But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. -John 20:31
1. Preach evangelistic sermons.
If you need some information along these lines, listen to the preaching of men like Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Adrian Rogers. Read their sermons. See how good, solid, evangelistic churches do it.
Always point to salvation in Jesus Christ.
Don’t assume people know how to be saved; assume they don’t know how to be saved. Make salvation simple and easy to understand.
2. Give an evangelistic invitation.
See how the above give or gave an invitation.
See the books:
Giving a Good Invitation by Dr. Roy Fish of SWBTS.
The Public Invitation by Samuel Fisk, biblicalevangelist.org
http://biblicalevangelist.org/store/index.php?product=37
Whosoever Will by David L. Allen & Steve W. Lemke, B&H; chapter on The Public Invitation and Calvinism.
3. Preach and teach the basics of soul-winning.
The Roman Road method of presenting the plan of salvation still works (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10, 13). Some use the one verse method of Romans 6:23. Others use John 3:16. Whatever method, teach church members how to share their faith.
Especially teach Sunday School teachers, deacons, and church leaders how to witness.
A good place to start is with the book,
Share Jesus Without Fear, by William Fay, B&H.
Some state Baptist conventions have good evangelistic training programs and materials.
4. Encourage people to memorize evangelistic Bible verses.
Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10, 13; John 1:12; 3:16; 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:9; Revelation 3:20.
5. Use tracts and other Christian literature that present the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ.
Point out that most Southern Baptist Sunday School literature (LifeWay) has a special page that presents the plan of salvation.
Occasionally include the plan of salvation in your church bulletin and other church literature. This helps the lost; it also helps the saved to know how to share their faith.
6. Make a big deal out of it when someone gets saved and when they get baptized.
After all, it is a big deal. When a little boy or girl, man or woman trusts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, there is rejoicing in Heaven. (Luke 15:7)
7. Realize that often a personal word of witness will do more than 40 evangelistic sermons.
8. Attend evangelistic churches and see how they do it.
Attend revivals and learn from evangelists. Attend evangelism conferences.
9. Have a revival, Bible Conference, Vacation Bible School, or other special event evangelistic meeting at your church.
SBC Evangelists: www.sbcevangelist.org
Texas Baptist Evangelists: www.cotbe.org
10. Teach people to invite others to church where they can hear the gospel.
Offer to give them a ride to church. Make visitors feel welcome and comfortable in church.
11. Never preach a funeral without sharing the plan of salvation.
This gives a great opportunity to share the gospel with those who will not come to your church and may be thinking of spiritual things for the first time.
12. Do not go to the extreme of too much pressure or manipulating people to get evangelistic decisions.
But don’t go to the other extreme and deemphasize the importance of a personal decision for Jesus Christ.
13. Pray specifically for the lost.
Pray that more may be saved through your church’s ministry.
14. As the pastor, make sure you practice what you preach.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it gives some basic things a pastor and church can do to reach more people for Christ.
-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 21, AD 2015.
Articles:
Unlimited Atonement, Jesus Died For All
Saved By The Sinner's Prayer
The Roman Road of Salvation
The Girl Who Saved His Ministry
Revelation 3:20 - Can We Use It In Evangelism?
More article in lower right margin.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Problem Drinking Outside The USA
Numerous times I’ve seen people claiming America is unique in how we treat alcohol. Prohibition (1920-1933) ruined everything in America, they claim. If we just taught others, including our children, moderate drinking, everything would be fine, just like it is in other countries.
They wax eloquent on the drinking utopias in Russia, France, England, Germany. Why, those countries they say, make alcohol a part of their everyday lives. They frown on drunkenness, yet learn to always drink responsibly and moderately.
As one among many recently said, You don’t see this kind of American debate against alcohol, in Europe where alcohol is just a part of the culture and its use is not attached to social stigma. Some have claimed American missionaries would be impolite to visit a Russian without drinking vodka with him.
So, Europe, Russia, and other countries don’t have the problems with alcohol that we Americans have? Well, their claims are impressive. The evidence, though, is lacking. Permit me to give the other side of the story.
French Combat Youth Binge-Drinking
“In decrying the excessive alcohol consumption of their compatriots, American and British health experts have long pointed to France with special admiration. Here, they said, was a society that masters moderate drinking. In wine-sipping France, the argument went, libation is just a small part of the broad festival of life, not the mind-altering prerequisite for a good time. The French don't wink like the English do at double-fisted drinking; they scorn people who lose control and get drunk in public. It's a neat argument. But it sounds a little Pollyannish now that France itself is grappling with widespread binge-drinking among its youth. Worse still, fully half of 17-year-olds reported having been drunk at least once during the previous month.” -Time Magazine, July 17, 2008; quoted in “Ancient Wine and the Bible.”
Vodka blamed for high death rates in Russia,
by Tulip Mazumdar Global health reporter
“The high number of early deaths in Russia is mainly due to people drinking too much alcohol, particularly vodka, research suggests.
The study, in The Lancet, says 25% of Russian men die before they are 55, and most of the deaths are down to alcohol. The comparable UK figure is 7%.
Causes of death include liver disease and alcohol poisoning. Many also die in accidents or after getting into fights.
The study is thought to be the largest of its kind in the country.
Researchers from the Russian Cancer Centre in Moscow, Oxford University in the UK and the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer, in France, tracked the drinking patterns of 151,000 adults in three Russian cities over up to 10 years.”
-bbc.com; January 31, 2014.
Every fifth German has a drinking problem
“Launching the centre's Annual Addiction Report 2011 in Berlin on Tuesday, director Raphael Gaßmann, estimated one in five people aged 18 to 64 had a drinking problem.
