Ministers Desk 17th June

I have been writing recently about our church’s results from our latest Natural Church Development survey.  This survey shows where we are strong and weak.  In any survey that ranks items from top to bottom there must be one item that is at the bottom.  For our congregation this is in the area of evangelism.  The bad news is that we have consistently identified that this is an area of weakness for us.  The good news is that we have improved in this area since the last survey. 

One of the causes of growth is our Community Helping Hand.  This very practical way of meeting people’s needs is a highly visible and direct way of communicating the love of God through action.  In Jesus’ public ministry of Jesus he fed the 5000 as a means of telling the people of the coming kingdom and sharing with them the good news.  We continue to walk in his footsteps as we meet the needs of our community. 

Our congregation’s purpose encourages each of us to engage in at least one intentional relationship where we share our faith with someone in the belief that they will be drawn to declare Jesus Christ as lord and saviour.  We are seeing an impact in relationship evangelism as more members of our congregation identify that they are seeking to deepen their relationships with people who don’t yet know Jesus Christ.  In the survey, this was the area in which we identified our single largest increase. 

The context of our personal relationship is the best place to share our faith and the most effective way of leading people to Christ.  Research shows that over 90% of Christ followers made a decision for Christ as the result of the influence of a close relationship with another Christian.  In our relationships with other people we talk about the things that are most important to us.  If our faith means anything in our lives, it will be part of these conversations.  This could include positive conversations about our church activities, the people we worship and serve with, and the work of the church.  It could become more personal when we talk about our reasons for believing and the impact that Christ has on our lives.  When we are listening to the Holy Spirit he will lead us to opportunities to offer invitations to church events and to challenge our friend or family member to commit their life to Christ. 

Prayer is a significant part of the work of evangelism.  We should each have a list of people whom we are praying for on a daily basis.  In prayer we should be asking Christ to become more real to them and we should be asking for boldness in the Spirit to take the opportunities to speak about faith that he will provide.  If you don’t have a list already, there are cards on the information desk that allow you to write down the names of five people and then store these cards in your bible or wallet.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  (Rms 10:13 – 15)