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Launch Pad 8: Practice Hospitality

by Editor

The Bible has an amazing vision of the potential use of our homes for sharing the gospel. But the instruction to ‘practice hospitality’ is sometimes filed away under the heading “fellowship”, and the subsequent invitations restricted to other church folks.

Sometimes people are put-off because they confuse hospitality with “entertainment”.  Hospitable church-planter Tim Chester says that while entertainment involves putting on a show in which the house and the food must all be wonderful; hospitality is about sharing your normal life and your space with others. Entertainment seeks to impress, hospitality to embrace.

Friendly, down-to-earth, open-house hospitality achieves three things which can be transformative in our evangelism:

  1. Hospitality enacts the gospel

One of Jesus’s favourite metaphors for the Kingdom of God was of a party, or banquet to which God invites us. By not limiting our invitations to those who can repay us, or to whom we have some obligation, we become a living parable of the gospel of grace. It also costs us something—and that also looks Christ-like.

  1. Hospitality reflects the character of God

God is generous and loves his house to be full of people. In fact, Jesus says he is preparing his Father’s house for us. Repeatedly scripture says that people are supposed to reflect the character of God, so that others notice. The Bible regularly implies that an open heart towards others, will mean an open home too (if you have one).

  1. Hospitality is the context for great conversations.

Some of the most famous teaching we have from Jesus was shared around mealtimes. It is over food that we see Jesus engaging with everyone from the Pharisees of the religious elite, to socially ostracised tax-collectors. Tim Chester writes: “Jesus’s mission-strategy was a long meal”. Likewise, when we have (i) the desire to share the gospel, (ii) some tools to share it – what we then need is a context and an opportunity. Hospitality helps to create this environment in which to naturally share our faith. Practicing hospitality doesn’t make evangelism completely easy – but it makes it far more likely! So this week, make a conscious effort to open your home and your life to others, and make sure you don’t only welcome other Christians.

And pray: “Father, thank-you for my home. Please help me to make it into a place where others can find you. Amen”

Previously: Launch Pad # 7 Taking Conversations One Step Deeper

Next: Launch Pad #9 Persistently Praying for People

Practical tools for Evangelism. Andy at Pattern Church Swindon

by Solas

Pattern Church is a young vibrant congregation in Swindon – which is also Andy’s home church now. Recently Andy spoke there about conversational evangelism and his book How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking LIke An Idiot. Pattern is an interesting to church to work with because they have an unusually high number of people who have been Christians for only a short time, and who are really passionate about sharing what they have discovered. They were also hungry for teaching and advice about how to go about doing that, so Andyt brought them some examples from the life of Jesus himself – as a model for us to follow when sharing the good news.

What is the Meaning of Life? Part Four – Agency

by Solas

What is the meaning of life? In this fourth of a mini-series of Short Answers videos, Andy Bannister shows how to answer that massive question we need to think about some smaller ones: such as the question of “agency”. Can I make a difference with my life? Would it matter if I’d never been born? If you’re an atheist, these are tough questions—but Christianity has some very unique and exciting things to say here. (And check out the other three videos in the series to help you explore more about the question of life’s meaning).

Part One – Identity; Part Two – Value; Part Three – Purpose

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Please share this video widely with friends or family and for more Short Answers videos, visit solas-cpc.org/shortanswers/, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit us on Twitter Instagram or Facebook.

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Short Answers is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose a free book as a thank-you gift!

Launch Pad 7: Take Conversations One Step Deeper

by Editor

We’re caught up in an epidemic of superficiality. There’s a lot of pressure to give the impression that we have it all together (#livingmybestlifenow), and social media hasn’t helped this at all. It seems that this has invaded our conversations too and made it harder to get beyond the surface level that we’re all so familiar with:

“Hi, how are you?”

“Fine, thanks. How are you?”

“Good…”

And then we part ways.

