Reading 4.1 an Evangelistic Dynamic

A CHURCH WITH AN EVANGELISTIC DYNAMIC notes

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE “EVANGELISTIC DYNAMIC”

Redeemer began with a very strong evangelistic dynamic in its early years. That dynamic had three components:

(1) While being trained and coached—informally and personally—by the pastors and staff of Redeemer, (2) a significant percentage of Redeemer Christians spoke about their faith within their daily relationship networks (friends, neighbors, and colleagues), (3) the most interested of which were invited to many events and venues provided by the church where their spiritual awareness could be incubated, encouraged, and matured.

It is difficult for a church to maintain an evangelistic dynamic. It erodes very easily, and therefore church leaders must periodically make strong efforts to renew it. This is particularly the case at this moment in Redeemer’s history, as we are about to multiply into “four Redeemers.” One the main tasks before us is to strengthen and re-establish that evangelistic dynamic within our communities. A high priority is to again draw a significant percentage of church members into active ministry of the gospel with their relationships in the city. At the heart of the RENEW campaign, we said that we were sending our lay people out into their neighborhoods to serve and reach their friends for Christ. We are re-organizing Redeemer into a network of neighborhood-based, generative congregations. Outreach and evangelism are on the front burner in this model, as is lay-driven ministry. Redeemer began more as a “go and share” church, but evolved into a “come and see” church—come and hear the music, come see the masses of people, come listen to the teaching, come profit from the programs. Now we are going back from “come and see” to “go and share.”

Why make this such a big emphasis? There are going to be a host of organizational and administrative tasks associated with such a large re-structuring of our corporate life together, but we can’t neglect the foundation for everything else. If a church does not have a steady stream of new believers and conversion growth, much of the rest of the work we do in the church becomes a form of just rearranging the furniture.

II. EVERY MEMBER GOSPEL MINISTRY

The Bible describes the church using very organic language. The church “grew” and “spread” (Acts 6:1, 7; 9:31; 16:5) because the “word of God” grew and spread (Acts 6:7; 12:24; 19:20). Paul speaks of the gospel as continually “bearing fruit and growing” (Col. 1:5-6). This is referring to what we will call the “ministry of the Word.” The ministry of the Word means bringing the Bible in general—and the gospel in particular—into contact with a listener’s life, conscience, and heart, in the power of the Spirit (cf. Acts 10-11). In short—it means teaching the Bible to someone in the context of fervent prayer. The church increases in numbers because the Word of God converts and changes people when it is ministered in this way. Its essence is highly relational—one person bringing the gospel to another through the Word and prayer.

All of this Biblical language suggests there is an organic, self-propagating, dynamic

power within the church for growth, and in the book of Acts we see it working almost on its own, with little institutional support—that is, without formal plans and policies, without the control of managers and leaders.

What made this growth so organic, even spontaneous? While it is necessary that churches contain ministers of the Word—those who are set apart to preach, teach, and evangelize full-time—the Bible insists in many important passages that the ministry of the Word is also to be done by all believers. In Acts 8:4, all the believers went out “preaching the Word”—literally “evangelizing with the Word.” In 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 Paul says that the whole region around Thessalonica had heard the message of the gospel through the believers. 1 John 2:20, 27, Col 3:16, and Romans 15:14 say that all believers are responsible to take the Word of God and apply it to the lives of both the believers and non-believers around them. Indeed, in the book of Acts, we see that the normal way the gospel spread was through believers sharing the good news through their natural relationships (Acts 10:2, 24; 16:15, 31; 18:8).

So what is “every-member-Word ministry”? It is the bringing the Word of God and especially the gospel into connection with the mind and heart of another human being. When you do this with a believer, you are doing nurture and the result is spiritual growth. When you do this with a non-believer you are doing loving evangelism. The Bible says clearly that every believer can and should be doing this in their relationships. Here are some examples of the kind of “vine-work” we want our people to be doing:

 Jerry is asked by his work colleague Bill how his weekend went and Jack responds that he went on a CFW retreat that talked about spiritual resources for forgiving people who have wronged you over the years. When Bill raises his eyebrows and says, “that’s interesting,” Jerry takes a small plunge and mentions that the key that helped him the most was the idea that, though he has not given God his due, and yet God forgives him through Jesus.  John comes to worship with his wife, but he isn’t sure what he believes or where he stands on faith. The pastor introduces him to an elder, Tom, who begins meeting with John intermittently to read a book on basic Christianity and discuss it. After two meetings John agrees to study the gospel of Mark with Tom every two or three weeks.  Jenny begins coming to a Fellowship Group. She was raised in the church, but she has so many doubts and questions that her group leader, Beth, begins meeting with her one-on-one and studying Bible passages or reading books that address each of her questions one after the other.  Ted is a young single lawyer, and he knows several other lawyers who go to church with him, though they don’t work for his firm. He decides to have a Super Bowl party for several of his non-Christian colleagues, and invites two Christian lawyers from church and a couple of other believers as well. The men and women from his workplace hit it off with the lawyers from church. About three months later, one of them shows up in church with one of Ted’s friends and also starts attending the CFW Legal Fellowship.  Fred has been going to a Fellowship Group for months. At one point he realizes that he assesses the value of the group strictly on what he gets out of it. Instead,

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he begins to go each week by preparing well (studying the passage) and praying for the group. When he comes, he looks for every opportunity to help the leader by making good contributions, and for ways to speak the truth in love so that others are encouraged and helped to grow.  Catherine prays for her friend Megan for months. Megan responds well to two short books on Christian subjects that Catherine has given her. Finally she invites and takes Megan to an Open Forum event. On the way home she fields Megan’s questions.  Kerrie is a young mother with two other Christian friends who are moms with young kids. They decide to start a daytime Mom’s Group and invite non-Christian friends who are also mothers. For about a year the group grows with a similar number of Christians and non-believers. The conversations are very general and free wheeling, on spiritual, marriage, parenting, and personal issues. As time goes on, several of the non-believers begin to go to church with the believers and cross the line into faith. The group continues to be open and inclusive of non-believers who come regularly.1

Notice the variety of these situations. Some are ways of communicating the gospel to those who don’t believe. But others are instances of the encouragement and building up of newer and weaker believers, or ways of spurring established Christians on to greater growth in Christ, while others are cases of helping believers address particular problems in their lives. Nevertheless, each example is lay gospel ministry. That is, each example is: a) Organic – it is ministry that happens spontaneously, outside the organized programs of the church (even when making use of formal programs); b) Relational – it is ministry using informal, personal relationships; c) Word deploying – it is ministry of prayerfully bringing the Bible and gospel into connection with people’s lives; and d) Active, not passive. Each person in these examples assumes personal responsibility for being a producer rather than only a consumer of ministry. For example, even though Fred continues to come to the small group as he always has, his mindset changed and he transformed from being a passive consumer of ministry to an active producer of ministry. Yes, direct evangelistic ministry is only one piece of this, but lay evangelism will grow as every member Word ministry grows.

When at least 15-30% of a church’s members are engaged in this kind of organic, relational, lay gospel ministry, it creates a powerful dynamism that infuses the whole church. This is by no means all that happens. There is formal Christian education and counseling, there is both formal and informal diaconal work, there is the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments, there is the management and stewardship of resources, there is government and discipline. But where do the gifted people come from to do all this? Where do the listeners for the preaching of the Word come from? Where do the human resources and even the financial resources come from for all the work of the church? Ultimately, they come from every-member-gospel ministry, because that is what produces the new converts and members, and also, it is the training ground for future church officers, staff, and ministers.

Encouraging and supporting lay ministry of this nature is crucial for us as we launch the four Redeemers.

1 Many of these examples are based on those found in Payne and Marshall, The Trellis and the Vine (Matthias Media), p.54-56. I’ve added some new examples and contextualized the ones found in the book. 5

III. THE EVANGELISTIC DYNAMIC IN MORE DETAIL

A. First, an evangelistic frame of mind. This consists of:

1. Relational integrity. Christians have relational integrity when they are integrated into the relational life of the city and when their faith is integrated into all parts of their lives. Put another way, these two activities must be combined:  Christians cultivate non-superficial friendships with non-Christian colleagues (those they work with or in their vocational field), neighbors, and other affinity groups (people in the same sports leagues, avocations, other affinities).  Christians pray for and think seriously about the spiritual condition/needs of people in the city around them, and therefore they ask them questions and get into natural conversations about faith and they “take spiritual inventory.”

