Creating
Passion for Evangelism Through Small Groups Term Project
for Evangelism Through Small Groups
Dr.
Lyle Pointer
Brooksie Jewell, Olivia Metcalf, Pam Thompson
Fall Semester 2002
11-21-02
Twelve Ways to Make
Your Small Group Evangelistic
• Plan
a social event or series of social events.
An example of this would be a small group
pumpkin carving party, outside of the small
group time. Each member invites a friend for
this fun night of fellowship and food. The
only formal spiritual connection will be grace
if there is a structured mealtime. Build bridges
between the group and friends. Plan regular
events, perhaps monthly, for the explicit
purpose of inviting new comers.
• Minister to the needs of others.
As a group, help a new neighbor move
in, or bring food. When you know of someone
who is sick in the community, come along side
them in practical ways such as housecleaning,
car pooling, food, yard work, or encourage
them through cards or phone calls letting
them know they are being prayed for.
• Target a family in the neighborhood
or in a group member’s sphere of influence
to adopt. Encourage group members
to sincerely get to know their neighbors,
extending gifts of friendship, words of encouragement
and acts of kindness. Adopt a family in the
community who needs assistance at Christmas
to provide a food hamper and gifts for children
during the holiday season. Do this anonymously
or deliver it in person, inviting them to
a special Christmas service at church or small
group activity.
• Prayer walks in the community.
Walk silently through the community,
praying for each house and the families represented.
See the community as God would, praying that
each house would experience the love of God,
a home filled with love and grace, and that
they would come to trust in Jesus. As you
walk past schools, stores or public buildings
pray that God too would be known in the activities
that occur in each one.
• Follow up on visitors.
Follow up is one of the most important ingredients
to make a small group successful. Visitors
need to be followed up not only by the person
who brought them but also by at least one
other person in the group. This could be done
either by a telephone call, email, invitation
to a sporting event (for example) or card
letting them know how much they enjoyed having
them apart of the group with an invitation
to attend again.
• Use the empty chair.
The empty chair serves as a reminder that
there is always room for more people to come
to the small group and is symbolic of the
Holy Spirit’s presence. Pray that God
will bring those friends who group members
are specifically praying for to fill it.
• Identify and strategically
pray for sphere of influence. Pray
that God would place you in contact with people
that are in need of Him. Identify at least
three people in your life that you could begin
to pray for and seek to build relationships
with in order for them to see the need for
Christ in their lives. An example of this
could just be going out to eat or to a sporting
event together with the intentions of inviting
them to a church service or small group meeting
in time.
• Memorize scripture.
As a group, commit to memorizing scripture
that will remind them that lost people matter
to God or scripture they could use to share
when leading someone to Christ. The group
could have cards made that would have the
verse on one side and the names of the three
people they are praying for on the other.
The cards should be placed in specific places
where individuals would look often, for example
on the bathroom mirror, in their car, Bible,
etc…
• Whenever there is a first
time attendee, have someone ready to share
a short testimony of how they came to trust
in Jesus for the first time. This
could almost be done on a regular basis when
the group meets. This way the sharing of testimonies
could become a group routine. As people began
to share how they came to trust in Jesus for
the first time, others will begin to see that
they can trust Jesus as well.
• Rethink topics. Are
they relevant? Does your group overuse Christian
jargon? Begin to ask yourself as a group if
your topics are relevant to non-Christians
or new believers? Are they over their head?
Do the topics address reaching out to lost
people, whether directly or indirectly? As
a group, begin to simplify Christian vocabulary
so anyone can follow the discussion.
• Assign roles – newcomer
follow-up, note senders, etc. Be
sure that each person keeps an eye out for
them at church on Sundays. Have each person
in the group be responsible for specific things
in the group, such as have a person responsible
for sending notes to new comers, have someone
responsible for making telephone calls, etc…
It is imperative that we don’t forget
about our visitors when they attend other
church related activities as well. Keep an
eye out for them when attending morning worship
on Sundays. Offer to sit with them and invite
them out to eat afterwards.
