Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Evangelism in the 21st Century

Evangelism is the lifeblood of the church. Those who know say a church must grow 10 % a year just to maintain itself. The Great comission, one of the last things Jesus commanded the Apostles sets forth clearly their directive (and ours, as we imitate them) to preach the Word to every person. But how can we do that today?

There was a time when many non-Christians would come to Gospel meetings just for something to do, hear the Word, and be converted. In those days TV was not a factor, nor where the various sports activities for every member of the family, club meetings, etc. In "those days" (not to say the "good old days") it was common to have 10 or more visitors to a Gospel meeting, with at least one baptism, frequently more. Today many churches have a time getting their members to attend a Gospel meeting, much less visitors.

There was a time when radio programs sparked a lot of interest--everyone listened to the radio--no ipods, stereos, boomboxes, etc. so what was said on the radio was heard throughout the whole community. While radio seems to be making something of a comeback, it just doesn't have the influence it once had.

We must acknowledge that the world we live in has changed--people are busier, have much more entertainment/distractions, and even have less time to think or meditate. Does that mean that evangelism no longer works or as it is commonly phrased "nobody wants to hear the truth anymore"? Do we need to make changes in evangelism, and if so what kinds of changes should we make?

The nitty gritty of conversion has always been (and will always be) people sitting down and studying the Bible together, with an open heart to learn what God would have me to do. The needs of mankind have never changed, so God's Word has no need to change either. The only way people grow in faith is by hearing the Word of God. There is no substitute for Bible study, particularly guided Bible study to help a sinner see what His condition is before God and what God expects of him. No, Bible study cannot be changed.

On the other hand, our ways of making contacts probably will change. Talking to people you already know and have some influence with, is always the best way to find those willing to study. Often times we just need to ask them--quit beating around the bush and ask them. But if you are diligent you will eventually run through that group of people, so where do you go next? In times past door knocking worked fairly well, or radio programs, even ads in the newspaper, but these don't seem to work as well as they once did. That doesn't mean there is no interest in spiritual things, nor that nothing can be done. It merely means we must explore other ways of sparking interest in the non-Christian.

The internet is a wonderful tool for teaching. There are a couple of websites among brethren, in several languages, that receive over 100,000 "hits" a month--that many people go to the website and look at at least one page. Obviously most of them don't continue, but some do. A well done website can produce results, not only locally, but throughout the world. Our website is priglesiadecristo.com. We have articles and sermons in both English and Spanish, along with powerpoints, etc. We encourage you to come check it out.

Tol

Monday, March 09, 2009

Standing up for Jesus

Through the years we've lived in a couple of towns where the church was really strong and in one of those Dana was a Girl Scout leader. About 1/3 (or more) of the leaders were also Christians.

The year of Girl Scouts anniversary (I think it was 50 years) rolled around, so each council was going to have some special event to celebrate. As the subject of what they were going to do was broached, one of the more aggresive leaders began really pushing a "fun" night for the girls at the HS gym, which would conclude with a dance. Well actually culminate is probably the better word--the highlight of the whole evening was the dance.

There were almost 20 women present, of which at least 7 or 8 were Christians. Being one of the newer leaders Dana waited a bit to let someone with more influence protest, but no one did. Finally she protested, giving her reasons why and still no one else said anything. The dance was ultimately accepted.

As Dana was leaving several different leaders who were Christians approached her, telling her they didn't approve of the dance, their girls would be leaving before it started, etc. When asked why they didn't stand up against it they really had nothing to say. The dance was a flop, but the whole thing could have been avoided if only a few more had spoken out against it.

Are you standing up for Jesus, or do you just sit there? When someone at work (or school) tells dirty jokes what is your response? Do you just sit there, not laughing, but not saying anything? Or do you get all self-righteous and make a big scene about it? In my judgment neither of these is the answer--you need to politely, but firmly, tell the person that you believe such jokes are not in keeping with being a Christian. If he/she is offended it's not because of you, or what you said, but because of a guilty conscience. When "the guys from work" invite you to "go out for a beer" how do you respond? Do you say you don't have the time, or do you tell them the truth--I don't drink or go to where drinking is the main entertainment (that's the meaning of "drinking parties" in 1 Pet. 4:3)?

Are you standing up for Jesus?

Tol

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

a way with words

I talked with a friend today about a family member who had been killed and she told me the body was going to be "exposed" tonight at the funeral home. Her English is very good, but there are some words that don't necessarily translate easily. And while many people might call it a "wake" or a "viewing" I remember an older brother who used to say "they'll have him/her out" tomorrow night. From the context it's not too difficult to figure out what they mean, but it is interesting. Not all cultures say things the same way.

In the spiritual realm it is no different. As Christians we talk about "sound" churches or "liberal" churches. We may even use words like propitiation, atonement, etc. when talking with friends who are not "literate" in the Bible. We know and understand very well what these words mean, but they don't. When it comes to the Bible some people know very little, so when they hear such words they just turn you off. So, you think you've enlightened them and they haven't heard a thing you said.

Words are important--don't misunderstand me, but sometimes we don't help our listeners understand by our choice of words. When we moved to KY and I first heard the phrase "I don't care a bit for you to come over" the context seemed to say "come on over" but the words seemed, at least to me, to say "don't come". After several clarifications I finally understood, but I can be persistent when I need to be. Your non-Christian friends may not be nearly so persistent in trying to understand.

So as one well-respected brother said years ago, "Never underestimate the ignorance of your audience"--don't assume they know everything that you do. More than likely they don't, so think about your choice of words and make sure they are understanding you, because if they don't understand it doesn't matter how eloquent your teaching/preaching is, you're just wasting your time and theirs.

Tol

Monday, March 02, 2009

February--a month of firsts

February has come and gone but it was an exciting month for us in Puerto Rico. The churches continue to grow and as a result, so do brethren. We have had two brethren at Caparra (San Juan) lead their first prayer while waiting on the Lord's table. 3 were baptized at Moca (2 hours west of San Juan) and both men have lead prayers. The young man that was baptized in Jan. at Moca is also serving the Lord's table.

Growth is by spurts and at times seems to be two steps forward, one step back, but it is progress no matter how slow. One of the young men at Caparra, when asked to lead the prayer for the bread, back out because (he told me later) "he didn't know the prayer you had to say"--he had decided there these prayers were according to a formula and had to be said exactly or they were not valid.

Attendance at Caparra yesterday was 11 in English, 15 in Spanish and 12 at Moca.

There is another new church meeting in the center of the island, at Juncos. Presently there are 6 meeting there, Joe Carrasquillo and his family and Oscar and Ana Colon. They are passing out literature and inviting the neighbors, so we trust the Lord will give the increase. There is not a church in this town, nor in several of the towns around it.

Please continue to pray for us as we work here and that the Lord will provide the support for Joel Holt to move here in July, to work with us, as scheduled.

Tol