Holy Spirit and Servant Evangelism Essay

In thinking of what I stimulate learned through this course, I am forced to admit I maintain forever known the importance of being an active witness. I was not raised in church and developed unbelief in perfection through my teenage years. When I was saved, I was radic exclusivelyy saved. The ennoble became real to me and I t sr. e actually unrivaled I knew what the Lord had done for me. So delirious was I more(prenominal) or less my newfound salvation and faith in God, I believe that I whitethorn prevail turned off roughly of my hotshots. One friend in particular was under such belief that his internal struggle was very plain outwardly on his face, and nevertheless he would not take the final step of surrender perhaps because I had been excessively excited and frightened him off.Early ExperiencesToday I hand over certainly not befogged my joy, but I stool learned a few things on how to be patient and forbear on the prodding of the Lord instead of always jumping into a situation with Gospel guns blazing. Of course thither is no joy configurationred the joy of leading someone to the Lord. The oldest and probably one of the most fire encounters I have had with someone was a 67 year old man who had a reputation of drinking too much. He had visited our church on occasion and one Monday night, a deacon from our church and I went to this mans house and visited with him. We talked about the weather and other trifling things. When I felt the time was right, I asked him how he felt when he came to church. He admitted he felt that people st ard at him and made him very uncomfortable.I felt in my spirit that it was nothing more than prison term he really felt. I asked him if he were to die tonight, would he go to heaven? He answered, No. I asked if I could sh are alone if a few verses with him and he agreed. I employed the Share savior without Fear method. I have used this method many times because I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit apply the actual Word of God read out loud. We went through the verses. He agreed he was a sinner, he agreed he compulsory a Saviour, and he said he was ready to accept Him into his life. He prayed a heart-felt prayer and stood up born-again at 67 years old.Not all my experiences are exactly positive, however. The first time I tried to share the grave news of salvation in savior with one of my closest friends, he laughed at me, told me I was crazy, and that it wouldnt last. initially it hurt, but I recalled the scripture from Acts 541 which says, And they departed from the battlefront of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to fuck off shame for his name. I left my friend with such an overwhelming feeling of joy that I was counted worthy to suffer a little shame for His name.Challenging My ThinkingObviously I am not a stranger to witnessing but I was blind-sided by one aspect of the evangelism class Servant Evangelism. I have always been one to go out and go thr ough the scriptures with someone. Almost a street-witnessing type of head-on evangelism. As I began to read and study about handmaid evangelism, I became convicted about the lack of it in my life. I nookie see where servant evangelism certainly has its place in a trusters life. Servant evangelism is built upon pick out for fellow man and there is no greater calling on a believer than to neck people, saved and lost. When asked in Matthew 2237-39 what the greatest commandment is, the Lord rescuer responded, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment. And the second is the like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Loving others is the very next commandment after gentle God. Servant evangelism is Gods love in action. This is exactly wherefore the word charity is used in many places in the power James Bible. Charity is not merely love, but preferably love in action, wh ich is the real meaning behind what God means for us to demonstrate to others. It is the incarnational lifestyle that I am functional toward integrating more into my life on a daily basis. As stated by Dr. Wheeler and Dr. Earley in their book Evangelism Is How to Share de bangryman with Passion and Confidence, the essence of this lifestyle is wrapping our faith in the trope of daily living Specifically, it is authentically living out our faith in every situation.. (p 214)A Deeper DesireSince beginning this class, some soundboxal evangelism and certainly servant evangelism has taken on a whole new meaning in my life. I have a renewed desire to be a witness for the Lord and I have been praying toward that goal. In those prayers I have become aware of my need for a measure of Gods wisdom and an awareness of what people are verbal expression to me and how they are face it, so that I may know what to say to those I encounter. I want to truly surrender to the Holy Spirit Who, I beli eve, give give me the necessary wisdom regarding what I need to say, how to say it, and when I need it if I will trust in Him. As off the beaten track(predicate) as being aware of what people are saying and how they are saying it, this depends largely on my willingness to listen.Dr. Wheeler spoke in one of his videos about listening in todays world and how high-minded it really is. In our fast-paced society today, being distracted, distant, and impersonal is more or less the norm. Therefore, having the ability to spend some precious time with a person and really listen to them is a valuable witnessing tool.(p 229). If the Lord Jesus is our last example, we must take into account His listening skills. The story of the muliebrity at the well is a perfect example. The reason the Lord connected with this woman is not because He talked to her, but because He listened to her. If I want to background that goal of being a more effective servant gospeler and witness, then I realize t hat to listen like Jesus, is a must-have skill.(p 229) schooling to ListenI have always heard that a good listener is born, not made. I believe this statement is in error. If a person has a desire to learn to listen, particularly out of their love for God and a love for His people, the skill of listening can be acquired. First, one must understand the various levels of listening. These levels are from worst to best, as followsIgnoringUnfortunately, this seems to be the most common level in our society today. We live in a world of almost constant distraction. Cell phones, internet, television, MP3 players, and more are vying for our attention. Because of this, it is very easy to become unaware of the needs of people, purge those directly around us. It is a lie from the devil that tells us we are too busy to get involved or that we have too many of our own problems too worry about someone elses. gauge perceiveAgain, with all the distractions listed above, many people try to multi-ta sk, texting, typing, or reading, and thereby reduce the importance and uniqueness of another(prenominal) person to just another distraction.Selective ListeningThis type of listening goes hand-in-hand with pretend listening. This type hears only what really interests the hearer, while dispensing the rest. One must remember what is not authorized to one may be vitally important to the other.Attentive ListeningThis level of listening involves complete attention, involving both eye contact and body language with a singular focus on the talker. Real evangelism requires this kind of attention.Empathetic ListeningAs one might assume, empathetic involves an empathic attitude in listening to really care about what the speaker is saying and how they feel. This is the highest level of listening and the highest level of connection with the speaker. (P 230)Needed ChangesIt goes without saying that if one is not growing and moving forward, one is stagnant or moving backward. I have recognized t hrough this course the need to channel some things to my faith. According to 2 Peter 15-8, it is not enough to just be saved and stop there, we must add certain qualities like temperance, patience, and charity to our faith, that we may grow spiritually. The result of this is habituated in verse 8, For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is and so fruitfulness in evangelism that has been at the forefront of my mind throughout this class.I have prayed on occasion for the lost when they happen to be on my mind. A change I realize I must merged into my regular prayer life is to have a list of lost people I know from my sphere of influence that I may pray for daily. Not only for the lost, but for myself and how I approach them also, praying for things like the wisdom of God I mentioned before. I also realize I need to pray for Gods compassion for the lost that I may pray for them and approach them with a genuine heart and not just as a Gospel soul-winning project. I want to have a better understanding of the needs people have in their lives and how they feel.I have learned that most men feel pin down in the rat race, they are under challenged in todays society or have lost touch with their masculinity.(p217-218 art of evan) Women have completely different feelings such as the need to be treasured and for companionship, they need emotional support and support from their parents. (p219 art of personal evan) I have heard many people say that they pray for opportunities to witness. I understand what they are saying and I believe that their hearts are in the right place, however I look around me and I see the opportunities are everywhere. I just need love and nerve to share. In my quest to incorporate daily prayer for the lost into my life, I found a prayer outline by Doctors Wheeler and Earley to be very helpful in giving direction.