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My favorite Bill Hybels Quote

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One of my favorite quotes from Bill Hybels.

I was cleaning out a file cabinet this morning (what a way to spend a day) and came across my notes from a talk by Bill Hybels of Willow Creek given to an evangelism conference.

I share them here as a pointed reminder about considering our life and witness.

Three ways to repel a seeker:

  1. “In your face Christianity” — the pushy Christian forcing spiritual conversations at the wrong time. The conversations tend to be one sided, with the Christian not even listening, but marching through an agenda.
  2. “Holier than thou” — holding to “my life is better than yours” “you are a sinner and i can’t hang out with you” “I’m better because I’m not like you” etc. This may manifest itself in all sorts of other ways.
  3. “Cosmetic Christians” — skip deep, hypocritical, and unchanged deep down. This is the salt that stings, or the light that glares.

Three ways to attract a seeker:

  1. Costly Christianity — you live your faith even when it costs. People see how important your faith is.
  2. Compassionate Christianity — love demonstrated. Christianity is not all about right doctrine, but demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ as well.
  3. Consistent Christianity — being real, authentic and consistent.

Bill Hybels has influenced me

BecomingaContagiousChristianUpdatedI was once the obnoxious in your face evangelist, but I’ve changed.

Becoming a Contagious Christian helped me change my approach to personal evangelism and now I teach these same principles in my materials throughout the US and Latin America.

I have made them my own, rephrased them to suit me, and these principles are integrated into the DNA of the evangelism style I teach.

Let me ask you this?

As you spend time with the Lord today, ask Him to show you how your life reflects the gospel and your impact on seekers.

Does your life help or hinder the advancement of the gospel?

 

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Quotes from Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

Found on a blog this morning, posted in the context of debates in Baptist groups about Reformed Theology.  Since this was such a good summary from Dr. James Gaylon, I simply share it here

JI Packer Evangelism and Sovereignty of GodIt is with this hope that I provide an excerpt from J. I. Packer’s classic, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God (InterVarsity Press, 1961).

Dr. Packer writes about what the belief that God is sovereign in grace does not affect.  I hope, even if you don’t embrace the doctrines of grace, that you will read with open eyes and an open heart.  Dr. Packer, himself a “Calvinist”, asserts on behalf of historic Reformed theology:

The belief that God is sovereign in grace does not affect the necessity of evangelism. Whatever we may believe about election, the fact remains that evangelism is necessary, because no man can be saved without the gospel. . . . They must be told of Christ before they can trust Him, and they must trust Him before they can be saved by Him. Salvation depends on faith, and faith on knowing the gospel. God’s way of saving sinners is to bring them to faith through bringing them into contact with the gospel. In God’s ordering of things, therefore, evangelism is a necessity if anyone is to be saved at all. . . .

The belief that God is sovereign in grace does not affect the urgency of evangelism. . . . The world is full of people who are unaware that they stand under the wrath of God: is it not similarly a matter of urgency that we should go to them, and try to arouse them, and show them the way of escape? . . . The non-elect in this world are faceless men as far as we are concerned. We know that they exist, but we do not and cannot know who they are, and it is as futile as it is impious for us to try and guess. . . . Our calling as Christians is not to love God’s elect, and them only, but to love our neighbour, irrespective of whether he is elect or not.

The belief that God is sovereign in grace does not affect the genuineness of the gospel invitations, or the truth of the gospel promises. . . . The fact remains that God in the gospel really does offer Christ and promise justification and life to ‘whosoever will’. ‘Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ As God commands all men everywhere to repent, so God invites all men everywhere to come to Christ and find mercy. . . .

The fact that the gospel invitation is free and unlimited—‘sinners Jesus will receive’—‘come and welcome to Jesus Christ’—is the glory of the gospel as a revelation of divine grace. . . . Some fear that a doctrine of eternal election and reprobation involves the possibility that Christ will not receive some of those who desire to receive Him, because they are not elect. The ‘comfortable words’ of the gospel promises, however, absolutely exclude this possibility. As our Lord elsewhere affirmed, in emphatic and categorical terms: ‘Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ . . .

The belief that God is sovereign in grace does not affect the responsibility of the sinner for his reaction to the gospel. . . . A man who rejects Christ thereby becomes the cause of his own condemnation. . . . The unbeliever was really offered life in the gospel, and could have had it if he would; he, and no-one but he, is responsible for the fact that he rejected it, and must now endure the consequences of rejecting it. . . . The Bible never says that sinners miss heaven because they are not elect, but because they “neglect the great salvation”, and because they will not repent and believe.

There is a pretty active comment thread at the original post if you wish to read it.

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More Evangelism Quotations and Quotes

Here are some more Evangelism Quotations that I have compiled.

  • There is no kindness more cruel than the kindness which consigns another person to their sin. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
  • Evangelism without listening is like playing golf blindfolded. (Larry Chrouch)
  • We have to find the back door to peoples’ hearts because the front door is heavily guarded. (Ravi Zacharias)
  • “We can only know God well by knowing our iniquities… Those who have known God without knowing their wretchedness have not glorified him, but have glorified themselves.” – Blase Pascal.
  • Experience taught me that evangelism is work, and there’s no substitute for, well, experience. – David Goetz
  • Our Presbyterian forefathers are good caretakers of our ancient fireplaces, but many of them haven’t started a fire in quite some time. –Rice Brooks
[Read more…] about More Evangelism Quotations and Quotes
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