At this website by various means we seek to defend life, to encourage Christian faith, to promote Catholic tradition, to edify Marriage in its link to the Creator, to encourage families and individuals, and to support missionary disciples of Jesus. G.S.
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RESOURCES
Becoming a Contagious Christian – April 20 1996 by Bill Hybels (Author), Mark Mittelberg (Author)
Becoming a Contagious Christian: Communicating Your Faith in a Style That Fits You – Feb. 11 2007 (Participant's Guide) by Mark Mittelberg (Author), Lee Strobel (Author)
Becoming a Contagious Church: Increasing Your Church's Evangelistic Temperature – Nov. 11 2007 by Mark Mittelberg (Author), Bill Hybels (Foreword)
Becoming A Welcoming Church Hardcover – March 1 2018 by Thom Rainer (Author)
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BECOMING A CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIAN TALK FOR CHURCH PRESENTATIONS
Given February 20, 2001 in Dollard-des-Ormeaux QC CANADA
I want to take this opportunity to speak to you about an evangelism course developed by Willowcreek Community Church called Becoming A Contagious Christian. There are a total of 8 sessions that take you step by step from beginning to end in learning about evangelism with no gaps.
The first session starts out with talking about why you should become a contagious Christian. It covers the components of relational evangelism - witness to those around you. This by the way, is the most effective form of evangelism and is the basis of this course. It is effective because when you have a relationship with someone, there is a certain level of trust and thus they are more open to taking in what you have to share about Jesus and what a difference that makes in your life.
Discovering your style of
evangelism is the subject of session 2.
Did you know that we each have a style or combination of styles of
evangelism. We don’t all have to be
Billy Grahams to be effective. God made
each of us a certain way to reach a certain kind of person. What is your style or styles of
evangelism? It is such a comfort to
realize that you don’t have to be something you are not, you can just be you.
Session three deals with initiating relationships and starting spiritual discussions. Many people struggle with this and it takes a great deal of courage to steer a conversation into spiritual matters. You will practice how to do this will become more comfortable with this. Did you know that many people are open to spiritual conversations, they were just waiting for someone with conviction and integrity with which to do it. That person could be you!
How to tell your story is the subject of session 4. You will write your story and practice telling it. This seems difficult at first but it really isn’t. Some think that their story isn’t very interesting, because they was born into a Christian family and don’t know the exact time and date that they became a Christian, it just sort of happened over a period of time. But don’t assume that people will not be interested in your story, they will be.
Session 5 deals with presenting the gospel message. Many of us know the gospel message but have difficulty in communicating it clearly to others. You will learn and practice two ways to clearly and simply present the gospel.
The subject of session 6 deals with assessing a person’s readiness to make a commitment to Jesus. You may be surprised at some of the signs that a person could be getting ready to make a commitment to Christ. For example, did you know that, a person asking a lot of questions could mean that they are getting close to be ready to make a commitment to Christ. You will also learn and practice the steps involved in leading a person across the line of faith.
In session 7, we put all the components together and practice starting a spiritual conversation, telling your story, presenting the gospel, to praying with someone to receive Jesus as their saviour.
Session 8 deals with
objections or questions that people may have.
Did you know that all questions non Christian typically ask can be
boiled down to 8 basic questions? Many
of us think, in order to interact with non-Christians, we would have to know the
answers to dozens of questions or we’re afraid because of what they might ask
us. If we know the answers to the 8
basic questions, we will be able to answer their questions. You will have a opportunity to study and
practice answering a couple of questions.
So why should you take this course? My sense is that you have a deep love for our Lord and cherish the fact that God is at the centre of your life. Some of you are perhaps well equipped to be actively working at sharing the gospel message. I say “wonderful”, keep on doing what you are doing. For others, perhaps you long to be able to share this with others in your life, but don’t know how to do it and your fears keep you silent. In taking this course your fears will one by one be dealt with and overcome and you will be trained and equipped on how to share your faith naturally and contagiously. You may have noticed I used the word “practice” a lot in describing the components of this course. That is probably one of the reasons that this course is so effective because you don’t just learn about this you practice it as well. Sometimes, people feel threatened by this, but just remember everyone is in the same boat, you all feel equally awkward. Wouldn’t you rather work through becoming comfortable with this with a fellow Christian than the person you are witnessing to. People who have taken the course before, comment on how valuable the practicing is.
I would like to share with you the following true story: It begins in the mid 1800’s with a man named Edward Kimball who was a Sunday School teacher - not a young children’s class but a class of teenagers. He was determined to win his Sunday School class to Christ. However, one of his students, a teenager named Dwight Moody tended to fall asleep during class so Edward Kimball decided to talk to the young man at the store in which he worked. He entered the store with his heart pounding and in the back room of that store he put he hand on Dwight Moody shoulder and asked him to come to Christ. As Edward Kimball left, he felt he had really botched the job and felt he hadn’t really made any difference. Dwight Moody left the store that day a changed person and eventually became the most prominent evangelist in the United States.
In 1873 Moody visited England for a series of meetings. Moody visited a Church pastored by a scholarly man named F.B. Meyer who at first did not like Moody’s style of preaching. But Meyer was soon transformed by Moody’s message. At Moody’s invitation, Meyer toured the United States. He challenged the crowds saying “If you are not willing to give everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing? That remark changed to the life of a struggling young minister named J. Wilber Chapman. Wilber Chapman went on to become a powerful traveling evangelist in the early 1900’s and he recruited a converted baseball player named Billy Sunday. Under Chapman’s direction, Billy Sunday went on to become one of the most spectacular evangelists in American history. Billy Sunday had a campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina which produced a group of converts who continued to pray for the Spirit to work through another crusade. They prayed that God would raise up someone from the Charlotte, North Carolina area to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. In 1934 they invited Mordecai Ham to conduct a city wide crusade. It was during this crusade that a young man by the name of Billy Graham gave his life to Christ. Billy Graham as you know went on to become one of the most successful evangelists of our time. He has preached to millions of people and hundreds of thousands of people have become Christians as result of his crusades.
That’s a pretty amazing story isn’t it? God used Edward Kimball, an ordinary Sunday school teacher with a passion and a desire that his class should come to Christ. Edward Kimball was probably an ordinary person just like you and I. He probably did not consider himself anyone special, just an obedient servant of the Lord. I’m sure he had no idea the sequence of events that he was setting in place by being obedient to Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all men. His plea to Dwight Moody to come to Christ was done out of a desire that Dwight Moody should be a child of God. In all witnessing that you do, that should be your primary focus - bringing people to the Lord. But you never know how God will use your obedience to share the gospel with those He has placed in your life. You never know what the ripple effect that this obedience will have.
The first step is to be trained and equipped. This is where the Becoming A Contagious Christian course comes in. Many who have taken it comment on how they are better equipped and have more confidence on how they share their faith. Taking this course will stretch you and challenge you but you will not regret taking it. I urge you brothers and sisters to seriously and prayerfully consider taking this course. If it involves rearranging your schedule, do it! If it means getting a babysitter do it! Do whatever it takes to be at this course!
The course will be given at
First Christian Reformed Church 52 Joseph Paiement, Dollard-des-Ormeaux QC CANADA, for four Thursday
nights beginning on March 15th 2001. I pray that you will be able to set these 4 Thursday nights aside and
come and learn how to share your faith contagiously with those around you you
won’t regret it. Thank you.
At this website by various means we seek to defend life, to encourage Christian faith, to promote Catholic tradition, to edify Marriage in its link to the Creator, to encourage families and individuals, and to support missionary disciples of Jesus. G.S.
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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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