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Outreach – What is it and what is the follower of Jesus to do? Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to “go therefore and make disciples ...” (Matt. 28:19). This command is a mandate to all Christians to be involved in sharing the good news of Jesus in one way or another. This mandate that is often called “evangelism.”
I like to call this mandate outreach, as that word seems to describe best what Christians are to do - reach out to those around us in the name of Jesus Christ to share the good news that God has made it possible for people to have a personal relationship with Him, experience forgiveness of sin, and have eternal life. But how is outreach done? How can you engage in outreach and thus “make disciples?” First, you need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ yourself. You can find out how to do this by going to the “Spiritual Help” portion of this website. If you are already a Christian, you can engage in outreach by sharing your own story with others at appropriate times. (I Peter 3:15) You can also engage in outreach by living the kind of Christian life that shows the love of Christ and lives out the principles of the Bible under the Lordship of Jesus and in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately you cannot make a person believe in Jesus; that “job” belongs to the Holy Spirit who convicts people of their sin and the need for a Savior. (John 16:7-11) But this “job” involves the Christian as an integral part of the “team.” In this cooperative process, God works through His word (Romans 10:17), through prayer (Acts 4:31-33) and through you (Romans 10:13 & 14). Therefore, it behooves each Christian not only to know his or her own story of coming to Jesus, but to be able to explain what a person needs to do tohave a relationship with Him. The message of the gospel is not complicated. In fact, it is simple; so simple that there is no excuse for not knowing it. The essence of that message is as follows:
There are many other ways to explain the message of the gospel, but the point is that Christians are to be involved in the sharing of that message. If you are a Christian, are you involved in outreach? If you are not, you need to be. Go and Tell Sessions are held periodically at Randall Baptist Church and are designed to help you answer the “how” and the “what” questions of making disciples. The goal of Go and Tell Session or series of Sessions is to equip and teach Christians to “do” outreach. The Sessions accomplish this goal by exploring Biblical principles of outreach in the context of the current culture. Through presentation and interaction, the Go and Tell Sessions show Christians how to “go and tell.” In particular, Go and Tell Sessions seek to help Christians become more culturally aware, and then show how to use that awareness to point others to Christ in a culturally sensitive way. Attendees are encouraged to engage the culture around them and shine the light of the gospel to people through personal relationships with friends, colleagues, acquaintances and others at work, school or wherever. The objective is that each attendee will leave a Session with an better understanding of how to “make disciples.” The next series of Go and Tell Sessions will be held on June 8, 15 and 22, 2008 and will be led by Pastor Dick Murphy. To view the handouts from two , click on the links below. Velvet Elvis Outreach:
Intersecting Your World:
Blue Like Jazz Outreach:
Fearless Faith:
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