The first activity without the second could be called the “blend in” approach. Many Christians live in a social world of non-Christians but they don’t think much about their friends’ spiritual needs nor identify themselves overtly to their friends as believers. The drive is to not be different, and to be accepted. This fails to integrate your faith with your relationships in the world.

But it is possible to engage in the second activity without doing the first. These are believers who are very aware of people’s lostness, and may get involved in conversations about faith, but their relationships with non-Christians are superficial. This could be called the “Christian ghetto” approach. In this case, believers fill all significant relationships outside of work with Christians and their time with Christian activities. While these believers may even share their faith (though most in the ghetto do not), they’ve not made true personal investment in relationships with non- Christians. That would mean to learn from them, appreciate them, affirm them, and serve them—so that they know you care about them regardless of their beliefs.

Twenty years ago, the second way of living in the city was virtually impossible—there were too few Christians, ministries, and churches. But now we have two ways for urban Christians to fail to have relational integrity with the people of the city. The internet also helps undermine the evangelistic mindset (see below) and therefore Redeemer today has a factors to overcome in evangelism that it did have to do years ago.

2. Courage and compassion. Why is there so much “relational integrity” failure? The answer is largely—though not wholly—motivational. People who are in the “blend in” mode lack courage. They are (rightly) afraid of losing influence, being persecuted in the behind the scenes way that New Yorkers avoid religious types, being penalized professionally, and so on.

The people who are in the “ghetto’ mode, I think, are unwilling to make the emotional, social, and even financial and physical investment in people around them. The internet also is a factor here. It makes it possible for Christians who move to New York City to stay much more attentive to Christian friends and family in other places, and therefore it is far easier to ignore the people who are physically around

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Copyright © Timothy J. Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church 2010 A CHURCH WITH AN EVANGELISTIC DYNAMIC notes you in the city. It contributes to the reluctance to emotionally invest in people. This is ultimately a failure not of duty (e.g. “I know I should be a witness”) but of compassion.

3. Skill and knowledge. The lack of motivation is not the only reason for the lack of an evangelistic outreach by lay people. There are quite a few that are highly motivated but still feel hand-cuffed by their lack of skill, knowledge, and “know-how.” They find that the questions their non-Christian friends ask about the faith very quickly stump them, or even shake them. They feel they can’t talk about the Christian faith with any kind of attractive force. This lack of skill and knowledge accentuates one’s lack of courage (you are afraid of being “stumped”) and even one’s compassion for others (because you feel you really won’t be of any real help to them).

B. Safe venues in which non-Christians can meet contextualized believers and hear a contextualized gospel. I guess it is possible to have an evangelistic dynamic strictly built on relational, informal outreach by lay people. But lay people are encouraged and instructed in their ministry if a church provides a varied set of events, gatherings, and meetings in which non-believers can be exposed to both Christians and to the gospel. Let’s begin to break down the definition given in the first sentence. We start with the word “safe.” Christians will never bring friends to a venue unless they are sure that it will not confuse or offend them. Over the years many Christians who preferred other churches for themselves would nonetheless bring non-Christian friends to Redeemer events. Why? Because we usually avoided these two common dangers—confusing the newcomer (assuming theological or ecclesiastical background) or offending the newcomer (putting unnecessary stumbling blocks before them.) Now for the rest of the definition:

1. Level #1 Venues: Meeting contextualized believers. Non-Christians need to meet other contextualized believers. What does this inelegant term mean? a) First, it means introducing non-Christians to people who are reassuringly similar. Non-Christians should meet people who are like them culturally/temperamentally so that they could get a glimpse of what they themselves would look like if they became believers. It means that, if possible, it would be good for a non-believing young Wall Street male to meet Christians in the financial world, not only those who are his age, but those who are older and more accomplished. It means that it would be good if an older female artist could meet Christian women who are also artists of her generation, as well as others who are not. When urban non-believers meet Christians from their own field or social world, it assures them that Christianity is not fundamentally about “leaving the world” for some monastic existence, or becoming culturally like many other Christians they have seen on TV or read about or known. b) Second, it means introducing non-Christians to people who are also intriguingly different. These contextualized believers must also visibly have qualities that non- believers are not used to seeing in their social worlds. That is, the believers must have: a) High integrity. Non-believers rightly hold believers to a high standard, and so believers must be “blameless”—they must not engage in illegal or the common

legal-but-shady ways of doing business in NYC. They must be able to show how their faith has an impact on their work and life. b) Exceptional social compassion. Liberal, secular people are very positive about social justice, but often to not follow through on their belief with a sacrificial lifestyle. Unless Christians have an unusual level of passion for social justice and the care of the needy, Christian commitments will seem tribal to outsiders. c) Intimate community-life. Non-believers need to see Christian community up close and it must be very compelling. The secular world’s individualism, consumerism, and high mobility destroys human community, leaving people isolated in a very competitive world. Christian community can be enormously attractive to people in our secular age. d) Able to handle suffering and mistreatment with poise. Nothing will show non-believers the truth of Christianity more than the lives of Christians who can handle difficulties with patience and joy, and can respond to mistreatment with forgiveness and with speaking the truth in love.

Many churches think of evangelism almost strictly in terms of information- transmission. This is a mistake. Christian Smith’s new book on young adult religion in the U.S. looks at the important minority of young adults who become much more religious (i.e. “convert” during their 20’s). The factors associated with such conversions are mainly significant personal relationships.2

Alan Kreider—in “They Alone Know the Right Way to Live” in Mark Husbands and Jeffrey P. Greenman, Ancient Faith for the Church’s Future (Downers Grove, Ill.; Inter-Varsity, 2008)—observes that early Christianity grew explosively—40% per decade for nearly three centuries—at a time when “early Christians did not engage in public preaching; it was too dangerous. There were practically no evangelists or missionaries whose name we know…. The early Christians had no mission boards. They did not write treatises on evangelism…. The worship services of the early Christians… after Nero’s persecution in the mid-first century… closed their worship services to visitors. Deacons stood at the churches’ door, serving as bouncers, checking to see that no unbaptized person, no ‘lying informer,’ could come in.... And yet the church was growing. Officially it was a superstitio. Prominent people scorned it. Neighbors discriminated against the Christians in countless petty ways. Periodically the church was subjected to pogroms…. It was hard to be a Christian…. And still the church grew. Why?” (pp.169-170). This striking way of laying out the early church’s social situation forces us to realize that the church must have grown only because “it was attractive. People were fascinated by it, drawn to it as to a magnet” (p.170).

Kreider goes on to make a strong historical case that what attracted non-believers to the gospel were the Christians’ lives—their concern for the weak and the poor, their integrity in the face of persecution, their economic sharing, their sacrificial love even for their enemies, and the high quality of their common life together. Non-believers were first of all attracted to the community and lives of Christians, and therefore became open to talking about the gospel truths that were the source of this kind of life. Urban people today do not face the same kind of life-threatening dangers that they did in the Greco-Roman world, such as plagues, social chaos, and violence. In that environment, being a Christian in a loving community could be literally the

2 Christian Smith, Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults (Oxford: 2009), p.209.

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Copyright © Timothy J. Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church 2010 A CHURCH WITH AN EVANGELISTIC DYNAMIC notes difference between life and death. But urban residents today face many things that Christianity can address. They lack the hope in future progress and prosperity that past generations of secular people have. They face a lonelier and more competitive environment than past generations have had.

Others have picked up on the idea that “belonging preceded believing”, and yet they do not have well thought out ways to introduce non-believers into community.

So, in summary, non-believers need to come into places where they meet a lot of Christians, but where they don’t necessarily hear talk about the gospel yet. What forms might these kinds of meetings take?

 These kinds of gatherings should usually be small, informal, and social, and, in general, many or most of them are not formally held by the church. They need to be social gatherings in people’s homes or in restaurants. Examples mentioned above are the Super Bowl party and the Mom’s Group.  However, “justice and mercy” projects sponsored by the church—in which people volunteer to help the poor and needy—are ideal examples of this kind of venue. Involvement does not require overt Christian belief, and usually the activity does not entail overt Christian teaching. But non-Christians who take part in the volunteer work are exposed to “contextualized” Christians and they see clearly the effect that the gospel has on people’s social concern. Hope for New York provides numerous such opportunities.

