Urban Evangelism
"…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 This commandment, given by Christ to his apostles, was one of action. First they were to go into their homes, or Jerusalem, then to their community, or Samaria, and then finally to the ends of the earth. The Christian church of today, however has lost sight of that directive. For too many years now we have sent thousands of missionaries abroad while ignoring the mission field next door. While many may witness in our homes few move out into the community, especially when that community is in an urban area. Joshua 8:7 says "…take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand." Now more than ever this call to "take the city" must followed by believers. The current population of the world is 5,983,000,000 (World POPClock, 1:57 p.m., April 28, 1999). Of those estimated 6 billion people, two thirds of them will be living in cities by the year 2000 (Giradet 1). By ignoring the call to evangelize the cities for Christ, upwards of 4 billion people my be lost.
The shear numbers involved in urban evangelism should serve as all call to arms. The church must be involved in the cities of the world both physically and socially. Amos Howley say's that "Every social act in an exercise of power, every social relationship is a power equation" (Hurst 92) Within that power equation, who better to serve at a catalyst for social action than the creator of power Himself. The Holy Spirit will enable the saint, but to effectively minister in the urban culture one must know the history, understand the lifestyle, and apply cultural relevancy to each and every action.
First, a de...
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Hurst, Charles E. Social Inequality: Forms, Causes and Consequences Boston, MA: Allyn
and Bacon, 1992
Hunter, Mark The Changing Family Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1998
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and How to Fix It Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 1996
The Holy Bible The New International Version Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
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Vandermeulen, Arnold J. Skid Row Life Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1956
Wooden, Wayne S. Renegade Kids, Suburban Outlaws: From Youth Culture to
Delinquency New York: Wadsworth Publishing, 1995
U.S. Census Bureau World POPClock Projection http://www.census.gov/cgi-
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In a survey conducted in 2012, LifeWay.com inquired about the importance of evangelism among members of the Christian faith. The results of the survey showed that 80 percent of people who claimed to follow Jesus Christ and had openly devoted themselves to the teaching of Christianity, felt that they had a “personal responsibility to share their religious views and beliefs about Jesus Christ with non-christians” (Wilke, LifeWay.com). Surveys such as this reflect the Christian doctrine of evangelism and the weight it holds within the Christian faith. As can be seen back in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ commanded His followers “to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).” However, Jesus never told His followers how doing this.
3. What, according to the author, is the role of the city mission churches in the tenement areas?
The rise of densely populated urban spaces in the United States from the beginning of the second great awakening has provoked a perception of secularism and depersonalization amongst the public. The Second Great Awakening was brought in part due to the need for moral revival based on the presumption that urban areas brought a downturn religious practice through temptation and access, and also as a means with which to alleviate the ills which urbanization brought with it through the rise of volunteer associations and missionary work.1 Moreover, Utopian societies gave citizens the opportunity to recreate a society devoid of these perceived ills and also gave rise to alternative modes of practice and expre...
As Christians it is our responsibility to live our lives in accordance with God’s will. Sharing the good news of God’s kingdom is imperative not only for our salvation, but that of many. If we don’t hear the gospel, we do not have an opportunity to embrace it. Additionally we cannot distort the message otherwise we diminish ...
Without this theology, not only the believer, but the missionary has no foundation to build upon. Believers in general, but especially missionaries must prepare themselves through prayer in order to lead churches to preach and teach the Word of God. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy that those that labor in preaching and teaching” should be considered worthy of double honor. (1 Tim. 5:17) This is important because Christian’s understanding their role as a believer, or again even more importantly, the role of a missionary is extremely vital in advancing God’s kingdom. Winter and Hawthorne rightly say in our text that “If we in the West insist on keeping our blessing instead of sharing it, then we will, like other nations before us (Israel, Rome, etc) perhaps have to “lose” our blessing in order for the remaining nations to receive.” Although there are times in today’s world that may seem like the world has turned their backs on God, Christian’s should look with great anticipation for the days that are coming when God will reclaim the earth and believers will be redeemed. The reason that believers practice missions is the end result. Redemption from sin, and receiving an inheritance from God including “full rights as sons” is only part of what is in store for the child of
We as individuals alongside the Catholic Church play a crucial role in being able to make a difference in not only the lives of people experiencing homelessness but also to the lives of people who are more disregarded in society. The Catholic Church already undertakes many charity works and distributing of goods to help those around us but with the supporting help of communities and us as individuals we are able to reinforce this idea to help create a stronger more equal society. As individuals we are able to strengthen these ideas through things such as participating in charity works that are being held and giving a helping hand to those around us but a key form of difference we are able to make is mainly by educating those around us about the social justice issues that surround us daily.
