The humble soul endeavors more how to glorify God in afflictions, than how to get out of them. —Thomas Brooks
Obstacles to Evangelism in the Local Church – Rainer on Leadership #108
Podcast Episode #108
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I recently conducted an informal Twitter poll and asked what keeps Christians from evangelizing. The results were overwhelming and led to a blog post that generated quite a discussion. Today, we go deeper into that post and the comments that came from it.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- For those in ministry, you have to be intentional about having relationships with non-Christians.
- Evangelism is an intentional effort.
- Inviting people to church should not be the totality of our personal evangelism strategy.
- Evangelism is not solely the role of pastors and church staff. It is the role of all Christians.
- The problem of unregenerate membership is significant in our churches.
- It is a sin to be good when God has called us to be great.
The main reasons Christians do not evangelize are:
- Christians have no sense of urgency to reach lost people.
- Many Christians and church members do not befriend and spend time with lost persons.
- Many Christians and church members are lazy and apathetic.
- We are more known for what we are against than what we are for.
- Our churches have an ineffective evangelistic strategy of “you come” rather than “we go.”
- Many church members think that evangelism is the role of the pastor and paid staff.
- Church membership today is more about getting my needs met rather than reaching the lost.
- Church members are in a retreat mode as culture becomes more worldly and unbiblical.
- Many church members don’t really believe that Christ is the only way of salvation.
- Our churches are no longer houses of prayer equipped to reach the lost.
- Churches have lost their focus on making disciples who will thus be equipped and motivated to reach the lost.
- Christians do not want to share the truth of the gospel for fear they will offend others. Political correctness is too commonplace even among Christians.
- Most churches have unregenerate members who have not received Christ themselves.
- Our churches have too many activities; they are too busy to do the things that really matter.
The post Obstacles to Evangelism in the Local Church – Rainer on Leadership #108 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
Words of Comfort: Origins of Humanity.
USA Today reported, October 18, 2013: “Scientists trying to unravel the origins of humanity mostly study scraps–some ancient teeth here, a damaged bone there. But now a lucky research team has uncovered the first complete skull of an early human adult from the distant past.”
So there you have it believers in evolution. Up until now there has been little to nothing for your belief. Just a tooth or a damaged bone. But the discovery of a complete skull has believers believing that they have more. They tell us “It also provides support for the provocative idea that, 1.8 million years ago, only one kind of early human held sway, rather than the throng of different species listed in today’s textbooks.” In other words the textbooks in which you have so much faith are wrong. So the experts say…at the moment. If you would like to hear more evolutionary experts, watch http://www.evolutionVsGod.com
Source
American Baptist College Defends Invite to Lesbian Speaker, Says Christians Make ‘Idol’ of Bible
According to a statement on the Refuge United Church of Christ website, Flunder believes that one’s self image can be harmed by believing that their lifestyle isn’t acceptable to God. “Trying to establish a relationship with a God that barely tolerates you but cannot truly accept and certainly will never celebrate you can do incredible damage to ones self-esteem,” she wrote.
Justified By Faith(fulness)??
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Do You Grieve Over Sin?
I know this post might induce a seizure in Tullian Tchividjian. He is famous for his commendable crusade to re-introduce a focus on what Christ has done for us, vis-à-vis the perceived preoccupation in church with what we need to do in sanctification. I’m not sure what circles he moves in, but the evangelical province I inhabit may benefit from a tad more: “Hey, Christlikeness doesn’t happen by osmosis, it helps if you set your alarm clock, read your Bible, pray, and maybe serve in the church once in a while…” and less “Meditate on what Jesus has done for you, and the rest will fall into place.”
Of Duty and Other Dirty Words
Don’t be so legalistic, we say. But is faithfulness legalism? Legalism is fastidiously holding to the letter of the law in order to gain merit. Faithfulness is obedience–even when we don’t feel like it. I suppose from the outside they appear the same. At least they have the same results. A legalistic mama is pretty consistent. But so is a faithful mama.
Moms Need Theology Too
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The Bible and Homosexuality: Wrong and Right Lessons
Notice how City Church’s rationale for accepting homosexuality marginalizes the authority of Scripture. Consider the explanation by a City Church representative that the leadership studied the issue by “reading the gospel, books by evangelical theologians and social science research.” What does “reading the gospel” mean? It seems to mean drawing broad conclusions from Jesus’ graciousness toward sinners in general, without clear reference to the biblical passages that deal directly with this sin.
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The first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States convened at the Second Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in 1789. One of the Presbyterian ministers of the time, a man by the name of Rev. Adam Rankin, rode horseback from his Kentucky parish to Philadelphia to plead with his fellow Presbyterians to reject the use of Watts ‘ hymns. He cautioned the Assembly Commissioners “to refuse to allow the great and pernicious error of adoption of the use of Watt’s hymns in public worship in preference to Rouse’s versifications of the Psalms of David.”
EPC Reaffirms Biblical Definition of Marriage
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A Christian in America–A Coming Dilemma?
Today we discuss what it means to be a Christian faithful to God, living in a nation that seems to be falling away from God and His ways. Being a true Christian in America used to be simpler. Our nation, while far from perfect, at least tried to live by the laws and principles of […]
Let the Children Speak
by Bill Muehlenberg
These are the forgotten people. These are the silenced people. These are the people who are not supposed to exist. The militant homosexual movement does everything they can to persuade us that they don’t even exist. And if it turns out that they do exist, the militants will do everything they can to demonise them, discredit them, and deride them.
I refer of course to all the children raised in homosexual households who refuse to stay in the closet and say it was all a wonderful experience and all sweetness and light. Instead, they have the courage and the boldness to tell the truth – the truth that things were actually pretty lousy, and they would not wish this on any other child.
‘The way to go:’ St. Paul schools give transgender students access to any bathroom, locker room
By Steve Gunn, editor-in-chief of EAGnews ST. PAUL, Minn. – The people of Minnesota apparently don’t like it, and the state may ban it, but the St. Paul school board adopted a new policy Tuesday giving transgender students access to the restroom and locker room facilities of their choice, regardless of their biological gender. That […]
Celeb PR rep: conservative “watchman” ministries contribute to celebrity false teachers
Should watchman ministries back off reporting problems with “Celebrity Christian Leaders”? Are Bereans, contenders, discerners and watchmen ministries partly to blame for leaders falling into scandal? Celebrity PR rep Hunter Frederick seems to think so. Hunter’s client, musician Michael Gungor, became somewhat of a celebrity when he boldly announced that the books of Genesis and […]
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Christina Fox: “For many of us moms, the mere thought of studying theology seems way beyond what our daily life can handle. . . . But the truth is we desperately need theology for all our daily duties of motherhood. We need theology for bedtime battles, feeding worries, the grocery store, and everything else in-between.”
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