Evangelism: Strategies From Heaven In The War For Souls Chapter Study Guide

CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE Copyright © Julian Batchelor Requests for information should be addressed to: Evangelism Strategies International (NEW ZEALAND) 193 Dinsdale Road Hamilton, New Zealand Mobile: + 64 274 76 44 30 skype: Julian Batchelor NEW ZEALAND Email: Julian@esisite.com Web: www.esisite.com www.biblein11.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of Evangelism Strategies International Inc.

i

Preface 1 Introduction 5 Chapter 1

9

How our Understanding of the Word ‘Evangelism’ has been Confused (Part One) Chapter 2

13

How our Understanding of the Word ‘Evangelism’ has been Confused (Part Two) Chapter 3

17

How we have Become Confused in our Understanding of the Phrase “The Gospel” Chapter 4

21

What is the Content of the Gospel we are to Proclaim to Non-Christians?

Chapter 5

25

When Evangelism is Not the Priority, our Purpose Becomes Confused Chapter 6

29

Are all Christians Commanded to Evangelise?

Chapter 7

35

How to Overcome Fear in Evangelism Chapter 8

43

Eleven Common Misunderstandings about Evangelism Which Hinder Christians from Proclaiming the Gospel Chapter 9

57

Why is Evangelism an Event, Not a Process Chapter 10

61

How Christians Have Lost Confidence in the Gospel Chapter 11 What Jesus really thought about Evangelism and the Gospel ii

65

Chapter 12

77

Why Leaders are Critically Important in World Evangelism Chapter 13

83

The Evangelism Dream Team Chapter 14

89

How the Enemy Targets Leaders to Hinder Evangelism (Part 1) Chapter 15

101

How the Enemy Targets Leaders to Hinder Evangelism (Part 2) Chapter 16

111

How the Enemy Targets Leaders to Hinder Evangelism (Part 3) Chapter 17

119

How the Enemy Targets Leaders to Hinder Evangelism (Part 4) Chapter 18

129

How Evangelism Blesses Society Chapter 19

131

How Pseudo Conversions Hinder Evangelism Chapter 20

135

How to Make the Most of Friendshps with Non-Christians Chapter 21

139

What Should Motivate Us to Go to War in Evangelism?

Conclusion 143 Appendix 1

145

The gospel in five bullet points Appendix 2

147

A bowl of rice is no substitute for the Holy Spirit Appendix 3

150

Pastor Evangelists. Roger Greenway Appendix 4

155

The Gospel must be heard. Kevyn Harris

iii

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

There is a furious war going on for the souls of men and women.

What are the main ideas in this The war is between God and the Church on one side, and the devil on the other.

The devil wants to stop the evangelisation of the world. chapter?

Evangelism is defined as the spread or proclamation of the gospel.

Evangelism in the West has all but ceased.

Please Note!

As you work through this study guide and as part of your study, you are going to be asked to view DVDs online. You will find all the DVDs at www.esite.com/ videos. They appear on the website in the same order as they appear in the study guide, so you shouldn’t get lost!

now Watch the dvd entitled: preface video 1

How does this video make you feel? Afraid? Guilty? Inspired? Disgusted? Manipulated? Helpless?

What messages is the video trying to convey?

Discuss your answers in your group. Give reasons for your answers.

Write down your thoughts Before you read the preface, it will be useful to find out what you already know about three critical concepts: Evangelism, The Great Commission, and The Gospel.

If you were lost in a dense forest, the first and most important thing to do would be to find out where you are. Once you know this, you will have a much better chance of finding your way out. It’s a bit like this with evangelism. Many Christians are ‘lost’ in dense forest of misunderstandings about evangelism and

PREFACE 1

don’t know how to find their way out. You may be one of them. So, let’s make a start!

What is your understanding of “Evangelism”?

1.

How would you define evangelism?

2.

Would you say you were successful with evangelism?

3.

Do you think most non-Christians in your country have been evangelised? On a scale of 1-10, 1 being ‘not evangelised’ and 10 being ‘completely evangelised’, how would you rate your country?

4.

What percentage would you estimate have been evangelised?

5.

What about Christians in other Western countries? What percentage of them have been evangelised?

6.

From what you hear and read in Christian literature, how well is the Church doing with respect to evangelising the West? On a scale of 1-10, 1 being ‘not evangelised’ and 10 being ‘completely evangelised’, how would you rate its performance?

What is your understanding of “The Great Commission”?

7

If someone told you that the Great Commission had four parts, what would you say these were?

a.

b. c.

d.

What is your understanding of “The Gospel”?

8.

In Mark 16:15, Jesus said ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel.’ What do you think the content of the ‘gospel’ message was supposed to include? i.e. if you were to write out a gospel message, what would you include? What would you leave out? Using no more than 200 words, write out your gospel message.

NOW WATCH A DVD ENTITLED: PREFACE – VIDEO 2

Read the Preface in Julian’s book

9.

Page v. This page lists ‘hard questions’ about evangelism? Could you add to the list? If so, write your question below.

10.

Julian places a lot of emphasis on evangelism being a war. What scriptures support the reality that the Christian life is a war?

a.

b. c.

d.

2 PREFACE

11.

Recount the biggest ‘war’ you have had since being a Christian.

b.

a.

Briefly, what happened?

c.

When we know it’s the devil, how can we defeat him? If you can, cite Bible verses which support your point of view.

Who was fuelling this war? Is it our fallen nature? Or is it really the devil? How much of each?

d. The Bible says on the one hand that Jesus has defeated the devil. On the other hand, it also says that the devil is a roaring lion, very much alive and reaping havoc on the earth. How can both these facts be true at the same time (i.e. that the devil is both defeated and alive and well)?

Explain.

12. Page vii. Please read the vision of the waterfall. Don’t rush from this vision. Take a moment to meditate on it. How did God speak to you? Did you feel compassion for the lost? Urgency to do something about it? Or what?

13.

Page xviii. Julian is transparent and honest about the challenge to keep people active in evangelism after they have received training. Of course, his book is dedicated to giving answers to this problem.

Before you read this book, write as many explanations as you can as to why only 2% of Christians in the Western Church regularly engage in evangelism. Please don’t rush this. It’s important. When you reach the end of the book, compare your explanations with that of the author.

Memorise “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”.

Mark 16:15

NOW WATCH A DVD ENTITLED: PREFACE – VIDEO 3

Write a prayer to God, telling Him what you have learnt this chapter and how you want Him to change your heart for evangelism and His lost world.

PREFACE 3

Preface – Answers Question Number

Answer

1-6

Participants offer their own answers

7

(a) Go (b) Preach the gospel (c) Baptise those saved (d) Make disciples

8-9

Participants offer their own answers

10

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does; 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses; 2 Timothy 2:3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus; Isaiah 41:11 All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.

11

(a) Participants offer their own answers (b) the devil and principalities and power (c) by resisting him (James 4:7); by putting on the full armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-11) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (d) A balanced study of all that the Bible reveals about God’s permitting of evil to be and remain in this world reveals that God (1) sometimes prevents sin from happening, (2) sometimes allows sin to happen, and if he does this, (3) he limits it and its impact on people, and (4) always uses it to serve his ultimate purposes. The same is true regarding Satan and his efforts to do evil. It is God’s wise desire not to annihilate Satan or remove evil completely from the world at this time. Satan knows that at the Second Coming he will finally be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10).

Meanwhile, God allows him to roam the earth. No one can satisfactorily explain why God doesn’t eliminate the devil and evil now. It remains a mystery.

12-13

4 PREFACE

Participants offer their own answers

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

Many intelligent people believe in a real devil who has real power.

What are the main ideas in this It is within the capacity of all believers to participate in evangelism.

The devil has five motives for stopping the evangelisation of the world. chapter?

now Watch the dvd entitled: introduction video 1

T. D Jakes is preaching about struggling with the devil to prevent falling into sins of commission. Sins of commission are things we ought not to do but we choose to do (e.g. pornography, alcoholism, fornication, lying, etc). This is one category of sin. However, there is another category – sins of omission. These are things we ought to do but do not do. When it comes to evangelism, the devil focuses on sins of omission i.e. His goal is to stop Christians doing it. Some would say not evangelising is not a sin. What do you think?

Discuss your answers in your group.

INTRODUCTION 5

now Watch the dvd entitled: introduction video 2 Read 1.

At the bottom of page xxii, the author gives the Greek meaning of the word ‘devices’. Please read this paragraph and then list five ‘thoughts’ which have kept you from being active in evangelism.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

2.

Read the metaphor on page xxiii which refers to Christians as flowers. Think of three reasons why doing evangelism regularly would positively influence the life of a Christian.

a)

b) c)

now Watch the dvd entitled: introduction video 3 On pages xxiv and xxv, Julian details three devices the devil has used to give us a false impression of the state of evangelism in the West.

a.

Speaking and writing triumphantly.

c.

Mistakenly believing the West is evangelised.

b.

Wishful thinking and lack of accountability with respect to evangelism.

3.

Imagine you were asked by your pastor to head up evangelism in your church. What would you do to ensure the people in your church were accountable in evangelism? What systems would you put in place? How would you go about implementing such systems? What objections do you think you would encounter? How could you overcome these?

4.

On pages xxvi and xxvii, Julian lists three reasons why the devil is so concerned to stop the gospel being proclaimed.

a.

He wants the glory.

c.

He wants to preserve his life.

b.

He wants territory.

Which of these three impacted you the most? Why? Can you think of a fourth reason the devil does not want to stop the gospel from being proclaimed?

6 INTRODUCTION

Read 5.

On page xxix, Julian makes the statement ‘To win this war, we must know our enemy’. Would you agree with this? Why? Why not?

6.

What would you say to someone who said ‘To talk and write about the devil is to glorify him! We should only talk about Jesus!’ Would you agree? Why? Why not?

Memorise “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

Ephesians 6:10-11

Write a prayer to Jesus thanking Him for what you have learnt this lesson, and ask Him to change your heart for evangelism and the lost world.

Introduction – Answers Question Number 1-6

Answers Participants offer their own answers

INTRODUCTION 7

8

How our Understanding of the Word ‘Evangelism’ has been Confused (Part One)

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The devil has messed up our definition of the word evangelism.

What are the main ideas in this Personal opinion does not have the same authority as sound scholarship.

Evangelism is not to be equated with the winning of souls. chapter?

Not every activity which brings a non-Christian closer to the point of conversion is evangelism.

Good works are not to be equated with evangelism.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 1 - video 1 The Bishops passion is fantastic! However, is he clear about what evangelism is and is not? Is he putting out mixed messages? Would those listening know exactly what evangelism was and was not by the end of his speech? Are there ‘devices’ in his speech? What are they?

Reflection

Why is it that many Christians have a wrong definition of evangelism? Who or what is to blame? Rank each of the statements below, “1” being mostly to blame, and “5” having little influence. Place your ranking at the end of each sentence.

1.

The devil is to blame.

3.

My pastor is to blame because he/she didn’t tell me.

5.

The Bible is to blame. It doesn’t make it clear.

2. I am to blame because I have never taken the time to study the truth about this issue.

4.

The theological College or Bible College where I was trained is to blame.

6. Are there other explanations?

Discuss your answers in your group.

CHAPTER 1 9

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 1 - video 2 Please read the quote from J.O. Sanders on page 2. When was the last time you were deceived in some way? (e.g. in a business deal? In a relationship? etc) What did it feel like when you found out the truth?

What did you do about it?

6.

Why is it important for Christians to ‘walk in the truth’?

8.

How do Christian cults start and then grow?

7.

9.

Can you think of some Bible verses which exhort us to ‘walk in the truth’?

Has anyone in your group had a friend or acquaintance unwittingly caught up in a cult?

At the bottom of page 5, David Barrett defines evangelisation as ‘ensuring everyone in a geographical area has heard and understood the gospel’.

10. Let’s say you were asked by your pastor to lead the evangelism ministry in your church. How would you go about making sure the neighbourhood around your church was ‘evangelised’?

Discuss as a group.

11. On page 7, Dr David Barrett limits the meaning of evangelism to what he calls ‘The Big Six’.

What do you notice about the six? Which one stands out as being different from the other five?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 1 - video 3

Read about

pages 8-14.

Affirmation 18, page 11.

12. Was it a shock to discover that personal testimony, godly living, and acts of mercy and charity to our neighbour were not evangelism?

13. If so, how so?

14. How have so many come to believe these behaviours are evangelism?

15. Does it make a difference that so many top scholars at the “This we believe conference” affirmed this truth? If so, why?

Discuss in your group.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 1 - video 4

16.

Many people feel completely liberated when they discover that evangelism does not equal the winning of souls. Discuss why this is so. The following might help stimulate discussion. Rank each of the statements below, “1” being the main reason, “5” being the least significant reason.

1. Because having to win someone made me feel like a high pressure salesman, which made

10 CHAPTER 1

me feel very uncomfortable.

2. Because having to win someone put pressure on me.

4. Because having to win someone made me less reliant on God.

3. Because having to win someone put pressure on the person being evangelised.

5. Because having to win someone made evangelism all about me.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 1 - video 5

17.

How much of a shock was it to discover that evangelism was not a process but an event within a six step process? Where do you think the wrong idea that it was a process came from?

18. How could you be part of the solution, without being negative about your church, seminary, or pastor?

19. How could you encourage your pastor/minister to make evangelism a more significant part of church life?

Discuss in your group.

CHAPTER 1 11

Read

20.

Read device 5, page 30. John Stott is exhorting Christians not to confuse social action with evangelism. Can you summarise his argument in three sentences?

21. Read carefully K.P. Yohannan’s argument on pages 31-32. According to him, what is the root cause of hunger, population explosion, and poverty?

Memorise: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:57

Write a prayer to Jesus thanking Him for what you have learnt this lesson, and ask Him to change your heart for evangelism and the lost world.

Thank Him for the scholars and leaders at the “This We Believe” conference.

Chapter 1 – Answers Question Number 1-5

Answers Participants offer their own answers

6

Because God is Truth. Therefore, when we are walking in Truth, we are walking in step with Him (Amos 3:3). There is no better place to be than this.

7

Psalm 15:2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart; Psalm 26:3 for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth; 1 John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth; 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

8

By moving away from Truth, and into error or false teaching.

9-10 11

12-16

Participants offer their own answers Five are verbs connected with speech. This reinforces the idea that evangelism is concerned with speaking out a message.

‘Bring’ is the only one that appears not concerned with speech. This is because sometimes missionaries would go to unreached people groups, bringing the gospel with them. i.e. in the same way one would ‘bring’ a gift.

Participants offer their own answers

17

Because so few people in the church are concerned about evangelism, and many seminaries either ignore evangelism or treat it as an optional subject of minor significance, made up definitions of evangelism have propagated and spread unchecked throughout the Church.

18

Participants offer their own answers

19

Participants offer their own answers

20

a. Evangelism and social action are separate and different. b. They are both services of love. c. The two should work together, one not pretending to be the other.

21

12 CHAPTER 1

Spiritual darkness

How our Understanding of the Word ‘Evangelism’ has been Confused (Part Two)

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

Normal and Non Normal evangelism are quite different.

What are the main ideas in this The responsibility to evangelise is not a team event where only one or two members in the team do evangelism. chapter?

‘Sharing one’s faith’ and ‘evangelism’ are not necessarily the same thing.

The whole church is commanded to take the whole gospel to the whole world The devil has messed up our definition of the word ‘witnessing’.

Read and discuss Page 41, Ask how many people in your group have heard of someone who has been converted to Christ through ‘non-normal evangelism’.

1

Do you agree/disagree that testimonies of non-normal evangelism circulating in the Christian community can hinder the mobilisation of Christians for personal evangelism?

2

How might such testimonies encourage personal evangelism?

Discuss your experiences/answers in your group.

CHAPTER 2 13

Read

pages 42-45.

3

How widespread is the notion that ‘I am doing my bit in the church and evangelism is someone else’s job?’

4

Do you think it’s true that many Christians fob off their responsibility to evangelise onto their pastor or those with the gift?

5

If you were in charge of evangelism in your church, how would you overcome this attitude?

Discuss your experiences/answers in your group.

Read

6

What do most Christians mean when they say ‘I am sharing my faith’? Give 3 examples.

7

On page 46, there is an example of how a particular denomination was exhorting its members to do evangelism. If you were a member of this denomination, how would you speak to the leaders of the denomination about the true definition of evangelism, without coming across as being a critical, arrogant, know-all? How would you word what you were going to say in order to win them over but at the same time encourage their desire to reach out to people and bring them to church?

Read

page 46.

8

See if you can verbalise the difference between the mission task, the evangelism task, and the discipleship task (without looking!).

9

Imagine that your job was to ensure everyone in a nation had heard and understood the gospel (i.e. they had been evangelised). What would be your strategy?

Discuss your answers in your group.

14 CHAPTER 2

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 2 - video 1 Was this person ‘witnessing’ or not? Why? Why not?

Read and discuss

Before you read about device 10, share examples in your group of what most Christians mean when they talk about the word ‘witnessing’. If you are not in a group, write them down.

Read

pages 48 – 51.

10 Of the examples of ‘witnessing’ given on page 49, which ones could be exhibited by nonChristians?

11 If your answer is ‘most of them’, then it follows that by exhibiting these behaviours, nonChristians would be witnessing for Jesus Christ? Yes? No?

12 Was it a revelation to find out that evangelism and witnessing are primarily the same thing?

13 According to Dr Michael Green, witnessing has three aspects:

a

b

c

Telling facts (about the life of Jesus Christ).

Interpreting these facts and then explaining ‘why’ they are important. The essential content of the gospel message covers ‘the why’. i. Why we must be saved. ii. How Jesus can save us. iii. What we must do to be saved. iv. What was the fourth part of the essential gospel content?

Vouching for truths (i.e. giving your testimony).

14 Regarding telling facts. What facts, other than those I have given as examples on page 50 (i.e.

He came, lived, died, and rose again), would you say were critical?

15 Regarding vouching for truths. Write down three things Jesus has done for you in your life so far.

16 On page 50-51, I summarise 10 ways the devil has manipulated our thinking. Rank these ten, “1” being most applicable to me, to “10” being least applicable to me.

CHAPTER 2 15

Memorise: Exodus 9:16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter

Chapter 2 – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

Participants offer their own answers

2

Because they demonstrate God’s phenomenal power and desire to save people. This being so, just imagine how much more He would want to bless the proclamation of His word – the gospel. So, let’s get sowing!

3-12

Participants offer their own answers

13

(iv) The cost of becoming a disciple

14

That He is coming again; That He is the Judge of the living and the dead; that His coming was prophesied etc

15-16

16 CHAPTER 2

Participants offer their own answers

How we have Become Confused in our Understanding of the Phrase “The Gospel”

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The devil has confused our understanding of the phrase ‘the gospel’.

What are the main ideas in this The devil has tried to manipulate us into proclaiming other gospels. chapter?

‘The gospel’ has three aspects: words, works, and effects.

‘The gospel’ has a general use, and a sharply defined New Testament use.

The gospel message can be defined.

The devil wants us to dilute the gospel to preserve unity.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 3 - video 1

As you watch this video, please take particular notice/notes on what the speaker is saying about the gospel.

• He say the Church is weak because we are preaching ‘another gospel’. Is he right? Why? Why not?

• How does preaching another gospel weaken the Church?

• Can you attribute the deterioration of society to a weak Church? How does this work? Can you think of some scripture verses to back up your argument?

• How would preaching ‘the’ gospel make a difference?

CHAPTER 3 17

Refresh

1.

In study one, we discovered that there were three aspects to the gospel. Do you remember what they were? I have given you the first one below. a. The works of the gospel.

b. c.

2. The gospel also has four essential content areas. Recall them below. I have filled in the first one for you.

a. Why we must be saved.

b. c.

d.

3.

Look at the cartoon below. With respect to the content of their messages, have many pastors and leaders succumbed to pressure from people in the pews to please them (i.e. ‘meet their needs’), rather than preaching strong Biblical messages which meet their spiritual need? i.e. Instead of God, the Bible and the Holy Spirit guiding what’s preached from the pulpit, is meeting immediate needs of people now doing the guiding? Discuss in your group.

Read On page 55, Julian states that when it comes to a knowledge of the gospel, there are basically three groups of Christians.

4.

5.

Which group do you belong to?

If you are in groups 1 and 2, what positive steps are you going to take to get into group 3?

7.

Read footnote 3, page 55. Can you or anyone in your group name an evangelist who is currently busy and active equipping Christians for personal evangelism? i.e. doing what Ephesians 4:12 commanded which was to ‘Equip the saints for the work of ministry’?

6.

What thinking/things do you anticipate would hold you back?

18 CHAPTER 3

8.

9.

How serious is the situation? How could you become part of the solution? What would stop you from equipping others for evangelism?

“Evangelists, those with the gift, are in a crude sense selling Jesus Christ and His Church.” Do you agree/disagree with this statement? Why? Why not?

Discuss in your group.

10.

In a business, if the sales team collapses, what happens to the business? Is there a lesson here for churches? If so, what is the lesson?

11. What could you do to practically help evangelists get the Ephesians 4:12 gift back into ministry and stay in the ministry? Even flourish in their ministries?

How do you believe this would impact your church?

12. What would you think of the idea of ‘adopting’ an evangelist? What would you do?

Discuss your answers in your group.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 3 - video 2 Read and discuss

Read the quote from Dr Bill Bright on page 59.

13. On a scale of 1-10, where would you rate your spiritual life right now? “1” being ‘spiritually impotent and frustrating’ and “10” being ‘life and life in all its fullness’.

14. When was the last time you were a “10”? What were you doing at that stage of your life?

15. What factors were contributing?

16. What factors are contributing to where you are at now?

Discuss your answers in your group.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 3 - video 3 (optional)

Was the man speaking balanced in his theology? What was great about what he said? And what he was doing? Did he understand the difference between words, works, and effects?

Was there anything he said that really impacted you? What about the discussion he had with a fellow Christian about being cruel to the man without legs? Whose side would you take? Why? Why not?

CHAPTER 3 19

Watch and discuss

17. Device 12 is extremely important. This is one of the chief confusions created by the devil.

Consequently, many Christians now object to evangelism by saying ‘The gospel is more than just words!’ They are, of course, right in saying this. However, if they understand the difference between the words, effects, and works of the gospel, this confusion could be cleared away quickly. As a group, discuss how useful this distinction between the words, effects, and works of the gospel has been for clarifying what ‘the gospel’ is.

18. List as many truths as you can which came out of watching these two DVD’s. Did any particular truth really stand out? Which one? For what reason?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 3 - video 4

& chapter 3 - video 5

Memorise: Numbers 13:30 “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Write a prayer to Jesus thanking Him for what you have learnt this lesson, and ask Him to change your heart for evangelism and the lost world.

Chapter 3 – Answers Question Number 1 2

3-18

20 CHAPTER 3

Answers a.

The effects of the gospel.

b.

The words of the gospel.

a.

How Jesus can save us.

b.

What we must do to be saved.

c.

The cost of being a disciple.

Participants offer their own answers

What is the Content of the Gospel we are to Proclaim to Non-Christians?

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The gospel message must cover four essential areas of content: What are the • Why we must be saved. main ideas in this

• How Jesus can save us. chapter?

• •

What we must do to be saved.

The cost of discipleship.

The centre of the gospel is justification by faith.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 4 - video 1 Did you find yourself agreeing with the speakers? If so,why? If not, why not?

• Is the first speaker right? Has our evangelism become ‘results orientated?’

• Are ‘numbers’ the measure of success today in many churches? How does ‘going for numbers’ cause the gospel to be watered down?

• How true is it that ‘if you take away the offence of the gospel, you take away the gospel?’ What’s ‘offensive’ about the true gospel?

• Do you think the men who were commenting actually engage in personal evangelism themselves?

Or are they just people who know what’s wrong and are experts at pointing it out? How can you tell? Is there any way of telling?

• Does God love us ‘just the way we are’? Or does He love us to conform us into His image?

Discuss in your group.

Think and Reflect

Jesus commanded us all to ‘go into all the world and proclaim the gospel’ Mark 16:15. He was commanding the disciples to invite people to believe in a set of truths about Himself. What are some key truths about Jesus you might include in a gospel message? List them below. See if you can get 10! I have done the first four below.

CHAPTER 4 21

1.

He was God

2. He was man

3.

His coming was prophesied

4.

He was One of the trinity who created the world

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Read pages 97 – 104. Compare your answers with those of the Lausanne Covenant on page 104.

Now, rank these sentences from 1-10, “1” being most important, to “10” being least important.

If you were to summarise the whole Bible in one sentence, what would that sentence be? Write your answer down.

Now read pages 105-107 and compare your one sentence with the findings of scholars when they were asked the same question!

Memorise

The four essential areas of Christian content on page 109.

a.

Why we must be saved.

c.

What we must do to be saved.

b. d.

How Jesus can save us.

The cost of becoming a disciple.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 4 - video 2

Do you agree with everything Paul Washer is saying about the gospel? Why? Why not?

22 CHAPTER 4

Read and discuss On page 114, evangelist David Watson makes the comment that ‘I have learned that most people, if not all, are basically hungry for God, even though they show little sign of this on the surface.’ This is also the experience of the author. Yet, the general opinion of those who make up the Church around the world is that non-Christians are hardened to God, and not open to receive the gospel.

14. Explore possible reasons why this discrepancy exists.

a. Has the devil blinded the minds of not just unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4) but also of believers to the openness and hunger among non-Christians for God?

b. Was the myth that non-Christians are not hungry for God started by timid Christians as a conjured up excuse not to go to the lost?

c. Could David Watson not be telling the truth?

d. Or is it just that evangelists like David Watson and people with the gift are supernaturally endowed with skills to communicate the gospel to the lost?

e. If this is so, can these skills be passed onto effectively to those without the gift? What would Ephesians 4:11-12 say about this?

f. If not, then why was the command to evangelise the whole world given to all believers, not just those with the Ephesians 4:12 gift?

Discuss your answers in your group.

Memorise: Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter, and tell Him what action you are going to take as a result of reading it.

