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
12 KEYS TO FEARLESS EVANGELISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY!
Copyright Julian Batchelor Evangelism Strategies International Press Auckland New Zealand
3
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
4
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.
5
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!
6
12 Keys To Fearless Evangelism In The 21st Century!
“
I have to be honest Julian, I am so fearful of evangelising!” confided my friend. “Don’t worry,” I reassured him, “you are not alone. Fear can paralyse even the most powerful people.” The following is a graphic illustration. During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he censured Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience. “You were one of Stalin’s colleagues. Why didn’t you stop him?” “Who said that?” roared Khrushchev. An agonising silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied quietly, “Now you know why.”1 We can all identify with Khrushchev and the heckler. The Bible clearly acknowledges that Christians, too, will feel fear, but it exhorts us not to give in to it. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope 1
Today in the Word. July 13, 1993
7
that you have” (1 Peter 3:13-15). When I minister in churches I often ask people, “What stops you from doing evangelism?” Fear is always near the top of the list. And when I ask them just what they fear, they say things such as: • “I feel inadequate. I would be so embarrassed if someone asked a question I couldn’t answer.” • “I could lose my reputation. What if someone saw me? I would look like some kind of social misfit or religious nut.” • “ People might reject me. It’s not worth the risk.” • “ I would probably do a poor job of communicating the gospel, and I don’t want to feel like a failure.” • “I fear the unknown.” KEY NUMBER 1: PUT YOUR PRIDE TO DEATH
P
ride is the root… I have come to the conclusion that pride is at the root of all fear when it comes to evangelism.. Pride wants to preserve reputation. It is normal to want to be respected and admired. Who wants to be rejected. It’s an awful feeling. Who wants to to look silly in public? None of us. But something greater has got to grip our hearts. It’s the glory of God. Jesus showed that His desire to glorify His Father was greater than His pride. Philippians 2:7 tells us Jesus made Himself “of no reputation” (KJV). So a key to overcoming our fear of evangelism is to follow Jesus’ example and make ourselves a person of no reputation by getting a right view of God. The bigger He is in our hearts, the more we’ll risk all to serve Him. John 3:30 says “He must become greater; I must become less.” So how are we going to get a breakthough here, and throw our pride and reputations to the wind? Actually, it’s easier than you think. So what’s the key? The key is to actually start doing evangelism. Ironically, the more 8
we do evangelism, and become skilful, the more Jesus will become greater in our hearts and the more we will become less. Increasingly, we’ll find ourselves giving Jesus His rightful place as Lord of our lives. These are some of the fruits of doing evangelism. So, the shortcut to breaking through in evangelism is simply to launch out, start doing it, and learn as you go. This is what I did. But for those who need some more coaching, and unpacking, read on! The following incredible story, which I first came across in a Bible study written by William Barclay, illustrates how becoming someone “of no reputation” can lead to tremendous advances for you and God’s Kingdom.2 “Late in the fourth century, a monk called Telemachus determined to abandon the world and devote his life to prayer, meditation and fasting in order to save his soul. But in this lonely life, in which he sought contact only with God, he felt something was wrong. One day as he rose from his knees, he realised his life was based not on a selfless but a selfish love of God. He saw that if he was to serve God he needed to serve people, and that the cities were full of sin and therefore of need. So Telemachus decided to leave the desert and set out for the great city of Rome, which was officially Christian by this time. He begged his way across land and sea, arriving at a time when Stilicho, the Roman general, had just gained a mighty victory over the Goths. Stilicho was to be honoured, but now things were different from the old days – crowds were pouring into Christian churches rather than heathen temples. There were processions and celebrations, and Stilicho rode in triumph through the streets, with the young Emperor Honorius by his side. 2 William Barclay. The Daily Bible Study. The Gospel Of Mark. Edinburgh, Saint Andrew Press, 1982, pp.203-205
9
