Do you remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
I wonder if there is an ideological equivalence to Maslow’s theory. I wonder if there is a hierarchy of beliefs?
“Jesus is the only way” is a belief that often requires a long list of presuppositions. Each presupposition may be a unique epiphany, one important step toward Jesus. For instance…
There’s a sense of urgency tied up in the word, “harvest.” Harvest also connotes hard work. Picking produce, reaping crops, and all its associated tasks are not for the faint of heart. There will be sweat.
When you combine these two elements the result is anything but comfort. Reaping is stressful, laborious, painstaking, but despite all this the harvest is intrinsically good. It represents months of hard work and the promise of surviving the frost until everything begins growing again in the spring. As such there is nothing to be done in the days of summer and autumn but to work the fields. And yet some have other ideas:
… he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. (Prov. 10:5b, ESV)
What if you consider this verse in the context of Jesus’ reference to the harvest?
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few… (Matt. 9:37b, ESV)
Why are they so few? Perhaps they’re sleeping.
Paul Washer explains what is wrong with the “sinners prayer.” Rather than having someone pray a prayer and then tell them they are going to heaven, he says we should tell people that the evidence of their salvation will be continued growth in repentance and salvation.
The reasoning goes something like this… If I know I have important things to say and I am going to get others to listen to me, then they have to want to listen to me. In order for them to want to listen to me, I have to be someone they want to listen to. It is important therefore, that I sell myself via writing books, blogging, tweeting, preaching, etc., so I can get the message out. My ministry needs attention so I can minister to more, more fully. And, of course, it’s really Jesus’ message and mission, so the end justifies the means.
The phrase personal Savior is yet another recent innovation that grew out of the ethos of nineteenth-century American revivalism. It originated in the mid-1800s to be exact. But it grew to popular parlance by Charles Fuller (1887–1968). Fuller literally used the phrase thousands of times in his incredibly popular Old Fashioned Revival Hour radio program that aired from 1937 to 1968.
Today, the phrase personal Savior is used so pervasively that it seems biblical. But consider the ludicrousness of using it. In Jesus Christ, you and I have received something far greater than a personal Savior. We have received Jesus Christ’s very own relationship with His Father!
Dr. John Perkins is a prominent voice in reconciliation ministry. When he speaks, people listen. So, listen to his explanation of why we should stop asking people if they want to be saved.
As I handed the change back to one of the young girls, she handed me a tract with a very sweet smile – and I froze. My entire feeling changed. When they first came up to me at the register I felt a tenderness towards them – they reminded me of me. I was endeared by the idea that they were studying the Bible together at Starbucks, and I marveled in my heart at the work the Lord does in young lives. It was a real sweet feeling I had. Until she handed me the tract.
This is part 1 of a two-part series of video posts on Alan Hirsch’s presentation on discipleship. See part 2 here.
Alan Hirsch explains how traditional evangelical thinking that we must evangelize first and then disciple second is flawed. He shows how Jesus had many pre-conversion disciples. The command to his followers is to disciple the nations. Evangelism will happen secondarily and as a function of discipleship. (more…)
This is part 2 of a two-part series of video posts on Alan Hirsch’s presentation on discipleship. See part 1 here.
You can’t make disciples out of consumers. You can’t consume your way into the Kingdom. It doesn’t work like that.
A culture of consumerism has influenced how we think of evangelism. Consumers respond to evangelism and come to the church thinking they can remain consumers. But they are wrong. Disciples are producers. But the cycle of consumerism continues as consumers recruit more consumers to their consumer-minded churches. We have to break the consumerism cycle.
I breezed through an article on the Huffington Post’s religion section last night before I went to bed and it gnawed at my conscience all night. It’s called “How I Kissed Evangelism Goodbye,” and it is a REALLY GOOD article. But, I think it’s full of bad assumptions and reflects a poor missiology & ecclesiology.
So much of what she said here makes me want to scream “YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT,” but likewise urge caution to not make listening, or any other thing apart from discipleship, the holy grail of evangelism.
I’ve watched over and over as people who signed up for Christianity because of the promise of Heaven grew disillusioned by the unfulfilled guarantees of certainty, weary under the weight of the religious bait-and-switch, and left the faith altogether. Tell me, then, was this little seed better than none at all?
There’s a better Gospel. I’m sure of it. It speaks of reconciliation to God, Heaven coming to earth, life without end beginning now.
