Cape Town 2010 Advance Paper

A Fresh Approach To Witness For The 21st Century: A Global Perspective

Author: Rebecca Manley Pippert & Bishop Benjamin A. Kwashi
Date: 09.07.2010
Category: Evangelism Training

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Editor’s Note: This Cape Town 2010 Advance Paper has been written by Rebecca Manley Pippert and Bishop Benjamin A. Kwashi as an overview of the topic to be discussed at the Multiplex session on “A Fresh Approach to Witness for the 21st Century: A Global Perspective.” Responses to this paper through the Lausanne Global Conversation will be fed back to the authors and others to help shape their final presentations at the Congress.

The gospel is the Good News, the glorious news that God through Christ came to our planet, lived, died and rose again to take away the sin of the world. And he offers to live his dynamic life in and through us as we place our faith in him—not on the basis of our merit but as a gift of sheer unmerited grace. It’s the greatest news ever to grace our planet!

With such great news, why do so many feel inadequate when it comes to sharing their faith? Why does the church struggle in training believers to share confidently the glorious gospel? The relevance of the opening line of Rebecca’s book Out of the Salt Shaker remains the same, even after 30 years: Christians and non-Christians have something in common: we’re both uptight about evangelism.

However, while the Western church has been struggling, there has been a phenomenal explosion of growth in the global South. On any given Sunday there are more Anglicans attending church in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania or Uganda than in Britain and America combined. Christianity’s center of gravity has moved decisively south. Yet without diminishing the joy of such remarkable growth, astute voices in the Global South express concern over what is the gospel that is being preached? Is it orthodoxy or is it sometimes a “prosperity” version?

The West reveals a different story. In terms of church growth less than 2% of Europeans call themselves Evangelical Christians; less than 5% in Australia attend church, and even in the “Bible Belt” of America fewer than half the people go to church. In short, the Western world is now considered a mission field.

Equally challenging is how to motivate those in the pews each Sunday. How do we encourage the “unfaithful faithful” to share the Good News of Jesus? How can we equip our churches to become inwardly strong yet outwardly focused with people who are ablaze with the love or Jesus? That is part of the Western challenge.

As Christians, and as the church of Jesus Christ, we are called by our Lord to “Go and make disciples.” The call to bear witness is part of God’s plan to bring the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. Yet many of the evangelistic “magic bullets” that worked in the past are now not as effective, particularly in the West.

Is there a way to approach evangelism that is biblically sound yet culturally relevant? Are there principles we can glean from Scripture that are effective in the skeptical, post-Enlightenment Western culture as well as for the Global South? Never have we needed greater clarity over how to fulfill Christ’s command to “Go and make disciples.”

Through the years of doing evangelism training worldwide, we are more convinced than ever that we must develop a biblically based, theologically sound and relationally effective approach if we are to bear witness effectively to Christ. Our emphasis must not be numbers or techniques, but authenticity, credibility and spiritual power. Enabling the church to know Christ well, and to make Him well known—that is our global challenge.

But the issues we face in communicating “the best news ever” in the 21st century are wide and deep. What are some of the challenges we face in developing a holistic understanding of evangelism for 21 Century?

Getting the Story Straight

What is the essence of this gospel that has been “handed down” to us? How do we discern what is true and essential from the nonessential and even heretical?
With the crisis of truth so prevalent in the West, where there are disagreements amongst the faithful over how to interpret key theological doctrines, the real issue comes down to this: how can we know what is true and what is biblical?
This crisis of truth is not only a problem in the West. There have been serious and dangerous distortions of the Gospel in the various forms of the “prosperity” or “health and wealth” gospels that are exported from the USA to parts of the Global South.

Getting the Story Out

Do we have a universal model for how to obey Christ’s command to “Go and make disciples?” Are there models for communicating the gospel that honor our cultural differences without compromising biblical fidelity?
How do we find ways to be culturally relevant without succumbing to the consumer culture of the West, where often the “latest is greatest?”
While we welcome the return of evangelical passion for social justice, evangelism (in secular media and the world’s perception) is now counter-intuitive and politically incorrect. Has social justice, while terribly important, become for many Western Christians the easy default attitude, so that evangelism will have to be relearned as a choice and a sacrificial commitment? What is the role of justice and justification when it comes to sharing the Good News?

Taking the Story In

How can the church be renewed internally by the Holy Spirit in order to become recognizable as “the spontaneous overflow of a community of praise…the radiance of a supernatural reality…a place of joy, of praise … of surprises, and of laughter - a place where there is a foretaste of the endless surprises of Heaven?” (1)
How can we help grow churches and conduct outreaches while recognizing that it is not human brilliance and skill that transform lives but the power of God?

The Role of Culture

There is much discussion today about the role of culture and the importance of expressing the gospel in culturally relevant ways. First we must recognize that there is no such thing as a Christian culture or civilization. All cultures have virtues and faults. The good news is that God made people of every culture in His image.

Nevertheless, the more we understand the issues and questions that arise in each culture, the more effective we will be in arousing their interest in the gospel. Consider just a few examples from our experiences of doing evangelism training around the world:

Malaysia: Unlike the West where we must argue for the possibility of the existence of God, Malaysia is a diverse, multi-religious, multi-cultural country where so many faiths exist simultaneously that people more readily accept God’s existence. Therefore the challenge is not: Does God exist? But rather: Which God should we believe in?

The issue: How do we communicate the absolute uniqueness of Christ in a country where there are many faiths, or as in India, where there are literally thousands of gods and goddesses to worship?

China: Like most traditional cultures where families are the glue of society, honoring parents is of supreme importance and to bring shame to one’s family is considered the worst possible offense. In such a cultural context, a challenge frequently heard by new converts is: How could you dishonor your family by believing in a different tradition from how you’ve been raised? Why do you believe in a western God?

