For evangelism to be effective, it must also invite curiosity, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
3. Create a hunger
Evangelism is a process. It takes time for the seed to grow. We may not share all of the Gospel at one go, but each time we bring them a step closer to know God. However, we must understand that the Word of God that we shared with our friends shall never be gone to waste.
“So is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” - Isaiah 55:11 “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” – 1 Corinthians 3:6
At the end of every conversation, what we want to achieve is to answer the question that surface their doubts in their beliefs, while minimizing defensiveness and yet creating a desire in them to hear more about what the Bible says. We want to create a hunger in them to continue the dialogue the next time we see them.
4. Holy Spirit
We must also understand and be convinced that it is the Holy Spirit that work behind the scenes to convict others using the words that we speak.
“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.” – Acts 14:1
Only the Holy Spirit can convict a person of sin.
“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:” - John 16:8
Contributed by Amos Lee. Part 3 up next week!
Look forward to!:
National Day of Prayer! Do remember to register with Brother Bernard if you are heading to the Indoor Stadium on 7th August evening to stand in the gap for our nation. It's a call for all citizens and residents to do our part for our country!
Discipleship Module Selection!
This Week @ Detonate:
She is no stranger to us, and has been such an inspiration to us the previous time. We welcome Pastor Eileen Poh to share with us more about evangelising to our friends! So wait no more! Be there at 4.45pm!
ONE BRING ONE Sunday! If you have friends who have not heard about Jesus and the abundant life He promises, do make a point to bring them for this sunday service @ GV Hall 5!
Recently, I got hold of an interesting book by Norman Geisler and David Geisler, titled “Conversational Evangelism.” After 2 weeks of reading, it has truly broadened my understanding on evangelism. To many, evangelize is to spread the Gospel to non-believers. It means more than just that.
For evangelism to be effective, it must involve listening and being ready to answer the question raised by our friends.
1. Listen
We need to listen and understand the questions that our friends have before we deliver the right answer to them. Through listening, we can understand and uncover intellectual, emotional and spiritual barriers that are keeping them from placing their faith in Christ.
Once, I attempted to share the Gospel with 3 of my close friends. It was only through that conversation that I got to know the barriers that my friends were having. One of them got a bad experience about Christianity before and one is skeptical towards religions as a whole. Another one is more concern in areas such as commitment and tithing. It was then I realize that they have these thoughts all the while in their lives. It was also through conversations that I realize the amount of lies and deceptions that the devil has planted in the minds of my friends.
We want to listen to their hearts concerns and to lead them out of the maze. Only then, they will be more open and receptive as we share the Gospel to them.
2.
Being ready to answer
By being ready to answer their questions will help to remove the road blocks that hinder them from coming to Christ.
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” - 1 Peter 3:15
Besides that, engaging in dialogue with them helps to surface the truth for themselves.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5
We can help them to surface the truth for themselves by asking questions to the beliefs that they hold onto, by understand the discrepancies and the inconsistencies in their beliefs and this will help them to see the truth for themselves.
Contributed by Amos Lee.
part 2 next week!
Look forward to!:
NEW Discipleship modules!
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER! Kindly hear announcement this week!
This Week @ Detonate:
It's gonna be an exciting saturday! Our special speaker is first time on the pulpit! Do give him/her your fullest support as we are in the habit of doing so! Worship starts at 445pm! Don't miss the good stuff!
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand." Philippians 4:6-7
What kind of peace is Paul talking about? He is not talking about an absence of conflict, since conflict will unfortunately forever be a part of our lives on this Earth. Paul is talking about a lack of anxiety in the face of conflict. He is promising that if we truly give our concerns to God, then we will never have to worry about the outcome.
We may have apprehension about physical or emotional suffering on the horizon; this is perfectly natural. Once again, let us turn to the example of Jesus in the Garden, (Matthew 26:38-39) and take note of the fact that Jesus is troubled by the knowledge of the suffering that He will soon endure, but not the outcome. Jesus knows beyond any doubt that His Father in Heaven is in charge and that victory over death is assured. We must follow Jesus' example and never forget that God's amazing plan for you will not be circumvented.
How, then, can we possibly have anxiety when such a powerful, loving God is in charge, and what does it mean when we just can't stop worrying about how things are going to turn out?
1) You have not fully trusted God with the outcome.
In the face of conflict, it's normal for us to say a quick prayer asking God for help, but this is not the same as lifting the problem up to God and trusting Him with it. Too often, we conclude our prayer and then immediately resume fretting about how we will ever resolve the situation. If the problem keeps you up at night or occupies your mind constantly, then you have not allowed God to truly be in charge. You are still trying to solve the problem. Only after we allow God to be in charge will the peace which Paul describes begin to flow into us. If we do not have that peace, then we are still trying to be in control.
2) You have not done your part to solve the problem.
When trouble comes, what often seems like unease about the outcome is nothing more than guilt about our failure to do what must be done. We often know exactly what we must do, and our anxiety comes from our failure to act. The irony is that if we would simply do what we know must be done, our anxiety about the outcome would vanish. The example comes to mind of a man who has been cheating on his taxes and stays up nights worrying about when the IRS will finally knock on his door. He can pray to God all he wants that his indiscretion will not be found out, but God will be very reluctant to help until the man comes clean. His worry will not diminish until he finally calls the IRS, confesses what he has done and faces whatever consequences are to come. Immediately, the anxiety will vanish. The man now has a new dilemma wondering what his fate may be, but this is a new issue which he must lift up to God anew, one in which God will be much more inclined to intervene.
Are you worried about getting poor grades in school? What you may really be feeling is guilt for your inadequate study habits. Your anxiety at not being able to find a job may actually be remorse at doing more TV watching than job searching. If you have concerns about your situation, search yourself and really examine how much is worry and how much is actually your guilty conscience. Do whatever you need to do in order to make things right, and then you can come before God with a right heart, truly ask Him to take control and implore Him to relieve your angst. If you do these things, His amazing peace will follow.
This Week @ Detonate:
Our dear Pastor Alfred Yeo will be sharing more on the Holy Spirit and its impact on our lives! So come and be edified in the Word and in knowledge, and be witnesses of the moving of His Spirit:) Cya all at 4.45pm!