Chapter 4 – Answers Question Number 1-14

Answers Participants offer their own answers

CHAPTER 4 23

24

When Evangelism is Not the Priority, our Purpose Becomes Confused

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

What are the The priority of the Christian Church is the evangelisation of the world. main ideas in this chapter?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 5 - video 1

What is God’s highest priority? The speaker starts by saying it is not ‘us’ but ‘Him’. He then goes on to cite scriptures which speak of the character, deeds, and attributes of God. He is right in concluding that God exists for His glory. What the speaker doesn’t make clear (and this is not a criticism) is how we can glorify Him? How is the thought of glorifying Jesus worked out practically in each of our lives? Is the pastor on this video really speaking about what ought to be the priority with respect to our motives? (See Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31) If so, what ought the priority be when it comes to our activity?

Some say ‘prayer’ ought to be our priority activity, others ‘worship’, and yet others ‘social action’. Who is right? How would be know who is right? What does the Bible say?

(Think of what you learnt in chapter 1 – video 2. Watch this again if you need to).

Now listen to the two audio files CHAPTER 5 - AUDIO 1 and CHAPTER 5 - AUDIO 2 The speaker is Dr John MacArthur who is one of the world’s best known and respected Bible teachers.

CHAPTER 5 25

Think and Reflect After listening to the two audio files, think about the Westminster Shorter Catechim (below) and discuss in your group. This Catechism is one of the most important documents produced by the Church in the past 500 years.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism was written in the 1640s by English and Scottish divines. The assembly also produced the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger Catechism. The three documents are considered by many Protestants to be the grandest doctrinal statements to come out of the English Reformation, and one of the important documents of the Reformation. Completed in 1647, it was presented to parliament on 14 April 1648. The catechism is composed of 107 questions and answers.

The first 12 questions concern God as Creator. Questions 13-20 deal with original sin and the fallen state of man’s nature. Questions 21-38 concern Christ the Redeemer and the benefits that flow from redemption.

The next set of questions, 39-84, discuss the ten commandments. Questions 85-97 teach concerning the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. The final set of questions 98-107 teach and explain the Lord’s prayer.

The most famous of the questions (known to a great many Presbyterians) is the first: Q. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

1.

2. If Churches grasped the idea that evangelising their town/city/world was the greatest way to bring glory to Jesus, how would this change the way to ‘do’ church? How would church be different to the way it is now?

3.

Exactly how does evangelising give glory to God? (See the chapter in Julian’s book “Evangelism: Strategies from Heaven In The War For Souls” on motives).

Why does doing evangelism show God we love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength?’ (See John 14:21)

READ AND DISCUSS. Read pages 123 – 146.

Page 125, Device 16. On this page, Julian lists seven reasons why he came to the conclusion that the priority of the Christian Church ought to be the evangelisation of the earth for the glory of God

1. Can you add an eighth reason?

2. Of the seven reasons given, which is most impacting? For what reason (s)?

On page 129, there is a quote from John Stott. “Unless the whole Church is mobilised, the whole world is not likely to be reached. Thus God’s purpose and the world’s need together bring to the Church the insistent call to evangelise.” Is John Stott saying that the West is not yet completely reached? i.e. that there are people groups in the West which don’t yet have an established indigenous Church? If so, can you think of what groups this would be?

• How could there be unreached people groups in large western cities? Small towns? Remote areas?

• What place does evangelism have in reaching these groups?

• How would you go about identifying these groups?

26 CHAPTER 5

On page 134, Julian gives a vision of a new breed of pastor-evangelists.

• How realistic is this vision?

• How could pastors be relieved of some of their many duties and responsibilities so that they could be free to evangelise?

• Who would take these up for them?

• How would this be financed?

• What difference do you think this change would be for pastors?

Would it bring a change for better in their : a. Marriages? b. Preaching?

c. Relationships?

d. Vision for their church?

f.

e. Love for the lost?

Love for the Bible?

g. Love for Jesus? h. Love of life?

If so, how so? If not, why not? Look up John 14:21. Who does Jesus says will ‘show themselves’ to any believer who obeys the commands of God? Also see 1 Samual 15:22.

In this chapter, to come to his conclusions, the author quotes many scholars, established and proven leaders, both past and present, and historians.

• Why is it so important to do this?

• Would his argument be so believable if he had not done this?

Page 144 – 147. In these pages Julian encourages leaders.

• How could you encourage your leaders to make evangelism the priority?

• •

How could you be part of the solution, and not the problem?

Why is it so important not to criticise your leadership? (See 1 Thessalonians 5:11 and Hebrews 10:15 for example).

• What is the difference between criticism per se and constructive criticism?

• If your leadership do not want to get involved in evangelism, or you are fobbed off, what is your plan?

• How can you make yourself accountable for this plan?

Discuss you answers in your group.

CHAPTER 5 27

NOW WATCH A DVD ENTITLED: CHAPTER 5 – VIDEO 2 The leaders in this discussion, Dr John Piper, Dr D.A Carson, and Dr Tim Keller are among the great leaders in the world today. They are widely and unanimously respected for their views. Their conclusion is that gospel proclamation (evangelism) is the priority of the Church.

Memorise: Deuteronomy 8:2-3 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Ask Him to help you make evangelism the priority in your life and the lives of others.

Chapter 5 – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

We are to do everything for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

2

Yes, according to the scholars. Their findings are the basis of this chapter.

3

Yes.

4

Evangelism

5

Both. The key scripture here is 1 Corinthians 10:31

6-7

Participants offer their own answers

8

Large cities are now extremely cosmopolitan and many of these people groups are not yet ‘reached.’

9

An unreached town/rural area/people group is where there is no established church or group of believers who can evangelise the rest of the group, rural area, people group.

10

Evangelism is critical. See Romans 10:14-15

11-25

28 CHAPTER 5

Participants offer their own answers

Are all Christians Commanded to Evangelise?

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

What are the All Christians are commanded to evangelise. main ideas in this chapter?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 6 - video 1

How does this video make you feel? Afraid? Guilty? Inspired to go? Disgusted? Manipulated? What messages is the DVD trying to convey? Is it ‘over the top’ (i.e. exaggerated for effect?) If the screams of people in this DVD were your children, or loved ones, how would you feel?

In many church circles today, it’s not politically correct to speak about ‘hell’, let alone labour the idea?

Why do you think this is so? Was ‘hell’ used by Jesus just to scare people into heaven? Did He use hell to control behaviour?

Why was hell created in the first place? Why does He command His angels to send people there?

Look up Matthew 3:12; Mark 9:43. If Jesus used the concept ‘matter of factly’, why don’t we? What is stopping us? Take time to read and meditate on the Parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16: 19-31.

What do you think was the main reason Jesus told this parable? If Jesus was ‘the gospel’, and He spoke often about hell, would it be unbiblical of us to leave mention of hell out of our gospel messages? If we leave ‘hell’ out of our gospel messages, would be preaching an incomplete gospel message?

Discuss your answers in your group.

CHAPTER 6 29

Think, Reflect and Discuss

Someone once said “To ask the question ‘are all Christians commanded to evangelise?’ is akin to asking ‘are all fish designed to swim?’”

1.

In light of Acts 1:8, what was the person who said this trying to say?

2. How much truth is there in what he/she said?

3.

What Bible verses support the point of view that all Christians are commanded to evangelise?

4.

What Bible verses could a person use to support the idea that the command to evangelise was not for all Christians?

5.

What do you believe personally?

6.

We learnt in the previous chapter that the priority of the Church was to evangelise the world. If this responsibility was restricted to those who have the gift of evangelism, what is the likelihood of completing the task?

7.

If the responsibility rested with all Christians, would the completion of the task be more likely?

Read, Think, Discuss Read pages 151 -155.

Focus on page 155 and the Dr Leighton Ford quote.

8.

Why are the Communists,Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Pentecostal Churches the fastest growing movements in Latin America?

9.

In the business world, if a business boomed because of a particular sales strategy, it would not be long before other similar businesses followed suit. This is because most businesses exist to make profit. Why haven’t we followed the Latin American example?

10. Do you think principalities and powers were responsible for the limp response of churches in the West?

11. If not, why else might churches in the West not have followed the excellent example of the Latin American Church?

Read pages 156-157.

12. In support of the idea that evangelism is for all believers, was Julian’s explanation of the four scriptures cited from the four gospels (i.e. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) convincing? Why? Why not?

13. Has anyone in your group read anywhere in any book that evangelism was not for all believers?

If so, which book?

Read page 158.

14. Do you have an Ephesians 4:10-14 evangelist in your church?

15. If so, are they being given an opportunity to train and equip the people in your church?

30 CHAPTER 6

16. If not, what could you do to find one?

Read pages 159 -161

17. How important is it for the spiritual health of your church to have at least one of each of the five Ephesians 4:10-14 ministries active?

Read pages 162-164 The dictionary defines an ambassador in the following way:

“An official envoy; especially: a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.”* In 2 Corinthians 5:20, we are called Christ’s ambassadors.

18.

As Christians, what is our ‘temporary diplomatic assignment’?

19. Why is it ‘temporary’?

20. What makes us ‘official’?

21. Why are we ‘of the highest rank’?

22. Why is the Government we represent (i.e. the Government of Jesus Christ) ‘foreign’?

23. Is any genuine Christian not an ambassador?

24. How should this passage, and the dictionary definition, help us answer the question ‘Are all Christians commanded to evangelise?’

Read 165

25. As Christians, would you say it was our goal to imitate Christ?

26. Would you agree that proclaiming the gospel was a major part of the life of Jesus?

27. If so, can you find scriptures to back your opinion? (e.g. Luke 19:10)

28. If not so, can you find scriptures to back your opinion?

Read page 166 - 167

29. John Chapman examines 1 Peter 2:9-10 closely and concludes that all Christians are to ‘declare the mighty deeds of God’. He then says ‘...and these praises are all associated with the work of salvation.’ How does he come to this conclusion from 1 Peter 2:9-10?

30. Is John Chapman right? If so, does this scripture teach that all Christians are to evangelise? If not, why not?

* http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambassador

CHAPTER 6 31

Read page 168.

What Pope Paul II had to say to Catholic youth was extremely encouraging and commendable.

31. How can we (i.e. Protestants) work more closely with Catholics?

32. Are all Catholics the same? i.e. are they all genuine Christians?

33. Are all Protestants the same? i.e. are they all genuine Christians?

34. If your answers to (32) and (33) was ‘no’, why can/can’t the genuine Christians in both groups work together for the purpose of evangelising the world?

35. At what points would we have to ‘agree to disagree’?

Read pages 170-173

36. What is your own commitment to evangelism going to be? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Are you going to start by giving out tracts? Or actually proclaiming the gospel?

37. On page 173, there is a list of six things which stop us from evangelising. Rank these from 1-6, “1” being ‘the most relevant to me’ and “6” being ‘the least relevant to me’.

Discuss your answers in your group.

Read pages 174-175.

At the top of page 174, Julian outlines four different ways we could react to the truth that evangelism is the responsibility of all believers. Give each member of your group a piece of paper. Ask them to write their honest reaction. Put the answers in a hat or have the group leader read the responses.

As a group, discuss the various reactions and pray for one another.

Read page 176 On this page, Julian makes this statement: “If your church doesn’t provide training in evangelism, it’s your duty to seek it out.”

As a group, discuss the various ways you could be trained e.g. on-line training makes training very easy and accessible.

38. What other avenues are there for you to receive training?

39. What obstacles and challenges do you expect while training?

40. What blessings and joy?

41. What will it feel like to be in the minority with very few people encouraging you?

42. How will you react when the devil, sometimes using Christians, either subtly or blatantly, discourages you from continuing?

43. How will you be accountable?

44. Read Julian’s explanation of the Parables of the lost sheep and lost coin on page 177. Do you think Jesus gave us these particular parables to prepare us for the challenges and hardships associated with evangelism? Discuss as a group the various hardships and challenges you can

32 CHAPTER 6

expect to encounter when you mobilise to reach the lost with the gospel.

Read pages 181-82

45. On page 181, Julian shares how he honestly feels about evangelism most days. How much of the effort in evangelism is sheer will power?

46. When did Julian say the Holy Spirit seemed to tangibly manifest and empower him?

47. When, then, is greatest will power needed?

48. According to Julian, when does the Holy Spirit ‘kick in’ and empower the evangeliser?

49. After reaching a non-Christian with the gospel, there is usually a lovely rich sense of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the evangeliser. Why does this ‘after glow’ not last into the following day?

Memorise: Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,* and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter

* This is not the only reason businesses exist. Another reason they exist, for example, it to serve society.

CHAPTER 6 33

Chapter 6 – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

Acts 1 says the Holy Spirit was given for witness. Now the Holy Spirit is God. The only thing the Holy Spirit will not overrule is free will. So, if the Spirit was given for witness, and He resides in us, and we are not witnessing, is the sticking point with us or God? So, the challenge is to tap into our will, which is controlled by our minds, which have has been influenced by the devil. This is what this book is essentially about. How to defeat the devil’s influence, and come into a place of victory in evangelism.

2

Participants offer their own answers

3

See points 1-4 on page 156.

4

Romans 12:4-5 is one! “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

5-7 8 9-16

Participants offer their own answers Because they focus on personal evangelism Participants offer their own answers

17

The five fold ministry gifts are all vital. They are like spokes on a bike wheel. If one spoke is knocked out, the wheel begins to malfunction.

18

To represent Jesus on earth

19

Because it’s for the duration of our natural life. Once we reach heaven, we can’t evangelise.

20

God has said we are His ambassadors, so we ‘officially’ represent Him

21

Because we represent the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. This authority is the highest there is.

22

Jesus said ‘My Kingdom is not of this world.’ John 8:36

23

No.

24

If an ambassador is someone who actually represents Jesus, and imitates Him, and Jesus spent a lot of time proclaiming the gospel, and exhorting others to do it, then what reason would we have not to? What would Jesus say at our ‘ambassadorial performance review?’

25-26 27

28-49

34 CHAPTER 6

Participants offer their own answers Christ Our Role Model: The Christian life, the Christian walk should be characterized by the virtues taught in the Word of God. We have said that love embodies all of these virtues, and that a life of perfect love would necessarily be an entirely virtuous one. Such was the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. During His tenure on this earth, He embodied and exemplified the love of God, and by His own example, facing the same difficulties of life which we face (yet to a far more intense degree, Heb.4:15), He gave us a pattern to model ourselves by, footsteps, by which if we should only follow them, we would be lead by the straight road to a virtuous life well-pleasing to God (1Pet.2:21-25; cf. Matt.16:24; Jn.13:15).The Bible is about Jesus Christ (Jn.5:39), about the love of God demonstrated in His gift of Jesus Christ (Jn.3:16), for love comes from God and God is love (1Jn.4:7-8). In this sense then, every page of the Bible reflects the character of God and the love of Christ for lost people, and we should try to retain this perspective as we study the scriptures. Spiritual growth, as we have seen, is a process of transformation, and the ideal goal of that process is the formation of the character of Jesus Christ within each one of us (Gal.4:19). To accomplish this heady goal, we need to “imitate Christ” (1Cor.11:1) and “put on Christ” (Rm.13:14) until He “dwells in our hearts” (Eph.3:16-17). When this happens, we will have His compassion and love for the lost, and go to them with the gospel.

Participants offer their own answers

How to Overcome Fear in Evangelism

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

What are the main ideas in this Fear of doing evangelism can be overcome chapter?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 7 - video 1

1.

To what extent would $100 a time motivate you to evangelise?

2.

Why is money proven to be a much greater motivator than many other influences?

3.

Why does money turn out, in this video, to be a greater motivator than the command of Jesus to evangelise?

4.

What does this tell you about human nature?

5.

Can you identify with this video? Did you notice how easily the young man overcame his fear of embarrassment once the monetary incentive was put before him?

6.

Remember the movie ‘The Passion of Christ’. In light of that movie, how does the thought of ‘only doing evangelism for money’ make you feel? Ashamed? Embarrassed? Why?

Discuss in your answers in your group.

CHAPTER 7 35

Read, Reflect and Discuss Read page 189-193.

At the top of page 190, there is a list of five things people fear when it comes to evangelism.

7.

Rank each of these five in order of applicability to your life, “1” being most applicable, “5” being least applicable.

8.

The author makes the statement ‘Pride is at the root of most fears’. The dictionary defines pride in this way “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.”* Exactly how does pride create fear?

9.

In the account of the monk Telemachus, what do you think motivated him? How would he have felt jumping into the arena?

10.

What can we learn about what motivates people from this account?

11.

What is your most embarrassing moment in your life?

12. How does it make you feel when Julian reports that 95% of the thousands of people he has reached with the gospel were gracious and positive?

13.

If you knew you were going to get the same response, would this motivate you to go?

14.

How much truth is there in the thought that we have become hermits in our churches?

15.

Look at the cartoon below? What is it really saying about attitudes towards evangelism? E.g. Is it saying that many churches don’t want to evangelise because of the hassle of having to deal with new Christians? Yes? No? What else it is saying?

Read page 194-205 How to overcome “fear without foundation”.

16.

Of the five fears listed, what ones are given by God?

17.

Which ones are directly from the devil?

18.

Which ones does the devil try and exaggerate?

19.

Which one (s) are most applicable to you?

20. In Numbers 13, a bad report was spread around by 10 of the 12 spies. To what extent is the Christian community today like this, with certain people spreading a bad report about evangelism?

This book is about how principalities and powers subtly spawn and spread bad reports, each of which is * http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pride

36 CHAPTER 7

designed to stop Christians evangelising. What do I mean by subtle? Well, it’s like this. You’ll never hear anyone in the Church say ‘Don’t do evangelism’. To do so would be blatantly un-Biblical. The devil knows this, so he determines to work by stealth, subtly and quietly creating his devices. In the cartoon below, the devil has flilled the Church with fear about evangelism. How true is the message of this cartoon? Why? Why not?

21.

At the bottom of page 195, six common “fearful imaginings” are listed. Can you add some more?

22. Which one is most common in your group?

23. Julian lists six things we can do practically to overcome fear without foundation: relying on the Holy Spirit, getting training in evangelism, doing evangelism, prayer, study, and Bible reading, including memorising scripture. As an individual or as a group, what steps are you going to take the ‘action’ these? How can you be accountable to one another?

Read page 206-208 How to overcome a spirit of fear.

24. Up to this point in your life, what fear have you been able to overcome?

25. What happens if you pray against a spirit of fear, and at the end of the prayer, you still feel fearful?

26. How would getting training in evangelism, and being coached, help overcome fear?

27.

When you first learnt to drive a car, were you fearful? Now, having driven a car for some years, do you still fear fearful? What is the lesson here for us about becoming less fearful about evangelism?’

CHAPTER 7 37

28. Do you think you could go through the same growth curve with learning to do evangelism? Why? Why not?

29.

What’s the difference between learning to drive a car and learning to do evangelism?

For more on deliverance from a spirit of fear, Joyce Meyer has an excellent article at http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/EverydayAnswers/Articles/art16.htm

Read pages 209-216 How to overcome experiential fear 30. On page 209-213, Julian gives an account of his worst experience in evangelism. Does the Bible teach us that we should expect persecution? Where in the Bible?

31.

How would you have felt if you the evangeliser in this situation? Hurt? Wounded? Rejected?

Humiliated? Joyful? Would you have continued evangelising? Why? Why not?

32. What would Jesus have done in the same situation? What about Paul the Apostle?

33.

Can you recount an event in your life where everything went terribly wrong? What happened? Have you gone into the same situation again?

34. Read 2 Corinthians 11:22-27. How do Paul’s struggles and problems compare with ours? Why was he so committed to evangelism, and we in the Church not so? What’s the difference between us and him?

Read pages 216217 Natural fear 35.

When was the last time you experienced natural fear? What was the occasion?

36. Give examples of fears which are natural and healthy? What device is being illustrated in this cartoon?

37.

Is the cartoon (at right) about ‘natural fear’ or ‘experiential fear’ or ‘fear without foundation’ or ‘a spirit of fear’ or a combination of all?! Which is which, and why?

38 CHAPTER 7

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 7 - video 2 38. How did this video help you ‘rise up’ in your inner self and make you feel like you can overcome any struggles you have in evangelism?

39.

The video ended with the word ‘CAN’ on the screen and then the verse ‘With Christ, all things are possible’ (Philippians 4:13). How does this apply to you and evangelism?

Read, Think, Discuss Read pages 217-223 Fear of the Lord 40. When you read the list of natural fears Jesus gave the disciples on page 218, do you get the feeling our pastors and leaders today tend to shelter us from these fears? If so, why would they do this? How could this not be helping evangelism?

41.

Why was Jesus so explicit to the disciples about the obstacles they would encounter as they went about doing evangelism?

42. On page 220, Julian explains how to develop courage. On the Seven Step Master Plan (page 14), what level are you going to start at? Each level upward is a small step forwards. How will you be accountable to keep going up the levels?

43.

On page 221, Julian lists the powerful assurances given by Jesus to the disciples. Can you find the scripture which goes with each of these?

44. What does the cartoon have to say about ‘the fear of the Lord?’ Does this have anything to say to us about the urgency of evangelism? If so, what?

CHAPTER 7 39

Pray and Write Write you own prayer to the Lord below about what you want Him to do for you in your heart regarding evangelism. Below are some questions you might like to use to guide your thinking.

•

How do you want to be changed?

•

What attitudes do you want to let go of?

• • • • •

What attitudes do you want to acquire?

Ask Him to show you who you should be spending time with?

What old ways/friends have not been helpful?

Where do you go to from here regarding evangelism?

Who should you be accountable to?

Allow Him to minister to you and speak to you. Ask Him to empower you for the things you have asked for in your prayer.

Memorise: Joshua 1:8 “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.”

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter

40 CHAPTER 7

Chapter 7 – Answers Question Number 1-7 8

9-28 29

30-41

Answers Participants offer their own answers Our pride makes us want to be seen in a good light, admired, looked up to – like a famous person etc.

When we do evangelism, it’s not the kind of activity any movie star, rock star, or famous person does. In fact, so few people do personal evangelism, it’s easy to feel like an “on fringe of society person.” No one wants to feel like this. Add to this the thought of being seen by someone we know while we are doing evangelism, or we wonder what people looking at us will think while we are doing evangelism (e.g. we might be seen to be a Mormon) and pride rears its ugly head!

Participants offer their own answers Try John 15:18-21 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you... because they do not know Him who sent Me.”; John 17:14-18 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” In light of the devices in this book, isn’t John 17:18 interesting!

Participants offer their own answers

42

They are all in Matthew 10!

43

Participants offer their own answers

CHAPTER 7 41

42

Eleven Common Misunderstandings about Evangelism Which Hinder Christians from Proclaiming the Gospel

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The devil has tried to persuade Christians:

What are the They are inadequate for evangelism main ideas in this To misquote great Christians from history chapter?

They must earn the right to proclaim the gospel

To believe leading a good life and being a positive example is evangelism That they are too incompetent to evangelise Faith is a private matter Personal discomfort is not of God Private revelation can contradict the Bible That love is the ultimate thing They shouldn’t share the gospel unless their lives back up the message Not to share the gospel unless their motives are right

This study of chapter 8 is divided into five parts. Each part is intended to take one hour long study session.

1.

This video starts off with ‘Evangelism’ as a key word in the graphics. The narrator then says ‘How do I evangelise in my sphere of influence?’ Is this video about evangelism? How much of it?

2. What else is this video about?

3.

It’s an excellent video, full of truth and sincerity, and brilliantly put together. However, are there ‘devices’ at work here? If so which ones.

4.

What could the director and producer of the video have done to eliminate these?

5.

Does he subtly ‘put down’ using the words of the gospel? Or is he rightly emphasising ploughing, sowing, and watering?

6.

Could what he said about ‘words’ be misunderstood as a slight against evangelism?

Discuss your answers in your group.

CHAPTER 8 43

PART ONE: QUESTIONS 1-20 now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 8 - part 1 - video 1

Read, Reflect and Discuss Read page 227-228.

On page 228, there is a list of 11 misunderstandings about evangelism.

7.

Rank each of these eleven in order of prevalence in the Church, “1” being most prevalent, “10” being least prevalent.

8.

If 11 people came to you, and each person voiced one of these misunderstandings, what would you say to challenge their thinking?

Read about

9.

pages 229-242

Julian starts by saying ‘The feeling of inadequacy is often rooted in a simple lack of skills and confidence.’ How true is this?

10. Recount a time when you had to learn a new skill, and how difficult it was to master E.g. learning to ride a bike, or sew, or drive a car.

11. Which one (s) are most applicable to you? What did it feel like when you ‘got it’? Discuss you answers in your group.

12. What’s the difference between learning one of the skills you discussed in (9) above and learning to do evangelism?

13. On pages 229 – 232, Julian cites biblical characters who struggled with feelings of inadequacy. Then he shares his own feeling. How helpful is this? How did they move from a place of inadequacy to competence and breakthrough?

14. What kind of character qualities do you think they would have needed to achieve success?

15. How are you going to develop these?

16. On pages 233 – 241, Julian gives six keys for overcoming inadequacy in evangelism. Please re-read key 3, on page 240, “Make a decision to follow God no matter what”. Evangelism is presented as ‘...a long hard battle’. Is it wise to prepare people with the challenges and be up front about them? Will this put people off before they start?

44 CHAPTER 8

17. Are there more keys? What about a strong, vibrant, flourishing relationship with Jesus? How would this help? What other keys can you think of?

18. Or is it better to let them discover it for themselves? In a previous study, what did we discover Jesus did? (re-read page 218 ) 19. Re-read the sixth key which is on page 241. How true is the maxim ‘the more we do the more we will want to do? And the less we do, the less we will want to do?’ Can you think of other areas of your life where you have found this to be true? E.g Bible reading? Prayer?

20. Read the Julian’s explanation of Luke 19:26. Can God give and take away desires? E.g. Read Proverbs 21:1. Psalm 37:4. Can you think of other similar verses?

21. It has been said “Well, if God gives and takes away desires, and I don’t have any desire to do evangelism, then He must have taken it away. I am therefore not responsible to evangelise.” Is this an immature way of looking at the situation?

Would a true disciple of Jesus say this to Jesus, if they were face to face with Him? How can someone get the desire back, if they sense they have lost it?

