Challenges In Witnessing in a Post-Christian World

Challenges In Witnessing in a Challenges In Witnessing in a Post-Christian World Post-Christian World

By Dr. David Geisler

Key Perspective About Evangelism

Remember that our problems in Evangelism our not one of methodology, but one of maturity!

OUR WORLD IS CHANGING…

1955 – FIRST MICROWAVE OVEN1955 – FIRST MICROWAVE OVEN

1958 – FIRST COMMERICAL JET AIRLINER 1958 – FIRST COMMERICAL JET AIRLINER

1961 – FIRST INDUSTRIAL ROBOT1961 – FIRST INDUSTRIAL ROBOT

1964 – FIRST UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES1964 – FIRST UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

1969 – FIRST AUTOMATED TELLER 1969 – FIRST AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINEMACHINE

1970 – FIRST DIGITAL MUSIC1970 – FIRST DIGITAL MUSIC

1973 – FIRST CELL PHONE1973 – FIRST CELL PHONE

1979 – FIRST SONY WALKMAN1979 – FIRST SONY WALKMAN

1984 – DNA FINGERPRINTING USED 1984 – DNA FINGERPRINTING USED

1998 – FIRST MP3 PLAYER1998 – FIRST MP3 PLAYER

Our World Has Changed And We Are In Trouble

“ How is it possible for a person to be an active member of an evangelical church for twenty or thirty years and still know next to nothing about the history and theology of the Christian religion, the methods and tools required for serious Bible study, and the skills and information necessary to preach and defend Christianity in a post-Christian, neopagan culture?”

J.P. Moreland, Love Your God With All Your Mind, p.188

Our Evangelism Task Is More Daunting!

There has been an erosion of truth!

There is an intolerance towards those who claim to know the truth!

Obstacles to Evangelism Today

The World we Live In

It is not just a Western Problem!

Signs of Trouble Have

Surfaced Even In The

East

Signs of Trouble Have Surfaced Even In The East

“ Many students don't think that there is a standard of right and wrong. Rather, they believe that this is up to the individual. This means they do hold a standard of right and wrong themselves, but they feel that each person's standard of right and wrong differs from the other.”

“Personally, I feel stuck as to how to proceed on with the conversation. It's like saying that this food is nice for me but may not be nice for you. They relegate the standard of right and wrong to personal preference.”

- Former Student, East Asia School of Theology

Signs of Trouble Have Surfaced Even In The East

“I find that I'm shaken. Not in terms of my faith but in terms of how to answer such questions.”

- Former Student, East Asia School of Theology

What Has Gone Wrong? “ When the foundations are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do.” Psalm 11:3 (N.I.V.)

A World View Shift

“ …a major cause of our current crisis consists of a world view shift from a Judeo-Christian understanding of reality to a post-Christian one.”

- J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind, p.21

Historical Development of Western World Views

1st Century 17th Century 19th Century 19th-20th Century 20th Century Late 21st Century

Pre-modern

Modern Postmodern

Changing Beliefs Concerning God

Thomas Oden first suggested that the modern age lasted 200 years < 1789- 1989 >See Thomas Oden, On Two Worlds

I. Our world has changed and has made our evangelism task more daunting.

A. Examples in the West and East

A. Understanding the Post-Modern Period * * Two Main Characteristics:

1. Pluralism2. Post-Modernism

Religious Pluralism

Is the belief that all religions are true.

(They all have a part of the truth)

B. Understanding the Post-Modern Period

** Two Main Characteristics

1. Pluralism

2. Post-Modernism

Post-Modernism

• General characteristics

1). In general it is a rejection of anything modern

2). It’s a total rejection of the idea of absolute truth in favor or cultural relativism.

3). It is a belief in the incredulity of meta-narratives.

The Father of Postmodernism

“I define postmodern as incredulity toward meta-narratives,”

Jean-François Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge, 1984, xxiv

• Implications of postmodern thought that affect receptivity to the gospel:- They feel free to create or construct

“knowledge’s” and “realities.”

As a result they are less and less sure about anything regarding Jesus.

