{"id":31641,"date":"2022-09-10T15:38:25","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-necessities-for-engaging-skeptics-with-the-gospel\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:38:25","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:38:25","slug":"5-necessities-for-engaging-skeptics-with-the-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-necessities-for-engaging-skeptics-with-the-gospel\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Necessities for Engaging Skeptics with the Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Malcolm Lightbody photo – Unsplash<\/div>\n

By Ben Mandrell<\/em><\/p>\n

Is gospel ministry harder in certain places than in others throughout the U.S.? Anyone in church leadership could make a legitimate case that their context is a difficult one to reach.<\/p>\n

My first pastorate was at an established church in Jackson, Tenn. Before moving back to Tennessee to lead Lifeway, I was a church planter in the Denver, Colo. area.<\/p>\n

The ministry challenges in skeptical, post-Christian places like Denver are scary. When you can feel the opposition or skepticism toward Christianity every day, there\u2019s a sense of insecurity.<\/p>\n

But that sense of danger is refreshing, because it breaks you of making assumptions about what people believe about Jesus and His gospel.<\/p>\n

Regardless of where you live and lead, here are some principles to keep in mind. After all, there are skeptics of the gospel in every<\/em> community.<\/p>\n

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1. Don\u2019t make assumptions about who is or isn\u2019t listening to sermons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During my early years of ministry in the heavily-churched South, I picked up a habit of conveying an \u201cus versus them\u201d mentality. I would address a subject as if the people I talked about weren\u2019t in the room.<\/p>\n

I would talk about why this<\/em> is wrong and how we can\u2019t tolerate that<\/em> and that we need to stand up against this issue<\/em> confronting the church.<\/p>\n

But after I moved to Colorado, it dawned on me that the people who disagree with me actually were<\/em> in the room. So I softened the way I approached these subjects\u2014but not in a way that comprised my convictions.<\/p>\n

I would say something like, \u201cWith this issue, there are some who believe ______.\u201d<\/p>\n

And I would chase down that line of thinking to make it reasonable: \u201cI can see how someone would think ____. Yet here\u2019s what Scripture calls us to think about that issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

By naming the rationale or heart behind the worldview I described, I could build bridges with people who oppose the biblical viewpoint of topics discussed during the sermon.<\/p>\n

2. Demonstrate respect for people of other belief systems. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Demonstrating respect often means creating space for a church member to invite an unsaved friend with confidence the visitor won\u2019t feel attacked.<\/p>\n

For example, instead of saying, \u201cMuslims believe that works get us to heaven and they have five pillars they follow to gain acceptance with Allah,\u201d try something like, \u201cOur Muslim friends would say we\u2019re made right with God by doing righteous things.\u201d<\/p>\n

By calling them \u201cfriends\u201d we\u2019re stating\u2014without altering our worldview\u2014we care for them and what they believe is their right to believe it.<\/p>\n

In a situation like this, the goal for us is to show anyone in the room that he or she is valued\u2014regardless of their worldview.<\/p>\n

3. Make an emotional connection.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we lead in a community that\u2019s skeptical of the gospel, certain cultural issues can be emotionally charged.<\/p>\n

When I pastored in Colorado, I found that showing emotional concern for people who hold an opposing worldview could open doors for effective ministry.<\/p>\n

Many are just apathetic the gospel. But when someone becomes confrontational in response to your teaching or ministry philosophy, you\u2019re hitting on something that matters to them.<\/p>\n

We had neighbors in Denver who started visiting our church. After some time, they asked me to meet with them. During the conversation the woman asked if we affirm homosexual couples.<\/p>\n

When I shared where we landed on that issue\u2014the biblical view of one man and one woman for life\u2014she began to cry.<\/p>\n

I asked why this upset her. She explained her sister had come out as same-sex attracted early in life and received horrible treatment from other kids at school.<\/p>\n

In loving defense of her sister\u2019s dignity as a human being, this neighbor wanted to be a champion for gay rights.<\/p>\n

It was easy to understand her pain. Everyone has a story. And we can\u2019t change that by simply reading Bible verses to them. From a position of empathy, the Church should seek to understand why people with opposing worldviews have certain convictions.<\/p>\n

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See also  Video: Why Is It so Hard for Churches to Adapt?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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4. Mobilize people to engage outside of the Sunday service. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Jesus washed the disciples\u2019 feet He said, \u201cNow as I have done, go and do likewise.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is leadership by example, and there are tools to demonstrate how to take the mission outside of the church.<\/p>\n

Storytelling<\/em><\/p>\n

I would often tell stories in the pulpit about people I wanted to impact\u2014people who didn\u2019t share my worldview and who weren\u2019t interested in my church.<\/p>\n

But I would do so without sharing information that would comprise relationships.<\/p>\n

Modeling<\/em><\/p>\n

When I addressed controversial topics, I also modeled how I would like people to handle that conversation if it happened in the church lobby, in the front yard with next-door neighbors, or at their work cubicle.<\/p>\n

This often means asking questions. When our neighbors asked whether or not we affirm homosexual relationships, I leaned into Jesus\u2019 method of engaging in delicate conversation: He often responded to a question with a question instead answering the question.<\/p>\n

Confrontational evangelism<\/em><\/p>\n

Most people will be uncomfortable with this approach, but there\u2019s a place for confrontational evangelism. The New Testament has examples of people confronting others with the truth\u2014and leading them to Christ on the spot.<\/p>\n

Make evangelism something everyone does\u2014not just those who have the bravery to go out and win souls.<\/p>\n

But if that\u2019s your only hook in the evangelism waters, not many in your congregation will participate.<\/p>\n

Relational evangelism<\/em><\/p>\n

In my experience, most Christians don\u2019t feel comfortable with confrontational evangelism, but they feel at ease having unchurched neighbors in their home for a meal. This is a form of relational evangelism\u2014building relationships that could one day lead to spiritual conversations.<\/p>\n

When people join your church, they\u2019re signing up to live on mission in the community, at work, at the gym, or wherever their daily lives take them. We need to give them tools to do that well.<\/p>\n

5. Address these three kinds of people by the end of your sermons. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the most effective changes I\u2019ve ever made in my preaching was the application toward the end.<\/p>\n

After a few minutes developing the biblical context I ended most messages with something like this: \u201cLet me raise three questions around this subject that I think are sitting out in the seats today\u2014one from a believer, one from a nonbeliever, and one from a student.\u201d<\/p>\n

An example of a question I could answer from a non-believer (or a student, since they have similar questions) is, \u201cYou say your Holy Book is true. How can you claim yours is true and everyone else\u2019s is false?\u201d<\/p>\n

By posing these questions, I could identify with groups of skeptical people, acknowledging the validity of their questions.<\/p>\n

Caring for a skeptic of the gospel often means offering a listening ear before we offer biblical commentary.<\/p>\n

It also means we operate our ministries as if those dear people are in the room with us, demonstrate kindness and respect toward those who disagree with us, show empathy to their hurts, mobilize those we lead to be extensions of gospel ministry, and anticipate their questions\u2014especially if you\u2019re one who has a pulpit on Sundays.<\/p>\n

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Ben Mandrell<\/h2>\n

@BenMandrell<\/p>\n

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Ben is the president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n