I was tickled to see this in the blogs this morning (emphasis mine):

Even if we acknowledge that there will be ‘gospel’ things happening all over the place in church, it is also important to say that evangelism is not the purpose of Christian assemblies. It is certainly not their focus. In the New Testament, churches are characteristically the fruit of evangelism, not its agent. Evangelism usually takes place outside the assembly—in the marketplace, the synagogue, the prison, and in daily gospel conversation.

This reminds me of something my pastor when I was in college said: “The early church didn’t explode throughout the ancient world because of the professional gurus, but because of the guys in the trades and commerce who were bent on gossiping the good news wherever they went.”

That’s exactly the sort of thing Greg Glaze and I are focusing on in our new class, Gospel Conversations. We had a great opening session yesterday, in which I outlined the way we’re going to approach the class:

1. What is the Gospel?
2. How do I explain it to others?
3. How do I answer their challenges, objections, and questions?

Next week, we’ll dig into the first question by getting a clear picture of the nature of God and the nature of man. This will set the stage for a discussion of sin and the Fall, and from there, the nature of Christ and His unique role as reconciler.

Gospel Conversations: The Home Game

If you’d like to play along at home, you can do the homework assignment I handed out yesterday. (I’m looking into what it will take to get the audio online as there have been numerous requests.) First, answer for yourself whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. Then, go to the Bible and try to determine God’s position on each of these statements based on what He’s given us in His Word.

1. I am brokenhearted for the lost.
2. Somebody else will explain the Gospel to them.
3. I pray for opportunities to tell people about the Gospel.
4. Everything will be OK. (Note: there was some question about this in class. I mean this in a complacent sort of way… as in, “I know I should share the Gospel with them, but hey, everything will be OK,” or “I know I shouldn’t smoke, but hey, everything will be OK.”)
5. I am intentional about spreading God’s fame.
6. I know what I believe — and why.
7. I have carefully thought through my beliefs.
8. I am confident about the truth of the Gospel.
9. What I believe affects the way I live.
10. The way I live reveals what I truly believe.