For those of you who may not know, I've been attending Liberty University Online since January of this year. I'm getting a Bachelor's in Religion and Intercultural Studies. I have completed 4 classes already. One of them was an evangelism class. I receieved a 100 on my "Methods of Evangelism" paper. I'm posting it here to share with anyone who would like to read it....
“Methods of Evangelism”
The Romans Road has its
advantages and disadvantages. One
advantage is that it is very simple and to the point. It is easy for most people to understand. When I was led to Christ, my pastor’s wife
read The Romans Road to me. I was a
child and I understood. I would say that
one disadvantage to The Romans Road is that often it is too “cut and dry”. Most people use the “Sinner’s Prayer” after
this method. The person witnessing
should make sure to tell the lost person that it’s not the act of saying the
prayer that saves you. To be saved, you
must believe the words in your heart and confess them with your mouth.
Part
TWO – Evangelistic Method #2 – Servant Evangelism is a
“Relational” Method of Evangelism. Servant
Evangelism can be described as: Demonstrating
the kindness and grace of God by offering to do some act of humble service with no strings attached. While serving, one should also be intentional
about sharing the gospel. As Christians,
we’re to follow Jesus’ example. Jesus
left Heaven and humbled Himself to serve mankind. Matthew 20:28 says, “The Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” According to Matthew 25:35-40, when we serve
others, we are also serving Him. Matthew
25:35-40 states, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was
thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me
in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I
was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous
will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you something to drink? When
did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go
to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me.” (NIV)
There are many
advantages to Servant Evangelism, but I will just name a few. When we put love into action by serving
others, they feel loved instead of condemned.
Serving others opens the door to share the gospel with them. Servant Evangelism exemplifies the ministry
model of Jesus. In Philippians 2, we’re
told to have the humble servant attitude of Christ. It is hard for me to see in disadvantages to
this method. I do see that sometimes
Christians can get caught up in serving and lose sight of why they’re
serving. Sometimes people start taking
all the glory and praise for it, when in reality; everything we do should be
for Him and His glory.
Part
THREE – Evangelistic Method #3 – Door to Door Evangelism
is a “Confrontational” Method. It
is also referred to as the “Door Knocking” Method. There are various ways to use the Door to
Door Method. Generally, a small group of
people from a church will go door to door in their community to witness to the
unsaved, invite them to church, and pray with them. Some churches merge Servant Evangelism and
Door to Door together by offering acts of service when they are going door to
door.
There are some
advantages and disadvantages to the Door to Door Method. If done in the right way, it can yield great
results. When going door to door, one
must remember to always be polite and show the love of Jesus. One disadvantage is that some people become
too aggressive with their outreach and it intimidates others. This doesn’t produce any fruit. Also, the Door to Door Method can make people
annoyed that you interrupted what they were doing at that time. Some people may even take it as rude. Therefore, they don’t want to hear anything
you have to say.
Part
FOUR – Application of These Methods to Your Own Life – I
have used two of these three methods in my life. The Door to Door Method was used when I was a
teenager and helped with the bus ministry at my church. We went to neighborhoods throughout our city
searching for children to take to church on Sunday mornings. I remember the door being slammed in our
faces many times. Mostly, I remember the
smiling faces we began picking up every Sunday morning for church. Some of the children’s parents even began
attending. We began seeing some of these
souls saved. A few are still at that
church back in my hometown some fifteen years later.
Today, the more
appropriate method that suits me is Servant Evangelism. Looking back I can see the signs of a
servant’s heart throughout my life. In
my junior year of high school I was voted “Most Dependable”. Everyone could count on me to help them
out. For a few months after graduating
high school I worked in a nursing home.
I grew to love serving these elderly people. Eleven years, a husband and child later,
evidence of my servant’s heart reappeared.
While planning our move to Nashville, TN I just knew that God had
something big for us here in ministry. I
didn’t know the details, but I knew God did.
After moving here, God led us to an amazing church that I believe has the
heart of Jesus towards the world. They
are all about serving people here and around the world in His name. Less than two years after moving here, God
laid it on my heart to start our non-profit ministry, Love Feeds. The meaning behind the name is that love
feeds needs, whatever they may be. The Love Feeds Mission Statement says, “Our mission is to be
more like Christ and feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the
unclothed, look after the sick, and take in the stranger that needs a home. It
is to show the love of Jesus by meeting the needs of the impoverished,
homeless, orphaned, and less fortunate, not only here in America but around the
world.” It’s not just about food. It’s about helping meet any need that a
person might have and hopefully leading them to Jesus in the process. Jesus humbled himself to serve others. I believe every single Christian should do
the same. Love reaches more people than
anything else. Non-believers don’t want
to hear how terrible they are. They need
to know that we love them and Jesus does as well. If we go around condemning them, they want
nothing to do with us. We should just
love them like Jesus and let the Holy Spirit do His work to teach them what is
right and what is wrong. Love covers a
multitude of sins. (I Peter 4:8)
References
Early, D., &
Wheelers, D. (2010). Evangelism Is… . Bel Air, MD: Academx Publishing.
