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03. Book Cover Photoshop Template 8 182x300 - Evangelism: Relationships and Community

The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture

The very core of the Gospel hinges on the words relationship and community. Will McRaney explains, “God desires to establish a redemptive relationship with all of humankind.”[1] The relationship God desires is the most intimate connection imaginable whereby believers reside in Christ. It is in Christ that believers have adoption, forgiveness, and an inheritance (Ephesians 1:5, 7, 11 NASB).[2] In other words, without a relationship, the Good News does not exist. Additionally, McRaney proposes that God furthers His redemptive work to include community by extending the intimacy necessary for individual salvation to an “invitation to join His family.”[3] The Apostle Paul states, “In Himself He might make the two into one new man” (Ephesians 2:15 [italics mine]). Peter O’Brien summarizes the importance of God’s community making by suggesting, “Christ brought them [Jews and Gentiles] together in a sovereign act that was nothing less than a new creation.”[4] In other words, the very essence of God’s redemptive activity includes individual relationships and the entire believing community, which both intimately reside relationally in Christ. McRaney highlights the dual nature of redemption by stating, “God desires to have an intimate relationship with His creations, individually and corporately.”[5]

The way relationship and community affect personal evangelism is twofold. First, the concepts of relationship and community must affect the message. Although the eternal consequences of salvation are of utmost importance, the evangelistic message must extend beyond heaven and hell. In fact, Douglas Moo explains, “Paul never in his letters explicitly uses hell as a means of stimulating unbelievers to repent.”[6] McRaney supports the “now” component of the “now and not yet” mission of Christ by referencing John 10:10-11, which suggests that Jesus “came to bring meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.” Believers have the powerful evangelistic opportunity to share that God made Christ “who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). How exhilarating it is to offer individuals a message of freedom to stop tirelessly seeking their own goodness and instead experience God’s righteousness, as a new creation in Him. Second, relationship and community must affect the messaging. McRaney points out that regardless of humanity’s limitations, “God still chooses to use people to communicate His message.”[7] Obviously, if humanity is God’s vehicle of choice, then the highway of individual relationships must exist for God’s message to persist. Furthermore, McRaney suggests that although an individual sharing Christ is powerful, the message of a community of believers is more powerful.[8] Accordingly, one must not underestimate the impact of relationships and community on either the message or the messaging in regards to personal evangelism.

PART 2

The assigned readings from the book Evangelism Is… in conjunction with the videos regarding listening have the potential to influence my approach to evangelism in five significant ways. First, Dave Earley provides an example of leading a friend to Jesus by having the friend read Scripture aloud.[9] Requesting a friend to read Scripture aloud provides an opportunity for the reader to take ownership of the meaning of the verse while simultaneously allowing room for the Holy Spirit to work, which is a very simple and powerful practice that I will immediately implement into my approach to evangelism. Second, Earley correctly asserts that fulfillment and happiness do not result from focusing on self.[10] C. S. Lewis takes Earley’s logic further by defining Hell itself as “a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement.”[11] Without question, self-focus hinders my intentionality regarding personal evangelism. Accordingly, it is critical that I mitigate the focused nature of my personality and increase my awareness of the needs around me. Third, Early utilizes examples from Acts 6-8 to prove that personal evangelism is not for the few, but for all followers of Christ.[12] Unfortunately, I must admit that I have often inappropriately assumed that evangelism was primarily for the gifted few. Although I may not have overtly expressed the idea, my actions certainly supported the assertion, which must change. Next, Early references James Kennedy who states, “Only 5 percent of all Christians have ever led anybody to Christ.”[13] Although I have led hundreds of leadership and discipleship training seminars, the statistics prove that personal evangelism must be part of the training I provide for other believers. Finally and possibly most importantly is the significant impact that listening will have on my approach to personal evangelism. Ironically and somewhat embarrassingly, I have been using and teaching empathic listening skills for over a decade, but due to the inappropriate beliefs identified above, I had not connected the power of listening to personal evangelism. Earley appropriately encapsulates the importance of listening by stating, “In contemporary culture listening equals love!”[14] Additionally, David Wheeler summarizes the tenets of active listening as reflecting feelings, seeking to understand, asking questions, and providing psychological air.[15] The combination of requesting Scripture to be read aloud, decreasing my selfish focus, realigning my beliefs regarding who evangelizes, training others, and integrating active listening skills into sharing Christ will certainly have the potential of significantly enhancing my approach to evangelism.

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[1]. Will McRaney Jr., The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2003), 16.

[2]. Unless otherwise noted, all Bible references are taken from the New American Standard Version (1995 Update), Lockman Foundation.

[3]. McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism, 17.Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture, 16.

[4]. Peter T. O’Brien, Word Biblical Commentary: Colossians, Philemon (Mexico: Thomas Nelson, 2000), 44:199.

[5]. McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture, 20.

[6] Douglas J. Moo, “Paul on Hell,” in Hell under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment., ed. Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004), 109.

[7]. McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture, 40.

[8]. Ibid., 41.

[9]. Dave Earley and David Wheeler, Evangelism Is…: How to Share Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2010), 4-6.

[10]. Ibid., 13.

[11]. C. S. Lewis, The Quotable Lewis: An Encyclopedic Selection of Quotes from the Complete Published Works of C. S. Lewis, ed. Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1989), 291.

[12]. Earley and Wheeler, Evangelism Is…: How to Share Jesus with Passion and Confidence, 20.

[13]. Ibid., 35.

[14]. Ibid., 229.

[15]. Liberty University, “Presentation: Hints for Active Listening,” Liberty University Web site, Microsoft Silverlight file, :20-2:22, http://bb7.liberty.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/courseMain?course_id=_1981517_1 (accessed May 11, 2013).

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • Earley, Dave, and David Wheeler. Evangelism Is…: How to Share Jesus with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2010.
  • Lewis, C. S. The Quotable Lewis: An Encyclopedic Selection of Quotes from the Complete Published Works of C. S. Lewis. Edited by Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1989.
  • Liberty University. “Presentation: Hints for Active Listening.” Liberty University Web site. Microsoft Silverlight file. http://bb7.liberty.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/courseMain?course_id=_1981517_1 (accessed May 11, 2013).
  • McRaney, Will Jr. The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2003.
  • Moo, Douglas J. “Paul on Hell.” In Hell under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment., edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004.
  • O’Brien, Peter T. Word Biblical Commentary: Colossians, Philemon. Vol. 44. Mexico: Thomas Nelson, 2000.
Wilder - Evangelism: Relationships and Community
Derek Wilder Executive Director
DEREK WILDER, PhD, is the Executive Director of Lives Transforming Group, Inc., a Christian counseling ministry focused on personal transformation, and the author of FREEDOM and Minds on Fire. Wilder has a Master of Theological Studies, an MDiv in Pastoral Counseling, and a PhD in Biblical Exposition. Wilder's scholarly focus lies in Pauline studies, with his doctoral dissertation specifically examining the ontological implications present in the eighth chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Wilder, an adjunct professor, founded Convergence Therapy, integrating cognitive therapy and grace-based theology into the accredited college course: “Thought Life & Spirit Growth.”