One pagan activity had lingered on in Christian Rome. Now Christians were no longer thrown to the lions, but those captured in war still had to fight and kill each other to make a Roman holiday for the populace. And the people roared with blood lust as the gladiators fought. Telemachus found his way to the arena, where 80,000 people were watching. The chariot races were ending, and there was tension in the crowd as the gladiators prepared to fight. Into the arena they came with their greeting. ‘Hail, Caesar! We who are about to die salute you!’ The fight was on, and Telemachus was appalled. Men for whom Christ had died were killing each other to amuse an allegedly Christian populace! He leapt the barrier and stood between the gladiators. For a moment they stopped. ‘Let the games go on!’ roared the crowd. They pushed aside the old man who was still in his hermit’s robes. Again he came between them. The crowd began to hurl stones at him, urging the gladiators to get rid of him. The commander of the games gave an order; a gladiator’s sword rose and flashed, and Telemachus lay dead. Suddenly the crowd was silent – shocked that a holy man should have been killed in such a way. And they realised what this killing really was. The games ended abruptly that day – and were never resumed. The renowned historian Edward Gibbon said of Telemachus, ‘His death was more useful to mankind than his life.’” e have to forget what people might think of us… There are lessons here on the power of forgetting what people might think of us. Imagine the embarrassment of jumping into an arena before 80,000 people. Yet Telemachus wasn’t fazed. When you or I do evangelism, we will generally engage only one non-Christian at a time and no one will be watching us. The embarrassment factor for Telemachus was 80,000
W
10
times greater than most of us will ever experience! When I am doing evangelism, 98 per cent of the time I am not in any way embarrassed.3 In fact, most non-Christians who hear the message now actually thank me for taking the time to go to them. Sometimes people will politely say “No thanks” when I approach them – no big deal. When, rarely, someone is rude or abrupt, I get over it. The 98 gracious people make up for the two who react negatively. So the first thing to realise is that nonChristians are generally lovely people who are hungry for God. How we go about explaining the gospel and the tools we use is critical. ecide in your mind to come out of the closet… Telemachus, in his hermit robes, didn’t hide his Christian identity, but many believers have never come out of the closet with their faith. While few modern Christians aspire to solitude, many might as well be hermits! Busy with worship services, Bible studies, prayer meetings, camps, conferences and other church-related activities, they insulate themselves from the world. The first step is to decide to come out of the closet.
D
KEY NUMBER 2: REALISE HOW EASY EVANGELISM CAN BE
R
ealise how easy it is to evangelise… When I talk about doing evangelism, I do not mean standing on a street corner, or taking whole evenings or chunks of a day to do it. No. I am wanting you to weave evangelism naturally into the course of each 24 hour day. God has given us some absolutely 3 I was very embarrassed and self conscious when I first started. I found that the more I went public with my faith, the more I discovered that my fear of what others thought of me was not an issue at all. A lot of what I thought people were thinking about me was in my imagination. Most non-Christians are so busy with their own lives and issues, they are not sitting around discussing me, thinking I am a religious nut case. On the contrary, many have said, in a positive way, “I wish I could believe in Jesus as passionately as you do.”
11
stunning strategies which will enable you to do this. With one of our strategies, you don’t even have to articulate the gospel yourself. Someone else will do it for you on the internet. You can evangelise in a very low key way.4 But if you want to go public and engage strangers one-on-one, and speak the gospel out yourself, then we can help you with that as well. We have strategies for everything inbetween these two extremes. elp to get started... To help us get started, first we must analyse the five types of fear which can come upon Christians who want to do evangelism: fear without foundation, a spirit of fear, experiential fear, natural fear, and the fear of God. Fear can influence our evangelism for good or bad. Understanding our fears can help us overcome them.
H
Type of Fear
Who or what creates it?
Type of Christian who experiences it
How to deal with this fear?
I. Fear without foundation.
Our imagination, but this fear is often exaggerated by the devil.
A Christian who has never actually done evangelism.
Do evangelism after receiving training. Do regular, meaningful Bible reading, prayer, and Scripture memory; mix with people doing evangelism regularly; read books on evangelism; listen to tapes, CDs, videos and DVDs on evangelism.