2. Level #2 Venues: Hearing a contextualized gospel. There are too many ideas to enumerate and describe here, but here is an illustrative list.3

 Gatherings with evangelistic testimony by a non-clergy speaker. There are an enormous variety of these events possible. These are events to which Christians can bring non-Christian friends.  More informal events with non-clergy speakers. It can be a breakfast, lunch, or evening social gathering with a Christian speaker who is speaking on subjects of interest to many non-Christians. Men’s groups and women’s groups can have ordinary people give testimonies of changed lives. Parents can be invited to hear a parenting expert or counselor who provides lots of practical help but also talks about the importance of faith. And respected business leader could speak about some topic of relevance and in the process make his or her faith known. Medical students can bring in a Christian doctor to talk about how to give care to dying patients.  More formal lectures. A scientist who is a believer can speak to the compatibility of scientific method with faith. These could be lectures given in some well known public space. Accomplished Christian artists or musicians, journalists or politicians can be asked to give some kind talk on some topic of interest that includes some affirmation of their Christian faith. Panels can be formed with prominent Christian and non-Christian speakers on a topic. [Note: The main purpose of these kinds of events is to break stereotypes and open people to larger questions about faith.]

3 For the most exhaustive treatment and list of evangelistic venues and events, see Michael Green, Evangelism through the Local Church (Thomas Nelson, 1992). Though a bit dated, it is the most comprehensive guide to the subject of the title, evangelism within the context of the local church. 9

 Skeptic/seeker groups. These are not groups for gospel or Bible study but for people who want to deal with objections and issues. Should be led by Christians who have been given some training and have good pastoral support. The Reason for God could be discussed or just the topics (see The Reason for God video curriculum). Many people call these “easy slope” groups. They are very open, non -didactic explorations of Christianity, and the agenda is set by the questions and interests of the participants.  Exploratory Bible Studies or classes. Bible study groups containing many or all non-Christians. (See Christianity Explored.) Another approach is the “introduction to Christianity” approach in which you study not Biblical texts but a series of doctrinal topics, covering basic Christian beliefs (a catechetical course or for example, Alpha). These can be called “steep slope” groups, or “closing the deal” groups. These are mainly for people who are ready.  “Christianity Uncorked” kind of event: a) pub or restaurant or other very neutral, “third space”, b) brief talk by pastor or well-trained layperson on one provocative topic, usually addressing a typical objection to the faith, c) lots of Q and A, d) food and/or drink.  Q & A time after a Sunday service, run by the preacher of the sermon. A mixture of questions from both believers and skeptics arise. This can both model how to handle common questions for Christian lay ministers as well as help orient new- comers. This was a key element for several years at Redeemer.  Gatherings with ministers speaking on apologetic or evangelistic topics. Large-scale gatherings, carefully crafted with non-manipulative music, a convicting evangelistic message, and the opportunity for some Q & A (questions can be texted in)—this can still be a very good thing to bring non-Christian friends to, especially if they have shown a certain amount of spiritual interest beforehand. (My recent experience in the UK with the Passion for Life campaign convinced me that large events with significant numbers of non-Christians (1/3 to 2/3 of the attendance) were still possible.)  Sunday worship during seasons of evangelistic concentration. Sunday worship should always be conducted with non-Christians in mind, and preaching should always assume their presence. Christ-centered sermons can both edify believers and evangelize non-believers. Nevertheless, there may be seasons of the year that everyone in the congregation knows that the messages will be more heavily oriented toward evangelism. Good times for these evangelistic seasons are in the fall (apologetic topics), and in the weeks leading up to Easter (preaching on the cross and how to become a Christian). “Evangelistic worship” fuels and enhances all the rest of the evangelistic dynamic. It trains lay people in how to talk to others and answer their questions. It encourages them to bring friends to the services. It turns the worship service into an “easy slope” incubator group for non- believers, and often it can bring them to the point of decision. Don’t forget the way we fence the Lord’s Table can be done in such a way that is “proclaims” Jesus (1 Cor. 11) to non-believers and shows them that they need to make a commitment.  Open Forums. A “big event” which can serve as a “pre-evangelism” venue for many listeners. Less direct in communication of the gospel than a church service.