Oral story telling is proving to be one of the most effective means of communicating the gospel, and specifically the biblical narrative.
For many Muslims, the Bible is considered haram (i.e. forbidden) because it is believed that Christians have changed it and therefore corrupted it. Appreciating these realities, fruitful teams make a bridge using Islamic terms (e.g. Injil for gospel; Isa for Jesus; etc.) and thought patterns. This is not so much about using the content of the Quran, but rather it is about reflecting the value of sharing the gospel using terms, symbols, and forms of thought that are familiar to peoples with an Islamic heritage.
We understand conversion as more than mere assent to Christianity’s teaching and more than mere observance of rites and rituals associated with the church. It’s no wonder that sharing our stories is a main aspect of evangelical identity and evangelistic activity.
But there’s a subtle danger lurking here. Because of our emphasis on conversion stories and testimonies, we can unintentionally make people think that evangelism is the same thing as sharing your experience.
We interpret The Great Commission’s “Go make disciples” as “Go tell your story.” They are not the same thing.
What is the point of being a Christian anyway?
There are a lot of bait-and-switch jobs we do to get people to accept Jesus. They are the little Easter Eggs that we scatter around in the hopes of making Jesus more appealing. But I’ve got to think that the greatest trick that we have perpetrated, the biggest bait-and-switch of all time has got to be the certainty that if you accept Jesus, you get to go to heaven when you die.
The lead pastor told the Joplin Globe “We’re just dudes,” adding, “If we can get more people to follow Jesus, I’ll give away 1,000 guns. I don’t care.”
However, the contest sparked controversy, as some residents accused the church of promoting violence. Mooneyham pushed back, arguing that “People are crazy, period. Murder has been going on since the beginning of time.” Ignite isn’t the first church to raffle off weapons.
The idea that one can lead someone to Jesus is an antinomy. We are 100% responsible to lead others to Christ – to introduce them – but we are 100% dependent on God to do all the work in drawing them and regenerating their soul.
I’ve had lots of discussions with with folks over the years about how they think evangelism is to be done, and have written about it extensively. One idea keeps resurfacing. It’s the idea that we’ve got to convince people of the ‘bad news’ before we get to the ‘good news.’
Some people like to start their presentation of the gospel with a happy thought, such as, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” This was not Paul’s method.
And He gave some as E-postles, E-prophets, E-vangelists, E-pastors, and E-teachers for the E-quipping of the saints for the work of service and E-difying the body of Christ.
E-Ministry to an E-generation?
There can never be a complete disconnect from organic stone & mortar ministry (1 Peter 2:5). Likewise, the church cannot cease E-xtending our flesh wrapped hands in fellowship. But, she also cannot reject the E-world reality. How we minister to one another and those outside of the church, must include E-vangleism.
In this 3 minute video, Jo Saxton offers some thoughts about Jesus’ strategy for sharing the Gospel by finding the person of peace. (more…)
Essentially, we train folks to fit into a specific personality type and call it evangelism training. We are training people to be extrovert evangelists. However, in the body of Christ, not everyone fits this extrovert mold, yet people think this is how all followers of Jesus must be and live. We must stop calling everyone to be an extrovert evangelist and allow people, specifically introverts, to live out the identity of evangelist and missionary in the way God has made them.
Note: Be sure to use the page number buttons below the social sharing buttons in the article to access all 4 pages of the article.
Paul Washer delivers a sobering word to the American church, cautioning us about using carnal means to make false converts and starve true disciples of Jesus in the process. Warning: This might make you uncomfortable, so be sure to watch it. (more…)
This 6 minute video explains the roles of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield in America’s First Great Awakening. See how God used these men to deliver a message of repentance and rebirth during a tumultuous time in American history. Their work resulted in a vast wave of conversions. Some call it revival. Historians refer to this time period as the First Great Awakening. Oh that such a move of God would sweep our country once more!
http://youtu.be/n-dk4-HBNWQ
So how do we get from “admirers” of Jesus to “followers” of Him?? I suggest that we start with reimagining evangelism through the lens of discipleship, which requires that we let go of seeing salvation as something we can deliver on demand, or when a person says a certain formulaic prayer. Rather, we need to reconceive discipleship as a process that includes pre-conversion discipleship and post-conversion discipleship.
Note: There is a link in the article to download Alan Hirsch’s free e-book, Disciplism. I highly recommend that you click the link and download the free e-book. It only takes about 30 minutes to read.
