BOOK 21 How Evangelism Blesses Society

A SAMPLE OF ENDORESMENTS The following are some of the endorsements for Julian’s 900+ page book called Evangelism: Strategies from Heaven In the War for Souls. Some people are daunted by such a big book so Julian made a small book out of each chapter of the 900+ page book. What you are about to read is just one of the chapters of the larger work.

David Cole, YWAM Campaigns Asia/Pacific Board of Regents Chairman University of the Nations.

“This book is one of the most in depth looks at what Evangelism really is (and what it isn’t) that I believe has been written in the last century. I have been so inspired in my own calling through its content and often use it as a text book for teaching and imparting to young leaders in YWAM training courses as well as throughout other parts of the Body of Christ. Thank you Julian not only for such a valuable resource as well as for modeling the outworking of its content in your own life over the past few decades.”

Pastor Mike Smith, Melbourne, Australia

“An incredible book that all pastors should read. I have been a Christian for 28 years and a pastor for many years, and when I picked up this book, I thought, I doubt this will teach me anything new about evangelism. I was so wrong. It has revolutionised my thinking.

This is an incredible book that all pastors should read.”

Grant Buchanan LLB, B.Com, Auckland

“The best book I have ever read.

I am a solicitor (54) and a partner in a law practice.

I unhesitatingly give my endorsement for Julian s book.

Indeed, I would rate it as the best book that I have ever read!”

Grant Buchanan LLB, B.Com, Auckland

Michael Angulo, Pastor and Church Leader

“Truly a work of Ministerial art. I really like this book and every true evangelist will love it also. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PUT IT DOWN, BUT WILL BE THINKING WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO READ IT AGAIN! A truly very well written book with good retrospective learning ideas. No true evangelist should be without this book. It is worth what it is worth and it will catapult you into great, deliberate PROVEN, ministry approach. Great book and I highly recommend it. Get this one, you won’t be disappointed!”

Julian Batchelor, M.ed (Hons), B.Th, Dip.T’Ching

Climb on board!

4 Reasons why Doing Evangelism Will Help Create A Better World!

Copyright Julian Batchelor Evangelism Strategies International Press Auckland New Zealand

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Acknowledgements I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people for the production of this Mini Series: Sheryl Kampenhout, who transferred a mountain of material from Power Point shows into Word documents and who served and encouraged me in such a loving and kind way; to Matthew Old, a faithful friend and fellow evangelist, who has been a Barnabas. He reached out his hands when the hills seemed steepest, loved me in spite of my failures, stimulated me with his sharp mind, and made me laugh when I wanted to cry; to Janice Teo, and her intercessory prayer team who are as vital to the ministry I direct as the heart is to the body; to the team of editors, including Ken Francis and Julie Belding; to all the financial supporters who have given so generously to me over the years. I especially want to thank Paul and Tina Richards, of Club Physical, owners of a gymnasium chain in Auckland, New Zealand, and Derek van Beynen, who have faithfully sponsored my ministry for over a decade. Few people have the privilege of being able to leave secular work to write and produce resources to further the cause of the evangelisation of the world, and to motivate and equip the Church to do the same. You, and all my other financial supporters, have made this possible; to those I live with who have not seen me for years because I have been locked away in my office writing, I give my sincere thanks. Special thanks to Neil Pollock. To Jenny Windeyer, the graphic artist, who designed the cover of the original 800 page book (which we’ve turned into this Mini Series), and to Jenny’s husband Drew for going beyond the call of duty so that Jenny could focus on this project; to faithful Bernie Anderson who has sacrificed and given way beyond what a leader would expect of a dedicated co-worker; to Eleanor Goodall and Sue and George Jeffrey who epitomise love and true friendship; to the team at ESI for keeping all the various aspects of the evangelism ministry moving forwards whilst I directed most of my time to write this Mini Book Series; for Dr Martyn Bowis who did all the programming for the electronic version of the gospel called “Proclaim it!”; for Henoch Kloosterboeror for producing all the brilliant

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drawings; Dr David Stewart, retired Principal of the Bible College of New Zealand for nearly two decades of encouragement and mentoring; Denise James and Anne Bartley, staff at the Bible College of New Zealand for helping with research; all those who have helped proof read the manuscript and given comment, particularly Dr Marie Sewell, Gill Donald, Gill Lukey, Donna Hansen, Ainslie Vines, Ann Hunter, and Miriam and Ted Martin; to the academic staff of the Bible College of New Zealand for giving me a grounding in theology; for all those who have given financially and sacrificially to pay for specific aspects of the publishing of this Mini Book Series; for my friend Ray Comfort, for his inspiration and encouragement.

There are few evangelists today who have journeyed on the road of trial and tribulation to achieve breakthrough as Ray Comfort. For John Stott, the academic evangelist for his coaching and input via his many books.

For all the people who we have trained in evangelism around the world who are out there doing it – you are the heroes in the battle for souls; for the many hundreds of pastors, leaders, and lay Christians around the globe who have contributed to my life as a Christian, and to this Mini Book Series; and finally, I thank Jesus Christ, whose amazing grace and love has inspired and kept me. All the revelations in this Mini Book Library about evangelism and the gospel were given by Him – to Him be all the glory.

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How To Read The Mini Books In This Library This Mini Book is one of a Library of 27 Mini Books. The Library is a detailed critique of the battle between light and darkness which is relentlessly raging all over the earth for the souls of men and women.

The insights and revelations in each Mini Book are hierarchical i.e.

Mini Book Two builds upon Mini Book One, Mini Book Three upon Mini Books One and Two, and so on. Hence, the ideal is to try and read all the Mini Books in the library in sequence. If you skip Mini Books, or even parts of Mini Books, you might miss something vital, and open yourself to misunderstanding or even defeat.

Having said this, after you have read Mini Books One to Seven, which are the foundational books in the Library, each Mini Book is designed to stand alone. So, read Books One to Seven first. This is essential.

With respect to evangelism, if you follow the advice I am giving here in the pages of each Mini Book, you’ll position yourself perfectly to be used by the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus in ways you’d not imagined possible. How so? Read the 27 Mini Books in the library and find out.

