​Due to Christian attendance sinking, many believe that there are not enough opportunities for the church to win souls. If you have fallen into this mode of thinking, I would like to dispel you from it. It all depends on how you think about opportunities and what you think about the church.

​Opportunities are when we can share our faith in a way that we hope will be persuasive. They are not just the times that individuals visit our church buildings. We are the church, and we take the church with us wherever we go. Therefore, everyone we come across is a visitor to the church. This expanded and accurate depiction gives us a better understanding of the opportunities to present the church. There are way more visitors to the church than our bulletins or guest boards portray.

​The question becomes, are we accurately portraying the body of Christ? Are our visitors getting an authentic glimpse into what the church is? Perhaps that is why guests who attend our corporate assemblies are not persuaded about the church as we think they ought to be. They've already judged their involvement in the faith we profess. Their visit is a kind gesture to you as a friend, but that soil is not ready to receive the seed that is God's Word.

​There are more chances for us to present the church than we realize. We must become more aware of those opportunities and adequately show the body of Christ for the benefit of humanity. Do not wait for opportunities to come your way. Instead, create your prospects found with and inside your problems. This proactive approach to opportunities carries a powerful ability to develop ways to increase visitors to experience the abundant life in the church.

​What are your thoughts about opportunities the church creates for itself? What problems are you aware of that are opportunities? Who was the last visitor you are aware of to the church?

​Choose the button below to get assistance in evaluating opportunities for visitors.

421 Words - Reading Time (1min 41secs) - Speaking Time (3min 14secs)

​The world today is always trying to sell us something. Commerce is a way of life for most. Buying and selling take up a disproportionate amount of our human experience. It has gotten to the point that individuals feel like they are being sold in everyday human discourse even when they are not. Communication today often feels like manipulation. One person is trying to convince another person about their ideas. 

​If you have ever spoken with someone about your faith and they make a complaint about you selling something, then it is time to consider another more powerful command. Our Lord gave us a command as one of the two most outstanding commands. That is the command to "Love your neighbor." Look at what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 22:36-40.

​Matthew 22:36–40 (ESV)
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

​As a people trying to lead others to Christ, we must do a better job at the second most excellent command. Doing this will allow others to answer the previous three questions mentioned above in a positive light. When we love our neighbor, then leading can happen in good soil. Love removes ulterior motives where people think we only want to convert them to our religion. Instead, people will think we are doing what is best for them and not for ourselves. 

​Rule #3 – Be Patient Some folks don't understand that just because a person understands intellectually (in their minds) the teachings of the Bible, it doesn't mean that they believe and accept (in their hearts) the teachings of Christ.
For example, the Apostles were with Jesus for three years, and yet, it took almost ten years after His resurrection for them to understand that the Gospel was meant for the entire world and not just for the Jews in the whole world.

​Many obstacles stand in the way of faith other than ignorance of the doctrines. For example,

• Loyalty to family and church group
• Culture
• The fear of change
• Love of sin and this world (John 3:19-20)
• Comfort with the way things are

​When discussing religious issues with someone, we need to remember that all of these issues and more may affect the other person's response and attitude. We need to be willing to keep the discussion and the interchange going as long as the other person is willing to share and exchange ideas. People have turned away from Christ because of the hurry to convert them without taking time to understand their issues.
Most have many obstacles to faith that require time to think through and accept the points made concerning the Bible, so be patient.

​Let's Summarize our Three Best PracticesWhen we engage someone in a discussion about religion and questions concerning the Bible, we need to remember three rules of engagement to avoid bad feelings and wasting our time.

​

1. Give people credit for being as sincere as you are. Demonstrate true Christian love and respect (not for religious practices that may be false) but rather for people's genuine effort to serve God. Respect will set the exchange tone and enable the person to listen honestly to what you are saying. If you offend them with your disrespectful attitude, they won't hear what you're saying.
2. Study God's word, not your opinions. People's biggest mistake in religious discussion is that they don't even open their Bibles. Find the passage and keep the debate centered on understanding what the Bible says about the issue, not the various positions of different groups.
3. Be patient. You are sharing to teach someone more perfectly the way and the Word of the Lord – this requires patience. If all you want to do is win an argument, you will need skill and intelligence. If you're going to win a soul, you will need love and patience in addition to skill and intellect.

