Page not found

Sorry, we couldn't find the page you're looking for.

Go back home
Evangelism Archives - B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles https://beethomas.com/tag/evangelism/ Simple Solutions, Free Bulletin Articles and Free Website Content Wed, 17 May 2017 00:39:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 Christianity is Offensive! https://beethomas.com/christianity-is-offensive/ Sat, 13 May 2017 02:19:11 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1279 Christianity, to some, has come to be thought of as a religion of comfort. Christianity makes us feel good and should. The assurance of God’s love should overwhelm us with joy! However, Christianity is offensive. Becoming a Christian is making a change in one’s life. Being creatures of habit, change is naturally offensive. “How dare you tell me I need to change my lifestyle!” is an often heard lament.

The post Christianity is Offensive! appeared first on B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles.

]]> This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking the book link at the end of this free bulletin article will help more content to be placed on this site. Donate your own free bulletin articles here.

free Bulletin articlesBible Passage: Matthew 15:12-14

Christianity, to some, has come to be thought of as a religion of comfort. Christianity makes us feel good and should. The assurance of God’s love should overwhelm us with joy! However, Christianity is offensive. Becoming a Christian is making a change in one’s life. Being creatures of habit, change is naturally offensive. “How dare you tell me I need to change my lifestyle!” is an often heard lament from pre-Christian people.

A quick study of the Apostles and you’ll notice they offended lots of people. Jesus even offended the traditionalists and legalists of his day, the religious leaders. We too have traditionalists and legalists in our own time. There are folks who declare today, “How dare you tell me we need to change how we do church and evangelism!”

Many folks overlook or misinterpret the calls for unity and evangelism found throughout God’s word. God has one desire. He wants all people to be made right with Him. It is around this rallying point that the church should be united. The color of carpet, the style of songs, the delivery method of sermons, small group gatherings, and the ways in which we engage culture among other things, should not matter. Winning people to Christ is what matters!

The focus of any body of believers should be to win others to Christ. If we are not doing that, something is wrong! The Apostle Paul understood that desire to win others. In one passage, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, he mentions six times his desire to “win some” to Christ. Surrounding those words is his principle of accommodation. He stated that he became all things to all people so to win some. He didn’t do that literally, but he did become “like” all people to win them to Christ. He understood their culture and entered it. He may not have been comfortable doing so. Rarely is a person comfortable at all with change. Sometimes, we find it downright offensive.

Jesus changed the world. He offended the traditionalists of his day. When told by his disciples that he had offended those leaders, Jesus didn’t cower and say, “Ooops! I don’t want to offend anybody.” Read his words and you’ll find Jesus simply added insult upon injury. Jesus didn’t go out of his way to offend people. In our verses today, Jesus offended those that could keep people from becoming his followers. God’s desire is that all will be saved.

I wonder if I am personally holding on to some point of view or tradition that will keep others from following Christ? Are you? Have we made our opinions equal with those Holy Spirit breathed words of God we find in the Bible? Technically speaking, that is what many call legalism. We may just need to forsake our comfort for the sake of those pre-Christians or unchurched, among us. We have to put our love for those who don’t intimately know Jesus Christ ahead of our love of being comfortable. That may mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I encourage congregations everywhere to begin this discussion with their members and start winning more people to Christ!

—> Support our free bulletin articles ministry by purchasing the 5 Star rated Leave it to God on Amazon today.




The post Christianity is Offensive! appeared first on B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles.

]]> Searching – Free Bulletin Articles https://beethomas.com/searching-free-bulletin-articles/ Tue, 25 Apr 2017 20:48:46 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1182 Our family is leaving on a trip at noon today, or so we hope. Before we can leave, we must find a rental car. I didn’t think this would be a problem. I called a lot of places and couldn’t find the car we needed. This search was very tiresome. Advantage, Avis, etc. This search of mine reminded me of how people sometimes search for the truth and have a hard time finding it.

The post Searching – Free Bulletin Articles appeared first on B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles.

]]> This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking the book link at the end of this free bulletin article will help more content to be placed on this site. Donate your own free bulletin articles here.

free Bulletin articlesBible Passage: Acts 17:16-34

Our family is leaving on a trip at noon today, or so we hope. Before we can leave, we must find a rental car. I didn’t think this would be a problem. I called a lot of places and couldn’t find the car we needed. This search was very tiresome. Advantage, Avis, etc. This search of mine reminded me of how people sometimes search for the truth and have a hard time finding it. In Acts 17, Paul spoke to such people in Athens. They were very religious, they liked to listen to and talk about the latest ideas, sounds a lot like today. We all have our own personal searches, wallets, brushes, rental cars, or the truth. Although I’ve found a car, I have yet to pick it up. If all goes well, I should have the car in two hours. The truth is a lot more accessible than a full-size rental car a few days before Memorial Day.

—> Support our free bulletin articles ministry by purchasing the 5 Star rated Leave it to God on Amazon today.




The post Searching – Free Bulletin Articles appeared first on B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles.

]]> Suggestion-Free Church Bulletin Articles https://beethomas.com/suggestion-free-church-bulletin-articles/ Tue, 25 Apr 2017 20:43:01 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1176 When I was young, one of my favorite Bible verses was John 3:16. Not until twenty-five years later did I even know what was said in the following verse. I now see that John 3:17 is probably more popular among our younger generations than John 3:16. The reason for this, is because it fits a popular worldview today.

