Bible 101 : How to Live and Evangelize

Questions About Faith and God Why do you exist on this earth? Is There An Unpardonable Sin? Answer About Salvation Born Again: What Makes the Christian Message Unique? Choosing 'Spirituality' over Christ. Lost to a Culture Gone Wild. Evolution Outdated There are thousands of biology books targeted for everyone from toddlers to graduate students. In all their diversity, they have one thing in common. They support Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. But do these biology textbooks support true science or science fiction? Thousands, Not Billions of Yrs. Signature in the Cell: Information and Intelligence Evolution: Science or Atheism in Disguise?

Evolution - The Ultimate Compromise Dr. Teach Evolution, Not Creation Creation vs. Evolution Toolbox Darwin's Real Message: We've also enclosed what we call a "Lord's Business Card" that is used by our members to tell their friends about us. We hope that you'll find it helpful in locating us and in remembering our schedule of services. We have a complete program of Bible classes for all ages including a fully-equipped learning center for younger children. A variety of other activities, such as home Bible studies are also offered during the week.

If you have any questions, would like any further information, or need transportation, or directions to services, please don't hesitate to call one of the members listed below:. Appendix 6 to "Finding Prospects". In an effort to reach non-Christians and find out who is really interested in the gospel, members conduct weekly Bible studies in a variety of locations around the city.

Usually these studies are conducted in private homes or in some other place that will be informal and encourage prospects to ask questions. Many people will come to someone's home that would not come to a church building. This is one of the best ways to establish contacts for future studies. The studies are designed for non-Christians and tailor-made to meet their needs.

This is a sample of how eight of these studies were being presented and divided up by different members during the week a few years ago. At our peak we have had twelve small group Bible studies going on at once. This was the most effective way we have found to generate contacts and find out who is really interested. A majority of our contacts for conversion were coming from these studies.

They are highly recommended. Here is a short description of how these are to be conducted. Each of these studies needs a minimum of five to seven Christians who will commit to come to the studies and invite non-Christians. If you could make a commitment to get involved in this effort, it would be most commendable. As these groups grow the group will be able to split into additional groups and therefore have additional opportunities to reach the lost.

It is also a great opportunity to train teachers to work in this effort , as they work under someone who is more experienced first. The biggest challenge is usually to get members over thirty to get involved in this effort. It is important that not just the young get involved, so that the congregation is not divided and so all age groups can be reached with the gospel. Normally, one is most effective in reaching his peers first. Welcome to this session of "Personal Evangelism We hope to answer the question of "What exactly do I say? This is a serious effort to "speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent" and also to do what the Bible says do.

It's high time we stop talking about the battle and start fighting the battle! Spiritual soldiers of Christ are just like physical soldiers in that they need disciplined training before they can be effective against the enemy. Some have the Sword of the Spirit but they don't know how to use or properly wield it. Illustration - A sincere, well-meaning but unskilled surgeon can do more harm than good. This series is designed to give you "fencing lessons" to teach you how to "wield the sword" of the Spirit effectively.

There is scriptural authority to study "how to teach" Colossians 4: We need to be smart, wise and shrewd , as well as accurate! The first key to being wise and shrewd is to understand the need to analyze your prospect and then tailor your lesson s to the prospect's needs and background. What may work for one won't work for another. Illustration - Why did the Holy Spirit give us four gospel accounts? Each gospel has a slightly different approach in order to reach four different audiences. Illustration -Each of the major sermons in Acts varies according to the audience addressed.

This group is perhaps the most neglected , yet the "unchurched" are the greatest hope for substantial growth. They are often the easiest to teach because they already admit they are sinners and need a Savior and they are similar to a "blank page" in that you can teach them right from the start instead of having to do so much "unteaching" before you are able to get them to see Divine truth clearly. Illustration - A recent Gallup poll reported that approximately 50 percent of the U.

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Their biggest problem is that they are turned off to "organized religion. Don't argue about baptism and the church with the prospect before he even understands that he is a sinner and that Christ is the answer to the sin problem. We are not interested in just getting people wet. The basic lesson called "Why the Bible Was Written" is designed to fit his needs. This only takes 45 minutes and is simple enough for anyone to use.

