You Told Who?
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: Mainline Christians need to get over their shyness and reluctance to witnessing.
We are very uncomfortable with the kind of evangelism that some ardent Christians impose upon us (see C-3 and D-2). Consequently, and for other reasons also, mainline Christians do little or no evangelism. I think that it was Billy Graham who asked, "When did you last lead someone to Christ? When did you last try?" Even the way those questions are phrased makes some persons uncomfortable. That style of question may lead to a style of witness that scares more people than it wins. Jesus' sending out the twelve disciples (Luke 9:1-6) and 72 more of his followers (Luke 10:1-12) sends us the inescapable message that evangelism is our concern! Some humor making the rounds poses the question, "What do you get when you cross a Jehovah's Witness with a Unitarian? Someone who knocks on your door for no apparent reason."
a. Tell others. Some faith communities do not believe in evangelism. It is not proper to "impose" one's religion on others, they say. Besides running contrary to the teachings of Jesus, that idea also does not make good sense. Anyone who has found something significant that others need should want to tell about it. Remember how the shepherds were excited over their experience with Jesus (Luke 2:20)? Do we lack that excitement? If you found a cure for cancer, you would be excited to share it with the world. In Jesus we have found something greater than the cure for cancer. We can't wait to spread gossip. We need that same enthusiasm for our church. We need to invite those without a faith connection to our church, instead of those who already have a religious home. Christians have been guilty of proselytizing too often. The major part of growth for some new churches comes from other churches instead of from unchurched persons.
b. Be the church. The best kind of evangelism is loving and serving in such a way that persons will be drawn into friendships or will be urged to inquire about your church. The concern should not be to "get people into church," but to serve the needs of people in the name of Christ. In our communities we must be serving, and in our church providing a healing, caring, nurturing, and supporting fellowship base that attracts others. Mainline church leaders are worried about losing members and begin to play the numbers game. If the church is dealing with real live issues that hurt people, it may even drive away those whose commitment is superficial, although the intent is never to drive anyone away. The intent is to be the church! Even Jesus wasn't always successful in winning followers (Luke 9:51-62, Matthew 13:53-58 and 19:16-22).
We are very uncomfortable with the kind of evangelism that some ardent Christians impose upon us (see C-3 and D-2). Consequently, and for other reasons also, mainline Christians do little or no evangelism. I think that it was Billy Graham who asked, "When did you last lead someone to Christ? When did you last try?" Even the way those questions are phrased makes some persons uncomfortable. That style of question may lead to a style of witness that scares more people than it wins. Jesus' sending out the twelve disciples (Luke 9:1-6) and 72 more of his followers (Luke 10:1-12) sends us the inescapable message that evangelism is our concern! Some humor making the rounds poses the question, "What do you get when you cross a Jehovah's Witness with a Unitarian? Someone who knocks on your door for no apparent reason."
a. Tell others. Some faith communities do not believe in evangelism. It is not proper to "impose" one's religion on others, they say. Besides running contrary to the teachings of Jesus, that idea also does not make good sense. Anyone who has found something significant that others need should want to tell about it. Remember how the shepherds were excited over their experience with Jesus (Luke 2:20)? Do we lack that excitement? If you found a cure for cancer, you would be excited to share it with the world. In Jesus we have found something greater than the cure for cancer. We can't wait to spread gossip. We need that same enthusiasm for our church. We need to invite those without a faith connection to our church, instead of those who already have a religious home. Christians have been guilty of proselytizing too often. The major part of growth for some new churches comes from other churches instead of from unchurched persons.
b. Be the church. The best kind of evangelism is loving and serving in such a way that persons will be drawn into friendships or will be urged to inquire about your church. The concern should not be to "get people into church," but to serve the needs of people in the name of Christ. In our communities we must be serving, and in our church providing a healing, caring, nurturing, and supporting fellowship base that attracts others. Mainline church leaders are worried about losing members and begin to play the numbers game. If the church is dealing with real live issues that hurt people, it may even drive away those whose commitment is superficial, although the intent is never to drive anyone away. The intent is to be the church! Even Jesus wasn't always successful in winning followers (Luke 9:51-62, Matthew 13:53-58 and 19:16-22).
