{"id":11435,"date":"2019-02-15T14:04:51","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T12:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=11435"},"modified":"2019-02-20T13:41:52","modified_gmt":"2019-02-20T11:41:52","slug":"evangelism-or-discipleship-season-5-episode-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/evangelism-or-discipleship-season-5-episode-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Evangelism or Discipleship? | Season 5 Episode 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>\u201cThere are different periods in the life of every church and now is one of those times when we just need to focus on strengthening the people who remain in our church rather than trying to share the gospel with unbelievers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Believe it or not, I\u2019ve heard something very similar to this from pastors who sincerely believe that their churches should not be doing evangelism. Unfortunately, this approach is deeply flawed and\u00a0pastors who chose this path for their churches are simply\u00a0pouring buckets of cold water on any gospel flame that might remain in the hearts of their members.<\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_S05E02.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fevangelism-or-discipleship-season-5-episode-2%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-3\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_S05E02.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=11435-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_S05E02.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"NIST_S05E02.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 37:12 &#8212; 34.1MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('11435-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_11435-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_11435-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_S05E02.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fevangelism-or-discipleship-season-5-episode-2%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-4&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>(If you want to know what happens when the church stops sharing the gospel, c<a href=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/what-happens-when-the-church-stops-sharing-the-gospel-season-3-episode-8\/\">heck out this article.<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>However, there also exists an\u00a0equally dangerous mistake\u00a0that many churches and church leaders fall into. It goes something like this:<\/p>\r\n<p><em>\u201cAll our services and all our ministries are geared towards one goal, to bring in as many people as possible and to get them saved.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p>Unfortunately, this unbalanced approach often leads to a lack in discipleship, which can do great harm to the church. Those who get saved never grow, they never deepen in their faith, they are not given the opportunity to be discipled or to be a discipler. They stay spiritual babes feed with a constant died of sweet milk, short services, and simplistic sermons. They are easily led astray by false teaching and they quickly succumb to the lightest temptations.<\/p>\r\n<p>Yes, new people often come through the doors of churches like these but they just as often leave through those same doors. They failed to put\u00a0down roots deep into the soil of the gospel, they dry up quickly and their spiritual life seems to vanish.<\/p>\r\n<p>How can we find Biblical balance in this and avoid the unbiblical extremes?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>First, I would like to identify two common mistakes in our thinking about the gospel that I believe often cause us to misunderstand the relationship between evangelism and discipleship. Second, I\u2019d like to look at how Jesus preached the gospel and how he saw the relationship between evangelism and discipleship.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mistake #1 We have artificially separated evangelism and discipleship<\/h1>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>When I studied theology in seminary we systematized and sorted every theology into their proper places for ease of study and for logical order. While this is sometimes necessary and helpful in theology it can be detrimental in real practice. For instance, in theology the doctrine of salvation (soteriology) and the doctrine of Christ (Christology) are separate but we all know that in reality Christ can never be separate from this work in salvation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It seems that we have sorted evangelism and discipleship like laundry, everything that has to with evangelism we put in the \u201cevangelism\u201d pile and everything that has to do with discipleship, we put in the \u201cdiscipleship\u201d pile. Some make the assumption that they can only participate in one or the other but not both. We fail to see that evangelism and discipleship are woven together in one garment. Yes, they are slightly different fabrics but together they make up the whole shirt. You can always unravel the shirt and put the evangelism thread in one pile and the discipleship thread in another pile but that\u2019s not doing to do anyone any good!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Throughout the New Testament we see evangelism and discipleship so closely tied together that sometimes it\u2019s difficult to determine about which one of the two the author is talking about. Let me give you an example.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Before Jesus ascended into heaven he gave his disciples \u201cThe Great Commision\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p><strong>19<\/strong> \u00a0Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, <strong>20<\/strong> \u00a0teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<cite><strong>Mat 28:19-20<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>I\u2019ve noticed that these words of Jesus are often the refrain of missions conferences and rightly so. However, I\u2019ve also noticed that \u201cThe Great Commission\u201d tends to more associated with evangelism than with discipleship in the minds of many believers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Yet when we look closely at the text we find that words Jesus used may actually emphasize discipleship more than evangelism. The only command here is to \u201cmake disciples\u201d \u201c\u03bc\u03b1\u03b8\u03b7\u03c4\u03b5\u03cd\u03c3\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5\u201d Jesus clarifies this in 28:20 using a slightly different word \u201c\u03b4\u03b9\u03b4\u03ac\u03c3\u03ba\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2\u201d which emphasis the importance of teaching doctrine.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Jesus tells his disciples to make disciples of all nations and to baptise them. This assumes that they are \u201cmaking disciples\u201d from people who had never heard the gospel before, thus we can conclude that Jesus is also indirectly referring to evangelism in these verses.