This lesson can be found in the appendix 1 at the end of this lesson and is a one lesson approach. The "God, Man and the Cross" series by Glenn McClister, which can be found in the appendix 3, is also highly recommended for this type of prospect. It consists of four lessons. This person understands basically about sin, the need of the gospel and other things about the Bible and has lived a more or less moral life or has at least had biblical moral instruction.

Usually, they understand the gospel, but not how to obey the gospel. They do not understand the terms of entrance into the kingdom nor the nature of the kingdom. The problem here is that there is a lot of unteaching that has to be done. They are often very satisfied with their present religion and do not believe they are a sinner and therefore are not seeking truth! The four lesson series called "Undenominational Christianity" is found in the next lesson.

Journey to Eternity a series of charts complete with detailed outlines to go with the charts - 7 lessons total. The real need here is prevention. Statistically, the church has a 50 percent dropout rate! We must be determined to give more attention to the spiritual care of our present members.

Perhaps even more pleased since Peter tells us that "the last state is worse than the first" 2 Peter 2: It is not just up to the elders or the preacher, but everyone who is spiritual Galatians 6: Everyone is responsible to be his brother's keeper. Ivan Stewart's 1st and 2nd Admonition should be placed in the back of every member's Bible. Each takes 15 to 20 minutes to go over. These are available at the Florida College Bookstore.

Remember that attendance is not the only gauge of faithfulness; in fact, it may be a poor gauge. Asking about one's prayer life is probably more important to determine one's spiritual strength. The first thing that will slip when one is weak is prayer. Probing into this area will determine more than anything else the quality of their relationship with God. If that relationship is weak, then that is the real source of their problem.

Let me suggest that you do not say that such a one has " quit the church. Mail them the poem " The Beginning of Forever. It will really make them think! Often ignored is this prospect, yet the present generation makes an ideal contact because they have been kept in the dark. The key is to break down barriers and open up lines of communication by speaking " the truth in love " Ephesians 4: Explain terms by referring to Bible passages: Unexplained terms may appear to be prejudicial labels or slurs. Your patient appeal to scripture will open honest hearts. Dishonest hearts will be offended and turn away no matter what terms you use Matthew Illustration - A friend says, " I hear the church you attend is anti - Is it?

Can we study together with our Bible open? Illustration - You say to a friend, " You go to an institutional church. You may order this from the Florida College Bookstore. Many of these people are sincere and honest but have never been approached correctly or even given a chance to come to a more perfect understanding. This is hard to find, but a good example of what can be accomplished. Remember, these first two approaches are for the person who knows little about Christ and the Bible, and needs to be taught about the King before it is appropriate to teach them about the Kingdom.

The teacher simply serves as a " guide " as you ask the prospect to find the reference, read the passage, and have him answer the questions concerning it. It overcomes the objection, " that's just your interpretation " because in each case it is not your interpretation but his. It only takes about 45 minutes to complete and is so simple anyone can do it. This is the beauty and power of this lesson. If you have never done any personal work before; this is an excellent place to start!

You will need to have separate copies of the lesson made so you can have your own copy and leave the filled out copy with the prospect. Make sure you ask the prospect to read the text aloud out of his own Bible as long as it is a reputable translation. There is nothing more powerful than someone reading the truth aloud out of his own Bible! Keep the prospect involved and ask him frequently to express his ideas in his own words. Because this is a " one lesson approach " some special comments need to be made concerning one lesson approaches. The jailor was a raw pagan and knew nothing of Christianity, yet after one study he was converted.

In the Bible immediacy was the rule rather than the exception. This usually only is appropriate when the prospect has not been ingrained with some false concepts about Christ and the church--as was the case with the Jailor. Also, one should not " press " for a commitment after just one study but instead only agree to baptize them if they insist, which occasionally does happen. It has the advantage of qualifying your prospect to help you determine whether he is genuinely interested.

If after one basic overview he is ready for more then he is probably a true seeker. Unfortunately, some are just intellectually curious and you don't want to waste five or six weeks of valuable time with a non-seeker. If you are confident the prospect is a true seeker and sincere, go with one of the Multi-lesson series. It is often helpful to go with the one-lesson approach first and then, if interested, continue with multi-lesson approach when in doubt.