Along with Mini Books 1-7, I suggest you also purchase Mini Book 27, which is the “Evangelism Fitness Test.” This is a diagnostic survey which will tell you the extent to which you have been unwittingly influenced by the devil with respect to evangelism. Sit this test before you read anything. Then do the same test again after you have read all the Mini Books to check to see if all his devices have been thoroughly purged from your mind!

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Climb on board!

4 Reasons why Doing Evangelism Will Help Create A Better World!

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e’ve discovered in this Mini Book Series that evangelism has all but collasped in the West. Now we will look at the fall-out.

Disobedience, you see, always has fall-out. Between 1000 and 700BC, for example, Israel and Judah neglected virtually all of the commands of God, and the negative consequences of their disobedience eventually crashed in on them like a tidal wave.

Both nations ended up being exiled and taken into captivity. The consequences of not proclaiming the gospel are now showing in the non-Christian world. We looked at some of the consequences in Mini Book One. In this Mini Book we shall look at others.

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ne competition you do not want to win…

Let’s take my home country, New Zealand, for starters. If we were to hold an Olympic games right now for negative social indicators, New Zealand would win the gold medal in almost every event. We have record-high rates in teen suicide, abortion, teenage alcohol problems, violence in the home and truancy. We are filling new prisons as fast as we build them. Same sex marriage is now accepted as normal.

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vangelism is a major instrument of social change…

Is there a link between the social decline we are seeing and 7

the Church’s failure to evangelise? Dr John Stott is a man well qualified to answer such a question. He says “yes.” The gospel changes people, he says, and people change society: “We have seen that society needs salt [preservation] and light [reformation], but only the gospel can create them. This is one way which we may declare without embarrassment that evangelism takes primacy over social action. Logically speaking, Christian social responsibility presupposes socially-responsible Christians, and it is the gospel which produces them.”

REASON 1: EVANGEISM PRODUCES AN ANTISEPTIC EFFECT IN SOCIETY. He goes on to say that when the gospel is faithfully and widely preached, it brings not only renewal to individuals, but produces in society what has been termed an ‘antiseptic atmosphere’ – “in which blasphemy, selfishness, greed, dishonesty, immorality, cruelty, and injustice find it harder to flourish. A country which has been permeated by the gospel is not the soil in which these poisonous weeds can take root, let alone luxuriate.”1 But this is not all. John 16:8 says “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

Even when the person hearing the gospel is not saved, John 16:8 would teach that they will be convicted of sin, of the need for God’s righteousness, and of the coming day of Judgement. Surely, under this conviction, the temptation to sin would be restrained? So evangelism has the effect of restraining sin in a socieity. And a society which experiences less sin is better, happier, healthier in every way. But unless sin, righteousness, and judgement is preached via the gospel, society will not experience this cleansing effect.

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ow oysters can speak…

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In probing the causes of a disintegrating society, Charles

Dr John Stott, Issues facing Christians Today. Marshall Pickering, 1984, pp.69-70

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Colson, former White House aide and Founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, gives the analogy of an oyster.

“Oysters make their own shells, so if the shell is badly formed, the problem is not with the shell but with the oyster.

Likewise, when a culture deforms and decays, don’t ask what went wrong with the culture; ask what went wrong with the cult – the religious core.”2 What’s wrong with our “religious core” is that we have stopped proclaiming the gospel, with the result that fewer people are being genuinely saved.

According to church consultant Lyle Schaller, as much as 85 percent of ‘church growth’ is actually transfer growth.3 If there are fewer saved people, the salt in a society reduces to ineffectual levels and the Christian light becomes dim. Once the salt is gone the rot sets in, and when the light goes out, darkness abounds.

If we want to change a nation we must change the men and women in that nation, and to do that we must change their hearts.

But changed hearts come only as a result of hearing, understanding and responding to the gospel.

This is one reason why churches who are determined to win the world through social action alone will, ultimately and biblically, fail miserably.

In the grand scheme of God’s design, social action and the other ‘ploughing’ behaviours I mentioned in Mini Book Eleven are meant to soften the soil of the human heart getting it ready for the seed of the gospel. ‘Ploughing’ behaviours were never meant to (and should never) replace evangelism.

REASON 2: EVANGELISM DEEPENS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND CHRIST 2

Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey, How Now Shall We Live? Tyndale Publishers, 1999, p.37

3 Smith, F., Sr. (1998). The Pastor’s Soul Volume 5: Leading With Integrity (96). Pub Place: Bethany House Books.

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Furthermore, evangelism doesn’t just create salt and light in society. It also increases both in the lives of existing Christians.

How does this work? Doing evangelism has at least six positive spin offs for the Christians who participate.

• Bible study: Christians who evangelise have to dig into their bibles for answers to all the questions non-Christians are asking.

This forces bible study and apologetics research.

• Prayer: Christians who evangelise receive an infusion of divine compassion for the lost person when they give the gospel. This stimulates prayer for those they are reaching.

• Experiencing God personally: Christians who evangelise experience the power and presence of God tangibly as they step out in faith, taking risks to open their mouths and share the gospel. The connection between evangelism and finding life in Christ is clear (John 14:21; Mark 8:35).

• Walk the talk: Christians who evangelise have to “up their game” when it comes to their lifestyle and conduct. Now that they have put themselves “out there” with their faith through proclamation, they have to be very careful to make sure their walk matches their talk.

• Unity and blessing: Christians who evangelise have a strong sense of being united for a cause, similar to the unifying effect of being in an army or a sports team. Psychologists affirm that it’s only when an army is actually in the battle, the sports team is actually playing the game, that true camaraderie is forged. When we do evangelism, the blessed sense of unity between those who are doing it comes (Psalm 133).

• Deepened relationship with other Christians: Christians who evangelise will deepen relational ties with each other because when they evangelise, the Holy Spirit is released in them.

When this happens, they are more likely to be real, honest, and transparent with each other - all essential components for inner 10

healing, growing, and the development of healthy churches.

Please think this through. If doing evangelism creates more fruitful Christians, then these people in turn will more likely positively impact society for its good.

For this reason alone, evangelism has always meant to take centre stage in the life of every believer.

And here’s the thing - 98% of believers in the West have never done evangelism so they have no first hand experience of how engaging in this behaviour can create salt and light in their lives. They don’t know what they don’t know.

