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All items for February, 2016

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To Judge or not to Judge…

dreamstime_xs_36474293By Jesse Jost

Our culture’s favourite verse, which is applied very selectively, is “do not judge.” (Matt 7:1) A verse that is not so quoted is where Jesus sheds more light on the topic by warning us “not to judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgement.” (John 7:24)

In a world full of evil and danger, wisdom forces us to try to discern between the harmless and the harmful, between the hazardous and the healthy, and between the true and the false. So at one level, making judgments is unavoidable. But our need to judge others seems to go far beyond our need to survive. We love to size up other humans; we make snap-judgments and stereotype. We are quick to make assumptions that aren’t warranted, and declare a verdict based on insufficient evidence.

Judging an issue or another person is serious business. Our judgments have consequences: they dictate our attitudes and our course of actions. When we judge, we are deciding reward or punishment. We reward with trust, time spent with a person, words of affirmation or praise, money spent on a product, etc. We punish by avoidance, emotional withdrawal, silence, criticism, boycotting, slander, or worse.

Clearly, getting our judgments right has huge implications for our self and others. To punish the innocent or reward the evil is a serious offence to God and results in the decay of society.

Incorrect judgments cause much misery and relationship breakdown. I’m sure you don’t have to look too far into your own past to see hurt brought about by an unjust judgement. Our capacity to judge is a loaded weapon with explosive power. Sadly, we swagger around firing the bullets of judgment with reckless abandon, caring little about the serious damage we are inflicting on others.

Some will advocate for judgment pacifism, a mutual disarmament on all judging. I don’t believe that is the answer. Dangers need to be recognized, frauds need to be exposed, evil needs to be unmasked. These are vicious cancers that prey upon the weak. When evil lurks, the vulnerable suffer the worst. Love that stands by and does nothing to speak up or protect is not love, but sentimental cowardice.

Sin is always destructive, which why our loving God abhors it. To not judge sex slavery as evil is to contribute to the ongoing torture millions of girls are experiencing every day. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. The more we grow in our relationship with God, the more we will passionately love the world He has made and those who bear His holy image. Greater love will result in greater passion to bring freedom and healing to those who are enslaved in sin’s corrosive clutches. This requires making a right judgment.

But while fighting for truth, goodness, and beauty requires judging, we must be ever wary of the devastation a hasty and incorrect judgment inflicts. I would like to suggest a quick safety course on the correct handling of judgment. Continue reading…

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Free Personal Evangelism Course

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by Jesse Jost
The topic of witnessing can be so guilt inducing for many Christians. We know we have an obligation to the lost, but there is so much confusion surrounding how to go about it without alienating the very people we are trying to grow closer to.

In 2010 I was invited to Ecola Bible School (in Cannon Beach, OR) to teach a week long course on Personal evangelism. In preparing for the course, I read several powerful books by people who had so much more wisdom and life experience in evangelism than I had. I was so encouraged and inspired by the practical tips and strategies they offered. I tried to include their most helpful ideas. The class objectives were as follows:

To have a clearer understanding of what the gospel message really is and how to communicate it effectively to the world around us. To grasp the importance of clear communication and how perception and worldviews will affect how our message is interpreted. To learn how to handle the tough objections people often need to deal with before they are ready to listen. To discover a fun and valuable way to memorize Scripture. And finally to see the lost through God’s eyes, and determine what He requires of us in our interactions with unbelievers.

I am happy to offer free audio downloads of the sessions and the syllabus. I hope you are encouraged by these talks to step out of your comfort zone and share the incredible good news of Jesus Christ in a loving and winsome way!

Download the podcasts of the sessions: purityandtruth.podbean.com

Download the Syllabus: Personal evangelism syllabus

Session 1: The Atonement Topics: Why did Jesus have to die? What did his death accomplish? How could God’s justice be satisfied by the worst crime in human history? Did Jesus save us from our sins, or the penalty of our sins, or both? Will cover different views on the atonement that have been held throughout church history.

Session 2 “What is the Gospel message?” Topics include: What must I do to be saved? Can you lose your Salvation? How can I know for sure I am going to heaven? What is required on our part? Illustrations that will communicate the gospel ideas in fresh ways.

Session 3 “What do they hear?” Topics: The importance of listening in evangelism. Overcoming the language barrier. How worldviews and past experiences affect how our message is perceived. Communication skills that are critical to evangelism.

Session 4 “Worldview Awareness” Topics: What is a worldview? Objective Truth vs. Subjective Truth. Worldview and Evangelism. False Worldviews. Strategies for discerning and exposing a false worldview.

Session 5 “The Ambassadors methods.” Topics: How questions can move people farther along than answers will. Questions that can turn conversations toward spiritual ideas. Conversation starters.

Session 6 “Dealing With Doubters and How to Prevent Backsliding” Topics: My personal journey with doubt and the truths that strengthened my faith.

Session 7 “Dealing with objections” Topics: Strategies for dealing with common objections. Concise apologetics arguments that work in real life conversations. Objections covered, “There is no God.” “How can there be a God when there is so much evil in the world?” “Jesus was just a myth.” “The Bible is a man-made book full of contradictions.” “God won’t send anyone to hell.” “The church is full of hypocrites.”

Session 8 “How to memorize Scripture” Topics: New techniques that are guaranteed to make scripture memory easier, and help with longer retention.

Session 9 “The Plight of the Lost.” Topics: Why evangelize? How does the Bible tell us to witness? The emptiness of those who are outside of Christ. How does God see the non-believer?

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