It seems quite difficult to get past this level of conversation sometimes, and the idea of getting to a place where we can share our faith seems really far off. On the one end of the spectrum is the humble ‘chat’ – which I do love, and it definitely has its place – and on the other end of the spectrum, there is the conversation where we get to share the most incredible news of all time: the Good News of Jesus Christ! How do we get from one side to the other. Often it can feel like we are like Sam and Frodo in ‘Lord of the Rings’ facing a great soggy bog that we have to somehow get across to reach our goal.

Here are a few thoughts for the journey:

  • It’s not a soggy bog! – Conversation is a beautiful gift where you get to learn more about people – that’s part of loving them well. Reimagine it as a privilege.
  • Don’t put yourself under pressure. . Enjoy being there in conversation, but listen well.
  • Get some conversational tools, (here and here).
  • Gently ask a question about value, meaning, or purpose to get the conversation moving deeper.

As you begin to converse and bait your conversation with hooks, people will share things that they value, like a cause, or things they enjoy doing – like meeting up at the pub with some friends. These are things that come up quite naturally in conversation, and tee you up to move deeper.

Once they are offered up in conversation you can ask a question about them, such as:

  • Why is that important to you?
  • Do you feel that gives you purpose? In what way? Why?

These are great to get things moving deeper!

Pray: “Lord, help me to steward conversation well, and see and use opportunities to go deeper”

Previously: Launch Pad #6 Stand Out Online (For All The Right Reasons)

Next: Launch Pad #8 The Practice of Hospitality

Scripture Untangled

by Editor

Andy Bannister was recently a guest on the “Scripture Untangled” podcast produced by the Canadian Bible Society. In the discussion, they get into some of the detailds around how the Bible and Qur’an vary in their understanding of God and all kinds of other issues too!

You can watch the complete episode here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E1pHuRP-5c&t=8s

Alternatively you can access the programme in these places:

The Canadian BIble Society Website
Instagram
Facebook

 

 

Surrey Gospel Partnership

by Solas

Thanks for coming to the Confident Christianity Conference at St Johns in Woking recently! It was great to see so many of you there and for Solas to partner with Surrey Gospel Partnership to put the event on.

As promised, you can find my slides from the evening — as well as resources related to some of the questions in the Q&A — here:

Presentation Slides

CCC-01-HTTAJ-slidesDownload
CCC-02-Happiness-slidesDownload

Q&A Topics

  1. How can we not lose sight of the person we’re talking to (so that people don’t become projects)?
  2. How can I witness to someone who has attended all the courses etc but not really got anywhere, and who I don’t have the same depth of relationship with as before?
  3. How do I talk about Jesus with someone who says they’re a Christian but whose lifestyle doesn’t suggest so?
  4. Borrowing Augustine’s levels of happiness framework, do you agree that Christians sometimes think they’re at level 4 when in fact they’re at level 3?
  5. Any advice on talking with family members about faith?
  6. Do you think spiritual hunger is growing or lessening culturally?

Other Recommended Resources

1) Our new Launch Pad series for 2024: every week, we’re sharing a short tip or idea to help you share Jesus with your friends.

2) Have You Ever Wondered? is a brilliant resource to help start conversations with your friends about faith, even if they appear to be apathetic or disinterested. (We’ve also got a book based on this coming at Easter)

3) Short Answers is our popular video series, with over 180 short videos tackling almost every question somebody might imagine about Christian faith. They’re great for sharing with friends who have questions, or watching to help you gain confidence yourself.

PEP Talk With Matt Frost

by Solas

Today on PEP Talk we chat with a church pastor about how sharing the gospel is a natural part of both his church work and personal relationships. With a particular emphasis on the essential role of prayer, Matt talks with Gavin Matthews about the formal and informal elements that make up a vibrant evangelistic lifestyle.

With Matt Frost – PEP Talk

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Our Guest

After 14 years as senior pastor of City Gates Church in central London, Matt Frost moved to Cirencester in July 2009 to become pastor at Cirencester Baptist Church.  Matt loves playing cricket for North Cerney CC, praying for the sick, supporting Liverpool, sharing the good news of Jesus with all kinds of people, listening to jazz-funk, bringing change, watching films of all kinds and chatting with God. You can follow Matt on Twitter here.