22. Do cartoons like the one on the right and the constant portrayal of the non-existence of heaven and hell in the world dull down our sense of the reality of heaven and hell?

What effect would this have on our desire to evangelise?

Discuss in your group.

CHAPTER 8 45

PART TWO: QUESTIONS 21-29 now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 8 - part 2 - video 1

21. “Last Chance”. Did this DVD increase or decrease your desire to reach people with the gospel?

Explain why.

Read, meditate, discuss Read about

on page 243-245

22. Was it a surprise to read that St Francis of Assisi never said ‘Go into the world and preach the gospel, and if necessary use words?’

23. How many times would you have heard this misquote from St Francis in church circles? Often? Sometimes? Not at all?

24. How would this misquote undermine evangelism?

25. Who do you think started the misquote circulating in the Church? What was his motive? Did the quote sound Biblical? How far off the truth was it? Remember the ‘one degree off the truth’ principle from the author’s DVD series. Is this misquote an illustration of this principle?

26. How would rule 1221 have helped evangelism?

Read, watch a DVD, discuss Read about

on page 245-249

NOW WATCH THE VIDEO ENTITLED: CHAPTER 8 - PART 2 - VIDEO 2 27.

How much truth is this person speaking about friendship evangelism?

28. How many people in the Church do you really think are making friends with a non-Church person, and then sharing the gospel with them? Or is it a case of everyone promoting the idea, but hardly anyone is doing it themselves?

29.

What do you think of the his idea of ‘share the gospel first, then build the friendship’?

46 CHAPTER 8

PART THREE: QUESTIONS 30-35 Read, meditate, discuss Read about

on page 249-251

THE FOLLOWING IS ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL STUDIES IN THIS SERIES. PLEASE TAKE PARTICULAR NOTE 30. Can you recall the three aspects of the gospel? I have given you the first one.

a. The Works of the gospel.

c.

b. The ? of the gospel.

The ? of the gospel.

31. Where does leading a good life and being a positive example fit with these three aspects?

32. Where does ‘leading a good life and being a positive example’ fit in the six steps to drawing a nonChristian to Christ?

33. How has knowing the biblical definition of evangelism helped you quickly detect the devices of the devil?

Read about

on page 251-252

This device plays on something all of us face at some time in our lives: fear of failure! The cartoon below sums it up nicely.

CHAPTER 8 47

34. What kind of character qualities are needed in a person if they are to succeed with learning a new skill? Below are some. Rank them from ‘most necessary’ to ‘least necessary’:

i.

iii. Courage.

ii.

viii. Self discipline.

Humility.

iv.

Long suffering.

vi.

Tenacity.

v.

Perseverance.

ix. Mental toughness. x.

Emotional stability.

xi. A positive mental attitude.

Patience.

xii. Ability to relax. xiii. Ability to focus

vii. Fortitude.

xiv. Sense of humour

35. Give an example of each as it pertains to learning how to evangelise e.g. Mental toughness: Not listening to the excuses we tell ourselves as to why we shouldn’t go out and evangelise today e.g. “I am too busy today.” With this character quality, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we train our will to override our emotions.

Now watch the following

1.

2.

3.

4.

videos

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 8 - part 3 - video 1 now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 8 - part 3 - video 2 now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 8 - part 3 - video 3 now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 8 - part 3 - video 4

These videos are talking about mental toughness. How were Jesus and Paul and the Apostles mentally tough? Can you give example of how they overcame tremendous challenges and obstacles in order to stay at the task of evangelising the world? For example: •

Jesus was in such stress that “his sweat was as if it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Yet his stress did not stop Him going forwards.

•

In Luke 22:42 He said ‘No my will, but yours be done’. Jesus could feel His will clashing with that of His Father. He yielded to the will of His father and finished the race.

• To know that He was destined to whipped and beaten and then crucified on a cross and keep going is mental toughness to the extreme. Yet Jesus did it.

•

To be constantly hunted by the Pharisees, who were always trying to trap him, put great mental pressure on Jesus.

Can you think of other examples of His mental toughness? Yes, they had the Holy Spirit, as we do, who was strengthening them. This being so, do we have any excuse not to develop the same mental toughness of Jesus and Paul? * I am not taking away from reliance on God, prayer, or any other spiritual discipline. What I am trying to convey in this section is that we must take responsibility for what we can, and must do, in order to succeed with evangelism. If we do this fully and completely, we can leave the rest to God. Many world class athletes, musicians etc are fully committed Christians.

While they pray, attend church, and rely on God in every way, they still understand that if they hadn’t got out there and put the hard yards with hundreds of hours of training, they simply would not have achieved success in their field. IT’S THE SAME WITH LEARNING HOW TO EVANGELISE.

48 CHAPTER 8

• Paul the Apostle became incredibly mentally tough. Just look at the account of all the hardships

he went though in 2 Corinthians 11:23 onwards. Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, what else gave Paul and Jesus their mental toughness?

•

Read Acts 5:40-43. What winning attitude did the Apostles develop? Is there anything stopping you developing this attitude?

Write three things you can do to develop ‘mental toughness’ with respect to evangelism.

For further reading:

These articles are mostly written by non-Christians. Sometimes the language is not what I would like it to be and some of the ideas not Biblical. Nonetheless, there are tremendous and helpful truths in each article. So, take the meat and leave the bones! http://www.internetfitness.com/articles/9tips.htm Ten tips to mental toughness.

This is a PDF file on “What is mental toughness and how to develop it”:

You can even do courses on how to develop mental toughness. Here is just one put on by the University of Auckland.

http://www.mascsa.psu.edu/dave/Mental-Toughness.pdf

http://www.shortcourses.ac.nz/courses/189/

Each one of the attitudes I have listed at question 35 is a study in itself. I urge you to take the time to get onto the internet and study them for yourself. I personally believe that the devil targets weak character chinks in the armour of Christians to stop them doing evangelism.

PART FOUR: QUESTIONS 36-44 Read

on pages 253-254

Look at the cartoon below. Even though it’s about Islam, does it make a comment about how some nonChristians want to keep “religion” (including Christianity) out of the public arena?

36. In the last ten years, various attempts have been made to keep anything ‘religious’ out of schools. Can you think of what those ‘things’ were?

37. What about in Government?

CHAPTER 8 49

38. Can you think of other spheres where society, through the media, wittingly or unwittingly, puts pressure on the Church to be ‘private’ about religion?

39. What effect does this have on evangelism? Does it cause Christians to be silent because:

i. They don’t want to go head to head against what they perceive as widespread public sentiment?

iii. They don’t want to be unpopular?

ii. They are intimidated by the newspaper articles? iv. They want to respect the privacy of others? v. Other reasons?

40. By the pressure exerted by certain individuals and groups to exclude ‘religion’ from the public arena are principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). What was the weapon Jesus used in his desert encounter with the devil (Luke 4:1-13)?

41. When thoughts come to us to ‘keep quiet’ about our faith, what scriptures should we counter with?

(They are scattered all through pages 253-54). Which one in particular would you memorise so you can use it every time you get this thought?

42. If we are not mentally and emotionally tough*, do you think we could withstand the devil’s attacks as he tries to put thoughts into our minds to keep quiet?

43. You have heard the famous observation of Tertullian that, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” It is well known that when the Early Church was most persecuted for its faith (i.e. when there was most pressure to be silent), evangelism flourished. How is that when we have religious freedom (i.e. there is no law stopping us from evangelising) evangelism has all but died out? As a group, discuss why this could be so?** 44. In light of this, how should we pray for the Church? How should we pray for ourselves?

* Which I believe flow from being spiritually vibrant and alive. ** For an interesting and in-depth answer to this question, visit http://www.reformationtheology.com/2006/05/the_blood_of_the_martyrs.php

50 CHAPTER 8

PART FIVE: QUESTIONS 45-51 Read about

pages 254-258

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 8 - part 5 - video 1

45. Is this video just hype? Or are many of us dead, and this video speaks about where we ought to be in our attitudes towards Jesus and His mission? Why? Why not?

46. On pages 254 and 255, there is a list of things Christians say which centre on embarrassment. Have you found yourself saying any of them? Which ones? What about those in your group? Which ones are most common?

47. On the YOU TUBE video you have just watched, has the person experienced ‘brokenness? (i.e. death to self?) One commentator defined brokenness like this: “True spiritual brokenness is a reflection of a life given to humility, a contrite spirit, and an understanding that we are like brute beasts before God unless we allow Him to break us like the horseman breaks a stallion. Real brokenness is the man who acknowledges that he is no longer his own; he has been bought with a price. Such a man yields himself to God to be broken and formed into the image of Christ.”*

Can a broken Christian be ‘embarrassed?’ Do we have to be broken by God, or can we reach this place ourselves through voluntarily walking in humility? E.g. 1 Peter 5:6; Luke 1:51-52;James 4:6; Matthew 18:4.

48. Is going out and doing evangelism, whether we are embarrassed or not, a mark of humility? Why? Why not?

49. Philippians 2:8 says ‘And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!’ No one humbled Jesus. He humbled Himself. He is our example. This passage is teaching that ‘humility’ is something we can choose. Is lack of humility at the bottom of the Church’s’ issues with evangelism? And the devil is playing on our pride? What do you think?

50. Read Acts 5:40-42 again. How do you think the Apostles acquired such a commendable attitude to be suffering disgrace?

51. Ask God right now that He might help you develop this same attitude.

* http://ceruleansanctum.com/2004/10/battle-for-brokenness.html

CHAPTER 8 51

PART SIX: QUESTIONS 52-61 Read about

on pages 258-259 then study the cartoons below.

52. Both these cartoons mock President Bush and how he ‘heard from God’ about Invading Iraq. Why is it very dangerous to say in the public arena ‘I have heard such and such from God?’ 53. Even in the Church arena, why do we have to be careful to say ‘I have heard from God?’ How can we discredit our witness?

54. How can we test whether someone has genuinely heard from God or not?

Is there a difference between hearing from God about a personal matter (e.g. what car to buy) and a pastor or leader hearing from God about a matter which effects a congregation or nation? Should we apply the same tests to both? Can we? What does the Bible say?

55. Under what circumstances should we accept the statement ‘God has told me not to evangelise?” Should we challenge all other occurrences? If so, what would you say to the person you were challenging?

Read about

on pages 259-264

56. What are the benefits of heaven? And the things we fear about hell? Given that the human soul is the only ‘bit’ of a person which lives on forever, can you see why Jesus placed an emphasis on saving them?

57. If He created each of us especially before the beginning of time, is it important to Him that we live with Him forever?

52 CHAPTER 8

58. Think of your own children. How important is it that you live with them in heaven? Could Jesus feel the same way about us as His created beings?

59. It is possible to proclaim the gospel and be unloving? Can you think of an occasion when you saw this happen? What happened? Discuss you answers in your group.

60. On page 262, John Stott insists that if we are not evangelising, there is reason to believe we are not born from above. i.e. we are not Christians. Is this going too far? Discuss this in your group.

61. Would you conclude with Julian that evangelism is agape love in action?

If so, why? If not, why not?

PART SEVEN: QUESTIONS 62-75 Read about

on pages 264-267

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 8 - part 7 - video 1

62. We don’t know anything of the personal life of Mr Jenner from this testimony. However, what we do know is that God worked mightily through his humble, simple efforts. Is there any reason you could not do what Mr Jenner did? What would stop you? What would encourage you?

63. What does the Bible say about personal holiness and purity? As Ambassadors of Christ, we ought to do everything we can to have “clean hands and a pure heart.” What Bible verses exhort us to live like this? Here are some to start:

i. Psalm 24:3-5

iii. Matthew 5:8

ii. Psalm 51:10

iv. Proverbs 22:11

vi. Psalm 18:20; 18:24

v. I Timothy 1:5

vii. 2 Corinthians 7:1 viii. Hebrews 12:14 ix. 2 Peter 3:14

64. Which of these scriptures show that an added dimension of the Lord’s favour tends to rest on those who are walking practically in holiness and purity?

65. However, what verses teach that God will use the seed of the gospel, even if it comes from the hand of people who are nowhere near perfect? Start with these - Isaiah 55:10-11; Ecclesiastes 11:1; Ephesians 2:7-9.

CHAPTER 8 53

66. Could it be that those who are most aware of their sin and weakness, and who rely most on God because of this awareness, are the ones God uses most? See 1 Corinthians 2:3.; 2 Corinthians 12:10 67. In chapter six we discovered all Christians are commanded to evangelise. Would the task of evangelising the world ever be completed if God only used those who had a certain high level of personal holiness? What percentage of the church is living at this high level? What percentage would be disqualified?

68. Julian’s experience is that many in the Church living at a high level of personal holiness actually don’t participate in evangelism either. So what shall we conclude? We conclude from this study that while God does command us to walk in personal holiness, His chief concern is the heart of the person doing evangelism. i.e. are they sincere in wanting to evangelise for the glory of God? See 1 Samuel 16:7.

Discuss your answers in your group.

Read about

on pages 268-269

69. What motives could a person have when they say ‘I am not going to share the gospel because my motives are not right’:

a. They are sincerely not wanting to evangelise without the right motives.

b. They are using ‘wrong motives’ as an excuse (i.e. a cop out) for not doing evangelism.

70. After reading about device 27, what wrong motives were alluded to for not sharing the gospel:

a. To bolster personal significance and identity.

c. To feed one’s ego.

b. To be recognised by others.

d. To put another notch on the belt. e. To please the pastors. f. To earn salvation.

71. Can you think of other wrong motives, not mentioned on pages 268-269?

Can you add some more?

72. Read carefully the author’s discussion regarding Jeremiah 17:9 and Philippians 1:18.

Do you agree? Why? Why not?

73. Read again the story about Bill on page 267. Were his motives right? Why? Why not?

74. At the beginning of this study of device 27, we noted two possible motives for saying ‘I should not share the gospel unless my motives are right’.

a. They are sincerely not wanting to evangelise without the right motives.

b. They are using ‘wrong motives’ as an excuse (i.e. a cop out) for not doing evangelism.

* Positionally, all genuine Christians in God’s sight are pure, righteous, and blameless because of the finished work of Jesus in their lives. E.g. Romans 5:9

54 CHAPTER 8

75. After examining device 27, can we conclude that ‘a’ is also at best a great misunderstanding of the nature of the human heart and a misunderstanding of Scripture? At worst, it is a manifestation of false pride, and another veiled cop out? Or is this too harsh?

Discuss in your group.

Memorise: 1 Sam 15:22 But Samuel replied:

“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ?

To obey is better than sacrifice,

and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

CHAPTER 8 55

Chapter 8 – Answers Part

Question Number

ONE

1-9

Participants offer their own answers

10

One of the main differences is that learning other skills won’t result in persecution, abuse, embarrassment, rejection, or ridicule.

11-18

TWO

THREE

Anyone can get back a desire for evangelism by committing to learn how to do it, and then persevering until the point of breakthrough.

20

These kinds of cartoons and similar media portrayal ‘dulls down’ our sense of urgency to reach the lost. It also has the tendency to dull down the reality of heaven and hell.

21-23

56 CHAPTER 8

Participants offer their own answers

24

It undermines evangelism because it promoted the idea that we could do evangelism without communicating the words of the gospel, which is not possible.

25

Participants offer their own answers

26

All credible evangelism ministries will be sensitive to the ‘laws of the land’ with respect to where we can evangelise and where we cannot.(e.g. some shopping malls will not allow Christians to evangelise) . We also want to preach by our deeds, as does every Christian, which is a reference to the works of the gospel. So, rule 1221 is a wise policy for evangelists.

27

Participants offer their own answers

28

Ploughing and Watering.

29

Participants offer their own answers

30

Works and Effects.

31

The Works of the gospel.

32

Ploughing, Watering, Discipling Participants offer their own answers

36

Creation studies in schools; prayer in schools

38

In New Zealand, attempts were made to remove prayer from parliament, and swearing on the Bible. Also, there were attempts to remove Bible in Schools

39-40

FIVE SIX SEVEN

Participants offer their own answers

19

33-35

FOUR

Answers

Participants offer their own answers

41

The Word of God

42

No! The only way to develop mental toughness, as well as developing a strong relationship with Jesus, is to relentlessly experience evangelism, which will ‘toughen us up’. This is not being ‘unspiritual.’ It is a reality. Top sportspeople who are Christians can pray, fast, and read their Bibles all day, but unless they get out and train for the event they are taking part in, they will certainly fail.

44

Participants offer their own answers

45-51

Participants offer their own answers

52-61

Participants offer their own answers

62-75

To impress a potential girlfriend or boyfriend?

To enter into persecution so as to feel closer to Jesus?

Why is Evangelism an Event, Not a Process

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

Evangelism is not a process.

What are the main ideas in this It is an event within a process. chapter?

NOW WATCH THE DVD ENTITLED: CHAPTER 9 – VIDEO 1 Please read about device 28 now.

1.

Up to now, have you been a person who thought that evangelism was a process? How did you get this view? Where do you think it came from? Discuss your answers in your group.

2.

On page 277, Julian makes the statement “The critical question is not ‘how much interaction is there between Christians and non-Christians’ but ‘how much proclamation or spreading of the gospel is going on to non-Christians in the midst of all the interaction?” On the bottom of page 276 and top of 277, Julian lists some of the activities which are being confused with evangelism. Do most churches promote these? If so, which ones? How about your own church? Which are they currently “pushing?”

CHAPTER 9 57

3.

Once explained, it is easy to see how these activities (i.e. those listed on the bottom of page 267 and top of 277 can be thought of (mistakenly) as evangelism? Imagine a friend comes to you and asks you to explain why evangelism is not a process. Include in your answer and explanation of how viewing it as a process undermines the Great Commission. In no more than six sentences, write out what you would say.

4.

On page 280, there is a table which summarises the six steps to drawing a non-Christian to Christ.

This explanation has helped thousands of Christians understand clearly what evangelism is, what it is not, and how all the other ministries of the Church work together to achieve our main purpose. How do these six steps help clarify how a non-Christian is drawn to Christ. Why? Why not?

5.

Has the table made it easy to see how evangelism is an event within a process? Why? Why not?

6.

As an exercise, give ten examples of ‘ploughing and watering’ activities. What is one activity which you could use every day to soften the hearts of non-Christians?

7.

Which ‘ploughing and sowing’ activities is your church currently engaged with? How can you encourage your church to continue with these activities?

8.

All six steps have ‘service’ in common. To succeed, each of the six steps requires Christians to serve.

Look up these verses:

a. Matthew 23:11 b. Luke 22:26

Do you think this is why Jesus made such a big point about “those who serve being the greatest?”

Did he say this because He knew that without Christian service, few non-Christians would be drawn into His Kingdom? Can you think of a time in your own conversion where you were served in some way and it helped ‘draw you’ closer to the point of becoming a Christian?

9.

Imagine your church made a large banner with the six steps written on it. The banner was placed on a wall at the front of the church behind the pulpit, so that whatever message was being preached, listeners could determine where within the six steps the message fell.

a. Would this help churches stay balanced in their teaching? i.e. ensuring that all six steps were flourishing in a local church.?

b. Would it make it easier for the various ministries of the church to see clearly where they fit in the process of drawing a non-Christian to Christ? c. Would church leaders be more able to quickly detect when ‘sowing’ was being neglected?

d. Would it help church members not to lose focus? i.e. to see that everything done in a local church as a means to a great end – the salvation of lost people?

Discuss your answers to each question. Give reasons for your answers.

10. On page 298, there are four behaviours God calls us to found in 2 Chronicles 7:14

a. Humility

c. Seeking God’s face

b. Prayer

d. Turning from wicked ways

58 CHAPTER 9

Do you agree with Julian that we often neglect ‘humility’ when we teach about this verse? Why? Why not?

Do you agree that the most humble person most closely imitates Jesus? Why? Why not?

How are evangelism and humility closely connected?

11. On page 300, Julian speaks about evangelising whole countries. Asking Christians to reach one person a week with the gospel does not sound like an impossible task. Imagine your were the ‘Evangelism Director’ of your nation. What plans would you put in place to mobilise all the Christians to reach one person a week with the gospel? What challenges would you have to overcome? Would it be most important that you led by example?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 9 - video 2

12. This video is about the power of one person to save something: liberty, democracy, independence, people, seals, whales, human rights, rain forests, gorillas or whatever. Why is it that this video didn’t include ‘Jesus Christ’ and His mission to save souls? His life one life has saved more lives from hell in the after life and self destruction in this life than all the good causes in history combined. Look up Luke 19:10. Is the battle for the human soul more important than all the other battles going on in the world to save something? Why? Why not? Is ‘saving souls’ the unique and sole mission of the Christian Church? If the Church doesn’t take up this battle, will anyone else? How can you be part of the solution?

13. With respect to ‘The six steps to drawing a non-Christian to Christ’ is there a danger that even the Church has dropped its emphasis on saving souls? i.e. have we lost our mission and vision for souls?

When was the last time, if ever, you heard a sermon on the value of the human soul? Mathew 16:26 says “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Discuss your answers in your group.

Memorise: John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows after me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Allow Him to minister to you and speak to you.

Ask Him to empower you to be a change agent in the Church, and to help bring back into the same an emphasis on saving souls.

Ask Him to give you a revelation of ‘the power of one’ and of what you can do through His power!

CHAPTER 9 59

Chapter 9 – Answers Question Number 1-2 3

4-5

Answers Participants offer their own answers Top theologians and leaders from all over the world met at a conference in 2000 called ‘This We Believe’.

One of their goals was to define evangelism. They defined it as the spread or proclamation of the gospel.

They emphasised that social action, personal testimony, and Godly living were not evangelism. Christians who mistakenly believe that personal testimony, Godly living, and social action are evangelism will not go on to spread or proclaim the gospel because they think they are already evangelising. When the challenge is given to evangelise, they switch off, believing they are already participating.

Participants offer their own answers

6

Prayer

7

Pray for the leaders of each initiative. Participate and serve in these initiatives.

8-9

Participants offer their own answers

10

Humility and evangelism are connected. If the priority of Jesus is the evangelisation of the world, His heart‘s desire is, surely the person who synchronises with Jesus in this demonstrating ‘not my will be done but yours Lord’ which is a mark of humility.

11-12 13

60 CHAPTER 9

Participants offer their own answers When the author meets non-Christians, he asks Jesus to give him the same compassion Jesus had for the lost. He uses the memory verse to strengthen him ‘For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost’ (Luke 19:10).

How Christians Have Lost Confidence in the Gospel

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

Four questions are posed and answered as to why evangelism has

What are the collapsed in the West. main ideas in this • Was the gospel we preached in the past not the gospel? chapter?

•

Or did we get the message right, but the delivery wrong?

•

Or did we react badly to the charge we are ‘all talk and no action’?

•

Or was it presumption which caused a loss of confidence in the gospel?

In this chapter, there are four reasons put forth as to why Christians in the West have stopped proclaiming the gospel.

1.

Was the gospel we preached in the past not the gospel at all?

2.

The message was right but the delivery wrong?

b. What about you personally? Have you tried evangelism and demonstrated one or more of these yourself?!

a. Have you participated in evangelism and seen any of these ‘hindrances’ in action?

c.

If you take up evangelism, and begin to be part of the solution, which ones will you be most careful to avoid?

3.

Or was it presumption which caused a loss of confidence in the gospel?

4.

Or did we react badly to the charge that we are all talk and no action?

Give each of the four possible explanations a ranking, “4” being most likely, “1” being least likely. In your group, discuss why you chose your answer.

5.

Can you think of reasons, other than the four put forth by Julian in this chapter, and other than the devices of the devil revealed so far in this book, as to why most Christians in the West have all but stopped proclaiming the gospel?

CHAPTER 10 61

6.

Study the cartoon below:

I.

Which potato is “the� gospel?

II.

Which is a false gospel?

III. What does this cartoon have to say about evangelism?

IV. About Church growth?

V.

Of the four reasons given above as to why Christians in the West have all but stopped evangelising, which reason does this cartoon best relate to?

Memorise: 2 Chronicles 15:2 The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Ask God to help you be someone who either spreads or proclaims the whole gospel

62 CHAPTER 10

Chapter 10 – Answers Question Number 1-4

Answers Participants offer their own answers

5

The Church has become very carnal, whereas the early church was very spiritual. And being carnal, the church has little time for evangelism, which is a spiritual exercise.

6

i) The ‘pure high grade seed’ potato on the left (ii) ‘Any old seed’ on the right (iii) The high grade seed is like proclaiming the whole gospel. It will cost us more, not monetarily, but our time, energy, and pride. The ‘old seed’ is like a cheap and nasty approached to evangelism. When tried out over time, the long term results are embarrassingly low. (iv) Long term, the Church in the world is going to be much better off if they have planted good seed into the field of the world. (v) number 1.

CHAPTER 10 63

64

What Jesus really thought about Evangelism and the Gospel

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The gospel message has Inherent Power What are the main ideas in this The word ‘automate’ is the most exciting in the New Testament for people evangelising chapter?

When the complete gospel is preached and understood, results are inevitable The Holy Spirit follows up every seed of the gospel planted The Church must go to strangers with the gospel

NOW WATCH A DVD: CHAPTER 11 - INTRODUCTION Write down five clear truths God taught you as you watched this DVD 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

CHAPTER 11 65

Read, Reflect, Discuss On page 318, Julian writes: “To say that the gospel will not be effective unless it is preceded by a good deed is going too far.”

6.

How do we reconcile this with the table “six steps to drawing a non-Christian to Christ” on page 280? Didn’t Julian say in that chapter ‘ploughing’ was absolutely vital? Explain the apparent contradiction.

7.

Explain what God’s “B” plan is for evangelism?

8.

Explain God’s “A” plan for evangelising the world?

9.

On page 319, Julian has advice for us on how we should think when we meet another person anywhere, anytime. He says to ask the question “Has this person heard and understood the gospel?”

Then he asks us to presume two things. What are those two things?

a.

b.

How could these motivate us for evangelism?

10. On pages 321-322, Julian lists the five over-arching principles Jesus is teaching in Mark 4:26-29. In the table below, a scripture has been given next to each principle. Can you think of other scriptures?

Read this scriptures in your group and discuss how they ‘fit’ the principle.

