Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

    Dave, how would you define it?

    I have heard this from two different perspectives.  The first is where
    the local church prepares you to be fishers of men, then send you out. 
    This is evangelization.  There are, however, organizations such as
    Campus Crusade for Christ, The Navigators, Intervarsity, etc., which
    deal strongly in Evangelism and Discipleship.  My wife was on staff
    with Campus Crusade for ten years and had great opportunities to
    evangelize at universities throughout the U.S.  The contrast here is
    that some believe that because these groups are not a "church" in the
    sense of the order of authority and worship prescribed in 1st Timothy
    and Titus, they may in fact not be in Gods perfect will although they
    are reaching the lost.  I am still questioning this as it could be a
    valid point; however, they are bearing fruit!!
    
    Rgds.,
    
    Jack

    
    >Dave, how would you define it?
    
    		My first thought would be individually.  God didn't "save"
    a Church organization but people.  He sent not a Church but a group of
    individuals to evangelize to a lost world.  He said to share the "good
    News".  He said to tell others what you saw and expierenced.  I believe
    that a very necessary part of evangelizing is to share what God has
    done for you not what God did for the world because God didn't save a
    world.  He saved individuals thru which the world might be saved.  
    
    
    Dave 

Dave,

I believe God did both; he saves the world collectively and
he saves individuals individually.  We are no longer under
the stigma of original sin because of Jesus death (this
applies to all), we are still under the stigma of are own
sin which needs to be individually paid for.

Back to evangelism.  Spreading the message is what evangelism
is about.  We are to be witnesses of what we have heard,
experienced and know to be true.  After that, it is the
responsibility of the Holy Spirit to convert those whom
God has predestined (:-) ) to salvation.

Collis

    RE: .4  Collis,
    
    			Maybe you might want to explain a bit further on
    your concept of God "saving the world".   That just doesn't set too
    well with me, so maybe I am misunderstanding your statement.  The world
    is given the opportunity for salvation through evangelization but not 
    given salvation by virture of being alive.  Its like a Church
    membership does not save though its an organization of saved people.
    
    
    Dave

    
    Patrick, how would you define it?

    To me, Dave, evangelization means serving as a messenger, a witness -
    and, yes - a salesperson of the Good News.
    
    Richard
    

Go:  meet people where they live, where they rejoice, where they suffer

Listen:  listen to their story, learn of their life, hope, and fears.
         Reflect on it.

Tell:  share your story, the good news of your faith, the pain, the joy.

Peace,

Jim

    Also see topic 183 "Evangelism"
    
    Richard
    

    Evangelization is all the actions that proclaim the good news that
    Jesus is Lord in order that all may know and love him and by the grace
    of God obtain salvation.

    RE: .10
    
    How do you do that?
    
    Marc H.

    Community (assembly, church, fellowship, etc.)

    First, like the apostles and earliest Christians we are called to form
    communities of people committed live lives in the imitation of the life
    of Christ, either in the world or apart from the world.  All aspects of
    evangelization have a personal aspect and a communal aspect.

    Prayer

    As persons, families, and communities, to make Jesus the center of our
    lives and keep him in our thoughts. ("Wherever two or three are
    gathered in my name")

    Worship (ritual, liturgy, Mass, Eucharist, etc.)

    As persons, families, and communities, to participate in action that
    is duplicated throughout the world and through time that recall the
    life of Jesus, glorify him, and seek his intercession in our lives.

    Teach (preach, baptize, etc.)

    As parents to instruct children in the faith.  As individuals to learn
    and keep learning and then to share the faith with people who seek a
    knowledge of it.  Defend the faith from its enemies.

    As a community to organize the evangelization of the world and accept
    into the community of as Christians all who seek salvation. 

    Charity (love)

    In the imitation of Christ to perform personal acts of sacrifice of
    time and money to Christians and non-Christians alike.  As communities
    to help those in need.  As Christ taught us to be a light unto the
    world.
                                                                      

    RE: .12
    
    Sounds O.K. to me. What does the Latin mean?
    
    Marc H.

    AMDG is the motto of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits
    
    		To the greater glory of God.
    
    Another Latin motto is from Psalm 74:22, also on the theme of
    evangelization
    
    		Exurge Domine et Judica Causam Tuam

    RE: .14 I think I'm going to have to start reading this conference
    with my son. He's in his first year of Latin as a freshman in high
    school. 

    			Alfred

Re:  607.5

  >Maybe you might want to explain a bit further on
  >your concept of God "saving the world".   

Sure, I'll try again.

I believe that there are two different types of salvation.  One
is because we are stained with "original sin"; the other is
because we are stained with are own sin.

The first way that Christ saved us was to save the entire world
from the consequences of original sin.  In my belief, babies
are guilty yet Christ paid the price on the cross and so they
are therefore acceptable to God.  This means, of course, that
there is no need to baptize a baby/child before the age of
accountability in order for them to be "acceptable" to God.

After the age of accountability, original sin has still been
taken care of, but personal sin also needs to be taken care of.
This is the salvation that we normally talk about.

I believe this because of the teaching of the pastor of Grace
Chapel (Lexington, MA) on Romans 5.  I believe the pastor was
Howard Clark.

This is an area of theology that is often not discussed much
(but often wondered about).

Collis