REASON 3: IT LEADS TO A DEEP EXPERIENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. On the issue of evangelism blessing Christians who do it, and those who hear the gospel, world-renowned missiologist Dr George W.Peters writes: “A church that does not recognize the primacy of its mission [i.e. the evangelisation of the world] deprives herself of the most intimate relationship with her Lord, fails to identify herself with the primary purpose of God, robs her membership of the deepest experiences of the Holy Spirit, and denies the world the greatest blessings the Lord in Grace has provided. She ceases to be a truly Christian Church.”4 Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) the great missionary to China, would agree with Peters. Taylor was emphatic - the Church would be truly blessed without measure if it began to evangelise. And such a Church would in turn be a wonderful blessing to society.

“If as an act of obedience we were to determine that every district, every town, every village, every hamlet in this land should hear the gospel, and that speedily, and were to set about doing it, I believe the Spirit would come down in such mighty power that we would find supplies springing up we know not how. We should find 4

George W. Peters. A Biblical Theology of Missions. Moody Press, 1984, p.350

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the fire spreading from missionary to flock, and our native fellow workers and the whole Church of God would be blessed. God gives his Holy Spirit to them that obey.”5

Once again, please think this through. A Church moving powerfully in the power of the Holy Spirit will certainly bless society to a much greater degree than one which is not!

For as long as I have been a Christian (36 years), the Church through prayer, holiness, miracles, fasting, worship, and social action has been crying out for revival and an outpouring of the Spirit. Yet, God has not honoured our efforts with revival. Why? He is waiting for our obedience in the Great Commission i.e. evangelism.

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o evangelism and help create loving people…

REASON 4: EVANGELISM PROVIDES PEOPLE WITH THE POWER TO LOVE EACH OTHER. Are Stott and Colson a minority when they talk about how goodness in society is preserved and salt and light created through evangelism?

Far from it. Billy Graham believes wholeheartedly that evangelism is a major instrument of social change. He said, “I am convinced that if the Church went back to its main task of preaching the gospel and getting people converted to Christ, it would have a far greater impact on the social, moral and psychological needs of people than any other thing could possibly do. Some of the greatest social movements of history have come about as the result of people being converted to Christ. For example, the conversion of Wilberforce led to the freeing of the slaves, the conversion of William Booth led to the founding of the Salvation Army, and the conversion of Keir Hardie led to the founding of the British Labour Party. Scores 5

Cited in: Rose Dowsett. The Great Commission. Monarch books, 2001, p.120

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of current and up-to-date illustrations could be used. We have made the mistake of putting the cart before the horse. We are exhorting men to love each other before they have the capacity to love each other. This capacity can only come through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”6 Then there is Dr Donald McGavran, founding Dean of Missions at Fuller Theological Seminary: “When the population of the world has become more Christian, it will hear Almighty God’s command to treat other men fairly and to obey that command more faithfully.

It is useless to expect that non-Christians will be as interested as Christians in treating all men as God’s children.

If we want mercy, justice, and righteousness to spread throughout the earth, we can take no more effective action than to multiply congregations of the redeemed in every segment of society. No one will act more justly towards his or her fellows than those who live in Christ, and whose lives are guided by the Holy Spirit.”7 It is clear: moral and spiritual decline follows when the Church stops evangelising.

To see a nation deteriorate, just arrange for the Church to be silent about the gospel. Build a stay-at-home-introspective-onlylook-after-Christians-social-action-only-orientated Church. Be committed to praying for the un-churched, singing about them, doing studies about them, having conferences about them and analysing them, feeding them and clothing them, but never ever actually engaging them with the words of the gospel.

As Dr Stott comments: “It remains questionable whether a stay-at-home church – disobedient to the Great Commission, and indifferent to the needs 6 Dr Billy Graham. One Race, One Gospel, One Task. World Congress on Evangelism. World Wide Publications, 1967, p.28 7 Dr Donald A McGavran. Effective Evangelism: A Theological Mandate. Presbyterian Reform Publishing, 1988, p.103

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of the nations – is in any position to claim or inherit the fulness of Christ’s promised blessings.”8 At this point, please take a break from reading this Mini Book, and read Appendix One in Mini Book Twenty Five. It’s a remarkable account from Dr K.P. Yohannan, a missionary among the poorest of the poor in Asia. From many years of first hand experience, he explains how proclaiming the gospel blesses the poor.

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o evangelism and uncover a potential William Booth…

I was on a plane going from one city to another, sitting next to a 59-year-old businessman. I took him through the full gospel, and at the end of the presentation asked the critical question: “If you died tonight, where would you go?”

He thought about it for a few seconds and then replied: “Heaven.”

When asked “Why?” he said, “Because when I was a boy, I can remember being taught by my Bible teacher that Jesus wants all people in heaven. And being God, I am sure He will get what He wants.”

He told me that in the years between boyhood and the present he had never gone to church on Sundays, never read a Bible, never given Jesus so much as a thought. Yet because of what the Bible teacher had told him as a child, he was convinced he was a Christian.

His Bible teacher had not explained the whole gospel.

What’s the point of this story? Having heard and understood the gospel, the Holy Spirit will go to work to bring him to faith.9 And when he is saved, he will become part of an army of salt and light in society, an instrument in the hands of God to fight its decay and degradation.

8 John Stott, One Race. One Gospel. One Task. World Congress on Evangelism, World Wide Publications, 1967, p.44 9

See Mini Book Thirteen for details of how God does this.

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And God used the gospel to do it.

On another flight, about ten days later, I was again sitting next to a businessman. He was older, but as sharp as a tack. I got to the end of the presentation of the gospel and asked him, “If you died tonight, where would you go?” “Heaven,” he replied.

When asked “Why?” he said, “Because I was taught as a youngster that God died for the sins of the whole world. We are all Christians, aren’t we?”

These two stories illustrate how dangerous it is to proclaim only bits of the gospel in our churches and never give regular, powerful, complete, ‘all-at-one-time’ presentations of it.10 All these two men had to go on was a fragment of the truth about Jesus – heard in childhood. A little knowledge can be dangerous and deceiving. How tragic it would have been if they had gone to their death not hearing the truth. And what if they were another William Booth or Wilberforce in waiting and they miss their opportunity to be a great force for good in this life because we didn’t go to them with the gospel?