Instead of adopting the ways of popular culture, the Church should show the world a more excellent way. Instead of retooling Sunday to render it in synch with Monday through Saturday, the Church, in its proclamation and in its making of disciples, should offer a counter-cultural model of living obedience, seeking to transform what believers and unbelievers experience during the week by what happens to them and around them on Sunday.
Many years ago, a friend and pastor whom I dearly loved and respected told me that there are three areas of responsibility in sharing the gospel. They are ours, the Holy Spirits, and the one that hears the gospel. Our responsibility is to go where we are called. That is it, to go and allow our self to be used. The Holy Spirit’s
Even after God wiped them out with a flood, the next generation grew in wickedness. After the flood, God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). From Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, Japheth; nations arose. The nations scattered and filled the earth. Even though God blessed Noah and his offspring, sin still lived in human hearts. God intended the nations to scatter, but they settled in one spot because of their common language. They built the tower of Babel to glorify themselves. God, however, intervened with their plans and confused the language between them. This caused them to scatter out of confusion and not of God’s blessing. “The subsequent dispersion of the nations at the tower of Babel indicates that obedience results in blessing and disobedience results in scattering” (Hindson & Yates, 136). The people scattered the earth according to their language. Today, civilizations are still grouped by different languages. Even with the confusion of language and the divisions of nations, each society continues to sin and glorify themselves rather than God. Jesus called us to go out into the earth and tell others about Him. The barrier of language will not overcome to spreading of the Gospel. We are called to bring others to Christ and be unified as the Body of
It is our responsibility to spread the Gospel, and seek them that will listen. We are ambassadors from the thorn of heaven, to the people of this creation, to show them a path out of condemnation and into salvation through the blood of Jesus the Christ. 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4 [KJV] “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” If we will not spread the Gospel, the good news, the message of salvation; who will?
God calls Christians to share his word with all the inhabitants of earth throughout the Bible, the verse listed above is just one of many verses found in which God calls all Christians to share his word or “witness” to nonbelievers. Witnessing is mentioned again in the Bible “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15, New King James Translation). When sharing the gospel with those who are not receptive to the idea of God, Rhetoric can be an immensely useful tool in changing hearts. Billy Graham, one of the most well-known evangelists in the world, uses rhetoric in his book “The Reason for My Hope: Salvation”. In Graham’s book, Chapter one is started off with testimonies of surviving plane crashes, floating at sea for forty-seven days, and medical miracles, all of which were near death experiences to say the least (Graham, 2013, pg. 1-4). The way that Graham started off chapter one of his book exhibits a use of pathos, all the stories referred to were meant to appeal to the emotions of the reader in question. Graham used the heart-changing story of Louis Zamperini’s life as part of the introduction as well to share Louis’ testimony of redemption, from being a prisoner of war during World War Two, becoming an alcoholic when he returned home, to his wife
Biblical witness centers on the Spirits activity of “binding believers to Christ, incorporation them into the church as the body of Christ and equipping the church for mission.” Despite the best effort of the Church to be the hands and feet of Christ it is reassuring to know that the Spirit is still present and working in the hearts of people outside of the church’s work. Without the work of the Spirit in the hearts of believers and throughout the word, humanity would not know the love of God. The Holy Spirit gives liberates and brings new life it unites, encourages and brings hope to a world pledged by darkness.
Ritchie, M. (1999). Community bible chapel. The story of the church – Part 4, Topic 5. The Protestant
The known world was impacted by the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was done by the first century church with great passion. These early followers of Christ set the world on fire, by relaying the Good news of Jesus Christ, first to the nation of Israel then to the gentile world. The Bible tells us that the Apostle Peter was commissioned to bring the announcement of Christ’s death and resurrection to his Jewish brethren, whereas, the Apostle Paul was chosen by Christ to bring the Gospel message of salvation to the gentile world. The early works of the church are recorded in a series of letters that have become known as the scriptures of the New Testament.
Evangelism is one of the key component for changing people’s lives. McRaney states, “The word evangelism comes from a combination of Greek words for “good” and “messenger.” Evangelism involves bringing the goods. Kent Hunter reminded us that “when Christians witness, they tell how Jesus Christ has changed their own lives. The change in their own lives gives them the desires to share the Good News with others.” Christians must share their testimony to people and spread the gospel so that they can bring lost souls to Christ. God has commissioned every Christian to evangelize so that people will learn about Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal savior. Matthew 28:19 states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Christians are required to spread the Gospel throughout the world and can no longer just attend church. Christians must plant seeds and water the seeds so that lost souls will be saved.