Helping People Encounter Jesus The Gospel of Jesus

Helping People Encounter Jesus The Gospel of Jesus is the GREATEST NEWS our world has ever received!

Helping People Encounter Jesus Through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, FORGIVNESS of sin and a personal RELATIONSHIP with God is now available to everyone who trusts in Christ.

Helping People Encounter Jesus The message of Jesus is infinitely POWERFUL, POWERFUL ETERNALLY consequential, and absolutely WORTHY of our best efforts to proclaim it to the whole

Helping People Encounter Jesus So the question IS NOT; “Do we need to INTENTIONALLY preach, teach and share Jesus with a lost world? ” OF COURSE WE DO!

Helping People Encounter Jesus Every follower of Jesus has been called by GOD to make DISCIPLES in His name. Matthew 28: 18 -

Helping People Encounter Jesus And it is the URGENT business of every authentic Christian community to have a GLOBAL VISION toward evangelizing the lost! Matthew 28: 18 -20, Acts 1: 8

Helping People Encounter Jesus The question is: “How do we help people encounter Jesus in the most EFFECTIVE way possible? ”

Helping People Encounter Jesus It’s a question of RELEVANCE, RELEVANCE METHODOLOGY, METHODOLOGY and PASSION

Helping People Encounter Jesus How do we take the eternal, UNCHANGING Gospel message of Jesus Christ and speak it in a “LANGUAGE” LANGUAGE our communities can

Helping People Encounter Jesus The question requires every church to be intentional and STRATEGIC in their approach God’s Way This Way That Way

Helping People Encounter Jesus including a consistent process for EVALUATING the effectiveness of Reaching People q YES q NO

Helping People Encounter Jesus In our constantly changing POST-CHRISTIAN culture the church’s approach to evangelism needs to be easily ADAPTABLE to changes on the ground.

Helping People Encounter Jesus Any church with a desire to engage the lostness in their COMMUNITY with the Gospel can implement LIFEproject as a way to help people encounter Jesus!

An Honest Assessment Before we unpack LIFEproject we need to take an HONEST look at where

An Honest Assessment Some churches…have LOST their PASSION for helping people encounter Jesus.

An Honest Assessment Other churches have tried multiple ways to reach the lost in their communities with seemingly limited or no SUCCESS

An Honest Assessment The unprecedented CULTURAL shift of the last few decades, have left many churches feeling overwhelmed and defeated.

An Honest Assessment “Americans under the age of thirty-five are four times more likely to be atheistic, agnostic or nonreligious. John Dickerson, The Great Evangelical Recession

An Honest Assessment Their SECULAR WORLDVIEW affects the greater United States culture and, in coming decades, will reshape federal, state, and local governments, as well as less formal cultural John norms. ” Dickerson, The Great Evangelical Recession

An Honest Assessment “We are now a denomination in which 25% of our churches are BAPTIZING nobody. ” Charles Roesel, It’s a God Thing

An Honest Assessment Add to the mix a societal trajectory that is moving from one of ambivalence towards Christianity to one of outright HOSTILITY.

An Honest Assessment Now fold in our DECLINING numbers…and it appears to be a recipe for disaster.

…Is there any hope for the SHRINKING church in North America?

Reframing By Grace Paul’s experience is instructive for us in these UNCERTAIN days.

Reframing by Grace Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a THORN in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 1 Cor. 12: 7 b-10 NIV

Reframing by Grace Three times I PLEADED with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My GRACE is sufficient for you, for my power is made PERFECT in weakness. ” 1 Cor. 12: 7 b-10 NIV

Reframing by Grace Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 1 Cor. 12: 7 b-10 NIV

Reframing by Grace That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am WEAK, then I am strong. 1 Cor. 12: 7 b-10 NIV

Reframing by Grace Paul’s Ø Paul’s thorn was. Experience… not any FUN for Ø him! The Lord empowered Paul to REFRAME his challenging Ø circumstances. Weakness, insults…Paul now DELIGHTS in them! Ø Weakness was the means by which God’s GRACE and POWER flowed more freely.

Reframing by Grace It turns out that our WEAKNESSES actually become the conduit through which God’s strength flows more freely.

