ecclesia

To understand what a word really means, we should look at its history. The word translated Church in the New Testament is the Greek word, ecclesia. Liddell and Scott's Greek English Lexicon (Harper & Brothers, New York, 1846) is considered by many scholars one of the best ever published. This lexicon states that the primary meaning of ecclesia is, "an assembly of the citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly.''

In the Greek city states, such as Athens and Corinth, the citizens of the city could be called together to debate and vote upon a particular issue. This is the original secular meaning of the word.

Another way to discover what a word means is to break it apart and examine the meaning of its parts. The word, ecclesia, is a combination of two words, ek and klesis. Ek means "out of, from within.'' Klesis means "a calling.'' It can be used of a legal summons to court or an invitation to a feast.

Putting the two words together, you have "out of calling.'' It can be clearly seen how this came to be used of an assembly of citizens. The citizens of the city were called out from among all who might live in the city to attend the meeting. Many of the residents in the city would not be citizens and therefore would not be part of the ecclesia or assembly of citizens.

Follow Up

If the person makes a commitment, you then have a responsibility to ensure the well being of the new born Christian. If possible introduce him to another Christian and ask the new Christian to tell what he has done. Ask for his name and phone number and give him your phone number. Invite the person to Church, ask him if he knows where it is and find out if transportation is a problem.

Encourage him to read the Bible and make sure he has one. Tell him that he can talk to God in prayer. Encourage him to tell others about his decision. Keep in contact.

The first few weeks of an individual's Christian life are the most important. While his experience of salvation is still fresh in his mind, he is willing to make further steps in the Christian life. If he is quickly established in a fellowship of Christians and receives encouragement during this important time, he will likely continue to grow.

If he is left to his own, he will find it difficult not to slip back into his old life style. One Church did a study and found that only 1 in 6 of those who professed Christ through their ministry became active in their Church. As a result the Church established a follow up program where those who professed Christ were immediately contacted and received extra encouragement for several weeks.

When the Church did another study after this program was established, they discovered that now 5 in 6 of those who professed Christ became active in their Church.

Sharing the Gospel

Once you are comfortable with telling others your testimony, you need to increase your witnessing ability. A new Christian may only be able to share his testimony. However, a person who has been saved for sometime should have much more to say.

Find a simple Gospel outline and begin to memorize it. Memorize the Scriptures that prove each point and be ready to show someone else where the Scriptures are and what they mean.

There are many good Gospel outlines available. One of the most popular is the Romans Road, which uses several verses in the book of Romans to present the Gospel. Some Christians find a good Gospel tract and then use it to share the Gospel.

When you share the Gospel with someone try to make sure that the person understands what you have said by asking him questions. ''Do you understand why Jesus died for you?'' or ''Does this make sense to you?''

Go over anything about which he is not sure.

It is not just enough to know the Gospel in our heads. The inquirer needs to be shown that he must respond to the message, to make a decision to turn from everything he knows to be wrong in his life, to apologize to God, to put his trust in Jesus, to follow Him and to receive the Holy Spirit in order to live the New Life.

We receive the free gift of Eternal Life by Faith, not just believing. The Bible tells us that the demons believe. Scripture states, ''Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils believe and tremble.'' (James 2:19)

A person must not only understand the Gospel, He must also place his trust in Jesus. If the person has understood and has come to the point in his life where he is ready and willing to turn and follow Christ, then ask if he would like to make that step right there and then.

Ask him if he could sincerely pray the commitment prayer at the end of the tract that you are using. Assure him that if he means it from his heart then from that moment he will be a Christian, a follower of Christ. If he is willing, pray first for him then ask him to pray the prayer from the tract.

If you do not have a tract with you, then ask him to repeat what you say as you pray. When he finishes praying, welcome him into the Family of God! Assure him of what he has done by reading one or two suitable verses, like Romans 10:9 and 1 John 5:13.

If the person is not ready or is unwilling to turn and follow Christ, then suggest he take a tract and seriously think about becoming a Christian. Be polite and exchange phone numbers if it is appropriate.