This is a one lesson approach, not a one shot approach, Matthew The Divine imperative is on the second "teach". Additional teaching is necessary afterwards in order to ground and further stabilize the new convert in God's Word. If you follow-up and continue to ground and teach new converts you will be able to keep a much larger percentage than you will be able to otherwise. The God, Man and the Cross series consists of four lessons five if you include the " Counting the Cost " lesson. The abbreviated version pages is what would be used with the prospect. If you desire to order a set of these on cassettes they are available from the North Street tape library.

It begins with God , Man and the Cross itself , which is a three lesson presentation of the gospel message. It discusses God and Man as they are revealed to us in Genesis, chapters and then presents four lessons on the cross. It sums up the laws of spiritual growth discussed in the series. It should be followed up with the " Counting the Cost of Discipleship " lesson. Remember, this series is for the type of person who knows little about Christ, is ignorant of the Bible and its teaching, and usually still has obvious sin problems in his life. One must first know about Christ before he is taught concerning the church.

It is a mistake to teach people only about the New Testament church and not about its head. It is also a mistake to teach Christ without His kingdom. We must strive for balance. Depending on the person, it may be advisable to teach some of the " Undenominational Christianity " series before baptizing him as well; if not, make sure he receivess this teaching as soon as possible after baptism. These next two Bible study approaches are designed for someone who is already familiar with the gospel story -- one who has known about the King but needs to be more perfectly instructed regarding the Kingdom.

The " Undenominational Christianity Series " consists of four lessons five if you include the " Counting the Cost " lesson. Copies of these lessons can be found on pages They are available on cassette tapes. If you would like to order them from the North Street library, call Todd Stephenson at or write to him Glen Arven Ave. These lessons stress the need to return to the pattern of the New Testament Church.

It must be learned well enough so that the one presenting the material is not bound to the detailed manuscript. The " Restoration Plea " can be omitted if one of these lessons needs to be cut because much of the same sort of information is also in the " Denominations " lessons. The " Silence of the Scriptures " is the most important and necessary of the three. This is the primary reason why we are not part of the Protestant reformation but instead "simply Christians" interested in restoration. This series has some good information in it, but in our video age is outdated.

I think in our modern "video age" that the use of videos is more professional and effective. They are now readily available on video, so trade up if you haven't already done so. Five strips or videos - change the order and show them 1,2,3,5,4. This way they are taught about the church before they are baptized. If you can get them coming with you to services toward the end of the studies it is best. This is an indirect teaching method -- something else is doing the teaching for you.

Personal Evangelism

It's impersonal and not much eye contact -- to some appears " too professional. It's difficult to tell whether they are absorbing the material. Dim the lights but don't make it too dark. No problem if you have a self-contained screen projection or video. Watch the tendency we all have to want to do too much of the talking. This should be a Dialogue, not a Monologue. Watch the prospect not the strips! Be familiar enough with all the strips so that when they ask questions you know whether to answer now or come back to it at a later time.

Before the person is baptized go over " Counting the Cost of Discipleship " with him. This series is short and is very well done. It has four parts to it that run only about minutes a piece. This series can be ordered from: We Care Ministries, P. Box , West Monroe, LA They even work well in some cases just passing them around and asking interested individuals to listen to them on their own time. They work better if you can listen to them with the prospect and discuss them together , and "Counting the Cost" after the last tape ; however, some will listen to the tape on their own who will not allow you to study with them.

Have the congregation order a good number of them and have them available for the members to check out, or purchase your own private copy. However, it is cheaper if you can get together under one name, so that subsequent copies can be purchased at the cheaper rate. These series are just suggestions. If you have your own or others that is fine. My experience has been that just about anything works as long as it is used and used properly! Why are we not " bringing in more sheaves?

You will notice that at the end of each series of lessons, regardless of which ones are being referred to, you will find a " Counting the Cost " lesson. There are several reasons for this:. Jesus emphasized the need to " count the cost " before one makes the decision to be one of His disciples so that they will know before they make a commitment what will be expected of them. The New Testament makes it clear that repentance is to be a meaningful part of what it means to " turn to God " and this lesson helps them to do this in a meaningful and serious manner Luke It will help to decrease the amount of people who fall away because they didn't understand fully the nature of the commitment they were making.