Principle

Scripture Reference

1

The gospel has inherent Romans 1:16; Mark power 4:27

2

Results from a lovingly sown gospel message are inevitable, as long as the person listening understands the message.

Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:27; 1 Corinthians 13:1

3

We can trust the Holy Spirit to ‘follow up’ every seed of the gospel we plant

John 16:8; Isaiah 55:10:11; John 16:8

4

It is the gospel we are to scatter. Our aim is to get beyond peripheral conversations about God and church with non-Christians and get to the nitty gritty.

Mark 16:15; 1 Corinthians 9:16; Galatians 1:8-9

5

If we want to see Mark 16:15; John 3:16 prolific Church growth again, we are to return to the Early Church practice of reaching complete strangers with the gospel.

66 CHAPTER 11

11. On pages 322-324, there is a very important discussion about the word ‘anthropos.’

a. How many times is this word used in the New Testament?

c. What are the three reasons given by Julian or as to why this word was used by Mark through the inspiration of the Spirit:

b. Complete the sentence: “True evangelism has a small factor.”

factor and a big

1.

2.

3.

12. Read footnote 7 on page 323. When are you going to plan your week of ‘learning how to do evangelism?’ Is this a bizarre idea? Why? Why not? What would stop you doing this?

13. Read footnote 6 on page 322. Do you agree with the idea that the Parable of the Seed and the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) teaches that 25% of the time we proclaim the gospel, people will be saved? Why? Why not?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 11 - video 1

14.

Why is this cartoon called ‘The foolishness of man is the wisdom of God?

15. Who did the growing?

16. What was the significance of the ‘Shady Deal Funeral Home’ conversion? What were the cartoon animators trying to convey?

17. What was the significance of the man’s arms coming from the ears of the first convert? And being unzipped? What were the cartoon animators trying to convey?

18. How Biblically accurate was the cartoon? Did the cartoon clearly show that it was the Holy Spirit who made the seed come to life? Why? Why not?

19. If you were making the same cartoon, what would you do differently? Why? Why not?

Read, Reflect, Discuss Now read pages 324-330 of “Evangelism: Strategies from Heaven in the War for Souls.”

20. What is ‘the ground’ in Mark 4:26?

21. The author goes to great lengths to communicate the importance of doing everything we can to achieve understanding in evangelism. Think back to the school teachers you had at school, or university. How important was it to you that they helped you understand the topic, and caused you to succeed with it?

CHAPTER 11 67

a. Can you name the teachers who were like this?

c. Just what is it about teachers who make the subject matter clear that is so good? Is it:

b. Can you remember the teachers who were not like this?

1. That we all have an in-built desire to know and understand?

3. That we want to make progress?

2. That we want to succeed?

4. That we don’t like wasting time in boring lessons/lectures?

5. We feel better about ourselves when we understand our teachers?

6. That we want to please the teacher?

7. All of the above?

Give reasons for your answer.

22. What is at stake when we present an un-clear gospel? I have given the first three examples.

a. The non-Christian loses interest in the subject matter.

c. Seeing (a) and (b) above, we become discouraged.

b. The non-Christian loses interest in us. d. e. f.

23. At least three scriptures exhort us to make every effort to ensure that non-Christians understand the gospel we proclaim:

a. Matthew 13:1-23, particularly verse 23

c. Colossians 4:4.

b. Ephesians 3:9

Look up these scriptures and read them aloud. Are they all saying the same thing?

Why? Why not?

24. What is at stake for non-Christians if we don’t proclaim clearly?

a. Their eternal life?

c.

b. Their “life and life in all it’s fullness” in this world? d.

25. How can we avoid the danger of thinking our gospel presentation is clear to us, but in fact it is very unclear to the non-Christian to whom we are presenting? What would a good teacher do to test understanding is occurring?

26. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield are two very well known evangelists who were used mightily by God. Finish these sentences off:

a. It was said of George Whitefield “....he used the words (page 330)

b. It was said of Jonathan Edwards “...the preaching of Edwards was

68 CHAPTER 11

easily

.

. (page 329)

27. At the bottom of page 330 and top of page 331, Julian gives a summary of the key lessons so far in Mark 4:26-29. Which of the seven keys did you find most impacting? Why? Discuss your answers in your group.

Read pages 331-341 about Mark 4:27 Study the cartoon below: 28. Last time you bought a packet of seeds, what were the instructions on the back? Fill in the gaps below:

a. Plough the soil

c. Plant the seed

b. Remove stones and weeds d. ? e. ?

29. Can you see any parallels between the six steps to drawing a non-Christians to Christ (page 280ff) and the instructions on the back of the seed packet?

30. Who actually grows the seeds in the natural realm?

31. Who grows them in the supernatural realm?

32. If the Bible is ‘the packet’, what instructions were given

by God for the seed of the gospel?

33. Mark 4:27 ought to be one of the most liberating in all the Bible for Christians who are evangelising.

Why is this? Is it because:

a. They now know they don’t have to win the person to Christ. This is God’s job.

b. They can rest and trust God for “a result” and therefore can focus on the delivery of the gospel and just “pouring love” on the person they are talking to?

c. God is pleased with us when we lean on Him and trust Him in this, rather than leaning on our own skill and cleverness? E.g. Psalm 147:10-11 says: “The Lord does not delight in the legs of a man, or the strength of a horse. The Lord delights in those who put their hope in His unfailing love.”

d. God doesn’t hold us responsible for ‘a result.’ He only holds us responsible to do our best to have a go?

e. Even though we are called to ‘water’ the seed of the gospel after it has been planted by prayer and other means, if we forget, or neglect to, God still works on the seed we have planted, 24/7? i.e. we don’t have to feel condemned and doomed if we don’t follow up the seed we have sown.

God is bigger than our neglect and laziness? f. All of the above.

Give reasons for your answer and discuss in your group.

CHAPTER 11 69

34. At the bottom of page 340 and top of page 341, Julian lists four things Christians should always be about. Can you name them?

a.

c.

b. d.

35. The key lessons on Mark 4:27 are listed on page 341-342

a. Which one is most comforting? b. Most challenging?

36. On page 342, the fifth key lesson is given. It concerns the issue of ‘follow up’. What is ‘the truth’ the author is referring to here? What is the error?

Read pages 342-350. Mark 4:28

This is perhaps one of the most crucial sections in the entire book. To understand evangelism, know about the Greek word ‘Automate’ is imperative 37. What is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to you in your life? What did it feel like?

When did it happen? How did it change you?

38. Read carefully and out loud the quote on page 342 from Kenneth S. Wuest, New Testament Greek Scholar, on the word ‘automate’ which is translated ‘all by itself’. The Holy Spirit inspired Mark to use this word to teach about how God works through the seed of the gospel. Which truth is most exciting about the seed of the gospel? That:

a. The gospel seed you ‘plant’ in a non-Christian is ‘self moved’ and not ‘man moved’?

c. It springs to life ‘without external aid?’

b. It springs to life ‘spontaneously’?

d. It has a life of its own, and is ‘..beyond external control’. i.e. when people try and stop it growing, they can’t. e. It has a will and a way of its own that must be respected and waited for?

Give reasons for your answer, and discuss in your group.

39. Read carefully what James Denney has to say on page 342 about the ‘inherent power’ of the gospel.

How does what he say change the way we think about evangelising complete strangers? Knowing now what ‘automate’ means, do we need to precede sharing the gospel with:

a. Letting our light shine?

c. Demonstrating social action?

b. Doing good works? d. Prayer? e. Other?

70 CHAPTER 11

Why? Why not? Discuss your answers in your group and then read footnote 36 on page 342.

40. What common myths and misunderstandings about evangelism in the Church does this verse correct?

a. That the gospel is not powerful anymore in today’s society?

c. That people are too sophisticated today to be converted by the simple gospel?

b. That post modern man cannot be penetrated by the gospel?

d. That to convert people in our modern society, we need to add other things to the gospel?

41. On page 344, the Gospel is described as ‘an undefeatable force.’ Christian Schwarz describes ‘automate’ as “the very essence of Church growth”. These truths about ‘automate’, what would it be like if every non-Christian on the earth had an uncompromised, loving, understandable, seed of the gospel planted in them?

a. How expectant would we be for a great end time harvest?

c. How would it increase our faith?

b. How would this change our prayer meetings?

d. How would churches cope with the influx of people?

NOW WATCH THE DVD ENTITLED: CHAPTER 11 – VIDEO 1A Discuss your answers in your group.

42. On page 344, mention is made of the BBC television comedy ‘Dad’s Army’. What are the characteristics of this army?

a.

c.

b. d. e.

Is it fair to compare a church which is not active in evangelism, with Dad’s Army? Why? Why not?

43. On pages 347 – 348, there is an example of a businessman and his family. Please read this again carefully, particularly the comparison between winning 20 families to the Lord, and a family of five consistently proclaiming the gospel.

a. Did explanation of the comparison ‘work’?

c. Does Julian poo-poo ‘building relationships’ and ‘letting our light shine’ in any way?

b. Did Gospel proclamation work for the disciples? (a tiny seed of 12 men which grew into a world wide Church) d. Where do these behaviours fit in The six steps to drawing a non-Christian to Christ? (page 280)

44. At the bottom of page 349, Charles Spurgeon exhorts us to “ God.”

in the Word of

CHAPTER 11 71

45. Look up Luke 18:8. What does this verse have to say about faith and its relationship to evangelism?

And our response to the command to ‘go into the world and proclaim the gospel?’

Now please read about Mark 4:29, pages 351-361. This last verse is about the certainty of harvest.

46. On page 352, Julian says “He did not say (in Mark 4:29) ‘...the harvest might come...’ or ‘...the harvest could come...’. This is critical. If every believer were committed to planting the seed of the gospel in ground ‘ploughed’ by prayer, fasting, social action, service etc, and if that seed was watered the same way, the results would be breathtaking.”

i. Is this hype and exaggeration? Or is it quite realistic? Why? Why not?

ii. Is Jesus promising a certain harvest in Mark 4:29, if certain conditions were met?

Why? Why not?

iii. What conditions must be fulfilled by us, if we are to see this harvest in our life time?

iv. Many commentators suggest that the Holy Spirit inspired Mark to tell the Parable of the Mustard seed right after the Parable of the Growing Seed? In doing this, what is Jesus trying to tell us about the connection between evangelism and unprecedented harvest? Or is the order just a coincidence? Why? Why not?

47. On page 352, Dr David Barrett suggests the greatest enemy of world evangelism is endless talking about doing it without any crucial implementation. Be honest – is he right? Discuss.

48. If you were the leader of your church, what steps would you take to break yourself and your people out of the state of being ‘...hearers of the word only’ and not ‘doers’ (James 1:22). Discuss as a group and come up with a plan!

49. Is it acceptable for the Church to continue to preach and teach about evangelism without doing it?

What negative outcomes might there be for us if this continues?

a. We become hardened in our hearts towards evangelism?’ (Ephesians 4:18)

b. We develop a ‘seared conscience’ (1 Timothy 4:2)

c. Life experience teaches that if we disobey in one area, it becomes easier to disobey in others?

By not doing evangelism, are we subtly training ourselves to disobey in other areas?

d. Will we miss out on the joy of making new friends, the non-Christians who come to the Lord through us?

e. Will we miss the joy of breakthrough in a difficult area of Christian life (i.e. learning how to evangelise)?

f. Evangelism is front line work which develops character in us. Will we miss out on the blessing which comes from developing our character?

g. Will we miss out on the rich sense of assurance of salvation which comes from obedience?

h. Will we forfeit crowns at final judgement?

i. ?

Which of these do you agree with? Why? Why not?

50. Does New Testament ‘grace’ cover us and we need not feel guilty, worried, or concerned about not doing evangelism, because ‘there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus? (Romans 8:1). Does God allow us to turn a blind eye? Is it acceptable, through the busyness of life, to block it out of our minds and live in denial? Why? Why not?

51.

If we in the Church did a turn around with evangelism, what positive outcomes might there be? Look at Deuteronomy 28:1. I have given the first two from John 14:21:

72 CHAPTER 11

a. We will sense Jesus loving us (John 14:21)

c.

b. We will sense the Father loving us (John 14:21)

52. On pages 353-354, there is a discussion about this Jesus in this verse teaching us about patience.

As a general observation, do you think people in society are more? – or less patient? If less, what is causing this? How is this lack of patience evident in the Church? Do we want ‘Church’ like we want fast food? How would impatience negatively affect world evangelism?

53. Many people converted on the spot at John Wesley’s meetings. However, many more left his meetings without converting. They went away and thought about what they had heard. On average, how long after a Wesley meeting did it take for people in this latter group to convert?

54.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 11 - video 2

On page 355, Julian writes of the motivation which comes from believing by faith that he will meet

thousands of souls in eternity who came to faith, by Grace, through his efforts to sow the gospel while he lived on earth. Does this thought motivate you also? Why? Why not? Look up Matthew 6:19-20. Could the ‘riches’ spoken of in this verse include the souls of non-Christians won to Jesus through your efforts? Why? Why not? Why do you suppose souls are of supreme value to Jesus?

55. Is the The Fisherman’s Poem on pages 357-359 a sick joke or a sad truth? Why?

Discuss in your group.

56. On pages 359-361, there is the very moving account of Andrea’s confession and imprisonment.

Please be honest in your answer to the question I am about to pose. Would you, where you sit right now, have confessed your ‘sin’, as Andrea did, knowing your confession would lead to many years in prison? Most of us would say ‘no’. If this is so, does this not prove the power of God working through the gospel to move on hearts to work miracles? (See Zechariah 4:6).

Memorise: 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Ask him to give you courage to start evangelising.

CHAPTER 11 73

Chapter 11 – Answers Question Number 1-5

Answers Participants offer their own answers

6

The biblical perspective is to say ‘ploughing’ is vital to prepare the heart and mind of a non-Christian to receive the gospel. The unbiblical perspective is to say ‘I cannot share the gospel with anyone until I (personally) have done a good work for the person I am going to give the gospel to’.

To put it another way, the truth is that the hearts of all non-Christians are continually being ‘ploughed’ through conscience, prayer*, creation, and life’s painful experiences. Some might also have been served and loved in other ways directly by a Christian (e.g. helping them in their time of need), which will have further softened their heart to receive the seed of the gospel. So to say ‘the gospel will not be effective unless it is preceded by a good deed’ is to presume (wrongly) that there are some non-Christians whose hearts have not been ploughed at all.

7

It’s where we teach and promote the idea that we must precede the proclamation of the gospel with a good deed, relationship building etc.

8

For every believer to be mobilised (i.e. motivated and equipped) to go to every non-believer with the gospel.

9

1. Has this person heard and understood the gospel.

2. If you don’t tell them, no one else will.

Principle

Scripture Reference

1

The gospel has inherent Romans 1:16; Mark power 4:27

2

Results from a lovingly sown gospel message are inevitable, as long as the person listening understands the message.

Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:27; 1 Corinthians 13:1

3

We can trust the Holy Spirit to ‘follow up’ every seed of the gospel we plant

John 16:8; Isaiah 55:10:11; John 16:8

4

It is the gospel we are to scatter. Our aim is to get beyond peripheral conversations about God and church with non-Christians and get to the nitty gritty.

Mark 16:15; 1 Corinthians 9:16; Galatians 1:8-9

5

If we want to see Mark 16:15; John 3:16 prolific Church growth again, we are to return to the Early Church practice of reaching complete strangers with the gospel.

* Yes, there are 24/7 prayer meetings going on all over the world for the salvation of the lost.

74 CHAPTER 11

Chapter 11 – Answers (continued) Question Number 11 12-13

Answers (a) 552 times (b) man, God (c) Anyone can participate in evangelism; Everyone is called to evangelise; Everyone can succeed with evangelism.

Participants offer their own answers

14

The evangeliser

15

The Holy Spirit

16

Through the gospel, people can experience life after death

17

The new life of God was breaking into the young man’s life

18-19 20 21-24

Participants offer their own answers The heart Participants offer their own answers

25

We can do two things at least: gently and sensitively ask questions through the presentation, to test comprehension; use presentations which have been road tested and proven to communicate effectively.

26

Most easily understood ; clear

27-28

Participants offer their own answers

29

Each is logical and sequential

30

God

31

God

32

Go into the world and preach the gospel

33

Participants offer their own answers

34

Ploughing, sowing, watering, discipling

35-43 44 45-50

Participants offer their own answers Great Faith Participants offer their own answers

51

The Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. (take time to read the rest of chapter 28!)

52

Participants offer their own answers

53

Average of 2 years

54-56

Participants offer their own answers

CHAPTER 11 75

76

Why Leaders are Critically Important in World Evangelism

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

If we want to see evangelism re-fire in the West, Bible College Principals and What are the main ideas in this mega-church leaders hold the key.

Local church leaders come next, then Christian authors, parents, and the leaders of chapter?

Christian organisations and ministries.

now Watch the dvd entitled: CHAPTER 12 – VIDEO 1

Write down three clear truths about leaders being an example that you gleaned as you watched this DVD

1.

2.

3.

Read, Reflect, Discuss This chapter is about the importance of church leaders setting the example for their people with respect to evangelism.

Julian has gone to great lengths to avoid ‘having a dig’ at leaders. He acknowledges that it is very hard to respectfully challenge leaders, without being perceived, in a veiled way, as being critical. On page 365, he details one of the reasons the book was written, and then he lists ways he is trying to support leaders. List them below: CHAPTER 12 77

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

If I were to ask you to look in the Bible and find the places where Jesus modelled evangelism for the disciples, you might encounter an apparent problem. There is not one instance in the Bible where Jesus proclaimed “the gospel” as the scholars and leaders in this book have described i.e. a. Why we must be saved

b. How Jesus can save us

c. What we must do to be saved

d. The cost of being a disciple

Why is this? There are two explanations. Scholars today have had to piece together the content of the gospel by observing the actions of Jesus, and examining His words. We could say that the New Testament is a series of ‘snap shots’ of the life of Jesus. How do we know this? Read John 21: 25

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

By studying the whole Bible in minute detail, scholars have come to a place of general agreement about the content of the gospel. Again, the same could be said about the life and words of Paul the Apostle.

Through a careful and minutely detailed study of the scriptures, both Old and New Testament, scholars and leaders came to certain conclusions about the content of ‘the gospel’ we are to proclaim, and which I have summarised in this book.

In the table below, the content of the gospel is in column 1. In column 3, there is a small sample of scriptures which match with one of the four elements of the gospel content. They are jumbled. Look up the scriptures in column 3. Which scriptures match which element of the gospel? E.g. In John 3:3, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again”. Hence in John 3:3 Jesus is teaching us one aspect of ‘what we must do to be saved’. So transfer John 3:3 from column 3 and write it next to ‘what we must do to be saved’ in column 2 (I have done this example for you). Un-jumble the rest of the scriptures in column 3, and place them next to the correct elements of the gospel in column 2. Some might fit nicely next to all four elements!

The four essential elements of the Gospel content from the four gospels

Columns 2

Column 3

Why we must be saved

John 3:3; Matthew 19:21; Acts 1:8; John 6:40; Luke 23:42-43;

How Jesus can save us

Luke 19:10; John 8:11; Matthew 7:13-14; John 1:29; John 3:16

What we must do to be saved

John 3:3

Matthew 10:38-39; John 8:24

The cost of being a disciple

John 8:11; John 8:51; Matthew 10:38-39

John 8:51; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3,5; John 6:37

9.

Now do the same with the life and words of Paul the Apostle and other writers of New Testament books.

78 CHAPTER 12

Gospel Content

Columns 2

Column 3

Why we must be saved

Romans 3:23; Hebrews 9:22; Acts 17:30

How Jesus can save us

Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Romans 10:13-14

What we must do to be saved

Galatians 3:11; Romans 3:24; James 2:20; Galatians 2:20

The cost of being a disciple

Romans 6:23; Titus 3:5

We could do the same exercise with the Old Testament scriptures.

How should we summarise this discussion? Jesus was an evangelist. Though He accomplished and said many things, the fact that He focussed on evangelism, and therefore modelled it before His disciples is beyond doubt. He said so:

“He said to them, “Let’s go to the neighbouring towns so that I can preach there, too, because that’s why I came.” Mark 1:38

The Early Church followers modelled themselves on the evangelism of Jesus, the disciples and Paul.

“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” Acts 5:42

With respect to evangelism, the New Testament pattern is that leaders demonstrate, and the flock imitates.

a. Read the John Maxwell quote on page 365. Have you ever seen followers who go further than their leader? If so, who? What kind of character and personality did they have? Is the Maxwell quote a generalisation? Why? Why not?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 12 - video 2

Desmond Tutu cites great leaders as having four qualities:

a. A servant of all.

c. Willingness to suffer for a great cause.

b. Not self seeking or wanting to feather their own nest. d. Inspirational – an ability to inspire people.

10. How is evangelism a service to God? To the non-Christians being given the gospel? To the Church?

11. Does doing evangelism often lead to suffering? Why? Why not? (See Acts 5:40-42) 12. Would leaders who do personal evangelism regularly inspire their people to do likewise?

Why? Why not?

CHAPTER 12 79

Read, Reflect, Discuss Read page 368-372 The research findings of Thom S. Rainer showed that pastors who led by example in personal evangelism helped build effective evangelistic churches. The four key strategies they employed were:

a) Theology: Jesus the only way of salvation; heaven, hell a reality.

b) Excellence: This encouraged members to bring friends to church

d) Accountability: They were accountable in personal evangelism, leading by example.

c) Enthusiasm: They led the way in personal evangelism

13. Thinking back to Desmond Tutu’s interview, which one of the four key strategies above is mostly concerned with inspiring people?

14. A recent study from Duke University showed that “Pastors’ greatest discouragement is that they feel ineffective in sharing the gospel.”* In light of this finding, how would ‘suffering’ and ‘modelling evangelism’ be connected for church leaders?

15. Match the author in the first column with the statements in second column.

Author

Statement

(a) Thom Rainer

(1) “As a leader, I had to embrace Heaven’s priority in my own life first.”

(b) T.B Kilpatrick

(2) “In churches that are reaching the un-churched, you will find a leader who has a passion for reaching the lost.”

(c) Mark Conner

(3) “Follow me and learn”

(d) As statement found in Thom Rainer’s research

(4) “The primary duty of ministers was evangelism”

(e) Socrates

(5) “If there was a single characteristic that separated the pastors of effective churches from other pastors it was the issue of personal accountability in personal evangelism.”

(f) Thom Rainer

(6) “It seems like we reach people for Christ when I’m obedient, and the church is dead when I am disobedient.”

16. Read page 371. From his research, Thom Rainer lists 7 suggestions for pastors and leaders. These were formulated as a result of a study of 100 of the most successful evangelistic churches in America.

a. Is this information valuable to pastors and leaders of all churches? Why? Why not?

c. Could it save pastors and leaders in other churches which want to be evangelistic a lot of time, effort, and money? Why? Why not?

b. Would implementing them be something that would please Jesus? Why? Why not?

d. What good reasons would we have for not implementing these suggestions?

e. Make no mistake about it, the devil would not want any church leader to read these suggestions, let alone implement them. As a group, discuss what devices the devil will likely employ to block these suggestions being implemented? How will you overcome these devices?

* Martha Grace Reece. Cited in: Church Executive. Volume 2008. Issue 7-7, 2008.

80 CHAPTER 12

Memorise: Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Pray for strength, courage, and wisdom to do what He tells you

Chapter 12 – Answers Question Number 1-3

Answers 1. Leaders are being watched by their people.

2. Followers model what they see in their leader – both good and bad.

3. Followers don’t mind seeing leaders make mistakes – but followers want to learn from these mistakes.

4-7

4. He is trying to exhort and encourage them in evangelism.

5. Equipping them to fulfil their dreams and visions in evangelism.

6. He wants them to win the battle for souls in the place where they are planted.

7. He wants the strategies revealed in the book to provide invaluable insights which will help them.

8

Why we must be saved: Luke 19:10;Luke 13:3; John 8:24; Mark 1:15 How Jesus can save us: John 6:40;Luke 23:42-43; John 3:16; John 1:29; John 6:37 What we must do to be saved: John 3:3; Matthew 19:21;Luke 13:3; John 3:16; Matthew 7:13-14; Mark 1:15 The cost of becoming a disciple: Acts 1:8; Luke 13:3; John 8:11; John 8:51; Matthew 10:38

CHAPTER 12 81

Chapter 12 – Answers (continued) Question Number 9

10

11-13

Answers Gospel Content

Columns 2

Column 3

Why we must be saved

Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Acts 17:30

Romans 3:23; Hebrews 9:22; Acts 17:30

How Jesus can save us

Romans 6:23; Romans 3:24; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Titus 3:5

Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Romans 10:13-14

What we must do to be saved

Romans 10:13-14; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:8-10;

Galatians 3:11; Romans 3:24; James 2:20; Galatians 2:20

The cost of being a disciple

James 2:20; Galatians 2:20

Romans 6:23; Titus 3:5

Evangelism is a service to God in at least two respects. (1) In obeying His command to evangelise, we are serving Him (2) If our chief end is to glorify Him, then by evangelising we are achieving this end. In chapter 21 we discover that evangelism is one of the greatest ways of giving glory to God. It is a service to non-Christians in that (1) God is using the evangeliser to plant in them the seed of eternal life. (2) God is using the evangeliser to introduce them to the Lord of the universe. There are few things in life more wonderful than being used by God to introduce someone to Jesus Christ and eternal life. It is a service to the Church in that (1) The body of Christ is built up when it sees Christians out in the world evangelising (2) A church with active evangelisers present brings ‘loveliness’ into the Body. As the Bible says ‘How lovely are the feet of him who brings good news’ (Isaiah 52:7) Participants offer their own answers

14

Learning how to evangelise is going to be an extremely painful and difficult discipline for most leaders.

Yes, it will involve suffering. But in suffering and ‘breaking through’ to a place of victory, pastors will inspire their people to follow suit. Remember in the God Tube DVD you watched at the start of this lesson, the son said he didn’t mind his father making mistakes, because he wanted to learn from them.

It’s the same with evangelism. Leaders who are vulnerable and open with their congregations about their weakness in evangelism, but who persevere to a place of victory in spite of their weakness, will do more to ignite a whole congregation into evangelism more than any other single behaviour.

