Signs of the Times – Church Opportunity

Is outreach a part of your Church DNA? In order for a church to be effectively outward-focused, it must be aware of the main entry points for the unchurched in their community that they are trying to reach. There are two main entry points for the unchurched according to Barna Research.

The worship service is the main point of entry for the unchurched in your community. Research shows that 40% of unchurched families will first encounter the church by visiting on a Sunday morning. In fact, the first impression of a church is extremely important, because most visitors evaluate the atmosphere above the content. Therefore, the church’s goal should be to do everything possible to minimize the potential frustrations and distractions. Everything from the parking, to the crowds, and even a warm welcome all contribute to minimizing frustrations and distractions.

Another entry point into the church for those who are unchurched are church outreach events, one of the most effective ways for a church to reach out to their community. These events serve as the means for individuals to build a relational bridge to families in their neighborhoods or workplaces.  Options for a church trying to implement relationship-building opportunities with the unchurched include holiday outreach events, outreach small groups, and music productions. And as always make sure that your church body knows that these events exist for them to have an opportunity to invite an unchurched friend. People will visit an outreach event that would never consider visiting your church on a regular Sunday morning. Because of this fact, the gospel should be shared at these outreach events. If you host a concert, have the lead singer or have a pastor share the gospel. If it is a Christmas or Easter event, don’t let them miss the reason we celebrate! If it is an outreach small group, share the gospel every time a new couple joins your group.

Due to the fact that many Christians do not have significant relationships with those outside of their Christian bubble; as a church, give them a head start by making outreach events a priority in your planning and in your budget. I could take one glance at your budget and tell you what your priorities are as a church and you can, too. And remember, outreach should be more than a department in your church; it should be a core value that finds expression in a majority of your church programming. It should be part of your Church DNA.

Scripture says that we should make the most of every opportunity. Take the next exit, and don’t be an inwardly focused church! Knock out the stained glass windows that keep you from seeing those outside of your church! Go beyond the walls of your church and live the Great Commandment while fulfilling the Great Commission.

Sharing the Gospel with Children

Each generation of people has a two-fold responsibility. One is to reach its own generation. The second is to prepare the next generation to reach their peers. In so doing, not only does each person leave a legacy behind them, but their lives count for something eternal.

What happens if we don’t? Studies show that as few as 4% of children born after 1984 are trusting Christ as their Savior. We risk an entire generation missing out on the goodness of God’s grace.

That is one reason we are committed to reaching children. If we reach them for Christ, they in turn will reach their children. But in reaching and training the next generation, a clear gospel must be at the center of that training.

Let’s equip the next generation. Years after we enter His presence, the impact of our lives will continue on earth. That impact will surround one thing – the clear message of the gospel of grace.

R. Larry Moyer

Be Clear When Presenting the Gospel with Children

How many adults grow up doubting their salvation because of an unclear gospel presentation as a child? Only the Lord knows for sure, but if you spend any time walking closely alongside other Christians you will run into many who say “I know I had some kind of spiritual experience when I was a child, but I’m not quite sure what happened.”

Doubt about salvation can stunt spiritual growth and often prevents a person from getting involved in evangelism. After all, how can you lead a person to Christ when you are unsure of your own eternity?

That’s why it is critical that we make the gospel clear when leading children to Christ. We do not need to demand or coerce, - but should simply explain the gospel in a way that a child knows exactly what he must do to have eternal life with God.

When sharing the gospel with children remember to:

Pray: The Holy Spirit will guide you in a one-on-one conversation with the child.

Make the gospel clear: Explain that Christ took the punishment for our sins by dying on the cross and on the third day He rose from the dead. Then explain that we can only be saved by trusting in Christ alone.

Ask the child questions to discern his understanding: “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” “Why do we need a savior?”

Assure a new believer of his eternal security using Scripture: John 5:24 says that whoever hears and believes has eternal life!

Let’s leave a legacy. Let’s make an impact on future generations by sharing the gospel with children clearly and simply.