The issue: How do we respectfully share our faith when our family is of another faith and where there is deep misunderstanding and prejudice concerning Christianity?

Sabah: After giving an Outreach Event in Sabah on the island of Borneo, a woman from a Taoist background with anxiety etched on her face asked Becky: “But I am the eldest adult child and if I give my life to Christ then who would light the joss sticks for my ancestors [prayers of protection for the dead against evil spirits]?”

The issue: How do we honor our parents yet live out our faith with integrity when we can no longer follow their religious traditions?

Belfast: Major cities in Northern Ireland were nearly destroyed by the intense sectarian violence during the 1960’s -1990’s between the political factions that favored staying part of the U.K. (mainly Protestants), versus those who called for a separate united Ireland (mainly Catholics). An interested skeptic speaking to Becky about the Person of Jesus suddenly said, “Oh Becky, let’s not get bogged down in a discussion on politics!”

The issue: How do we bear witness to Christ in a country that doesn’t trust words alone because of the great suffering and damage that was caused by wars – wars they perceive as being religiously motivated? How do we help people separate true Christianity from the terrible atrocities that have been done in the name of religion?

Sweden: Sweden is considered one of the most secular and postmodern countries in Europe. A Christian took his skeptic friend to a debate on campus between an atheist and a Christian. The Christian won the argument with a spirit of graciousness. But the skeptic student said, in what has to be the ultimate postmodern response ever recorded: “I’m offended to think someone would try to defeat another person merely on the basis of rational argument.”

The issue: How do we present Christ to someone who finds the claims of truth offensive? Whose belief in tolerance makes the exclusive claims of Christ seem outrageous and arrogant?

Denmark: Danes think of themselves as secular unbelievers, who only by tradition are members of the state Lutheran Church. Yet in recent years there has been a surprising openness and hunger for spiritual realities in the young, which is causing them to turn to alternative approaches. Why alternative? Because so many Danes have been baptized and confirmed in the state Church without ever understanding true faith.

The issue: How do we present Christ in a state-church culture that has almost inoculated them from understanding Christian reality – yet the problem is that they think they do understand!

Australia: In a secular country where church attendance is less than 5% and where the drive for materialism is rampant, a skeptic from Sydney said, “But why should I consider Christ when my life is fine as it is? Furthermore, if I gave my life to Christ I might have to give my money to the church and there’s no way I’m doing that!”

The issue: how do we break through apathy and the quest for materialism that can temporarily block the need for spiritual real

ities?

Clearly to be effective in witness we must be aware of the issues that arise in that particular culture. Nevertheless we must also consider that Peter at Pentecost was able to preach the gospel to seemingly every language and culture. Yet his message was understood. Why? Because God’s Word was declared through the power of God’s Spirit and therefore transcended all of their cultural differences. That is our tension: being culturally sensitive while leaning on the power of God’s Word and Spirit.

Our Theology must impact our Methodology

There has been a tendency in the West to focus evangelism training on simply learning techniques. But techniques do not motivate us at a deeper level. Nor are they effective in building authentic relationships. This isn’t to diminish the importance of offering practical help. But the practical must be framed within a deeper theological understanding. Our effectiveness in witness does not come from learning new methods but from understanding the message. Our freedom to witness comes from understanding the author of the message, God Himself! In other words, our theology must impact our methodology. Understanding the character of God will be the deepest motivation possible for witness. Knowing Christ well drives us to want to make Him well known.

The Crisis of Truth and the proclamation of the Gospel

How do we in the West faithfully, creatively proclaim the gospel in our age of relativity that denies the possibility of absolute truth – when the truth of any truth is under suspicion and the validity of gospel truth is either denied or ignored? Yet we are told: “By this Gospel you are saved, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that he was buried that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve.” (1 Cor. 15: 2-5) As Peter Kuzmic writes, “The faithful, brave and creative proclamation of the gospel must be grounded in these foundational facts of the universally valid truth, for truth is foundation for trust.” (2) Stephen Neill states: “The only reason for being a Christian is the overpowering conviction that the Christian faith is true.” (3)

If we are not faithful to the gospel then the work of evangelism will never be effective. But when Christians feel intimidated about telling others the Christian message, it is not just a fear of rejection. It goes deeper, to the ability to believe the message themselves in a world that tells them that a religious conviction cannot be true in any factual sense and must be held only as a private opinion. Our task is to strengthen the modern believer’s confidence that this “Good News” is not just true for them, but it is true for the whole world and can be told with assurance.

These are a few of the issues that face us when considering evangelism in the 21st century. A proper response to all these issues is far beyond the scope of this introductory essay. Our core focus at the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town (in the Multiplex and Dialogue Sessions) will be to address how best to communicate faith in the 21st century in three areas: personal evangelism, small group evangelism and proclamation evangelism.

Three Pronged Response to Evangelism in the global era

The strongest and most vital evangelism occurs when three approaches are used together: personal evangelism, small group evangelism and proclamation evangelistic events. These three approaches complement each other. Most Christian organizations settle for only one approach and it is inadequate. When we use all three together – when the church provides solid training in personal and small group witness as well as doing Outreach events – the result is powerful! Our focus, then, is in developing an effective 3-prong strategy which equips believers with a personal, incarnational approach to witness, that offers small group evangelism through Seeker Bible studies and that effectively offers proclamation evangelism.