• Have non-threatening visitor
cards available to fill in. Have
cards available for visitors to fill out,
so group members can follow up on them. The
visitor cards might also include a space for
interests and hobbies. One can also begin
to connect visitors to other people within
the church that might have the same interests.
This might also be another way to get them
involved within the church’s ministries
or small group in time. For example, if one
had an interest in basketball, they might
be interested in helping with a basketball
camp for the children or youth.
This is a list of the ways that a small group
can begin to work in the world to bring people
to faith in Christ. There are many different
ways that this list could be used. It could
be handed out to the members and discussed
at one of the group’s gatherings. Another
way that it could be presented is through
the weekly Bible Study the group engages in.
Following this list is an example of a Bible
Study to be used in your small group to create
passion for evangelism. There is a place in
the study where this list could be presented
to the group. It also may be helpful to present
one of the twelve ways to make your small
group evangelistic each week and practice
it during that week and then report back at
the next meeting. It is not crucial how these
tools are used, it is essential that they
are used and that people understand the importance
of their role in bringing people to Christ.
Creating Passion
for Evangelism
Through Small Group Bible Study
“For Christ’s love compels us,
because we are convinced that one died for
all, and therefore all died. And he died for
all, that those who live should no longer
live for themselves but for him who died for
them and was raised again. So from now on
we regard no one from a worldly point of view.
Though we once regarded Christ in this way,
we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come. All this is from God,
who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
that God was reconciling the world to himself
in Christ, not counting men’s sins against
them. And he has committed to us the message
of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s
ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s
behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in
him we might become the righteousness of God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Introduction
This Bible Study is written with the believer
in mind. The purpose is to bring those of
the faith to a place where they begin to understand
the importance of sharing their faith with
all they meet. This is not a “how to”
lesson on methods of witnessing, rather it
is a stepping stone to holy living.
The way I have constructed this lesson is
in a conversational manner. Included you will
find questions to lead in a discussion and
study time, possible answers to those questions,
and transitional phrases for the leader that
will make the discussion flow, the latter
being optional are denoted with parenthesis.
If the leader of the group does not use the
parenthetical remarks, something must be said
at these points nonetheless. There are exercises
that will enhance the time together but are
not essential to the study itself. Although
engaging in them would be helpful to people
with different learning styles and personalities,
they do not make or break the small group
time together.
Supplies Needed:
Clay for each group member
Large pad of paper
Markers
Opening Exercise
Provide for each group member a ball of clay.
Invite them to sculpt something that they
think represents who they are in some way.
This could be something that relates to their
job, their family, their likes or dislikes,
what they do for recreation, or something
that interests them. After 5-7 minutes go
around the room and invite them to share what
it is they made and why. After they are finished,
have them place their artwork on a table in
the center of the room. This activity will
figure into the discussion later.
Introductory Questions
1. If you could trade places with any person
in the entire world who would it be and why?
–The leader should write down the answers
to this question on the pad of paper.
-Kobe Bryant, because he is rich and a great
basketball player. President Bush, because
he has power. Julia Roberts, because she is
a famous movie star. Faith Hill, because she
has a gorgeous singing voice and has made
millions. Oprah, because she has such wide
influence and wealth.
2. What is compelling about these people?
-They are famous, they have a lot of money,
their lives seem to be perfect, they are doing
what I always wished I could be doing, they
are respected and loved.
3. Would you say these people are in the upper
echelons of our society or are they the dregs
of society?
-These are the cream of the crop.
(The list that we have
made together is one that many groups would
compile if they were asked the same question.
It is interesting, isn’t it, that
the people we have listed above tend to
be wealthy, famous and hold sway in our
society. The person that we are talking
about tonight is the exact opposite of those
we have listed. He was not the most popular
or the wealthiest person in the world. Looking
at Jesus, you would not have said, “Here
is the cream of the crop”).
