Liberty Theological Seminary

Evangelism Vision

A Paper Submitted to Dr. Richard Odom In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course Contemporary Evangelism EVAN 565

By Tamber Ishman 18 March 2011

Evangelism When I accepted Christ, I was so excited that I set out to reach everyone I could for Christ. I wanted them to experience the love that had impacted me. As the years progressed, I lost that zeal. The information from this class has reawakened that excitement. God created mankind to worship Him and fellowship with Him. He provided a means through which He and mankind could engage or have fellowship with one another; this channel may be identified as salvation. John 3:17-18 provides a glimpse of Gods heart, For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of Gods one and only son. God demonstrated the task of reaching the lost when he reconciled Adam and Eve to Himself; this was His missional efforts. His love for them out weighed His disappointment of their sin. However, God now uses mankind to reach the lost. According to Matthew 28:19, God tells the believer to Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The task of reaching the world for Christ may be summed up in one word, love. In order to make disciples for Christ, one must employ the method Jesus used. He valued all people; He associated with sinners because He loved them and wanted them to form a relationship with Him. According to Dave Earley and David Wheeler in Evangelism Is, God does not put boundaries on His love for the people. He has an exceptional place in his heart for everyone on His team (p. 38). Furthermore, Jesus has a heart for the lost. Not only did He love the lost, He believed the lost deserved to have a search party look for them (Earley p. 39). Luke 15:4 provides evidence to this fact; What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of

2 them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? Because the world has become so desensitized to what is considered wrong, it is the duty of Christians to guide them to what is right. In order to accomplish this task, one must win the confidence of the world in order to share the news of right and wrong. They must be led with compassion and love; whey will not go where there is no love. According to Earley, practicing simple acts of compassion coupled with intentional aims at sharing Christ will open the door for the maximum act of kindness which is sharing the gospel (p. 151). William Fay and Linda Shepherd, authors of Sharing Jesus without Fear, produced six fears which may prevent one from evangelism. The first and most prevalent fear is the fear of rejection. Next, the anticipation of what ones friends might think of one. The third fear is the anticipation of what coworkers might think. Number four is the fear of not knowing enough to share ones faith. Fay described the next fear as one being scared of losing ones friends and relatives. The final fear is the apprehension of not knowing how to evangelize. Although the above mentioned fears may seem valid, a Christian need not panic when sharing Jesus. The weight of the process belongs to God; Christians are only responsible for sharing. My Vision for Evangelism Informational apologetics has been the premise of the evangelistic approach of reaching the world for years. Yet, the world seems to shy away from this form of apologetics. Incarnational Apologetics, the epitome of the public and private lifestyle of a Christian which bears witness to the world of the validity of the Bible, is vital to effective evangelism. People are looking for answers to problems or situations in which they find themselves. I am encouraged to reach out to a dying world through the arms of love; moreover, my lifestyle will affect my

3 testimony. Gone are the days of Christians standing on the street corners preaching salvation. My goal is to reach out to this world as often as the opportunity presents itself. Matthew 28: 1920 commands that I Go and teach all nationsteaching them to observe what God has commanded me. The world needs to see salvation and the love of God in action. Why would anyone accept a God who would never show His love? It is not enough to exemplify a lifestyle of salvation or incarnational apologetics, but I am required to share the Good News. Moreover, through active incarnational apologetics, people will see the life altering power of Christ; this coupled with through informational apologetics, people will not only hear about the all powerful Christ they will be afforded an example of His power. Because no two people are alike, I understand that there can be no set pattern for sharing the gospel with the lost. Evangelism is messy because people are basically messy; furthermore, there are varying perceptions about the gospel. On the other hand, there are those who have never heard of the gospel and further still those who do not want to hear about it. However, I cannot allow any of these minor obstacles hinder me from my task; my role is the reach out to those with whom I come in contact. God requires that I plant the seed, and or water that seed; however, it is through the work of God that increase will occur. I am merely a tool in His hands to be used; I have to remind myself to let God affect the change. This process may take more than one person sharing over a period of time; it may even take me sharing more than once or twice with a particular person. The task is not as important as the outcome that only God may affect. According to Elmer Towns, as quoted in Earley & Wheelers book Evangelism Is, "In the 1980s, people generally needed to hear the gospel 3.4 times before they accepted Christ (p. 79). There are people who will hear the gospel one time and be saved; still others may have to be stair-stepped

4 toward a lasting commitment to Christ (p. 79). As I reflect on my conversion, I was one who had to hear the gospel more than once. My involvement in the church was a prelude to my relationship with Christ. The gospel was preached and taught over a period of years before I realized I needed to know Christ, intimately. My parents, the youth pastor, and the senior pastor all labored over me before I was ripe for harvesting. I am grateful that these people saw the need for me to receive Christ and took the time to plant, water, and tend the ground of my soul. My Motivation According to William McRaney in The Art of Personal Evangelism, the love for God is the highest level of motivation for evangelism (p. 198); because I love God, I am motivated to reach others for Him. God desires that no man perish and because I love Him, I should venture to reach the lost. According to Lifeways director Ed Stetzer, as quoted in USA Today, [people] like to talk more about than actually do evangelism (Southern Baptists urge their members to evangelize more, USA Today, np). I am encouraged to be a doer of the Word (James 1:22a). The Scriptures warn me to minister, and give my life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45); this is what Jesus did I should follow his example. As a Worship Arts minister, I realize arts may be effective in evangelism; the arts reflect the seekers hunger and search for God (Rory Noland, The Heart of the Artist, p.25). People long for God and artists can help point them to Him. Psalm 40:3 reminds me that when I worship, it causes others to turn to Christ. Many people have come to churches because of the music used in the church. This in and of itself may be utilized as an evangelistic tool. With this in mind, I must be careful to select artistic expressions to which the unchurched may identify (Noland, p. 26). According to Noland, worship leaders should learn how to relate to a postmodern culture; they must speak to this

