LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

Joe does not believe in God. He believes that Jesus was either just an ordinary human being or never existed at all. He believes the Bible is a collection of myths, half-truths, and lies designed to lead ignorant people astray and give power to religious leaders over the masses. He does not believe in an afterlife. In Joe's mind, there is no need for salvation from sin and hell. He doesn't believe in sin, and he doesn't believe in hell, so why does anyone need to be 'saved'? He believes that atheism is the most rational and reasonable worldview, sometimes because of the 'damage' done by religion throughout the centuries, but mainly because it seems to be the most consistent with the observable world according to the scientific method.

You have probably met "Joe" before, and didn't know what to say to his conclusions about God and life. The atheist's worldview is driven by pure rationality, reason, and the scientific method. The result of this is that most atheists hold the theory of evolution to be true, and they reject the possibility of the spiritual world and an afterlife. Most surveys show that around 15% of Americans call themselves atheist.

Our task this weekend is to look at how to be a witness to people that profess to be atheists.

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

Last week, we introduced a formula on how to effectively reach people for Jesus. HP (High Potency) + CP (Close Proximity) + CC (Clear Communication) = MI (Maximum Impact). The first part, high potency, means that we are a strong enough concentration of Christ's influence in our lives that His power and presence will be undeniable to others. Living an authentic life, having compassion on people and making personal sacrifices all work together to help those outside the faith come to the point of saying, "The proof is in the living, and the evidence seems irrefutable. Who else but God could be behind how that person is?" However, it doesn't matter how POTENT our relationship with Christ is if we never get close to people who don't know Christ themselves. Salt does no good if it is left in the shaker. So if we are going to impact our world for Christ, the most effective approach will be through friendships with those who need to be reached. This weekend, we are going to be looking at the second portion of the formula, the idea of close proximity.


To really influence the lost in our community we must leave the church and go out there making friendships with people through which we can share our faith. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that the lost are going to come in here to us. But repeatedly we are told that we must be willing to go to them. It is estimated that less than three percent of the non-Christian people in the world ever come into our buildings. So, we will never fulfill the Great Commission by building great buildings. We must remember that relationships bring people into a saving relationship with Jesus. People bring people to the Lord.


How many unsaved people do you know? A recent study asked 10,000 Christians how they came to Christ and 79% said they came to Christ because they were invited to do so by a friend! This means that almost 80% of the people who respond to Christ do so through an already established relationship. And here's some more pertinent info. A recent article in LEADERSHIP JOURNAL revealed that 80% of the people won to Christ through relationships become actively involved in a local church. On the other hand 80% of those won in a one-time witnessing encounter, say on a street corner or in a door-to-door witnessing campaign. 80% of these people never become actively involved in a church.

How do we influence those around us with the Gospel of Christ? Join us as we study the importance of close proximity in bringing a person to Christ.

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LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

LOFT Ministries
Living Our Faith Together

www.loftworship.com

WORD.WORSHIP.EVANGELISM.FELLOWSHIP.

The purpose of LOFT is to create a passion for all people
to become devoted followers of Christ through
the application of God's Word, living a lifestyle of worship,
being a witness of the Gospel, and building meaningful
relationships that are grounded in the Word of God.

]]> http://blip.tv/file/895844 Religion Sun, 11 May 2008 01:35:25 +0000 ]]> LOFT Vision Sunday http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/