Monday, October 20, 2008
Lesson #1 Community Evangelism
When it comes to teaching people about the Jesus of the bible, there are many names given to this process. Personal work, evangelism, bible study etc. I particularly like the idea of "community evangelism". We live in a community and we are seeking, for the most part, to encourage our friends, family and neighbors to involve themselves in a study of the bible.
In community evangelism, there is something for everyone to do. You may be saying, "I just can't go up and knock on someones' door and say, " would you like to study the bible? " There other important things that maybe you can do. You see for someone to obtain a study usually someone has to "open the door" for them. You may know someone who has expressed an interest in spiritual things and you may introduce a teacher to them. In the years we spent with the Cornersville congregation, we baptized a great number of people and the church grew greatly. When I moved there, I only knew one family. Members of the church introduced me to people and from there bible studies took place and several people were baptized into Christ. Maybe you know someone that you would like to know about Jesus. You can introduce them to the teacher. Kindness is a re inforcer of teaching. As someone is learning the word of God you can express to them the of the joy, care and concern that they can receive as a member of the church. There are many things you and I can do to make the introduction of bible study very interesting to new people. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Believe me great doors of opportunity for teaching have been opened for me to teach, because some christian first showed they care about the person that I was going to teach. Remember Jesus cared and He showed it. "Care unshown is care unknown."
Community evangelism is a real opportunity for growth, both spiritually and numerically. The apostle Peter's last words recorded are "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." II Pet.3:18 When you pray about someone that you want to reach, it's an opportunity for growth. When you study to prepare yourself to reach someone, it's an opportunity for growth. When someone obeys the gospel after being taught from the bible it's not only an opportunityfor spiritual growth, but also numerical growth.
Many christians have found that community evangelism is an excellent way to help reverse the trend of fewer christians in a congregation. Numbers going down? Remember how we used to involve ourselves in bible study with our friends? You, as I, may remember when we use to go to people's houses with our various teaching tools. People responded then and they respond now. The devil wants us to believe in "impossibly thinking" People aren't interested in the bible anymore, people aren't interested in church anymore". Jesus teaches us of "possibility thinking" He says look unto the fields they are white already unto harvest" Jn.4:35 We can see the possibilities, make a determination to pay the price and get moving. The truth is that people are very interested in church and the bible now. Just look at religious programming on TV. The church house is full. Do you really believe that someone got one morning and said "I believe I will go down to the church house and get some "false doctrine"? Of course not. People are seeking relationship with God and we have the treasure in earthen vessels. We can do it. Jesus said we could. I don't believe that God has given me a task and hasn't given me the where with all to do it, do you? Let's go.
When it comes to teaching people about the Jesus of the bible, there are many names given to this process. Personal work, evangelism, bible study etc. I particularly like the idea of "community evangelism". We live in a community and we are seeking, for the most part, to encourage our friends, family and neighbors to involve themselves in a study of the bible.
In community evangelism, there is something for everyone to do. You may be saying, "I just can't go up and knock on someones' door and say, " would you like to study the bible? " There other important things that maybe you can do. You see for someone to obtain a study usually someone has to "open the door" for them. You may know someone who has expressed an interest in spiritual things and you may introduce a teacher to them. In the years we spent with the Cornersville congregation, we baptized a great number of people and the church grew greatly. When I moved there, I only knew one family. Members of the church introduced me to people and from there bible studies took place and several people were baptized into Christ. Maybe you know someone that you would like to know about Jesus. You can introduce them to the teacher. Kindness is a re inforcer of teaching. As someone is learning the word of God you can express to them the of the joy, care and concern that they can receive as a member of the church. There are many things you and I can do to make the introduction of bible study very interesting to new people. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Believe me great doors of opportunity for teaching have been opened for me to teach, because some christian first showed they care about the person that I was going to teach. Remember Jesus cared and He showed it. "Care unshown is care unknown."
Community evangelism is a real opportunity for growth, both spiritually and numerically. The apostle Peter's last words recorded are "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." II Pet.3:18 When you pray about someone that you want to reach, it's an opportunity for growth. When you study to prepare yourself to reach someone, it's an opportunity for growth. When someone obeys the gospel after being taught from the bible it's not only an opportunityfor spiritual growth, but also numerical growth.
Many christians have found that community evangelism is an excellent way to help reverse the trend of fewer christians in a congregation. Numbers going down? Remember how we used to involve ourselves in bible study with our friends? You, as I, may remember when we use to go to people's houses with our various teaching tools. People responded then and they respond now. The devil wants us to believe in "impossibly thinking" People aren't interested in the bible anymore, people aren't interested in church anymore". Jesus teaches us of "possibility thinking" He says look unto the fields they are white already unto harvest" Jn.4:35 We can see the possibilities, make a determination to pay the price and get moving. The truth is that people are very interested in church and the bible now. Just look at religious programming on TV. The church house is full. Do you really believe that someone got one morning and said "I believe I will go down to the church house and get some "false doctrine"? Of course not. People are seeking relationship with God and we have the treasure in earthen vessels. We can do it. Jesus said we could. I don't believe that God has given me a task and hasn't given me the where with all to do it, do you? Let's go.
# posted by Missions with Don&Rosemary @ 8:23 AM 
