evangelism
-
When they laugh at your faith
Christians believe something very deeply… we’ve entrusted our lives, careers, money, opportunities, everything over to Jesus. We’re depending on Jesus’ grace to get us through death. These are all serious things! So it makes it really hard when our non-Christian… Continue reading
-
Paul, the Areopagus & the Why of evangelism
We all find evangelism hard. Admitting that is the first step to dealing with it. But what’s the second step? What gets in the way of people taking the next step with their acquaintances, friends and family? Our Mission Pastor,… Continue reading
-
Repost: An american perspective on evangelism
One of the american uni students I got to meet told me about how different it was over here in Australia. They couldn’t believe the number of non-Christians. So I asked, “Aren’t there many non-Christians back home where you live?”… Continue reading
-
Repost: Before you answer, ask if they care
It’s nice when people ask questions; whether they are atheists or mature Christians. We all like the feeling of being asked, or the opportunity to “give an answer for the hope we have”. But, before you answer, just ponder whether… Continue reading
-
#Nexus2015 – Cross Shaped Ministry – What was missing…
(The recent Nexus2015 Conference “A cross shaped ministry” thought through the implications the cross has on how we think about gospel work in our churches. These are some of my personal reflections – see the previous 4 reflections here.) I do feel there was… Continue reading
-
Gospel Hurdles: People don’t know what a “King” is
There’re many hurdles to people accepting and believing in Jesus, but one of the commonly ignored hurdles is the concept of even having a “lord” or a “King”. People just don’t get what that means. And this is probably a… Continue reading
-
Have you got any Essential Jesus books going to waste in your church?
Over 4 years ago, our church was generously given about 8000 Essential Jesus books. They were left over from other churches mission events and plans. After 4 years and by the grace of God, we’ve been able to give almost… Continue reading
-
Reblog – Evangelism is not making friends with non-Christians
Making friends with non-Christians is making friends. It’s not evangelism until you evangelise them. And just so we’re all clear… Being friends with non-Christians is not evangelism either. I’m all for building friendships! And its a great way to open… Continue reading
-
The simple (yet deeply spiritual) stumbling block to evangelism
People cite all sorts of reasons why our culture is resistant to the gospel, individualism, consumerism, sexual-ethics, so on. But for the day-to-day Christian hoping to talk to their friend, these are rarely the stumbling block. Rather, the reality is that… Continue reading
-
The gospel is a press-release not an archive.
The word gospel is usually thought to mean “good news”, but it’s more like “important news”. The gospel is what happens when the president calls the TV stations and says, “Clear your airwaves, I need to address the nation in… Continue reading
-
Reblog: If you had the cure…?
You might have heard the illustration that asks Christians, “if we had the cure for cancer, how would you feel if we only reached 3% of the sick population? We wouldn’t be happy with that… so why are we content… Continue reading
-
Reblog: Evangelism trumps everything
If you’re in Christian leadership, you probably already think this. But don’t assume your people get it. You need to play out what it means… If you have to choose between going to your small group or taking a non-Christian… Continue reading
-
Who should you design your church meetings “for”
At one level, this shouldn’t be a hard question… surely you design your meetings for the people who are meeting with you. So, since the meeting is for everyone – especially Christians (see the last post) – you have to… Continue reading
-
Who should church be “for”?
This is a question that seems to cause grumbling, but that’s usually because those discussing it haven’t defined their terms, and the preposition “for” is very slippery. As such, these are all true… Church is for everyone! It’s a gathering… Continue reading
-
The difference between being in ‘sales’ and being in ‘ministry’ is…
The difference between being in ‘sales’ and being in ‘ministry’ is heartbreak. See, if I’m trying to sell you something, it’s because I get a commission, or it’s my job – get paid to help you want something (usually want… Continue reading
-
Reblog: You can’t reach everyone
Any time you do anything as a church; whether the time you meet, the place your meet; or the style of your meeting… you will make it near impossible for thousands of people to come along. That’s not a theological… Continue reading
-
Reblog: Do you let people stop you preaching jesus?
There are some people sitting in your suburb/workplace/campus waiting for someone to tell them about Jesus, there are others who couldn’t care less. Don’t let the latter’s attitude get in your way of finding the former. Continue reading
-
Don’t forget to preach repentance “of sins”
Sometimes when we preach the gospel, our tribe can preach salvation through faith, but conveniently forget to preach repentance. Now, yes, understood correctly, they are two sides of the same coin… The question is not whether you understand them correctly,… Continue reading
-
Would it have been better to just do walk-up?
Structures take a lot of effort. They take time. Human hours. Sometimes structures can get so big they no longer justify the number of human hrs it takes to make them happen. But how can you make that call? How… Continue reading
-
The purpose of church websites
Why should churches have websites? There are loads of good reasons to have a website… Public “face”, state key beliefs, info for members, info for non-members… These are all good things to have, but they’re not big “purposes” for having… Continue reading
MINISTRY PRINCIPLES & PRAGMATICS 