My Personal Testimony

In a follow up on the previous post, here is a short version of my own testimony.

When I was young, my father deserted our family. After this, I became a loner. I did not want to show emotion, and I had few friends. I came to hate my father. For a time, I kept a baseball bat by the door of our home, ready to use if my father ever showed up.

After a long spiritual journey, one day I had a conversation with an older man who helped me to understand what Jesus accomplished for me on the cross. At that time, I asked God to forgive me, and I became a follower of Christ. I put my trust in Jesus to take care of me in this life and for eternity.

Jesus became my friend. Over time, God began to work on the emotional desert that was my heart. It did not happen all at once, but slowly the hate for my father was replaced by love. I established a relationship with my father again. We never became close, but before he died I could honestly say that I loved him and held no hard feelings towards him.

God and his Spirit are still at work in my life. I am still not all I should be. Making friends is still difficult. But I am not what I once was. God has and is changing me to became what he wants me to be.

I tell people who have been hurt in relationships that no matter who may have betrayed them, there is one person who will always be a true and faithful friend. His name is Jesus.

Your Personal Testimony

Sharing what Jesus has done for you is your personal testimony. A personal testimony has great power. People who would never listen to a Gospel presentation will listen to someone tell about how their life was changed.

You should think over your testimony and know what you will say. This will help you to present what happened to you in a logical and easy to understand way. You should be able to give your personal testimony in three or four minutes.

First, talk about what your life was like before you became a Christian. Give some relevant details but do not glorify your past sins.

Then talk about how you became a Christian. Give details about when, where, why and how you felt at the time.

Then mention the difference that Jesus has made in your life. Tie your present situation into your past life and explain what has changed. Tell the person what Jesus means to you now.

Who Can Witness

Some Christians have the mistaken idea that they need much Bible knowledge before they witness. This is totally false. Now, Bible knowledge will help you to witness and answer questions but as soon as a person trusts Jesus as their Saviour they can be a witness.

After all, to be a witness just means to tell what you know. All that a Christian needs to do is tell others what Jesus has done for them. You can at least be like the blind man who told the Jewish religious leaders, ''Whether He be a sinner or no, I know not; one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.'' (John 9:25)

A new Christian may say, ''I do not know what will happen to those who never hear about Jesus. But I do know that before I was on my way to hell and now heaven is my home.''

Or he might say, ''I do not know why God allows suffering. But I do know that before I was miserable and now I have peace and joy.''

Or he might say, ''I do not know all the answers. But I do know that before my life had no purpose and now I follow Jesus.''

Looking For Opportunities

The idea of telling others the Gospel can be a little frightening. We must remember that God is with us. If people reject what we say, they are not rejecting us they are rejecting the message. We cannot force people into God's family. We do not convict people; the Holy Spirit does that.

Do not put too much pressure on yourself. Be open, honest, friendly. Do not be pushy, rude or looking for an argument. Trust God to give you opportunities and trust God to make the person understand the truth. You just tell what you know.

Many times the problem is that we are not aware of an opportunity when it comes. Many every day events can be used as an opening to begin a conversation and share a little of the Gospel.

James Kennedy in Evangelism Explosion (1970, D. James Kennedy) tells this story:

I once stood outside an elevator with a friend. When another person approached, my friend reached for the button to call the elevator and said to the woman, ''Are you going up?''

''Yes,'' she responded.

''Are you going all the way up?'' he inquired.

''No, just to the third floor,'' said she.

''I mean, when God's sweet chariot swings down low to take his people home to heaven, do you know for sure that you are going all the way up to heaven?'' he continued.

Her response was, ''No, I'm not sure of that,'' and, as we entered the elevator, he began sharing the Gospel with her.

It is important when you speak to a stranger or someone who is not well know to you, that near the beginning of your conversation you ask their permission to share the Gospel with them. This is not only polite but also ensures that the person is interested and will listen.