It is an expedient way to eliminate people just " getting wet " and not being really serious about being truly converted and living the Christian life. Like the rich young ruler Mark Over time it will result in a congregation that is more unified in their commitment and therefore in their ability to work together and be fruitful!

The 66 books of the Bible were written by some 40 men from six countries over a period of years. These men were separated by time, distance, culture, and language, yet the Bible is characterized by unity and harmony. Would this be true of any other book written under similar circumstances? Why is it true of the Bible? The only reasonable explanation is to accept what the Bible claims for itself. Let's look at some of the reasons. The universe bears witness to the existence of a Supreme Being who designed it and created it. Over and over again, history has demonstrated man's inability to guide himself guidance morally and spiritually.

Confusion, chaos, and misery have always followed his attempts to do so. We need an authoritative standard; we need God's wisdom to direct us. The Bible is actually our manufacturer's guide book. Since God is the one who made us, He knows what is best for us. When Christ returns, He will sit on His throne and people from all will be gathered before Him. We sin in thought, in word, in deed, and by failing to do things we should. The average person sins many times daily. If we committed an average of only three sins a day, in a year we would have the guilt of more than a thousand sins upon us.

Think of the sins committed in a lifetime! The Bible reveals that God is perfect, holy, and sinless. It is impossible for Him to allow man with the guilt of sin upon him to live in His presence and have fellowship with Him. Man's separation from God because of sin is the underlying cause of all the problems and sorrows in the world. The entire human race is searching for peace within, but it cannot be found out of fellowship with God.

Guilty sinners will be separated from God in eternity as well as in this life.

40 Verses about Evangelism

Because God loves us, He wants to forgive us and receive us back into His fellowship, but His holiness and justice demand that the penalty of our sins be paid. Sin is so terrible and offensive to God that all efforts to pay its penalty are insufficient. It is impossible for us to earn forgiveness. This was written to saved people, reminding them of how salvation is made possible. Since Christ was sinless, God accepted his death on the cross as payment for the penalty for our sins.

This makes it possible for God to forgive us and yet maintain His holiness and justice. This is because in being baptized a person is buried in water has water sprinkled on or poured on him. If yes, was it your understanding at the time that one is saved before baptism or after baptism?

In order to receive forgiveness through the death of Jesus Christ, we must:. When a person believes in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, repents, confesses his faith in Jesus, and is baptized, his sins are forgiven. Jesus recognizes him as a member of His spiritual body, His church.

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Every religion, denomination, and church on earth other that Jesus' church, His body, was originated by man. They all teach man-made doctrines which are not in harmony with God's word, the Bible. Rather than embracing some man-made religion, it should be our desire to follow Christ as members of His body, His church.

After being baptized are you willing to continue learning and doing what Christ has commanded? In Luke chapter 14 Jesus gave the ground rules for becoming one of His disciples. This means that before making the lifelong commitment of becoming a Christian, one must evaluate himself and see if he is willing to pay the price and take the commitment seriously.

There is no one who cannot afford to pay the price, but there are many who are not willing to pay such a high price. Jesus gave us His life and He expects our life in return. We are to present ourselves as a " living sacrifice which is our reasonable service " Romans The greatest and most important of all the commandments is to " love the Lord thy God with all the thy heart, soul, and mind " Matthew It is important to understand that even good moral people will be lost if they love God second or third or fourth rather than giving him first place.

We must love Him so much that we will allow nothing to interfere with our putting Him first. The disciples " left all " in order to follow Jesus Luke 5: We may be called upon to do the same some day. Nothing, including our physical possessions, is to become more important to us than God. Indeed, we become simply " stewards " of all we possess and we are accountable to God for our use of the blessings He has given us I Peter 4: There will be much that you will learn and come to understand as you grow and study.

However, at the very beginning you need to be willing to surrender your will to His, and be committed to follow and obey truth--whatever it takes and wherever it may lead you. Your love for the Lord will be the driving force that will empower you to " keep the commandments " John This is why John could say that, even though following the commandments of God will be challenging, " they are not grievous " I John 5: God reminded the children of Israel what he had done for them, how he had redeemed them from Egyptian bondage and saved them by bearing them upon " eagle's wings.