Tutu also said that leaders were servants. By being the first to breakthrough, pastors are also serving their people because, in their suffering and willingness to overcome a difficult thing, they are helping their congregations do the will of God. In turn, the people in churches will ‘serve’ non-Christians by evangelising i.e. showing them the way to the Saviour and eternal life. Leadership starts at the top and filters down!

In contrast, pastors who preach passionately about the need to do evangelism and to reach the lost but who don’t do it personally will only further inoculate their people against evangelism.

15

Statement 1, (c) Statement 2, (d) Statement 3, (f) Statement 4, (b) Statement 5, (a) Statement 6, (e)

16

82 CHAPTER 12

Participants offer their own answers

The Evangelism Dream Team

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

With respect to evangelism having all but collapsed in the West, church leaders are What are the main ideas in this the problem, and church leaders are the solution.

A leader who models personal evangelism will do more to inspire his or her chapter? congregation for the same than any other single behaviour.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 13 - video 1

Learning from the attitudes of the Dream Team Each of the statements below is an attitude held by members of the 1992 USA Basketball team which propelled them forward to winning the Olympic gold medal in basketball. Each attitude became the basis of the rap song backing the footage you have just seen. These attitudes catapulted the team forward into unprecedented success.

In bold below are the Dream Team’s winning attitudes. I have given my interpretation of each attitude.

How might each attitude apply to evangelism and the Church? (i.e. application) Write your applications and then read mine. I have done the first one for you in italics. The purpose of this exercise is to stimulate thinking and attitudes which will propel the Christian Church to return to the task of evangelising the world.

1.

Even though we stand alone, we stand together (interpretation: even though the basketballers were individuals, they combined brilliantly on the court to achieve a shared goal – the Olympic Gold Medal) Application: the Church is a team, led by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we are by ourselves, working one of the ‘six steps’ privately with no one watching, we are never alone. God is always with us, smiling, spurring us on and empowering us! See also Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and throwing off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us...”

CHAPTER 13 83

2.

United we stand, divided we fall. (Interpretation: When a group of people work together to achieve a common goal, they can achieve great things. When they don’t work together, they fail to achieve their common goal).

3.

A legacy is what we are trying to leave. (Interpretation: A legacy is something handed down or remains from a previous generation or time. The USA basketballers wanted to show future generations of USA basketball teams what could be achieved if each of the team members adopted and applied attitudes critical to success).

4.

Truth is speaking, you should listen. (Interpretation: Attitudes 1-12 in the Dream Team rap song are timeless truths which work. Anyone who wants to achieve anything of significance ought to take heed and apply them).

5.

If you fall, get up and try again. (Interpretation: With the right attitude, failures are stepping stones to success. No one ever succeeds without pushing through failure).

6.

We are ready for whatever you put in front of us – blood, sweat, and tears. (Interpretation: Winners know they will face sometimes what seems like insurmountable opposition. In spite of this, they keep moving forward willing to expend their very lives if it means achieving the goal.)

7.

Hard work pays off. You get out what you put in. Gotta keep pushing. (Interpretation: Victory belongs to the brave and the 100% committed. Surrender is not an option)

8.

We are in a fight to the finish. (Interpretation: Be prepared to for a fight at every stage of the journey. Even if we have to fight to the very end, without let up at any point, so be it).

9.

Best of the best is what we strive to be. (Interpretation: Each player in the Dream Team had the attitude of wanting to be the best at basketball in the world. Now only one person can be the best. But this is the attitude that winners have: they continually strive for that top spot. Everyone in the Dream Team was pushing to be number one. As such, they motivated each other to unprecedented heights).

1.

What could the Church learn from these attitudes? Could they help us become God’s Dream Team?

Why? Why not?

2.

If the goal of the 1992 USA basketball team was the Olympic Gold medal, what is the goal of the Christian Church? (See chapter five)

3.

Will worship, prayer, hearing sermons on Sundays, and Bible study result in the evangelisation of the world? Do we have to have a radical attitude shift about evangelism in today’s Church?

Why? Why not?

4. Can you think of a Scripture to go with each of these attitudes? I have given a possible scripture or number 8. If you fall, get up and try again. Proverbs 24:16 “For a righteous man falls seven

times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.”

84 CHAPTER 13

Read, Reflect, Discuss Read pages 377 – 378 14. Field Marshal Montgomery had two standout qualities as a leader. What were they?

15. At the bottom on page 378, it was said of the Dream Team that “Opponents didn’t have a chance.” Who is the opponent in world evangelism? Would he have a chance of stopping us if each member of the Church adopted the 9 attitudes of The Dream Team? Why? Why not?

Read pages 379-380 16. Do you agree or disagree with Julian that church leaders who break through in personal evangelism have a greater chance of motivating and mobilising their church members for evangelism than ‘the known’ evangelists with the gift? Why? Why not?

Read pages 380-387.

This section explores how critical the staff of Bible Colleges are to the task of evangelising the world.

Study the cartoon. We know that ‘Higher Criticism’ is the scientific study of biblical writings to determine their origin and meaning. The cartoon ‘works’ because the term ‘higher criticism’ is played upon in such a way as to describe life at a very basic level. I.e. One person vigorously criticising another.

17. Has anyone in your group been to Bible College or seminary? Are Bible Colleges and Seminaries too academic, teaching too much material which is not relevant to non-Christians living life at a day to day level? If not, was evangelism a core compulsory subject at your college? If not, why not, given that the evangelisation of the earth is the priority of the Christian Church?

18. A recent study of 72 seminaries showed only 10 require half a course in evangelism for a Master of Divinity degree.* Evangelism is at a very low ebb in most seminaries. Could this be one major reason only 2% of Christians now currently participate in evangelism? Why? Why not?

19. Do you agree with Julian’s argument on pages 380 -387 that mobilising Bible College Principals and lecturers for evangelism is a critical strategy from heaven in the war for souls? Why? Why not?

* Cited in: Martha Grace Reece. Church Executive. Volume 2008. Issue 7-7. 2008.

CHAPTER 13 85

20. On page 385, Julian gives two reasons why lecturers in evangelism at Bible Colleges ought to be practitioners in evangelism. What are these reasons?

He or she would need to be the

of the staff.

Evangelism could not be relegated to the realm of

21. Julian also insists that evangelism be compulsory for all students at Bible Colleges and Seminaries.

What is his reasoning?

a. This would signal to the students that evangelism is a activity in the Christian life.

b. It will signal that evangelism is as

c. These students will carry these

and not an

as prayer, Bible study, and worship. into the churches they lead.

22. On page 386, Billy Graham said “Biblical evangelism needs to be given much greater theological education.”

in

Now read pages 387-395 23. Julian chooses mega-church leaders as the ‘all stars’ of his evangelism Dream Team because of their potential to .

24. On pages 388 – 389, Julian presents three choices for mega-church leaders. Given that choice three is so clearly the best, why do you think that many mega-church leaders don’t make this choice?

Discuss your answers in your group.

25. Page 390. Finish off the sentence: “Because of their influence over other churches, [mega-church leaders] can either or the Church’s goal of evangelising the world.

26. Page 391. Why should missionary organisations only accept candidates who have been active in personal evangelism in their home town or city?

27. Page 391 – 392. Julian insists para-church evangelism organisations make a priority of training people for personal evangelism. What was his reason?

28. Mobilising Christian authors for personal evangelism is enormously important. Explain in one or two sentences the negative influence of Christian authors who don’t participate in personal evangelism?

29. Why is it so important for parents to model evangelism before their children?

30. On pages 394 – 95, Julian compares the state of the Church today with the Church in the middle ages. For a 1000 years (i.e. 500 – 1500), the Church in the middle ages was plunged into evangelism darkness. Martin Luther shifted the power from the back to the and evangelism once again flourished.

31. Who are ‘the priests’ in today’s Church? Answer: the Ephesians 4:10-12 gifted evangelists, and church leaders.

32. Do you agree that the idea of the evangelism Dream Team is a return to something that already existed? Why? Why not?

86 CHAPTER 13

Memorise: Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Pray for strength, courage, and wisdom to do what He tells you regarding evangelism and the part you can play in mobilising the Church to evangelise the world.

Chapter 13 – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

Participants offer their own answers

2

The evangelisation of the world

3

Participants offer their own answers

4

When Christians are out there in the world engaged in personal evangelism, their work usually happens without anyone else watching other than God. Usually there is no other Christian in sight. There is no pastor standing beside them encouraging, no church music group motivating, no one clapping. In this sense they are alone. Only three people are present: the Christian, the non-Christian, and God. Yet, evangelising Christians are inextricably united to one another through the Holy Spirit, and to the core of Jesus’ heart, plan and purpose. In this sense they are united for a common goal, which is the evangelisation of the world.

5

In chapter five, we discovered that the priority of the Church was to evangelise the world. Are churches today united in this goal? Or are we fragmented? What would it look like if churches around the world were meeting in each city/suburb/neighbourhood to plan/strategise/execute the evangelisation of their city/suburb/neighbourhood/school/university/ street?

6

Somewhere in the recent history of the Western Church, personal evangelism all but stopped. According to research, only a tiny 2% of the modern Church in the West is active in personal evangelism. Is this the kind of legacy we want to leave for the generations to come. Will our generation make a decision to be the one who gets the Church back on track or will we leave it to another?

7

If we applied these ‘rap song attitudes’, which are truth, to the goal of evangelising the world, we would have a very high chance of success.

8

Learning how to evangelise will involve failing, sometimes over and over. The good news is that it is a learned skill. Those who can’t speak out the gospel can spread the same by giving out tracts. Hence, most people in the Church are quite capable of participating in evangelism.

9

Evangelising the world will not be easy. History proves this. Many thousands of Christians through the ages have lost their lives as they evangelised their generation. It will be no different for us in our generation. There will be sweat, tears, and yes, there may be blood. To succeed, we have to set out with this attitude.

10

To evangelise the world will require hard work like we have never known before. The extent of the joy and ‘life’ we receive will be proportional to the effort we put in.

CHAPTER 13 87

Chapter 13 – Answers (continued) Question Number

Answers

11

To succeed with evangelising the world will require that we don’t get distracted by other fads, movements, ideas, and flavours along the way. It means that we become adept at recognising and neutralising each of the devil’s devices to thwart evangelism. Each of us has a personal finishing line, which is natural death, after which evangelism is not possible.

12

At every level of the Christian Church i.e. local church level, individual Christian level, city level, town/ village level, or national level, Christians will strive to complete the task, praying and motivating each other on to greater and greater heights.

13

i.

John 17:23

ii. Luke 11:17 iii. Acts 20:32 iv. John 8:32 v. Psalm 37:24 vi. Matthew 10:38-39 vii. Galatians 6:7-9 viii. Hebrews 12:1 ix. 1 Corinthians 9:24 14 15-19

He led by example.

He was able to inspire his troops to action through his own confidence.

Participants offer their own answers

20

Answers: coach, theory.

21

Answers: priority, optional, essential, attitudes

22

Answer: priority

23

Answer: influence

24

Participants offer their own answers

25

Answers: help, hinder.

26

Answer: These candidates have a much higher chance of becoming effective evangelisers in a foreign culture where the challenges and complexities of doing evangelism are substantially increased.

27

Answer: People in churches want to know how to evangelise the people they meet with every day, not children in schools and inmates in prison.

28

Answer: When they don’t write about their evangelism experiences, readers presume they are not doing it. They reason, “Well, if such and such is a great leader, and so close to God, they never write about their evangelism experiences, I guess they are just not doing it, and if they are not doing it, it can’t be all that important and so I shan’t bother either.”

29

Answer: So they can spawn generations of young people obedient in evangelism.

30

Answer: Priests, people.

31-32

88 CHAPTER 13

Participants offer their own answers

How the Devil Targets Leaders to Hinder Evangelism (Part 1)

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The devil’s focus is to stop leaders at all levels doing evangelism.

What are the main ideas in this He tries to convince them that doing evangelism is legalism; that it should be left to those with the gift and need only be a passive activity; that everyone in their chapter?

church knows the Biblical definitions of evangelism and the gospel; that if we do evangelism and there is no immediate results, the exercise was a waste of time and resources; that all roads lead to God. He targets leaders to have them buy into extreme Calvinism and an unbiblical understanding of grace.

He tries to persuade them to view evangelism like a business venture – if souls aren’t won into their church immediately, they close down the business.

CHAPTER 14 89

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 14 - video 1

The atheist Christopher Hitchens has written a book about Mother Theresa. In this interview he asserts, based on the quote from Mother Theresa at the beginning that:

•

Mother Theresa did not believe.

•

Christopher says he cannot believe in Jesus.

• • • •

She did her best to believe.

He is glad to think that Christianity is not true.

He is glad there is not a dictator in the heavens.

He says that on the basis of Mother Theresa’s confessions, there is no evidence to support the claims of Christianity.

•

•

•

1.

Is being a Christian sometimes hard and difficult? What is the most difficult situation you have faced which has tested your faith to the limits?

2.

Have you ever been in the place where your doubts about Jesus have been overwhelming? Where and when did you feel this? Have you ever felt God had departed completely from you? Did Jesus ever feel this way. See Matthew 27:45-46. Who else in the Bible felt God had forsaken them? Is there a difference between feeling forsaken and being forsaken?

3.

Why does God sometimes withdraw the sense of His presence? For a believer, what are the positive benefits of God doing this?

4.

Christopher says he finds it impossible to believe. Is belief impossible for some? What scriptures counter this idea? See Romans 10:9; Acts 16:31; Matthew 10:32; 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16. Does it sound like believing is a choice anyone can make?

5.

What about the other side of the coin – that no one can come to believe without God’s help? See John 6:65. How do we reconcile ‘the free will of man’ and ‘the drawing power of God?” Is it true that if something thinks the truths of the Bible are foolish, this is proof that they are perishing?

1 Corinthians 1:18

6.

How should a mature Christian respond when ‘faith and belief seem to have disappeared’ in their life?

7.

In this interview, Christopher is attacking the Church. Is the devil initiating these attacks on Christians? Why? Why not? If it’s not the devil, then who?

•

She was encouraged to keep believing by ‘cynical old men’ because she was a great marketing tool for the Catholic Church.

Christianity amounts to fraud and exploitation of people.

Mother Theresa said she is married to a spouse called Jesus who sometimes makes it difficult to smile.

All religion does is make people feel guilty.

90 CHAPTER 14

8.

There have been times in evangelism when the person I approach rejects me and my message.

Feelings of rejection, alienation, discouragement, and even can despair follow. These are times when I don’t feel God’s presence. Thankfully, these feelings don’t last forever. How are such times helpful to our Christian walk? What does God do in ‘my inner man’ when I bounce back after feeling a wave of these negative emotions? Did Mother Theresa keep going with her mission, in spite her doubts? Was her life fruitful? With respect to evangelism, what great lesson can we learn from this? How important is it for leaders to model ‘character and courage’ in evangelism before their people?.

9.

In the times when I feel God has left me, or I am ‘down’, I go back in my mind to my powerful previous encounters with the Holy Spirit where ‘I know that I know’ God is there. These encounters are so important because they a like ‘reassurance anchors’ for my faith. They remind me of God’s goodness and existence in my life, and my unbreakable connection with Him. What happens if a person (Mother Theresa?) hasn’t had such encounters , and they then are hit by a wave of negative emotions about God? How will we need our ‘reassurance anchors’ as we go about evangelising?

Read about

on pages 399-401

10. Some leaders perceive any pressure put on them to do evangelism as “legalism”. Legalism is defined by the dictionary as: “In Theology, the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works”.* Every leader knows they are saved by grace, not by works, so when the devil whispers into their minds “this is legalism” we would expect the walls of resistance to be thick and instant. But if leaders know it is not legalism, are they just hiding behind the label ‘legalism’ as a cop out? Do leaders have a deep sense of failure when it comes to evangelism, and welcome the ‘out’ of ‘legalism’, even if it is seeded by the enemy? Or is there another explanation? Discuss in your group.

11. Was the command of Jesus to all Christians to ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel’ “legalism?” What would Jesus have said to his disciples if one of them had said this to Him? Discuss 12. Why do you think the disciples eventually and willingly embraced Jesus’ command to evangelise, yet most Christians today willingly resist? What has changed? What is the difference between ‘life’ then and ‘life’ now? Discuss.

13. Why do you think it is that most Christians can quickly and easily take on board ‘pressure’ from leaders to do a daily Bible study and spend time in prayer, not labelling it ‘legalism’, yet resist any ‘pressure’ to do evangelism? What is the difference between pressure to do daily Bible study, prayer, worship, meditation, scripture memory, or any other spiritual discipline, and pressure to do evangelism? In the New Testament, is the command from Jesus to do these other spiritual disciplines as clear as the command to do evangelism? Discuss.

* http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/legalism

CHAPTER 14 91

14. It has been said: “The bottom line is this: the reason most leaders don’t do personal evangelism is that they lack courage. They have allowed themselves to be intimidated by the enemy. Prayer, Bible study, and other spiritual disciplines require self discipline, but do not require courage. Evangelism requires both.” Is this too harsh? Why? Why not?

In your group, discuss ways to gain courage?

Now read about

on pages 402-404

Chapter 14, part 2 15. Was it a surprise to read that Julian sometimes finds evangelism stressful, troublesome and wearisome? Does this give those without the gift of evangelism a sense that they are OK when they feel the same way? Why? Why not?

16. Page 402. The Greek word ‘kopos’ means “intense . Grief, , weariness”

united with

and

17. On page 403, Julian states: ‘The devil, of course, delights to highlight as much as possible the difficulty of doing evangelism. Don’t give in to this stream of negative thinking.’ What is the ‘negative thinking’ he is referring to? Give five examples below of negative things we would say to ourselves which would stop us doing evangelism.

a.

c.

b. d. e.

How does the author suggest we ‘shut down’ negative thoughts?

18. At the top of page 404, Julian cites Proverbs 16:32. How did Jesus control His emotions and counter the devil when he attacked Him in the desert? See Matthew 4:1-11.

19. What scriptures will you use when the devil attacks you, as he tries to stop you doing evangelism?

Now read about

on page 404-406

20. Read carefully the quote from George Duncan on page 404. Do you agree with him?

Why? Why not?

92 CHAPTER 14

21. How has the devil convinced so many leaders to be content with passive evangelism? Think back to the chapters 12 and 13 and the need for leaders to set the example with evangelism. If church goers only see leaders proclaim the gospel from the front of the church on Sunday mornings, what negative message does this convey to those in the pews? Discuss.

22. In your own words, explain how the devil has twisted 2 Timothy 4:2 in the minds of many Christians, including leaders, to stop them being proactive in evangelism.

23. Imagine you won first prize in the lottery. Would you be passionate and zealous to tell people? Why? Why not? Read footnote 9 on page 405 and Gordon Fee’s explanation of the meaning of 2 Timothy 4:2. Why were the early Christians so urgent and passionate about evangelism? Even going to the extreme of giving the gospel at a time when it was inconvenient to the person listening? What’s the difference between first prize in the lottery and the Good News about Jesus? Discuss.

24. The parables of the lost sheep and the lost penny teach we should for the lost. (Luke 15)

and

Now read about device 32 on pages 406-407

Look at the image to the right. Do you see a young woman, or an old woman? Or both young and old?

25. The different responses of people to the picture above illustrates a fact. The fact is this: when a group of people are observing the same object, they can see things quite differently. It’s the same with “the gospel” and “evangelism”. These terms can be understood very differently by Christians. Read carefully the explanation given at the bottom of page 407 about the danger of strengthening misconceptions. Give an illustration of how someone preaching from the front might unwittingly strengthen a misconception in the mind of someone in the pews?

26. How does ‘strengthening misconceptions’ slow down or stop the evangelisation of the world? On page 407, five lines from the bottom, is written “Praise God, I am already doing it!” Finish off the sentences below with a misconception. The first one is done for you

a. “Praise God, I am already doing it! I am....digging water wells in India.

c. “Praise God, I am already doing it!” I am....

b. “Praise God, I am already doing it!” I am....

CHAPTER 14 93

Chapter 14, Part 3 Read about

on page 408.

27. The devil has been able to ‘get away’ with this device, because many Christians do not have knowledge of three key truths. These are:

a. The highest motive for evangelism is the

of

b. That proclaiming the gospel is the most potent and powerful way to the with the of God. c. The gospel is an times to d.

and

.

seed. Just as in the natural realm, seeds take .

evangelism, when executed with and potent ways of ‘filling the earth with the glory of the Lord.’

is one of the most

28. What does the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) say is the main purpose of the Christian life?

29. In light of 20 and 21 above, is evangelism without an immediate result ever a waste of time and resources?

Read about

on page 409-410

Study the cartoon at right: 30. What point is the cartoonist making about Jesus?

31. Why God 2.0?

32. How exactly does believing that all roads lead to God undermine the evangelisation of the world?

33. Read page 409 carefully.

Complete this sentence which is part of John Piper’s quote: “Are there people in religions other than Christianity who humbly on the grace of God whom they know only through nature or non-Christian religious experience. The answer of the New Testament is a clear and resounding .

34. Page 409. On the subject of ‘all roads lead to God,” did the Billy Graham School of Missions come to any conclusions if a church wants to be effective in evangelism? If so what?

94 CHAPTER 14

Chapter 14, Part 4 Read about

on pages 411-413

35. Complete these sentences. You’ll find each sentence somewhere on pages 411 – 413

a)

If God’s grace is irresistible, ......

b)

When Spurgeon was asked to reconcile these truths, he replied ‘I wouldn’t try....

c)

“Sit down young man,....

d)

“Far from inhibiting evangelism, faith in the sovereignty of God’s government and grace....

36. Page 412. Two ministers are mentioned – William Carey and J.C Ryland. Which one died having made a glorious contribution to building the Kingdom of God? Which one achieved relatively little?

Which one believed in extreme Calvinism, and which didn’t? What conclusions can you reach from this?

37. What is J.I. Packer trying to say about how faith in the absolute sovereignty of God and human responsibility to evangelise are quite compatible?

38. Imagine the moment Jesus commanded the disciples to “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel”. (Mark 16:15) What if one of the disciples piped up and objected saying:

a. ‘That’s legalism. We are saved by grace through faith, and I am just not doing it!”

c. Or ‘It’s just not ‘me’ to go up to strangers and give them gospel. Jesus can I just stick to pastoral care please?’

b. Or ‘That makes me feel uncomfortable, and I am just not going to! You said you would give me ‘peace beyond what the world would give.’ Your command just robbed me of all my peace so you must have made a mistake. Could you modify that command to say ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel if the thought doesn’t rob you of peace?’

d. Or ‘Are you crazy! How embarrassing. What if one of my friends sees me??!!”

e. Or ‘My personality is just not suited to your last command Jesus. Please can I stay behind, pray for you guys, and get the coffee ready for when you return?’

How would Jesus have replied?

CHAPTER 14 95

Now read about

on pages 414-415.

39. Have you every planted seeds which did not grow? What did it make you feel like? What is the difference between planting seeds in the natural that don’t grow, and planting the seed of the gospel in the supernatural which don’t appear to grow?

40. Read page 414. Knowing what you know now about evangelism and the gospel, what would you have said to the pastor who stopped the men in his church evangelising?

41. If you went evangelising month after month, year after year, and never saw any fruit, what might you conclude? Go back and read page 27. Does reading about Livingstone give you better understanding about how evangelism and patience must go together?

42. Page 415. Complete the sentence from Alun Davies. “Doing what you do for the will reap the best eternal rewards.”

of

Chapter 14, Part 5 Read about

43.

on page 416.

Study the cartoon on the right. As Christians, we know who ‘The Saviour’ is and who it is who gives eternal life. This cartoon was drawn when western society was not as multi faith as it is now. Not so today. What wording would you change on this cartoon to ensure there was no confusion i.e. the hand belonged to Jesus, and that eternal life only came from Him alone? What would you enlarge or make more obvious? Why am I suggesting we make these changes?

44. Page 416. Read carefully the quote from Dr Oswald J.Smith. Do you agree with his logic? Why? Why not?

45. Page 416. Read again the tract written by the atheist. How did reading this make you feel? Ashamed?

Guilty? Challenged? Was this atheist giving a clear biblical perspective? Look up 2 Corinthians 4:8.

Does the atheist believe we can be saved without hearing the gospel? Why? Why not?

46. Is there anywhere in the Bible which teaches that people who have never heard the gospel will

96 CHAPTER 14

eventually be saved? If so where? Discuss in your group.

47. I have met people who are sure people who have never heard the gospel can be saved. They use the verse ‘Jesus died for the sins of the whole world’ 1 John 2:2 as their proof text. They argue that from this verse we can say that everyone in the world is already saved, only they just don’t know it.

Evangelism is about telling people the good news that they are already saved. Do you agree? Why? Why not?

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 14 - video 2

Dr John Piper is a world renown writer and Christian leader who regularly engages in evangelism. Did what he had to say about his weaknesses in evangelism encourage you? Inspire you? Or what? Discuss.

48. Read the quote from Spurgeon at the bottom on page 417. Was he saying this ‘tongue in cheek’ or was he serious? What do you think Jesus would say if He was asked the same question by one of the disciples?

49. Read Romans 10:14. Does this verse settle the issue? Why? Why not?

Read about

on pages 418-419

50. Think of your own life. Have you substituted prayer, intercession, and fasting (or something else) for evangelism? If people pray for the lost, according to C.T Studd (top of page 419), but don’t go to them with the gospel, they are hypocrites. Is this too harsh? Why? Why not?

51. Fill in the missing word from the Dr John Piper quote: “Let me say it that I believe the of the work of missions.”

and in word and deed is the

CHAPTER 14 97

Read about

on pages 419-422

I have previously cited the recent Duke University clergy study. To refresh our memories, here is it again.

It showed “pastors’ greatest discouragement is that they feel ineffective in sharing the gospel.”* 52. If you are discouraged about something, what is the best thing someone can do/say to bring you out of it?

a. Pray for you?

c. Empathise with you?

b. Make you laugh? d. Give you a hug?

e. Give you money?

f. Take you out for a meal?

g. Take you on an exotic overseas holiday? h. Give you a relevant scripture?

i. Remind you of all your strengths and positive attributes? j. All of the above? k. Other?