The post Suggestion-Free Church Bulletin Articles appeared first on B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles.

]]> This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking the book link at the end of this free bulletin article will help more content to be placed on this site. Donate your own bulletin article here.

free Bulletin articlesBible Passage: John 3:16-17

When I was young, one of my favorite Bible verses was John 3:16. Not until twenty-five years later did I even know what was said in the following verse. I now see that John 3:17 is probably more popular among our younger generations than John 3:16. The reason for this, is because it fits a popular worldview today. This worldview is one of tolerance and political correctness. As I stated last week, there is a problem that needs to be fixed. No one wants to be told that the only way to get to heaven is through Jesus. Saying that there is only one way to get to any location (especially heaven) is now considered intolerant and shallow minded.

A generation or two ago, the words of Jesus Loves Me were sometimes enough to convince someone to become a Christian. That is no longer the case. This generation is not falling in line behind Jesus, ready to follow, because someone tells them that Jesus loves them. There are teens, young adults, even older adults now talking back to the church, yelling at God. If the congregation you attend is doing the same things as they always have, and their attendance and spiritual growth of the congregation is declining, don’t expect to get a different result. I once heard a definition of insanity as, “doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.”

In doing things different, I do not mean singing different songs; although in certain locations it might be helpful to add a song from the late 20th century to the repertoire. What I am really speaking about is connecting with people, making God real for this generation, being a serving and sincere Christian to those around you. This new generation wants to see sincere Christianity, or relationship oriented Christianity.

People are tired of being judged. John 3:17 says this about our savior, “God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him (NCV).” Jesus’ job was not just to judge, but to save. There are generations itching for Jesus today, but they don’t want the condemnation that often comes with church attendance. This doesn’t mean not calling a sin a sin. But it does mean loving both types of people on the front pew, the 50 year old lady with pierced ears, and the 17 year old girl with a pierced nose, eyebrows, or tongue. Instead of judging who a person is by their piercings, we should rejoice in the savior they have in common, the savior of this world who suffered his own piercings. *

People are not the same today as they used to be. We need to take this into account or we may lose an entire generation. Small groups where people can connect, dynamic young adult classes, more life application in our sermons, and sincere long lasting friendships are a must in the church of today.

We can never change the gospel of Christ. We shall never stop preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But we must get back to the bedrock of the 1st century church. The church of the 1st century was one centered on relationships and fellowship (Ac.2:42-47); mentoring leadership (2 Tim 2:2) , and love (I Jn 3:11; Col. 3:14) . It was in the context of these aspects, that the message of Christ was spread throughout the world.

* A paraphrase of Prof. Randy Harris, Feb. 25, 2005 keynote lecture at ACU lectures.

—> Support our free content ministry by purchasing the 5 Star rated Leave it to God on Amazon today.




The post Suggestion-Free Church Bulletin Articles appeared first on B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles.

]]> How Do You Learn? – Free Bulletin Articles https://beethomas.com/learn-free-bulletin-articles/ Mon, 24 Apr 2017 01:24:40 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1141 I praise God for making us all different. How boring would life be if we were all the same? Unfortunately, our differences make it harder to teach when each person in a group is most likely a different type of learner.

The post How Do You Learn? – Free Bulletin Articles appeared first on B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles.

]]> This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking the book link at the end of this free bulletin article will help more content to be placed on this site. Donate your own free bulletin articles here.

free Bulletin articlesBible Passage: Acts 17:16-34

I praise God for making us all different. How boring would life be if we were all the same? Unfortunately, our differences make it harder to teach when each person in a group is most likely a different type of learner.

Whether a person is teaching Biology or the Bible, each group of people is made up of different types of learners. There are visual learners who find it easier to take in new information through pictures, diagrams, charts and films. There are auditory learners who like to learn things verbally and specifically like hearing seminars and presentations. Finally there are kinesthetic learners that find it easier to take in new information through copying demonstrations and getting physically involved.

Which one are you? If you’re over 50, you are most likely an auditory learner, someone who likes to take in information via simple presentations and seminars. If you are in your 30s or below, you are most likely a visual learner, preferring video, charts, diagrams, and other pictures. As for kinesthetic learners, let me know who you are.

We seem to have a culture clash of visual vs. auditory learners. Society has a lot to do with these differences in learning styles. Television, DVDs, video games, and computers are changing this world, and especially the way younger generations learn. Is this bad? Is this good? Learning is still going to happen, that’s what matters.

Paul, speaking to the philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:22-34) took lines from pagan poets to get to his teaching about God. It’s amazing that God can take pagan poetry and use it through Paul to reach pagan philosophers. Paul was rejected by the majority, but some men joined him and believed. Paul took what he had to work with. He had pagans in front of him and he used pagan poets to get to his point. We should learn from his example.

In our churches, we shouldn’t force senior citizens to watch videos for Bible lessons, because most likely they are auditory not visual learners. The same can be said for younger individuals, they are most likely visual and more relationship oriented learners. Seminars, simple verbal presentations, and learning in large groups may not be attractive to them. Since God said he wants all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), we should do what we can to reach all the people. However, this won’t happen until we recognize our God-given differences.

Praise God for how we are made! We are made differently. Anyone with more than one child understands that.

—> Support our free bulletin articles ministry by purchasing the 5 Star rated Leave it to God on Amazon today.




The post How Do You Learn? – Free Bulletin Articles appeared first on B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles.

]]>