“So how did it go?”

Sunday, July 09, 2017

I was pleased with all the interest people expressed after we set up our Bible booth at the farmers market last Saturday. Friends called, emailed and texted me to ask how things went. As far as I was concerned, it was a great success. But what do I mean, “As far as I am concerned”? I say that because I know the goals of this effort. What should our attitude be during outreach efforts? Here are some things we must never lose sight of:

Spreading the Word

As both individual Christians and collectively as a church, we need to get the gospel out (Mark 16:15). If people are going to be converted to Christ, it has to come from preaching His gospel (Rom. 1:16). Whether it be from the pulpit, a personal Bible study, TV or radio program, or even a Bible booth, the focus musty be on teaching God’s word with its power to save (James 1:21). Our efforts at the farmer’s market and the county fair are not anything flashy. If our goal is not to simply plant and water and have God give the increase (I Cor. 3:6-9), then we have lost our proper focus.

Exposing Error

Effective teaching will provoke thought, and sometimes conflict. After all, light exposes darkness (Rom. 2:19). The word of truth will not mix with variation or compromise. It should never be the goal of any evangelistic effort to be non-controversial as if we were ashamed of the gospel. Not only that, you are not actually helping if you are afraid to expose false doctrine (I John 4:1). You cannot stand for something without standing against something else. Again, if we are more concerned with not offending anyone, our evangelistic efforts will not be successful.

Defending our Faith

The church is to be the pillar and ground of truth (I Tim. 3:15). The church has always been under attack and frequently been falsely accused. As long as there are false teachers, there will always need to defend ourselves (I Pet. 3:15-16). Soldiers of Christ will put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-16) and doing everything possible to stand for what is right. There will be temptations to not study and thus not be able to give an answer. This is not a solution – it is a problem. Those who do not want to be asked questions will not be able to defend the faith.

Helping the Seekers

There are people in this world that are looking for the truth. They want answers and need to know where to go to find them. Providing opportunities for the lost allows the Lord to use us to help others (Matt. 7:7). When a man was asked if he understood what he was reading in the scriptures, he replied by saying, “How can I unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:30-31). It is true that everyone can know the truth (John 8:32), but Christians can provide avenues for others to learn. However, if there isn’t that desire to provide help, then this effort should not be done.

Developing our Talents

If you want to create courage and learn how to talk to people, reaching out with the gospel is a way to do that. You cannot help but grow when you find yourself engaged in various Bible discussions (I Pet. 2:2; Matt. 25:15-28). Learning what to say to people is great, but never underestimate the need to know how to talk to people (Eph. 4:15). Learning to be swift to hear and slow to speak is vital in reaching people with the gospel (James 1:19).  Those not interested in growing need not put forth this effort.

Chuck

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