“Be A Friend” Seminar
Presented by
Pastor Jim Rasmussen,
AFLC Director of Evangelism
Pastor Jim Rasmussen brought Zion's “Be A Friend” workshop to Silverhill on Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17, 2004. The evangelism theme for the church comes right out of Ephesians 4:11-13. “And He [Jesus Christ] Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” The AFLC Commission on Evangelism re-focused its evangelism emphasis from “event evangelism” to congregational enablement, where individual members become involved in the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.' ”
But, the world is not ready for Jesus. It has no awareness of the universal problem that all people have, ignorance when it comes to sin. It does not realize that sin is the cause of our separation from God and for our physical death. The only way back to God is through a right relationship with Him as revealed through Jesus Christ. The sad fact is that rejection of Christ is rejection of God. Mankind's only hope is Jesus Christ who suffered death as our substitute. God's forgiveness of sins is affirmed through our recognition of Jesus substitutional sacrifice for us--sometimes we call this a personal recognition or confession. But, when that happens, then we have a new relationship with God. It comes through the work of the Holy Spirit who comes to reside within us when we turn to Jesus. God's grace in turn comes as a gift to each believer. Assurance of salvation and eternal life is in Jesus Christ alone.
To enable the church to share this basic message of God's intervention in history for our salvation, we in the church really need to re-examine why we are placed where we are. In the case of Zion Lutheran Church of Silverhill, it is apparent that we are in Silverhill to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we desire all to be saved through Him. The Bible tells us that everybody in the church is called to the responsibility to spread Jesus' Gospel.
Sin--our universal condition. Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8; Isaiah 57:15.
So, how do we reach the unchurched? How do people get saved in this lost world? Ninety percent of people in the United States have no idea. Their default answer is “by doing good works.” It follows naturally that we as a church need to mobilize believers in the church to help bridge the gap between the lost and the church, to proclaim to and nurture people who are lost to the faith. The overall strategy is one of identifying who those lost are, praying for them, building relationships with them, inviting them to faith events, and welcoming them and nurturing them in the fellowship of believers as they come to faith.
Separation from God and death--the consequences of sin. Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:12; Isaiah 45:27.
This process is disciple-making. No one Christian has all the skills to relating to every person needing Christ. Thus we need to work together in a “team fashion” to build the body of believers. In our times, most people in our society have no absolutes or truths to rely on. Two-thirds of Americans have no stable standard and no firm ethical standard. The result is that people “do what is right in their own eyes” (Deuteronomy 12:8). No wonder people don't know God or His Word.! As a society we have privatized faith, extracted God from life, and become a Biblically illiterate culture, unable to see the truth and irritated with those that profess an understanding of God's absolutes. Team work in the church can bridge the divide between men and God by addressing standards, but it must begin by establishing relationships.
Being right with God--Jesus Christ is the only way. John 14:6, Acts 4:12; John 8.
The world is not so different from the time of Jesus' Great Commission. We need help. We need the ability to work with one another to accomplish Jesus' directives. The “you” in the Great Commission is plural. This means that we need to work together to bring the saving Word of Christ to our communities and culture. People do not come to Christ unless they are brought and taught. When people visit our congregation, we can dialog with them. Establishing a relationship with new people begins with just seeking a name, with inquiring whether they have attended before, and with asking how we can pray for them. Pastor Jim's presentation noted that our mere tone of voice and our nonverbal cues are more important for conveying our love of Christ than the actual words we might share with visitors or others whom we reach out to.
Our only hope--the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. Ruth 3:24; Isaiah 43:1; John 1:1; Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 3:18, 1 Peter 2:24
The average Christian has eight unbelievers in his or her network of influence. These eight, like 82% of all people in the US, feel that there is a deeper relationship with God somewhere and that they need that relationship. This is consistent with what we know from the Bible. The Bible clearly reveals that people are lost and spiritually blind to their condition (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). They are in bondage to Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). Often we Christians are intimidated by unbelievers and feel threatened by them, but the Bible is clear that the enemy is really Satan, not unbelievers.
God's forgiveness--the choice is Jesus. Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9; Romans 8:1.
While only seven percent of unbelievers are open to spiritual issues at any one time, we know that people tend to have more spiritual receptivity when there is a death of a spouse, there is a family member going to jail, when there is a marriage or divorce, when there are financial problems, when the nest is empty, when there is relocation, or when there are major holidays like Christmas. Friends often sense this receptivity, particularly when they are in active prayer for unbelievers.
A new life--the work of the Holy Spirit. John 1:12; John 7:37-39; Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:18.
There have been many strategies to reach the lost in our world. Friend to friend evangelism recognizes who potential lost people are in our lives and brings us to pray and intercede for them. Sharing with them and bringing them to spirit-related events is no magic evangelistic event, but people do receive an opportunity to hear the Gospel when we care enough for them to bring them. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is presented an average of seven times before a person accepts Jesus. How often we may invite an unbeliever once or twice to church and then give up! While one person in 200 comes to Christ through a “Crusade,” most, e.g., 160 out of 200, come through friends and their sharing and caring.
Eternal life--the gift of assurance by faith by grace. Romans 6:23, 1 John 1:13
We at Zion need to be friends with the unchurched. Less than 80% of Christians share their faith. Almost 25% of Christians have the gifts of articulating their faith, the ability to explain the Gospel message. For the church to minister the Gospel to the unchurched, we need to enable all Christians to share faith. Christians, by working together and sharing their unique gifts, can reach people for Christ. When the members of a church see themselves as a team and individual evangelists, it can reach the unchurched effectively for Christ (1 Corinthians 3:5-8; John 4:35-38). Zion Lutheran Church can be a team of believers that care and share their faith.
“Be A Friend” Seminar
Presented by
Pastor Jim Rasmussen,
AFLC Director of Evangelism
Schedule of Events
October 16 and 17, 2004
Zion Lutheran Church of Silverhill welcomed Pastor Jim Rasmussen to a forum on personal evangelism called “Friend to Friend” or “Life-Style” evangelism. Zion's “Be A Friend” program was open to all who seek to be able to share their faith in Jesus Christ in a non-confrontational manner.
Saturday, October 16--Life-Style Evangelism I.
Morning
- 9:00 - 9:30
- Registration and Coffee and Donuts
- 9:30 - 10:30
- 10:30 - 10:45
- 10:45 - 11:45
- Building Relationships with the Unchurched
Lunch
- 11:45 - 12:15
Afternoon
- 12:15 - 1:15
- Life-Style Evangelism Plus!
- 1:15 - 2:00
- Break-Out Sessions by Church
- 2:00 - 2:45
Sunday, October 17--Life-Style Evangelism II.
Morning
- 9:00 - 9:45
- Team-Work Works! (Sunday School Hour)
- 10:00 - 11:00
- Worship and Personal Evangelism
Lunch
- 11:15 - 12:30
Afternoon
- 12:30 - 1:15
- 1:15 - 2:00
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