Challenges In Witnessing in a
Post-Christian World
By Dr. David Geisler
Key Perspective About Evangelism
Remember that our problems in Evangelism
our not one of methodology, but one of
maturity!
OUR WORLD IS CHANGING…
1955 – FIRST MICROWAVE OVEN
1958 – FIRST COMMERICAL JET AIRLINER
1961 – FIRST INDUSTRIAL ROBOT
1964 – FIRST UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES
1969 – FIRST AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE
1970 – FIRST DIGITAL MUSIC
1973 – FIRST CELL PHONE
1979 – FIRST SONY WALKMAN
1984 – DNA FINGERPRINTING USED
1998 – FIRST MP3 PLAYER
Our World Has Changed
And We Are In Trouble
“How is it possible for a person to be an active member of an
evangelical church for twenty or thirty years and still know next
to nothing about the history and theology of the Christian
religion, the methods and tools required for serious Bible study,
and the skills and information necessary to preach and defend
Christianity in a post-Christian, neopagan culture?”
J.P. Moreland, Love Your God With All Your Mind, p.188
Our Evangelism Task Is More Daunting!
EVANGELISM
There has been an erosion of truth!
EVANGELISM
There is an intolerance towards
those who claim to know the
truth!
Obstacles to
Evangelism Today
The World we Live In
It is not just a Western
Problem!
Signs of Trouble
Have Surfaced
Even In The East
Signs of Trouble Have
Surfaced Even In The East
“Many students don't think that there is a standard
of right and wrong. Rather, they believe that this is
up to the individual. This means they do hold a
standard of right and wrong themselves, but they
feel that each person's standard of right and wrong
differs from the other.”
“Personally, I feel stuck as to how to proceed on
with the conversation. It's like saying that this food is
nice for me but may not be nice for you. They
relegate the standard of right and wrong to
personal preference.”
- Former Student, East Asia School of Theology
Signs of Trouble Have
Surfaced Even In The East
“I find that I'm shaken. Not in terms of my
faith but in terms of how to answer such
questions.”
- Former Student, East Asia School of Theology
What Has Gone Wrong?
“When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do.”
Psalm 11:3 (N.I.V.)
A World View Shift
“…a major cause of our current crisis consists of a
world view shift from a Judeo-Christian
understanding of reality to a post-Christian one.”
- J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind, p.21
Historical Development of Western World Views
Changing Beliefs Concerning God
1st Century
17th Century
Pre-modern
19th Century
19th-20th Century
20th Century
Modern
Thomas Oden first suggested that
the modern age lasted 200 years
< 1789- 1989 >
See Thomas Oden, On Two Worlds
Late 21st Century
Postmodern
I.
Our world has changed and has made
our evangelism task more daunting.
A. Examples in the West and East
A. Understanding the Post-Modern Period
* * Two Main Characteristics:
1.
Pluralism
2.
Post-Modernism
Religious Pluralism
Is the belief that all religions are true.
(They all have a part of the truth)
B. Understanding the Post-Modern Period
** Two Main Characteristics
1. Pluralism
2. Post-Modernism
Post-Modernism
•
General characteristics
1). In general it is a rejection of anything modern
2). It’s a total rejection of the idea of absolute truth in
favor or cultural relativism.
3). It is a belief in the incredulity of meta-narratives.
The Father of Postmodernism
“I define
postmodern as
incredulity toward
meta-narratives,”
Jean-François Lyotard, The
Postmodern Condition: A Report on
Knowledge, 1984, xxiv
•
Implications of postmodern thought
that affect receptivity to the gospel:
- They feel free to create or construct
“knowledge’s” and “realities.”
As a result they are less and less sure
about anything regarding Jesus.
This Explains Why
Many Are Questioning The
Biblical Story of Jesus
The DaVinci Code
The Lost Gospel of Judas
The Lost Tomb of Christ
The Golden Compass
•
Implications of postmodern thought
that affect receptivity to the gospel:
- They believe persuasion is to be
prohibited.
- They believe that to be exclusivistic is
to be arrogant.
• Implications of postmodern thought
that affect receptivity to the gospel:
− They believe that our belief that Jesus is
the way, the truth, and the life is just one
of the narratives among other narratives
in the world that are equally as valid.
Historical Development of Western World Views
Changing Beliefs - Pluralism
1st Century
17th Century
19th Century
19th-20th Century
20th Century
Late 21st Century
Pre-Modern
Modern
Post-Modern
THEISM
ATHEISM
PLURALISM
Theism
Deism
Naturalism
Nihilism
GOD
GOD
GOD
COSMOS
COSMOS
COSMOS
SOCIETY
Existentialism
Fill in the blank
Post-Modernism
Weak Theism
New Age:
Pantheism, Monism
Bottom line: “What
works for you.”