Then, even before the people knew what the specific laws were, they demonstrated their faith and trust in God by committing to obey God's laws. Likewise, once we have come to appreciate the Lord Jesus and all He has done for us, and have been convicted of our sins and therefore our need for salvation, and truly desire the wonderful promises of God in our life, then we demonstrate our faith and trust in God by " confessing Christ as Lord " Romans Someone has said " unless He is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Jesus made this clear, when He gave the great commission and ordered His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, " teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I will be with you always even unto the end of the age.

But the commitment to surrender your will to His and do whatever He asks, as you learn the Lord's will for you life, comes before you make the decision to become a Christian. We cannot make your decisions for you, or do your thinking for you, nor do we wish to. Difficult issues will have to be studied out and wrestled with as you fulfill your lifelong commitment to the Lordship of Jesus. However, some general principles should be understood in the very beginning.

1. Evangelism is about increasing God’s renown.

Our commitment to the Lord can be divided up into three general areas: These basic responsibilities are clear in the scriptures and your willingness to be faithful to these responsibilities is a part of " Counting the Cost of Discipleship " that Jesus referred to in Luke With these thoughts in mind, lets look at some scriptures dealing with these three areas of commitment.

Obviously, you cannot have a relationship with someone you do not communicate with! A Christian needs to schedule regular times for communicating with God. A personal study of God's word is how you can maintain personal relationship with your Creator. Let God speak to you regularly through His Word. The Beroeans were " more noble than those at Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so " Acts This is a wonderful example and one you would do well to emulate.

Prayer is the way we express our feelings, thoughts and needs to the Heavenly Father Luke 5: You should set aside a special time for prayer along with your Bible study. It is essential that you talk with God every day once you become one of His children. A daily offering of your life and resources to the cause of Christ is part of your relationship with Him Romans Here are a few examples. We are to put to death daily our sinful tendencies I Corinthians This is a part of our growth in Christ and our sanctification before God.

This is serious business because Hebrews You need to learn to " abhor evil " Romans Our primary purpose in life is to become like Christ Luke 6: A daily relationship with God is essential in fulfilling this purpose. All Christians are equally important, therefore every Christian must be involved and willing to do his part I Corinthians 12; The work isn't to be left up just to the " leaders " Ephesians 4: We need to have deep relationships within the body. Our best friends should be Christians since we are members of one another Romans It is important that you understand your responsibilities to the assemblies of the saints Hebrews Since we cannot condone false doctrine, we cannot worship and abide in the " apostles' doctrine " Acts 2: In practice this means that wherever you go, you must find a faithful congregation to worship and work with.

This is important to remember when traveling or if you move to another location. You need to understand clearly what you had been practicing, or not practicing, in the past that was unscriptural and understand that to continue in error once you have " come to a knowledge of the truth " is to cut yourself off from God's grace Hebrews Elders are our leaders and we should respect and obey them in matters of judgement Hebrews Do not receive an accusation against an elder unless there are two or three witnesses I Timothy 5: We are not to " drag our leaders through the mud ".

It is a very serious thing to speak evil of an elder, especially if it is done falsely. Consider your words carefully when speaking about others, especially our elders, deacons, evangelists, and Bible class teachers. If you are single, you should only consider marrying a fellow Christian who will help you get to heaven and with whom you will be able to share the things that are most important to you in this life. If at present, you have a non-Christian girlfriend or boyfriend, try to get them in contact with other Christians who will help you bring them to Christ.

If you are married and your mate is not a Christian, you should try to " sanctify the mate " by leading him or her to Christ I Corinthians 7: Jesus came to the earth for the purpose of seeking and saving the lost. Therefore, as His disciples, saving the lost should be one of the primary purposes of our Christian life as well. We cannot belong to Christ without also belonging to the cause of Christ. Ours is the same mission as the Christians in the first century, the spreading of the gospel throughout the entire world Mark The proclamation of the gospel is to be a natural outgrowth of your walk with Christ.

It is a part of the fruits you are to bear on a daily basis. There is time to study and grow and be trained, but there will come a time when you ought to be a teacher Hebrews In the meantime, take advantage of opportunities to share what Christ has done for you in a positive way, and to do what you can to lead others to someone who can teach them. We have classes to help you overcome fear and to help you learn how to be effective in soul winning. We also have small group Bible studies for evangelism you can become a part of.

