Mid-year checkup, 3 of 10: Evangelism

The 3rd topic on the thomrainer.com mid-year checkup list is a tough one: Evangelism. It asks

How often have you shared the gospel this year? Is the gospel so striking to you that you cannot keep it to yourself? Have you reached beyond the church world to develop gospel-centered relationships with unbelievers? For what non-believers are you praying as Paul did (Rom. 10:1)? Ask God to increase your burden for lost people (Rom. 9:1-3) throughout the remainder of this year.

As Christians, isn't that our Goal? to share Christ with others? to bring them to a saving knowledge of Him? to eventually evangelize every person on the face of the earth? Then why aren't we doing it?!

Though it is easy to think that the pastor will evangelize everyone, or the missionary will, you need to realize that some people don't want to talk to a minister or missionary. They have a wall up when it comes to speaking with someone who is often considered a "professional."

However, as a Christian who is a friend of someone who is lost, oftentimes they will listen to you, watch you, and learn from you.
What is the non-Christian world seeing in you? A Christian who does just what the world does and nothing different? therefore, there's no need for them to be saved?
What is the non-Christian world hearing from you? The same bad language and talk about the same bad movies/TV, etc. as them? The same criticizing speech as them?
What is the non-Christian world learning from you? Are they learning that you believe that there is a God? and that you believe God loves them and wants them as His children?

Although you may have seen the clip a hundred times, I leave you with a clip of Penn Julliett, a staunch atheist who makes the valid point that Christians shouldn't be afraid to witness and if you call yourself a Christian, you should be witnessing.

Mid-Year Checkup 2 of 10: prayer

Continuing the Mid-year checkup theme, from Thomrainer.com, here's the next point that was listed:

Are you praying daily? Are you praying regularly and recurrently (1 Thess. 5:17)? Do you pray for those in authority, including government and church leaders (1 Tim. 2:2)? Are you praying by name for other believers to speak the gospel boldly and clearly (Eph. 6:18-20, Col. 4:2-4)? Do you pray for your enemies (Matt. 5:44)?

Seems overwhelming, doesn't it?
May I suggest that you do it in pieces?
1. Write down the names of those in your family, those in authority over you, those leaders in your church, and others you want to pray for.
2. Star the ones who are really important to you, who you want to pray for each day (such as your spouse, children, etc).
3. Divide the rest of the list by 7.
4. Create 7 new lists, 1 for each day of the week.
5. Include the starred name each day.
6. Include 1/7th of the list each day.

Example:

Sunday - Spouse; Children; Pastor; People 1-3
Monday - Spouse; Children; Boss; People 4-6
Tuesday - Spouse; Children; President of USA; People 7-9
Wednesday - Spouse; Children; Governor of your state; People 10-12
Thursday - Spouse; Children; Mayor of your city; People 13-15
Friday - Spouse; Children; Courts; People 16-18
Saturday - Spouse; Children; Legislators; Enemies 1-3

Mid-Year Checkups, part 1 of 10

Just as we might get a health checkup, dental checkup, or vehicle checkup throughout the year, I like the idea of a yearly spiritual checkup (as Chuck Lawless posted over on Thomrainer.com). This and the next several blog posts will be based on his blog.

In regards to daily Bible reading, he writes:

Are you reading the Bible daily? If you adopted an annual reading plan at the beginning of 2014, is your reading up to date? If not, take time this week to caught up. You might choose, if necessary, to adjust your plan – but still read daily. If you did not adopt a plan in January, pick a strategy for rest of the year.

The Plan

There are several good Bible reading plans out there. Blue Letter Bible has a few good ones here.

By December: If you want to still get through the Bible in 1 year, pick a yearly plan and do 2 readings a day (as it is the halfway point of the year).

In 1 Year: Otherwise, why not start that yearly Bible reading now, and read July through June each year.

An Easy Approach: Even if you only read 1 chapter a day out of the New Testament, let's get to reading the Bible.

The Benefits

There are several benefits to reading through the Bible, alittle bit each day:

Daily Variety: Some readings will encourage you and lift your spirits. Other reading may point out things that you need to stop doing. All in all, the daily readings will help you in your spiritual walk with the Lord.

Beyond Sunday School: Though many of us know several Sunday School stories about David, Noah, Adam&Eve, Jesus, and others, there is a lot more to read and explore in the Bible. The Bible is not a G-rated book (or R-rated; it would probably be X or NC-17); therefore, there are many things that we cannot teach and preach in a general setting. Many of the in-between stories in the Old Testament are fascinating. Many of them wrestle with the same issues we wrestle with today. Read it to see what you are missing.


So, let me encourage you, dig into God's Word each day. Even if you only do it 1 time in your life, you will be glad that you did.