His podcast “Two Pastors in a Pub” is available from Apple Podcasts.

About PEP Talk

The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, Andy Bannister (Solas) and Kristi Mair (Oak Hill College) chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Launch Pad 6: Stand Out Online (For the Right Reasons!)

by Editor

The gospel is public truth. The good news of Jesus is not just something to think about behind our church walls, but like the first Christians in the book of Acts, we need to take the gospel into the public square.

Today’s public square is increasingly digital, with many people in the UK spending huge amounts of time online. For sure, inhabiting the digital world brings its challenges, but it also brings wonderful opportunities. So if you’re online, especially on social media, prayerfully consider how to use your online presence as a witness for Jesus.

There are two traps that Christians sometimes fall into when it comes to social media. The first trap is to be a Digital Undercover Christian; sharing nothing at all about your faith, but gumming up your feed with pictures of your kids looking cute, or cringy memes that everybody else saw three years ago.

Some of us go the other way, plastering our social media with insanely naff Christian content or worse, utterly bonkers Christian conspiracy theories. (Why would anybody think your belief in the resurrection has credibility if you spend most your time posting about how cell phone towers cause hair loss in tortoises or something similarly inane?)

So, here are some quick, easy, and practical ideas about how to stand up for Jesus online:

  1. Pray. Ensure you’re regularly committing your online life to the Lord.
  2. Fly a faith flag. Find sensible ways of signalling you’re a Christian. (Post about a good church service you went to, or a brilliant Christian book you read, or an engaging talk you found online).
  3. Share good, thoughtful Christian content. (We’ll have a whole later instalment of Launch Pad on this, but for now, try websites like Solas or LICC).
  4. Offer to pray. If a friend shares that they’re having a bad day, why not reply and say you’ll be praying for them?
  5. Follow churches and Christian ministries, or “like” their posts; the algorithms will spot this and magnify that content.

We all probably spend a bit too much time online: but given that we are online, let’s use some of that time and opportunity for the Lord.

Here’s a prayer: Lord Jesus, please help me use my time wisely. But when I am online, please help be thoughtful, Christ-like, and a witness for you. Amen!

Previously: Launch Pad #5: Baited Hooks for Gospel Conversation

Next: Launch Pad #7 Taking Conversations One Step Deeper

The Surprising Genius of Jesus – Steve Osmond reviews Peter J Williams’ new book

by Editor

I’ve always been fascinated by the parable of the two sons, more commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son. Although I’ve never done a real deep dive into the parable, it’s one that is popular enough that if you’ve spent even a little time in church you would have surely come across it being taught in some way. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard a sermon on this parable – some good, some not so good.

For those who are somewhat familiar with the parables that Jesus tells in the Gospels (the accounts of Jesus life in the New Testament of the Bible), we can often look past the richness of what is going on. Our familiarity with the parables can lead us to not grasp the depth and genius of their teaching. Admittedly, not all of us have a certificate for a PhD in Old Testament studies hanging gloriously on our wall for all to see – I certainly do not – and so the genius of how Jesus’s parables draw on Old Testament stories is easy to miss.

In what is one of the most interesting reads I’ve had in recent memory, Peter J. Williams brings an absolute wealth of knowledge to this very topic – and he does it in less than 120 pages! The Surprising Genius of Jesus: What the Gospels Reveal about the Greatest Teacher  argues that Jesus should be considered a genius, not merely because a vast number of people today claim to follow him but also because of the cleverness and wisdom of his teaching. The argument is made over five short chapters, and the focus is primarily on the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32 – the longest parable Jesus told – although other parables are also brought in to make the case.

