evangelism Archives - Page 6 of 9 - Plain Bible Teaching

Andy Sochor April 22, 2014

Do the Ends Justify the Means?

You have likely heard the phrase, “the ends justify the means.” Most people believe this concept, at least in certain applications. The idea is that if the end result is good, then it does not matter if the means to that end are wrong – all that really matters is the end result.

Common examples of this mindset are to say that it is fine to lie as long as it is done for a good purpose (to spare someone’s feelings, prevent embarrassment, advance yourself, etc.), or that it is acceptable to steal in order to feed one’s family. However, the word of God – our standard for morality – clearly defines lying and stealing as being wrong (Ephesians 4:25, 28). A noble purpose does not justify sinful behavior.

There are many applications we can make regarding the false concept of the ends justifying the means. But in this brief article, I want to focus on the area of evangelism.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: authority, evangelism, gospel, preaching

Andy Sochor April 3, 2014

How Did the Apostles Carry Out the Great Commission?

When Jesus gave His apostles the Great Commission, He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). Why were they told to do this?

They were to “preach the gospel” because the gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16).
They were to preach “the power of God for salvation” because God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
They were to lead men to “the knowledge of the truth” because “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17), and “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Just from the passages above, we can see that the preaching of the gospel was (and is) very important. The apostles were told to “go into all the world,” which suggests that they were to try to reach as many people as possible with the soul-saving message of the gospel. But how did they carry out this commission?

Obviously, the apostles preached. But is preaching enough? Can preaching alone really be effective? Notice what is recorded in the book of Acts:
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: evangelism, gospel, preaching

Andy Sochor November 6, 2013

The Church is Not a Charity

The title of this article may seem odd to you. It seems that most people – both religious and non-religious – view churches as, at least in part, charitable organizations. Many churches have programs and “ministries” that are designed to provide aid to the poor in their communities. Often these churches also conduct “mission trips” to various parts of the world to provide food, clothing, medicine, and more to those in third world countries. Such practices are so common that people with either ongoing or immediate financial needs seek assistance from churches in their communities.

The congregation where I preach has no program, no funds, and no intention to provide such charitable help to those in the community. The reason for this is not that we have no concern for the poor. Instead, it is because we are concerned with following the pattern found in the New Testament (cf. 2 Timothy 1:13; Colossians 3:17). Below are the reasons why the church is not a charity.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: authority, benevolence, church, edification, evangelism

Andy Sochor September 29, 2013

Audio: Rules for Religious Discussions

It is incumbent upon Christians to be ready to teach others. Religious discussions will take place in different environments – friendly/hostile, public/private, in-person/online, etc. How do we make the best use of our opportunities to discuss the Scriptures with others? By remembering some rules for religious discussions.
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Filed Under: Audio Tagged With: evangelism, love, personal evangelism, study, teaching, word of God

Andy Sochor September 23, 2013

Audio: The Church and its Money

Each first day of the week we take up a collection. This money is then used by the church. The method of collecting funds in our text is the only way we find that is authorized in the New Testament. However, instead of focusing on that point in this lesson, we’re going to focus on how to handle the money after it has been collected.
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Filed Under: Audio Tagged With: authority, benevolence, church, collection, edification, evangelism

Andy Sochor June 20, 2013

The Mission of the Church

There are many different churches all over the world. Why do these churches exist? What is their mission? That answer will vary from church to church as men fashion their churches according to their own desires. We will consider a few possible answers later in this article.

But what is the mission of the church of our Lord? The answer to this question will not be found in human opinion or tradition, but in the word of God that has been revealed to us in the Scriptures. So let us see what the Scriptures say about the mission of the church.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: authority, benevolence, church, edification, evangelism, preaching, social gospel, worship

Andy Sochor May 8, 2013

What Do the Numbers Tell Us?

There is often a great deal of emphasis placed upon numbers in a congregation – membership, attendance, converts, etc. This is somewhat natural. We tend to want some way to gauge success or progress in our efforts. Yet numbers rarely tell the whole story and, in many ways, can even be deceiving. Rather than being quick to jump to conclusions based upon numbers, we should look to God’s word to gauge our success in carrying out His will.
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