I. Personal Evangelism

When training others to develop confidence and competence in the area of personal witness, here are some areas that need to be addressed:

Our Model

Do we have a universal model for how to obey Christ’s command to “Go and make disciples of all the nations?” We do! Christ gave us a model, a message and a method for reaching the world. Our model for outreach, our paradigm for evangelism is the doctrine of the Incarnation. Although there are many doctrines which shape our understanding of witness, perhaps none shape it more than the doctrine of the incarnation; for it is not only a fundamental doctrine, it is a theological prism through which we view our entire missional task in the world.

Jesus said “As the Father sent me into the world, so I send you.” Jesus is telling us that our mission to the world is to resemble His. Just as He entered our world, so are we to enter other people’s worlds as He did.

How then do we go into the world like Jesus? Jesus was both radically identified in love and yet radically different in holiness. What skills can we learn by exploring the implications of the Incarnation?

Jesus developed authentic, loving relationships with seekers. He had a “go-to-them” not a “come-to-us” approach. Through observing Jesus we see that establishing loving relationships with seekers reflects the Trinitarian nature of God. God is a relational God. For most seekers today the gap from unbelief to belief cannot be closed outside the context of relationship.
Jesus reveals the importance of arousing curiosity in the seeker BEFORE we share the Good News. Closely related to this is learning how to raise the topic of faith. How do we go from a natural conversation to a spiritual one without sounding artificial or manipulative?
Jesus has much to teach us about the art of conversation: how to listen respectfully and to dialogue, how to ask good questions and handle their questions, how to use everyday language and

adapt what we say to the situation of the person.

What do we do with our sense of inadequacy? How do we overcome our fears? What can we learn from Jesus and the stories in the New Testament to assure us that our sense of inadequacy is the first qualification to being a witness?!

Our Message

What are the skills we need to communicate the Gospel?

Learn to tell His Story
Learn to tell Our Story
Learn to communicate the gospel in a contextually sensitive way

The basic content of the gospel is always recognizable and unchanging because it was received by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal 1: 11-12). However, the New Testament evangelists demonstrate flexibility and creativity in adapting and communicating the gospel in different political and cultural settings. As the German theologian Helmut Thielicke reminds us, “the Gospel must be preached afresh and told in new ways to every generation, since every generation has its own unique questions. This is why the Gospel must be constantly forwarded to a new address because the recipient is repeatedly changing his place of residence.” (4)

Our Means

The lack of dependence on the Spirit’s power is perhaps the single most glaring deficiency in the modern Western church compared to the Early Church. Jesus told his first century disciples they needed to wait for the Holy Spirit before evangelizing their world. “It’s critical for us, if we’re going to evangelize the world in the 21st century, that we have the power of the Holy Spirit residing in us, flowing through us, bringing the character of Jesus in us,” a Christian recently told CBN News.

Evangelism isn’t simply a communication or content skill – it’s a spiritual activity dependent upon the supernatural power of God. Therefore we must rediscover that prayer is a holy weapon to be used in evangelism and in our spiritual battles. We must ask God to empower us with the gifts of the Spirit that strengthen us in evangelism.

We don’t simply impart information when we share the gospel. We need the Spirit’s power to give our words meaning and effectiveness. It’s the Spirit of God that produces transformed lives, not our ability to communicate the gospel perfectly. We must be convinced that there is no greater power in the world than the power of the Holy Spirit who goes before us, who speaks through us.

II. Small

d/langs/en.js" type="text/javascript"> Group Evangelism

What do we do after we’ve had several good conversations about faith with a seeker? What should we do next? What we need is a tool that enables seekers to feel comfortable and safe, that embodies a style that is Socratic, dialogical and process oriented, while allowing them to confront the Person of Jesus.

One of the most effective evangelism tools is the Seeker Bible study. A Seeker Study examines the life of Jesus through a gospel in which the majority of the participants in the small group are unbelievers. The Christian asks questions from the Seeker Bible study guide and invites the seekers to discover the Person of Jesus for themselves. The Christian is not the authority – the biblical text is the teacher.

We invite the skeptic or seeker to come to a neutral place (our home, our school dorm, at the back of a restaurant) to look at a gospel and decide for themselves who they think Jesus is. We tell them they don’t have to believe in God or believe the Bible is the Word of God. We simply invite them to “come and see.” The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. They are meant to have fun and feel free to ask questions as they investigate the life of Jesus.

It’s effective because those who wouldn’t darken the door of a church feel comfortable coming to our home where there are fellow seekers or skeptics. And while some may have been turned off by religious organizations like the church, many are still curious about Jesus: who was he? What was he like? What did he say and do? It’s also effective because the power of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit are working on our behalf! And Jesus begins to come alive!

Having done Seeker Studies for over 30 years and having trained Christians around the world to use this tool, we have seen incredible fruit as a result.

III. Proclamation Evangelism

A powerful way to evangelize is communicating the gospel through Proclamation Outreach. The African church has remarkable gifts of evangelism and Africa has seen tremendous response to Proclamation Evangelism events. Bishop Ben Kwashi of Nigeria, a gifted and effective evangelist, has seen scores of people come to Christ. He has much to say in this area about the power of the gospel:

Have confidence in the Gospel: In the world today there is much suffering, darkness, evil and death. The one and only power that can overcome this and transform individuals, communities and nations is the power of the gospel. The gospel is not a static, established tradition but a living powerful force with the ability to transform in ways which even pass the hopes and expectations of those who carry and plant the initial seed. It is the Gospel that has brought life, light and hope to darkness, for this world and for the next. We therefore must not compromise or trade this gospel for anything at all – not even for our physical lives. Never forget that the gospel, as Paul writes in Roman 1:16-17, is the power of God!
Have confidence in power of the Holy Spirit: The gospel has an explosive power, which is demonstrated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not a passive entity. The gospel is a creative power, endowed with the creating Spirit of the One who is the creator of the universe. When faced with sin, hell and Satan, the gospel is also a destroying power, deadly, unconquerable and uncompromising. The gospel seeks approval from nobody, bribes no authority and makes no apology for its coming. So follow Paul’s advice and do not be ashamed of the gospel! Ask God to fill you afresh with the power of His Spirit as you preach!
The Gospel is for everyone: The gospel is universal. It is for the salvation of everyone who believes, no matter where they come from or who they are. It is people, not money, that are the target of the gospel, the main asset of the gospel, and the carriers of the gospel. It is the saving power of this universal gospel that brings radical change – change from death to live, from hell to heaven, from darkness to light.

