Critical Keys For Marketplace Evangelism

By: Nicholas Robertson, Valentine Rodney

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The last command of Jesus Christ must still be the primary concern or foremost consideration of the Church. This command to preach the Gospel and make disciples of all men will never become obsolete. It is the reason that the Church exists and represents a continuation of the ministry that Jesus himself inaugurated. It is true to say that the message of Christ which deals with redemption and reconciliation has a timeless relevance even within an everchanging world. The presenting of Christ to a broken world must be flexible enough to accommodate the varying contexts in which ministry is done. The methods applied must be dynamic and undergo in some instances radical transformation to achieve its stated objective. Jesus himself resorted to a wide variety of techniques to get the message of God’s redemption across to the target audience. Context will always play a major role in determining the appropriate strategy for Evangelism. This book is intended to make us revisit our involvement in the mission that Jesus has commanded that we co-labour with him in. The need to understand the target group is fundamental in determining our ministry approach. This may take us out of our comfort zones to become both relevant and relatable. Market place evangelism will cause us to form and forge relationships that will provide the common ground for effective ministry. It is quite clear from the scriptures that the universal task of evangelism and witnessing is the responsibility of all believers. Jesus gave what is acknowledged to be an imperative to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). This task must be taken seriously and carried out with great passion and conviction. His last command must become our first concern. Our greatest motivation comes from being recipients of God’s plan of redemption for all and our desire to see others being incorporated into the same universal plan. This book careful outlines the essentials for the process of evangelization namely, the message (Evangel/Christ), messenger(evangelist), method (presentation), Man(target) and the mandate (commission). Effective ministry must incorporate a firm and unwavering belief in the message (Evangel) and seeking out the best method of reaching the target audience. In most cases the greatest adjustment to be made is personal, being free from all biases and prejudices as these would negatively influence the presentation of the message thereby reducing its impact. The marketplace is where we have been called to become influencers for Christ. This will require both presence and lifestyle. The marketplace has a language of its own that we must learn to speak if we are to be understood. This language can be learned or acquired through interaction with the target group. We must also win those who are already conversant with the language and are an integral part of the marketplace. These will be sent back to their places of work armed with the knowledge of making their faith relevant. Adequate preparation is key to engaging an audience in primarily non-traditional ways. The marketplace is constantly evolving which will require continuous adaptation of the methods we employ. Let us bear in mind that it is God that creates the hunger and we who are furnished with the means must satisfy that hunger. The Challenge is not the harvest but finding workers willing to engage in the reaping and utilization of the appropriate technologies.