EVANGELISM INTO THE 21 CENTURY - Free Bible …

1 EVANGELISMINTO THE 21 STCENTURYSTUDY GUIDEEVANGELISM into THE21 STCENTURY STUDY GUIDEPAGE2OF8 INTRODUCTIONThe new CENTURY presents some great and exciting challenges to theChristian rampage of secular humanism, the relentless march of otherreligions, especially Islam, the holocaust of the Aids virus and thenuclear threats in the Middle and Far East, place new demands on thebody of we be relegated to the scrap heap of antiquity an irrelevancy or willwe rise to the occasion with renewed fortitude, revived approaches andunderstanding of the crucial role we are called to play in an hour whennew doors are opening, new facilities in technology are available andemerging evangelists are desperate to be equipped to be on the chapter is designed to look at where we have come from and to facethe new day before J PeasleyEVANGELISM into THE21 STCENTURY STUDY GUIDEPAGE3OF8 EVANGELISM into THE 21 STCENTURY O U T L I N BACKS ecular WorldChurch EmphasesChurch Growth in 20thCenturyChallenges facing the ChurchCondition of TRENDS THAT POSE A CHALLENGE TOCHRISTIAN EVANGELISM Uncontrolled urbanization Unrelenting aggressive secularism Expanding non-Christian religions Shifting Frontiers and Emerging Our Message Our Mandatea)A re-discovery of the Full Biblical Messageb)Mobilization of the Whole Churchc)Explore new methods and new fields Evaluationd)

2 Total and Unconditional Dependence Upon GodEVANGELISM into THE21 STCENTURY STUDY GUIDEPAGE4OF8 EVANGELISM into THE BACKSECULAR WORLD1960 s-_____1970 s-_____1980 s-_____1990 s-_____CHURCH EMPHASES1950 s-_____1960 s-_____1970 s-_____1980 s-_____1990 s-_____CHURCH GROWTH in 20th CENTURYThe good news is that from 1900 2000, the number of people whoprofess faith in Jesus grew from 558 million to two billion; a 358%increase. There are probably more Christians alive at the beginning of the21stcentury than all the Christians who lived and died from AD 33 to1900. Christianity remains the largest religion in the world, times thatof Islam and times larger than Hinduism. The not-so-good news is thatthe number of Christians, as a percentage of the world population, hasnot changed. In 1900 christians represented of the population, andthat percentage has remained remarkably consistant for one hundredyears.

3 In 2000, it was still the same, (Quote from: Every Nation in our Generation page 216. Author: RiceBroocks)1995 Non-western Churches-_____millionWestern Churches remain_____millionChallenges facing the ChurchPolitical; Social; Demographic; Economic; PhilosophicalCondition of ChurchParalyzed and confused, torn by division and uncertainty; withdrawn intoecclesiastical ghettos; pre-occupied with its own internal affairs andunconcerned and irrelevant to deepest needs of those around , the 21st CENTURY could be the greatest moment of the TRENDS THAT POSE A CHALLENGE TO CHRISTIANEVANGELISMEVANGELISM into THE21 STCENTURY STUDY URBANIZATIONBy 2000AD: _____people (about three times the number of people livingat the dawn of the 20th CENTURY . Half the world in_____uprooted & disillusioned. 50% of world s population under_____years old.)

4 22 cities with a population of AGGRESSIVE SECULARISMS ecularism Excludes God from the world and human life Live for the present, without any reference to God or divine,moral or spiritual values, education responsible decisionmaking -teachers do not tell kids what is right or wrong anymore, they only teach them a process for making their NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONSDue to failure of secularism, there is a religious awakeningtaking place but it is not historic growth per yearHinduism-_____% growth per yearBuddhism-_____% growth per yearChristianity-_____% growth per FRONTIERS & EMERGING FIELDSThe last decade of the 20th CENTURY remembered by historians asone of the watershed periods ofthe modern era. The collapse ofMarxism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union has opened thedoor for the Gospel to reach 21st CENTURY presents the possibility of majorchanges New (New South Africa; New Age;New World Order)_____?

