I think I promised that the series on Summer Missions 08 was over so I guess this post will need to just go on its own as a post on pursuing God’s mission in evangelism.

The following is an outline of a chapter from Randy Newman’s book Questioning Evangelism.  The outline was posted by Steve McCoy on his blog Reformissionary and is from chapter 2- “Solomonic Soul Winning.”

1. Avoid an Argument

“Many an evangelizing Christian has won the battle but lost the war by not avoiding an ugly argument.” – p 42

17:14 – The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.

“The man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” – p 42

2. Recognize a Fool

“…some dialogues should stop, and others should never start.  Recognizing these situations before it’s too late is crucial.” – p 43

14:7 – Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

23:9 – Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.

18:2 – A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

“Until someone is more interested in truth than in airing his or her own opinions, it’s best to talk about the weather.” p 45

3. Remember that People are People

“We’re not just just rational beings to be informed and educated, spiritual beings to be evangelized and enlightened, or physical beings to be fed and satiated.  We are whole beings, called to love God with the whole heart, soul, strength, and mind.” – p 45

“Solomon understood the complex nature of people.  He realized that conveying content makes up only a small part of the communication process.” – p 48

14:30 – A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.

20:5 – The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

4. Remember the Power of the Tongue

10:31 – The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

12:18 – There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

18:21 – Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

17:27 – Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

“…somewhere between total silence and nonstop talk lies wisdom.” – p 49

A couple weeks ago the Girltalk blog did some posts on training our daughters to love the home and be workers at home (Titus 2:5).  I think this is one of those things that is difficult to remember and do purposefully.  Here are a couple quotes from the third post in the series “Home Time.”

How do we train daughters to be future homemakers?  Let’s get practical. For starters, I’d like to suggest that we train them to love the home by having them spend time in the home.  Sounds pretty obvious, right?  It may be, but in the culture we live in, this doesn’t happen without being intentional.  There are so many wonderful opportunities for young women just outside their doorstep.  Without intentional planning they can easily fill up their calendar with outside activities and have very little time left over to spend with family and develop skills in the home.

The world that is opening up to a young woman is full of exciting opportunities and adventures—many of them very good. But homemaking isn’t always exciting, and it’s almost always in secret. If a young woman hasn’t learned to labor faithfully, behind the scenes, day in and day out, marriage and motherhood is going to be a rude awakening.

If Mom said it once, she said it a thousand times: You can’t learn to love the home if you’re not in the home, and you’re not going to automatically love the home as a wife and mother if you don’t start with the home and family God has given you now.

Thanks Mom, for home time. I love it more than ever now!

Mom’s Example in the Home (the need for both example and instruction in homemaking)

A Daughter’s Heart for the Home (looking to cultivate a heart for the home not only skills in the home)

Home Time (the necessity of managing one’s schedule so that the home and homemaking is a priority)

Homemaking 101 (on involving your daughter and giving her a chance to practice)

For Better or For Worse (on enlisting the help of others in training your daughter in homemaking)

A New Heart for Homemaking (a testimony from one woman in regards to homemaking)

As we begin our new Grace Groups we have a variety of options we’re recommending for studying.  As a Grace Group you will probably be discussing which study you will start off with in the first couple of weeks here.  Below are the list of study options we’ve made available.

Grace Group Studies 2008/2009

A Quest for More by Paul David Tripp 210 pages- 9 weeks

This book is a call to abandon our small, self-absorbed kingdoms and join in living for the eternal kingdom of the true King. Tripp skillfully helps the reader to see both worldly and religious substitutes for the genuine and big purpose in life. This book is immensely helpful in understanding our own hearts, the depth of sin, how real change must happen, and the hope and joy of truly living for God. Although it is 18 chapters, it is recommended that groups cover 2 chapters a week.

Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper 123 pages- 14 weeks

Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ is a kind of devotional theology on the person of Jesus Christ. Piper unveils the depth and complexity of Jesus in a way that will shatter our simple mental frameworks. Scripture saturates this book on every page and on the whole presents a full view of Christ that will stir up love and affection for your Savior. This study would be helpful both for mature believers and friends interested in learning more about Jesus.

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever 112 pages- 9 weeks

Thought by no means a comprehensive work on evangelism this book is full of biblical and practical insights on evangelism. Dever seeks to answer the four basic questions about evangelism that many Christians ask: Who should we evangelize? How should we evangelize? What is evangelism? Why should we evangelize? In his answers Dever draws on New Testament truths and helps believers apply those truths in practical ways. The goal of this book is that as readers understand the fundamentals of evangelism, they will begin to develop a culture of evangelism in their lives and their local churches. It will both sharpen our skills and thinking on evangelism as well as stir our hearts to go and do the work of evangelism in the world around us.

