Notes from Columbus: 5/4/2005 Rich Nathan

Rich Nathan is the Senior pastor of the Columbus Vineyard. His church was a wonderful host to us at the conference.

• II Tim 4, Paul draws a contrast between those who listen to teachers who say what they want to hear, and those he challenges to evangelism. He says: do the work of an evangelist.
  
• Are we a bulwark (protecting the church from erosion, and keeping it 'safe' from the outside), or a bulldozer (changing the landscape)?
  
• We need faith in the gospel (rather than in ourselves or our skills). We need to go to our community with confidence in the good news of christ. Preach good news. Good news! Christ can fill the hole in your soul. Good news! You can be gorgiven of your sins. Good news! To do a great job of evangelism, preach good news. God has done everything to secure for us what we could not do for ourself.
  
• Call for a public decision. Make the message clear. Don't blend a salvation call with something else, that might make the response ambiguous.
  
• Teach the church to be inviters. Pastors need to partner with the people. The people invite their friends to come, the pastor preaches the gospel.
  
• Model evangelism. Use every method, for example use the internet.
  
• Discipleship is like chocolate milk Christianity (all mixed up indistinguishably with life) rather than a grapefruit (in sections).
  
• We have to remove the impediment to the gospel. Quote authorities the listener will respect. Perhaps the New York times, or a secular authority. Try to be inclusive in your preaching, for example, make sure to not leave out women.
  
• Use apologetics as you preach. Remove issues that could keep someone from believing.
  
• Every community has boundaries, but the characteristic of Christianity is how it treats people outside the boundaries.
  
• Preach social justice.
  
• Treat people's doubts with respect.
  
• Christianity is not an argument that you are trying to win.
  
• Rich preaches to Christians and non-Christians together at each service. He thinks this trains and models for the church how to share their faith.
  
• Preach a freedom gospel, not just a forgiveness gospel. People aren't worried about justification.
  
• Speak to the lost
  
• Seak to seekers. Say 'you can find what you're looking for'.
  
• Speak to people in crisis.
  
• Speak to the successful but empty. Those who wonder 'is this all there is?'
  
• Believe in the power of the Holy Ghost.
  
• There comes a time when we need to call for a decision, to say yes to Jesus, to surrender.
  
• Tell people that the resistance they feel is from the enemy of their soul.