Ministers Desk 29 July 2012

Part of Jesus’ ministry was to teach and train his followers for the ministry that they were called to.  A disciple making community places emphasis on helping people develop skills for ministry.  Our purpose (Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage) challenges each of us to have at least one intentional relationship in which we share our faith, believing that God will lead them to faith.  At the moment we are looking at ways that we are able to develop our skills for relationship evangelism.  Over the coming weeks our morning worship services will look at the biblical principles and practices of relationship evangelism. We do this because it is invariably the practice of the church and its members, that unless we are consciously outward focussed, we will gravitationally and unconsciously turn our focus inward. 

To complement our Sunday teaching, I want to share some resources that our congregation has.

Prayer cards – cards to place in our bibles or wallets or somewhere else convenient.  Write on them the names of pre-Christians that you are praying will come to faith.  Use as a constant reminder to pray.

How to talk about Jesus without freaking out – an easy to read, practical guide to relationship evangelism.  Contains a study guide that can be used for personal or group use.

Out of the salt shaker – an easy to read book that helps the reader see relationship evangelism as a way of life, not something that we do. 

Just walk across the room – a DVD based study guide of four sessions that contains simple steps for pointing people to faith.  Best used in an Explore Group, but also good for use individually. 

Becoming a contagious Christian – a practical workshop for identifying and developing your personal style of relationship evangelism.  Best used in an Explore Group, but also good for use individually. 

These resources are kept in the library in the church foyer.  Please feel free to borrow, use and return.

A resource not listed above is prayer.  In Luke 10:2 Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  I believe that if each day everyone of us prayed as Jesus commanded, that there would be a great change in our congregation.  Constantly praying for our pre-Christian friends and family, praying for other Christians as they share faith and praying for ourselves would raise the awareness of the importance of evangelism and would further tune us to the work of the Spirit in our lives.  So I encourage you to pray.