5 culture in a meaningful manner (p. 26). I must utilized language that the unchurched may understand when ministering in an unchurched setting. Changes I must make While reading on the various barriers to personal evangelism, I discovered the major obstacle for me is isolation. I no longer work in the secular sect and therefore miss the opportunity to rub elbows with other people on a regular basis. It is important that I get out more and interact with the public. I know many people but I do not have that day to day interaction with them. I also discovered another barrier, the fear of rejection. However, from this time on, I realize that I have nothing to fear. If someone rejects the message, they are not rejecting me but God. 1 Thessalonians verifies this fact, Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. William Fay wrote, Either you can share your faith, or you can say nothing and in your silence love your friends into hell (p. 20). Wow. What conviction I have felt. I do not want any of my friends or family members to go to hell. Therefore, it is my duty to share Jesus with them. Possible Tools Because I no longer have face to face contact with many people, I have taken to utilizing Face book to locate and connect with old and new friends. It may not seem feasible to try and make a face to face appointment to share Jesus with many of the people with whom I have contact on this website. Therefore, the knowledge of a few possible evangelistic websites sparks a fresh desire to reach my friends. I am impressed with the technological advances utilized in these websites. Many people who utilize technology will benefit from the information within these sites. One website, in

6 particular, SimplyShareJesus.com will prove beneficial when sharing with my friends online. This website will lessen the stress of trying to share through chat or email; each person will be able to have firsthand information. Any questions that they may have may be address after they have viewed the site. Furthermore, the Godlife.org website presentation will capture the minds and hearts of the lost faster because there is not a lot of information they have to sift through in order to get the real message, which is salvation. What is needed? An essential element needed when sharing Jesus is abiding in Him. According to Richard Leach and David A. Wheeler in Minister to others, when I stay connected to Jesus I will remain attuned to His heart and will for my ministry (p. 66). Jesus modeled this by maintaining an intimate relationship with the Father. John 5:19 witnesses to this fact; I assure you: the Son is not able to do anything on His own, by only what He sees the Father is doing, For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. Aside from love, the Word of God, and a heart valuing the need to reach the lost, effective listening skills will assist me in my evangelistic endeavors. I was fascinated to learn that Jesus utilized active listening skills when reaching the lost. Mastering active listening skills will assist me in helping the person become comfortable, thereby opening the door to him or her desiring to open up and become more susceptible to the message of salvation. My Ministry As the minister of worship arts in the church, I know that evangelism must play a vital role in the ministry. Not only does the music ministry participates in and enriches worship by leading the congregation into the presence of God; it supports education for people dy offering programs that inform, inspire, and equip Gods people. Furthermore, the music ministry engates

7 in mission by witnessing to those outside the congregation through concerts and other musical offerings, both within and without the sanctuary and thereby supports the wider vision of the Providence Christian Ministries. The church has been blessed to have a variety of talented musicians who have come through the ranks of the music ministry. I now see this as an opportunity to reach the unsaved; there have been several musicians who were not saved. In the past, I shared based on the limited knowledge of the salvation process. I am better prepared to witness to those who may be lost. Within the setting of musician rehearsals and one on one communications I will be blessed to operate as a servant evangelist or a witness to the greatness of God. In addition, the music that is selected can speak to the needs of the lost. Music, as a universal language, may serve as the bridge to those who are lost. What better way to capture the attention of someone than through the music medium. There are a number of songs that may be utilized to send a message of salvation to those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ. Therefore, the use of outdoor concerts designed to reach capture the attention of the community will proved invaluable.

As I reflect on my future ventures, I see that evangelism will serve as an integral part of the day to day activities. No longer will I go to the store and simply shop, I will seek to be the servant evangelist that God wants.

How will you relate in your communitythat is, where you live, work, and play? How will adopting the role of a servant impact your future ministry in evangelism? How will you minister to others? Finally, how do you envision your future ministry and calling as it relates to evangelism and multiplication, involvement in church planting as a pastor or support role, developing true disciples who passionately desire to multiply their witness? In other words, where does true biblical evangelism fit into your future ministry as a pastor, youth minister, church planter, counselor, chaplain, church member etc.? Please include specific and immediate plans for implementation into your daily life.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Earley, Dave & Wheeler, David. 2010. Evangelism is: How to share Jesus with passion and confidence. Nashville: B & H Academic Publishing. Fay, William & Evans Shepherd, Linda. 1999. Share Jesus without Fear. Nashville: B&H Publishing. Grossman, Cathy Lynn. "Southern Baptists urge their members to evangelize more." USA Today, n.d., Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 4, 2011).

10 Leach, Richard & Wheeler, David A. 2009. Minister to others. Nashville: Lifeway Press. Lee, Victor & Pipes, Jerry. 1999. Family to Family: Leaving a lasting legacy. Lawrenceville, GA: Jerry Pipes Productions. McRaney, William. 2003. The Art of Personal Evangelism. Nashville: B & H academic Publishing. Noland, Rory. 1999. The Heart of the Artist. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.