Evangelism is something that we know we are to do as Christians. The problem is much of what we see in terms of evangelism strategies and methodology comes from man centered theologies and decisionistic theologies. So what do we do? What is the right way to do evangelism? Thanks to Dee Reju for posting on the following series on evangelism from 9 Marks. I look forward to the upcoming articles as well.

Many Christians today think of evangelism and missions almost exclusively in individualistic categories. Evangelism tends to be understood as what an individual does when he or she leaves church and shares the gospel with outsiders. And missions tends to be understood as what an individual does when he or she leaves church, moves overseas, and meets with people who don’t know the gospel.

I have been meaning to get a new post out this week, but I have been tied up working on redoing the church website and sermon site. I hope to have it complete by next week. I am done with the ground work, but now I have to get the details done and catch up on the sermons online. Check it out:

www.edgewoodbaptistchurch.net

If you find any errors or bugs, let me know.

I was also out of the office most of last week and weekend.

Monday was our annual River Cup Golf Tournament vs. Heritage Baptist Church of Owensboro, KY. Great job to my teamates for bringing the cup home again!

Then this past weekend, I was out at Sycamore Baptist Church preaching at their annual youth retreat. Things went well. The teens listened and responded well and the Sycamore young couples and singles worked hard to put on a great time for the teens.

Hopefully, I will be posting on Christianity as a Brand soon, and I also need to post pictures on the Duck Saga, but that will come later.

To those who have been commenting, thanks. I will respond back in the next few days.

Snips from a recent article in the Anderson Herald Bulletin:

Jeremy Nivens is replacing scriptural analysis and pipe organ hymns with Disney-themed plays and alternative rock bands.

Opening Oct. 1, Lifeway Community Church will offer a contemporary and accessible alternative specifically tailored to those who may be uncomfortable with traditional practices and liturgy, Nivens said.

“Our target is reaching the over 80,000 unchurched in Madison County,” Nivens, lead pastor at Lifeway, said. “We’re contemporary in style but conservative in theology.”

A Pendleton native, Nivens said the county is in need of churches that attractively present Christianity to people who are unfamiliar with its message. So when the Greenfield church where he was associate pastor suggested “planting” another non-traditional, nondenominational church in Anderson, he jumped at the chance.

Here we go again. Two years ago we got a coffee shop church in town because someone said we needed a more attractive church for the world, now we get a Disney church to further attract the world. It is not that I am not concerned about reaching the lost, but I am more concerned about what this is doing to God, Church, and God’s deserved worship.

Several Question:

1. Will this really be a church? A very basic definition of a church is a body of believers who meet to worship and practice the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Table. The goal of this work appears to group a bunch of non-believers. Therefore, isn’t calling this a church a bit of a stretch?

2. What are they attracting the world to? I know that Christ will be presented somewhere in the service, but according to this interview they want to attract people to the body of Christ with popular music, popular movies, a theater, etc.. Isn’t this close to trying to trick people into liking Christ? I nearly take offense at one line in the article, “the county is in need of churches that attractively present Christianity to people who are unfamiliar with its message”. Would this suggest that the majority of the churches in the county, including ours, unattractively present Christianity simply because we don’s use pop music and movies? Attract the world with what they already love so that maybe they will somehow end up being attracted to and loving Christ? Let them see Christ clearly, so they can love Christ fully. I know this is a bit of an extreme statement, but why not just let them go to a “positive” rock concert or a “positive” movie and tell them they have been to church?

3. Will what is done be worship? By what is contained in the article, everything done will be focused on making man feel comfortable, happy, and entertained. Worship is what man does to make God magnified, glorified, and hallowed. This is what is meant by the statement, God is to be the object of worship.

4. Will it attract people and why? Yes, if it is done well it will attract people. Deep down man knows that he is created to worship God. If he is offered a way to fill this void by going and hearing secular music, watching secular movies, and taught positive principles mixed with some presence of Christ, while being told it is church and worship, then he will fill the void this way.

I am a few days behind right now, so I still find myself in the middle of Ecclesiastes. I was hit with the reality of this book yesterday when I walked into the bank and saw a man who walked painfully with a limp. I am sure he had some crippling muscular disease. I had just read my one year Bible and walked away saying, if this life is all that there is then God is not just, fair, righteous, or anything that would describe a good God. If our creator has simply given us these 70 years, plus or minus, then life is meaningless. People realize this at funeral homes all the time. He is not suffering any longer, they may say. Or she is at peace now. “Life is pain, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.” Even great full lives, like the Crocodile Hunter, who gave so much to Australia and all over the world, end in death and sadness. Not to mention that all he gave now is to simply be passed on to another who may not do with it what he wanted. If this life is all one lives for, ultimately one must conclude it is empty, meaningless, vanity. It is all empty, unless one lives life for eternity, placing one’s treasures where they are lasting and not destroyed. Health and life may fail here, but one must not live for here nor does God instruct one to live for the here and now. Therefore since there is a perfect eternity, for those who believe in Christ, God remains just, fair, righteous, and everything that makes up a perfect God.

One application: Doesn’t this mean that when we find ourselves angry at God for not being just, fair, and righteous we are more than likely living for the here and now and not looking to eternity?

Here is a great sermon by Dr. Russ Moore from SBTS on James 2:1-9 on “The Kingdom of God in the Wal-Mart Break Room; Poverty, Partiality, and the Perils of a Gentrified Christianity.” I would encourage any pastor to listen to it as a great devotional for the ministry, and I would encourage anyone else to listen to it to hear a good message on being relevant and humble with your faith.

I just ran across this offer from crossway at Justin Taylors blog:

Our bookshop should be getting these in mid-September and I am sure you can find them at other bookshops as well.  If any churches need to place an order please let me know.  This is a limited time offer (now through March) and is a great way to share God’s word with others.