LifeSpring Seminar Series Presenter: Samuel Holland March 23, 2014 Live Webcast from Access Community Church (Hamilton, Ontario) Session 6 Kindness Evangelism 1
Conspiracy of Kindness A Unique Approach to SHARING the Love of Jesus * Presentation based on the book by Steve Sjogren * www.conspiracyof kindness.com 2
Terms used * Kindness Evangelism * Servant Evangelism In evangelism we represent Jesus to the lost world around us. 3
Definition of Servant/Kindness Evangelism: demonstrating the kindness of God by offering to do some act of humble service with no strings attached. * Allow people to see the love of God in action * To receive money would lessen the impact of our services Free service offered a picture of the grace of God, a priceless gift that can never be repaid. 4
What Matters Most to God 2 Peter 3:9 ERV The Lord is not being slow in doing what he promised- - the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He doesn't want anyone to be lost. He wants everyone to change their ways and stop sinning. Romans 2:4 ERV God has been kind to you. He has been very patient, waiting for you to change. But you think nothing of his kindness. Maybe you don't understand that God is kind to you so that you will decide to change your lives. 5
A Godly Conspiracy God is seeking to enter the heart of every person on this planet, but He faces a significant obstacle to His conspiracy. The problem has never been the message; we have that straight, for the most part. Nor is God s problem the lack of an audience; plenty of people need to hear good news. His problem is the reluctant army He calls the Church. 6
Questions to Consider * How do we become the best witness for our Lord and Savior? * How do we best share? * How do we reach the lost? * Given that the WHAT of the gospel message is settled, how do we determine the HOW of the gospel message? * What methods will we employ to reach the lost? 7
The Equation Servant Evangelism = deeds of love + words of love + adequate time * The sequence is important * Deeds come before words * Typical evangelism focus on words first Traditional evangelism = telling the message + call to respond 8
Kindness Evangelism involves: 1. Deeds of Love 2. Words of Love 3. Adequate Time 9
1. Deeds of Love * Deeds of love aren t enough on their own to bring someone to Christ, but they do create phone wires for transmitting the spoken message. * The sequence of actions before words * Effectively communicates God s love person to person * Allows the lost to experience the love of God before telling them about the love of God 10
2. Words of Love * Deeds of kindness often gets people s attention and cause them to ask questions * This presents a unique opportunity to present the gospel message * Words of love become more meaningful to the lost when they follow deeds of love 11
3. Adequate time * We need to allow time for deeds & words to have their effect * This is the realm of the Holy Spirit at work * Allow adequate time for the seeds of love to take root * We cannot demand instantaneous results 12
Why Does Servant Evangelism Work? 1. Sharing the good news is not a one- shot deal 2. Anyone can do simple acts of kindness 3. Doing acts of kindness is high grace 4. Evangelism hits home when it begins with acceptance 5. Evangelism must overcome a credibility gap 6. An experience of love opens a person s heart to a message of love 13
For Example So How Does This Work? 14
Laundromat Outreach * We re a group of Christians doing a community service project to show God s love in a practical way. We want to pay for your wash this morning just to demonstrate God s love to you. 15
Car Wash Outreach ABSOLUTELY FREE CAR WASH NO MONEY ACCEPTED * We re going to wash your car for free and we re not going to allow you to give us any money for this. * We want to show you God s love in a tangible way. His love is free and so is ours! 16
Other Examples: * Windshield washing * Coffee giveaways (winter) * Soft drink giveaway (summer) * Single Mom s oil change * Car vacuuming * The opportunities are endless 17
Common Objections 18
But I don t have the gift of evangelism: The Christian life is meant to be simple rather than complicated. One does not need to be a mature believer to perform acts of kindness. In fact, a brand- new believer can effectively do this sort of evangelism. We don t have to have all of the answers a non- Christian might ask in order to make a significant impact. 19
Myths that Keep Us from 1. My main function in evangelism is to invite nonbelievers to church * While this is a good start, evangelism goes beyond 2. If a needy person asks me for help, I can excuse myself by apologizing, Sorry, I don t have the gift of helping. * Or that is not my ministry Reaching Out 3. This person doesn t look like a good candidate for conversion * Similar to the Jonah Complex 20
Seed Planter not Seed Protector * We are to sow the seed of the gospel message liberally (there is an endless supply) * Life is found in the seed * The soul is not our business (we cast the bread and God causes the results) 21
Who Are We? 22
Dispensers of God s Grace We learn from the Samaritan s example that when we step out to touch the lost, God s presence meets us and equips us to bring healing. In other words, the kingdom of God flows through those who are open to being dispensers of God s love and presence. 23
Professional Gatherers * Every Christian is a professional gatherer * Jesus called us to be fishers of people * We must throw our nets into the water and leave the results to God 24
1 Peter 3:15-16 ERV 15 But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have. 16 But answer them in a gentle way with respect. Keep your conscience clear. Then people will see the good way you live as followers of Christ, and those who say bad things about you will be ashamed of what they said. 25
Colossians 4:5-6 ERV 5 Be wise in the way you act with those who are not believers. Use your time in the best way you can. 6 When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. 26
Conclusion * Do you see life as an opportunity to move among the people who God so loved that He gave His only Son to die for them? * The vertical love (from God to us) lays the foundation for our horizontal love (from us to others) 27