Key Question
How can we talk to people in a
way that creates greater interest
in hearing our gospel in such a
challenging world?
Answer:
We need to better understand the
times or culture in which we live.
Understanding the Times We Live In!
We need to be like the men of Issachar
and understand the times in which we
live and therefore know what we
should do.
See I Chronicles 12:32
I.
Our world has changed and has made our
evangelism task more daunting.
II.
Things To Keep In Mind In Our Witness To
Others Today
Key things to remember in our
witness today:
A. We must be good news before we
can effectively share good news,
especially with those we see on a
regular basis (Phil 1:14).
Key things to remember
in witnessing today
Remember that we may be the only
Bible that that anyone ever reads!
Key things to remember in our
witness today:
B. We must give ourselves the
permission to sow (1 Cor. 3:6).
EVANGELISM IS A PROCESS
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it,
but God made it grow.”
1 Corinthians 3:6
We must give ourselves permission…
“We have come to believe that there are
only two kinds of Christians: the harvesters
and the disobedient. We must begin to
teach, with great urgency, that every laborer
should learn to reap and that God will call
some to exercise this role exclusively--but
everyone can learn to sow right now, right
where they are.”
Tim Downs, Finding Common Ground, p.32.
We will give ourselves permission to sow if
we see evangelism more as a lifestyle and not
just as an event.
Key things to remember in our
witness today:
C. We must also give ourselves
the permission to till the soil.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN TILLING THE SOIL?
Tilling the soil = Pre-Evangelism
If evangelism is planting seeds of the Gospel, preevangelism is tilling the soil of their mind and heart,
preparing them to at least be willing to listen to the
Truth. (Mark 2:22, 4:8)
Planting seeds…
“… other seeds fell into the good soil and
as they grew up and increased, they
yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty,
and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:8)
Why Is Pre-Evangelism So
Essential In Today’s World?
Why Not Just Proclaim the Truth?
“We live in a world in which people
are reluctant to be told what is true.
But they may be willing to see for
themselves (as in a mirror) the
inadequacies in what they believe
by us asking them probing and
thought provoking questions.”
- Dr. David Geisler
Why Pre-Evangelism is Necessary
…The more I thought about what happened, the
more I realized that in today's generation, people
would generally not give Christians a full
uninterrupted 10 mins to share the gospel with
them. It is more likely that we share the gospel
through injecting it into normal conversations of
everyday life.
- Former national College evangelism director, Campus
Crusade for Christ, Singapore
No One Size Fits All Approach
Not all pre-believers are at the same place:
- Hostile
- Indifferent
- Skeptical
- Ready to Trust in Christ
I.
Our world has changed and has made our
evangelism task more daunting
II.
Things to remember in our witness to others
today
III.
Practical suggestions for taking the
next step
Taking That Next Step
A.
Determine who
the Lord is
placing on
your heart to
reach out to!
Taking That Next Step
B. Pray for open
doors (Col. 4:3).
Taking That Next Step
A.
Determine who the
Lord is placing on your
heart to reach out to!
B.
Pray for open doors
(Col. 4:3).
Praying at the same time
for us as well that God may
open up to us a door for
the word, so that we may
speak forth the mystery of
Christ, for which I have also
been imprisoned.
Colossians 4:3
Taking That Next Step
A.
Determine who
the Lord is
placing on your
heart to reach
out to!
B.
Pray for open
doors (Col. 4:3).
C.
Look for Divine
Appointments
daily! (Acts 8:29).
C. Look for Divine Appointments Daily!
• Look for ways God is already at work in the lives of
those you want to reach!
“And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this
chariot.’” (Acts 8:29)
Ask yourself, “What are the signs that God is already
working supernaturally in someone’s heart?”
C. Look for Divine Appointments daily!
• Ask God for wisdom to know what to
say in your conversations with others
(James 1:5; Acts 14:1).
Taking That Next Step
A.
B.
C.
D.
Determine who the
Lord is placing on
your heart to reach
out to!
Pray for open doors
(Col. 4:3).
Look for Divine
Appointments daily!
(Acts 8:29).
Make the most of
every conversation
you have with prebelievers to help
them take one step
closer (Col. 4:5;
1 Cor. 9:22).
A Biblical Perspective
The Apostle Paul said, “Walk in wisdom toward
outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your
speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so
that you may know how you ought to answer each
person.”
