Parable of the Soils

Dennis McCallum

Mark 4:1-20

Jesus describes people's responsiveness to God's Word in a parable of four soils. The four responses of the soil include: 1) forgetful hearer; 2) superficial hearer; 3) distracted hearer; and 4) the soil that bears much fruit. The focus for Christians is sending forth God's message to people and being faithful to His message even when people don't respond to it. The choice is still up to the individual on which type of soil they'd like to be.

Responding to Jesus' Gift

Gary DeLashmutt

Hebrews 10:19-25

Shifting from theological argument to practical application, the author gives suggestions on how to respond to Jesus' gift of salvation. He says that his audience should: 1) cultivate relational closeness with God, 2) keep sharing their faith with others, and 3) keep inciting one another to live out God's love. He warns against auto-pilot and stagnant faith without active love and service.

Gospel and Postmodern Culture (Part 4)

Jim Leffel

Romans 8:28

Part four of a four-part series on the Gospel impacting postmodern culture. We are called upon by God to give an account for the hope that is within us with gentleness and respect. How do we respond to questions about God being loving when we live in a world full of evil and suffering? A basic framework for understanding the problem of evil is presented to help us engage with others on this topic.\r\n

Gospel and Postmodern Culture (Part 3)

Jim Leffel

Hosea 2:5-14:4

Part three of a four-part series connecting the gospel to our culture. God wants us to dialogue with people about the truth and be able to defend our faith in a loving and compelling way. Many people are turned off to Christianity because they think a loving God will not judge people or they wonder how God can judge both a little old lady and Hitler. Satisfying responses are given along with a look at the loving heart of God revealed in the book of Hosea.\r\n

Gospel and Postmodern Culture (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

1 Peter 3:15-16

Part two of a four-part series on how the Gospel can impact postmodern culture. As we live out the Gospel, we need to have honest, compassionate and respectful answers for peoples' honest questions. Compelling arguments are given for how to dialogue with people regarding: 1) the exclusive claims of the Bible; 2) the issue of people having sincere beliefs but on different paths; and 3) the problem of those who have never heard the Gospel. A powerful video testimony by Gary Saalman, a lawyer who examined the evidence for the faith and became a Christian, is shown.\r\n

Evangelism Initiatives

Sherri Fojas

John 7:18

Sherri Fojas provides a practical look into tried and tested evangelism initiatives. While Xenos hosts some outreach events, most of the evangelistic efforts here happen on a home church level. Sherri gives and explains numerous ideas for both "come and see" and "go and be" events. She also discusses misconceptions about evangelism and addresses some common questions people ask about these initiatives.

Leading Home Group Evangelism

Doug Patch

John 7:18

In order to lead our home groups toward consistent and effective evangelism, we must first convince home group members of God's mission for the church, which is to reach the lost and disciple the saved. We ourselves must own this and model this in our daily lives, showing personal commitment in this area. We want to draw attention to the right motives behind evangelism and help equip our people to effectively reach people themselves. Prayer too is a powerful weapon. While we need to emphasize each member having a burden for this, we also want to ensure the structures of our Bible study put non-believing friends and family at ease when they visit. This would include the environment, comfort of the room, meeting times, available food, and avoidance of strictly Christian language.

Invading Secular Space

Dwight Smith

John 7:18

The goal of the church is emphatically to go out and reach people. This stands contrary to the American church which places larger emphasis on making the people inside happy. Believers in Christ, no matter which church they may belong to must take responsibility for those who do not know Christ: in their city, in their country, and in their world. This means that we must partner with other Christians and churches around us for the greater mission. Through personal Bible reading, interdependent leadership, and positive witnessing seen through our relationships, there is hope for evangelism. \r\n

Go Groups: How to Engage non-Christians in Your Community

Gary DeLashmutt

John 7:18

Part of the problem in our churches may be that we are not abundantly sowing. If we never go out and surround ourselves with people who do not know Christ, our evangelism may dry up and wither. We need to invade secular space, to shift the emphasis from gathering people inside the church to dispersing ourselves out into the city. There are two main avenues through which we can create these "Go-Groups," through recreation and volunteering. Provided here are different examples, potential failures, and needed actions to make these groups fruitful.