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Devotional for the Week – 6 April 2009 Sermon Title: Witnessing Today With Conviction One may think that our problem in evangelism is one of methodology, but actually it is one of maturity. The Need For A New Evangelism Paradigm (1 Corinthians 3:6; 2 Timothy 4:3-4) Our priorities should be borne out of a greater heart for God. There are challenges of evangelism we face today. Sometimes it is difficult to proclaim forgiveness of sins to people who believe that they have no sin to forgive. Some may have difficulty in seeing Jesus as a Saviour. We need to expand our understanding. Pre-evangelism is tilling the soil of people's hearts and minds, preparing them to be willing to listen to the truth. Being Effective in Pre-Evangelism Being effective in pre-evangelism means clarifying what we commonly mean by evangelism. Pre-evangelism is a process. We need to understand the times and culture in which we live. There is a need to help non-Christians to come one step closer to Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:6). We must allow others to discover the truth for themselves by asking them probing questions. Why is this so? This is necessary because we live in a world where people dislike to be told to, but love to discover the truth for themselves (2 Timothy 4:3-4). We must allow the person to think that it was his or her idea. They learn to surface the truth for themselves. We also need to talk to the person in such a way as to increase the spiritual hunger in that person. Potential Barrier To Being A More Effective Witness Why do we not have a greater heart for reaching the lost? Have we lost the compassion for the lost? Perhaps we are not totally convinced of the truth of Christianity ourselves (John 8:32). This perhaps explains why many are questioning the biblical story of Jesus. Many of them are affected by the media. You cannot take Christ out of Christianity. If Jesus is not who He said He is, then there is no hope for us. We do not realize the degree to which we have been forgiven (Luke 7:47). We fail to remember that Christ died for our sins. Our sins have been cleansed by His blood. If we realize this, then this will set us free (1 John 4:18-19). We forget the urgency of the task (Matthew 5:30). We forget that we are the salt and the light of the world and need to draw people to Jesus. Prayer Response Dear Jesus, Thank you for Your love for me. I pray that I can show love and compassion to those around me. Christ has made me to be the salt and light to those whom I come into contact with. I desire to share the urgent message that Christ loves them and died for their sins. Amen. Devotional based on a message by Rev Dr David Geisler
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