Sharing the Gospel in a Group Setting

Several years ago a mission’s team organized a weeklong backyard Bible club for kids. At the end of the week, the kids were gathered together to hear the final version of John 3:16. The group presentation was evangelistic and included all the essential elements of the gospel. At the end of the lesson the teacher asked the children, “If you would like to trust Christ right now, just raise your hand.” Some of the children raised their hand immediately while others did after looking around. In the end, every child in attendance raised their hand in response to the invitation.

How many of those decisions were genuine? How could we possibly know?

Here are some key things to keep in mind whenever sharing the gospel message in a group setting:

Keep the presentation simple, clear and biblically accurate to avoid confusion.

Never let a physical action (raising a hand, standing up, praying a prayer, walking an aisle) be confused as part of salvation for the child. Coming forward to talk to an adult is appropriate but make it clear to the child that it is a way to find out more – it is not how he is saved.

Do not lead the children in a group prayer of salvation. This may lead some to believe that the prayer has the power to save.

Give the children specific directions on who can help them if they want to learn more. Also, tell them specifically when they can talk to that person and where to find him/her.

If you are a designated counselor to receive kids who respond to a presentation, remember to first establish why a child is coming to talk to you. Your first question is: “Why did you come to talk to me?”

Present the gospel to children on a regular basis. Do it often – individually and in groups. Remember: group presentations should always be followed up with one-on-one interactions with children who respond.

My Child is Unsure of His Salvation. How Can I Help Him?

Many children question their salvation because they doubt the validity of an “experience” they had when they were younger. It may have been walking down an aisle, talking to a counselor, or some other action. As the child grows, he looks back and begins to wonder if he understood what he was doing or whether he was sincere.

When he goes to his parents for help, they may compound the problem by reminding him of what he did and even assuring him that he was sincere. The problem is that what seems clear in their minds is still not clear in his. Children should not base their assurance on their parents’ memory.

To help children, parents would be wise to guide their child in finding biblical answers to two questions. The first is, “Do you now understand the gospel?” Discuss with the child whether he now understands that Christ took the punishment for his sins, died on the cross, and arose from the grave.

The second question is, “Right now, are you depending on Christ alone to get you into heaven?” Jesus says, “He that believes in me has everlasting life” (John 6:47). God is not concerned about the date that happened. If anyone is depending on Christ as his only way to heaven, he is a child of God regardless of the date that eternal transaction took place. A child’s trust should be in Christ alone, not in a date or action from their past.

Children: Lead Them to Christ and Learn From Them

Think about it! There is not one paragraph in the Bible on how to evangelize children! One reason may be that the message is so simple anyone can understand it; therefore, it should be presented just as simply and clearly to children. The age of the unbeliever does not change the message or its simplicity. All it means is that we take the simple message and express it in ways their age allows them to understand.

It is interesting, though, that Christ did encourage us to reach children. Christ even rebuked His own disciples when they turned children away. Luke 18:15-17 tells us, “Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.’”

Two things stand out in that passage. The first is if children could not come to Christ, He would not have invited them. Jesus Christ was always a person who said what He meant and meant what He said. The fact is the gospel message is so simple even a child can understand it.

Secondly, children coming to Christ illustrate the way all of us must come. Note Christ’s words: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child.” A child does not come to Christ bragging about his good life, church attendance, or religious efforts. You never hear a child say:

“I have done a lot of things right in my time.”

“I am not half as bad as a lot of people I know.”

“I have not missed an Easter Sunday in nine years.”

Recognizing they are sinners, children are simply and humbly willing to trust Christ alone to save them. So on behalf of Christ, encourage children to come. As they do, watch them closely. They illustrate the way all of us must come.

Signs of the Times – Church Change

Change. Yes. I said it. Change. Soon you will have to make the choice: Is my church going to change to meet the needs of a rapidly changing culture or am I content to ride off into the sunset of the status quo?