This Explains Why Many Are Questioning The

Biblical Story of JesusThe DaVinci Code

The Lost Gospel of JudasThe Lost Tomb of Christ

The Golden Compass

• Implications of postmodern thought that affect receptivity to the gospel:

- They believe persuasion is to be prohibited.

- They believe that to be exclusivistic is to be arrogant.

• Implications of postmodern thought that affect receptivity to the gospel:

− They believe that our belief that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life is just one of the narratives among other narratives in the world that are equally as valid.

Historical Development of Western World Views

1st Century 17th Century 19th Century 19th-20th Century 20th Century Late 21st Century

Changing Beliefs - Pluralism

THEISM ATHEISM PLURALISM

Theism Deism Naturalism Nihilism Existentialism Fill in the blank

GODGOD GODGOD GODGOD

COSMOS

Post-Modernism Weak Theism

New Age: Pantheism,

MonismBottom line:

“What works for you.”

Pre-Modern

Modern Post-Modern

COSMOS COSMOS

SOCIETY

Key QuestionHow can we talk to people in a way that creates greater interest in hearing our gospel in such a challenging world?

Answer:

We need to better understand the times or culture in which we live.

Understanding the Times We Live In!

We need to be like the men of Issachar and understand the times in which we live and therefore know what we should do.

See I Chronicles 12:32

I. Our world has changed and has made our evangelism task more daunting.

II. Things To Keep In Mind In Our Witness To Others Today

A. We must be good news before we can effectively share good news, especially with those we see on a regular basis (Phil 1:14).

Key things to remember in our witness today:

Key things to remember in witnessing today

Remember that we may be the only Bible that that anyone ever reads!


B. We must give ourselves the permission to sow (1 Cor.3:6).

EVANGELISM IS A PROCESS“ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it,

but God made it grow.”1 Corinthians 3:6

We must give ourselves permission…

“We have come to believe that there are only two kinds of Christians: the harvesters and the disobedient. We must begin to teach, with great urgency, that every laborer should learn to reap and that God will call some to exercise this role exclusively--but everyone can learn to sow right now, right where they are.”

Tim Downs, Finding Common Ground, p.32.

We will give ourselves permission to sow if we see evangelism more as a lifestyle and not just as an event.

C. We must also give ourselves the permission to till the soil.


WHAT IS INVOLVED IN TILLING THE SOIL?

Tilling the soil = Pre-Evangelism

If evangelism is planting seeds of the Gospel, pre-evangelism is tilling the soil of their mind and heart, preparing them to at least be willing to listen to the Truth. (Mark 2:22, 4:8)

“… other seeds fell into the good soil and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:8)

Planting seeds…

Why Is Pre-Evangelism So Essential In Today’s World?

Why Not Just Proclaim the Truth?

“We live in a world in which people are reluctant to be told what is true. But they may be willing to see for themselves (as in a mirror) the inadequacies in what they believe by us asking them probing and thought provoking questions.”

- Dr. David Geisler

Why Pre-Evangelism is Necessary

…The more I thought about what happened, the more I realized that in today's generation, people would generally not give Christians a full uninterrupted 10 mins to share the gospel with them. It is more likely that we share the gospel through injecting it into normal conversations of everyday life.

- Former national College evangelism director, Campus Crusade for Christ, Singapore

Not all pre-believers are at the same place: - Hostile - Indifferent - Skeptical

- Ready to Trust in Christ

No One Size Fits All Approach

I. Our world has changed and has made our evangelism task more daunting

II. Things to remember in our witness to others today

III. Practical suggestions for taking the next step

Taking That Next Step

A. Determine who the Lord is

placing on your heart to reach out to!


B. Pray for open doors (Col. 4:3).


A. Determine who the Lord is placing on your heart to reach out to!


Praying at the same time for us as well that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned.

Colossians 4:3


A. Determine who the Lord is

placing on your heart to reach out to!


C. Look for Divine Appointments daily! (Acts

8:29).

C. Look for Divine Appointments Daily!

• Look for ways God is already at work in the lives of those you want to reach!

“And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’” (Acts 8:29)

Ask yourself, “What are the signs that God is already working supernaturally in someone’s heart?”