People of God, let us sharpen our focus on this one goal, the task of making Christ known, getting people to live righteously, to live holy lives, and to put all their energies, all their efforts into the mission of God in evangelizing the world.

Effective Witness for such a time as this

Let us go forth then remembering that evangelism is a life before it is a task; it is a question of being before it becomes an agenda of doing. Let us refuse to preach a gospel that promises so much and demands so little. We are on dangerous ground when we allow techniques to take precedence over theology, when human strategy replaces trust in God’s Word and when we rely on programs to replace reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been given an infinitely credible gospel – so let us be credible messengers who demonstrate not clever methodology but authenticity. Remember, evangelism is not the result of perfected techniques given by super sales people, because the gospel is not for sale!

If the world is to be evangelized in our 21st century – if we are to see revival – it will take genuine repentance within the church, divine cleansing, holy living and a fresh empowerment by the Holy Spirit. What we need is a renewed vision of who Christ is and what He has come to do: to heal, restore and transform all of life! If we live out this vision as true disciples, then evangelism cannot help but happen!

Newbigin, Lesslie, 1986: Foolishness to the Greeks, p.149 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing CO).
Kuzmic, Peter, 1980: "Evangelical Witness to Eastern Europe", in Serving Our Generations: Evangelical Strategies for the Eighties (Waldron Scott, ed: Colorado Springs: World EVangelical Fellowship, pp.77-85.
Neill, Stephen Charles, 1970: Call to Mission, p.10 (Philadelphia; Fortress Press).
Quoted from How to Teach the Truth of the Gospel, Peter Kuzmic, p.198. (J.D. Douglas, ed. Proclaim Christ Until He Comes. (Lausanne II in Manila. Minneapolis; Worldwide Publications, 1986).

Keywords: witness, global perspective, discover Jesus, sharing faith, empowerment, growth, love, holiness, Western decline, motivation, evangelism, incarnation, Gospel, truth, renewal, culture, contextualisation, dependance, prayer, small group

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: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

We must keep in mind that culture plays a very important role in this generation. With the internet, social media and advancing technology there are so many ways in which to spread the gospel. This type of media is what appeals to this generation. It is what gets their attention. They may not go to a church building, but they will watch church on the internet. Therefore our churches must be willing to change. We must be prepared for this type of ministry and make it affective. Young souls may be on the line.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down dianaleeballard (0)
United States
@ kmoore21: I totally agree with you about that. Maybe a year or so ago I would not have fully understood the role of Internet and new technologies that bring God’s message to large crowds. However, recently I have become aware of just how successful this method has been for attracting previously overlooked or disenfranchised people. The enthusiasm I have seen on the faces and working in the lives of new believers has been uplifting.

07.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

Everybody has a story to tell and we have to learn to tell our story, HIS story and THE story in such a way that minds and lives are changed. We must learn how to allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide and our strength. It is He who gives us the boldness and the confidence needed to fulfill the mandate of the Great Commission. Therefore as we yield ourselves to the moving of the Holy Spirit, we will find that as His presence abides with us and works through us we will see souls saved and a change to take place within this generation.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

Everybody has a story that somebody needs to hear. We sometimes would like to forget our past and various parts of our journey. But if God allowed it, He allowed it for purpose and that purpose will ultimately give God glory as we yield ourselves to God. God has a way of using some of the most trying times of our life to help someone else come to know His Son Jesus Christ. So in telling your story make sure you can tell His story also.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

Therefore as the author of this paper stated “our effectiveness in witness does not come from learning new methods but from understanding the message. And our freedom to witness comes from understanding the author of the message, God Himself!” When our relationship is in tack and we have a clear understanding of who we are in God, we’ll be well capable of witnessing to someone else who needs to know him. Even the unsaved is able to recognize the fruit that we bear. Personal witness is the greatness witness that anyone could share.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

I believe we are living in a time when people are not listening to what we say as much as they are looking at what we do and how we live. Therefore, our ministry of witnessing cannot be solely based on technique and proper wording. This ministry of witnessing has much to do with your own relationship with Christ. Even to the unsaved, the authenticity of your relationship is very visible and has the potential to be very impactful.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

We must be trained and sufficiently equipped to answer questions that may come from this new generation. I Peter 3:15 says “but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” When you have to minister to a culture who has no knowledge of Jesus and do not want to know him, you will face opposition at times. But even in the midst of opposition we must remember that every moment is a ministry moment as has the potential to win a soul by the manner in which we handle ourselves.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

In order to reach today’s generation we must be able to relate to where they are and minister to those needs. However in trying to do so, we are challenged to make sure we get the story right and we have the proper method in which to carry it out.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

Jesus is not like us. Sometimes we can be very judgmental and try to decide who belongs and who does not. Sometimes we can be like the Pharisees and carry around our little imaginary lists of people who we don’t think are really important. The truth is that they are all important and they do matter. They’re important to God regardless of race, salary, gender, level of education, religious background or lack thereof. Therefore, they should matter to us if we call ourselves Christians. Therefore we have to reach out to this generation and relay this gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that they will understand and come to know Jesus as Savior.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

We’ve got to find a way to reach this 21st century generation. We are oftentimes reluctant to witnessing to this generation because they can sometimes appear unreachable. But God loves them and we have to have the same kind of love for their souls.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down kmoore21 (0)
United States

We have been assigned to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We understand how important it is for us to share this good news with all mankind but we find ourselves being reluctant to share this life changing message. Sometimes the reluctance is because of fear of rejection or the feeling of inadequacy. Sometimes we feel as if we don’t have the right words to say or we don’t know how to make the approach. However, this is such an important mandate that we must be assured that we’re able to relay the story of Jesus accurately and with relevance of the time in which we live.

