This week in gearing up for fall growth, we’ve been focusing on evangelism. Today we’ll take a look at this mission through the eyes of our people. This guest post from KC McCauley, contributor to The Christian Post, addresses the intimidation factor that our members may feel in sharing the Good News and provides 5 ways we can help them move from isolation to infiltration. He specifically addresses student ministry but these points have application for us all.
Evangelism can be intimidating. You may feel that you’re all alone in the effort. Difficulty increases as feelings of intimidation and inadequacy come from people who are apparently uninterested. This often leads to isolation in evangelism.
Why is it like this? Pastor and evangelist, Greg Laurie, accurately describes this difficulty in evangelism: “There is one thing that both Christians and non-Christians have in common: they are both uptight about evangelism. Non-Christians are uptight about being evangelized, and Christians are uptight about evangelizing.” So, how can we go from isolation to infiltration? How can we move from feeling uptight to starting an uprising? One primary way is to realize that you’re not alone.
Here are five things to help you remember that you’re not alone in your evangelism:
#1. The Spirit Inside You
When we feel intimidated or inadequate in sharing our faith, we must remember that the very presence and power of God is within us—the Holy Spirit. It is his power that enables us to be witnesses for Jesus (cf. Acts 1:8). This understanding gave the apostle Paul the confidence to say, “My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). The power and presence of the Holy Spirit within you is greater than any of the evangelistic difficulties before you.
#2. The Church Behind You
As fishers of men (Mark 1:17), we sometimes sit alone on the dock with our line in the water or we’re working together in the deep blue sea for the big catch. Evangelism often has elements of both individual and team sports. But in both cases, evangelism was never intended to be strictly a solo effort. Sure, we have personal one-on-one conversations where we can’t have the assistance of a Pastor or spiritual leader. But such conversations are backed and supported by the church, knowing that there is help in answering difficult questions and encouragement in showing other people how to follow the Lord. Whether we go out by ourselves, two by two (Mark 6:17), or with a large group, we can have confidence knowing that the church is behind us and has our back.
#4 The Future Before You
This generation expects everything to come fast. We’re on the edge of a nervous breakdown if our barista takes longer than two minutes or if we have a weak Wi-Fi signal. And regarding evangelism, we can get discouraged if we don’t see quick conversions. But, don’t worry; it’s OK if they don’t pray with you upon your first conversation. As we see in Scripture, evangelism and conversion are a lot like farming, with a process of planting and watering that lead to the growth that comes from God (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9; Mark 4:26-29). Since I’ve been out of high school, I have seen the fruit of several conversations and circumstances that I don’t even really remember. Whether at church or through social media, former classmates have shared that the one simple conversation during summer school really got them thinking, or that the time I prayed for a group of friends at a funeral really impacted them. The future is before us, and we can have confidence that God will use our evangelism, whether we are planting or watering the seed of the gospel.
To read this post in its entirety, click here.
Your partner in ministry,
Nelson
P.S. I’d like to help you encourage your people by giving them the tools they need to invite others to church this Fall. Studies show that 96% of the unchurched in your community would consider coming back to church if only invited!
Today and tomorrow only you can pick up my BACK TO CHURCH PACKAGE. Click here to get the Complete Package! Receive The Ignite Seminar ($99.95 value), The New Believers Seminar ($99.95 value) and Reaching Your Community through Servant Evangelism ($39.95 value) PLUS TWO FREE MONTHS of the Renegade Pastors Network for just $99.00!
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