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	<title>Reflections in ministry &#187; Evangelism</title>
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		<title>The Gospel</title>
		<link>http://daryljwhite.us/2007/06/21/the-gospel/</link>
		<comments>http://daryljwhite.us/2007/06/21/the-gospel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jun 2007 20:50:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daryl</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Church & Theology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evangelism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Testament]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Old Testament]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scripture]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The Gospel&#8217;s climax (at least as far as we know) may occur in the events recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but it does not begin or end there. This is a survey of Scriptures to broaden our understanding of Gospel, to look at a bigger picture than we may be accustomed to looking [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Gospel&#8217;s climax (at least as far as we know) may occur in the events recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but it does not begin or end there. This is a survey of Scriptures to broaden our understanding of Gospel, to look at a bigger picture than we may be accustomed to looking at. It all begins at the beginning:</p>
<p><span id="more-95"></span><br />
<strong>Genesis 1:1</strong></p>
<p>“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”</p>
<p><strong>Genesis 1:26-27</strong></p>
<p>Then God said, &#8220;Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.&#8221; So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.</p>
<p><strong>Genesis 1:31</strong></p>
<p>God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.</p>
<p><strong>Genesis 3:6</strong></p>
<p>When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.</p>
<p><strong>Genesis 3:17-19</strong></p>
<p>To Adam [God] said, &#8220;Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, &#8216;You must not eat of it,&#8217; &#8220;Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Genesis 6:5-6</strong></p>
<p>The LORD saw how great man&#8217;s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.</p>
<p><strong>Genesis 12:1-3</strong></p>
<p>The LORD had said to Abram, &#8220;Leave your country, your people and your father&#8217;s household and go to the land I will show you. &#8220;I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Deuteronomy 29:10-13</strong></p>
<p>All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God&#8211; your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, together with your children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water. You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.</p>
<p><strong>Judges 2:11-13</strong></p>
<p>Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.</p>
<p><strong>2 Chronicles 36:1-19</strong></p>
<p>Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.</p>
<p>He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God&#8217;s name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.</p>
<p>But they mocked God&#8217;s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD&#8217;s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God&#8217;s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.</p>
<p><strong>Jeremiah 31:27-33</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;The days are coming,&#8221; declares the LORD, &#8220;when I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of men and of animals. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,&#8221; declares the LORD. &#8220;In those days people will no longer say, &#8216;The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children&#8217;s teeth are set on edge.&#8217; Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes&#8211; his own teeth will be set on edge. &#8220;The time is coming,&#8221; declares the LORD, &#8220;when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,&#8221; declares the LORD. &#8220;This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,&#8221; declares the LORD. &#8220;I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.</p>
<p><strong>Luke 2:1-7</strong></p>
<p>In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.</p>
<p><strong>Isaiah 53:3-6</strong></p>
<p>He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.</p>
<p><strong>Matthew 28:1-6</strong></p>
<p>After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, &#8220;Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.</p>
<p><strong>Matthew 28:18-20</strong></p>
<p>Then Jesus came to them and said, &#8220;All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Revelation 7:9-17</strong></p>
<p>After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: &#8220;Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.&#8221; All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: &#8220;Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!&#8221; Then one of the elders asked me, &#8220;These in white robes&#8211; who are they, and where did they come from?&#8221; I answered, &#8220;Sir, you know.&#8221; And he said, &#8220;These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, &#8220;they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Isaiah 6:1-12</strong></p>
<p>In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: &#8220;Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.&#8221; At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. &#8220;Woe to me!&#8221; I cried. &#8220;I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.&#8221; Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, &#8220;See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.&#8221; Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, &#8220;Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?&#8221; And I said, &#8220;Here am I. Send me!&#8221; He said, &#8220;Go and tell this people: &#8220;&#8216;Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.&#8217; Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.&#8221; Then I said, &#8220;For how long, O Lord?&#8221; And he answered: &#8220;Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Evangelism</title>
		<link>http://daryljwhite.us/2007/03/30/evangelism/</link>
		<comments>http://daryljwhite.us/2007/03/30/evangelism/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:31:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daryl</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Evangelism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Membership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ministries]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://daryljwhite.us/2007/03/30/evangelism/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a lengthy and productive conversation with a church member yesterday on the topic of evangelism. Our church constitution states that we are supposed to have a commission that oversees the evangelistic work of the church. So we are working to get the commission up and going. As part of that, we had to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had a lengthy and productive conversation with a church member yesterday on the topic of evangelism. Our church constitution states that we are supposed to have a commission that oversees the evangelistic work of the church. So we are working to get the commission up and going. As part of that, we had to work through what we actually expected the commission to do, what the responsibilities and goals would be.  Here&#8217;s what I took away from our meeting &#8211; as we are working out how to do and be church in our setting, I emphasize that this is where I understand myself to be now. Further conversations and/or personal reflection may nuance or utterly change these ideas. And, as in the disclaimer, these are my own ideas, not the church&#8217;s.</p>
<p>Evangelism is:</p>
<ul>
<li>Internal and external.<br />
Evangelism is the telling of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world. It is not just the unsaved that need to hear it, rather all of us do &#8211; including current active members and attenders as well as those who have attached themselves to the church in some way but, for whatever reason, have become disconnected. So the work of evangelism is not just reaching the lost, but restoring the wayward and encouraging the faithful.</li>
<li>Words and Actions<br />
In our tradition, evangelism is often equated with the actual presentation of the Gospel message using a tract such as the Roman Road or <em>The Four Spiritual Laws</em> or one of the other myriad options. However, I think missional-minded churches have a great corrective with their focus on living out Christian life in the community &#8211; and not just the community of church members. Evangelism certainly is walking someone through the Roman Road. But it is also mowing a elderly couple&#8217;s lawn or getting together a pick-up game of basketball with people from inside and outside the church. It is sending cards and building houses. It is worship on Sunday mornings and chit-chat at the water cooler on Mondays. I think we need to expand our view and understanding of what evangelism is &#8211; and of what counts as evangelism. There is a place for weekly door-to-door visitation programs. But there is a place &#8211; and a great need &#8211; for much more than that.</li>
<li>Intentional<br />
Evangelism does not happen accidentally. We don&#8217;t fall into it. We don&#8217;t achieve or accomplish the Great Commission by stumbling into it. We aim for it. We strive for it. We put our effort behind it. Then, by the grace of God and with His Spirit working with us, in us, and through us, evangelism happens.</li>
<li>Personal<br />
Like words and actions, evangelism is supporting those who do active evangelism, such as the missionaries the church supports, but it is more than that. We the Bible speaks of some having the gift of being evangelists in Ephesians 4, Jesus gave the call to &#8220;Go and tell&#8221; to every one of us who seeks to follow him, be called by his name, and stand before our righteous and holy God with the veil of his redemption around us. We must each of us do evangelism in the specific ways that God has gifted us. Romans 12 is appropriate &#8211; however we are gifted, fulfill the Great Commission that way. Carpenter? Work with Habitat for Humanity or find out about some needs in the community to do repairs for those who cannot do it themselves. Storyteller? Share your faith verbally. Financial whiz? Fund others and show them how to manage their talents and gifts to the glory of God. But whatever you do and whatever you enjoy doing, do it in such a way as to intentionally, personally work for evangelism.</li>
</ul>
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