www.MeeknessAndTruth.org

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Truth_at_Life Conversational Evangelism
www.MeeknessAndTruth.org
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Colossians 4 46
Colossians 4 46
PRAY for yourself Pray for God to give you the Wisdom and Strength to be good witness
PRAY for the Opportunity Pray for open door to share the gospel with other as you approach work and spend the day there.
PRAY for your co-workers Pray for your Boss, clients, customer, friends, colleagues, family members asking God to move in their lives
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Problems In Witnessing In A Post-Christian World
(An Overview)

• Intro Witnessing today is more difficult
• I. Our Changing World and Its Impact on
  Christians
• II. Understanding Post-Modern Influences and Why
  Our Christian Foundations Are Being Eroded Away.
• III. The Implications of Post-Modern Thought On
  Our Witness to Others
• Things to keep in mind in our witness to
  post-moderns

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The Challenges of Evangelism Today
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Problems Doing Evangelism in the World We Live in

• It is hard to proclaim the forgiveness of sins
  to people who believe that, since morality is
  relative, they have no sins to forgive.
• Gene Veith, Postmodern Times, p.16

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There is an intolerance towards those who say
there is a bridge they must cross!
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Problems in Witnessing Today?
Challenges in Evangelism Today! Video Clip
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Obstacles to Evangelism Today

• The World we Live In
• Rejection of moral absolutes
• The skepticism of our society
• An indifference towards
• truth or rejection of truth

Signs of Trouble Have Surfaced Even In The East
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Signs of Trouble Have Surfaced Even In The East

• Many students don't think that there is a
  standard of right and wrong. Rather, they believe
  that this is up to the individual. This means
  they do hold a standard of right and wrong
  themselves, but they feel that each person's
  standard of right and wrong differs from the
  other.
• Personally, I feel stuck as to how to proceed
  on with the conversation. It's like saying that
  this food is nice for me but may not be nice for
  you. They relegate the standard of right and
  wrong to personal preference.

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Signs of Trouble Have Surfaced Even In The East

•  
• I find that I'm shaken. Not in terms of my
  faith but in terms of how to answer such
  questions.
• - Former Student, East Asia
  School of Theology

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Our Problems In Evangelism Are Just the Tip Of
the Iceberg
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Our Problems in Evangelism Are SymptomsOf An
Even Greater Problem!

• As we approach the twenty-first century, It
  doesnt take a rocket scientist to recognize that
  our entire culture is in trouble. We are staring
  down the barrel of a loaded gun and we can no
  longer afford to act like it is loaded with
  blanks.
• J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your
  Mind, p.21

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A. Evidence of the Worlds Impact On Christians

• 1. Some Christians are losing their moral compass
  and embracing moral relativism
• 53 of those who call themselves evangelical
  Christians believe that there are no absolutes.
• Yet 88 of evangelicals believe that The Bible
  is the written word of God and it totally
  accurate in all it teaches.
• George Barna, The Barna Report What Americans
  Believe (Ventura, CA Regal Books, 1991), pp.
  83-85

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Evidence of the Worlds Impact On Christians

• 1. Some Christians are losing their moral compass
  and embracing moral relativism.
• 2. Some of our leaders struggle with establishing
  a biblical worldview framework in their teaching
• Just half of all Protestant Senior Pastors (51)
  meet the criteria for having a biblical worldview
  (2004).
• The criteria are believing that God is the
  all-knowing and all-powerful creator of the
  universe who still rules it today that Jesus
  Christ never sinned that Satan is real that
  salvation is received through faith in Christ,
  not by good deeds that every follower of Christ
  has a responsibility to share their faith with
  non-believers that the Bible is accurate in all
  that it teaches that absolute moral truth
  exists and that absolute moral truth is
  described in the Bible.
• http//www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?PageBarnaUpda
  teNarrowBarnaUpdateID177

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Evidence of the Worlds Impact On Christians

• 1. Christian lay people are losing their moral
  compass.
• 2. Some Christian leaders themselves struggle
  with establishing a biblical Worldview.
• 3. For some the content of their Christian faith
  is losing its structure
• 72 of born again Christians believe they
  personally have a responsibility to tell other
  people their religious beliefs
• Born Again Christians, 2000, George Barna, Barna
  Web-site
• Yet only 2 out of every 10 born again Christians
  (19 percent) knew the meaning of the Great
  Commission.
• Half correctly described the content of John
  316, and 6 out of 10 knew the meaning of the
  term the gospel.
• George Barna, Evangelism that Works, 1995, p.37

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A Misunderstanding Of What is Involved in
Biblical Faith

• About one out of four (26) born again
  Christians believe that it doesnt matter what
  faith you follow because they all teach the same
  lessons.
• Born Again Christians, 2000, George Barna, Barna
  Web-site

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• Student, University of Texas at Austin
• What is her misunderstanding concerning Biblical
  Faith?

