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On being a Christian as if people mattered
Free Manual: Catch-the-Fire
Foreword
God’s purpose for our lives is two-fold. First, He requires from us that we love Him. Secondly, He tells us to love our neighbour. Christians are unaware that they fall short on the second part. They overlook Jesus’ command to share the Good News with their fellow men. As a result, many people may never hear the life-saving message of the Gospel.
This publication is a refreshing and valuable addition to a largely theoretical and theological discussion on the subject of Friendship Evangelism. It differs from other publications in that it is void of excessive theory and biblical debate. It does not claim to be a theological masterpiece. Rather, it is based on personal experience of the author, setting out a practical and proven technique for successful witnessing. Real-life anecdotes serve as pointers to answering some of the more difficult questions that Christians face when interacting with atheists, agnostics and people of other faiths.
A number of publications have served as inspiration for the author, in particular The Way of the Master Series, The Purpose Driven Life and Experiencing God, details of which are given in the Further Reading section at the back. The author gives due recognition to these sources and warmly recommends them to the reader.
The author wishes to encourage those who set out on their journey to discover the will of God and so gain a greater sense of purpose for their lives. He expresses a heartfelt wish that this publication will assist them in gaining a deeper understanding of God’s amazing love for mankind.
Bastiaan Remmelzwaal PHD MPH
Author
The purpose of this section is to equip Christians to become more effective in Friendship Evangelism, regardless of their age, experience and personal circumstances. It is meant for those who are already familiar with the Gospel and who seek to examine and re-focus their Christian commitment. It is also meant for those who have more recently found their way to Christ. This section offers encouragement and motivation, while it gives practical examples and instructions for effective outreach and witnessing.
These pages introduce Friendship Evangelism, or One-to-one Evangelism, as an approach to evangelism whereby Christians make a connection with people, in order to create opportunities and talk to them about God in a friendly and relaxed way.
The view taken by the author is that all Christians have potential and that God wants them to succeed. The bible tells us that each one of us has been given at least one gift. So we must first find out what our gifts are, be it music, soccer, preaching, administration or serving others in some other way.
Our individual gift can be our connection to people and a starting point for conversations. We need to be clear on the key message of the Gospel and what it is that sets Christianity apart from other world religions. We need to equip ourselves and be prepared for questions from atheists, agnostics and people from all walks of life.
Jesus had many gifts and He used them to make the connection to people. Jesus was effective and so were the apostles. We can be effective too by asking God how we can fit into His plans. By allowing God to give purpose to our lives. Are you ready for that challenge? Are you ready for a life-changing experience?
May God bless you as you discover His purpose for your life!
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”
Matt. 10:32
Content of the Manual
Unit 1 Introduction
Unit 2 The Good News
Unit 3 God’s purpose for our lives
Unit 4 Faith and obedience
Unit 5 Sharing our faith
Unit 6 Spiritual gifts
Unit 7 Role of the church
Unit 8 Fishers of men
Unit 9 Faith in action
Unit 10 The enemy
Unit 11 The Holy Spirit
Unit 12 Running the race
The Manual is free to download for non-commercial use