Think about this.

Every great Christian in history who has made a huge contribution to the betterment of society in their lifetime came to Christ through someone, somewhere giving them the gospel.

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Tsunami of salt and light going to waste…

The two accounts of the men on planes are not isolated cases. Millions of people are living like them in spiritual-delusion.

Together these millions represent a potential Tsunami of salt and light which could flood the world with God’s preservation and reformation power, but only if they are redeemed and thus changed on the inside.

10 Please visit www.esisite.com.

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o evangelism and create an army of salt and light…

The enemy seems to have prevented Christians from examining important statistics about spiritual deception. If they don’t see these statistics, they will not perceive the extent of the fall-out from neglecting the proclamation of the gospel.

What are these statistics? Well, in the 1996 New Zealand census, 59 percent of the population of four million (i.e. 2.3 million people) said they were Christians or affiliated with a Christian church. Yet in the same census, only one Kiwi in ten (i.e. 390,000 people) indicated they attended church at least once a month.

Let’s assume all these churchgoers are genuine believers.11 The question we have to ask, then is, “Where are the other 49 percent (i.e. nearly 2 million people) on Sunday?”12 There are a number of possible explanations: 1 Some could be sick or elderly or live in remote geographical locations.

2 Others could have had a bad church experience and are having a temporary break from attending services on Sunday.

3 Others could be genuinely Christian but their community of faith meets regularly in a home rather than a church building.

4 Some could have ticked “Christian” on the census form but have since left New Zealand.

Another possibility – and the more likely scenario – is that most of the people who say they are Christians but do not attend any form of church regularly are not Christians at all.

If this is the case, we now have a large percentage of the population who are totally deceived.

These people are a potential army of salt and light going to waste.

11 We know that not everyone who goes to church is saved. At least, in America they’re not. According to research, half of all people who attend protestant churches in America are not Christians. See George Barna.

Evangelism That Works. Regal, 1995, p.38 12 We are presuming here, of course, that attending a local church regularly is a strong indicator of saving faith.

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lassrooms full of salt and light...

I was speaking recently to a group of British high school students – young people from about thirteen to seventeen.

When the students entered the classroom for the lesson we had prepared, the first thing they saw was this sentence on the screen “Some Good People Don’t Go To Heaven.” Many looked confused, and some of them began to discuss it spontaneously. We then introduced ourselves and the lesson began.

We asked the students, “What do you think?”

“Some Good People Don’t Go To Heaven.”

“Is there anything you don’t agree with about that?”

I asked them.

“I don’t agree with it,” someone said quickly.

“I think if you are good you should go to heaven.”

This was the start we wanted – and which we anticipated. I show this presentation in high schools a lot – and the same thing happens almost invariably.

“Okay, so you think that if you are a good person, you should go to heaven?”13 I asked them.

Smiling, the class agreed unanimously.

“So no axe murderers?” I asked. “Serial killers, Hitler and people like that?”

“No, definitely not!” someone said affirmingly, and everyone quickly agreed.

“So there are some people who are not good?” I continued. “Is that what you are saying?”

“Yes!” shouted the class.

“Well, how good do you have to be to get into heaven?” I asked.

“And how bad do you have to be to be shut out?”

13 What I found interesting was that young people almost without exception accepted without question that heaven and hell existed.

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I invited them to play God for the next 20 minutes, and to decide the criteria for entry to heaven and the criteria for exclusion.

I went to the white board and divided it into two.

On one side I wrote, “Things that qualify us for heaven.”

On the other side I wrote, “Things that disqualify us from heaven.”

“Okay, let’s start with the things that qualify someone for heaven,” I said. “Who’d like to start? What do you have to do to get into heaven?”

“You have to be good!” shouted one person.

“Okay,” I replied. “How good?”

Many hands shot up enthusiastically.

“You have to do good things for other people!” said one.

“What do you mean by ‘good things’?” I probed.

Several answers came at me all at once.

“Going to church, helping your parents, saving an animal, saying prayers…”

“Hmmm,” I said. “And how often do you have to do these good things…once a day? once a week? once a month?”

“Once a day!” someone shouted.

“No!” someone else disagreed. “We must do good things in every situation!”

Spontaneous discussion followed.

“But are some things better than others?” I asked them.

“Surely something like saving someone’s life is worth more than passing your little brother the butter at breakfast…?”

More animated discussion.

“Let’s say we live for 75 years and there are 365 days in the year.”

I said. “That’s 27,375 days, right?”

The class agreed.

“Okay,” I went on. “Let’s agree that we have to do one good thing 18

a day to get into heaven. Can we all agree on this? Let’s forget about weighing the good things for a minute because that is going to get too complicated…”

The class looked very relieved that they didn’t have to weigh all the good things people did and decide which ones were worth more than others.

“Yes!” they chorused.

“Being God isn’t so easy, is it?” I commented.

“Okay, here’s another question. Do we start counting the good things a person does from the moment he or she is born?”

The class looked confused.

“No, not until someone is five” suggested someone.

“All right,” I said. “Let’s say we start counting from age five.

Now we are looking at a new sum – 70 times 365 = 25,550 days.

What happens if you miss a day? What then?”

The class looked even more confused.

“Ah… forgive them,” said one person.

“How many times would you have to forgive before you reach the cut-off point?” I asked.

There were baffled looks and a long silence as they thought furiously.

“I can see we’re not doing too well as God here,” I said.

“Let’s move on. So far on the ‘Things that qualify us for heaven’ side of the board we only have ‘Do good things for other people.’

What else could we put up on this side of the board?”

“Prayers,” suggested someone.

“How many? How often? Do they need to be sincere?

What is a sincere prayer?”

“It needs to come from the heart?” said one girl.

“But what happens if it doesn’t come from the heart?

Does it still count? What happens if it’s a selfish prayer?

Is that a bad thing, and if so should we put it on the other side of 19

the board with the things that disqualify us from heaven?”

The class looked perplexed, and a heated debate followed.

“Let’s move on,” I said again.

