Check out this list of how members of one of my classes came to faith in Christ. “When I was 8 years old, I was invited to a bible camp for kids.” “My father helped me see my need for Jesus and I put my trust in Him.” “A friend invited me to church, and after a few weeks, I responded to the message.” “I had a mystical encounter with God.  A few weeks later, I learned I needed to follow Jesus to know this God.” “I met a group of Christians.  After watching them for a while, I wanted what they had.” “A missions team from another country was doing drama at the park where I was hanging ..read more

I love it when someone asks me a question about how I came to faith in Christ, that is, my journey to faith. That kind of curiosity is an interest to hear my faith story. Asking me to tell you my faith journey is your desire to understand who I am, and what makes me so committed to following Jesus. A few days ago, I sat outside a meeting hall to enjoy a cool evening.  I had taken my son to a meeting he needed to attend. To pass the time, I stood outside and had a conversation with another father who sat in his luxury SUV. We talked with me through the open window.  The crisp evening ..read more

Our church lives out a strong core value of inviting people to church.  We know that lives are changed when people experience the love of God and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Thus, we are driven to invite others.  We know that the simple act of inviting people to church can be one of the most influential steps in a person’s journey to faith in Jesus Christ. From small beginnings in the living room of the home of our founding pastors, the church has grown because of those personal invitations.  When lives get impacted, families get changed, and the broken find healing ..read more

The first time I ever knowingly did evangelism happened in a church basement. A temporary call center had been set up on tables with screen dividers. Heavy phone sets with a little light bulb that shone bright red when a call was coming through to me. I would be a phone operator on the receiving end of an 800 number that people would call to receive prayer or to learn more about Jesus. The Setup for Conversational Evangelism When the Billy Graham Association would air their messages during prime-time TV, an 800-number appeared at the bottom of the screen. I was one of the operators who answere ..read more

I’ve been thinking recently about “the testimony” — your story of conversion. As followers of Christ, most of us have a testimony of how we became a follower of Christ. Perhaps you have done workshop or devotional exercises where you write out the testimony of your conversion, revise your testimony for clarity, and shorten our testimony to share it in 5 minutes or less. When you tell your journey to faith story, does it answer this question: “Do you have a faith worth sharing?” Not Always Easy When I conduct personal evangelism training workshops, I often find that people have not th ..read more

Each Christian has a personal story of how he/she came to know Jesus in a personal, life-changing way. You can use your personal testimony to spread the Gospel of Christ in personal evangelism. Make sure you avoid the cheesy clichés – be authentic. 1.  Use Your Testimony. You have both current stories of God’s work in your life, as well as your conversion story. Even if you had a less-than-dramatic experience in becoming a Christian, it is still important. You can talk about how the Lord is changing your life on a daily basis. Tell how He is helping you raise your children or do your job ..read more

When Jesus was accused of eating with sinners, he said “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) With Zaccheus, he declared: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10) In these statements, Jesus declares his pursuit of us before we knew Him. In the three “Lost” parables of Jesus (Luke 15), we see the story of the lost sheep, of the lost coin, and of the lost son. In these stories, Jesus communicates to us the outrageous love of the Father to go and look for that which was lost, to leave ..read more

Mother’s Day is the third most attended church day in the U.S., just behind Christmas and Easter. You have likely noticed that among your church attendance figures. As you plan for this year’s celebration of Mother’s Day at your church, here are 7 things you can do to prepare your church beforehand. 1. Bathroom Sniff Test. Yes, I’m serious. Ever been blown over by that uniquely powerful smell? You know what I mean.  What is the first room you clean in your own home when company is coming? I rest my case. Is your church bathroom up to “company standards?” Put some nice de-odoriz ..read more

Why should Christians do evangelism? What are our motives? When asked, most Christians quickly reply: It’s the Great Commission. Jesus tells us to. Guilt is not a motive I’ve seen guilt used as a motive. When well-meaning preachers and teachers hammer home obedience to Great Commission too hard, people feel guilty: for not obeying enough, for not doing enough evangelism, for not leading enough people to the Lord. Some faulty presentations leave us on the hook for someone else’s eternal separation from God. This leads to enormous guilt! Guilt can be a pretty powerful motivator, but this mot ..read more

Do you have a friend who has a concept of God who will require them to pay for their actions after they die? You’ve likely heard them express hope that their good actions will outweigh their bad actions. Sometimes, they just lament that they will have to pay for all the bad or evil things they have done or thought. Other times, they would describe themselves as religious or spiritual, trying to do the best they can with what they know. Cornelius was a Spiritual Person In the book of Acts, Luke tells us the story of a man who had a spirituality that motivated him to do good works. Cornelius and ..read more