NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

The 10-90 Rule of Evangelism

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In the last half of John chapter 2 Jesus did some very unusual things. Nothing improper and definitely within the law but very much out of the ordinary. No one saw it coming. He threw everyone and everything involved in commercial activity out of the Temple. We usually say He “cleansed” the Temple but that is just a nice way to say He caused a ruckus.

Taking a homemade whip He drove out all the sacrificial animals and the people selling them. He also turned over the tables on which they were exchanging money and doing business.

At first glance His actions seem a little out of character for the One about whom children sing “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,” but it was exactly what the situation called for and served an important purpose. Not only did He right some very serious wrongs but once done He had everyone’s attention. The only people unhappy about this were the religious leaders, who no doubt benefited from the business, but even they could not ignore Jesus after this sensational happening. I’m sure the crowds and the disciples waited with bated breath to see what came next.

And what did He do next? He performed miracles. We don’t know the number but we are told many people, seeing this, became believers.

The interesting thing is, the Bible says Jesus did not commit Himself to any of these new believers. That also seems a little bit out of the ordinary especially for One who was known for disciple making, but the fact is, He hadn’t yet committed Himself to anyone, including the already named disciples: Peter, Andrew, John and so on. It wasn’t till much later (Luke 5) that Jesus called the disciples into full time service and He didn’t appoint the twelve as Apostles until even later.

He waited until the more fractious moments had come and gone like the people of Nazareth attempting to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4) before calling and appointing Apostles. By then they were beyond infatuation. He didn’t want anyone misunderstanding the call to service.

But, we learn a very important lesson about evangelism from what Jesus did here. Even though the time was not right for Him to commit to disciples the time was right for Him to call the masses to salvation, an exercise we usually refer to as evangelism. His approach to evangelism in this chapter is was I call the 10-90 rule of evangelism. Following explains why: [Read more…] about The 10-90 Rule of Evangelism

Parable Of The Talents – Making It Happen

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The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is one passage that places great significance on human productivity. Not activity, not busyness, not even consistency but results. Caution is almost spoken against. If we read this parable properly we get the idea that God is more concerned about the growth we stimulate than He is about the methods used to get there.

In the passage Jesus tells of an investor, the Master, who gives money to three different asset managers. The amount given to each is proportionate to his abilities.

One man receives five thousand dollars, a second receives two thousand and a third receives one thousand and obviously, the intent is for each to increase those monies through investment.

After an appropriate amount of time the Master returns to check on the growth of each account. To his approval, the first two double the original investment to ten thousand and four thousand dollars respectively.

To his dismay, the third gained no increase and the explanation for this failure draws severe criticism from the investor. [Read more…] about Parable Of The Talents – Making It Happen

Take Up Thy Cross

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One of the most consistent influential elements in human society over the past three plus millennia is the Bible. It has been the longest lasting, most copied/printed, most read and most taught book in history and its influence grows rather than fades in spite of significant detractors.

It is a classic. It is universal. It is foundational to many disciplines: literature, literacy, logic, art, law, hygiene, justice, social order and has been used to encourage many personal virtues the greatest of which is love. Those who refuse it are frustrated by the vast recognition it receives even across many diverse cultures.

  • Schools of thought, along with enduring educational traditions, have developed in response to the Bible.
  • Governments have shifted philosophically under its influence.
  • Wars, inevitable due to the basic nature of humans, have been fought directly as a result of biblical influence.

Yes, unnecessary conflict, abuse and rivalry have been initiated in the name of the Bible but we can hardly blame the Bible for the fallacious thinking of those who spawned it and quoted the Bible for justification. If anything, we learn from this that the Bible forces us to think. The experience of others helps us see that reading the text and understanding it are two vastly different things.

But, one piece of evidence demonstrating the Bibles influence – closer in time and more easily recognized – is the many English language idioms developed from it. You can find a long list of phrases taken from the Bible, almost verbatim, here. [Read more…] about Take Up Thy Cross

Gospel Contradictions Explained

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After casually reading the Gospels people sometimes assume they contain contradictions and there are several instances when this seems to be the case. But a closer look helps to rectify the situation.

There were four different Gospels. Three of them were very similar (Matt, Mark and Luke) and are referred to as the synoptics. The fourth, John, had some similarities with the other three but for the most part was very different. Despite the similarities, however, none of them reported the words and actions of Jesus in exactly the same way and we shouldn’t be surprised by that.

Why have four different writers if they all report the same things in the same way?

It is also true that none of the Gospel writers reported everything Jesus said or did during His ministry. None gave an all inclusive account.

In fact, John, at the end of his Gospel (21:25), said there were many other things Jesus did but there weren’t enough books in the world to contain the meaning of it all. He obviously wasn’t familiar with the mass publication of the 21st century but what he said is still true today. There is no end to the efforts made to write and publish insights from the words and actions of Jesus. And, there is no end to those who try to explain it away. [Read more…] about Gospel Contradictions Explained

Jesus Did Strange Things – Taught Important Lessons

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Jesus Responds To Every Request
But Not The Way We Expect

And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.

Jesus often responded to people and circumstances in ways that surprise us. He didn’t follow popular thinking or preferred ideas. “Normal and Usual” never figured prominently in His methodology.

He was setting a new standard not validating an existing one and He never explained Himself. He said what He said, did what He did and expected us to figure it out.

For example:

  • To heal a leper, He touched him: Reckless.
  • In response to the “belief” of many in Jerusalem (John 2) . . . well, He was unresponsive: Disinterested.
  • When a lawyer plainly asked how to obtain eternal life He gave no direct answer: Evasive.
  • When a diseased person who no doubt had been shunned for many years touched Jesus from behind and was healed Jesus loudly insisted the person identify him or herself publicly: Insensitive.

Jesus seemed to overreact in some instances (the leper) but gave the appearance of being unmoved in others (believers in Jerusalem).

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All of these responses are baffling and people ask for explanations frequently. On the surface, these things don’t seem to add up.

But, be sure about this. Jesus wasn’t deviating from His purpose. He came to help people, give solid instruction, be a good example, save souls and change lives and all of His responses, whatever they were, served these purposes. It is our responsibility to study each incident carefully and isolate principles we can also employ in our methods of ministry.

Walking away scratching your head or throwing your hands up in exasperation are not acceptable responses. [Read more…] about Jesus Did Strange Things – Taught Important Lessons