THE CHURCH - FAITH SHARING 2
Reading: Mark 1 v 14 - 15, Romans 15 v 18 - 19,Ephesians 2 v
4 - 8, Col. 1 v 19 - 20
The question that we need to ask perhaps is, WHAT DOES IT
MEAN TO SHARE CHRISTIAN FAITH? This prompts us to view Evangelism from
different angles of vision. Methodology is one view be cause no one method is
the methodology, but each method by God's grace can become a method for sharing
faith. Let us look at the development of the term GOSPEL in response to the
question, what does it mean to evangelise:
EUANGELION
GOOD MESSAGE
GOOD STORY
GOOD NEWS
GOOD TALE
GOD'S TALE
GOSPEL
Evangelization is the on-going process of communication that
involves the gospel. To evangelise is not what we do with people but what we do
with the gospel.
Therefore, evangelizing needs us to be committed to the
spreading of the good news, that is the gospel of the Kingdom by WORD, DEED and
SIGN, through the power of the Holy Spirit, focusing on:
a. The rhythm of the word and deed.
b. That which gives significance of Jesus Christ or the gospel
and this is the sign
c. The power of the Holy Spirit
We then need to wait and watch in respecting humility and
work in expectant humility. Faith-Sharing is not persuading others to adopt a
point of view, but pointing others to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. We are not
called to introduce people to a set of LAWS, but to a PERSON and His Kingdom.
Jesus does not call people to a religion, but to fellowship
and His kingdom. Our best witness is indeed under-girded by our deepest
passion.
Faith-Sharing has principles and patterns to guide us in our
mandate, and these principles are not laws that are chiselled into stone. Rather,
these are guiding ideas that give integrity and success to our faith-sharing
efforts. These principles however will need:
1. To adjust to your own cultural realities.
2. The witnessing person to be clear regarding his or her
purpose
3. To be grounded in prayer. When we talk to God about a
person, we are soon talking with a person about God.
4. To listen so as to open the door to speaking
5. To take both the person and the person's situation
seriously taking seriously the particular culture and patterns of the people.
We do not need to practice photocopying evangelism.
6. To do the mission of Christ, the witness must have the
mind of Christ.
7. To make invitational statements which have a seed of a
question within it and listen for a response.
8. For us to know that Faith-Sharing is always in the I or
ME person because each person's witness is unique, each person is responsible
to share faith, and that we do not tell people what they must do, we dare say
what we believe and whom we believe.
There is need to bear in mind that, all this Faith-Sharing
pattern is graceful, a means of grace. Grace means that:
1. G-od's grace in Jesus Christ for all creation redemption,
hope and eternity'.
2. R-ecognizing and repenting of sin, receiving salvation in
Christ, responding in trust by reconciling and being right with God through the
atoning blood of Jesus.
3. A-ccepting God's forgiveness by acknowledging Jesus as
Lord and Saviour, with the assurance through the witness of the Holy Spirit, in
the awareness of the continuing grace of God.
4. C-onfessing faith in Jesus Christ, committing in trust to
Christ, commencing the way of Christ and continuing the walk with Christ.
5. E-ntering into the reign of God, entering into fellowship
of the church, entering the way of the grace filled life and entering into the
Mission of God. Yes you' need to share your faith today.
Prayerful thought: The Lord my Shepherd, I thank you that I
am a graceful and I shall be responsible to share faith with others and to
teach the lost sheep on Faith-Sharing in the church.
Day 8
THE CHURCH - REACHING NEW PERSONS MISSIONALLY
Readings: Mark 1 v 14 - 15, Romans 15 v 18 = 19, Acts 1 v 8
Reaching new people today is Christ's mandate to His Church
the Body of Christ of which he is the Head. More than 77% of people come
because of the Deeds, the testimony or encouragement of someone they trust.
Yet, many members of the mainline churches never approach a person to share
their story of faith or invite their neighbour to church, hence many church
buildings are seen by the un-churched as private buildings.
Today, building new relationships with new persons is an
urgency, and these new relationship must be of trust and must be a priority of
every Christian. Just look at you and your congregation is seeking to reach new
people for Jesus? What are some ways you are personally seeking to reach new
people for Jesus?
Jesus Himself is a good example because He was constantly
MISSIONAL in reaching New Persons. He was constantly building relationships
with new persons, hence:
a) Jesus did not wait for people to come to Him.
b) Jesus visited homes of outcasts and sinners.
c) Jesus met people on the way.
d) Jesus participated in community events.
e) Jesus mixed with all kinds of people.
f) Jesus was not afraid to be rejected.
g) Jesus served most often outside of the building.
h) Jesus had a sincere passion for people.
When we look at Jesus, He did not have divided ministration
because His MISSIONAL ministry, was a WHOLlSTIC ministry of WORD -DEED - SIGN.
Something the WORD is accented but the deed and sign are
present. Sometimes the DEED is accented but the word and sign are present and
sometimes the SIGN is accented but the deed and the word are present. Jesus
sent His disciples to a wholistic missional ministry repeatedly to carry out a
mission of reaching new persons through the Word, Deed and Sign. The following
passages reveal the aspect of a wholistic ministry such as:
i) Mark 3 v 14 - 15 - Preach/Deed/Sign
ii) Matthew 10 v 5 - 8 - Deed/Preach/Sign
iii) Luke 9 v 1 - 2 - Sign/Deed/Preach
Paul the Apostle saw himself as carrying out wholistic
missional ministry of reaching new persons through Word/Deed and Sign - Romans
15 v 18 - 20b.
The sermon on the Mount is one good example of Jesus being
missional through WORD. Jesus was missional through DEED, thus serving in the
feeding of the 4 000 and he was healing the paralytic. In this vein therefore
today the church must train persons to communicate the gospel wholistically
through Word, Deed and Sign by:
a) Beginning to grounding with training classes on the
Biblical and theological foundations for missional ministry.
b) Train members to communicate the gospel and plan for
wholistic church ministries to reach new persons through Word, Deed and Sign.
Yes, a wholistic missional ministry for Christ should
include the following four ingredients:
i) Sound theological and biblical grounding
ii) Well organized faith-sharing ministry – WORD
iii) Strong faith-serving ministry - DEED
iv) Dynamic faith-signing ministry - SIGN
Let the missional ministry be part of the missional
congregation in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe.
Prayerful thought: Jehovah El-Shaddai I thank you that you
shall make this church a missional church which is full of missionaries who be
on a mission to reach to the lost souls in the world.