David is married to a Singaporean Chinese. His dad Dr Norman Geisler is a well known apologist. David a passion for evangelism.
David got involved in Campus Crusade. 16 years ago, they discovered the 4 spiritual laws method no longer worked with skeptical students.
Because there is a radical change in our world today this has made it more difficult to do evangelism. Consequently what is needed is a new way for us to think about evangelism to speak to this current generation. By engaging others in pre-evangelism this may create more opportunity for us to engage in direct evangelism. Yet at the same time there are barriers to being more proactive in our evangelism. In understanding these two issues we will be like the men of Issachar who understood the times in which they lived and knew what they should do.
“I am convinced that our problems in Evangelism are not one of methodology but one of maturity.”
Our problem is we don’t have enough desire to share the Gospel. We are not sensitive to opportunities.
The Challenge to Evangelism Today
The gospel maybe simple but getting to the gospel is not always easy.It is hard to proclaim the forgiveness of sins to people to who believe that, since morality is relative, they have no sins to forgive.” ~Gene Veith, Postmoderm Times, pg. 16
Young people sees morality is relative, like a choice between chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice-cream (I'd take strawberry anytime.)
The Chinese word for sin (罪) is commonly seen as crime.
I. the need for a New Paradigm
1Co 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.2Ti 4:3-4 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, (4) and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Pre-evangelism
If evangelism is planting seeds of the Gospel, pre-evangelism is tilling the soil to their mind and heart, preparing them to at least to be willing to listen to the truth.Mar 2:22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."
Mar 4:8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
We need to learn how to till the soil before we plant the seed. Farmers understand this.
But is pre-evangelism necessary?
“… The more I thought about what happened, the more I realize that in today’s generation, people would generally not to give Christians a full uninterrupted 10 minutes to share the gospel with them. It is more likely that we share the gospel through injecting it into normal conversations of everyday life”Former National College Evangelism Director, Campus Crusade for Christ
She left the ministry and went into the marketplace where she found that the 4 spiritual laws did not work.
There is intolerance toward those who say there is a bridge they must cross.
We have 2 strikes against us before we begin
- we believe in absolute truth
- we believe Jesus is the only way
It is more difficult for some to see the need for a Saviour!
II. Being Effective in Pre-Evangelism Means
1Ch 12:32 Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.A. Clarifying what we commonly mean by evangelism. Remember that evangelism is a process.
“Every day and in every way helping our pre-believing friends to take one step closer to Jesus Christ.”
Expanded definition of evangelism by David Geisler
The success of evangelism is all about the person not running away when the see us the next time.
1Co 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
B. Allowing others to surface the truth for themselves through the use of probing questions.
2Ti 4:3-4 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, (4) and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
A scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding is shown to illustrate how to make others to think they come up with others. “We make them it’s his own idea.”
Jesus was the master is asking questions. He knew the value of asking questions. He knew it was better sometimes to allow the others to come to the answers themselves. We ask questions for others to thirst for the answer. Sometimes we don’t give the answers directly. We want to create the spiritual hunger / to let them realize the need.
The problem is we have so much we want to tell our non-believing friends but there is only so much they want to listen.
The joy of Self-Discovery
(sample questions)Do you believe the same thing as Aunty?
Don’t we come from somewhere? We couldn’t just be here forever could we?
Do you know the difference between Christianity and all other religion? (Buddha pointed the way and
Mohammed was a prophet. Only Jesus IS the way.)
How do you fit Jesus into your Buddhism belief?
As a free thinker have you come to any conclusions about who Jesus is?
Do you think there is anything different about Jesus compared to other religious beliefs?
Do you believe that Jesus did miraculous things and in fact died on the cross and rose from the dead? (may prompt the question Why did he do that?)
Now that you know that Jesus died on the cross for you because He loves you and desires to have a relationship with you, why do you still consider yourself a free thinker?
The bottom line about pre-evangelism
The more opportunity we have to share the Gospel, the greater likelihood that more people will come to know Christ.The more pre-evangelism we do, the more opportunities we will have to share the gospel with others.
Therefore, the more pre-evangelism, the more likely that more people will come to know Christ.
Why don’t we have a passion for God and for the lost?
III. Barriers to More Effective Evangelism
A. We aren’t totally convinced of the truth of Christianity.Joh 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
57% of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religion can lead to eternal life.
That’s why there are so many who question Christ like The da Vinci Code, the Lost Gospel of Judas,the Lost Tomb of Christ and the Golden Compass.
The bodily resurrection of Christ is the Cornerstone for the Christian faith.
1Co 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
There is only hope in Jesus Christ. Do we believe it?
B. We don’t realize the degree to which we have been forgiven
Luk 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."
If we don’t understand the degree to which we have been forgiven and the degree of God’s love, we cannot believe.
Key lesson we should learn from Luke 7:47: If you and I realize how much God has forgiven us, it will free us up to serve Him not out of duty but because of our great love for HIm because of all He as done for us.
1Jn 4:18-19 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (19) We love because he first loved us.
Love is not to be paid back. We need to pass it on.
C. We forget the urgency of the task.
Sometimes we have no time to think about eternity, we just want to get through the day..
Mat 5:30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
That’s a sobering verse. The significance is that as serious as losing a limb, it is worse to be separated from God.
David was in a religious panel when he started in his ministry. Every representative said it is not necessary to convert others to their religion. When it came to David’s, he was under tremendous pressure to agree with them. But he told them if he saw a friend caught in a fire, he’d try to save him.
David shared about the tragic story of her sister. We need to make a difference in the lives of people around us. Ask God to give us the passion. Ask God to change our heart and give us a greater desire to have his desire.
Some practical suggestions
1. Determine who the Lord is placing on your heart to reach out to.2. Pray for open doors.
Col 4:3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison--
3. Look for divine Appointments today!
Act 8:29 And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot."
a. Look for ways God is already at work in the lives of those you want to reach!
b. Ask God for wisdom to know what to say in your conversations with others.
Jas 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Act 14:1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.
4. Make the most of every x you have with pre-believers to help them take one step closer.
1Co 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
Col 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
1Co 9:22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
a. Listen carefully in order to make every encounter count.
b. Discover what might create greater spiritual openness.
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
Act 17:32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this."
Look for ways to create more interest in our Jesus
5. Learn how to ask thought-provoking questions to allow the Holy Spirit an opportunity to move in people’s heart.
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