attitudes towards evangelism
How do we feel about the following stated beliefs? Let these statements help us discover our motivation for serving and doing lifestyle evangelism. There are some statements that we would agree with easily, but maybe not so with others.
There is a link for a forum at the bottom of the page to share thoughts and respond with others.
1. Deep down, non-Christians really want to know and obey God.
2. Non-Christians typically have five or more significant encounters with the Gospel before coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. Non-Christians usually won’t come to us to find God. We have to go to them.
4. Evangelism is the easiest and most natural of all the ministries in the church.
5. Effective evangelism requires little training.
6. Friendly, openhearted people make the best evangelists.
7. Church life, spent in the presence of Christians only, produces saints who are neither friendly nor openhearted to outsiders.
8. The kingdom of God is the primary mission and issue of our shared life as a Christian, not self-preservation or the perpetuation of the church.
9. The primary foundation of all our evangelism is love.
10. Placing expectations upon someone we’re evangelizing is always injurious and works against that person coming to Christ.
11. We become holy and righteous by identifying with Jesus and surrendering to His will for us rather than trying to obey the Law.
12. Each person in a relationship with Jesus is primarily responsible for his/her own follow-up and fellowship needs.
13. The Holy Spirit is the only true evangelist who has ever existed, as well as the only disciple-maker.
14. It is normal for everyone who loves Jesus to have a heart for the sick, poor, lost, widowed, and homeless.
15. We are committed to prayer as an essential element of any successful outreach venture. Because we highly value active obedience to the will of God, an ideal time to pray is on the way to share God’s love with others.
16. Non-Christians may not remember what they’ve been told regarding God’s love, but they always remember what they’ve experienced of God’s love.
17. None of us can manufacture the genuine working of the Holy Spirit.
18. The Holy Spirit is able, willing, and free to break in and carry on his work in unspectacular, non-manipulative, and surprising ways.
19. An atmosphere of anointing, freshness, and vitality comes upon believers when they spend time with non-Christians.
20. Because of irrational fears, the average evangelical Christian today has no plans to participate actively in evangelism
21. Most Christians are so far out of touch with the world around them that they know little of its fears, problems, concerns, or issues.
22. Because God is highly committed to the lost, almost any evangelistic approach will work given enough time and commitment to sharing the Good News.
23. God has a passionate heart for the lost. Whether we choose to bring Christ to unbelievers or not, God is very creative and will seek to win them some way.
24. It is a privilege to be involved in the process of sharing God’s love with those God is inviting into his family of God.
25. Effective evangelism is more of a mindset than a program.
26. Our evangelism is really an overflow of our relationship with God and our relationships with people.
27. In order to effectively evangelize our cities, we will need to make major time commitments to sharing our lives with the lost. In fact, God may ask us to dedicate the rest of our lives to the task of reaching our cities with the Gospel.
28. If we are not careful, our day-to-day activities, and even our church’s day-to-day activities, can leave us with nothing in the tank for engaging in evangelism.
29. Because they are central to the mission of the local church, funding for evangelism and ministry to the poor ought to be seen as a part of regular church budget rather than areas to be financed by special offerings.
Adapted from Conspiracy of Kindness, Steve Sjogren
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