Scripture Study
1. Let’s make a list of the attributes
of Christ. –The Leader should write
down the answers to this question on the
pad of paper.
-Loving, peaceful, humble, poor, the Son
of God, wise, discerning, grace-filled,
miraculous, a teacher, observant, willing
to listen, a healer, giving, unselfish.
2. In your life, what was compelling about
Christ for you?
-His grace, His forgiveness, His love, the
life He lived, His willingness to die for
me.
-Read the Passage aloud together.
(There are definitely compelling things
about Christ, things that lead us to Him
and make us long to be in relationship with
Him. I don’t know about you, but looking
at a list like this would not have been
enough for me to come to Christ, it took
much more than that. In fact, the most important
influence in my decision to follow Christ
was not an attribute of Christ but it was
a person who lived out that attribute.)
3. In our passage, Paul talks about being
Ambassador’s for Christ, who were
the Ambassador’s in your life?
-A Sunday School teacher in the fifth grade,
my friend who invited me to church, my father,
my mother, my grandmother, my co-worker,
the person I commuted to work with.
-Would someone read for us verse 17? “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come.”
4. After being in relationship with the
Ambassadors we listed before and coming
to Christ how were you transformed?
-I stopped smoking, I stopped lying, I reconciled
my relationship with my husband, I let go
of bitterness that was holding me back in
life, I promised to live my life with Christ
as my guide and center point.
(Now we are going to backtrack in our passage
just a little bit. We have talked about
who Christ is, what His attributes mean
to us, who led us to Christ, how we were
transformed after accepting Christ and now
we need to look at who we are to be in light
of all of this. In verses 14&15, we
see what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Paul tells us that it is through Jesus’
death that we are given life.)
5. What kind of life are we called to live
according to Paul?
-A transformed life, a life no longer lived
for ourselves, one of reconciliation.
(All of these answers are correct and all
of them figure into the way that we are
to live our lives. We have talked about
what our lives looked like after knowing
Jesus and how He transformed our lives lets
talk about the other two answers given).
6. Can you think of any examples of people
living their lives no longer for themselves?
-Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, the firefighters
that went into the World Trade Center, missionaries.
7. What does it mean to live a life of reconciliation?
-Living out the gospel, giving people the
opportunity to know and experience God,
bringing hope to people, Good News
8. Have you ever run into Christians who
did not live a life of reconciliation but
one of condemnation? How did this make you
feel?
-Yes, I felt judged, I did not feel welcome,
I felt like grace was not present, I felt
like God was an angry hateful God, I misunderstood
what Christianity was all about.
9. How do you think God feels about these
kinds of Christians?
-I think it makes Him angry, I think it
breaks His heart, I think He judges these
people more harshly because they have the
message but they misconstrue it.
(Tonight we have talked about our own faith,
how Jesus has come into our hearts and transformed
us in ways only He can. Paul tells us that
what Christ has done for us, He wants to
do for all people.)
Application
-Let’s read together verses18-21 again.
Listen carefully to what Paul it telling
us.
“All this is from God, who reconciled
us to himself through Christ and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation: that God
was reconciling the world to himself in
Christ, not counting men’s sins against
them. And he has committed to us the message
of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s
ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s
behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that
in him we might become the righteousness
of God.”
1. What does it mean to you that you are
Christ’s Ambassador and that God is
making His appeal through you?
-Overwhelmed, I don’t believe He could
use me, Special that God would consider
using me,
2. How are you going to live the life of
reconciliation?
-This may be a place to introduce the “Twelve
Steps to Make a Small Group Evangelistic”
-I am going to pray
for my neighbors, I am going to invite my
coworker over for dinner, I am going to
invite my friend to church, I am going to
live an authentic Christian life, I am going
to be a man of integrity, I am going to
be a faithful mother.
(Let’s close our eyes together tonight.
In a moment, we are going to pray. Before
we do so, I would like to ask you a final
question. This question is one that only
you can answer in your communication with
God. Allow Him to reveal to you in this
quiet time whatever it is that you need
to do to be the person that He has called
you to be. Would you each pick up your clay
sculpture and hold it in your hands. Is
the image that you created that represents
who you see yourself as, the image that
God would want it to be?)