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3. The strategic center for all church evangelism is what we are calling Redeemer Neighborhoods. These are (for the present) a regular gathering of small groups in the same geography. The neighborhood gatherings will have many benefits, some of which will happen automatically, without much intentionality. But one of the key purposes of the gatherings is to have believers brainstorm, plan, and take responsibility for every-member-gospel ministry within their relational networks and neighborhood. Above we have laid out a whole set of “tools”—such as The Well and “Level #2” evangelistic gatherings of all sorts. Most important, we said that “Level #1” events cannot be planned and programmed very well. They must be small, spontaneous, and informal. Neighborhoods are ideal places to brainstorm those kinds of inclusive social experiences. Neighborhoods also can plan local ways of serving their community. Service projects are natural “Level #1” events.

Neighborhoods could also be the most important place for the pastoral support of lay gospel ministry. It may be a place for training and motivation for outreach. My guess is, however, that the most innovative and effective venues for evangelism have yet to be created. If all of our neighborhood gatherings are in effect “think tanks” for evangelism, Redeemer’s days of its most evangelistic effectiveness will not be behind it but ahead of it.

IV. GETTING STARTED

A. Check your personal motivation. Essentially, the pre-requisite of personal evangelism is that the gospel changes us. We don’t have to be perfect, but our lives must be unaccountably (apart from the gospel) different. Until that happens, we will be ineffective witnesses.  First, the joyful effects of the gospel in our own lives must give us an enormous energy for witness. How can we keep our mouths closed about such a wonder? If that energy is not there, we must repent and seek God until it flows.  Second, the humbling nature of the gospel must lead us to approach non-believers without superiority and with lots of respect. Since we are saved only by God’s grace and not our goodness, we expect to often find wisdom and compassion in non-Christians which at many points may exceed ours. Is that humility and respect there? If not, we will be ineffective.  Third, the love experience of the gospel must remove from us the fear of others’ disapproval. Is this boldness increasing? If not, we must repent and reflect on the gospel and God’s acceptance with us until this fear diminishes.

These three character qualities are absolutely necessary. Put another way, if you are not effective in reaching others for Christ, it is because of a lack of joy, a lack of humility and gentleness, or a lack of boldness. Which is it? If the gospel fills us with joy, humility, and confidence, then we will not treat non-Christians as “evangelism cases”—people that we relate to, talk to, and care for only in order to win them over to our side. That is to objectify and dehumanize them, and, ironically, it is un-winsome. We should not love people in order to evangelize them. Rather, we should evangelize them in order to love them. The more these dynamics are present in our lives the more we will draw in new people like a magnet (Acts 2:47).

B. Build bridges. Look at your existing relationships. Choose 4 people to begin to pray for. Make a list of 4 people that fit these qualifications: a) We hit it off well together; b) We share some common interests; c) This person would probably enjoy our church or small group. Or at least a book or a CD.; d) This person is open to me. Now begin praying for them, and begin thinking of ways to strengthen your relationship with them. (Note: they should probably live in the same place you live.)

Make the list: ______

______

Now seek to strengthen the relationships in your normal contacts. Do more listening and serving. But the most important thing to remember is that you should be serving them not simply to convert them, but just to love them. We must never love someone in order to evangelize them. We only evangelize someone because we love them.

