Category Archives: Outreach

Training Category: Outreach Ministry

You are the salt of the earth. (Matt. 5:13)

You are the light of the world. . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:14-16)

As believers we need to verbally witness, communicating the Gospel message, because “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Consideration and compassion can pave the way. It’s a way of being the salt and light of Jesus in our communities and the world around us.

Learn How at: Consideration & Compassion Showcase God’s Love for People

Please Note: You’ll find the following content in the Outreach Ministry Manual.

How to be Salt and Light Through Consideration & Compassion:

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• Give financially to your church’s benevolence fund, directly to unsaved individuals in need, and/or to a relief organization that has a good balance between meeting physical needs and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. (Samaritan’s Purse is one example.) If you give directly to people in need, usually it is best to give a gift card to a grocery store or pay the actual bill rather than give the money. Unfortunately, money sometimes gets used differently than the expressed need.
• Use vacation time to go to a devastated area due to war or natural disaster to help rebuild. Pray that in the process you are a witness of God’s grace.
• Get involved in community projects with non-Christians. As you work side-by-side, helping to meet needs, pray that God would open doors for you to share about Jesus with not only those you serve but those with whom you serve.
• If you can work in a clothing or food bank, use it as an opportunity to distribute tracts and/or Bibles along with the goods the people need.
• Help an unsaved neighbor who is elderly, sick or shut-in to mow the lawn, shovel the snow, pick up groceries or medicine, drive them to the doctor’s office, etc.
• Send a sympathy card with comfort verses from Scripture to an unsaved co-worker who is grieving the loss of a loved one. Offer to bring a meal or dessert or to watch their children. Attend the viewing or funeral service to communicate your support.
• Help families of prisoners in practical ways. Your kindness to their families could also touch the hearts of the prisoners.
• Help those in your community who have special needs, such as physical or mental disabilities, in practical ways.
• Volunteer time at a rescue mission to serve meals to the homeless or do other tasks to help.
• Before, during, and after helping in any of these or other ways, pray. Permeate all you do with intercessory prayer for the people that their greatest need, the spiritual, is also met. Pray for opportunities to share about Jesus with them, not just in deed but verbally as well.

Be realistic. The world does have many scammers who are only out to take advantage of the goodness of people. Be wise. Check out the need. Most importantly, pray for God’s will. If you truly believe God wanted you to help and you seem to have been taken advantage of, trust God to work it for the good (Rom. 8:28). Pray for the person and forgive them. Your reaction to their evil intent could soften their heart to the Gospel.

Training Category: Outreach Ministry

We’ve already looked at the Mandate, Motivation, Messengers, and Message we have to communicate with others.

Read: Communicating the Gospel Message by Verbally Witnessing

Please Note: The following content on this page is included in the Outreach Ministry Manual. Click on the image or link to learn more.

How Do We Communicate the Gospel Message

Read through the New Testament and you will find a variety of means used in communicating the Gospel Message.

The Conclusion about Communicating the Gospel Message:

That the Good News of Jesus Christ must get verbally communicated is a given. The means by which it gets communicated is the variable. We must never lose sight of the message.

• The Gospel must remain central and not be lost in the process of trying to be relevant.

• The Gospel must remain intact and not be watered down.

When the Apostle Paul said “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:19-23) notice what he adapted. He said “I” have become all things, not the message. He used “all possible MEANS” but still preached the same Gospel message.

According to 2 Corinthians 4:5-6, we have a message to proclaim — Jesus Christ as Lord. Outreach isn’t about us or what we do. We thus have good reasons for proclaiming Jesus that go beyond merely obeying God’s commands to that of a more personal nature. But, the question remains — How?

Knowing How to Proclaim Jesus Begins with Perspective

When we gain perspective from the next verse, the “how to” question becomes more obvious:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Cor. 4:7)

The “treasure” undoubtedly refers back to what verse 6 says we have been given. — “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ”

Beginning verse 7 with the word “but” lets us know that a contrast is coming. — Though the message (Jesus Himself) is glorious, the messengers are ordinary (“jars of clay”). It’s like putting precious jewels in a clay jar to display them.

How Ordinary Messengers Proclaim Something So Glorious

The implications come from the phrase “this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7).

1) Remember that it isn’t about us and what we do.

We aren’t the ones who change lives. We can’t move people from darkness into light. Only His power can do that. Read John 1:9-13.

2) Realize that God purposefully wants to use ordinary messengers.

We need to get out of the way and let God work through us. In the process, people will see that salvation truly is a work of God. Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.

3) Rest in His all-surpassing power as you proclaim Jesus.

What might seem impossible to us becomes possible because His power surpasses anything and anyone. That same power that saves people enables us to get beyond our fears, people’s doubts and questions, and any opposition we might face. Read on in 2 Corinthians 4 to verses 8-12 for Paul’s example. Even in the face of pressures, perplexing situations, persecution, and put-downs, Paul continued to proclaim Jesus. How? — Because of God’s all-surpassing power, he was not crushed, in despair, abandoned or destroyed.

God wants to reflect His light through us. No matter who we are, what training we have received, or any other circumstances, the bottom line is that it takes His power for that to happen.

Evidence Outreach is About God at Work

How will we know if we if you truly are proclaiming Jesus in God’s power rather than by our own efforts? — The end result will be that when people see your good deeds, they will glorify God. It will be about Him, not you.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:16)

Be Sure to Check Out This Resource: Outreach Ministry Manual