The opening chapter – which alone makes the book well worth the read – explains the parable of the prodigal son while connecting it to the original hearers and the way that they would have understood it. Here already Williams starts peeling back the layers of Jesus’s genius in telling this parallel, both by the fascinating elements included in the story, but also by what Jesus masterfully omits. This is the trend throughout the book, and Williams has the skill to pull this out fantastically. Whether you are a Christian who is familiar with Jesus’s parables, or perhaps you are not – Williams makes it very hard to deny that what we have in Jesus is absolute mastery in storytelling, and someone intimately familiar with the text of the Old Testament, a point he leaves no room to disagree on through what he presents in the second and third chapters.

There is another question that Williams was sharp enough to pick up on, and – as someone who sees the value and necessity of apologetics – I’m so glad he did. Is Jesus the genius behind the parables? Or, as some have contended, are these creations of the gospel writers themselves? In a succinct and precise presentation Williams traces several arguments that point in the direction of Jesus, and away from the gospel writers as the mind behind the parables – as the accounts claim. Williams moves to a concluding chapter in which he gives what he sees as the reason behind the genius of Jesus: “But once we accept that Jesus is more than simply a particularly brilliant human, we are free to see that the coordination of Genesis and Luke 15 can arise from God’s own plan to shape the Genesis narrative with the purpose, among other things, of preparing for Jesus longest story…The single best explanation for Jesus’s genius is found at the beginning of John’s Gospel, where the Word, later identified as Jesus Christ, is described both as alongside God and as God himself.”

What I appreciate about the book is it’s brevity and accessibility, but also it’s depth. Where there are areas that are perhaps not as cogent as others, the author himself points these out, but shows how they add to the cumulative case he’d contending for.

In summary, as I consider and meditate on the teaching of Jesus Christ, The Surprising Genius of Jesus is a book that I will definitely be revisiting in the future.

Above Bar Formation Bible School

by Solas

It was great to meet  you at the Above Bar Formation School this week. I hope you found all the talks helpful and practical. As promised, here are the slides from my talk.

Presentation Slides

Formation-Slides-1-How-To-Talk-About-JesusDownload
Formation-Slides-2-Five-Steps-to-AnswerDownload

Recommended Resources

1) Our new Launch Pad series for 2024: every week, we’re sharing a short tip or idea to help you share Jesus with your friends.

2) Have You Ever Wondered? is a brilliant resource to help start conversations with your friends about faith, even if they appear to be apathetic or disinterested. (We’ve also got a book based on this coming at Easter)

3) Short Answers is our popular video series, with over 180 short videos tackling almost every question somebody might imagine about Christian faith. They’re great for sharing with friends who have questions, or watching to help you gain confidence yourself.

What is the Meaning of Life? Part Three – Purpose

by Solas

What is the meaning of life? That’s a massive question and so we’ve dedicated not one but four Short Answers videos to it! In this episode, Andy Bannister thinks about the question of purpose. What am I here for? Does my life have any kind of purpose, or am I just a cosmic accident as pointless as a leaf in the wind? We’ll see how the purpose question can help us with that bigger question of meaning.

Part One: Identity – Part Two: Value – Part Four: Agency

Share

Please share this video widely with friends or family and for more Short Answers videos, visit solas-cpc.org/shortanswers/, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit us on Twitter Instagram or Facebook.

Support

Short Answers is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose a free book as a thank-you gift!

GLO Bible School January 2024

by Solas

It was great to be with you all at the GLO Mini Bible School (and Tilsley College) lask week in Glasgow. I hope you found all the talks helpful and practical. Below you’ll find downloadable slides from all the talks, plus links to other recommended resources.

Presentation Slides

GLO-01-SLIDES-WorldviewDownload
GLO-02-SLIDES-CultureofConfusionDownload
Tilsley-SLIDES-How-to-TalkDownload

Recommended Resources

1) Our new Launch Pad series for 2024: every week, we’re sharing a short tip or idea to help you share Jesus with your friends.