C. Guide conversations. Do what you can to talk about issues of faith, substance, and spirit. Remember, in this kind of “evangelism”, things should be natural. You would be glad and delighted if the person you are showing love to wants to talk about the gospel, but you never force it. It is always best when you only “speak when spoken to”, when you speak about your faith because you are asked. However, it is sometimes good to encourage a conversation with some questions. It is critical to remember that these questions are only appropriate when a certain level of trust is reached! Some people have a warm gregarious temperament, and such questions are appropriate almost right away. Others need time. If you ask the question and it is clearly too early, back off!  Less direct questions, getting "below the surface" to “world-view level” convictions:  "What do you like about your job/not like?" [Eventually] "What do you think a person really needs to be fulfilled?"  "How do you like living in the city (or your community)?" [Eventually] "What do you think is the real problem in society today?"  "Did you read about—-(some moral dilemma)?" [Eventually] "How do you decide what is right and wrong—what is your basis?"  More direct question for the person quite willing to talk about faith issues: "Where are you with Christianity? Would you say you are—[Put down the following 4 words on paper]?”  Dissatisfied with it—do you find Christianity or aspects very unacceptable, distasteful? What is your trouble with Christianity? Where's your beef?  Indifferent to it—do you find Christianity simply unappetizing or not very relevant to you? Where does Christianity fail to challenge you? What would be relevant to you?

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 Cautiously interested—are you in a learning mode, interested, gathering information? What still does not make sense to you? What doesn't seem credible to you?  Actively seeking—are you really searching for Christ? If so what is blocking you or holding you back? Is there anything about becoming or being a Christian that worries you? Are the barriers:  Coherence barriers? (Some ways Christianity doesn’t seem credible or plausible?)  Content barriers? (Some parts of Christian beliefs that are hard to understand?)  Cost barriers? (Some parts of Christian commitment you hesitate to make?)  Note: You must listen very carefully and very openly. Write down each problem and then get a willingness to meet again and address the questions. The best way to do so is to give the person some reading material or a CD/mp3 and then get back with them again.

D. Share the gospel via a theme of relevance. There actually is no single “gospel presentation.” In the Bible, the gospel is not presented identically in every setting, but rather is adapted to different audiences. The gospel can be put in different “nutshells” (see 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Mark 1:14-15; Rom. 1:1-4, 16-17; 1 Cor. 15:1-5; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7; 1 John 1:8-2:1; 3:8b; 5:1). Yet the gospel has a definite content. Luke refers to the word, the message, the gospel (cf. 11:19; 13:26; 15:7; 20:32). When Cornelius’ household “received” the message (11:1), the Holy Spirit fell on them (10:44). The gospel is a set of core truths which, when understood and received, converts and saves us. Each gospel presentation in Acts has several core components. John Stott calls them the gospel “events, witnesses, promises, conditions.”  Gospel events (Jesus’ death, resurrection, return to renew the world in history)  Gospel promises (pardon for past, freedom for present, hope for the future)  Gospel witnesses (Biblical writers and eyewitnesses to the resurrection)  Gospel conditions (requirements of repentance and faith, not by good works)

All gospel presentations assume some theme of relevance—some reason that the listeners need the gospel. Therefore, you should try to discern the best specific theme of relevance for sharing the gospel with your particular friend or relative. That is, on the basis of listening and serving, recognize which “avenue in to the heart” would be the best way to talk about the need for God’s grace (the sin) and the provision of God’s grace (the redemption). Some possible themes:  Relationship. “Would you like to know God personally?” (God designed us to know him personally. Our sin and guilt are barriers to that relationship. Jesus Christ's death opens the way, etc.)  Fulfillment. “Why don't we find we are really getting satisfaction out of life?” (God designed us for himself. Our sin leads us to worship the wrong things, which leads to lack of self-worth and emptiness. Through Jesus Christ's work we can know God's total love and presence which alone fulfills.) See C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity on "Hope".  Justice. “What hope do we have for justice and triumph of good?” (If there is no judge, than human rights are an illusion and so is the prospect of justice. But if

there is a judge, then there is hope for the world, but it makes us anxious and guilty. Jesus Christ is the judge who was judged, so he can be both judge and savior of those who believe.) See Thomas V. Morris' chapter "The Folly of Indifference" in his book on Pascal's Pensees, Making Sense of it All.  Meaning. “What are you living for, why try to achieve it?” (Analyze your life's problems in line with S. Covey's outline under his second "habit". What is your life "centered" on? Can you understand your problems in terms of an inadequate "center?")  Strength/Power. “How do you get the energy to keep on? To face your problems?”  Guilt. “How do you deal with your conscience?”  Death. “How do you face it?”

14 Leaders@7 | September 27, 2010