Transcript:

When we talk about "Reaching the Religious Lost", we're talking about an evangelistic campaign. So, who are we going to reach out to and how do we do it?

This will come as no surprise. The 'Who' will be the Religious Lost. But, there are in three different categories of evangelism as it pertains to this group.

The first group is our close relationships, you know, friends, family and co-workers. Out reach to this group is called,

"Relationship Evangelism." It's most effective over longer periods of time. It's not something we rush into. We build a relationship over time and eventually are able to offer spiritual support or answers when the proper time comes.

The second type of evangelism might be called "Relational Evangelism." This outreach is to people we meet in our daily routines. These are the people we interact with often. Our mail carrier, a clerk at our local grocery or that latte barista who gives you that triple mocha whatever which kick starts ya every morning... these would be a great examples of people in this category.

The third group we evangelize, are the people we meet as we go about our daily routine. We really don't have a relationship with them and it's typically a one time meeting. We offer an invitation to a Bible Study or church service, usually by handing them an invitation card. This is called,

"Cold Call Evangelism" or "As You Go Evangelism."

Being familiar with these three types of evangelism will help you understand how "Reaching the Religious Lost," as a program is structured.

The program itself uses a series of online videos hosted from a special website, designed specifically for The Religious Lost. Those videos poignantly explain how today's religious world has strayed from sound Biblical teachings.

Feel free to use those lessons to introduce people, from any evangelistic category, to the Biblical Plan of Salvation. The lessons are gentle but powerful, eye opening and challenging. I'll tell you about the website and how you can watch those lessons in just a minute.

Now, when you watch them, I hope you feel like they embody everything you wished you could tell your friends and family if they would just listen to you or let you explain your faith in God.

The point I want to get across here is that the videos can be helpful for any evangelistic relationship.

Now, as an evangelistic program, "Reaching the Religious Lost, uses this video series but focuses on our third category of evangelism, Cold Call Evangelism.

This evangelistic program has two goals in mind.

First, get disciples out sharing their faith in a fresh new way... and second, get disciples into studies so they may begin to rekindle the spiritual fire which comes from sharing the word of God.

"Reaching the Religious Lost" uses a unique and different approach to evangelism. Let me take you through the approach I've developed and demonstrate how it might be used. You're about to see how to turn a really crumby evangelistic situation into an open door. You'll be surprised how easy and fun it is to get back to our mission of seeking and saving the lost, as we tackle this seemingly closed group of people, the Religious Lost. Like any evangelistic effort, it all begins with a quick meeting....

Video Clip of Shoot Down.

Bam! We're shot down. The door just slammed shut! Or did it? If we are "Reaching the Religious Lost," this a golden response, we just made a positive identification! This is the person we're looking for!

This is the same person Jesus focused on.

What if the conversation was more like this.

Video Clip - RRL Invitation

When someone tells us they go to church, that means, they're a believer. The door didn't just slam shut, it opened! Think about it. They just told you they believe in Jesus, just like you. You are on common ground. From their perspective, you're their brother or sister! The door is wide open. We just need to walk through it. Let's review what just happened.

First , she encouraged him. Then, she asked if he went to church.

Notice, she did not invite him to church. Since he said he went to church, she established, straight up that he considers himself a Christian and asked that question directly..."Oh, so you're a Christian?"

Next, she expressed a small concern about that church. This should get folks just a little perked up. Finally, she defused any hostility by pointing him to the video which would address his concerns.

Everyone loves videos so this should be familiar and comfortable. A certain curiosity has been raised so there should be a bit of motivation to actually watch the video. The next step is completely out of your hands. It's up to them and God.

Instead of getting shot down by the Goliath of excuses "I go to my own church." We employ it to take the person to a higher level.

So what happens when you meet someone who does not go to church? How do we encourage them? Basically, the same way. Let me show you.

Video Clip - Inviting a Non-Religious Person

In either case, you made a good solid effort to reach out and begin to plant the seed. It's easy. It's fun. And we can reach a great number of people quickly. This approach could be modified however it works best for you. For example, if you can actually exchange phone numbers, that's even better.

Brothers and Sisters, evangelism is not the job of the pastor or evangelist. It's the job of the disciple. It's our job. The job of the Pastor or Evangelist is to mobilize a congregation. Paul said it like this:

Ephesians 4:11-12 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up...

We must never lose sight of our own personal responsibility to evangelize. "Reaching the Religious Lost" is simply another tool to help you in your efforts to get the ball rolling. The method may be used by churches, small groups and even individuals.

When a congregation chooses to use my program, the implementation begins with an inspiring Friday night presentation designed to encourage, challenge and embolden disciples to take their evangelistic effort higher than they have ever taken it before. During this Friday night devotional, they will be introduced to the first three videos.

This is followed by a Saturday workshop where they are trained how to use the program and they see then next three videos. Disciples are then encouraged to go out to lunch, two by two armed with ten of the special invitation cards. Their challenge... invite at least ten people to watch a video. It's that simple.

After lunch, the congregation comes back together to share war stories, tales of courage and valor and trade ideas on how they might improve. The afternoon session is capped off with three more videos and an explanation of how the program will work in the future weeks and months.

Members are encouraged to reach out that evening. Later, at home, they can watch the remaining videos in order to see the final wrap up and call to action.

On Sunday, the message is structured to promote evangelism as one of the most important features of the Great Commission. It's a challenging sermon with a good dose of inspiration. It also introduces someone who might be visiting to the Biblical Plan of Salvation.

While the videos are free to use in any way you see fit, I would ask that you please support me in my efforts to continue more production and distribution. Contact me through the link below if you can help.

I would love to help you implement the program in your congregation. I am available for speaking engagements. I have invitation cards for sale. I can even provide a DVD's of the materials if you wanted to use them in an off-line classroom setting. Just let me know how I might help.

Well, I guess that's about it! Thanks so much for watching....

OK, I know... you want to see the videos?

OK, but I need to tell you something first.. and this is what I would tell your congregation... it's super important.

Right out of the gate, the first lesson opens with a controversial claim. It is designed to provoke a response but quickly offers an agreeable and interesting conclusion. As you watch the videos, you must understand... you're watching these lessons from the perspective of a person who is very religious and probably from an evangelical background. You're going to hear things which are wildly inconsistent with the scriptures. This is because, the first couple of lessons are being told from the evangelical world's perspective. Don't get overly concerned.

It all get's fixed by the middle of lesson three where the real plan begins to unfold. Just remember your role... you are a religious person who was invited to watch a video.

Now, I couldn't call the video series, "Reaching the Religious Lost" could I? The series needed a better title with a bit more curb appeal. So, the video series is called "A Faith that Obeys."

Now that you know your role... you may watch the entire series of videos at:

www.afaiththatobeys.org

Once you are familiar with the entire series, feel free to use them in you own personal outreach.

When you finish watching the videos, please fill out the email form and leave your comments there. I want to make this program as powerful and as effective as I can.

There is a group of people out there, harassed and helpless. They need what we have. It's the same group many of us were in before we heard and obeyed the Biblical Plan of Salvation. Well, that's it for now. I will be praying for your efforts. Please pray for mine.

Thank you for watching and thank you in advance for your support as we begin our adventure of "Reaching the Religious Lost"!