II. A spirit of fear.
The devil.
All Christians can experience this.
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to deliver us from this fear.
III. Experiential Our past experiences All Christians. fear. in evangelism. The devil, through our imagination and through a spirit of fear, can exaggerate this kind of fear.
We can beat this fear by learning how to evangelise and breaking through to a place of success. As confidence builds this fear will gradually disappear.
IV. Natural fear. God created us with All Christians. a capacity to feel this fear.
We are not supposed to overcome this fear. It can save us from harm and danger.
4
To find out about these strategies, please email me at julian@esisite.com
12
V. Fear of God. The Holy Spirit.
All Christians ought to feel this.
F
We are not supposed to overcome this fear but respond to its prompting. We are to feed, nurture and encourage this fear.
EAR WITHOUT FOUNDATION.
One evening I was walking through a forest alone, in the twilight. As I rounded a bend on the path, I noticed the silhouette of a person crouching behind a bush. Suddenly I was filled with fear. “Hi, how are you” I said nervously. There was no response, and so I picked up a rock from the path and threw it near where I thought the person was. There was still no movement. Again I cried out. Still fearful, I slowly moved towards him, my body pumped with adrenalin and poised for a fight. To my relief, I soon realised that what I thought was a crouching person with his arms outstretched was actually a tree stump with two low branches attached. The feelings of fear had been real - but their foundation was imaginary. This type of fear is felt by Christians who have never, or rarely, done evangelism. And, given that most Christians don’t do evangelism, it is a common problem. en of the twelve spies suffered with this fear, and it robbed them of their destiny… In Numbers 13, we read how twelve spies went up into Canaan to check out the Promised Land. They returned to base camp and reported that there were “giants in the land.” In fact, one of the spies said “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes…” and they “spread a bad report” (Numbers 13:26-33). When the Israelites back at base camp heard this, they were afraid to go and take possession of the land God had promised them. The phrase “in our own eyes” is significant as we think about evangelism. Many Christians imagine themselves doing evangleism and their thoughts make them feel like grasshoppers! They imagine
T
13
each encounter to be much worse than it actually is. Our feelings of fear are real to us, but they have no foundation in reality. How does fear without foundation stop us proclaiming the gospel? First we tell ourselves how bad we imagine the experience will be: “No one will listen to me.” “I’ll be rejected.” “What happens if someone I know sees me?” “What if I put the person off Christianity?” “What if I freeze up and look silly?” “I feel bad enough about myself as it is. Doing evangelism might make me feel worse!” “I might mess it up and let God down.” These fears are largely without foundation, for most of the time they never eventuate. ear spreads… Secondly, we talk to other believers about our imaginary fears, thus spreading bad vibes about evangelism within the Christian community. Those of us who suffer from fear without foundation succumb to a condition known as “Non-Active Paralysis” (in other words, they cause us to take a NAP from evangelising). While there were real people for the Israelites to fight in Canaan, and while the spies really felt afraid, they’d forgotten about God and His role in their situation. In their imagination they focused on failure and left ‘the God factor’ out. They were thinking too much about themselves (pride) and not enough about God. In the same way, fear without foundation causes us to focus on failure in evangelism and not on how God can help us in the situation. Caleb focused on God, and victory through faith (Numbers 13:30) “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for
F
14
we can certainly do it.” od knows all about our fears, and He promises to help… God knows we will feel fearful in many situations, and so He reassures us in His Word. Just look at the incredible promise of victory God gave to the Israelites when they were about to enter the Promised Land. Please notice all the references to victory and success: “After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates – all the Hittite country – to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ‘Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’” (Joshua 1:1-9). Aside from Joshua and Caleb who didn’t give in to fear without foundation, a certain number of the Israelites missed out on all the promises because they let their fear run rampant. In the same way, we will miss out on the promises and blessings of God which are connected to evangelism if we don’t believe what Jesus has
G
15