3. What do you need to do in your life,
what do you need to give to God, what changes
do you need to make in your priorities so
that your life can be lived as an Ambassador
for Christ that brings the message of reconciliation
that you have received to others?
Closing Exercise
Have each member pick up the piece of clay
that they sculpted at the beginning of the
group’s time together. Give them a
moment to reflect on what they made and
invite them to roll whatever that was back
into a ball and to re-sculpt their clay
into a heart.
(We have made a heart tonight because it
represents how our hearts have been transformed
and also the hearts in the world that are
not yet filled with the transforming power
of Christ. Living the life of reconciliation
is not an option for us, we must share our
faith. As a small group, we need to be reaching
out to the lost. Go from this place no longer
shy about your faith, no longer fearful
about how others might look at you, be bold
and courageous using the gifts and graces
that God has given you to be an Ambassador
for Christ. You may be the only way that
someone will hear the message; Paul says
that it is “as though God were making
his appeal through us.”
The passage that we have studied tonight
has three important messages that I would
like to share with you before we go. Hold
the heart that you sculpted in your hands
and listen. Christ’s love compels
us. Christ’s love transforms us. Christ’s
love makes us Ambassador’s of reconciliation.)
Personal
Evangelism Presentation: Narrative Evangelism
Tim George
EVG510
Dr. Pointer
03/11/03
There are two common
pitfalls to the lack of evangelistic fervor
in the life of a Christian. One is that the
Christian has been desensitized to evangelism,
because this person was only taught one method
and it wasn’t his/her cup of tea. The
other trap is when a Christian realizes there
are many possibilities to become involved
in evangelism and never articulates a personal
presentation because the Christian has become
lost in the myriad methods of evangelism.
My intention is to avoid these traps by presenting
one form of evangelism, with the assumption
that personal plan of evangelism may not fit
for everyone. I am fond of relational evangelism
and what follows will be an example of how
relational evangelism can be a carefully and
prayerfully planned presentation for an unbeliever.
I have chosen a
relational approach to evangelism, because
this enables me to get to know the nonbeliever
more personally. After I have built relationships,
I am able to gauge appropriately how the
gospel would be best presented for this
particular person. The rise of postmodernism
has caused many people to become discontented
with a facts oriented approach to religion.
They are more concerned with interactions
and interpersonal relationships. In some
ways I believe that society is opening up
even more to the gospel as long as it is
presented in the context of friendship and
love. Often a brazen approach will cause
the non-Christian to erect walls of indifference
to the message. Admittedly, this is not
always the case, yet society appears to
be moving away from fact based lessons and
more to relational and narrative lifestyles.
My personal evangelistic style also takes
shape when I have become familiar with personal
stories, and we are able to share our life
histories.
My plan of evangelism begins
with what Mark Mittelberg has termed, “Matthew
parties.” These are opportunities
for me to hang out with unbelievers in a
non-threatening environment and get to know
them. We tell stories about our lives and
get involved with each other. This kind
of introduction paves the way for service,
invitations to church, and even to engage
their minds about spiritual matters. When
it comes time to present the gospel, I feel
most comfortably to do so narratively. Mittelberg’s
reference to F.O.R.M. evangelism will serve
as a nice anchor point to describe what
I mean by a narrative presentation of the
gospel or narrative evangelism. F.O.R.M.
is an acrostic for Family, Occupation, Religious
background, and My testimony. The purpose
of this form is to ask the friend to share
about their family background, vocational
life, and journey of faith. Finally, the
evangelist should be able to share their
own testimony and the gospel message. The
main idea is that the two have already broken
typical communication barriers by sharing
about their lives. Now the Christian is
able to present the gospel to the unbeliever.
The method of evangelism
laid out by F.O.R.M. is helpful if the evangelist
has a lot of time in a specific timeframe
and wants to be able to relate to them for
the duration in order to present the gospel.
