listening evangelism exercise we do is to spend time praying for the strangers we might meet. As we go out into the streets, strangers will occasionally start talking with us about their stories. If we slow down long enough to listen, we might …
Spiritual Thirst Opens the Conversational Door
A young man came to me one evening during the camp meal and he asks, “Do the non-elect go to hell?” I was startled. This question was out of context, out of the blue, seeming to come from left field.
What does spiritual thirst look like in the Gospels?
I’ve started compiling a list of encounters with Jesus, wondering – What is the starting point of that person’s seeking? What was their spiritual thirst that propelled them to seek Jesus? What might spiritual thirst look like in the gospels? I’ve even wondered if people can follow Jesus without fully understanding their personal sin? (BTW, …
What was your Spiritual Journey to faith in Christ?
Check out this list of how members of one of my classes came to faith in Christ. “When I was 8 years old, I was invited to a bible camp for kids.” “My father helped me see my need for Jesus and I put my trust in Him.” “A friend invited me to church, and …
The Person of Peace
I’ve started meeting regularly with one of the men who comes to our core group. He and his family are recent immigrants, fleeing the political unrest from his home country. Truly, they are starting over. He is a follower of Christ, and we’ve started meeting recently to discuss topics like How to study the Bible. …
10 Questions to Debrief an Evangelism Conversation
Do you want to grow in your skill in talking about your faith? One discipline that I use that helps me grow comfortable in talking about my faith is through writing about that conversation in a journal. I have done a mental review of nearly every evangelistic conversation that I have. I write about it …
Review: CoffeeHouse Theology
This past summer I got to read CoffeeHouse Theology: Reflecting God in Everyday Life. I even did a webinar (See CoffeeHouse Theology Webinar Replay) with Ed Cyzewski to download the MP3 or view online. Some of Ed’s insights are pretty profound. Is theology important in personal evangelism? What role does theology play in how we …
Experiencing a Christian Conversion
Last night, I watched a deeply powerful film. Faith Like Potatoes
Systematic Theology and Postmodernism
When I went to seminary, great importance was placed on Systematic Theology. I read works by Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology Millard Erickson, Christian Theology John Leith, Basic Christian Doctrine John Calivn, Institutes of the Christian Religion. The goal of reading such awesome works was to help organize and categorize the bible’s revelation of God in …
The Mystery of Christian Conversion
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about my non-Christian friend who received news that they have terminal cancer. I long for them to know the riches of Christ, but today, this has me thinking about the act of conversion in response to a gospel presentation. I find myself thinking: If I present one form …
Characteristics of Postmodernism
What is postmodernism in respect to Christian Evangelism? How I try to explain it to people without being overly academic, that helps the evangelist understand the times and dominant philosophy of the era.
When a friend receives bad news
“You have terminal cancer.” Those were the words heard by a family friend last week. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know the exact words, but a death sentence like this sears the soul. When one feels healthy, we don’t think about death. We enjoy our life and the petty challenges it brings. We know …
So Precious that I have to tell
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. 1 Peter 2:7 What is precious? I’ve been pondering this word in my devotions this week while looking at the current difficult circumstances of my life. Are the challenges I face now worth the price of my calling to follow my Savior? Is following Jesus worth …
2 Keys for Reaching a City for Christ
Not to long ago, I spoke at a Missions Congress on Cross Cultural Missions. The event was awesome and I shared the stage with expositors from Costa Rica and Honduras. The organizers wanted me to share on the theme of “Reaching my city for Christ.” Reaching my City for Christ For two to three weeks, …