53. How can you, as a person in your church, encourage your pastor to find victory over this struggle which brings him/her so much discouragement ? Discuss this in your group, and devise a fabulous action plan.

54. Read page 420 and William Barclay’s commentary on Matthew 5:10-12. Recall the last time when you were caused to ‘leap exceedingly’ doing something for Jesus. What were you doing? Do you think you could ever get that same feeling over and over doing evangelism? Why? Why not? Read Psalm 26:5-6. What does this verse teach about tears and joy in relation to evangelism?

55. The devil tries to magnify the failure of leaders if they are not doing evangelism. If he can knock out the leader with discouragement, what effect will this have on the rest of the church? Why not focus on discouraging one or two people in the pews? Discuss.

Memorise: Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now. Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter. Focus on question 45 and what you can do practically to encourage and lift up your leaders.

Intercede on their behalf for breakthrough in evangelism.

* Martha Grace Reece. Church Executive Magazine. Volume 2008, Issue 7 – 7, 2008.

98 CHAPTER 14

Chapter 14 – Answers Part

Question Number

ONE

1-15

Participants offer their own answers

16

Answers: labour, trouble, toil, sorrow.

17

Participants offer their own answers but examples would be: This is not my gifting; I am too ashamed; I might be embarrassed; I have not been trained; what if someone I know sees me;

18

He used Scripture

19

Some possible answers: Mark 16:15, John 14:21-23; Matthew 5:11; Psalm 126:5-6

20

Participants offer their own answers

21

Answer: They will reason, “He/she only does it on Sunday morning. He doesn’t do it during the week. He/she is my leader and they know best. So it can’t be important, except on Sunday. I might as well do the same.”

TWO

22-23

Answers

Participants offer their own answers

24

Answers: go, search.

25

Participants offer their own answers

26

Possible answers: I am giving money to the poor; I am sponsoring a child in Africa.

27

Answers: (a) glory, God (b) fill, earth, glory (c) incorruptible, varying, sprout, grow (d) True, love, grace

28

Answer: To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

29

Participants offer their own answers

30

Possible answer: Presumably, ‘God’ in this cartoon is Jesus. He is saying that He is OK that people can have eternal life without believing in Him, which in turn is teaching that there are others routes to eternal life other than through Him.

31

Answer: This is version 2 of Jesus Christ, who thinks differently about eternal life than version 1. Version one said clearly, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

32

Possible Answer: When a Christian sees a non-Christian, instead of feeling compassion for him and going to him to lovingly present the gospel, and introduce him to Christ, and so give him hope of securing his eternal destiny, the Christian reasons “Aw, don’t worry.

He’ll probably get to heaven by being a good person, or by meeting a Buddhist, or a Muslim, or a Hindu – they will talk to him, and he’ll get there I am sure. I will leave it up to them.”

33

Answers: devout, rely, no

CHAPTER 14 99

Chapter 14 – Answers (continued) Part

Question Number

THREE

Answers

34

Answer: (1) the belief must be held by the leader of the church that lost people are damned without Christ (2) That only Christ can save (3) That hell is a literal place.

35

a) b) c) d)

36

Answer: Extreme Calvinism will weaken faith, evangelism, vision, and spiritual power.

37

Answer: When we evangelise and don’t see immediate ‘results’, if we believe in the sovereignty of God, we can be assured that God goes to work on the seed of the gospel we have sown, to grow it (i.e. bring people to the place where they have to decide for or against Jesus).

38

Participants offer their own answers

39

In the supernatural, we don’t know when God will suddenly make the seed of the gospel ‘grow’ and draw the non-Christian to Himself. In the natural realm, if the seed doesn’t come up within a small period of time, we presume it will never come up. It has died.

Not so with the gospel. Sometimes the seed of the gospel might sprout and grow 30 or 40 years after planting.

40-41 FOUR

and he has predestined only the elect to be saved (i.e. God is going to save His predestined ones, no matter what we do or don’t do) then what is the point doing evangelism? We are better off spending our time and money on other things.

I never reconcile friends Sit down and be still!”

Is the only thing that can sustain it.

Participants offer their own answers

42

Answers: glory, God

43

Answers: Change to “Jesus the Saviour’s tender care; “I [alone] give unto them eternal life”; Increase the size of John 10:28; We are making the changes because to those unfamiliar with the differences between religions, ‘The Saviour’ could be Buddha, Allah, Hari Krishna or any other god.

44-49

Participants offer their own answers

50

Participants offer their own answers

51

Answers: loud, clear, proclamation, gospel

FIVE

52-55

100 CHAPTER 14

Participants offer their own answers

How the Devil Targets Leaders to Hinder Evangelism (Part 2)

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The devil tries to persuade leaders to delay equipping their people for evangelism

What are the ‘until they are ready’; that personal evangelism is too confrontational; that the only main ideas in this valid form of evangelism is one in which signs and wonders follow; that worship chapter? in church on a Sunday is evangelism; that the most effective way to evangelise the world is through big events and tent type crusades; that hell is not a place of conscious torment; that evangelism is the same as discipleship.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 15 - video 1

Mark Dever is a top flight, leading US pastor. Did he sound like he was confident with evangelism? Does he freely admit that he doesn’t quite know how to share the gospel? Did he have the right definition of evangelism? By this I mean, did he fully understand that evangelism was not the winning of souls? What was ‘failing with evangelism’ to Pastor Mark?

CHAPTER 15 101

Read about

on pages 427-433

1.

Answer true or false to the following statements:

b. It is impossible to become a Christian and not receive the Holy Spirit.

a. When someone becomes a Christian they receive the Holy Spirit. c. The Holy Spirit was given for witness [i.e. evangelism] Acts 1:8

d. The Holy Spirit will never leave a genuine believer if they don’t want Him to.

e. By virtue of the fact that they have the Holy Spirit, all true believers are always ‘ready’ to be equipped for evangelism. f. There is never a time when they are not ready.

g. To delay equipping true believers for evangelism is an unbiblical idea.

h. To not delay equipping Christians for evangelism is an unbiblical idea.

2.

On page 428, Julian details a fatal error which pastors can make as they assess their churches readiness for evangelism training. The error is this: a group of church people who appear dead to, and disinterested in the lost, are as ready as any to reach the world. Why? Because, as Tom Allan said “Generally we are told there is no point in doing the work of evangelism until we are better prepared in our own churches. While this appears to be a self evident truth, it involves a . The only way to prepare a church for evangelism is the work of .

3.

Why is the paradox ‘peculiar’? As Julian put it, ‘when we in us’.

4.

How would tangibly feeling the Holy Spirit released in us motivate us to do more evangelism? Does this mean we :

the Holy Spirit is

a. Sense God’s blessing on what we are doing, and this sense brings great inner joy and freedom?

Could we become addicted (in a good way) to this aspect of our relationship with God?

b. Sense God helping us to such an extent that the evangelism experience becomes easier and more pleasurable than we ever imagined? As such, we bubble up with joy, and we want more? c. Enter into another realm of reality when we do evangelism, the realm of bathing in the Holy Spirit? d. Go out weeping (reluctant, fearful, hesitant, not confident, expecting the worst) but return pleasantly surprised, even excited? (i.e. Psalm 26:5-6).

Choose the answer you think best fits.

5.

Page 429. Complete the sentence: “ to do it.

102 CHAPTER 15

evangelism creates the

6.

Read Julian’s explanation on page 429 about ‘living water’. Then read John 4:10-15. What is ‘living water’? John Wesley thought it was the fruits of the Spirit*. Was he right? (Galatians 5:19-23). When we evangelise, do you suddenly feel these fruits manifesting in our lives?

7.

Look up each of these scriptures. Do these make it clear what ‘water’ from God is?

b. John 7:37

8.

a. Jeremiah 2:13

c. Revelation 7:17

d. Revelation 22:1

e. Revelation 22:17 Read footnote 5 on page 430. Why is training so critically important? Without training, are new evangelisers more likely to struggle? If so, are they likely to experience the fruits of the Spirit? And drink ‘living water’? What does high quality training in evangelism achieve? Discuss.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 15 - video 2

To breakthrough into victory, Zig Ziglar talks about looking in the mirror and looking ourselves in the eye and speaking out the positive about whatever situation we find ourselves in.

9.

What are 10 positive things about doing evangelism?

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x.

10. Ziglar says the healthiest of all human emotions is gratitude. He advises that we get up each morning and go through the list (9 above) with excitement and enthusiasm, and then repeat at night. He says we will have an astonishing recovery from about evangelism.

NOW LISTEN TO AN AUDIO: CHAPTER 15 – AUDIO 1 * http://bible.cc/john/4-10.htm

CHAPTER 15 103

11. The book you are reading is really about how the devil wants to infiltrate our minds at every level with ‘stink’n think’n’ against the evangelisation of the world. If Zig Ziglar’s advice doesn’t work for you, what would? Now read page 431, and then discuss in your group how to breakthrough in evangelism.

12. Complete the sentence: “The key to

evangelism.”

evangelism is

Read pages 432-433 13. Julian suggests that all Christians ought to dedicate a season of their lives to learning how to evangelise? What stops most people from making this commitment?

a. Lack of time?

c. Lack of support i.e. we don’t have anyone to teach us?

b.

Lack of money i.e. we would have to take a week off work or lose a week’s holiday pay?

d. Lack of desire i.e. we just don’t have any desire to do evangelism?

e. Lack of interest i.e. the evangelisation of the world just doesn’t interest us? f. Lack of encouragement from leadership in your church?

What would Jesus say to each of these? Would He accept any of these as legitimate? Read Luke 9: 59-62. Does this help us decide what Jesus would say? If not, why not?

Discuss in your group.

PART 2 Read about

on pages 433-438

Read pages 433-438 14. After reading these pages, are you convinced that the Gospel, by its very nature, is confrontational?

Why? Why not?

15. Read the middle paragraph on page 436. Have you ever heard a pastor or leader telling being ‘up front’ with their congregations about what to expect in evangelism, as Jesus did in Matthew 10?

Why do you think Jesus was so honest with the disciples? Why do you think many pastors and leaders hide these realities from their people? Discuss.

16. Anyone who says that any form of evangelism which leads to confrontation is not of God is just hiding behind a smokescreen of cowardice to hide their own fears.” Would you agree? Why? Why not?

NOW WATCH A DVD ENTITLED: CHAPTER 15 – VIDEO 3 This interview between Dr John MacArthur and Larry King show clearly that standing for the true gospel will inevitably lead to confrontation. Bishop Talbert compromised the gospel. He was trying to please everyone. As a result, Larry King challenged him about his contradictions. What makes MacArthur so courageous and bold? Does he seem to care at all whether his upsets people or not? Who is he trying to

104 CHAPTER 15

please? What would Jesus think of the Bishop’s answers? How can you become courageous and bold?

Read only pages 438-439 about device 42 17. Please read carefully again the email on page 439. Before you read Julian’s explanation and answer to this email, how would you have answered?

Now read pages 439-442

On page 438 Julian writes about a minister who asserted that any gospel message which did not result in a sign or a wonder was an incomplete gospel.

18. Complete the sentence below, which is the best and most succinct answer to this minister’s assertion (bottom on page 442): “We must reject both the scepticism which miracles and the presumption which them.”

Now read about device 43 on page 443

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 15 - video 3

The speaker in this DVD says some extremely interesting things: 19. The speaker obviously loves the Lord. But is he unwittingly and subtly redefining evangelism as ‘church members singing in a church?’ He rightly says evangelism is the mission of the Church. But how far ‘off’ is he to say that worship is central to mission?

20. Is he re-writing Romans 1:16 and saying ‘worship is the power of God for salvation?

21. It is true that anointed worship can bring a tangible sense of the presence of God which in turn can draw people to Himself. We ought to desire this earnestly. However, is worship in this sense ‘ploughing’ ‘sowing’ or ‘watering’? Can people be ‘saved’ without hearing the gospel?22.

Does he have a wonderful heart for the Lord?

22. Is the speaker defining evangelism as the winning of souls? Or as any Christian behaviour which draws a non-church person closer to the point of conversion?’ Discuss.

23. He says ‘the spirit of evangelism and the spirit of worship are connected. How are they connected?

24. From our study so far on the meaning of the word evangelism, what is the content of the gospel which must be covered for us to say evangelism has taken place?

CHAPTER 15 105

25. The reason the devil has been able to cause us to confuse evangelism with worship is that we have forgotten:

a. The true meaning of the word evangelism. b. The content of the essential gospel.

What is the true meaning of evangelism?

Now read about

on pages 444-446

26. On page 444, Julian list 6 significant benefits of big evangelistic events. What are they?

a.

b. c. d. e. f.

27. Read page 445 and the Julian’s five year plan? Would it work? Why? Why not?

Read about device 45 on pages 446-449

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 15 - video 4

28. Was everything portrayed in this video true and theologically accurate? If not, what was not accurate?

What was accurate? Did it motivate you for evangelism?

Or to be a better Christian? What effect did it have on you? On the true meaning of the word evangelism? On the content of the essential gospel?

29. Does the cartoon above support the annihilationist point of view of hell or not? Discuss.

30. How has the devil been able to make the annihilationist point of view popular?

31. Has Julian studied opposing points of view on the nature of hell? What conclusions does he come to?

106 CHAPTER 15

32. On page 449, what anecdotal evidence does Julian give that Christians who hold to the annihilationist point of view don’t evangelise?

Now read about

on pages 449-450

33. Page 449. Julian reports on what one leader said about evangelism and discipleship. How is he confused?

Memorise: Psalm 112:1,7 Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands.

He will have no fear of bad news; His heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now. Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter. Ask Him how you can be part of the solution and not the problem.

CHAPTER 15 107

Chapter 15 – Answers Part ONE

Question Number

Answers

1

All are true except (h)

2

Answers: peculiar, paradox, do, evangelism.

3

Answers: evangelise, released

4

Participants offer their own answers

5

Answer: doing, desire

6

Participants offer their own answers

7

In the OT. Because the Bible was written in a part of the world where water is scarce it is not surprising that water features significantly in the lives of the people. The scarceness of water was very serious and drought was often as a result of the wrath of God. The prophets Elijah, Jeremiah and Haggai all predict drought as punishment from God (1 Kings 17:1, Jeremiah 14: 1-6 and Haggai 1: 10-11 respectively). Conversely rainfall is a sign of God’s favour and goodness. Water was often associated with danger and death, as in the story of the Great Flood, the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea and the fear of the sea and deep waters expressed by the Psalmists as in Psalm 32:6-For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou may be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not overwhelm him. Water was also important for cleansing. Priests were washed at their consecration (Exodus 29:4), special ablutions were demanded for priests on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:4, 24, 26) and of all men for the removal of ceremonial pollution (Leviticus 11:40, 15:15, Deuteronomy 23:11 etc).

In the NT: In the New Testament water is connected with the gift of eternal life. Some examples are John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Revelation 21:6...I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Water is also connected with the baptismal cleansing for the forgiveness of sins as in Hebrews 10:22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

8

Answer: Good quality training, and on-going training, helps people achieve confidence and skill, which helps hugely with success. And when people achieve success, their enjoyment rises, and they will continue in evangelism.

9

Participants offer their own answers

10

Answer: stinking thinking

11

Participants offer their own answers

12

Answers: loving, doing

13

Answer: Jesus is not being cold hearted. He is trying to make the point that true followers of God have to fix their minds of heaven’s priorities in order to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. He is saying ‘Give the earthly things, the things that are not the priority of heaven, to the people who are not followers of God. For this is where their minds are fixed.

The key is that serving God’s purposes is more important than serving people, even though we minister to our fellow human beings as God’s ambassadors. In this respect, we could expand Jesus’ remark to say, “Allow the spiritually dead to bury their own dead.” He would say to a-f above ‘Your thinking is too temporal and selfish. Forget about yourself and come and do my will, for ultimately it is all that really matters.”

108 CHAPTER 15

Part ONE

Question Number

TWO

14

Participants offer their own answers

15

Participants offer their own answers

17

Participants offer their own answers

18

Answers: denies, demands

13 continued

19-22

Answers Matthew Henry has this to say: “Luke 9:57-62. Here is one that is forward to follow Christ, but seems to have been hasty and rash, and not to have counted the cost. If we mean to follow Christ, we must lay aside the thoughts of great things in the world. Let us not try to join the profession of Christianity, with seeking after worldly advantages.

Here is another that seems resolved to follow Christ, but he begs a short delay. To this man Christ first gave the call; he said to him, Follow me. Religion teaches us to be kind and good, to show piety at home, and to requite our parents; but we must not make these an excuse for neglecting our duty to God. Here is another that is willing to follow Christ, but he must have a little time to talk with his friends about it, and to set in order his household affairs, and give directions concerning them. He seemed to have worldly concerns more upon his heart than he ought to have, and he was willing to enter into a temptation leading him from his purpose of following Christ. No one can do any business in a proper manner, if he is attending to other things. Those who begin with the work of God, must resolve to go on, or they will make nothing of it. Looking back, leads to drawing back, and drawing back is to perdition. He only that endures to the end shall be saved.

Participants offer their own answers

23

Evangelism is the highest form of worship. Many Christians who are zealous to worship with songs and music don’t realise other higher forms of worship exist. All they know is that worship is ‘the priority’.

24

Answer: Why we must be saved, how Jesus can save us, what we must do to be saved, and the cost of becoming a disciple.

25

The spread or proclamation of the gospel

26

Answers: Unite churches and denominations, surge in prayer/fasting/service, enthusiasm into a local church, rise in faith in people, attract favourable media attention, a privilege to see gifted evangelists at work.

27

Participants offer their own answers

28

Yes

29

Yes it does support the annihilationists point of view because the fire is going out and needs more fuel i.e. people are being annihilated, not punished eternally.

30

Answer: He has drip fed the idea in the minds of many that eternal punishment is too great a punishment for a life time of sinning and that a loving God would not subject anyone to this.

31

Answers: Yes. He concludes that hell is a place of conscious torment and souls who go there are not annihilated.

32

Answer: He observes that annihilationists who evangelise are hard to find. By comparison, those who hold the opposing view are plentiful.

33

Answer: He is confusing evangelism with discipleship. To evangelise is to spread or proclaim the gospel to those not yet saved. Discipleship is about bringing those already saved to full maturity.

CHAPTER 15 109

110

How the Devil Targets Leaders to Hinder Evangelism (Part 3)

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The devil relentlessly targets Church leaders at all levels to stop them doing What are the main ideas in this evangelism.

He persuades them that personal testimony and evangelism are the same thing; chapter?

that the gospel is not as powerful as the Bible makes out; that the simple gospel will not penetrate the post-modern mind; that they don’t need to check that nonChristians have understood the message – it’s enough just to proclaim it; that it’s not Biblical to talk about hell in an effort to move non-Christians towards the point of conversion; that the most important thing to tell non-Christians is ‘god loves you’. The devil tries to pit church leaders and evangelists against each other.

CHAPTER 16 111

Read about

on pages 455-456

1.

Answer true or false to the following statements:

b.

a.

Evangelism and giving one’s testimony are always the same thing.

c.

Evangelism and proclaiming the gospel are the same thing.

Personal testimony can become a sword in the Spirit’s hand.

d. It doesn’t matter what’s in our testimony. As long as people get saved, evangelism has taken place. e. When the essential elements of the gospel are inter-twined with our personal testimony, evangelism has taken place.

f. The devil wants us to believe that every time we give our testimony we are evangelising, to steer us away from proclaiming the gospel.

Read about 2.

on pages 456-458

As you have just read, many great past and present leaders affirm the power of the gospel. So how could the devil have so easily persuaded some leaders that the gospel is not as powerful as the Bible makes out? Could it be that these ‘other’ leaders: a. Never really proclaimed the gospel and therefore never witnessed its power?

b. Once witnessed the power of the gospel, but now think ‘post modern’ man can no longer be impacted by the gospel? c. Deep down they know the gospel is powerful, but they are saying it is not powerful, as a smokescreen to cover their fear of evangelism and personal failure with it? d. Are not saved, and have never experienced the power of the gospel in their own lives? e. Other?

In any case, has the devil got the victory here? Discuss your answers in your group.

3.

What are the negative ‘ripple effects’ of leaders who don’t believe the gospel is as powerful as the Bible makes out? Of the ripple effects listed below, which is most damaging to the cause of world evangelism? Why?

a. They subtly infect other believers with their attitudes, who in turn reject evangelism, who in turn infect other believers, who in turn reject evangelism and so on? b. They miss out on a vital aspect of richness of life in Jesus which only comes from doing evangelism?

112 CHAPTER 16

c. Their sermons are not as lively and interesting as they could be because they lack the “fizz” in their faith which comes from doing evangelism?

d. Their Christians lives become boring and mundane, so much so that they put non-Christians off becoming Christians? e. Other?

Discuss your answers in your group.

Now read

on pages 458-460

4.

It has been said: “Leaders who say ‘the simple gospel cannot penetrate the post modern mind’ are viewing the situation through the eyes of the flesh, not the Spirit. They are not seeing with the eyes of faith. They are not seeing beyond what they can see with their natural eyes. They are not seeing what God can do through the gospel with His mighty power. For example, look up 2 Corinthians 4:18.” Do you agree? Disagree? Why?

5.

Read again Dr John Stott’s quote on page 459. He calls ‘post modern man’ the ‘new man’. According to Stott, what are the ‘new man’s’ characteristics?

a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

If the ‘new man’ is, underneath his sophisticated exterior, the same as anyone else who has lived in history, is the gospel perfect for him or not? What would Jesus think?

CHAPTER 16 113

PART 2 Now read about 6.

on page 460

Why would a Christian proclaim the gospel and not care that the non-Christian listening has understood the message?

a. Their motive is selfish. They only want to gain ‘brownie points’ from God for doing some evangelism? b. Their motive is selfish. They want to experience ‘the buzz’ which comes from doing evangelism?

c. They have a “super spiritual” view of the gospel. They believe that no matter how nonsensical the message, the Spirit will somehow supernaturally bring understanding? d. Their motives are right, but they just don’t understand that ‘understanding’ for the person listening is important.

e. They are so nervous about doing evangelism that they are not thinking about whether the person understands or not – they just want to get the evangelism finished and over with!? f. Other?

Discuss you answers in your group.

7.

When you were at school, what characterised the best teachers? Make a list of your answers. Would ‘they helped me understand and succeed with the subject matter’ be high up on your list? Why? Why not?

8.

Page 461. Complete the sentence. “When we are presenting the gospel one-on-one using tools, the best way to determine whether understanding is being achieved or not is to comprehension through and ”.

Now read about 9.

on pages 462-464

It seems clear that Jesus uses the fear of going to hell to motivate people towards the point of conversion. Since God’s motives are always pure and perfect, fear must be a legitimate and loving motivator to move people towards the point of conversion.

Consider the following truths:

a) God is love.

c) Ultimately, His only motive for all His actions towards human beings is for their highest good and His greatest glory.

b) His motives are always pure and perfect.

d) Warning us about the reality of hell was one of His actions towards us.

e) He knows how human beings are ‘wired’ better than we know ourselves i.e. He knows best how to motivate us.

114 CHAPTER 16

f) In both Testaments, God offers rewards and punishments.

h) God created heaven (a reward) and hell (a punishment)

g) Rewards and punishments can help motivate people and shape their behaviour.

He clearly warned people about hell. In light of a-h above, His motive for doing so must have been because:

i. He loved us.

iii. It was to motivate us towards Him.

ii. It was for our highest good and His Greatest glory. iv. He doesn’t want anyone to go to hell.

v. He wants all of us to live in heaven with Him.

vi. He wants us to choose Him while we are living on earth, so we can have a relationship with Him.

Do you agree with the logic of i-vi above? Why? Why not? What would you change in i-vi above?

10. If God’s motive for warning people about hell was not to move them towards the point of conversion, what was His motive for speaking about hell so often (33 times in the New Testament)?

11. If it was His motive, should we too use ‘hell’ as a motivator to help people towards the point of conversion, given we are to model ourselves on Jesus? Why? Why not?

12. Page 464. Bill Bright’s testimony is extremely powerful. Through Bill, God grew the largest Christian ministry in the world. Bill was over 50 years in ministry. He is well seasoned and qualified to give an opinion on whether or not we ought to use hell in an effort to move nonChristians towards the point of conversion. Fill in the missing words: “To be on the eternal destination of souls is like a failing to his fellow soldiers of an impending .

device 52 Now read about on pages 464-468.

13.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 16 - video 1

How would you reconcile the fact that ‘God loves you’ and ‘if you don’t accept Him, you’ll burn in hell’? (Actually, this is not an uncommon question asked by non-Christians). Discuss in your group.

14. Why does Jesus send people to hell?’ (hint: the answer has to do with His justice, his holiness, and his love).

15. (i) When is saying ‘Jesus loves you’ appropriate?

(ii) When could it inoculate non-Christians against the genuine gospel and true Christianity? (iii) Why is saying ‘Jesus loves you’ alone not evangelism?

CHAPTER 16 115

Now read about

on pages 468-470

I went onto YOU TUBE to see if anyone had posted anything about evangelists who equip the church.

now Watch the dvd entitled:chapter 16 - video 2

16. Were you surprised by what you saw, especially given the title of the video? I certainly was! Why were you surprised? What aspect of the gospel is this excellent ministry actually promoting? With respect to the ‘six steps to drawing a non-Christian to Christ’ which steps was this video promoting?

Which steps were missing?

Interestingly, on both GOD TUBE and YOU TUBE, there is only one video about equipping the saints for ministry, and this one was not about the ministry of the evangelist!

17. The very first sentence about this device reads: “The devil likes to try and pit Christians against each other.” Do you think if all Christians (particularly leaders) were aware of the content of this book, we could eliminate device 53 completely? If knowledge and insight about the enemy’s many devices against evangelism were widely known, would world evangelism re-fire in the West? Why? Why not?

18. Recount the last time an evangelist visited your church to ‘equip the saints for the work of ministry’.

Or has this never happened? If by chance it has happened, what percentage of your church attended?

19. Can you name the evangelists in your nation who are equipping lay people to proclaim the gospel? i.e. to evangelise. Most people can name none in their own country. Is this a sad situation? What can you do about it? How can you be part of the solution? Discuss as a group.