‘Alcohol consumption remains conspicuously too high, too risky, with too many consequences,’ he said…
Moreover, the effects of binge drinking have become noticeably worse in recent years. The number of alcohol poisoning incidents climbed by nearly 112 percent between 2000 and 2009. Most disturbingly, such incidents rose 194 percent among people aged 20 to 25...
The deaths of 73,000 people aged 35 to 65 could be traced back to ‘alcohol-related health problems’ each year, which is about one fifth of all deaths, Gaßmann said. For men, the figure was roughly one in four.”
-The Local, Germany’s News In English; April 26, 2011.
Europeans Drink More Alcohol
“People in Europe drink more alcohol than in any other part of the world, downing the equivalent of 12.5 litres of pure alcohol a year or almost three glasses of wine a day, according to report by the World Health Organization and the European Commission…
The report found that in the European Union (EU), almost 12 percent of all deaths in 2004 among people aged 15-64 were due to alcohol - equivalent to 1 in 7 deaths in men and 1 in 13 deaths in women. Just over 3 percent of deaths were due to alcohol consumed by others.”
-reuters.com, March 27, 2012.
These are not the drinking utopias that some Americans claim. Like America, they are wracked with the problems of alcohol. Drinking beverage alcohol as a way of life and a cultural heritage may not be the answer, but the problem. Don’t drink, and Europeans may even consider you wise.
-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 7, AD 2015.
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the Book; update
The Problem With Drunk Preachers
Israel, May They Prosper Who Love You
Basic Baptist Doctrines / Beliefs
Bob Jones, Sr. on Wine, Alcohol, Christian Drinking
More articles in lower right margin.
They wax eloquent on the drinking utopias in Russia, France, England, Germany. Why, those countries they say, make alcohol a part of their everyday lives. They frown on drunkenness, yet learn to always drink responsibly and moderately.
As one among many recently said, You don’t see this kind of American debate against alcohol, in Europe where alcohol is just a part of the culture and its use is not attached to social stigma. Some have claimed American missionaries would be impolite to visit a Russian without drinking vodka with him.
So, Europe, Russia, and other countries don’t have the problems with alcohol that we Americans have? Well, their claims are impressive. The evidence, though, is lacking. Permit me to give the other side of the story.
French Combat Youth Binge-Drinking
“In decrying the excessive alcohol consumption of their compatriots, American and British health experts have long pointed to France with special admiration. Here, they said, was a society that masters moderate drinking. In wine-sipping France, the argument went, libation is just a small part of the broad festival of life, not the mind-altering prerequisite for a good time. The French don't wink like the English do at double-fisted drinking; they scorn people who lose control and get drunk in public. It's a neat argument. But it sounds a little Pollyannish now that France itself is grappling with widespread binge-drinking among its youth. Worse still, fully half of 17-year-olds reported having been drunk at least once during the previous month.” -Time Magazine, July 17, 2008; quoted in “Ancient Wine and the Bible.”
Vodka blamed for high death rates in Russia,
by Tulip Mazumdar Global health reporter
“The high number of early deaths in Russia is mainly due to people drinking too much alcohol, particularly vodka, research suggests.
The study, in The Lancet, says 25% of Russian men die before they are 55, and most of the deaths are down to alcohol. The comparable UK figure is 7%.
Causes of death include liver disease and alcohol poisoning. Many also die in accidents or after getting into fights.
The study is thought to be the largest of its kind in the country.
Researchers from the Russian Cancer Centre in Moscow, Oxford University in the UK and the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer, in France, tracked the drinking patterns of 151,000 adults in three Russian cities over up to 10 years.”
-bbc.com; January 31, 2014.
Every fifth German has a drinking problem
“Launching the centre's Annual Addiction Report 2011 in Berlin on Tuesday, director Raphael Gaßmann, estimated one in five people aged 18 to 64 had a drinking problem.
‘Alcohol consumption remains conspicuously too high, too risky, with too many consequences,’ he said…
Moreover, the effects of binge drinking have become noticeably worse in recent years. The number of alcohol poisoning incidents climbed by nearly 112 percent between 2000 and 2009. Most disturbingly, such incidents rose 194 percent among people aged 20 to 25...
The deaths of 73,000 people aged 35 to 65 could be traced back to ‘alcohol-related health problems’ each year, which is about one fifth of all deaths, Gaßmann said. For men, the figure was roughly one in four.”
-The Local, Germany’s News In English; April 26, 2011.
Europeans Drink More Alcohol
“People in Europe drink more alcohol than in any other part of the world, downing the equivalent of 12.5 litres of pure alcohol a year or almost three glasses of wine a day, according to report by the World Health Organization and the European Commission…
The report found that in the European Union (EU), almost 12 percent of all deaths in 2004 among people aged 15-64 were due to alcohol - equivalent to 1 in 7 deaths in men and 1 in 13 deaths in women. Just over 3 percent of deaths were due to alcohol consumed by others.”
-reuters.com, March 27, 2012.
These are not the drinking utopias that some Americans claim. Like America, they are wracked with the problems of alcohol. Drinking beverage alcohol as a way of life and a cultural heritage may not be the answer, but the problem. Don’t drink, and Europeans may even consider you wise.
-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, July 7, AD 2015.
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the Book; update
The Problem With Drunk Preachers
Israel, May They Prosper Who Love You
Basic Baptist Doctrines / Beliefs
Bob Jones, Sr. on Wine, Alcohol, Christian Drinking
More articles in lower right margin.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