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Christianity is Based on a Historical Event

• And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching
  is useless and so is your faith.
• I Corinthians 1514 (NIV)

• Biblical faith must have an object to be
  valid.

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Evidence of the Worlds Impact On Christians

• 1. Christian lay people are losing their moral
  compass.
• 2. Some Christian leaders themselves struggle
  with establishing a biblical Worldview.
• 3. For some the content of their Christian faith
  is losing its structure
• Some Christians are becoming less certain of
  their beliefs and more reluctant to share the
  good news.
• B. Negative repercussions on church growth

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B. Negative repercussions on church growth

•   How is it possible for a person to be an
  active member of an evangelical church for twenty
  or thirty years and still know next to nothing
  about the history and theology of the Christian
  religion, the methods and tools required for
  serious Bible study, and the skills and
  information necessary to preach and defend
  Christianity in a post-Christian, neopagan
  culture?
• J.P. Moreland, Love Your God With All Your Mind,
  p.188

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Implications For The Church

• "When a majority of Christian adultsas well as
  three out of four born again teens proudly cast
  their vote for moral relativism, the Church is in
  trouble.
• Continuing to preach more sermons, teach more
  Sunday school classes and enroll more people in
  Bible study groups won't solve the problem since
  most of these people don't accept the basis of
  the principles being taught in those venues. The
  failure to address this issue at its root, and to
  do so quickly and persuasively, will undermine
  the strength of the church for at least another
  generation, and probably longer."
• George Barna, The Barna Update "Americans Are
  Most Likely to Base Truth on Feelings" from Feb
  12, 2002

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• How Did the Church Fall Into This Crisis?

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•   When the foundations are being destroyed, what
  can the righteous do.
• Psalm 113

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A World View Shift

• a major cause of our current crisis consists
  of a world view shift from a Judeo-Christian
  understanding of reality to a post-Christian
  one.
• - J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All
  Your Mind,
• p.21

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• The Tsunami of Post-Modernism

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II. Understanding Post-Modern Influencesand Why
Our Christian Foundations Are Being Eroded Away.
A. Understanding the three main periods of the
history of western thought (Pre-Modern, Modern,
and Post-Modern)
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Changing Beliefs Concerning God
Historical Development of Western World Views
Thomas Oden first suggested that the modern age
lasted 200 years lt 1789- 1989 gt
To understand the modern period we need to
understand the pre-modern period.
To understand the post-modern period we need to
understand the modern period.
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Changing Beliefs - Theism
Historical Development of Western World Views
THEISM
THEISM
GOD
COSMOS
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Changing Beliefs - Deism
Historical Development of Western World Views
THEISM
THEISM Deism
GOD
GOD
COSMOS
COSMOS
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Changing Beliefs - Atheism
Historical Development of Western World Views
THEISM
ATHEISM
THEISM Deism NATURALISM
GOD
GOD
GOD
COSMOS
COSMOS
COSMOS
.
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Changing Beliefs - Atheism
THEISM
ATHEISM
THEISM Deism NATURALISM Nihilism
GOD
GOD
GOD
COSMOS
COSMOS
COSMOS
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Changing Beliefs - Atheism
Historical Development of Western World Views
THEISM
ATHEISM
THEISM Deism NATURALISM Nihilism
EXISTENTIALISM
GOD
GOD
GOD
COSMOS
COSMOS
COSMOS
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1). Modernism developed the way it did partly
because of some of the philosophical ideas from
Europe (Hume and Kant).

• If what we can know comes only from our sense,
  and God is outside our senses, we cannot know
  God.
• The Bible became merely a guide for ethical and
  spiritual growth.

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Changing Beliefs - Pluralism
Historical Development of Western World Views
1st Century 17th Century
19th Century 19th-20th
Century 20th Century
Late 21st Century
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II. Understanding Post-Modern Influences

• Understanding the three main periods of the
  history of western thought (Pre-Modern, Modern,
  and Post-Modern)
• Understanding the Post-Modern Period
• Two Main Characteristics
• 1. Pluralism
• 2. Post-Modernism

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Religious Pluralism

• Is the belief that all religions are true.
• (They all have a part of the truth)

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RELIGIONS
JUDAISM
HINDUISM
ISLAM
TAOISM
CHRISTIANITY
BUDDHISM
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C. Understanding Post-Modernism and its impact
Postmodernism is thus an eclectic construct,
shrouded in deconstructionalistic and
post-structuralistic verbiage, based on the
hermeneutics of suspicion and an epistemology of
uncertainty that leads to the three defining
features of postmodernity as a cultural mood--ie.
The incredulity of meta-narratives, the
propagation of reality as a social construct and
the emergence of hyper-reality as a postmodern
phenomenon. As such, postmodernism is a sad
commentary of mans desperate search for meaning
a vain championing of an ideological abstraction
which promotes an ideological arbitrariness a
reasoning without reason in the face of human
arrogance and absurdity, which ultimately ushers
one towards fideism at best and nihilism at
worst. (Rev. Edmund Chan )
What is Postmodernism?
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III. The Implications of Post-Modern Thought On
Our Witness to Others

• How it impacts others
• They feel free to create or construct
  knowledge's and realities.