Memorise: Psalm 118:8-9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Ask Him how you can be part of the solution and not the problem

116 CHAPTER 16

Chapter 16 – Answers Part ONE

Question Number 1

2-4

TWO

Answers (a) False. It is possible to give a testimony and not do any evangelism. (b) True (c) True (d) False (e) True (f) True Participants offer their own answers

5

Answers: Underneath, the new man is still the old man; the new man is a sinner like everyone else; there can be no distinction between men; the new man has suffered the effects of the fall; as such, he has inherited the same warped nature as anyone else; he is thus condemned under the same judgement as everyone else, and the same bondage.

6

Participants offer their own answers

7

Participants offer their own answers

8

Answers: check, gentle, careful, questioning

9-11

Participants offer their own answers

12

Answers: silent, soldier, warn, attack.

13-14

Participants offer their own answers

15

Answers: (i) When someone genuinely needs to hear these words. We need great wisdom to discern when these moments are, and when they are not. (ii) When we are using the phrase as a cop out for evangelism. (iii) Because this phrase on its own does not cover the essential gospel content.

16

The works of the gospel; ploughing and watering; sowing was missing (the most critical step).

17-19

Participants offer their own answers

CHAPTER 16 117

118

How the Devil Targets Leaders to Hinder Evangelism (Part 4)

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The devil tries to stop leaders who do evangelism from doing it by:

What are the main ideas in this • chapter?

•

getting them to mix with those who don’t

•

by hitting them with a tidal wave of work

targeting them with positive distractions

He tries to persuade leaders to prefer hanging out with Christians; that the words of the gospel are already in the church program and there is no need to proclaim an all-at-one-time gospel message.

He tries to blind leaders to the difference between simple exposure to the gospel and hearing and understanding it.

CHAPTER 17 119

Read about device 54 on pages 475-477

now Watch the dvd entitled:chapter 17 - video 1

1.

Are there pressures in the majority of Churches not to do evangelism? Where are such pressures coming from? Are they subtle or blatant? How can you counter them?

2.

Are church leaders beyond being influenced by negative peer group pressure? With respect to evangelism, and as Julian suggests, is it possible that there is negative peer group pressure (fuelled by the devil) between leaders of churches? Discuss

3.

Did Julian’s explanation on pages 475-76 of how negative peer pressure operates in church leader circles make sense? Why? Why not? How can a church leader who takes up personal evangelism be protected against negative peer pressure?

4.

Read footnote 1 on page 476 carefully. Every leader wants to make the culture of their church evangelistic. By this we mean that everyone in the church lives, breaths, eats, and drinks evangelism.

Evangelism becomes a major string in the DNA of the church. In footnote 1, the author gives seven things we can do to create such a church. Discuss each, one at a time. Suggest practical things you can do in your church to help make each one happen.

Now read about device 55 on page 477-478 Call it procrastination, or whatever, but all of us are guilty of being distracted away from what we ought to be doing by something immediately more appealing. For many leaders, the great monolith in the cartoon below represents personal evangelism and the internet one of the positive distractions to keep us away from proclaiming the gospel.

5.

Have you ever struggled with procrastination? If so, did you overcome? How? Did you do it by positive self talk? Becoming accountable? Giving yourself rewards when you accomplished the hard task? Talking sternly to yourself? Or do you wait until crisis point before you act? Discuss in group your strategies for overcoming procrastination.

120 CHAPTER 17

6.

Remember, the evangelisation of the earth is Jesus’ priority for His Church. If you were the leader of your church, what would you do to ensure that evangelism never stopped, no matter what else was going on in the church? Discuss.

7.

Page 478. Do you agree with J. Oswald Sanders that ‘...many church leaders have accorded [social action] a priority not given to it in scripture?’ Why? Why not? What has priority in your church?

Now read about device 56 on pages 479-480

now Watch the dvd entitled:chapter 17 - video 2

Survey your group. Be brutally honest. What excuses do you have for not doing evangelism? Are there any common to all members? Any which are unusual? How many different excuses as a group did you come up with?

PART TWO Now read about

In this DVD, the life coach gives good advice: identify your fear, decide what you are going to do about it, come up with an action plan, make the right choices, get rid of self doubt, take responsibility, look at past successes. Ask ‘is the fear I am facing real?

on pages 481-482

now Watch the dvd entitled:chapter 17 - video 3

Was this video helpful? If so, how?

8.

Identify where your fear of evangelism came from. Was it that in your childhood you were embarrassed meeting a stranger? Or your family made jokes about Mormons who go door-to-door?

Or you had a bad experience with evangelism personally and vowed to never do it again? Or you saw someone else do evangelism badly, and this memory has paralysed you?

9.

Ask yourself, ‘if this fear (i.e. whatever fearful thoughts come into your mind when you think of doing evangelism) came true in my life, what would happen to me?’

10. It has been said ‘The reason pastors and leaders become church bound has less to do with busyness, and more to do with being at a low ebb in their relationship with Jesus.’ Do you agree? Why? Why not?

11. Scripture memory can help us. Here is one example. “The Lord does not delight in the legs of a man, or the strength of a horse. The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147:10-11. How does memorising scripture and being ‘prayed up’ help us break out of our church offices and into the world for evangelism? Discuss in your group.

CHAPTER 17 121

Now read about

on pages 483-484

12. Most churches would say they are preaching the gospel regularly in their services. Is this true? What about your church? What about other churches you know? Or are these churches unwittingly using ‘the 1000 piece jigsaw’ device of the devil in their churches?

13. How many churches do you know who are presenting “the 25 pieces of the jigsaw” in one sitting?

Give three reasons why doing regularly is so imperative. a. b. c.

Now read about

on pages 484-485

14. To say a person has evangelised, they must have heard the essential gospel content. Can you recall the four points? I have started each one off for you.

a. Why...

b. How...

c. What...

d. The....

15. Below is a list of ‘exposures’ non-Christians can have to Christianity. With each one, decide whether or not non-Christians would hear the whole gospel. Categorise each one: (a) likely to hear the gospel (b) definitely hear the gospel (c) unlikely to hear the gospel (d) definitely will not hear the gospel.

i.

iii . Overhearing two people talk about evangelism in a cafe.

Hearing evangelist Billy Graham preach.

ii. Reading a church billboard.

iv. Hearing evangelist Greg Laurie preach.

v. Picking up a Christian tract on the street.

vi. Reading a Bible verse of scripture in a newspaper. vii. Reading a Christian bumper sticker. viii. Browsing a Bible.

ix. Being evangelised on the street by a Christian. x. Listening to Christian radio. xi. Watching a TV evangelist.

122 CHAPTER 17

16. In Matthew 13:23, we learned the importance of making sure non-Christians understand the gospel. (a) Does this make our task more or less challenging? (b) Is it any surprise that most scholars promote one-on-one evangelism as the best way to evangelise the earth? Why is this kind of evangelism God’s ‘A’ plan for the world?

17. Estimate the number of people in each of the categories below who have heard and understood the gospel.

i. Your street?

ii. Your apartment block?

iii. You household?

iv. Your place of work?

v. Your suburb?

vi. Your town?

vii. Your city?

viii. Your country?

ix. The world?

PART THREE Now read about

on pages 486-487

18. Someone once came up with a plan which went like this. “First we get the telephone book of a town or city. We find out from the phone company how many people are in the book. When a Christian reaches someone clearly with the gospel, they ask them their surname. We explain to non-Christians that we are trying to ensure everyone in the city hears the gospel message clearly. The Christian then phones a 24 hour evangelism hotline, and reports in who had just heard the gospel. The hotline staff find the name in the book, and cross it out. Christians in a city sign up to get a daily email saying how many households are yet to reach with the gospel, and how many people were reached the previous day.” Discuss the pros, cons, and challenges of this plan in your group. How would you improve it? Can you think of a better plan to beat device 60?

CHAPTER 17 123

Now read about

on pages 487-490

19. Have you ever been ‘free-wheeling’ in evangelism? Were your experiences the same as those of the author? Yes? No? Did you have quite different experiences? Discuss each of evangelism stories in your group.

20. Did you know that the speeches of President Obama, and every other major leader in the world are usually carefully scripted by a team of people? Why would this be?

21. Did you know that most movies and plays are all carefully scripted? Why would this be?

22. In light of device 61, what have we to learn from (17) and (18) above? Isn’t the message of the gospel more important and eternally impacting than any speech of a president or movie star? How much more care, then, should be taken about speaking out the gospel?

Read about

on page 491.

23. What would cause a church to pour money and resources into overseas missions as a substitute for evangelising their own neighbourhood? Rank the possible reasons below, “1” being the most likely reason and “9” being the least likely reason:

i.

ii. They have the heart to reach local people with the gospel but don’t know how to. Someone in their church is called to be a missionary so all the church members clap and get behind them.

However, the rest of the church who stay behind learn to live with the gnawing feeling which comes from knowing they are not reaching their own Jerusalem. In other words, lack of training stops them. The root of this one is a lack of leadership.

They don’t have the heart to reach local people with the gospel but know they ought to. So to appease their conscience, they pay someone to do it, whether overseas or locally. Since no one volunteers to do the local stuff, and one or two put up their hand to do the international, they get behind them. In other words, lack of heart for the lost and God’s mission stops them.

iii. They have swallowed the devil’s lie that local people are not interested in the gospel so they reason “why try reaching them?” Better to reach simple people overseas who don’t ask too many questions. In other words, ignorance stops them.

iv. They want to reach local people with the gospel but don’t have the courage to be trained to do it.

In other words, cowardice stops them. v.

They want to reach local people with the gospel, but fear that if they arrange training, and then end up not doing it, they will feel doubly guilty and responsible! In other words, fear of failure stops them.

vi. They want to reach local people with the gospel but feel they don’t have the time to. In other words, wrong priorities stops them.

124 CHAPTER 17

vii. They know they should evangelise their local area. But when they think about how their local friends and neighbours might see them evangelising, they quickly drop the idea like a hot potato. In other words, pride stops them.

viii. They are genuinely mistaken in thinking that evangelism is only for those with the gift. Those with the gift reveal themselves by putting up their hand. Those who put up their hand want to be a missionary overseas, so they reason “let’s support them!” In other words, lack of understanding stops them. ix. A mixture of all of the above eight.

PART FOUR Now read about

on page 492-493

24. Someone once said: “Why isn’t the Bible a nice, neatly tabulated reference book? For example, why isn’t all the teaching about ‘tithing’ on page 484, and all the teaching about prayer on pages 780785, and so on? Wouldn’t this have made it a whole lot easier to find things when you want them?

It seems that if we want to find out what God says about a particular subject, we have to become like detectives, and find the evidence all over the Bible, and piece it all together to come up with an answer”. Discuss how you would answer this person, then pick the best answer from the choices below:

a.

c. Christian life would be too easy if we didn’t have to work hard for something?

b.

It gives pastors and leaders something to do with all their spare time?

It provides employment for Christian writers who need a job and income?

d. Christians need something to argue about, and what better than arguing about what the Bible says about every topic under the sun? e.

God is trying to hone our skills as detectives as preparation for the Second Coming. In this way, we will be able to detect more skilfully who the anti-Christ is?

f.

The Bible is a collection of books. Each book is one of several kinds of literature e.g. prophecy (e.g. Isaiah), poetry (e.g. the Psalms), history (e.g. the gospels), letter (e.g. Romans), short story (e.g. Ruth) etc. As such, nothing is neatly organised and tabulated.

g. Other?

Discuss your answers in your group.

CHAPTER 17 125

Now read about

on page 493 and 495

25. Why do you think most churches don’t have any accountability with respect to evangelism? Is it that accountability is perceived as:

i. Legalism?

ii. Prying into people’s private lives?

iv. Drawing attention to failure and if people think they are failing, they won’t come to church? (a falling role is a pastor’s worst nightmare)

iii. Highlighting people’s weaknesses which can affect their self esteem? And ‘church’ is supposed to lift self esteem? So it goes against the ethos of most churches?

v.

An administrative hassle we can do without?

vi. Other?

How can we overcome these misperceptions/fears/problems? Is accountability a good thing or not?

Why? Discuss in your group.

26. Many businesses have strong accountability because it is perceived as being vital for achieving the goals of the organisation. Performance reviews, job descriptions, performance targets and so on are the norm. One business writer put it like this:

27.

“Accountability is an old fashioned idea that says you are answerable for your actions – and inactions. If questions come up or something goes wrong, it’s you who must absorb scrutiny.

There’s a subtle distinction between “it’s not finished” and “I haven’t finished it.” The willingness to be accountable for what you do and what you fail or refuse to do is a crucial sign of character.”

What is the goal of the Christian Church in the world? Should accountability with respect to evangelism be optional? Or mandatory? Why? Why not? What would Jesus say?

Accountability for evangelism in the Early Church would have been inconceivable. The book of Acts indicates the Christians wouldn’t shut up about the gospel! (e.g Acts 5:42). So why is the situation so different today? Discuss in your group.

28. Page 494. Fill in the gaps in the following sentence : “If there is a single characteristic that separated the pastors of churches from other pastors, it was the issue of in personal evangelism.”

29.

What action plan do you have to be personally accountable in evangelism? If you are a leader, what action plan do you have for your church?

126 CHAPTER 17

Now read about

on pages 495-500

30. On page 496, one of the subheadings says ‘Silence Is Not Golden’. What are some of the many benefits of pastors who share their evangelism experiences with their congregations?

31.

The pastors of two successful evangelistic churches are cited on pages 497-499. In the table below, the left column shows the behaviours of these pastors. Read their advice carefully, and tick which behaviour is exhibited by each pastor.

Behaviour Made evangelism a personal priority Personally passionate about evangelism Regularly leaves the office to reach non-church people with the gospel Accountable to others for evangelism Works closely with an Ephesians 4:12 evangelist in his church Has a vision to equip the whole church, not just those interested Shares struggles with evangelism honestly with their church Creates evangelistic opportunities for church members Keeps passion for evangelism alive in the church Helping the church develop a warm heart for non-church people

Calvin Ratz

Mark Conner

Both pastors are successful with evangelism, but each was doing things the other was not. Knowing what the other pastor was doing could significantly help them both achieve even greater success.

From the above table, can you see how valuable it is for pastors to network with each other to share ideas about evangelism? What ideas did they both not have?

Memorise: Psalm 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter. Ask Him what you can do to help your local church become evangelistic.

Pray especially for you leaders to lead the way.

Ask God to give your leaders the behaviours exhibited by Pastors Ratz and Conner.

CHAPTER 17 127

Chapter 17 – Answers Part

Question Number

ONE TWO THREE

FOUR

1-7

Participants offer their own answers

8-12

Participants offer their own answers

13

Answers: (i) Because non-Christians might only visit a church once. If we miss this opportunity, they might never hear the gospel again. (ii) The Bible is clear that we are to make the gospel plain for non-Christians e.g.

Matthew 13:23 (iii) Every time the gospel is proclaimed in a church, it teaches the Christians watching what the gospel is, and helps them see how it is articulated succinctly. This in turn helps them with their personal evangelism

14

Why we must be saved, how Jesus can save us, what we must do to be saved, and the cost of being a disciple.

15

Participants offer their own answers

16

(a) Because with one-on-one evangelism, the evangeliser can lovingly and carefully ask comprehension questions of the person being evangelised to make sure they have understood the message. It also highlights the need for Christians to know what the gospel is. (b) One-on-one evangelism is God’s A plan firstly because it’s the fastest way to evangelise the world. Second, it’s also the surest way. For example, with TV and radio evangelism and tracts, we can’t ask those listening/reading whether they have understood the message and we are not there to answer questions and listen.

Third, it’s God’s A plan because it spiritually grows and empowers those who do the evangelism. Fourth, when we consider 1-3 reasons above, we quickly see how oneon-one evangelism gives Him more glory than other approaches.

17

Participants offer their own answers

18-19

Participants offer their own answers

20 21-27

128 CHAPTER 17

Answers

Because words have tremendous power and for speeches to truly communicate, they must be carefully thought through in advance.

Participants offer their own answers

28

Evangelistic, accountability

29

Participants offer their own answers

30

It inspires the people in their church for evangelism; encourages other pastors and leaders; encourages the evangelists in his or her church; it strengthens the pastor. He or she brings to remembrance what God did in each encounter (the same as we read the Psalms to remind ourselves of what God has done for His people in history) etc

31

Review the devices of the devil in this book and the strategies from heaven which went with each. How many can you remember without looking!

How Evangelism Blesses Society

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

That the priority of the Christian Church is evangelism is no accident. God desires

What are the a Godly society and proclaiming the gospel is God’s “A” plan for its establishment. main ideas in this How does evangelism do this? chapter?

The gospel creates salt and light.

Salt and light work together both as antiseptic against societal deterioration and as the force behind radical personal renewal.

NOW WATCH A DVD: ENTITLED CHAPTER 18 – VIDEO 1 Read, Reflect, Discuss Read chapter 18 on pages 505-517 1

Complete the sentences, each being a quote from the mouths of four great Christians:

2

“When a culture and went wrong with the cult – the

3

“If the Church went back to its task of preaching the gospel and getting people to Christ, it would have a far greater impact on the social, moral, and psychological needs of people than other thing could possibly do.” Billy Graham

4

“When the population of the world has become more command to treat other men and to Dr Donald McGavran.

5

If you were asked to explain how evangelism creates a Godly society, what you would say? Write out an answer no more than 50 words, then compare it with that of the author.

6

Has the present Church in the world over emphasised social action, at the expense of evangelism, hence the rapid deterioration of western society? In your town/city/ suburb, what percentage of Christian activity is evangelism? Social action?

a.

“A country which has been permeated by the can take root, let alone

Discuss in your group.

is not the soil in which the poisonous .” Dr John Stott

, don’t ask what went wrong with the culture; ask what core.” Charles Colson

, it will hear Almighty God’s the command more faithfully.”

CHAPTER 18 129

7

On page 511 the idea is conveyed that over half the population of New Zealand is totally deceived in that when they contemplate death, they are sure they are going to heaven, but in fact will end in hell.

Do you think this is a deception? Why? If not, why not? What are we going to do about this dreadful situation?

8

Page 516. Did Julian’s comparison between the deception of the Nazi holocaust and the deception of non-Christians ‘hammer home the truth’ for you?

Why? Why not?

Memorise: Psalm 126:5-6 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

6

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now. Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter. Ask Him to open your eyes to how evangelism is God’s “A” plan for the creation of a Godly society. Pray for your leaders to receive revelation of this truth.

Chapter 18 – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

gospel, weeds ,luxuriate

2

deforms, decays, religious

3

Main, converted, any

4

Christian; fairly; obey

5

When people hear the gospel, God works through it to save them. When people are saved, God renews their hearts and minds. With renewed hearts and minds, they, inspired and empowered by Holy Spirit, go back into society to change it for the better and for the glory of God.

6-8

Participants offer their own answers

130 CHAPTER 18

How Pseudo Conversions Hinder Evangelism

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

Many churches are unwittingly creating pseudo Christians.

What are the main ideas in this Pseudo Christians undermine our efforts to evangelise the world.

God’s antidote is for us to proclaim the whole gospel. chapter?

Non-Christians who respond to the whole gospel tend to ‘stick’, and become committed followers of Jesus.

Committed followers want to do evangelism.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 19 - video 1

This is a good video to get us thinking about ‘false conversions’. Was Ray Comfort’s assessment of what constitutes a false convert fair? Biblical? Did you have any reservations? If so, what are they?

Read about how Pseudo Conversions Hinder Evangelism on pages 521-544

1.

Julian cites at least four ways false converts hinder evangelism (pages 522-53).

They evangelists by showing no in being trained for evangelism.

2.

They have a

3.

They have an overall

4.

They can slip into leadership where they have greater influence. Here they do most Unwittingly, they begin to teach their lifestyle to the flock.

influence on genuine Christians. down effect, on the entire evangelistic zeal of a local church. .

CHAPTER 19 131

5.

On pages 523-525, a church with a thriving culture of evangelism is described. This is not an unattainable dream. What were the names of the two pastors in chapter 17 whose churches went a long way towards exhibiting ‘a thriving culture of evangelism?’

6.

What advice does Julian give about how to prevent pseudo converts at altar calls? (pages 524-527)

a

Before announcing to an altar call responder that they are , ask them questions about the they responded so as to assess their for . Ask the Holy Spirit to give .

b

Balance the gospel message with content about Jesus as as .

c

Neither

7.

Study the cartoon below. What is it saying about ‘genuine faith?’

8.

According to Julian, who quotes the This We Believe signatories, ‘genuine faith’ is both a head and a heart issue.

a.

To believe with the head means assent to the of the gospel, including acknowledgement of our own and need, and our personal and reliance upon Christ and His work.

b.

To believe with the heart, means a stirring of the emotions: to to how one’s sin has grieved God.

9.

Pastor Barry Saar from Petersham AOG church in Sydney is a shining example of a pastor committed to evangelism and to reducing the number of pseudo conversions. His strategies were:

a.

Present the

b.

Show a but presentation of the gospel in a side room after each morning service. When Barry and his team did these things consistently, they noticed two very positive changes:

c.

An increase in the

d. An increase in the number of people being

132 CHAPTER 19

, and Jesus

the conversion, no unnecessarily

it.

, to

,

gospel.

rate of people

for salvation. .

10.

On pages 532 -533, Pastor Barry makes a brilliant analogy between proclaiming the whole gospel and chemotherapy. In the table below, fill in the blank boxes: Chemotherapy

Analogy with evangelism

The medical doctor is....?

The non-Christian listening to the gospel The full gospel The cancer is.....?

Sin and its consequences

The honesty of the doctor is.....?

The difficult side effects of living as a fully committed Christian: persecution, trials, suffering etc The chance of cure is.....

As a non-Christian, realising sin brings spiritual death.

The patient agreeing to have chemotherapy is.....?

11.

The non-Christian committing their life to Christ

Why is this analogy not quite perfect?

12. On page 534, Julian makes the statement: “Unless someone is willing to enter into the responsibilities of being a Christian, they will not experience the benefits.” Do you agree? If not why not? As you debate this issue, read again the list of the responsibilities of being a Christian in the table on page 533. If a person did not embrace these, would they experience John 10:10 (‘Life and life in all its fullness’) or not? Discuss.

13.

Can there be salvation without repentance? Yes or no?

14.

Page 537. Repentance has three aspects: a target, a direction, and an effect. Define each:

a

The target of repentance is...

b

The direction of repentance is...

c

The effect of repentance is...

15.

According to Dr Millard Erickson, how should repentance differ from regret over our wrongdoings?

Memorise: Psalm 147:10-11 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

11

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter. Ask Him what you can do halt the creation of pseudo converts into Christianity. Ask God to give you wisdom to proclaim the whole gospel and to help others do the same.

CHAPTER 19 133

Chapter 19 – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

Discourage, interest

2

Negative

3

Dulling

4

Damage, non-evangelising

5

Ratz and Conner

6

(a) Answer: saved, reason, readiness, conversion, discernment (b) Saviour, Lord (c) Rush, delay

7

Participants offer their own answers

8

(a) Mental, facts, sin, trust (b) Lament, grieve, regret

9

(a) whole (b) short, complete (c) retention, responding (d) Baptised

10

Chemotherapy

Analogy with evangelism

The medical doctor is....?

The Christian proclaiming the gospel

The patient is...?

The non-Christian listening to the gospel

The chemotherapy is.....?

The full gospel

The cancer is.....?

Sin and its consequences

The honesty of the doctor is.....?

The faithfulness of the Christian to proclaim the whole gospel, not just the good bits.

The side effects of chemotherapy: hair loss, appetite loss, pain, vomiting etc are?.....

The difficult side effects of living as a fully committed Christian: persecution, trials, suffering etc

The chance of cure is.....

The opportunity to be forgiven, know Jesus in this life, and escape eternal punishment in the next

As a patient, the realisation you are dying is......?

As a non-Christian, realising sin brings spiritual death.

The patient agreeing to have chemotherapy is.....?

The non-Christian committing their life to Christ

11

By genuinely accepting Jesus through the hearing the whole gospel, a person, by faith through grace, will be saved. There is a guarantee. By genuinely accepting chemotherapy from the doctor, the patient might be healed, but there is no guarantee.

12

Participants offer their own answers

13

No

14

Target: behaviour and attitudes; Direction: away from evil and self, towards God. Affect: a stirring of the emotions.

15

Repentance is not so much regret for the unpleasant consequences of our wrong doings. Rather, it has more to do with sorrow for wrong done to God and the hurt inflicted upon Him.

134 CHAPTER 19

How to Make the Most of Friendshps with Non-Christians

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

The practice of Christians making friends with non-Christians is a strategy

What are the from heaven and should be vigorously encouraged. main ideas in this However, the term ‘friendship evangelism’ is a device from the enemy and is chapter? hindering the evangelisation of the world.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 20 - video 1

1.

Was the message of this video for or against friendship evangelism?

2.

What message did it give about spreading the gospel through tracts?

3.

In the last scene, why did the non-Christian throw the cards at the back of the head of the Christian?

What message about ‘evangelism’ was being conveyed?

4.

The video starts off by saying ‘this church is a Biblically based church.’ Having watched the video, .would you challenge this? Why? Why not?

Now read chapter 20, pages 547-559 5.

After reading this chapter, to what extent do you think the author supports the idea of making friends with non-Christians? a.

Extremely supportive?

c.

Supportive.?

b.

Very supportive?

d. Neither supportive nor not supportive? i.e. Non committal? e.

Definitely not supportive?

f. Hostile?

CHAPTER 20 135

6.

7.

8.

After reading this chapter, to what extent do you think Julian wants to see continued use of the phrase ‘friendship evangelism?’ a.

b.

Vigorous world-wide continuation?

Extensive continuation?

c. Continuation.

d. No continuation? e.

Complete eradication?