This form of evangelism still falls under
the confrontational style. In other words
the reason that we ask those personal questions
is for only one goal - my testimony. My
personal strategy already assumes that the
first three stages have been dealt with.
I assume that we have already gotten involved
in their lives, that their family, occupational
and religious history has already been made
apparent. In a sense we have become genuinely
involved in their lives by means of those
Matthew parties and other friendly activities
or services. We have entered into their
story.
Our involvement with the
unbeliever allows us to share our lives
as well. We become interconnected with each
other and all those who have intersected
our lives. Before long we have become wrapped
up in a web of connections with nonbelievers
that we would never have met if we did not
listen to who was affecting our friend’s
life, and getting to know them through the
one we have been witnessing. As we listen
to their life stories from month-to-month,
week-to-week, or even day-to-day we listen
to the way that God has been active. While
we tell our own stories we tell how God
had his hand upon our lives. When we share
our stories with the unbeliever and mention
God’s providence, the typical evangelistic
barriers have already been destroyed because
we have become enmeshed in the life of the
unbeliever. When this happens we are able
to say, “I have told you how God was
active in my life, but that’s not
all. I have seen Him working in your life
as well, and in case you haven’t seen
it would you allow me to share that with
you?” Almost everyone wants to hear
how God may be at work in his/her life.
Most people seem to think that God is absent
or at best indifferent to their lives.
I can take their story
and lay that against the story of Christ
and share with them how God has always been
involved in their life. Here is an example
of how I might tell the gospel to one whose
life has been neglectful of God. “You
are not the only person to try and make
it all on your own. People before you have
tried to get through life alone, even tried
to get to God by their own power. God noticed
that we were falling awfully short of ever
getting close to Him. You see we weren’t
created to be loners, but to be in relationships
with each other and with God. Instead of
leaving us in our hopeless situation, He
came down to us and showed us how to be
unified with one another in love . . . (birth
narrative as necessary) . . . I noticed
that God came to you during your periods
of loneliness. Every time you mentioned
a major down part in your life someone was
there, or when they weren’t that you
somehow made it through. I think I know
how you were able to carry on. God loves
to touch us and give us strength. He is
our healer and our leader . . . (miracles
of Jesus as necessary) . . . You’ve
even told me how you have been utterly abandoned
by those you loved, and even by society
(loss of job, divorce, etc.) . . . Did you
know that Jesus felt that way too? On the
cross he cried, “My God! My God! Why
have you forsaken me? The Lord feels your
pain and has been with you all along, just
as He was with those twelve disciples 2000
years ago. The good news is that Jesus experienced
the worst of it so you wouldn’t have
to. He was forsaken by God and died . .
. (Crucifixion story as necessary) . . .
Even though there was that time in your
life when you felt there was no way you
could come back to God, He has been waiting
for you with open arms. Jesus knows what
it is like to be abandoned by loved ones,
society and even by God. He did this so
that you wouldn’t have to be. God
does not want anyone to be abandoned (damned,
forsaken, cursed, etc.). He promised us
that He would never leave nor forsake us.
I have become a part of your life as much
as you have let me and hope that we continue
to have our relationship. The Lord has also
been in your life but for far longer than
I have. But I don’t know if you’ve
let him have the kind of relationship that
even we share. He wants you to acknowledge
His presence in your life, and He wants
to continue to guide/lead you throughout
your life.”
This approach to spreading
the Good News does not include excessive
Scripture memorization, nor does it ask
the person to ascribe to a certain doctrine.
It simply says (indirectly), “You
have been living according to your own story,
or maybe society’s story. That hasn’t
worked for you and will never work for you.
There is hope! There is another story, one
that begins in Genesis and ends in eternity.
