Plan to Stop Not Evangelizing Part 4

Accept. We have to accept that this is our job... let's just acknowledge that sometimes we don't evangelize because we think it's not our job. It's the job of preachers, we think, or someone else who is trained and paid for it. But if we are going to evangelize, we have to realize and admit how we've been dodging our duty and adjust ourselves to accept responsibility of evangelism. We might be the closest Christians to a particular unbeliever. Maybe that person has a Christian aunt, friend, or employee who has been praying for him. Maybe we are the answer to their prayers. We must accept, we may accept, we get to accept the wonderful role that God has for us as evangelists in others lives! -Mark Dever (The Gospel & Personal Evangelism)

An Evengelistic Option for Halloween

Although not everyone will have a clear conscience and different convictions about Halloween...this was passed along by someone that I would respect....

http://betweenthetimes.com/2010/09/28/why-all-good-christians-should-celebrate-halloween/

Love the Lost

A second area of growth in love is love for the lost. A wealthy young man once came to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. The young man assumed he was in fairly good standing because he had tried to keep the Ten Commandments. But after he asserted this, "Jesus looking at him," reports Mark 10:21, "loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me'" (emphasis added). In showing love to this man, Jesus did not compromise His message. He made it unmistakable that to have eternal life the man must forsake his god (that is, his possessions) and put Christ first. Although there is no indication that the man became Jesus' disciple, Jesus loved him nonetheless. The more we are like Jesus, the more we manifest the fruit of the Spirit and the more loving we will be to everyone, including those who are cold to the things of God. Jesus said we are even to love our enemies, and not just those who love us (Luke 6:27,32). - Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald S. Whitney

Plan to Stop Not Evangelizing Part 3

Be Clear. When you share the gospel, think carefully about the language you use. One of the best conversations I can remember about evangelism was with a secular Jewish friend of mine. I was to give talks soon on a college campus about evangelism, and I decided to ask my friend about evangelism... I learned that in my previous conversations with him I had taken the meaning of words for granted. "God", "prayer", "heaven", "good", "moral", "judge", and "sin" are all words that I realized I had not done a good job defining. If I had simply gone through a quick, persuasive sales presentation and gotten him to say "yes!" he would have been saying yes to much that he didn't understand. We need to be both engaging and clear when we present the gospel.
-Mark Dever (The Gospel & Personal Evangelism)

John Piper shares his struggles with evangelsim

Check out this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCqQKrw-nrg&feature=player_embedded

Thanks Tracy for the link!

Plan to Stop Not Evangelizing Part 2

Use the Bible. The Bible is not only for public preaching and private devotionals. It can be used in evangelizing. An interesting example of this...is found in Acts 8, when Philip came to the Ethiopian official. The official was reading Isaiah 53, a famous prophesy about the Messiah. Philip, as it says in Acts 8:35, "began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus." The Bible is God's Word and is inspired by God's Spirit. God's message can go out not just through your words and mine, but through his own inspired words. And we can know that he will take a special delight in showing the power of his Word as he uses it in conversions. -Mark Dever (The Gospel & Personal Evangelism)


Note: We will be learning to share our faith with the Bible at the upcoming Launch training this Saturday morning!

FCA Outreach Events

See You at the Pole – Wednesday, September 22^nd – students, faculty, and the community gather around their local school flagpole to pray for their school, communities, churches, and our national. Typically this event starts at 7am. I would like to encourage you all to join with the students and PRAY! You will be inspired and encouraged. For more information, visit: www.syatp.org .

Fields of Faith – Wednesday, October 27^th , 7:00-8:30pm – Harford Tech High School Football Stadium. This is an evening where students gather to encourage each other in their faith. Come and hear great student testimonies and worship – all under the lights. For more information or to start a Fields of Faith for your school/community, go to www.fieldsoffaith.org .

Plan to Stop Not Evangelizing Part 1

Pray. I think many times we don't evangelize because we undertake everything in our own power. We attempt to leave God out of it. We forget that it is His will and pleasure for his gospel to be known. He wants sinners saved. Simply put, we don't pray for opportunities to share the gospel, so how surprised should we be when they don't come? If you're not evangelizing because you think you lack opportunities, pray and be amazed as God answers your prayers. (from-The gospel and personal evangelism -Mark Dever)

Introductory note from Greg

Ambassadors,

My hope in creating this blog is to assist us all in the desire to value the glorious gospel and cultivate a culture of outreach and evangelism in and through our Grace Community Church family!

To do that, I hope to pass along God's Word, encouraging testimonies, prayer requests, ideas for outreach, instruction, and inspiring quotes.

Please send any of the above, along with any suggestions, pictures, or links that you think may be helpful in stimulating us to love and good deeds (as relates to evangelism and outreach) by leaving a comment below.

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)

Thanks again for your help!

Grace, Peace, Love and Boldness be Multiplied to us all!
Greg

Join us for LAUNCH!

Saturday, September 18th

9:30 am – 12 noon

~ Learn how to build relationships with non-Christians

~ Learn how to overcome fears and awkwardness

~ Learn how to share your faith and testimony

~ Learn how to run a gospel study (invites & materials provided)