“What other things qualify us to get into heaven?”

“Going to church!” was suggested next.

“How often?” I asked. “What happens if you miss a Sunday?

Would you need a note? A doctor’s certificate? Could you make it up by going twice on another Sunday?”

More debate followed as we proceeded to list five or six key behaviours on one side of the board.

The class was not finding it easy to play God at all!

“Let’s go quickly to the other side of the white board,” I said.

“Is there anything a person could do that would definitely disqualify them from heaven? I mean, something that if they did it they would absolutely never make it!”

“Murder!”

(This was always the first suggestion in every class) “Rape!” shouted another person.

“Serial killing!” shouted another.

I wrote all these responses on the board. Then I went through three of the ten commandments with them and to their horror, they discovered they were all theiving, lying, murderers.

“Do you want to know how to be forgiven?

“Yes!” they said enthusiastically.

We proceeded to watch the gospel on video which you can see at www.biblein11.com.

At the end, virtually the whole class wanted to come to Christ. We couldn’t formalise this because of school protocol but were able to give everyone the booklet “How To Be Sure Of Going To Heaven When We Die” which showed them they could do this in their own time outside of school.

Repeat this discussion in virtually any classroom with a similar 20

age group, and you’d see the same result.

What really excites me is the thought of these students converting to Christ, entering university, and then going on to take up signficant positions in society, being salt and light in their jobs and homes and neighbourhoods, and creating the same wherever they go through doing evangelism.

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o evangelism and prevent a spiritual holocaust….

In World War II the Nazis rounded up many Jews and herded them into cattle wagons and trains. They were headed for camps where they were told they would be stripped, showered and given camp clothes. This they did, but when the showers were turned on it was not water that came out of the nozzle but poisonous gas.

The people had been deceived.

Commentators use an ancient Hebrew word to describe the enormity of the devastation that occurred in those camps: Holocaust. The Oxford English dictionary defines holocaust as “the destruction of a large number of persons; a great slaughter or massacre.”14 The Nazi holocaust has always disturbed me greatly. I would wince every time I heard about it. Then one day it dawned on me that a spiritual holocaust was happening right before my eyes.

It was designed by the enemy and happening today, across the Western world.

Millions of non-Christians sincerely believe that when they die they are going to heaven, simply because they consider themselves to be good people.

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e Christians and our churches, music, billboards, literature, TV, and radio are everywhere, but nonChristians are just not getting it…

14 The Oxford English Dictionary. Vol. X, H-K, p.344 Definition C.

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In the time it has taken you to read this Mini Book, many people in your country will have died. Some in car accidents, some from disease, some through crime, others from old age. Many of them – like the 49 percent of New Zealanders in the census – thought they were going to heaven.

Right now they are suffering in hell.

First, they died never having heard about the amazing grace of Jesus through the gospel. Not even once. How do we know this? We know it from the research quoted at the beginning of this book.

Second, they also missed the chance to be God’s salt and light as they passed through this world.

Many of them could have made a huge contribution to a better society by advancing God’s cause. They could then have been numbered among the people in history through whom God has worked to bless society. Below are just twenty. I have categorised their contribution: HOSE WHO BLESSED SOCIETY BY CHAMPIONING THE IDEA THAT HUMAN BEINGS WERE OF SUPREME VALUE. 1. Justinian (483-565) Byzantine emperor who had his jurists prepare the Justinian Code, which clearly condemned abortion and infanticide as illegal.

2. George Mueller (1805-98) Born in Prussia. Mueller was an evangelist who established orphanages in Bristol, England after a cholera epidemic. For the next 60 years, he cared for more than 10,000 orphaned and abandoned children.

3. Eric Liddell (1902-1945) Scottish athlete and Christian popularized by the movie “Chariots of Fire”. Born in China to missionary parents, Liddell returned to China after winning an Olympic gold medal in 1924. He taught in an Anglo-Chinese school and died in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.

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4. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) Baptist minister who spoke in support of fair and equal treatment for African Americans in the United States during the 1960’s. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

HOSE WHO BLESSED SOCIETY BY CONTRIBUTING TO FREEDOM, SOCIAL REFORM AND EDUCATION. 1. William Wilberforce (1759-1833) Christian abolitionist who also served as a member of England’s House of Commons.

Wilberforce campaigned tirelessly for the abolition of slavery beginning in 1789. Forty-four years later, just before his death, he learned that Parliament passed the Abolition Act, by which 700,000 slaves were set free. Wilberforce’s efforts were chronicled in the film, “Amazing Grace.”

2. William Penn (1644-1718) a Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania, “treated the Indians with Christian charity and justice”. Penn called Pennsylvania “the Holy Experiment” living at peace with the Native Americans in the area.

3. Boethius (480-525) As a Roman nobleman, Boethius was one of the best educated men of his time. His mathematics were used in early universities and his life goal was to translate all of the Greek philosophy and classic literature into Latin. He wrote thousands of documents, including his Consolations of Philosophy, which would become the most read book of the Middle Ages.

4. Robert Raikes (1736-1811) Remembered as the founder of the Sunday School movement, Raikes, of Gloucester, England, sought to provide Christian education for poor children and children who would not otherwise receive a biblical education.

HOSE WHO BLESSED SOCIETY BY CONTRIBUTING TO SCIENCE AND MEDICINE. 1. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer who proposed the heliocentric model (planets revolving around the sun).

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2. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) German astronomer and accomplished scientist who coined the phrase, “Thinking God’s thoughts after him”. Kepler’s Astonomia Nova (The New Astronomy, 1609) presents two key laws of astronomy – the elliptical orbit of planets and the law that planets do not move at a uniform speed.

3. Isaac Newton (1642-1727) English physicist and mathematician whose many accomplishments include the discovery of the law of gravity and the invention of calculus.

4. George Washington Carver (1864-1943) An African-American chemist (his parents were slaves) was awarded the Roosevelt Medal in 1939 for his research on peanuts and sweet potatoes.

The medal read, in part, “To a scientist humbly seeking the guidance of God…” HOSE WHO BLESSED SOCIETY BY CONTRIBUTING TO THE ARTS. 1. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) A dedicated Christian who contributed much to the world of music. Bach, a prolific composer, wrote sacred music, dedicating his efforts to the glory of God. His mastery of musical counterpoint remains admired and imitated today.