What story are you a part of?” I purposefully
have not included a list of Scripture verses
to give to the prospective convert or even
to the new convert. Many times these people
have their own doubts about the Bible, but
people believe stories. When they see how
God has been active in my life and in the
lives of those close to me, they become
more attentive. If I can help them to be
a part of this gospel narrative, then I
can direct them to a book of the Bible as
a continuation of what it means to be a
part of God’s salvation story. The
content of this mode of evangelism is not
so easily defined simply because it takes
shape only in the relations that occur.
The content of this evangelism lies in the
lives of those all around us, and in the
one who has gone before us, Jesus of Nazareth.
The key to narrative evangelism is to listen
to people, take part in their lives, and
to reveal God’s direct involvement
in the story of their life.
1.Mittelberg, Mark. 2000. Building a Contagious
Church. Zondervan, 252-253. He gives credit
to the F.O.R.M. approach as belonging to
the South Hills community Church in Highlands
Ranch, CO. What I call “narrative
evangelism” will be similar to F.O.R.M.
yet not completely reliant upon it.
2.This is an incarnational evangelism strategy.
Scripture references abound in examples
of Jesus Christ becoming involved in our
stories: Matthew 1 and Philippians 2:6-8
are a couple examples.
3.Matt. 27:46
4.Jos. 1:5
Moments
of Crisis: Is Evangelism Appropriate?
by Brenda K. Styers
Minister to Singles, Bethany First Church
of the Nazarene, and adjunct professor,
Southern Nazarene University
We have all heard
jokes about lawyers as "ambulance chasers"
and when we consider this image, we often
find ourselves empathizing with the victims.
How awful that someone would want to prey
on those who are suffering, those in need.
Yet, this was the very image that came to
mind when I was initially presented with the
idea that I should "look into" crisis
evangelism. It is as if my new mental image
was that of the preacher joining the lawyer
together chasing the ambulance while planning
their "attack." I had to shake my
head a couple of times in dismay that I would
think such a thing and to get the image out
of my head.
Just as I know the image of the lawyer is
an incorrect stereotype of most lawyers, I
also know that my initial reaction to the
ideal of "crisis evangelism" can
easily throw the preacher into that same stereotype.
Thus began my challenge of looking into the
biblical foundations and the appropriate image
of crisis evangelism.
As the image faded, I set out for the library
and bookstore. A thorough search of the index
catalog revealed thousands of choices regarding
evangelism and an ample supply of resources
to deal with churches in crises or communities
in crises. However, nothing was available
to address the concept of crisis evangelism.
Not willing to jump out on my own, I began
to explore resources that might possibly lead
me toward a biblically correct view of crisis
evangelism. To my delight, these resources
shined adequate light on the subject, sparking
my interest and ultimately leading me to conclude
that there is sound theology for crisis evangelism.
The following information is designed to provide
teachers or individuals with information they
can use as a resource to challenge their own
view about using moments of crisis as an opportunity
to evangelize as well as encourage others
to see moments of crisis as opportunities
for evangelism.
EVANGELISM DEFINED
The Webster’s
New World Dictionary defines evangelism as:
"1: a preaching of, or zealous effort
to spread, the gospel, as in revival meetings
or by televised services 2: any zealous effort
in propagandizing for a cause."
While most evangelical Americans are familiar
with the term evangelism, it may be more in
the context that is presented by this definition,
leaving them with a feeling that evangelism
is something very public and often presented
in a strong, demonstrative method.
One can dive deep into the vast pools of material
that explores the definition of evangelism
from both a biblical standpoint and through
the eyes of church history. Discussion will
include scholars’ opinions regarding
missions verses evangelism and the role of
the church, pastor, and people in evangelism.
We will not take the road of evaluating the
literature, but we will define evangelism
so that we can work from the same point of
reference. For this definition, we will call
upon author Walter Klaiber and the definition
he outlines in his book, Call and Response:
Biblical Foundations of a Theology of Evangelism:
The fundamental testimony of God’s salvific
act in Jesus Christ. It takes place in public
sermons and private conversations. It is directed
toward persons who are not yet acquainted
with the gospel or who have not yet understood
its fundamental meaning for their lives. It
is in a special way oriented towards the men
and women to which it is addressed, that is,
it has as its goal that men and women very
personally recognize and accept that which
God has done as salvation and as a new foundation
of their lives and live from it.1
Using Klaiber’s definition establishes
two main points that you will want to keep
in mind and stress in encouraging others.