Reframing by Grace It is time for the CHURCH to hear this word afresh! Let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us reframe the challenges we face - not in view of what we ONCE had or what we USED to be or what we seem to LACK - but in light of a God who does His BEST WORK when all

More Good News The Gospel provides all the church needs to be ENTHUSIASTIC and joyfully

More Good News Ø The Church still BELONGS to Jesus! (Matthew 16: 18 b) Ø The Harvest is still PLENTIFUL! PLENTIFUL (Matthew 9: 37) Ø The Gospel message still CHANGES LIVES! LIVES (John 4: 42)

More Good News Ø Jesus still calls us to be FISHERS of MEN! MEN (Matthew 4: 19) Ø God still promises His POWER for the task! (Acts 1: 8)

More Good News “…the Good News speaks of God’s gracious PROVISION for His church…” “…helping people encounter Jesus is not really about GRASPING for the latest

More Good News Ø People are ATTRACTED to Jesus…and they are hungry for AUTHENTIC relationships…” Ø LIFEproject is a natural, NONTHREATENING, and relational way for believers to help people encounter Jesus.

Reaching the Communities within Our Communities Affinity Defined

Reaching the Communities within Our Communities Af-fin-i-ty: “A feeling of CLOSENESS and understanding that someone has for another person because of their similar qualities, ideas or

Reaching the Communities within Our Communities We can picture an Affinity much like a MAGNET that draws people together relationally…

Reaching the Communities within Our Communities Affinity Groups form as people cluster together around common interests, CONCERNS, HOBBIES, NEEDS or events.

Reaching the Communities within Our Communities LIFEproject is an AFFINITY based strategy designed to help people encounter Jesus!

More Good News Every community has MULTIPLE affinity groups… …people are connected to one another in relationship through AFFINITY GROUPS.

More Good News Ø Some groups are fun or RECREATIONAL in nature while other affinity groups center on meeting human needs or addressing community CONCERNS. Ø Nearly every affinity group provides the potential to reach

Helping People Encounter Jesus, It’s a matter of L. I. F. E. “The thief comes only to STEAL and kill and destroy; I came that they may have LIFE, and have it abundantly. ”

Helping People Encounter Jesus, It’s a matter of L. I. F. E. LIFEproject is a strategy that guides churches to help people in their communities ENCOUNTER Jesus, leading many to experience LIFE in Him!

LOOK “I tell you, open your EYES and look at the fields! They are ripe for HARVEST. ”

Look in Three Directions Look Up…GOD God’s heart is for lost people! And Jesus tells us to, “ASK the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. ”

Look in Three Directions Effective evangelism requires God’s POWER. Ø Ask the Lord to help you SEE people in your church and community as He does. Ø Spend time before the Lord, CONFESSING sin and crying out

Look in Three Directions Look In…CHURCH Much of the success of an evangelistic effort depends on having CATALYTIC leaders and ENTHUSIASTIC church members who embrace the

Look in Three Directions Look Out…COMMUNITY Ø How would you DEFINE your community? Ø What do we mean when we say “OUR COMMUNITY? ” Ø What major PEOPLE groups, organizations, schools, businesses and NEIGHBORHOODS comprise

IDENTIFY “Ask and it will be GIVEN to you; seek and you will FIND; knock and the door will be

Identify Affinity Groups After the Community Survey, gather the church to CELEBRATE your time in the community, share STORIES of what you experienced while with your neighbors.

FOCUS “After Paul had seen the VISION, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had CALLED us to preach the gospel to

Focus the Vision It’s time to Focus the Vision on the AFFINITY GROUP God is leading our church to reach. Ø What did we learn about our COMMUNITY? Ø What did we learn about our church MEMBERS?

ENGAGE “Be wise in the way you act toward OUTSIDERS; make the most of every

Engage the Affinity Group Now that we have settled on the Affinity Group God has called us to REACH, it is time to Engage! There at least FOUR ways to engage an affinity group with an INTENTIONAL plan to share the

Engage the Affinity Group Ø Attraction Event A ONE-TIME event designed to draw in the Affinity Group. Ø Short Term or Ongoing Ministry An outreach to an Affinity Group through a

Engage the Affinity Group Ø Affinity Based Church Plant …We may have conducted an attraction event, started a ministry, or done both. But now we may be asking ourselves another vital question; Is God leading us to PLANT a

Engage the Affinity Group Ø A Combination of These The best way to reach your chosen Affinity Group may require MORE than ONE of the above Engage initiatives.

LIFEproject Tools Ø APENDIX A – Survey Ø APPENDIX B – Scenarios Ø Possible Affinity Groups in Your Community Ø Tell Your Story