04.07.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down dianaleeballard (0)
United States

In the paper A Fresh Approach To Witness In The 21st Century: A Global Perspective By Rebecca Manley Pippert and Bishop Benjamin A. Kwashi, I am also struggling with the question, " With such great news, why do so many feel inadequate when it comes to sharing their faith?". I was and to some extent still am one of those people. For me the problem is multi-factorial and complex. However, I was very inspired by this paper and have taken an honest look at myself in regard to this information.

28.06.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down triedstone1009 (1)
United States
@ dianaleeballard:
Diane, I like your question and I beleive that other faiths are willing to share with the Western culture but the Western culture has become so blessed and highly favored that we don’t see the need to share our faith. Sometimes we become so concerned with acquiring and being greater than others and having more than others, that we forget it is God who bless us to have what we have and achieve what we acheive. To whom much is given, much is required. We should share our faith and let faith have its perfect work withing the lives of individuals.

14.07.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down dianaleeballard (0)
United States
@ triedstone1009:
Triedstone1009, Reggie, as I have said before, witnessing publicly is a challenge for me. I guess it is the shy child in me that holds me back. However, I try my best to set an example of a good Christian life. I know I am not always successful, and it is a constant challenge to do so in today’s world, but I would hope simple acts of kindness and hospitality would be noticed.

14.07.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down dianaleeballard (0)
United States
@ triedstone1009:
Triedstone1009. Reggie, as I have said before, witnessing publicly is a challenge for me, I guess it is the shy child in me holding me back. However, I try to do my best to set an example of a good Christian life. I know I am not always successful, and it is a constant struggle in today’s world but I would hope simple acts of kindness and hospitality would be noticed.

14.07.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down willie_williams (0)
United States
@ triedstone1009:
Yes triedstone 1009 we are blessed, I hope we don,t have to lose what we have in order see how God has blessed us. I have been to other parts of the world, and because we have soo much is one of the reasons many people hate the West.

26.04.2012

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down brucec (0)
United States

The line from Rebecca’s book about Christians and non-Christians being uptight about evangelism is more true than I like to admit. As I read this article, I couldn’t help but wonder why it is so hard for us to share something that means so much to us. When we get to the point where we as individuals are living out the gospel in all aspects of our lives, and are depending on the Holy Spirit to lead us in sharing the gospel, we will begin to find we have plenty of opportunities to share. I like the statement about Jesus being a go-to-them person and how He arroused their curiosity. If we could make this our approach, sharing would become easy.

I also like the three-pronged approach to evangelism. We must change where necessary to get the message of Christ to the world. Thought-provoking parer!

04.10.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down triedstone1009 (1)
United States

Witnessing in the 21st century is much needed as we all have a story to tell. Some of our christian witness may not be pleasant in some eyes but may be pleasant and effective in the eyes of those who have chosen to follow the call of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It did me good to read the article of witnessing in the 21st century because they are many untold stories that can have transforming effects upon humanity. Tell your story to the glory of God.

Reggie

10.07.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down theBlood (1)
United States

Beautiful are the feet that carries the Gospel. There is nothing more greater than the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus I have eternal life.

18.04.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down JourneywithCHRISTie (-1)
United States

             A Fresh Approach to Witness for the 21st Century: A Global Perspective by Rebecca Manly Pippert and Bishop Benjamin A Kwashi was a great article. The question asked at the beginning intrigue me into deep thought. “If the gospel is such good news, why do so many feel inadequate when it comes to sharing their faith?” I do not believe that it is an issue of inadequacy but people are afraid to be exposed of the things they have been through and that makes people uptight.

            In examining the reason behind the growth of the South, you do have to wonder what exactly is being preached to grow the gospel. I believe whole heartedly in Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives to the death.” Telling one’s testimony is an authentic way of spreading the gospel. It gives a personal credibility while allowing the Holy Spirit to convict the hearts of one that hears. Many people just don’t want to tell how Christ made the difference in their own lives. That is the realness that through Christ, God is a living God and can influence others the way He influenced the witness. So God indeed made all cultures in his likeness, then why are people still scared to testify of that likeness.

            Understanding the cultural foundations of different cultures is challenging. I believe that it is a seemingly limitation, but allowing the Holy Spirit to lead the evangelistic quest makes the mission limitless. I am convinced that if we, as evangelists, go as lead by the Holy Spirit then He will do the drawing of the people to grow the community of the gospel. We must know who we are as define by Christ and then give that testimony everywhere we go. The more we speak about Christ in our story the more the character of Christ is spread.

            I agree with the three pronged response to evangelism in the global era. Personal evangelism is my favorite. Before one can be effective in evangelism, one must understand that they are a vessel of God that is powered by the Holy Spirit. I love personal evangelism; knowing that God uses me to spread His word and character gives me great joy.

            Group evangelism is a great way to grow everyone in the setting. The one doing the evangelizing and teaching of the gospel is effective as well as the ones who receives the knowledge. Some people may be more conducive to listen in the privacy of a home setting instead a public corporate setting.