First, evangelism takes place in a variety
of locations. While evangelism is often very
public, it is also an action that takes place
in private. This is a simple point, but one
that must be emphasized so that those of us
who are non-clergy are faced with the fact
that we cannot stand behind the clergy and
say, "It’s your job." This
is especially important as we address the
responsibility of evangelism during moments
of crisis. This point is also important because
it moves us out of the public arena and into
the privacy of homes, hospital chapels, etc.
as an appropriate venue for evangelizing.
We can make assumptions about the appropriateness
of crisis evangelism and justify it by simply
saying that it is God’s will that everyone
be saved, so it must be OK to use every opportunity
to share the gospel for the purpose of evangelizing.
However, we want to move beyond generalities
and explore specifics within Scripture.
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
The New Testament distinguishes
various layers of the theological use of evangelism.2
Obviously, the New Testament letters have
numerous references to evangelism since this
is a key focus of the disciples and the Apostle
Paul. However, the principle of evangelism
in the New Testament is first introduced through
the teachings of Jesus, specifically in Matthew
and Luke.
Gaines S. Dobbins in his book Evangelism According
to Christ states, "The majority of the
instances in which Jesus dealt with persons
with a view to winning them to discipleship
were unpremeditated."3 He identifies
several examples of this practice.
The Woman at the Well (John 4:1-26). The meeting
with the woman at the well was not a planned
encounter; Jesus’ journey put him in
the presence of someone in need. His example
teaches that he captured the moment not by
just meeting an emotional or physical need,
but by sharing the very essence of a new life.
Other examples of Jesus incorporating his
willingness to meet people at their point
of need include:
o When he came down from the mountainside,
. . . a man with leprosy came and knelt before
him... (Matthew 8:1a, 2a.)
o While he was saying this, a ruler came and
knelt before him. . . (Matthew 9:18a)
o [During the above encounter] Just then a
woman who had been subject to bleeding. .
. (Matthew 9:20a)
o As he approached the town gate, a dead person
was being carried out - the only son of is
mother, and she was a widow. (Luke 7:17)
o One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the
house of a prominent Pharisee... There in
front of him was a man suffering from dropsy...
(Luke 14:1a, 2a)
These examples and many more give a clear
picture of Jesus’ practice to seize
the moment. Dobbins says, "Perhaps the
most striking single thing about the method
of Jesus in his disciple winning was his opportunism."
Dobbins cautions against developing procedures
that cause evangelism to become institutionalized.
He says, "[Evangelism] is the experience
and witness of the believer meeting the need
of the unbeliever. The stances in which this
may occur are as varied as life itself."4
And Dobbins points to Jesus’ examples
as a reminder that fixed formulas and routine
- procedures that fail to recognize the vital
impact of personality upon personality whenever
and wherever opportunities arise should be
guarded against.
Jesus’ treatment of crisis moments is
support enough for us to view such moments
in the lives of our acquaintances, friends,
and family as an opportunity to share the
Good News. However, threads of biblical support
for crisis evangelism are also woven in the
Old Testament.
OLD TESTAMENT FOUNDATION
Klaiber outlines several
Old Testament verses connected with the Greek
word evangelizesthai and its use in the New
Testament. The Greek version of the Old Testament
translates the Hebrew verb bsr (Pi’el)
with evangelizesthai. The basic meaning of
the Hebrew word is "the bearing of good
tiding." The word is used in three ways:
o The proclamation in worship of God’s
saving help of Israel (Ps 40:10, 96:2, Isa
60:6).
o The proclamation of God’s already
fulfilled saving help (Nah 2:1, Isa 52:7,
Isa. 40:9).
o The proclamation of a word of salvation
and a joyful message of God (Isa. 61:1).