Col. 4:5 E.S.V.
Taking That Next Step
A. Determine who the Lord is
placing on your heart to reach
out to.
B. Pray for open doors (Col. 4:3)
C. Look for Divine Appointments
daily! (Acts 8:29)
D. Make the most of every
conversation you have
with pre-believers to help
them take one step
closer (Col. 4:5;
1Cor. 9:22)
1. Listen carefully in
order to make every
encounter count.
Taking That Next Step
D. Make the most of every
conversation you have
with pre-believers to help
them take one step closer
(Col. 4:5; 1Cor. 9:22)
1. Listen carefully in order
to make every
encounter count.
2. Discover what might
create greater spiritual
openness (Jn. 4:10;
Acts 17:32).
Being Fishers of Men and Women…
Determine what will hook their interest in spiritual
things by uncovering what interests them to
begin with!
Example: Jesus with the women
at the well (Jn. 4: 10).
Hook Their Interest…
“Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God
and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would
have asked him and he would have given you
living water.”
Jn. 4: 10 N.I.V.
Look for ways to create more
interest in our Jesus!
Former next door neighbor…How could there be
more Christians in China than the U.S.?
Former nanny…How she fit Jesus into her religious
beliefs.
You may be surprised…
You may be surprised how easy it is to
“catch” someone’s interest in spiritual things if
God is already at work?
Taking That Next Step
A.
B.
C.
D.
Determine who the
Lord is placing on
your heart to reach
out to!
Pray for open doors
(Col. 4:3).
Look for Divine
Appointments daily!
(Acts 8:29).
Make the most of
every conversation
you have with prebelievers to help
them take one step
closer (Col. 4:5;
1 Cor. 9:22).
I.
Our world has changed and has made our
evangelism task more daunting
II.
Things to remember in our witness to others
today
III.
Some practical suggestions for taking the next
step
IV.
Clarifying biblical terms and concepts
that affect our witness
Clarifying Biblical Terms and Concepts
that Can Hinder Our Witness
I. Biblical Faith
II. Faith and Reason
III. Being Ready to
Give an Answer
Clarifying Biblical Terms and Concepts
that Can Hinder Our Witness
I. Biblical Faith
A Misunderstanding about Faith
“About 1 out of 4 (26%)
born again Christians
believe that it doesn’t
matter what faith you
follow because they all
teach the same lessons.”
Born Again Christians, 2000,
George Barna, Barna Web-site
Christianity is Based on a Historical Event
* Biblical faith must have an object to be valid.
EVANGELISM
Clarifying Biblical Terms and Concepts
that Can Hinder Our Witness
I. Biblical Faith
II. Faith and Reason
Questions & Biblical Faith?
Why should I answer
their questions when
the issue is really just a
matter of faith?
What is the Relationship
Between Faith and Reason?
“And if Christ has not
been raised, our
preaching is useless
and so is your faith.”
1 CORINTHIANS 15:14
The bible makes an important distinction
between “belief that” and “belief in.”
James 2:19 says that the Demons “believe
that” God does exist but do not “believe in”
Him.
Apologetics Bears on the Question
of “Belief That” not “Belief In.”
Apologetics can make the horse come to the
water, but only the Spirit of God can help it to drink!
(John 6:65)
You can’t use apologetics to argue someone into
the kingdom.
You shouldn’t give up using apologetics in your
witness to others (Acts 14:1)
Clarifying Biblical Terms and Concepts
that Can Hinder Our Witness
I. Biblical Faith
II. Faith and
Reason
III. Being Ready to
Give an Answer
What Does It Mean to be Ready?
1 Peter 3:15 says,
“But in your hearts set apart Christ
as Lord. Always be prepared (ready)
to give an answer to everyone who
ask you to give the reason for the
hope that you have. But do this
with gentleness and respect.”
What Does It Mean to be Ready?
The Greek word for ready (Hetoimos)
is used in Matt 24:44 and Luke 12:40 to
communicate the idea that as
Christians we need to anticipate
Christ's return.
Now, if we combine 1 Pet 3:15 with
2Cor. 10:5 and 1Cor. 9:22, it is clear
that our responsibility as Christians is
also to eagerly anticipate the
questions and objections that our
non-Christian friends may raise
against Christianity, whether they ask
us a specific question or not!
I.
Our world has changed and has made
our evangelism task more daunting
II.
Things to remember in our witness to
others today
III.
The bottom line about pre-evangelism
IV.
Clarifying biblical terms and concepts
that affect our witness
Challenges In Witnessing in a
Post-Christian World
By Dr. David Geisler