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This Explains Why Many Are Questioning The
Biblical Story of Jesus
The Da Vinci Code The Lost Gospel of Judas The
Lost Tomb of Christ
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The Implications of Post-Modern Thought On Our
Witness to Others

• How it impacts others
• They believe that our belief that Jesus is the
  way, the truth, and the life is just one of the
  narratives among other narratives in the world
  that are equally as valid.
• Their pluralistic mindset gives them no internal
  motivation to hear about Jesus.
• They dont think through their beliefs very
  carefully.
• Beliefs are separated from Truth

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Challenges to Evangelism In a Post-Modern World
I. Our Changing World and Its Impact on
Christians II. Understanding Post-Modern
Influences and Why Our Christian Foundations Are
Being Eroded Away. III. The Implications of
Post-Modern Thought On Our Witness to
Others IV. Things To Keep In Mind In Our Witness
To Post-Moderns?
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IV. Things To Keep In Mind In Our Witness To
Post-Moderns Some Important Keys?
We need to better understand the times or culture
in which we live. (1 Chron 1232).
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IV. Things To Keep In Mind In Our Witness To
Post-Moderns Some Important Key? Remember that

• Our convictions about Christ can come across as
  arrogant to some.
• Speak to them like one beggar to another

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Remember that

• Our belief in truth and absolutes goes against
  the post-modern grain.
• Work out issues with people on their own time
  table.
• Dont be afraid to admit when you dont know
  the answer to question your friends raise.

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Remember that
C. In order to speak to this postmodern
generation we need to intentionally communicate
by the appropriate use of questions,
illustrations, and stories.
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The Importance of Questions and Stories

• Two major characteristics of postmodernism are
  of particular importance to us in evangelism (1)
  the emphasis on questioning and (2) the
  displacement of propositional truth in favor of
  stories. If we are to be effective within this
  postmodern culture, then, our evangelism must
  involve the appropriate use of questions and
  stories.
• Nick Pollards book, Evangelism Made Slightly
  Less Difficult, p. 70

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Remember that
D. Helping people to think through their beliefs
critically has limitations in the culture in
which we live. Therefore we cannot give an
overdose of argumentation in explaining
the Christian faith.
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We Are To Love God With All Of Our Mind

• Love The Lord Your God With All Your Heart and
  With All Your Soul and With All Your Mind.
• Matt. 2237

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A Caution In Using Reason And Evidence

• there is just enough of the modern worldview
  left so that reason still has a point of entry.
  But we have to use this knowledge wisely. We
  cannot give an overdose of argumentation.
• Ravi Zacharias, An Ancient Message, Through
  Modern Means To the Postmodern Mind in Telling
  the Truth Evangelizing Postmoderns, p. 27

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Remember that
D. Helping people to think through their beliefs
critically has limitations in the culture in
which we live. We must be careful how
we build head bridges with others.
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Head Bridge Questions That Are Apologetic Lite!

• If you were coming to the end of your life, and
  you met Jesus and other great religious leaders,
  and each suggested a different path, whos advice
  should you take.
• Wouldnt you take the advice of someone whos
  been to the other side and come back to tell us
  about it?

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Head Bridge Questions That Are Apologetic Lite!

• Has anyone ever explained to you the difference
  between Christianity and all other religions? I
  can explain the difference using two words, Do
  versus Done!
• All the religions in the world say you have to
  do something (Do)
• Christianity says, there is nothing you can do
  to earn your salvation, it has already been done.
  All you have to do is accept the gift that God
  has proved and invite Christ to some into your
  life, forgive you of your sins, and change you
  from the inside out (Phil. 213)

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Remember that
People are more creatures than creatures.
heart
head
MT Trainer, Rev. Dave Montoya, Dealing With
Both Minds and Hearts Answering the Questions
Behind the Questions, located on Meekness
web-site
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Remember that

• People care how little you know until they know
  how much you care.

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Remember that
E. To have a greater impact on others dont
underestimate the witness of the Christian
community and the emphasis on the spiritual.
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(No Transcript)
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Remember that
F. Dont forget to witness to others in the
power of the of the Holy Spirit (Acts 18 Jn.
665) .
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Remember we are just the instrument!
God chose the weak things of the world to shame
the strong. 1Corinthians 127b (NIV)
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Remember that
G. Dont forget to rely on the power of prayer!
(Js. 516)) .
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Challenges to Evangelism In a Post-Modern World
(An Overview)

• Intro Witnessing today is more difficult
• I. Our Changing World and Its Impact on
  Christians
• II. Understanding Post-Modern Influences and Why
  Our Christian Foundations Are Being Eroded Away
• III. The Implications of Post-Modern Thought On
  Our Witness to Others
• Things to keep in mind in our witness to
  post-moderns

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Evangelism in a Postmodern World
www.meeknessandtruth.org