Julian gives seven reasons why the term ‘friendship evangelism’ is hindering world evangelism. After reading about all seven, which one impacted you the most? Rank each one, “1” being the most impact, “7” being the least impact. a. ONE: The term has caused many Christians to believe that if they are making friends with non-Christians, they are evangelising.

b. TWO: A vital aspect of friendship evangelism is the idea that non-Christians will not accept the gospel until we have established a relationship with them. c. THREE: If we only give the gospel to our friends, and not also to strangers, we make it impossible to succeed with our priority, the evangelisation of the earth.

d. FOUR: The idea that we must build a relationship with a non-Christian if we want to see them saved can stop busy people from doing evangelism.

e. FIVE: Some advocates of ‘friendship evangelism’ discourage Christians from giving the gospel to non-Christians, telling them to ‘just love the non-Christians as they are...’ f.

g.

SIX: Research about friendship evangelism maybe misleading.

SEVEN: Churches can grow rapidly through ‘friendship evangelism’ with very little evangelism having taken place.

Can you remember what the ‘The six steps to drawing a non-Christian to Christ’ were? Try recalling them before refreshing your memory from page 173. In light of the six steps, if a Christian: a.

Is building a friendship with a non-Christian, and they have not shared the gospel with them, what are they doing?

b.

c.

d. Leads his/her friend to Christ, what is he/she doing?

f.

Is building a friendship with a non-Christian, and they have already shared the gospel with them, what are they doing?

Shares the gospel with a non-Christian friend with whom they are developing a friendship, what are they doing?

Helps their new Christian friend grow in God, teaching them about various aspects of Christian life, what are they doing?

136 CHAPTER 20

Memorise: Amos 3:3 How can two walk together unless they be agreed?

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now. Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter. Ask Him how you can make the most of the friendships you have with non-Christians. Pray that your leadership might

Chapter 20 – Answers Question Number 1-4

Answers Participants offer their own answers

5

Extremely supportive

6

Complete eradication

7

Participants offer their own answers

8

a. ploughing (b) watering (c) sowing (d)harvesting (e) discipling

CHAPTER 20 137

138

What Should Motivate Us to Go to War in Evangelism?

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

Our chief motivation for doing evangelism ought not to be to win souls.

What are the If the ‘winning of souls’ remains our chief motivation, world evangelisation will be main ideas in this hindered. chapter?

Our chief motivation ought to be to glorify God.

When the Church makes this shift in thinking, our progress with the evangelisation of the world will accelerate rapidly.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 21 - video 1

1.

Dr John Piper says to glorify God is to ‘go public’. Can you see how evangelism can be one of the greatest ways of glorifying God? Is there ‘good evangelism’ where God is glorified and ‘bad evangelism’ where God is not glorified? Discuss the attributes of both ideas.

Now read chapter 21, pages 567-581 2.

Page 568. Julian gives the five most common responses given to the question “What should be our main motivation for evangelism?” Before you read this book, which of the five would have been your answer? Discuss.

3.

It is often said in Christian circles that ‘worship’ is the priority of the Church. Was it a surprise to discover (page 569) that evangelism was one of the purest forms of worship? Discuss.

4.

Read Revelation 14:6-7 on page 570.

b.

a.

What did the flying angel have with him?

c.

What did he command those listening to do?

Who was to hear it?

d. Was it implicit or explicit that the act of proclaiming the eternal gospel was worship? e.

Read Psalm 96:1-3. Is ‘Singing to the Lord, praising His name, and proclaiming His salvation day after day’ to be equated with ‘declaring His glory?’

CHAPTER 21 139

5.

Page 573. Give 6 examples of ‘weak bridges’.

a.

b. c.

d. e. f.

6.

Complete this sentence: “ Weak bridges keep Jesus and in the minds of non-Christians and increase the possibility that we will receive the

7.

On page 575, Julian gives five reasons why the gospel message is the strongest bridge to give Jesus most glory. What are they?

a.

b. c.

d. e.

8.

Julian points on page 575 that using ‘words’ is critical and that ‘it is not enough to let our light shine, perform random acts of kindness, or flood the world with good works.’ He says “We must make a connection for non-Christians with , between what we do and for Whom we do it.”

9.

On pages 577 – 578, Julian shows powerfully how Christians are ‘lights’ shining in dark places.

Complete this sentence: “The ‘go’ in [Mark 16:15] is His command for the in Church to get out of the place of , and go into the place of darkness, where they will brightest. It is in the places that He will be most glorified.”

10.

Page 579. Julian presents us with three great challenges.

a.

Continuing to worship Jesus in the usual way in church on Sundays.

c.

Adding to (a) and (b) above by worshipping Jesus through

b.

Continuing to worship Jesus with every aspect of our lives during the week. .

Of the three challenges, or avenues of worshipping Jesus, which is to be the priority?

11.

What immediate steps are you going to take to ‘add evangelism into your life?” Discuss and plan in your group. Remember to include accountability.

Answer: evangelism.

12. Complete the sentence. Dr John Stott said: “Worship which does not beget mission is .”

13.

If we understand that the highest motive to evangelise is to glorify God, and not to win souls, how does this accelerate the evangelism in the world? i.e. has the pressure to ‘win souls’ put many people off doing evangelism? Has this pressure been relieved when we now know that our task is to present the gospel with love and grace, and God’s job is to bring conviction and conversion?

140 CHAPTER 21

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 21 - video 2

14.

Is Paris Reidhead saying that he went to Africa for God and not to tell the heathen how to get to heaven, is the speaker on this video saying he adjusted his motives for evangelism after God has spoken to him? Does ‘going for God’s sake and not the sake of the heathen’ mean that his motivation is now ‘to glorify Jesus’? If not, what is his new motive? Discuss

Memorise “Those who are wise will shine like the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”

Daniel 12:3

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Ask Him to help you meet the third challenge, and the priority of the Church, which is to evangelise the world for the glory of God.

Chapter 21 – Answers Question Number 1-3

Answers Participants offer their own answers

4

(a) the eternal gospel (b) those who live on earth (c) fear God and give Him glory (c) implicit (d) yes

5

Possible answers: wearing a fish shape badge on our clothing, having a Christian bumper sticker on our car, carrying a Bible, not mowing our lawns on Sunday, mentioning to someone we go to church, mentioning to someone we are a Christian; saying ‘praise the Lord’ in conversation or ‘Amen’ etc.

6

vague; mysterious; glory

7

Answers: It is replete with the merits and excellencies of Jesus; it presents Jesus as the greatest of all heroes; through it we boast about Jesus; it explains who is motivating us; it causes our listeners to focus on Jesus, not on us.

8

Words

9

stars, light, shine, dark

10

c) evangelism ; evangelism is the priority

11

Participants offer their own answers

12

Hypocrisy

13

Because one of the devil’s main devices is to dupe Christians into believing that evangelism equals the winning of souls. We discussed the ramifications of this in depth on pages 15-28.

14

Participants offer their own answers

CHAPTER 21 141

142

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

At work in the life of every person who is not active in evangelism is one or more

What are the of the devices of the devil. main ideas in this These devices are now widespread and rampant. chapter?

Consequently, we are living in a new ‘Dark Age of Evangelism’ not unlike the Dark Ages of the Church in the Middle Ages, 500-1500.

Whether we accommodate the devil’s devices is a matter of personal choice.

To choose whether to eliminate or accommodate these devices is something each of us must do before God. Resisting the devil is a command, not a choice

Read, Reflect, Discuss 1.

Page 585. How is your ‘evangelism car’ functioning? Now that you have finished this book, what parts of your car need attention? What device of the devil is stopping you from doing evangelism?

What strategy from heaven was given to counter it? Discuss.

2.

What would it mean for a Christian to lose the battle in the war for souls?

3.

What would it mean for a Christian to win in the battle for souls?

4.

Page 585, the author talks about ‘justifying in our minds everything we believe, whether it is true or not.’ It is possible to trick ourselves into believing we are already doing evangelism, but really we are not? Or that we have good intentions of doing evangelism one day, but really we know we will not?

Is this what he means? Yes? No?

5.

Would it be possible for this generation of Christians to evangelise the world? Why? Why not? What would have to happen? How would this start? Discuss.

6.

Someone once said: “When I have sin in my life, I don’t feel like praying, reading my Bible, worshipping or much else because there is this unseen barrier between me and Jesus. The ‘antidote’ is confession and repentance. It’s the same with evangelism. When I have a device of the enemy operating over my life, in my thinking I don’t feel like doing evangelism. What’s the antidote in this situation?” What advice would you give?

CONCLUSION 143

7.

How would you know if a device of the enemy regarding evangelism had been resisted, and that the devil had fled? (James 4:7) Why does James 4:7 start with ‘submit to God’. Is resisting a device, ‘submitting to God’? Why? Why not?

Memorise “Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.”

James 4:7

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this book.

Commit yourself to being part of the solution.

Pray especially for your leaders to receive a revelation of the urgency to evangelise the world!

Conclusion – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

Participants offer their own answers

2

To lose would be to not activate for evangelism.

3

To activate for evangelism

4-6 7

Participants offer their own answers Submitting to God and resisting the devil are commands from God. They are not optional. If we are not evangelising, it is our responsibility to find out what device is operating, and then resist it. The battle fitness test of pages 653-665 is a diagnostic test to help you identify which devices are operating in your life.

144 CONCLUSION

The gospel in five bullet points

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

In John 16:8-10, Jesus gives a simple gospel outline:

What are the Sin main ideas in this Righteousness chapter?

Judgement

Jesus as Saviour Jesus as Lord

Read, Reflect, Discuss 1.

When we proclaim the gospel, who is it who convicts the non-Christian listening of the truths of the gospel?

2.

When we proclaim the gospel, who enables the non-Christian to believe?

3.

Our responsibility is to present the content with person listening the message.

4.

Read John 16:8-10. What are the five elements of the gospel in this verse?

5.

Which three elements of the John 16:8-10 scripture constitute Jesus as Saviour?

6.

Julian extracts Jesus as Lord from this verse by saying: “To accept Jesus as Lord is to be willing to completely and to Jesus to the limit of our at this point.�

and

, and to ensure the

APPENDIX 1 145

Memorise

“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” John 16:8-11

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Ask Him to help you meet the third challenge, and the priority of the Church, which is to evangelise the world for the glory of God.

Appendix 1 – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

The Holy Spirit

2

The Holy Spirit

3

love, grace, understands

4

Sin, righteousness, judgement, Jesus as Saviour, Jesus as Lord.

5

Sin, righteousness, Judgement

6

turn, unreservedly, understanding

146 APPENDIX 1

A bowl of rice is no substitute for the Holy Spirit

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

What is the main idea in this chapter?

The primary focus of our interaction with non-Christians, whether they are materially poor or wealthy, educated or uneducated, urban or rural, ought to be evangelism, not social action.

now Watch the dvd entitled: chapter 24 - video 1

This is Dr K.P Yohannan preaching.

Now please read pages 611-616. This is a chapter from his book on World Missions which I highly recommend you read next.

1.

Dr K.P. Yohannan begins his chapter with these words: “To keep Christian missions off balance, Satan has woven a masterful web of deceit and lies.” How significant is it that Julian Batchelor and Dr Yohannan live across the globe from each other, never met each other, never read each other’s books, yet they both came independently to the conclusion that Satan was behind the demise of evangelism? How likely is it that the Holy Spirit inspired their books? Is this going too far? Not far enough? Why? Why not? Discuss.

2.

Half Truth One, Page 612. Dr Yohannan reveals the first of the devil’s half truths: “We can’t preach the gospel to a man with an empty stomach.” How prevalent is this half truth? Has most mission money been invested in social work? Have you ever seen an appeal on TV for funds to help people preach the gospel? What are the appeals usually for? Discuss

APPENDIX 2 147

3.

Half Truth Two, page 612: Dr Yohannan makes the statement: “It is a crime against lost humanity to go in the name of Christ on missions to do social work but to neglect calling people to repent.” Is this a politically correct thing to say in the Church these days? How would Dr Yohannan likely be criticised? What would you say to such criticism having just read this chapter from his book? And Julian Batchelor’s book? Considering the priority of the Church? Discuss.

4.

Half Truth Three, pages 612 - 616: “People will not listen to the gospel unless we offer them something else first.” Dr Yohannan refutes this strongly. What does Dr Yohannan say to beggars on the street in India? Complete the sentences:

a. “I told them I had offer life.” b. c.

“I began to share the

“I told them about the many they would go there to

d. “The Lord will wipe away every

f.

e.

goods to give them, but I came to

of Jesus who died for their

“They would no longer be in

.”

in my Father’s house (John 14:2) and the fact that no more.”

and .”

from your eyes.”

“There would no longer be mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 7:16; 21:4)

5.

At the top of page 613, what does Dr Yohannan say is the result of such an approach?

6.

How long have Christian missionaries been showing marvellous compassion on Thailand?

7.

What percentage of people in Thailand are now Christian?

8.

Have the Christian missions improved the quality of life for the Thai people?.

9.

Have the Christian missions helped people receive eternal life?

10.

Dr Yohannan offers reasons for this disastrous situation. Which one of the explanations below do you think is most to blame? The missionaries were :

a.

Were not dedicated enough?

c.

Not believers in eternal hell, or eternal heaven?

b.

Operating according to unscriptural doctrines?

d. Lacking in Bible training? e. f.

Not going to the lost with the gospel?

Guilty of shifting emphasis from saving souls to relieving human suffering?

Discuss your answers in your group.

11.

In contrast, what were the results of poor native evangelists who just went out and preached the gospel? (top of page 614)

12. Dr Yohannan suggests that trying to fight the evil in these poor nations with social programs is like trying to fight with stones.

13.

Are Dr Yohannan and A.W.Tozer agreed that evangelism ought to be the primary thrust of missions?

148 APPENDIX 2

14.

On page 615 there is a revealing discussion between a missionary and a communist. What did the communists do that the missionaries did not do?

15.

Does Dr Yohannan think that this tragedy is being repeated in other countries today? (bottom of page 615) If you were in charge of missions in your church, what would you do to bring about change? How would you overcome the ‘politically correct opposition’?

16.

In light of this book, and Dr Yohannan’s chapter, should be change the way we train missionaries?

What ought to be the primary thrust of their training? Why? Why not?

Memorise “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”

Mark 8:36

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Pray for Dr Yohannan and his team. Pray that God would bring revelation of the powerful truths taught in this appendix to churches, leaders, missions organisation, and all Christians

Appendix 2 – Answers Question Number 1-3

Answers Participants offer their own answers

4

(a) no, material, eternal (b) love, souls (c) mansion, hunger, thirst (d) tear (e) debt (f) mourning, crying or pain

5

Participants offer their own answers

6

150 years

7

2%

8

Yes

9

No

10

Participants offer their own answers

11

hundreds of souls saved; numbers of churches established.

12

Tanks

13

Yes

14

Spread or proclaim their doctrine

15-16

Participants offer their own answers

APPENDIX 2 149

Pastor Evangelists. Roger Greenway

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

What is the main idea in this chapter?

Many Christian colleges and seminaries are unwittingly contributing to the decline of evangelism in the West.

Most pastors and ministers are not trained to evangelise.

Christian colleges and seminaries must change their programmes to equip students to evangelise, or face decline.

NOW WATCH A DVD ENTITLED: APPENDIX 3 – VIDEO 1

Read, Reflect, Discuss Now please read pages 619-637.

1.

Page 619. Was it a surprise that George Peters found that only 5/350 pastors in Europe had ever studied evangelism? And only 20/350 had attended a one day workshop? And that these leaders had not seen a connection between falling church attendance, and lack of evangelism? Why? Why not?

2.

Are these facts made even more startling, given the fact that evangelism is meant to be the priority of the Christian Church in the world? Are you stunned by the extent of the influence of the devil’s devices? Compare with the efforts of the early Christians in Acts 5:42 with the performance of these European pastors. Why the difference? Would pastors and leaders in your country fare any better?

Discuss

3.

Page 620. Roger Greenway details three things that happen when churches fail to present the claims of Christ evangelistically to the unsaved world. What are these three things?

a.

b. c.

4.

Complete the sentence: “Another problem is the influence of theologians. They redefine the Bible by saying that non-Christians don’t need personal , and therefore is not necessary.”

5.

Complete the sentence: “According to many European pastors, and in error, evangelism is redefined as .” What would Dr Yohannan think of this? What would Jesus think of

150 APPENDIX 3

this? What do you think? Discuss.

6.

Does Greenway say leaders are the problem? Or leaders are the problem and the solution?

7.

What was the word George Peters used to describe the evangelism efforts of missionaries on his tour of the mission fields of the world?

8.

In one sentence, what was the problem he saw?

9.

We hear a lot about church planting today. What does Greenway mean when he says it is possible to plant churches that are ‘evangelistically sterile?’

10.

How is it possible to plant a church and for the people in the church not to do evangelism?

11.

Page 621. According to Greenway, what is the top problem facing world evangelisation today?

12. How many chapters of Julian Batchelor’s book were dedicated to a discussion about leaders and the part they play in the success or failure of world evangelisation?

13.

Greenway is equally clear where the solution to world evangelisation lies. Complete the following sentence: “I believe that the solution begins with who lead congregations and the they receive for ministry.”

14.

In regard to evangelism, Professor Greenway suggests there are six aspects to every leader’s responsibility. What are they?

i. ii.

iii. iv. v.

vi.

15.

(First half of page 622). Professor Greenway compares the evangelism efforts and results of parachurch organisations with that of established churches. The former has much better results that the latter. Why is this?

16.

Complete the following sentence: “ What we

17.

(Second paragraph, page 622). According to Professor Greenway, and with respect to evangelism, what is the ideal situation to grow a church and make sure the new converts are discipled?

18.

What three kinds of church location make it more difficult for pastors to evangelise?

19.

(page 623) What kind of church locations will lend themselves to church growth, even in the absence of any evangelism?

on grows.”

20. Why is this a potential problem for our goal of evangelising the world?

21.

What is the difference between a “high yield” and a “low yield” pastorate?

22. In light of the devices of the devil studied in Julian Batchelor’s book, what advice would you give to pastors in ‘high yield’ churches? And ‘low yield’ churches?

APPENDIX 3 151

23. (Bottom of page 623, top of 624) How are seminaries and theological colleges unwittingly contributing to the decline/collapse of evangelism in the West?

At this point, please read again chapter 13 of Julian Batchelor’s book on The Evangelism Dream Team, particularly the sections about theological colleges and the role they play in re-firing evangelism in the West.

24. (bottom of pages 624) James F. Hopewell is quoted as saying that seminaries and theological colleges are unconsciously hindering world evangelism by preparing students to be ‘isolationist and static’.

What do you think he means by ‘isolationist and static’?

25. (page 625) Dr Greenway puts a strong challenge to Christian colleges and Seminaries: “In view of the increased pressure building up today for leadership that knows how to evangelise, I predict Christian colleges and seminaries will have to revamp their programmes or face decline.” Many colleges and seminaries don’t have any evangelism courses for their students, and if they do have them, they are not ‘core’ and compulsory. What reasons would there be to not make evangelism ‘core and compulsory?’ Choose your answer from the list below:

i.

ii. Seminaries and colleges have unwittingly lost touch with the real world, having become isolationist and static?

The staff qualified to teach evangelism are not available i.e. lecturers who could teach the theory and model the practice?

iii. Evangelism is a subject which many people fear. If it were made ‘core and compulsory’ some students would not enrol? And in times when colleges need revenue, it would be unacceptable to lose students in this way? vi. The subject is not seen as intellectual enough?

Which did you choose and why?

26. Given that the priority of the church is the evangelisation of the world, do you think colleges and seminaries ought to make evangelism their priority? Why? Why not?

27.

Page 625. Please read again the account of the seminary questionnaire. If you were the principal of a college or seminary, how would you close the gap (or eliminate it) between how these institutions were preparing their students, and what church members wanted? Discuss.

28. According to Professor Greenway, graduates of colleges and seminaries must be equipped for three aspects of evangelism to prepare them for leadership in the church they are assigned. What are they and give a brief explanation of each?

i.

ii.

iii.

29.

On page 626, there is an account of a couple who took a non-Christian couple to church. Read again how Barry Saar’s church in Sydney overcame this problem (pages 530-531). How could you help your church do likewise?

30. If you were a pastor, how would you develop what Spurgeon called ‘Christ in your spirit?’ What advice did Julian Batchelor give on page 241, point (6) on this subject?

152 APPENDIX 3

31.

Pages 628 – 629. Please read Lyle. E. Schaller’s “Seven Earmarks of Growing Churches.” Focus on (2) ‘Emphasis on evangelism’. Is there a weakness here? What is it? From your reading of Julian Batchelor’s book (chapter 6), is it the responsibility of all believers to evangelise or not?

Memorise “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

2 Timothy 4:5

Write a prayer telling Jesus what is on your heart right now.

Thank Him for what you have learned in this chapter.

Pray for Dr Yohannan and his team. Pray that God would bring revelation of the powerful truths taught in this appendix to churches, leaders, missions’ organisations, and all Christians.

APPENDIX 3 153

Appendix 3 – Answers Question Number 1-2

Answers Participants offer their own answers

3

(a) God’s saving grace no longer glows in the pulpit (b) Members slip away (c) Among the remnant, energies become directed towards other things, usually social issues and human development

4

Conversion, evangelism

5

Social action.

6

Problem and solution.

7

Disgusted

8

Pastors don’t know how to evangelise.

9

The pastor and the people in them don’t evangelise.

10

Many churches are planted by Christians who come from other churches.

11

Mainline churches who don’t evangelise. By mainline he means denominations like Baptist, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist etc.

12

5/21 or a little under 25% of the book.

13

Pastors, training

14

(1) teach and preach evangelism from the word of God. (2) Build a solid basis of commitment to evangelism within the congregation (3) Model evangelism in his/her own life and ministry (4) teaching by example (5) Guiding others in the process (6) Mobilise the members for evangelism.

15

Para-church organisations can focus on evangelism, whereas churches have a split focus.

16

Focus

17

To have pastors leading the church who are committed to evangelism.

18

Rural, declining communities, inner city neighbourhoods

19

Growing suburban locations in white middle class areas. The church growth is transfer, not fresh conversions.

20

These churches don’t participate in evangelism. The devil and his devices often luxuriate in these churches.

21

High yield is where people come to church without being evangelised, and the people are usually white middle class. Tithes are good, and there are quality leaders in abundance to run programs. Low yield is the opposite. People won’t come to church unless they are brought in; they are usually in low socioeconomic areas; tithing is tight, leaders are scarce.

22

Participants offer their own answers.

23

Most courses are heavy on theory, light on practice. Some graduates never study evangelism.

24

To be ‘isolationist’ is to stick to oneself. So theological colleges are unwittingly training graduates to grow churches which isolate themselves from the world. To be ‘static’ means to be unable to change and adapt to the challenges of missions and evangelism which present themselves in the real world.

25-27 28

29-30 31

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Participants offer their own answers Teaching evangelism: preaching the gospel on Sundays, preaching powerful, Biblical, Spirit empowered messages which include the ribs and structure of the gospel. Preaching with ‘Christ in your spirit’; Creating an atmosphere of evangelism in the church through the preaching.

Modelling evangelism: The pastor engaging in ‘visitation evangelism’; pastors seeking out and talking to non-Christians and loving them with the gospel; being a pray-er; making sure social ministries don’t take precedence over evangelism Organising evangelism: organising the whole church to evangelise; identifying the target people; hanging on tenaciously to the goal of keeping evangelism as the priority Participants offer their own answers The Biblical goal is for all believers to be mobilised, which is much more than mobilising only a cadre of unpaid lay evangelists. Our goal ought to be nothing short of mobilising the whole church.

The Gospel must be heard. Kevyn Harris

Before you read this chapter...

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you as you work through this study.

It is a grave error to think that a humanitarian response to human need is the same as preaching the gospel.

What are the main ideas in this The Church must re-establish its support for evangelism and evangelism ministries. chapter?

If the Church does not hold to the priority and presentation of the message, no one else will.

The priority of the church ought to be evangelism, not social action or meeting humanitarian needs.

Read, Reflect, Discus Now please read pages 641-643.

1.

Page 641. Kevyn acknowledges that in developing countries, and are tragically apparent.

2.

Page 641. What two reasons does Kevyn note as to why Westerners contribute generously to disaster relief?

3.

Page 642. The chief criticism of Kevin Harris is that the generosity shown by Westerners to disaster relief is not matched by concern for

4.

With much of today’s mission efforts, William Booth’s maxim has been changed from ‘Feed a man so that he is able to hear the gospel’ to ‘Feed a man and he has the ’

5.

What did Jesus mean when He said ‘Man shall not live by bread alone’ (Matthew 4:4) ? How is this relevant to Harris’ argument?

6.

Harris sees ‘mission’ as having two broad thrusts: meeting material needs, and preaching the gospel.

He also says these two thrusts should complement each other. Why does the secular government support the former, but not the latter?

7.

What arguments does Harris give as to why the Church ought to make a priority of focussing on proclaiming the gospel?

APPENDIX 4 155

8.

Page 643. Complete the sentences: “If Christ came and died so that the debt of developing nations would be , then let us throw all our efforts to that end. If God gave Himself in the person of Jesus so that the hungry could eat, then let’s go into the food

9.

Bottom of page 643. For Harris, what is ‘the primary communication’ for the Church, commanded

by Jesus?

Memorise: Philemon 1:6 Pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

Pray for the Church to have a revelation of the need to return to its primary thrust, which is the proclamation of the gospel.

Pray especially for significant leaders to receive this. Pray that you would become part of the solution, and that God would raise you up to raise up others!

TO FINISH WATCH A DVD ENTITLED: APPENDIX 4 – VIDEO 1

Appendix 4 – Answers Question Number

Answers

1

Poverty, structural injustices

2

Guilt from having too much; altruistic motives

3

Gospel proclamation

4

Heard, gospel

5 -6

Participants offer their own answers

7

1. The world contributes massively to meeting the material needs of the poor, but nothing to evangelism.

2. The Church is the only organisation on the planet interested in saving lost souls through evangelism.

3. K. P Yohannan argued convincingly that preaching the gospel was the best way to help the poor and disadvantaged. 4. In chapter 18 of my book, I detailed how evangelism was the best means for creating positive social change. 5. We must never forget the words of Jesus ‘What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world (i.e. is fed and clothed and housed and comfortable all his life) but loses his soul.’ (Mark 8:36)

8

Forgiven, food production

9

The invitation of the gospel to repent and believe

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