5 Viz., Turkey, Middle East& China_____? Liberal &Conservative; Social & Evangelical; Inter-faith &Independents; Reformed & CharismaticEVANGELISM into THE21 STCENTURY STUDY GUIDEPAGE6OF8 Will _____ abandon Christian roots for thesake of trade purposes and conformity and political correctness?So called Christian nations are now becoming new targets of_____for FACTS(a)_____ God loves and communicates Mankind has rebelled and is alienated from God God has taken the initiative to bridge the gap Hope for the future-Christ is risen; He willreign; God has not changed, nor the Gospel, nor has the heartof man The 7 recorded messages in Acts all called for a verdict(b)_____(Mark 16:15) The disciples obeyed thiscommand and their ministry shook the Roman Empire. Theevangelistic imperative remains unchanged.

6 _____ _____ _____(i)A_____of Full Biblical Message(ii)_____of the Whole ChurchProfessor Michael Green Whenever Christianity has been at its most healthy, EVANGELISM has stemmed from the local church and has had anoticeable impact on the surrounding area. I do not believethat the re-Christianization of the West can take place withoutthe renewal of the local churches in this whole area ofevangelism. I Thessalonians 1:8 Your faith in God has become knowneverywhere .Professor George Hunter Western Christianity needs a multitude ofinternationalmissionary congregations churches that will abandon theold decrepit Christian models of ministry and whose primeEVANGELISM into THE21 STCENTURY STUDY GUIDEPAGE7OF8mission will be to reach and disciple people who do not yetbelieve"Encourage gift of_____(iii)Evaluate_____and explore_____Be creative.

7 Paul was all things to all men. Methods areonly a means to an end.(iv)Depend_____&_____upon GodArchbishop George Carey at his enthronement in April1991 stated, It will be more woe to us if we preach religioninstead of the Gospel .. woe to us if we preach a message thatlooks only towards inner piety and does not relate our faith tothe world around. Woe to us if we fail to hand on to futuregenerations and the unsearchable rules of Christ, which arethe very heartbeat of the Church and its mission. Charles Colson in the chapter on Healthy Believing in his book Dangerous Grace , states that when film director MartinScorsese updated the 1992 thriller CAPE FEAR,he made onesignificant change: He turned the crazed villain into a Biblequoting Pentecostal Christian, with a cross tattooed across hisback.

8 In a scene where he tries to rape a woman, he shouts: Areyou ready to be born again? The message is clear:People who believe the Bible are derangedand even dangerous. The belief that religion is harmful to mentalhealth is common in secular media and academia today: The ideagoes back to Sigmund Freud, who regarded belief in God , in Christianity Today, Christian Psychiatrist David Larsonexposes that assumption as mere myth. When he examined theimperial data, Larson says he found exactly the opposite. Religiouspeople are actually healthier than the general population, bothmentally and example, in a literature review, Larson discovered that 19 outof 20 studies showed religion plays a positive role in preventingalcoholism. 16 out of 17 studies showed a positive role in reducingsuicide.

9 Religious commitment was associated with lower rates ofmental disorder, drug use and pre-marital sex. People whoattended church regularly even show much lower blood standard view that associates religion with psychologicalproblems does have one kernel of truth, however. Larson foundthat people, who believe in Christianity but don t practice it, doPeople whobelieve theBible arederanged and evendangerous." peoplewhobelieve inChristianitybut don tpracticeit, doexperiencegreaterstress" EVANGELISM into THE21 STCENTURY STUDY GUIDEPAGE8OF8experience greater stress. People who believe in God, but who neglect churchattendance and Bible reading;those who are divorced, or abuse alcohol, showhigher rates of anxiety than the general population. In short, the inconsistentChristian suffers greater stress than the consistent committed Christian is happier and suffers less mental illness than thegeneral most miserable person ofall is the one who knows the truthand yet does not obey it A Dangerous Grace page 90, Author: Charles Colson, addition reading on Contemporary Approaches toEvangelistic Ministry: The Purpose Driven Church by Rick WarrenA Contemporary Approach to Church Growth Praying Without Ceasing by Calvin MillerA Contemporary Approach to Spirituality The Visionary Leader by William M PinsonContemporary Approaches to Christian Leadership The Power of Praise by Don McMinnContemporary Worship and EVANGELISM Finishing the Task byContemporary Approaches to World Missions