Proclamation evangelism is hard to grasp for many if one does not feel they are strategically place for God’s purpose. Even though some may understand the task, but the accountability of evangelism is more than they want to own. Pippert and Kwashi hit the nail on the head with the response to see a revival of the 21st century. “It will take genuine repentance within the church, divine cleansing, holy living and a fresh empowerment by the Holy Spirit.” It all starts with the one going out to evangelize. We have to sincerely be followers of Christ before we can authentically share His ways. When one becomes an astute follower of Christ led by the Holy Spirit, disciples will be made all over the world.

15.03.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down PAHayes (0)
United States
@ JourneywithCHRISTie:
I was reared in the church and always felt uncomfortable with personal evangelism because I did not believe I had a story to share with others. I did not have a conversion moment such as Saul/Paul. But I neglected to realize that my testimony was continuing to live the faith I was taught as a young child, because as a young adult I found a new relationship with Christ and needed to share that experience with others with my same background.

17.04.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down JourneywithCHRISTie (-1)
United States
@ PAHayes:
I am so glad you see that your testimony is still an instrument of praise to God and even to people that may not have the same background as you. Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their loves unto the death." We all have a testimony that can benefit the kingdom in the 21st Century. I think we as Christians are failing to share with people their story! It is real hard in life and people need to know how to get through their hardships. Sometimes by knowing and hearing someone else made through with their faith in God is encourage to keep going through.

17.04.2011

Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down joeburnham (0)
United States

My reaction to this paper is certainly mixed. First, let me highlight a couple points of agreement.

The Current Situation: Pippert and Kwashi offered a concise but accurate overview of issues involving evangelism both in the West and the Global South. Those of us in the West are hesitant and uncertain about evangelism and, in the Global South, all too often, the gospel message is tainted with a prosperity message (something I experienced while in Africa and addressed in my post, Africa Reflections: Pineapples).
Theology Over Methodology: While this one should go without saying, in my tribe, the LCMS, I would say that this is a weaknesses at one end of our divided spectrum. Typically, the argument fails to establish theologically based metrics to determine faithfulness and instead blurs external results (typically butts in the seats, bucks in the plate, or busyness on the calendar) with faithfulness, a move that ignores both the broad rejection of preaching by the Old Testament prophets and Jesus’ declaration that the world will hate us because of him.
Cultural Awareness: While placing methodology before theology is a weakness on one side of the LCMS, I would say that a lack of cultural awareness is a key weaknesses at the other end of the spectrum, a weakness that I believed is birth out of what might be termed as an over-commitment to The Lutheran Confessions. By over-commitment I mean that many within Confessional Lutheranism have committed themselves not only to the teaching as presented in the 16th Century, but also the culturally specific elements that the Reformers use to present their teaching. Given that Lutheranism was birthed out of a rediscovery of the gospel for those with a conflicted conscience, that is, those who felt an overwhelming guilt for their sin and questioned how they could ever be righteous before a just God, an over-commitment results in the general assumption that people are either 1) Christian, 2) living with a conflicted conscience and therefore a need to hear the gospel, 3) need to hear a word of Law that points out their sin and will result in a conflicted conscience that is ready to hear the gospel, or 4) have rejected the gospel. As demonstrated by Pippert and Kwashi, there are a variety of other perspectives, often based on cultural conditions, that people can hold. By limiting our cultural awareness, we also limit our opportunity for gospel proclamation.
An Incarnational Approach: Simply put, Christians should be developing loving and authentic relationship with people.

That being said, I also have some strong areas of disagreement with Pippert and Kwashi:

Evangelism or Discipleship: My greatest objection of Pippert and Kwashi is what I see as a theologically weak and limited understanding of the Great Commission, one that blurs a confession of faith with a life of discipleship. Certainly it is impossible to be a Christian without being a disciple, but to think that the Great Commission is fulfilled simply by guiding people to professions of faith fails to understand both the nature of discipleship and Jesus’ direct command to teach the nations everything. At this level, I would prefer that the Church focus on the baptism and teaching tasks that make disciples, knowing that as Christians are discipled they will form the loving and authentic relationships because that’s part of what it means to be a disciple.
The Truth Issue: Like much of contemporary Western Christianity, Pippert and Kwashi see postmodernity and the argument against absolute truth as a threat to the Church. Whether you define absolute truth in the sense that it’s objective or discernable, or as the full and complete truth, I disagree both in the notion of absolute truth and that the truth debate is a threat to the Church. In the first sense, truth is not objective or discernable because, if it was, everybody would come to the same conclusions regarding the nature of truth. Not only does this fail to happen between religions, but it also fails to happen within Christianity where varying tribes read the same Bible but come up with sometimes significantly different interpretations. In this sense, truth is very relative, although there are limits or bounds that prevent any definition of truth from being acceptable. Similarly, to argue that the Bible presents the full and complete truth not only binds God, but it also contradicts Scripture itself where God declares the limits of human understanding and knowledge. It’s far more appropriate for the Church to argue Scripture as the truth that’s been revealed rather that the all encompassing truth. If nothing else, relaxing our understanding of truth will promote a humility among Christians that enables the loving and authentic relationships.
Pursuing Seekers: My fundamental objection to intentionally pursuing seekers is that, when Christians pursue someone strictly because of their non-Christian identity, they objectify the person and turn them into a project for conversion rather than seeking genuine relationship with them because they are another human being. To put it another way, “What happens once the conversion goal is achieved?” after all, the relationship isn’t founded on human connection, rather, it was founded upon one person in the relationship not being a Christian? Rather, I would propose that Christians seek to develop loving and authentic relationships with all people, simply because that’s the life Christians are called to live, and if, in the midst of those relationships, the Holy Spirit moves to bring about faith in the life of a non-Christian, the only effect on the relationship is the deepening that comes with a common Christian faith.