This reminds me of the story of the young pastor who accepted a position at a small church in the Southwest. He decided that prior to the very first Sunday morning service that he would prefer not to preach behind the “old school” pulpit. You see, he was used to preaching on his feet with the Bible in hand and the freedom to walk around the stage as he spoke to the congregation. What he did not realize is that the “old school” pulpit had been around as long as the church - over 50 years. He not only surprised the congregation with this change, but they surprised him with resistance to change. That was the beginning of an uphill climb for the young pastor that only lasted six months when the leaders of the church decided to find a new pastor, one content with the status quo.

Churches like this will eventually die because they will fail to pass their faith to the next generation. Well known preacher, Chuck Swindoll, has quoted Jaroslav Pelikan of Yale on more than one occasion: “Tradition is the living faith of those now dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living.” It is not that tradition is wrong it is traditionalism that is the enemy. We get so caught up in the trappings of religion that we lose site of the foundation of faith.

One of my favorite writers on church and change is Leonard Sweet, currently the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University, Madison, NJ and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University, Portland, Oregon. In one of Sweet’s best books, AquaChurch, I have found that he has effectively summarized the challenge church leaders face:

“To be effective in this postmodern world, church leaders need to do more than just adapt. We must transform ourselves into an “AquaChurch” - fully capable of navigating the uncharted waters that lie ahead. And we must discover the leadership arts necessary to lead our culture to the unchanging truths of the Gospel.”

Church leaders must discover how the Bible, tradition, vision, creativity, teamwork, and more relate to today’s ever-changing world so that they can effectually minister successfully to the postmodern culture without letting go of the Gospel of Jesus.

Do you have a desire to see the church be relevant in a changing culture or are you content with the status quo? Are you ready to exit from your comfort zone? Change is ahead; in fact, it is the next exit.

Leadership Journal Article – “Is the Gospel Too Small?” II

In case you missed part one of my response to the Leadership Journal article by Tim Keel that suggests that the gospel today is too small - here are some highlights:

• The most important quote, the main idea of Mr. Keel’s article: “In a modern world, we tend to reduce the complexity and diversity of the Scriptures to simple systems…”
• Keel continues, “And the gospel itself gets reduced to a simplified framework of a few easily memorized steps.”
• I want to make my argument as clear and simple as the gospel. Check out Paul’s explanation of the gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-8
• Is our gospel too small? I would say most of the time it is too large. Either someone clouds the issue by using “churchy” language such as, “give your heart to Jesus”
• I would argue that if we are going to be consistent and clear in our presentation of the gospel that we should be prepared with a basic method that we can use to present the gospel.
• Knowing how you are going to present the gospel, you can relax, enjoy the conversation, turn it to spiritual things, and clearly explain the gospel.

Now let’ s continue the interaction with Mr. Keel’s article. He continues his argument for the gospel having a broader scope than the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Where might the Holy Spirit be forcing his people to reckon with the scope of God’s work in the world, to once again consider the nature and scope of the gospel?” He continues, “There is no aspect of our lives outside the scope of God’s salvation and purposes. Salvation is not just then and there, it is also here and now.”

I would argue that the gospel is not about what we do; rather, it is simply about what Jesus has done. Ephesians 2:8-9 says it best, “8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.” We must be careful to see salvation as trust in Christ alone and not Christ plus anything else.

In the final section of Mr. Keel’s article he suggests that the gospel is about more than Christ and his role as redeemer. According to Keel, “It is obviously true and good news that Jesus and his life and work function redemptively. But when we reduce Jesus to redeemer only, we miss another essential element of our faith: that Jesus is also creator.” It seems his motivation here is that in a time that so many people are searching and exploring spirituality that the gospel as Jesus as Redeemer only is too narrow to answer the questions that seekers may have. If the Holy Spirit uses one’s search for understanding of creation or the Trinity as a means to open their eyes and ears to the gospel of grace that is great. But let’s not confuse Trinitarianism with Soteriology. I have no problem when Trinitarian explanations become a bit complex, but let’s keep the gospel clear and simple.