2) Have You Ever Wondered? is a brilliant resource to help start conversations with your friends about faith, even if they appear to be apathetic or disinterested. (We’ve also got a book based on this coming at Easter)

3) Short Answers is our popular video series, with over 180 short videos tackling almost every question somebody might imagine about Christian faith. They’re great for sharing with friends who have questions, or watching to help you gain confidence yourself.

Aberdeen University Christian Union January 2024

by Solas

Thanks for joining Andy at the recent AUCU Equip event. Below you’ll find downloadable slides from the talk, plus links to other recommended resources.

Presentation Slides

2024-AUCU-Sharing-Jesus-with-Muslims-SLIDESDownload

Recommended Resources

1) Our new Launch Pad series for 2024: every week, we’re sharing a short tip or idea to help you with sharing Jesus with your friends.

2) Then Have You Ever Wondered? is a brilliant resource to help start conversations with your friends about faith, even if they appear to be apathetic or disinterested. (We’ve also got a book based on this coming at Easter: ask your CU leader to ask Solas about how the CU may be able to get free copies!)

3) Finally, Short Answers is our now famous video series, with over 180 short videos tackling almost every question somebody might imagine about Christian faith. They’re great for sharing with friends who have questions, or watching to help you gain confidence yourself.

Launch Pad 5: Baited Hooks for Gospel Conversations

by Editor

Somebody once remarked that when Jesus makes us fishers of men, the process looks more like fly-fishing than trawling! Whilst a trawler uses a vast net to corral huge numbers of fish, a fly fisherman looks to entice just one to bite by using a shiny lure. So how can we make sure that our everyday conversations contain plenty of such ‘bait’, which might lead to gospel conversations?

One obvious conversational hook is: “Did you have a good weekend?” because if the question is returned then you have an opportunity to talk about some aspect of church and faith.

Asking a friend if they’ve seen the latest film or Netflix series and if they have, what they thought of it, can also be a hook, whether the programme was good (or bad!) If the film contained a redemptive narrative, it’s an obvious bridge to the gospel. If the characters got away with wickedness, then Christians have a lot to say about justice, why it matters and what it tells us about God.

Celebrities can be profound and vacuous in equal measure! “What did you think about what she/he said last night?!” can bridge through from headlines to deeper things. Other conversational hooks can be:

  • “What are your goals this year?”
  • “What’s been the best/worst part of your week?”
  • “Do you think you have changed much?”
  • “Who has had the most influence in your life? Why?”
  • “Did you grow up in a religious home?”

But not all baited hooks are questions. You can also use statements, leaving them dangling to see if anyone ‘bites’:

  • “So many people seem to lack any purpose in life.”
  • “It’s in situations like these that I find my faith so helpful.”
  • “I found this book so frustrating.”
  • “Something at church yesterday really perplexed me” is a hook loaded with intrigue and the potential of sharing a testimony of the reality of God’s work in your life.

The three key elements in baiting conversations are:

  1. Frequently hold out ‘baited hooks’, to invite, not force conversation.
  2. Be genuinely interested in people’s responses, experiences and views.
  3. Have a clearly thought-through Christian perspective, ready for when you are given the opportunity to share.

So pray: “Lord, help me to enticingly bait my conversations this week, and help me to be ready to speak winsomely for you when someone ‘bites’”.

Previously: Launch Pad #4 Mention Something About the Difference Your Faith Makes Today

Next: Launch Pad #6: Stand Out Online, (For The Right Reasons)

The Love of God

by Editor

Maddiston Community Church is a fellowship we have enjoyed friendship with for many years. Recently, Gavin from the Solas team went down to Maddiston to speak at their morning service. The topic was ‘Living in God’s Love’ and drew three major themes out of 1 John 4. You can watch the sermon here.

The Solas webinar with Tom Tarrants, that Gavin referred to in his talk: “Consumed by Hate: Redeemed by Love” can be seen here: 

If you would like one of the Solas team to speak in your church, please do get in touch. Every week, our speakers adress hot-topics and Bible texts, in churches all over the country. If we can be of service to your fellowship, please do get in touch by clicking here.