Outreach 101: Perspectives on Sharing the Gospel

Now that we have addressed the issues most often levied against the Christian faith, we must now move from information to execution. If we simply load up on answers and keep them to ourselves or dole them out at parties to look impressive, we are doing a series disservice to the calling we have all received in the great commission – to go and make disciples of all nations. This spring semester, we have worked through some of the most difficult issues and questions pertaining to the faith, and we have done so with a single purpose in mind – so that when we go to all nations to make disciples, we would reduce all obstacles in the minds of our hearers to rubble by revealing the coherence, dependability, and loveliness of faith in Christ Jesus. Answers must never be and end in themselves, but a means to an end – an end that would function to bring to faith those who have yet to trust in Christ Jesus. But how do we do this? Is the best evangelism the mall-foyer brand? Or is it something more? All this and more will be addressed in our final series of the spring semester – Outreach 101.

All of the lessons and the corresponding notes can be found below.

Outreach 101 is our current series at Resurrection university, so come on out Wednesdays from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and join us for great food, fellowship, and teaching!

Outreach 101, Part 1 - The Great Omission: Defining Outreach Today

According to the Great Commission, we are to make “disciples” not simply “converts.” In this lesson, we begin to connect evangelism with discipleship while introducing a new emphasis to evangelistic methodology - one where we become “locals” in the lives of those around us.

Outreach 101, Part 2 - The Role of Gifts in Evangelism

The mandate “to go” (Matt. 28:18-20) is not restricted to those who are gifted in evangelism, as some believe. All are called to go, which means all spiritual gifts have a role in evangelism. We are “to go” not in spite of our gifting but in light of our gifting.

Outreach 101, Part 3 - Presence and Persuasion: Becoming a Missional Church

Expanding on the concept of becoming “locals” in the lives of those around us, this week’s lesson will discuss what it means that evangelism is era specific. In short, what our era needs is presence and persuasion, not one or the other.

Outreach 101, Part 4 - The “Jonah Factor”: Christian Contempt For Evangelism

As we continue our discussion on outreach, we are going to turn to the book of Jonah and glean from his experience - in both his redemption and contempt as a prophet - how we can better understand the responsibility of evangelism.

Outreach 101, Part 5 - The One Degree Rule: Raising Your evangelistic Temperature

This week we will be talking about Kevin G. Harney’s “One Degree Rule” as a method for evaluating our outreach.
NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the first half of the video has no sound. Refer to the manuscript below for missing content (sound resumes 52:49)

Outreach 101, Part 6 - Incarnational Living: Embodying the Love of Jesus with People

Just as we introduced in the first lesson of the series, our evangelism must require that we be “locals” in the lives of those around us. This lesson will hone in on not only the concept of proximity, but unraveling the poison of perfectionism that often taints our outreach efforts. We mustn’t believe that others will come to know Jesus because we are paragons of virtue. Rather, our honesty with our struggles, pain, frustration, sadness, and so on, will prove to be a dramatically better tool. Much like Christ, we must humble ourselves that we might live in and among the lost, identifying with them, and showing them all the more that He came not for the healthy but for the sick (Luke 5:31-32).

Outreach 101, Part 7 - Lessons from the Early Church: Evangelizing in a Post-Christendom World

Our postmodern society has brought the church into an era that no longer resembles Christendom – or, a society that gravitates around and is friendly towards the church and its values. Rather, because Christianity is seen more as antiquated and closed-minded, some have come to call this time post-Christendom. Although some may see this as disparaging news, we must be encouraged, for the Word of God itself was written through inspired authors in a culture that more resembles post-Christendom than it does Christendom. As such, we now have the opportunity to look back to the early church and learn from them in how they brought the good news to unbelievers.