The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn 120 pages- 7 weeks

This book is a call to think biblically and radically about money and possessions. In simple but piercing ways Alcorn addresses a biblical view of money and possessions, the believer’s heart and money, money in light of eternity, and the joy of giving to God’s kingdom. It is full of hard but freeing truth that will serve to bring increased joy and focus to the believer’s life.

Why Small Groups? edited by C.J. Mahaney 108 pages- 7 weeks

In Why Small Groups? a collection of authors address the purpose, the shape, and the inner workings of small groups in the church. This book is extremely helpful in pointing the reader to discover the joy of genuine fellowship and the way God desires to use believers in each other’s lives. Small Groups provide the ideal context for “working out our salvation” together. This study is a great way to build a common foundation and understanding of what small groups are all about.

Gospel Christianity Study by Tim Keller 10 weeks

With an emphasis on the gospel and its application to life, this study is appropriate both for introducing Christianity to an individual and for believers of various levels of maturity. It takes a fresh look at what the gospel is, who Jesus is, how the gospel impact our hearts, God’s design for the Christian life, etc.

Bible Study Basics 30 pages 8 weeks

This booklet is intended to be a readable but useful tool in learning how to study the Bible for oneself. It covers such issues as why the Bible should be studying, how it should be studied, what it means to apply it, and how to set up a plan for consistent Bible study. Bible Study Basics can also serve to provide a common method for studying other books of the Bible in your Grace Group throughout the course of the year.

Books of the Bible using Bible Study Basics method various lengths

As mentioned above, once the Bible Study Basics material is covered groups can use the method outlined to study any book of the Bible.

Philippians Study Guide 18 weeks

This in depth study uses a detailed study guide to work through Paul’s Christ saturated epistle to the Philippians. For each set of verses the study guide contains six days worth of work to be completed for the group gathering that week.

Psalm 119 Study Guide 8 weeks

Psalm 119 is an amazing piece of literature with a single theme- God’s word. This study will prove to be a help for the believer who is seeking to cultivate a love for Scripture in their life. Each week eight or nine questions serve to guide the reader through 24 verses of the Psalm (three of the eight verse sections).

The following quotes are from the blog Of First Importance- all three come from A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent a book that is next on my “to read” list. Makes me look forward to it! Take these and chew on them during your day. 

 

 

 

 “Preaching the gospel to myself each day mounts a powerful assault against my pride and serves to establish humility in its place. Nothing suffocates my pride more than daily reminders regarding the glory of my God, the gravity of my sins, and the crucifixion of God’s own Son in my place. Also, the gracious love of God, lavished on me because of Christ’s death, is always humbling to remember, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the Hell I deserve.”

- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians (2008), 27-28.

 

“When my mind is fixed on the gospel, I have ample stimulation to show God’s love to other people. For I am always willing to show love to others when I am freshly mindful of the love that God has shown me. Also, the gospel gives me the wherewithal to give forgiving grace to those who have wronged me, for it reminds me daily of the forgiving grace that God is showing me.

Doing good and showing love to those who have wronged me is always the opposite of what my sinful flesh wants me to do. Nonetheless, when I remind myself of my sins against God and of His forgiveness and generous grace toward me, I give the gospel an opportunity to reshape my perspective and to put me in a frame of mind wherein I actually desire to give this same grace to those who have wronged me.”

- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians (2008), 24-25.

 

“On the most basic levels, I desire fullness, and fleshly lusts seduce me by attaching themselves to this basic desire. They exploit the empty spaces in me, and they promise that fulness will be mine if I give in to their demands. When my soul sits empty and is aching for something to fill it, such deceptive promises are extremely difficult to resist.

Consequently, the key to mortifying fleshly lusts is to eliminate the emptiness within me and replace it with fullness; and I accomplish this by feasting on the gospel. Indeed, it is in the gospel that I experience a God who glorifies Himself by filling me with His fullness. . . . This is the God of the gospel, a God who is satisfied with nothing less than my experience of fullness in Him! . . .

Indeed, as I perpetually feast on Christ and all His blessings found in the gospel, I find that my hunger for sin diminishes and the lies of lust simply lose their appeal. Hence, to the degree that I am full, I am free. Eyes do not rove, nor do fleshly lusts rule, when the heart is fat with the love of Jesus!”

- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians (2008), 45-46.

As I mentioned Sunday in the announcement/prayer time there is some intense persecution going on the Indian state of Orissa. Christians are having their houses burned, being forced to hide in the forests, beaten, and even hacked into pieces all because they will not renounce Christ and return to Hinduism.  Pray for the people of India- for the strengthening of believers there and for the advance of the gospel in the hearts of the lost.

Below are several links to information and ministries covering this wave of persecutions.

Pyromaniacs Blog Post On Persecution in India

Christianity Today Blog Entry

Voice of the Martyrs Update

Gospel for Asia Update #1 and #2

By the way, thanks to Patrick Bertholf for orginally bringing this to my attention.