Evangelism

This is Walk the Way. I’m Jeff Klein. The account in Mark about Jesus calling His first disciples is an interesting one. Some of the men were actually still fishing when Jesus came along the shore and called out, come follow me. But amazingly, they dropped their nets. The ancient language implies this action was a surrendering of all claim to their vocation. They fully followed. But what I find interesting is what Jesus says will be the result of that following. I will make you fishers of men and women. Following Jesus yields something very unexpected. You won’t necessarily...Read more …

During his 21 years as a church planter and pastor, Larry Peabody’s uneasiness increased as he witnessed the gap between what most of us know as “church” and how the New Testament depicts and describes its actual beginning. Peabody’s concern came into even sharper focus as he started to realize that another gap exists between the practices of most churches on Sundays and the need to equip believers for their daily work of loving others.  All of this prompted Peabody to begin research for his new book, Curing Sunday Spectatoritis, in which he investigates the implications of what was, at the time, Jesus’...Read more …

In a recent Christianity Today article, pastor and author Joshua Ryan Butler spoke with Mark Teasdale about his book Evangelism for Non-Evangelists: Sharing the Gospel Authentically (IVP Academic). Teasdale, a professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (a Methodist school on the campus of Northwestern University), teaches a required evangelism course to students who are often wary, if not opposed outright, to the very idea that evangelism is valuable. They are not alone. But of particular interest is Teasdale’s response to CT’s last question, a question about the idea of practicing evangelism: How do we practice evangelism so that our appeals will be beautiful,...Read more …

Influence. It’s something everyone wants, right? But how does someone become a person of influence? According to Reggie Joiner, influence comes when you decide to become “a consistent presence in someone else’s life so you can earn their trust.” He’d contend that it all boils down to showing up. If you’d ask him how he developed his view on this subject, he’d tell you he learned it from Geneva Bray. Influence Begins with Empathy Geneva Bray was born in 1893. She grew up in rural Georgia and lived most of her life without indoor plumbing.  She never drove, and her...Read more …

When Ann Voskamp shared her conversation with her husband about her indecision about how to respond to the enormous humanitarian crisis in Haiti, I leaned in and listened closely. With her question—“How do you know how to best invest your life? How do you know what’s wisest, and where’s wisest, and who’s neediest, and is any of this even the point?”—she took the words I’ve been wrestling with for weeks now right out of my mouth. There they were, on the proverbial table, for deliberation. I was so relieved to know someone else was struggling too. Like Ann, I feel...Read more …

This is Walk the Way, brought to you by Q Place, I’m Jeff Klein. My oldest son, Benjamin, has a fiercely independent spirit. Because of that, he often learns his lessons in life the hard way. Then it seems, and only then, Ben’s behavior changes. He is wired to learn by experience. How are you wired? When it comes to matters of faith, the Hebrews believed in experiencing faith. For them, action, practice and “walking the talk” was actually what changed a person. Experience was the thing that rooted and deepened belief. Then the heart would follow. So, if this...Read more …

As you are in relationships or intentionally developing new ones with people who are different than you—people who may not yet know Christ—honestly ask yourself the following questions: Do you want the best for them? Are you convinced that knowing Jesus will give them not only assurance for eternity, but also the most fulfilling life here and now? Do you care deeply for them? Do you want to spend eternity with them? International evangelist Luis Palau‘s research shows that 75 percent of all those who come to Christ do so through a relationship with a Christian friend, relative or co-worker. The...Read more …

“…we were getting a little desperate to experience the mess of the gospel, the parts that come with rowdy redemption and wide-eyed trust, and even parts that promise pain and land good folks in the same trenches where Jesus chose to spend his time. We wanted to feel something beyond ourselves. We wanted to be free.” – Falling Free, Shannan Martin, Harper Collins, ©2016, p.8 This quote from Shannan Martin’s newly released book, Falling Free, describes the initial moments when she and her husband, Cory, realized they had constructed a life for themselves that was comfortable, yet far from those he...Read more …

“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'” ~Luke 7:34 ____________________ I don’t know what your favorite Scripture is, but this one is mine! You see, I’ve always been amazed at how counter-cultural Jesus was. That is, he almost always does the exact opposite of what religious people think he should do. Back then and also today. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we have a lot of religion and a lot of Christians hanging around everywhere. Some people still...Read more …