Tag Archives: Evangelism

Yeshua’s Commissioning the Twelve…and YOU?

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Matthew 10:5ff, Yeshua sent out. The Commissioning of the Twelve Disciples.

  • There are several notable aspects to consider when Yeshua commissioned his disciples. As modern-day disciples of Yeshua, we need to take these into consideration when assuming a ministry role. These are the requirements of his laborers who will work in his harvest field (see Matt 9:37 for context).
  • Yeshua calls one into the ministry (Matt 10:1). Some go into the ministry as a career like any other job. This is unbiblical. Involvement in Yeshua’s ministry is by his invitation only.
  • 25479441After calling one into the ministry, there is a time of training. This is the biblical norm. For some, it was five years (e.g., the Levites), or forty years (Moses and Joshua). David had a period of training before becoming king, as did Paul the apostle and Elisha. For Yeshua’s disciples, it was three-and-one-half years. The Matthew ten account is part of the disciples’ training program.
  • After calling them, Yeshua gives his disciples their marching orders by telling them where to go and not to go (Matt 10:5–6). They were to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and to bypass the Gentiles (for now).
  • Yeshua then instructs them what their ministry was to be (Matt 10:7–8). They were to do exactly as Yeshua himself did: preach the gospel of repentance and the kingdom of Elohim, and to heal the sick.
  • He then gives them instructions pertaining to travel arrangements — what they were to take on their journey, where they were to stay, and how to act when encountering resistance (Matt 10:9–15). This includes lodging, food and financial remuneration. On the latter point, today many itinerant  evangelists flagrantly violate Yeshua’s strictures in this regard and have become nothing more than travelling salesmen and peddlers.
  • Next, Yeshua warns his disciples against persecution (Matt 10:16–26). He assumes that persecution will be a natural result of preaching the gospel. Conversely, it could be assumed that something is out of spiritual order when one preaches the gospel and persecution doesn’t occur.
  • Yeshua then instructs his disciples about fear — who to fear and not to fear. They are to fear YHVH, not men (Matt 10:27–31). This is an important point, since preaching the gospel to the lost can be intimidating, which is why so few do it. Yeshua promises divine protection for his disciples who preach the gospel as he has instructed (Matt 10:29–30).
  • The workman is worthy of his hire. Yeshua promises spiritual rewards to those who preach the gospel (Matt 10:32–33).
  • For those who are called into Yeshua’s ministry, he demands total commitment. One must put Yeshua first above all other human relationships. For this, expect rejection from family and friends (Matt 10:34–39).
  • Again, Yeshua holds out the promise of spiritual rewards for those who heed his call to become a disciple who works in his spiritual harvest field (Matt 10:39 cp. Matt 9:37).
 

New Video: Are You a Light on a Hill?

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Yeshua  commanded  his disciples (that’s you and me) to take the gospel message to the world and to make disciples. This is called the Great Commission. Sadly, many view it as the Great Suggestion, and as such, for most believers, spreading the gospel has become the Great Omission. In this video, Natan will challenge you to help spread the good news of Yeshua (Jesus) by being like a light on a hill to those around you.

 

“Go Ye Therefore Into All the World”—A Guide to Sharing Your Faith

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With the summer months upon us and the weather improving, people begin to interact more with each other. Here’s a practical guide to sharing your faith with others—on how to let your light shine in the darkness around you. After reading this, please share with this blog audience any ideas you have about sharing the gospel with others.

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Motivation to Evangelize the Spiritually Lost

What should be our motivation to evangelize the lost?

Yeshua commanded his disciples (that’s us) to share our faith with those around us. This is called evangelism. Yeshua’s imperative command in Mark 16:15 to “go into all the world and preach the gospel…!” is not “the great suggestion,” but “the great commission!” To many, it has become “the great omission.” We’re often afraid to share our faith with others because we’re afraid they might think negatively of us if we do.

Human need demands that we reach out to the lost and hurting people around us. Like Yeshua, we must seek to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Like Yeshua, we must meet people at their point of need by finding the need and meeting it with the gospel message, the Word of YHVH and the love of Yeshua.

Compassion and love for the lost and hurting will compel us to share the good news with others. This is something Yeshua demonstrated (Matt 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34).

We must have a love for the lost. Pray to the Father that he gives you a supernatural love for the lost as Yeshua had. Love sensitizes us to the needs of others. Love makes you want to reach out to others. Love makes you forget about yourself and casts out the fear of witnessing or the fear of what others may think (1 John 4–18).

We will have an easy time sharing the gospel of Yeshua with others if we still have the joy of our salvation. If we have lost that joy, pray for it to come back as David prayed in Psalm 51:12–13. Perhaps sin, the cares of this life, fear or other things are blocking that joy.

The New Testament Model for Evangelism

A study of the Testimony of Yeshua (or New Testament) reveals that the dominant model Continue reading →

 

The Church Turned Inside Out—Parking Lot Outreach

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As mentioned in an earlier post, yesterday on the Sabbath our small congregation rather than meeting in our church building, gathered instead  in the church’s parking lot along a busy boulevard.

We had music, prayer, worship flags, a little teaching and the kids played in the field in front of the church. Several people passed out tracts and Bibles to pedestrians, and a man and one of our teens held up a nine-foot log cross on the sidewalk in view of passing cars.

Although YHVH blessed us with an exquisitely beautiful spring day, there weren’t very many pedestrians. Only a few tracts were passed out.

Notwithstanding, our folks learned what it was like to display their faith in public and to become a “fool” for Yeshua. This is an excellent exercise for our spiritual character development.

We will pray and seek YHVH as to what type of outreach he wants us to do next for him in the public arena. We’re already kicking around some ideas. We’ll probably do the parking lot outreach again, but with some additions using a different approach.

Stay tuned to this blog. I’ll soon be uploading a pdf, printable version of the gospel tract I wrote and that you can use as your own personal evangelistic tool. The tract has room for you to write your own name and phone number on it.

Here are some photos I took of our outreach.

Singing and worshiping in the church parking lot.

Singing and worshiping in the church parking lot.

The church turned inside out for Yeshua and the advancement of the kingdom of Elohim.

The church turned inside out for Yeshua and the advancement of the kingdom of Elohim.

Steve and Dennis standing on the sidewalk along Hall Blvd. with the cross and Bibles and tracts.

Steve and Dennis standing on the sidewalk along Hall Blvd. with the cross and Bibles and tracts.
 

It’s Time to Turn the Church Inside Out

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Want to get radical? Most church congregations hold their meetings indoors where no one on the outside can see or hear them. How about turning the church inside out? Instead, hold services outside in the parking lot for the whole world to see? Take the light of the saints out of the bushel basket called a church building and put it outside!

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This Sabbath (Shabbat) afternoon, our congregation will be holding an outreach Shabbat services in the parking lot (along a busy boulevard) of the church building we rent. We’re going to have live music, worship dance, worship flag ministry, preaching, passing out food to the hungry, passing out Bibles and tracts to the spiritually hungry, and praying for those with needs. Below is what will be on a flyer we’ll be passing out to those who drop in to  visit us.

To help you on your spiritual journey, here are a number of free resources our ministry makes available:

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