C. Look for Divine Appointments daily!

• Ask God for wisdom to know what to say in your conversations with others (James 1:5; Acts 14:1).

Taking That Next StepA. Determine who the

Lord is placing on your heart to reach out to!B. Pray for open doors

(Col. 4:3).C. Look for Divine Appointments daily!

(Acts 8:29).D. Make the most of

every conversation you have with pre-believers to help them take one step closer (Col. 4:5; 1 Cor. 9:22).

A Biblical Perspective

The Apostle Paul said, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Col. 4:5 E.S.V.


A. Determine who the Lord is placing on your heart to reach out to.

B. Pray for open doors (Col. 4:3)C. Look for Divine

Appointments daily! (Acts 8:29)D. Make the most of every conversation you have with pre-believers to help them take one step closer (Col. 4:5;

1Cor. 9:22)

1. Listen carefully in order to make every encounter count.


D. Make the most of every conversation you have with pre-believers to help them take one step closer (Col. 4:5; 1Cor. 9:22)

1. Listen carefully in order to make every encounter count.

2. Discover what might create greater spiritual openness (Jn. 4:10; Acts 17:32).

Being Fishers of Men and Women…

Determine what will hook their interest in spiritual things by uncovering what interests them to begin with!

Example: Jesus with the women at the well (Jn. 4: 10).

“Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you

living water.” Jn. 4: 10 N.I.V.

Hook Their Interest…

Former next door neighbor…How could there be more Christians in China than the U.S.?

Former nanny…How she fit Jesus into her religious beliefs.

Look for ways to create more interest in our Jesus!

You may be surprised how easy it is to “catch” someone’s interest in spiritual things if God is already at work?

You may be surprised…


A. Determine who the Lord is placing on

your heart to reach out to!B. Pray for open doors (Col. 4:3).C. Look for Divine Appointments daily!

(Acts 8:29).D. Make the most of

every conversation you have with pre-believers to help them take one step closer (Col. 4:5; 1 Cor. 9:22).



III. Some practical suggestions for taking the next step

IV. Clarifying biblical terms and concepts that affect our witness

I. Biblical FaithII. Faith and

ReasonIII. Being Ready

to Give an Answer

Clarifying Biblical Terms and Concepts

that Can Hinder Our Witness



I. Biblical Faith

A Misunderstanding about Faith

“About 1 out of 4 (26%) born again Christians believe that it doesn’t matter what faith you follow because they all

teach the same lessons.”

Born Again Christians, 2000, George Barna, Barna Web-site

Christianity is Based on a Historical Event

* Biblical faith must have an object to be valid.




Reason

Questions & Biblical Faith?

Why should I answer their questions when the issue is really just

a matter of faith?

What is the Relationship Between Faith and Reason?

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

1 CORINTHIANS 15:14

The bible makes an important distinction between “belief that”

and “belief in.”

James 2:19 says that the Demons “believe that” God does exist but do not “believe in” Him.

Apologetics Bears on the Question of “Belief That” not “Belief In.”

Apologetics can make the horse come to the water, but only the Spirit of God can help it to drink! (John 6:65)

You can’t use apologetics to argue someone into the kingdom.

You shouldn’t give up using apologetics in your witness to others (Acts 14:1)




ReasonIII. Being

Ready to Give an Answer

What Does It Mean to be Ready?

1 Peter 3:15 says,

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared (ready) to give an answer to everyone who ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

What Does It Mean to be Ready?

The Greek word for ready (Hetoimos) is used in Matt 24:44 and Luke 12:40 to communicate the idea that as Christians we need to anticipate Christ's return.

Now, if we combine 1 Pet 3:15 with 2Cor. 10:5 and 1Cor. 9:22, it is clear that our responsibility as Christians is also to eagerly anticipate the questions and objections that our non-Christian friends may raise against Christianity, whether they ask us a specific question or not!



III. The bottom line about pre-evangelism

IV. Clarifying biblical terms and concepts that affect our witness

Challenges In Witnessing in a Challenges In Witnessing in a Post-Christian World Post-Christian World

By Dr. David Geisler

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Challenges In Witnessing in a Post-Christian World