[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-will-you-share-your-faith":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-will-you-share-your-faith-surround":95},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":18,"columnName":77,"date":78,"description":24,"extension":79,"image":80,"meta":81,"minRead":82,"navigation":83,"path":84,"postType":85,"publication":86,"publicationUrl":80,"seo":87,"stem":88,"topics":89,"__hash__":94},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-will-you-share-your-faith.md","How Will You Share Your Faith?",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17],"1 Peter","Matthew","Colossians","Proverbs","Mark","Acts","John","Ephesians","1 Corinthians",{"type":19,"value":20,"toc":73},"minimark",[21,25,28,31,34,37,40,43,46,49,52,55,58,61,64,67,70],[22,23,24],"p",{},"We are under orders. How will we share our faith? Just because so many Christians never share theirs doesn't mean we should be silent. Perhaps we have been turned off by evangelistic methods that seem phony, quarrelsome, or pushy, so we simply avoid evangelism altogether. Perhaps our circle of friends has become so ingrown that we have no relationships with non-Christians. Or worse, perhaps we have bought the popular universalism that says all will be saved no matter what they believe. (If everyone will be saved anyway, why try to lead others to Christ?)",[22,26,27],{},"Donald McGavran said, \"Evangelism is the friendliest possible activity. If to become a Christian, know Christ as Lord and Savior, have one's sins forgiven, and be empowered to act lovingly in this unlovely world is the pearl of great price, what greater boon can Christians confer on their neighbors than to lead them to these pearls?\"",[22,29,30],{},"Evangelism is one poor beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. It's helping a lost traveler find his way home. It's giving a reasonable answer when someone asks why we have hope (1 Peter 3:15). It's inviting others to follow Christ, find rest in him (Matthew 11:28-30), and experience his forgiveness and grace. It's making known the reality that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord, and persuading others to become fellow-travelers on the road to Heaven.",[22,32,33],{},"Pre-Evangelism",[22,35,36],{},"Crops grow best in well-prepared ground. We have to prepare the ground before we sow the seed. This means earning the right to be heard by setting an attractive example of building positive relationships with friends, coworkers, family members, and neighbors that will lead to natural conversations about the Lord.",[22,38,39],{},"It means demonstrating God's love by making ourselves available to help in times of sickness, grief, or depression. It means opening our homes to others. (Christian hospitality is one of our greatest evangelistic tools.)",[22,41,42],{},"It means \"seasoning our conversation with salt\" (Colossians 4:6) so that our words create curiosity and a thirst for the Lord. Historian Michael Green says the early church \"gossiped the gospel\"—Christ was the center of their everyday conversation.",[22,44,45],{},"Are you helping to create a friendly atmosphere in your church so guests feel welcome and find a place to fit in? Are you praying for opportunities to talk about your faith? Are you alert to receptive people who are open and ready to consider the Lord? Do you know someone who has \"ears to hear\" (Mark 4:8, 9)? Some, like the \"God-fearers\" of the first century, already believe in God but need to learn about his Son, Jesus Christ (Acts 13:26, 17:4). Could you reach out to visitors who attended your church last Sunday, movers (new residents in your community), or inquirers (who are curious about the church and call or e-mail for information)?",[22,47,48],{},"Personal Evangelism",[22,50,51],{},"“He who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).",[22,53,54],{},"When presented with an opportunity to communicate the gospel, what will you say? The best evangelistic methods are solidly biblical and comfortably personal. Do not leave out some vital part of the plan of salvation. Explain about God's love and grace (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-10). Emphasize Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-3). The woman at the well used the story of her own personal life transformation to bring others to Jesus (John 4:39-42).",[22,56,57],{},"If you have the opportunity for extended discussion, study the Gospel of John with your friends so they will learn to trust Christ as their forgiver, life-changer, and hope-giver. Show them how the gospel was presented and received in New Testament times, using great texts like Acts 2:36-41, 8:26-39, and 16:30-34. Take them through key texts in the book of Romans that speak about our problem of sin (3:23), God's solution to sin (3:24-26, 6:23), the meaning of faith, repentance, confession, and baptism (2:4, 5:1-11, 6:1-14, 10:9-11), and the power of the Holy Spirit in the Christian life (8:1-39). Present the privilege of baptism in all its biblical beauty (Galatians 3:26-28, Colossians 2:12), and celebrate baptisms with great joy!",[22,59,60],{},"Post-Evangelism",[22,62,63],{},"Our work is not done when our friends accept Christ. What about the new believers' long-range well-being? After they're baptized, they will need someone to follow up and help them grow to maturity. We must not just \"dip them and drop them.\"",[22,65,66],{},"Jesus said to baptize new disciples, and then go on \"teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you\" (Matthew 28:20). New disciples need to devote themselves \"to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer\" (Acts 2:42).",[22,68,69],{},"You can't rush a harvest. It takes patience and perseverance to communicate the good news. It also takes teamwork. Sometimes God will use you to plant a seed and someone else will reap the harvest. Sometimes others will do the hard work and you will be there to reap \"the benefits of their labor\" (John 4:37, 38). Either way, God is the one \"who makes things grow\" (1 Corinthians 3:5-8).",[22,71,72],{},"So let's stop making excuses and get busy making disciples. Let's share our faith!",{"title":74,"searchDepth":75,"depth":75,"links":76},"",2,[],"First Look","2003-09-28","md",null,{},5,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-will-you-share-your-faith","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":24},"articles\u002Fhow-will-you-share-your-faith",[90,91,92,93],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Perseverance in Suffering","Holy Week and Resurrection","FjZGFwAd1Tl9mCAOMphy5H7dLKfGYVco7mk5Gr92kII",[96,101],{"title":97,"path":98,"stem":99,"description":100,"children":-1},"How to Exasperate Your Children","\u002Farticles\u002Fhow-to-exasperate-your-children","articles\u002Fhow-to-exasperate-your-children","John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, once commented, \"Before I was married I had three theories about raising children. Now I have three children and no theories.\" While there's no magic formula for parenting, the Bible offers this perfectly balanced advice: \"Children, obey your parents in the Lord. . . . Fathers, do not exasperate your children\" (Ephesians 6:1, 4).",{"title":102,"path":103,"stem":104,"description":105,"children":-1},"Humility and Nobility: Marks of a 'Weaned Child'","\u002Farticles\u002Fhumility-and-nobility-marks-of-a-weaned-child","articles\u002Fhumility-and-nobility-marks-of-a-weaned-child","A Sunday school teacher was explaining to her class how God created Adam from the dust of the earth. A four-year-old boy asked, \"You mean I'm made out of dirt?\""]