In short, while I believe that Pipper and Kwashi have a good heart and desire, as well as some a healthy analysis of current conditions, in the end, I find their proposed action lacking.

18.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Trina_Pockett (0)
United States

This is an excellent article on sharing faith. I especially appreciate the perspectives of the different countries.

It seems to me that many of my friends (in the West) do not believe in Christ for one of the following reasons:

1. Believing in Christ does not make sense intellectually.

2. Life is good. There is no need for Christ or faith.

3. They have encountered a Christian who has been too judgemental or they have had a negative church experience. They equate Christianity with religiousity.

Does anyone else find this to be true?

It seems that our programmed approach to evangelism is not making much of an impact on our hurting world. Whereas I understand practical tools, I believe that we have underestimated the power of relationships.

I love this quote from your paper.

"We are on dangerous ground when we allow techniques to take precedence over theology, when human strategy replaces trust in God’s Word and when we rely on programs to replace reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been given an infinitely credible gospel – so let us be credible messengers who demonstrate not clever methodology but authenticity. Remember, evangelism is not the result of perfected techniques given by super sales people, because the gospel is not for sale! "

People don’t want a pitch to faith and they don’t want to become a project. They want to see what faith looks like in our lives.

There is so much to this paper. I will have to read it reread it many times to process it. I’m loving the conversation surrounding this article.

16.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Melanie (1)
Australia

I visited a church 4 weeks ago with my husband, and a man who was introduced to us as the former pastor came up to us to chat. He spent a good 5-10 minutes firing questions at my husband about what he does of a living and what his spiritual gifts are and then turned his attention to me and basically asked me what my spiritual gifts are.

I replied that I’m passionate about sharing faith and building relationships with people and his next follow up question to me was "how many people have you converted"...

I think the majority of people in churches are scared about evangelism because of questions like this and the implications of it. I dislike this question for a number of reasons, firstly because theologically I don’t believe that we convert anyone, but that we take people to Jesus and they choose to convert themselves. Secondly I dislike this question because it indicates that we do evangelism not because we are gripped by the gospel and want others to know the joy that we do, but in order to keep a tally.

This man followed up this question a little later with... "If you were an Evangelist, you would care about these things..."

I think if we preach this kind of attitude about sharing faith and admitting that we think we might be evangelists then we’ll be petrified to share unless we see results, but if we acknowlege that Christ is in control and working in people’s hearts and we are his tools to do his will, then we’ll make fools of ourselves and give it a crack, even if we get it wrong.

11.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Joseph_Paul_Cadariu (5)
United States
@ Melanie:
Sad, but true. Years ago, I was in management for one of the U.S. major symphony orchestras. A famous, evangelical Christian opera singer was scheduled to perform, and I asked him if he would visit our church. When the pastor asked him if he would sing for us, he said he had to protect his voice because of contractual obligations, but he would be willing to give his testimony. Well, our pastor recognized him right off, and decided if he didn’t have faith God would protect his voice, his testimony couldn’t be that great. Later in the evening, as my girlfriend and I took him out to dinner, he really laid into me with the exact numbers game. He kept track of the hundreds he led to Jesus, and I was eliminated from his datebook! I believe Jesus said that "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me." He will draw all men to him, not we. We are called to lift Him up! To worship and praise him and speak about his miracles, his power, his sacrifice, his love. Be encouraged, numbers is an American gambling game.

11.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Trina_Pockett (0)
United States
@ Melanie:
Melanie,

Great comment. I think that is something that we struggle with in the West. When it comes to programs in the church, and evangelistic campaigns, we want to know the "fruit" of the labor. One way to measure this is through numbers. This is where the "tally" mentality comes in.

I agree with you. That cannot be the focus. We are evangelists because of what Christ has done in our lives and we are compelled to share the Gospel with others. We cannot focus on numbers to give us motivation or affirmation.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Great insight.

16.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Clement_Osikhuemhe_O (0)
Nigeria

Like John Wesley: "Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn". I also like the way Peggy put in, the faith of the disciples of Christ bubbled into real life and that attracted the crowd for answers. Perhaps the church has not bubbled enough or the enthusiasm is not sufficient to create curiousity in the minds of our onlookers.
The church must incline herself properly now to possess the passion for fire.

15.10.2010

: Reply Flag 1 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Prayman (2)
United States

The content of this article was excellent. However, maybe even the title expresses something of a Western slant. We are always looking for something "fresh" and "new and improved." What you are really describing is something ancient that has been largely lost and needs revisiting. I agree with many of the responses that these approaches are being used by many involved in global ministry. But if we are going to produce more missionaries from current believers, we need to use these approaches in our home areas as well.

One area that seems to need more probing is the idea of proclamation evangelism. Brother Wong alluded to this by describing evangelism as a "program". My concern with modern versions of proclamation evangelism is that they seem to be so staged. I don’t see Jesus or the early disciples doing much staging of events. The event (crowd) followed a "happening" (a healing or deliverance) that simply occurred as they were passing through the market, going to the temple, meeting in a home, etc. In other words their faith just bubbled over into real life, and that is what attracted the crowd, who are now curious for an explanation. What I have observed of modern proclamation evangelism is very much a "you come to us and see what we have" versus "we come to you where you get a chance to examine the product up close".

Another problem I see with modern proclamation evangelism is the frighteningly meager long-term results it seems to produce. I heard one time that Billy Graham himself said that less than 10% of all the people that come forward at one of his crusades are still walking with the Lord a year later. When you hear the statistics of a Reinhard Bohnke campaign in Nigeria, you do not see a million person bump in church membership. Modern methods of proclamation evangelism appear to be aimed at producing converts. The command was to make disciples. Jesus did not commit the future of the church to converts, but to disciples.