We are to represent Christ to others II Corinthians 3: We would not want to be a bad reflection on Christ or misrepresent Him in anything we do or say. Avoid " obscenity, and coarse joking, which are out of place " Ephesians 4: Anything that would discredit the Lord or His church should be avoided. A believer is to " repent and be baptized " Acts 2: One is to " repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance " Acts Only you know for sure the changes that you need to make to demonstrate true repentance.

Whatever your sins may be, laziness, materialism, carnality, immodest dress, or promiscuity, true repentance demands that a " turning away " from these take place. Being completely honest with yourself and making a commitment to turn from these things now is what it means to " count the cost " before you decide to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus. Even earth " died " -- Genesis 3: Sin puts man at WAR with all of these. Most important is war with God. If there is peace with Him, there will be peace with all the other areas.

But, in the words of Bildad in Job Or how can he be clean who is born of woman? No sin goes unpunished. How can God's demand for justice be met? Death is separation from God. What is the ultimate separation? How many did it take Adam and Eve? What did this mean to Jesus? What does God know about obedience? Die the sinner's death. Maxwell, Born Crucified, pg. Statements of the paradox -- I Peter 2: Why would someone do this?

Because He loved me so! Shameful for me to have to admit that my sin put Jesus on the cross. Rembrandt usually painted himself into his painting. When he painted Jesus on the cross he painted himself in the crowd as one of the ones who yelled " Crucify Him ". Even John at the foot of the cross didn't understand. To see the whip laid across His back? See the soldiers punch Him in the mouth? To see every drop of blood? Hear the nails being driven into His wrists?

See the soldier ram the spear in His side? Kierkegaard's definition of sin --" despair at not willing to oneself. The cross makes me want to kill my old self never right to literally do it. Two principles of all spiritual growth so far: God is the Father of the Prodigal Son who ran away from home Luke Unconditional Love , p.

How would you react if you were treated so badly? But God is " long-suffering " 2 Peter 3: The cross is proof that God loves me -- I'll never doubt it Romans 5: God's love does not negate His demand for justice -- will not overlook sin -- for this reason, obedience is always necessary. Obedience does not merit salvation -- all the good works in the world will not restore a relationship with God after one of our sins has separated us from Him. We obey out of a natural response to the love He has shown, out of gratitude and love for Him.

If He freely gave without us having to ask or being able to the most precious thing in the world to Him, can we ask for anything that would be harder for Him to give? Doesn't mean we'll get anything we ask for -- must still ask for good things, right things James 4: But we know he'll give us what we really need -- Matthew 6: This was the pattern of His entire life.

Jesus could have avoided it at any time just one sin, legions of angels but He didn't. The Cross was the pattern of Jesus' entire life. He lived his life in the shadow of the Cross. And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: God has always wanted a people who labor beside Him.

Because He wants His bride, the church, to play a part. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. On the contrary, he came with a simple message of Christ and His sacrifice. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law though I myself am not under the law , so as to win those under the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

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We are the diplomats that God has sent to represent him in this foreign territory. For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. This was a problem that was brewing in the early church. Paul was all about sharing the gospel, but he never saw that as his only responsibility. He worked tirelessly to ensure that systems were set up so that people could grow into maturity.

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Making the most of your opportunities requires a lot of vigilance and grit. You need to be on guard to recognize your opportunities, and you need to have the resolve to take advantage of those opportunities when they surface.

Fight the temptation to bury yourself in books to empower evangelism. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. Paul reminds Timothy that the opposition to the gospel and his imprisonment is no reason to be ashamed. Paul finishes his second letter to Timothy with this commission. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

This verse from Peter reveals how simple evangelism can be. It should be natural and sincere. But the Lord is still withholding judgment because he wants everyone to have an opportunity to enter into relationship with Him. Bradley is a pastor and writer living in the Pacific Northwest. He converted to Christianity in his early twenties because of the enthusiastic influence of a friend who took the time to share the gospel with him.

Jayson jumped into ministry, and his passion for the gospel eventually led him to planting a church in Since then, he's had the opportunity to work with amazing faith-based organizations—like Jesus Film Project—that are aligned with his zeal for introducing others to Jesus. Evangelism is wise work.

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Evangelism is about our willingness to go. Evangelism is simply telling what God has done. Evangelism points to our only source of salvation. Evangelism is a divine responsibility.