outreach workshop gleanings

Here are a couple of interesting things from the Outreach Workshop I was at today.

One presenter said he had talked with a very angry man who had been kicked out of the church in a way that would not allow him to go back. This young man had gotten his girlfriend pregnant. The pastor excommunicated the guy, made the girl get an abortion and forbid the girl from ever seeing the guy again. The presenter's response to the young man was, "A representative of the church failed you. Christ did not fail you. Come back to Christ." Wow!

Another quote: "Its okay to be afraid [when witnessing], just don't show it.

Here are ten facts about the adult American population drawn from research conducted by Barna, Gallup, Harris and others. Comments from me or people at the presentation are in brackets [ ].

Fact #1: Almost six in ten adults maintain that the Bible is totally accurate in all its teachings. [Quote or paraphrase scripture to reinforce points you are trying to make. It will add credibility.]

Fact #2: Better then 90 percent of adults believe God exists and about 70 percent of those folks believe God to be accurately portrayed in the Bible. [People do believe in God. Ask them how their relationship with Him is.]

Fact #3: Almost nine of ten believe that eventually all people will be judged by God. Almost three-fourths expect Jesus to return some day. [Judgement day is not a foreign concept to people. Talk to them about it. Ask them if they are certain what the outcome will be for them when they stand in front of a holy God.]

Fact #4: Three-fourths believe forgiveness of sins is possible only through faith in Jesus Christ but as many as half believe faith is unimportant as far as living in heaven after you die is concerned. [There is a disconnect between sin and judgement. Help people see that they are sinners. The Sermon on the Mount (Mat. 5-7) is a good place to start.]

Fact #5: Eighty-five percent believe that Jesus was crucified, died and rose from the dead. [Why did he do that? Most people don't know the whole story. Tell them.]

Fact #6: More than eight in ten believe Jesus was as much a human being as they are but almost half believe he committed sins. [We have to spend time telling people Christ was sinless.]

Fact #7: Six in ten do not believe Satan to be a real being, but merely a symbol of evil. About one-fifth of the population believes that the whole idea of sin is outdated. [Jesus thought that Satan was real. The Bible talks about sin. What do these people know that Jesus and the Bible don't?]

Fact #8: Nine of ten pray. Of them, eight of ten are absolutely certain that prayer makes a difference in their lives. [Find out what someone needs you to pray about for them and then do it. Also, encourage people to let God talk to them through the Bible.]

Fact #9: One in three believes that you can not trust anyone other than family and close friends these days. [Make friends with people. Then, talk about God to your friends. Get over thinking, "I will avoid you because you don't go to my church."]

Fact #10: About half of American adults believe a full and satisfying life depends on spiritual development. The same number strongly agrees that the Christian faith is relevant to their lives these days. [Don't think your unchurched friend or neighbor does not want to hear from you about spiritual matters. They do.]