​Go back and review the two previous blogs, and check out the links below.

https://youtu.be/E90uU5tYLJIƒ
https://vimeo.com/598284190
https://bibletalk.tv/the-basics

What do you think about these best practices? What would you change and why? Thanks for your comments and feedback.

Best Practices
Bible Study with a group of people, follow these simple rules to benefit a discourse on religious or faith issues. Twenty-five years in ministry from the Pulpit and Lectern have taught me some simple rules to follow when visitors come by. These practices are best because Scripture bears them out.

As Christians who want to share our faith, we must realize that we are in the communication business. Communication is necessary to share the Gospel. Three practices, when applied, provide a blessed opportunity for visitors coming by. These practices are general and not exhaustive.

Rule #2 of 3 – Stick to the Bible
We get into more problems and emotional turmoil because we go from discussing what the Bible says or doesn't say about a matter to judging opinions, habits, traditions, and feelings. For example:
In commenting on the Roman Catholic practice of having a religious service at midnight on Christmas morning, someone will call it "crazy," "useless," or "dumb." However, such a comment would be highly insulting, hurtful, and unproductive for those who grew up with this tradition and practice.
As Christians, our task concerning other people, whether fellow Christians or people who follow other religions or complete atheists, is always the same. It's easy to understand, but it's not always easy to do because of our sinful natures and ignorance.
Our task is given to us in Matthew 28:20 by Jesus, and He says that we must "teach them to observe all that I commanded you." This task does not involve our feelings or opinions, only the Word of the Lord – the Bible. There are some critical reasons for rule number two.

A – It's Biblical
Sticking to the Word is how the Word itself tells us to debate and discuss with others about faith.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
- II Timothy 3:16

• Paul tells a young preacher, Timothy, that it is the Word of God that can instruct someone in matters of faith (teach). 
• He says that the Word of God is the standard for proving or disproving the validity and truthfulness of any idea or religious claim (reproof). 
• The Word of God is used to adjust a mistaken idea or proposal in spiritual matters (correction). 
• The Word of God is to be used to train a person to live a good life before God, serve Him, or worship Him (training).

The Bible itself tells us that we should use it in trying to convince, debate or teach other people.

B – It keeps the debate in perspective
When a religious discussion gets ugly and bitter, it is usually because the exchange has become personal. Comments like, "what a stupid idea," or "that's not the way we do it at my church," or "my preacher says that you people are all going to hell."
Religion and faith are deeply personal things and just discussing them with someone else is dangerous. You're afraid of being wrong or looking ignorant, or being rejected. Try to remember that the discussion is not between

• your church versus their church
• your faith versus their faith
• your ideas, traditions, and leaders versus theirs

Religious discussions that are productive, non-confrontational, and informative, a religious debate should be framed in the following perspective: "How do our respective beliefs, faith, and religions line up with the Bible?"
On one side is Jesus and His Word; the other side is ourselves and the people we are discussing religion. 
For example:
Jesus is on one side, and we are on the other. We hold all of our beliefs, including our own, to the light of God's Word. That makes us partners in the search for truth, not adversaries.
So, a simple example of this type of approach would be discussing baptism with a Baptist or a Methodist friend. The debate never ends when approached with the idea that we would argue what the Church of Christ teaches versus what Baptists teach. If we put it into this perspective, the discussion becomes more fruitful and less contentious. "Let's study what the Bible teaches about baptism and discuss what we've learned."
There may not be immediate agreement. The other side may not accept certain conclusions that we readily approve. Still, communication will happen, God's Word will be read and discussed, and perhaps the discussion will end well with the desire to continue because of mutual respect.
If you keep discussing people's beliefs and God's Word (and not between your idea versus their idea), you have a better chance of teaching God's "Word and Will" rather than your own.

That brings us to Practice #3. Check this blog out in a week to look at these three practices in the coming weeks. In summary, remember 1. Give people some credit where their sincerity is concerned; 2. Study God's Word, not your opinion, and have no other agendas; 3. Be patient because teaching the perfect way requires it. 

Beliefs need to be Bible-grown and matured if one is to have peace and salvation. We must remember that we have not cornered sincerity and zeal of faith.

See you in the next blog, and check out the links below.