Stop for a moment and let this sink in.
God’s salvation was His way of evangelizing
to His children—at their moments of
crises. Isa 61:1, the most striking of all
the passages, reads:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind
up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom
for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners, (italics added).
CRISIS EVANGELISM: A
MODERN DAY STORY
All of our search for
the biblical foundation for crisis evangelism
would be in vain if we were not willing to
apply the principles in our world today. Here
is a story about one man—not a pastor—and
his experience with crisis evangelism.
The phone rang about 10:00 p.m. It had been
a long, hard day and my wife and I just looked
at one another. Do we answer the phone? On
the third ring I gave in.
The voice on the other end of the line was
filled with excitement, but I could also hear
a bit of anxiousness. It was a friend from
the distant past, someone I knew from business,
but who also knew of my commitment to the
Lord. And that is why he was calling.
Only earlier that day his son-in-law, a young
man in his early forties, had heard the dreaded
news, "The test results are positive.
You have cancer." Now he was scared of
what the future would hold; afraid of eternity.
My friend explained that his daughter, who
had been raised in the church, had turned
away from her relationship with God many years
ago. His son-in-law had never had a relationship
with Christ and they had a teenage daughter—a
beautiful daughter, her grandfather bragged.
Life had been comfortable with many of the
typical ups and downs families face—until
today when everything was turned upside down.
As the day came to a close, this husband,
father, average man had begun to ask questions,
ultimately saying, "I want to pray, but
I don’t know how." Thus, my friend’s
call to me. He was certain I was more "qualified"
to pray with his family.
Of course, I was willing and told him to have
them call me to schedule a time. I knew the
next day would be busy with client appointments
and other commitments, but I would make time.
Tomorrow would not work for my friend. "Could
you go tonight?"
It was almost 10:00 p.m. Did they want me
there so late? I asked him to call his family.
If they wanted me to come right now I would.
The phone rang again only minutes later. They
were waiting.
On the short drive to this couple’s
home, I tried to imagine what the day had
been like. What were the emotions and questions
they had experienced? I asked for God’s
help. Obviously, He was at work and I was
one of His tools in this unfolding story.
Stacey answered the door. You could tell she
had been crying; her make-up still showed
the smudges and her eyes were red. She quickly
redirected her daughter to bed and joined
Matt and I in the living room. I won’t
go through all of our conversation, but after
expressing my concern for Matt’s diagnosis
and listening to their feelings and questions,
I shared the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Stacey and Matt seemed to soak in every word
I said and when I asked if they were ready
to start a relationship with Christ, both
responded eagerly, "Yes!"
The drive home was as if I was floating. I
smiled and sang praises as I heard Stacey’s
voice echo in my mind, "I can’t
wait to tell our daughter that she has a new
daddy."
Hearing the news that someone you love or
you yourself have cancer is one of the most
devastating moments of crisis that our modern
world has to offer. While modern medicine
can give some hope that the cancer can be
brought into remission and even in some cases
completely eradicated, there is always a questions
in the back of everyone’s mind, "Will
it come back?" For this family—and
this "lay evangelist"—this
moment of crisis became the beginning of New
Life.
CONCLUSION
As I reflect on God’s
care for his children, as I read account after
account where He met them in their moment
of crisis, as I even think of God searching
for Adam in the Garden of Eden (now that was
a moment of crisis). I am drawn to conclude
that the very nature of God is to reach out.
FOOTNOTES
1 Klaiber, Walter, Call
and Response. Biblical Foundations
of a Theology of Evangelism (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1997), p. 26.
2 Klaiber, Walter, Call and Response:
Biblical Foundations of a Theology of Evangelism
(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997), p. 22.
3 Dobbins, Gaines S., Evangelism According
to Christ (Nashville: Broadman Press,
1954), P. 201.
4 Dobbins, Gaines S., Evangelism According
to Christ (Nashville: Broadman Press,
1954), P. 201.