2. Michelangelo (1475-1564) Italian Renaissance artist is remembered for his many biblically inspired works of art, including the sculpture of David, his painting of the Sistine Chapel in Rome and “The Last Judgment”. Michelangelo “believed that spiritual value could be found in all natural beauty.”

3. George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) German born composer, wrote the admired oratorio “Messiah” in a matter of weeks.

Handel offered genuine innovations to musical form with his unique uses of the chorus. The “Hallelujah” chorus from Messiah is perhaps his best known work.

4. Rembrandt (1606-1669) Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmensz

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van Rijn was one of the world’s greatest painters and is known for his many biblical works including “Return of the Prodigal Son”.

HOSE WHO BLESSED SOCIETY BY CONTRIBUTING TO LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY. 1. John Milton (1608-1674) was a Puritan who penned “Paradise Lost” which recounts the Fall of Man and is considered a masterpiece of epic English literature.

2. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) Stowe’s vivid portrayal of slavery in her classic book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” later caused Abraham Lincoln to remark, “So this is the little lady who caused the great war.”

3. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) Russian author and historian as well as recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in literature.

He wrote about the Soviet labor camps (the Gulag) and was later exiled from Russia.

4. J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, two 20th century English writers who penned some of the most popular works of fantasy in print; Tolkien “The Lord of the Rings” and Lewis “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

These are just twenty people through whom God worked to bless society. There are thousands more. The point I am making is this think of all the non-Christians in our generation who are going through life. If they heard the gospel and were saved, some of them could make an equal or even greater contribution to society than the twenty people I have just cited in this Mini Book.

But if they go to their death beds unsaved, we’ll never know what might have been! Can you see what I am saying?

How could they possibly have missed walking through this life with God, making a contribution to a better world, and bringing Him great glory in the process?

It happened because great darkness has tempted us to stop evangelising and we’ve fallen for it.

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ummary

• God works through the Christian Church in the world to inhibit moral and spiritual deterioration (salt) and to advance His goodness and glory (light).

• Salt and light are created when people hear the gospel and are saved.

• God has appointed the gospel message as his tool of choice to effect the salvation of the lost (Romans 1:16; Mark 4:26-29).

• God works through saved people to bless society and advance His Kingdom.

• Saved people preserve their saltiness and shine brighter when they engage in evangelism.

• These are yet more reasons why Jesus’ mission to evangelise the world ought to be central to the life of the Church and the life of every believer.

• CTION POINT: You might ask “What can I do to help get the truth in this Mini Book to others?” Help other Christians become aware of the issues raised in this Mini Book, particularly leaders. Email it to everyone on your address book and encourage them to do the same. Send them a PDF file. You can obtain this by writing to julian@esisite. com. Post it on social media.

• CTION POINT: Go to the leaders of your church. Ask them to make changes to their mission statement so that evangelism becomes central. Ask them to bring evangelism back to centre stage in the life of your church. Pray for them.

Encourage them. Work with them. Dialogue.

In the next Mini Book, I detail how the creation of pseudoconversions has contributed to the decline of evangelism in the West and how the enemy has orchestrated this.

The issues I raise in the next Mini Book effect every Christian and

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every church. If we can deal with these, we’ll become part of the solution, helping to cause a Great Commission resurgence around the world. Are you ready?

Real Life Story should Christians pick up hitch hikers (part two) Anonymous

I went to visit my aged Mum (88) for Christmas. This is a two hour drive from where I live.

On the way there, I rounded a bend and there in front of me was a man coming out from the deep bush which lined the road. As soon as his feet hit the road, his thumb went out. It was 7 am.

After a positive experience picking up a hitch hiker a few days 27

ago, I immediately pulled over for this man too. Let’s call him Mike.

Wow! What an interesting story he had to tell!

He was 32 and European. He had spent the night sleeping in the bush, warming himself around an open fire.

Making a bed for himself out of fern leaves, his pillow had been his tiny bag. His only clothing was what he had on him, which amounted to jeans, tee shirt, sweat top, shoes and socks. No sleeping bag or blanket for him.

I asked him if he’d been cold overnight, and he said ‘a little’.

Overall, he said, it was a beautiful experience: shooting stars, only the sound of the crackling fire, and the unique smell of virgin bush.

He was headed to a holiday resort in the far north of New Zealand for the new year, en route from his home town which is two hours drive from where I picked him up. Mike had a seven year old son called Andrew.

For the first five years of his life, Andrew had lived with his mother. Year five was a bad one.

Mum got into drugs, particularly P, which led to depression.

During year five, she turned up at Mike’s door, with Andrew, saying she couldn’t cope looking after Andrew any more. So, now Andrew was living with Mike.

To look after him properly, Mike left his job, and started receiving a benefit from the government. He’s lived like this for the 28

past two years. He and Andrew, he told me, had become very close.

Over the new year period, Andrew’s Mum had agreed to look after him, allowing Mike some ‘time out’.

Now this is where it get’s interesting.

About an hour after pick up, I turned the conversation around the spiritual things, and showed Mike the gospel presentation on my iphone that you can see at www.biblein11.com. I was able to plug the iphone into the car’s stereo system, so the sound was like a movie theatre!

As he watched it, I did the usual thing, which was to stop it after the section on the Law. I asked him three questions, and he admitted he was a thieving, lying, murderer, as I was. I then explained how he could be forgiven.

After the explanation, Mike watched the second half of the gospel presentation on my iphone. In effect he was now watching on video what I had just explained verbally.

At the end I asked him where he would go if he died tonight.

He said hell, and this disturbed him - so he said. He then asked me how to turn and surrender, which are the conditions for forgiveness.

I explained these to him so that he understood what it meant to be a Christian. At the end of my explanation, I asked him if he wanted to turn and surrender right now. He said yes, so I led him through a prayer of forgiveness. I prayed, and he imitated what I prayed. At the end of the prayer, he gave me a beaming smile, and we shook hands.

I gave him the follow up booklet How To Be Sure Of 29

Going To Heaven When We Die’ pointing out the web address www.biblein11.com at the back, the genuineness test on page 26, and ‘what he must do now’. To read this booklet, please visit www.esisite.com.