Keel is wrestling with cultural relevance and I respect that; however, I believe that Keel is trying to be relevant to the point that he is changing the gospel. The Bible is 66 books, whereas the gospel can be summed up in 10 words: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.
He is changing not only the method, but the message as well. I think it is fair to say that Mr. Keel has performed an eisegesis of the gospel. We must be committed to a clear and simple gospel that is based upon sound doctrine and a careful handling of Scripture. That is the motivation behind my response to Mr. Keel.

What are your thoughts on Mr. Keel’s article? Remember to read the entire article and even check out Part I of my response to Tim Keel’s Leadership Journal Article, “An Efficient Gospel?”

Leadership Journal Article – “Is the Gospel Too Small?”

In a recent article in Leadership Journal (a publication of Christianity Today) pastor Tim Keel asks the question, “Is our gospel too small?” Allow me to interact with this article for a moment. Feel free to click here to open the article in a new tab or window. Stay with me…

First of all, let me give you the most important quote, the main idea of Mr. Keel’s article:
“In a modern world, we tend to reduce the complexity and diversity of the Scriptures to simple systems, even when our systems flatten the diversity and integrity of the biblical witness.” In other words, he is saying that modernity is to blame for what he considers to be a narrow definition or even oversimplification of the gospel. Keel continues, “And the gospel itself gets reduced to a simplified framework of a few easily memorized steps.”

In response to Mr. Keel, I want to make my argument as clear and simple as the gospel. Check out Paul’s explanation of the gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-8:

1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also…”

Paul used four verbs to define the gospel in this passage. Christ died. He was buried. He rose again. He was seen. Based upon this passage we can define the gospel by which we are saved in just 10 words: Christ died for our sins and rose form the dead. That is the gospel - clear and simple.

Is our gospel too small? I would say most of the time it is too large.

Either someone clouds the issue by using “churchy” language such as, “give your heart to Jesus” or “give your life to God”. That is not what the New Testament asks non-Christians to do. Another phrase, “pray to receive Christ”, has some serious theological problems. See Dr. Larry Moyer’s article, “Is the Sinner’s Prayer Essential for Salvation” for more on those issues, including lively comments from 43 pastors and church leaders.

Mr. Keel also discusses his concern with the gospel when it is “reduced to a simplified framework of a few easily memorized steps.” I would argue that if we are going to be consistent and clear in our presentation of the gospel that we should be prepared with a basic method that we can use to present the gospel. Why? Because the method will help make you more confident in talking to others about the Lord. Knowing how you are going to present the gospel, you can relax, enjoy the conversation, turn it to spiritual things, and clearly explain the gospel. Watch the video at Evangelism.net for an easy method of sharing the gospel called the Bad News/Good News method.

In fact, go ahead and check out the video and other content at Evangelism.net and I will continue my thoughts on the article, “An Efficient Gospel?” by Tim Keel tomorrow.

Equipping Indigenous Believers to Share the Gospel

One of most efficient ways to communicate the gospel in other countries is to encourage and equip indigenous believers to share the message. EvanTell offers clear and simple tools and training to these indigenous believers throughout the world who already know the language and culture of their regions.

One of the ways we do this is through our You Can Tell It! seminar. Through our network of certified YCTI! instructors, EvanTell equips believers around the world to reach the lost in their own countries and beyond. Because of their clarity and simplicity, our materials for outreach and training have proven effective throughout the world in a variety of languages and settings.

In a recent trip to Cambodia, one of our certified instructors brought back this testimony from a local minister who attended the training:
“After finishing the “You Can Tell It!” seminar on personal evangelism, I shared Christ with three non-believers the very same day. When I asked them if they wanted to trust Christ, all three said yes. With this best result, I became more bold and continued to share Christ with another man and his daughter and two sisters. All of them trusted Christ as their Savior. So with this simple material and the Lord’s power, I will continue sharing Christ to those who are lost in my village after I return. Praise God, Amen.”

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