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Forthright Magazine
www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross

COLUMN: X-Files

Personal Evangelism 101
by Mitchell Skelton

There are perhaps as many different methods and
manuals for personal evangelism as there are chain
e-mails on the internet. The importance of
spreading the gospel and our, sometimes,
inadequate attempts at doing so is perhaps the
reason there are so many methods and manuals in
circulation. And since one more couldn't hurt. . .

Personal evangelism can be one of the most
rewarding ministries in which you will ever be
involved. Yes, there will be rejection and
sometimes disappointment but with the proper
attitude and preparation, you can overcome these
minor "bumps" in the road. The following lists are
just a few things I have learned from others and
from experience in the field. Use them, adapt them
and add to them as you enter into the harvest
fields.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt.
28:19,20a)

VITAL TOOLS

As you embark on your journey to spread the gospel
to a lost and dying world, there are some tools
you need to take along with you. 1. Prayer

2. A bible. (Make sure you and the person you are
studying with use the same translation.)

3. A positive attitude.

4. A Partner. (Jesus sent his disciples out in
two's and it is a good idea for us today.)

SOME DON’TS OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM

1. Don't overanalyze or psychoanalyze people or
their motives.

2. Don't argue with people about religion.

3. Don't denounce or ridicule another person's
church or religion (Matt. 10:16; 1 Peter 3:15)
(Your goal is to keep the door open not slam it
shut.)

4. Don't begin with criticism.

5. Don't act superior.

6. Don't be a "know it all."

7. Don't be afraid to admit that you don't know.

8. Don't feel the need to answer everything the
other person says. (Stay on task, teach the gospel
and avoid "chasing rabbits.")

9. Don't do all the talking (James 1:19)

10. Don't use too many passages of scripture. (You
can overwhelm a person. Take your time; it took
Jesus over three years.)

11. Don't get angry!

12. Don't talk negative about other members, the
preacher, the elders or petty difficulties in the
church.

SOME DO'S OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM

1. Do pray for your studies and for the person
with whom you are studying.

2. Do put yourself in the other person's place.
(Understand that they may often be nervous or
confused.)

3. Do prepare yourself for study (2 Tim. 2:15)

4. Do speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15)

5. Do listen to the other person and write down
questions they have.

6. Do spend the majority of your time in the
scripture. (While you do not want to overwhelm
them with scripture you don't want to leave the
impression that what you are teaching is only your
opinion.)

7. Do remain positive (but don't be
"false—positive.")

8. Do build up the church.

9. Do set an appointment for another visit.

10. Do pray before you leave.

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COLUMN: Hands-on Faith

Getting A Grip on Tolerance, Acceptance and
Inclusion
by Barry Newton

This was not the first time the question had
plagued his mind. Since Christians are supposed to
be loving, is not a gracious broad-mindedness
which accepts, tolerates and validates other's
perspectives the loving approach? Sometimes it is
easy to discern what we should choose at the
crossroads. At other times, the choice might seem
murky or worse yet, perhaps even the wrong path
might look like the right way to go.

If we wish to hear God's message and not merely an
empty echo of our own thoughts, we must resist the
temptation to handle Scripture selectively. This
is true, regardless of our feelings about
tolerance, acceptance and inclusion. What is
needed is an understanding of God's message which
seamlessly incorporates each part into its proper
place within the whole. Let's take a look at some
of the pieces.

Clearly a case can be made that tolerance,
acceptance and inclusion are good and godly
values. Jesus taught that people should not judge
others lest they be judged./1 Those who desire to
serve Christ are to accept one another just as
Christ has accepted them./2 Furthermore, God's
people are to keep matters of personal conviction
private between themselves and God./3 Add to all
of this that through Christ, God is working to
unite everything in heaven and on earth/4 and it
should be clear that tolerance, acceptance and
inclusion are godly values.

And yet at other times we find scripture just as
forcefully upholding intolerance, rejection and
exclusion. God's people are instructed to judge
those within the church in order to exclude
certain ones./5 Christ does not accept everybody;
even some who call him Lord will be rejected./6
There are false doctrinal perspectives which
should be reproved and rejected./7 And finally,
God does reject and pour out His wrath upon some
people./8

Are we to understand these seemingly contradictory
principles belong to a consistent message from
God? Yes. And the keys to understanding the
harmonious intent of the Scriptures are quite
simple. 1) Give each good value its proper
priority. That is, avoid transforming what was
intended to be a secondary value into becoming the
dominant organizing principle and standard for
behavior. 2) Use Biblical words with biblical
definitions; do not infuse new definitions into
them.

What are the highest values which should drive our
life? First, love God and then love others as we
love ourselves./9 Loving God and all that this
means is the standard for determining what is
right and wrong.

What happens when someone replaces the priority of
loving God with another godly value? Take for
example, peace. Peace is a a fruit of the Spirit
and is obviously a godly principle. Yet, it would
be wrong to elevate peace to the role of
determining what is right and wrong, for this
would dictate that we were to make peace even with
what is evil. Similarly, whether we are to be
tolerant or intolerant is determined by the higher
principle of what it means to love God and obey
Him.

Neither inclusion, acceptance and tolerance nor
exclusion, rejection and intolerance were intended
to be the measuring stick for determining what is
good or bad in every situation. God would have us
welcome all sinners to respond to Christ, and yet
we are to be intolerant of rebellious unrepentant
sinfulness within the church. In fact, whenever
any godly principle is divorced from being
controlled by the higher principle of what it
means to love God so that the subordinate
principle becomes an end unto itself, it will
become twisted into something horribly evil.

There is a difference between how political
correctness and God will paint the perfect picture
of love. The former would have us accept, tolerate
and include all diversity, even immorality and
what God has revealed to be lies. On the other
hand, God teaches us that it is in everybody's
best interest for us to pursue what is truly good
and to reject what is evil. At times, to love God
and seek the well-being of our neighbor can
prescribe being intolerant of what is hurtful to
our neighbors and to those around them.

1/Matthew 7:1
2/Romans 15:7
3/Romans 14:22
4/Ephesians 1:10
5/1 Cor. 5:12-13
6/Matthew 7:21-22
7/Galatians 1:6-9
8/Romans 1:18
9/Matthew 22:36-39

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