Then Mike said some more interesting things.

When he left his home yesterday, he told his Mum and sisters he was going “up north” to do some soul searching. Seriously, this is what he’d told them!

He then told me another side to what he’d been thinking in the bush overnight. He told me he’d asked himself “What the #@$% am I doing! I have no money, I am sleeping in the bush around a camp fire, I am cold and hungry, I am separated from my partner, I have a seven year old son, and I have no car or money, and I am living on a benefit. What the #@$% am I doing! I am going no where in life.”

He then expanded on his money situation. “Payday” from the government was Thursday. This encounter was happening on Monday. I asked Mike what he planned to do for meals and accommodation between now and Thursday. His answer? “I have no idea”. His last meal was lunch time on Sunday. He was now very hungry.

He also told me that during his 32 years on earth he’d ofter asked the question “what is life all about?’”and various variations of this question such as “what’s the point of being born?”

Until today, he’d never thought about heaven or hell, or what 30

happened after death. The gospel ignited these realities into life.

What’s really interesting is that he went to St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton for five years, an Anglican school. Here he’d sung hymns and listened to the bible being read regularly in chapel times, but it meant absolutely nothing to him because he couldn’t understand it. My experience of talking with teenagers who have been to denominational schools is that “the religious program” in these schools has often unwittingly inoculated them against Christianity.

Far too many leave school thinking Christianity is incomprehensible and therefore irrelevant.

This is a tragedy without parallel.

For Mike, 5 years in a religious school did not light his spiritual candle.

The bible in 11 minutes video did.

This is a crucial point for all of us who are in the business of communicating Biblical truth (e.g. denominational schools, Christian schools, pastors with their sermons on Sundays, youth group leaders etc etc), not just those engaging in evangelism.

In Matthew 13, in the Parable of the Seed and the Soil, the abundant fruit came from the person who heard the word and understood it! I can’t emphasise the importance of this strongly enough. It’s crucial we communicate the gospel (indeed all biblical truth) succinctly, logically, accurately, and meaningfully. This is why I am such a big proponent of the gospel presentation at www.biblein11.com.

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A big reason why non-Christians don’t respond to many of our gospel messages is that they don’t understand them!

It took literally years to write the script for www.biblein11.com.

The research and study which was required to decide the content was enormous. The testing on non-Christians was endless.

There was no point in producing a presentation which was biblically accurate if it didn’t capture and hold the attention of non-Christians.

Likewise, there was no point in producing a presentation which captured and held the attention of non-Christians if it wasn’t biblically accurate. Both considerations are crucial.

It’s not enough to spout bible verses at people. It is crucial to package our message in terms and ways non-Christians can understand.

When we arrived at the town where my Mum lived, we stopped at a cafe and enjoyed a “big kiwi breakfast together.”

Among Christian friends, I would have said that in buying a meal for him, I was “watering” the gospel just planted. I got such joy from doing this.

I had “ploughed” the spiritual soil in Mike’s heart by learning about his life in the first hour of our journey, just listening and taking an interest.

Then I planted the seed of the gospel and harvested.

So, there’s the whole process: ploughing, sowing, watering, harvesting and discipling. The discipleship started with the follow 32

up booklet. He said there were churches in Raglan and he would connect with one.

When I finally did drop him off on the side of the road, I also gave him $20, with the proviso he didn’t use it to buy cigarettes.

It was an incredibly life giving and rich morning for me and for Mike, making the festivities and pomp of Christmas pale into insignificance.

The cost to me personally? $15 for his breakfast, and $20= $35.

This is absolutely nothing compared to what Christ did for me. And you know what? It was by far and away the best experience of the day.

Julian’s comments.

So, should Christians pick up hitchhikers? You know the answer.

What are the lessons here?

(1) Without taking risks (e.g. picking up hitch hikers) for the sake of evangelism, the Christian life will soon become meaningless.

(2) God is sovereignly at work in the lives on non-Christians.

Mike was ‘soul searching’ and God used me to pick him up. If I’d been thirty seconds earlier on a two hour trip, I’d have missed him.

All we need to do it join in, and find out what He’s up to! And in doing so, we’ll discover joy unspeakable.

(3) Our money, cars, time, resources, belong to the Lord. They are not our own. We are stewards of them for His glory. There is little point in having them if we don’t use them to get involved with non-Christians to further the Great Commission.

(4) Meaningfulness is absolutely crucial as we try to communicate Biblical truth with non-Christians.

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Real Life Story

Powerful, but spiritually bankrupt England

It was a crisp, fresh Sunday morning and I was on my way to preach in Welwyn Garden City, north of London. I arrived at the station at around 6:30am and boarded the train which was virtually empty. I sat down, took out my laptop, and started to review my sermon notes. A few minutes before we left the station, a well-dressed man in his late forties entered the carriage. He was immaculately dressed in an expensive-looking suit. Of all the places to sit in the train, he sat across the aisle from me. Our eyes met and I said “Good morning.”

He replied with the same. I let him get seated and settled and then started up a conversation. Let’s call him Brian.

Me:“So, where are you off to today?”

He replied he was going to such and such a town.

Brian: “Are you Australian?”

Me: “No, I’m a Kiwi.”

Brian:“Oh really, what are you doing in England then?

Business or pleasure?”

Me: “Both, actually. I love what I do for a job.”

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Brian:(sounding genuinely interested) “What do you do?”

Me: “I motivate people in mainstream churches.”

Brian:(Looking puzzled)“Really?

What does that involve?”

Me: “Well, I help people in church to explain what Christianity is all about to people who don’t go to church. We have just developed a video which summarises the whole bible in 11 minutes. Let me show you.” I pulled my iphone and head phones and got him started.

At the end of the presentation, I asked the final question.

Me:“Brian, if you died tonight, where would you go?”

Brian: (visibly shaken) “…mmm… (sheepishly) I guess I would go straight to hell.”

I prayed with him and gave him a follow-up booklet which explains how to become a Christian.

He appeared to be so convicted when he found out he was going to hell that he fumbled with the follow-up booklet when it was passed to him, dropping it on the ground before picking it up again with shaking hands.