30.09.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down AndrewTWR (1)
South Africa
@ Prayman:
I agree that the title has a slant however The Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization is another title that needs examining. It’s easy to see how a movement that was organized in part by Billy Graham would adopt such a name. However, that title alone shows that, as far as we have come, we still have a long way to go in restoring a proper understanding of what is needed as the Bride of Christ in fulfilling our husband’s final instructions at the end of Matthew. "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them... Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”

Discipleship is the Great Commission. The habit of putting so much emphasis and importance on evangelization means we give less of both to discipleship. Why? Evangelization is part of discipleship, not the other way around. Yes, evangelization is a necessary part that will happen at some point along the way of making disciples but discipleship is a process, evangelization is an indispensable but smaller event along the way. We mostly glorify an event (where the Holy Spirit does the real work anyway) and shove the process He has called us to into a corner.

Focusing on the "event" of evangelism is easier but it’s only one of the five ministries that Christ continues to give to his Bride. Following Christ’s actual call to the lengthy process of discipleship is harder and more time consuming. Evangelism is easily broken down into a numbers game (i.e. "how many ’decisions for Christ’ did we see on campus this month?") where as discipleship doesn’t offer ego-stroking quick results. Millions of people make a commitment to follow Christ every month but few of the people bringing them to that point are willing to stick around for more than a few minutes or hours of "follow up." Unless the Holy Spirit divinely arranges for these baby Christians to find ongoing guidance and mutual accountability, many are soon tossed by every wave of man-made doctrine that comes their way. Where are armies of committed disciplers? Yes, "some plant, some water, some reap a harvest" but all are part of the process of discipleship. For centuries the Church has been more interested in counting trophies than lasting and reproducible discipleship.

The key to understanding the rapid and shallow evangelism in the Global South may be the same problems as further north. We’re trying to have a "holistic understanding of evangelism for 21 Century" but it’s difficult if not impossible to solve a problem that isn’t properly defined. When will the more of us seek a holistic understanding of discipleship?

03.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Cody_Lorance (12)
United States
@ AndrewTWR:
But if we assume "evangelism" to be to work of "the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world" and define those terms according to what is being offered by the Lausanne Theology Working Group this year, then actually discipleship becomes a part of evangelism -- as much as our becoming like Christ is a part of the good news that God has for the world, that we can be changed.

From that perspective, focusing on the word "evangel" is actually a good and appropriate thing for the Church to do. I much prefer to continue that focus and pursue collectively the hard work of filling out the term with its fuller Biblical meaning rather rather than to simply allow a large number in the Church have in their minds the false dicotomy of evangelism and discipleship.

04.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down AndrewTWR (1)
South Africa
@ Cody_Lorance:
Valid points (if we assume that the whole church will suddenly begin defining all terms by Lausanne documents) but rather than expanding the understanding of the word "evangel" I still prefer to promote "discipleship". Discipleship includes declaration while modeling a lifestyle which is what Jesus specifically asked us to do (after molding it for three years.)

Doesn’t the dichotomy go away if we simple focus on the right thing?

06.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Cody_Lorance (12)
United States
@ AndrewTWR:
I don’t disagree with you. The push of our local ministry is always about "making disciples." However, I’d say why not seize the moment of Cape Town to lead the Church in embracing a fuller, more Biblical definition of both terms -- that making disciples includes announcing the message of salvation, that the good news includes the good news that we can be conformed to the pattern of Christ’s life.

I’ve written about this elsewhere, but being a Lausanne rookie, I’m pretty wide-eyed and naive about things. I come at this expecting to accomplish something. Believing that if unintentional fads and trends in the Church can drag words like mission, contextualize, and others down a hole of misunderstanding and insufficient definition; why isn’t is possible -- why shouldn’t we have the expectation that God will do something truly signficant through CT2010? Why not pray and trust God and work towards this? That God would so convince, unify, and mobilize us that we see in the months and years to come that deficient definitions of evangelism and discipleship (along with the false dichotomy between them) will be rendered obsolete.

A guy can dream, right? Blessings to you!

06.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down AndrewTWR (1)
South Africa
@ Cody_Lorance:
May CT2010 be a huge wake up call for Chrit’s Bride to major on the majors with better understanding. I pray that God blesses the hell out of you!

06.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Geordon_Rendle (0)
Argentina
@ Prayman:
Just three quick comments. I concur with your observation about "new" and "fresh". I really appreciated your reference Peggy to the fact that something done right is not necessarily something new. I refer to this as Classic Evangelism done right! All too often we´ve gone about doing the right things in the wrong way and we end up throwing out the entire methodology, e.g. proclamational evangelism.

Second, the strongest motivator I have ever found for effective and fervent evangelism, the sharing of the Good News, is gratitude. Once we truly understand Grace, we cannot help but be emboldened and humbled. Bold humility is endearing, winsome and compelling. Our courage and conviction in our witness is directly proportional to our gratitude to the One who died for us.

Third, we in Youth for Christ International have used a strategy for Teen-to-Teen evangelism that we have called Three Story Evangelism. Essentially, Becky, it is an adaptation of your now 30 year-old premise of listening to your friend´s story, telling your story and being able to articulate God´s story. I´ve coined the word THEOStimony as a way to describe how to tell your own God Story.

I´m really looking forward to this opportunity to engage in some scintillating dialogue about mobilizing the army of Christian teenagers who are all too often on training missions without ever having served on a mission of grace, mercy and justice. Those 3 characteristics are the Gospel. What a privilege to serve in this way.

14.10.2010