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strong and powerful as any I have seen. I should have led him to the Lord there and then but I didn’t. That was, I think, a mistake.

I realised this some time later, as I thought and prayed about what happened on that train.

After a period of silence I asked Brian what he did for a job. His reply?

He was a medical doctor, and the managing director of one of the world’s largest health insurance companies with 45,000 employees.

He was returning home after a series of high-powered meetings in London.

No more than five minutes after we had finished watching the video, Brian prepared to get off at his stop. As he was picking up his briefcase we shared a few final words.

Me: (with genuine love and tenderness) “Hey Brian, if I never see you again, I will see you in heaven.”

Brian: (smiling and with sincerity) “You will. Thank you so much.

All the best with the rest of your trip.”

Julian’s comments.

1. Always be ready to share the gospel. Have your gospel presentation tools ready and your follow-up material on hand.

God is more likely to use you if you are ready.

2. Why did the man come and sit right opposite me in a carriage which could seat 50 people? I believe God orchestrated this encounter. This shows me how much He loved Brian.

3. I had to initiate the conversation and then lead the conversation towards the gospel presentation. Read again how I did this. It is really very simple and effective. There is no cringe factor and no awkwardness in the approach. It all happens very naturally. Some might say “Yeah, but nobody else can copy that example because they can’t talk about their jobs like you did!” I would reply that 37

all of us can give a reply to the question “What do you do?” with something like “Hey, I am an office worker. But my passion in life is Christianity. Are you a church person?” Or “Hey, I am an office worker, but my main interest is voluntary work in my church. Have you had any church background?”

4. The good thing about the 11 minute video is that it really engages people. The Holy Spirit works powerfully through His word in this way.

5. When I first started this ministry, I was against “easy believism” and just getting people to “say the prayer.” But with hindsight I think I was probably too extreme in the other direction.

I missed opportunities to lead people to Jesus on the spot. This was one of those occasions, and I have learned from the mistake.

Does this mean Brian is lost forever? Certainly not. On the contrary, if Mark 4:26-29 is anything to go by, the Holy Spirit promises to follow up Brian and to grow the seed of the gospel planted in him.

6. It is important to have follow-up material which matches and further explains the gospel material you have presented with the gospel. The more the follow-up material and your gospel presentation are in sync, the more effective the encounter will be.

7. Brian is a powerful, influential person but spiritually bankrupt.

It would be hard to get to him with the gospel unless one of his peers, who was moving in his circle, was able to do it. If Christians moving in the circles of influence were mobilised to proclaim the gospel, people like Brian wouldn’t have to wait half their lives to hear it from someone like me in a train. I believe there are many 38

Christians who do have contact with powerful people but they fail to take these opportunities, thinking the influential person will not be receptive or interested. Maybe they fear losing their reputation, or missing out on promotion, or negatively influencing a big financial deal which is on the table. This is why Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

If you are a person in a position of power and influence, your workplace is your Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). Your colleagues should be one of your first priorities. You are God’s ambassador in your workplace, His representative. If Jesus would give the gospel in the workplace, and we can be sure He would, then why wouldn’t you, when the time and place is right?

8. Not proclaiming is a great mistake. All people are lost, whether rich or poor, powerful or not. People might have different bank balances and varying degrees of power and influence, but all have exactly the same spiritual need. I have given the gospel to politicians, international rock stars, university lecturers, a governor general, television personalities and world heavyweight boxing contenders. All have been designed to hear the gospel. God has commissioned and commanded all of us to reach everyone.

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The Full List Of Books In ‘The Truth About Evangelism’ Mini Series Book One

Evangelism Lost! Exposing The True State Of Evangelism In Today’s Church

Book Two Seven Deadly Motives Exposing How The Enemy Is Shutting Down Evangelism.

Book Three

The Sorrowful Collapse Of The Great Commission- A Dangerous Redefining Of Evangelism

Book Four Evangelism Redefined? Six Subtle Yet Devastating Redefinitions Of Evangelism

Book Five Confusion Busters 7 Things You Should Know About The Gospel Message

Book Six

Six Ways To Move From Gospel Confusion To Gospel Clarity

Book Seven

The Evangelisation Of The World Is The Ulimate Purpose Of The Church. 7 Irrefutable Reasons It Is Time To Prioritise

Book Eight

A Gift, A Call, Or A Commission. Are All Christians Commanded To Evangelise

Book Nine

12 Keys To Fearless Evangelism In The 21St Century

Book Ten Take Them Down. 12 Road Blocks And How To Get Through Them

Book Eleven

The Key To Victory. Start Viewing Evangelism As An Event, Not A Process

Book Twelve

Confidence In The Gospel, Come Back! Four Essential Steps To Reclaiming Lost Ground!

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Book Thirteen Prepare To Be Amazed! What Jesus Really Taught About Evangelism!

Book Fourteen

What Leaders Must Do To Cause A Resurgence In World Evangelism

Book Fifteen

A Plan Of Action To Cause A Resurgence In World Evangelism

Book Sixteen

Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 1)

Book Seventeen

Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 2)

Book Eighteen

Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 3)

Book Nineteen

Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 4)

Book Twenty Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 5)

Book Twenty One

Climb On Board! 4 Reasons Why Doing Evangelism Will Help Create A Better World!

Book Twenty Two

Devastation! How Pseudo-Conversions Hinder Evangelism And What You Can Do To Stop The Rot!

Book Twenty Three

“Friendship evangelism.” What’s good about it, and what’s heretical?

Book Twenty Four

Unholy Grief! Five Ways Evangelists With The Gift Can Grieve The Holy Spirit

Book Twenty Five

The Highest Motive For Doing Evangelism? You’ll Be Amazed What The Bible Teaches!

Conclusion

Book Twenty Six Appendix One : If We Fail To Evangelise, We Fail. Period. By Dr K.P. Yohannan

Appendix Two : The Pastor Evangelist. By Dr. Roger S. Greenway

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Appendix Three : True Gospel Must Be Heard, By Kevyn Harris

Appendix Four : This We Believe Signatories

Appendix Five : Device 84. “I don’t like being told to do evangelism!”

Book Twenty Seven The Evangelism Fitness Test

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