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The point that I\u2019m trying to make is that as Jesus gives some of his final instructions to the disciples before leaving them the doesn\u2019t cleaning separate the work of evangelism from the work of disciple making. I believe Jesus did this on purpose, he didn\u2019t want his disciples running around the world giving 2 minute gospel presentations and then calling for repentance and faith before heading off to their next destination. Instead he wanted them in the business of disciple making.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Disciple making as Jesus presented it assumes the initial giving of the simple gospel and a sincere and informed faith response which leads to salvation, it also assumes that this is the beginning of a process of discipleship and not the end.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>While on one hand Jesus emphasized aspects of discipleship in \u201cThe Great Commision\u201d on the other hand, sometimes evangelism is emphasized in contexts that are more associated with discipleship. Take a look at 2 Timothy 4:5 as an example.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p><strong>5<\/strong> \u00a0As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.<\/p>\r\n<cite><strong>2Ti 4:5<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In this context Paul is primarily focused on Timothy\u2019s role as a pastor of the local church in Ephesus. Just 3 verses earlier Paul tells Timothy:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p><strong>2<\/strong> \u00a0preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.<\/p>\r\n<cite><strong>2Ti 4:2<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Obviously he is talking about his pastoral ministry in the church and I don\u2019t think his exhortation just a few verses later is separate from his pastoral ministry. Paul wants Timothy to be an evangelist even in the church. That means the fabric of the gospel and of evangelism must be woven into our church ministries. As a pastor Paul wanted Timothy to continue to preach the most basic truths of the gospel whether in or outside of the church.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Biblically we must look at evangelism not as separate from discipleship but as necessary to discipleship and as an integral part of discipleship. Similarly discipleship should be looked at not as a separate activity from evangelism but as a natural continuation of the initial work of the gospel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mistake #2 We have limited the scope of the Gospel<\/h1>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Unfortunately often our understanding of the gospel and our presentation of the gospel is stunted. We limit the gospel to a few phrases that need to be repeated or a prayer that should be prayed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Ask Jesus into your heart<\/li>\r\n<li>Pray the &#8220;Sinner&#8217;s prayer&#8221;<\/li>\r\n<li>Repent and believe in Jesus<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In a proper view of the whole gospel none of these statements are particularly wrong, however, we remove them from a whole understanding of the gospel and God&#8217;s Word we limit the scope of the gospel and are in danger of running souls around in shallow theological water.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>But too many today pin their faith for fruitful evangelism on harping for ever on a few Gospel facts isolated from the broad and full context of the whole Bible.<\/p>\r\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2IcJSdS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"William Smith, &quot;The Work of a Pastor&quot; (opens in a new tab)\">William Smith, &#8220;The Work of a Pastor&#8221;<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>When we limit the scope of our gospel people often view it as some sort of magical formula that needs to be verbalized at least once in their lifetime and God will reward them with eternal life. They lose the connection between the gospel and real life, they fail to see how the gospel is more than just a ticket to heaven, they don&#8217;t understand that when gospel truth is believed it changes their lives from the inside out. They fail to see what &#8220;The righteous shall live by faith&#8221; means to them daily and thus they also fail to put down deep roots into the soil of the gospel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>I once remember a pastor who told me that the best way to share the gospel was to give a quick 2 minute or less explanation and then invite the person to pray the &#8220;Sinner&#8217;s Prayer.&#8221; He told that people will more often than not pray the prayer because it would be impolite for them not to. Sadly this sort of &#8220;Easy Believism&#8221; results in many &#8220;saved&#8221; unbelievers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>This type of stunted evangelism is loathsome! We can easily deceive both ourselves and those with whom we are sharing the gospel. There are no quick tricks to get someone saved, you can&#8217;t force someone into repentance and faith. Mere words passing over the tongue can never make you a Christian but can certainly make you a hypocrite!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>When Jesus preached the Gospel on the road to Emmaus he explained to them using entire Old Testament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>And beginning with Moses\u00a0and all the Prophets,\u00a0he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.<\/p>\r\n<cite>Luke 24:27<br \/><\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Our gospel message must not be limited to a few religious phrases and prayers, we must learn to give the riches and the depth of the gospel as we share with the unbelieving world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Book of the week<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>This in the podcast I shared with you several excerpts from William Smith&#8217;s book <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2N883cl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"&quot;The Work of the Pastor. (opens in a new tab)\">&#8220;The Work of the Pastor.<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Below are a few quotes I picked out of the book.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Work-Pastor-William-Still-ebook\/dp\/B006VX3XDG\/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1550230898&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+work+of+the+pastor&amp;linkCode=li3&amp;tag=sukfam-20&amp;linkId=d50596c8ddb6ed43e397f345e60446f8&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B006VX3XDG&amp;Format=_SL250_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=sukfam-20&amp;language=en_US\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>I tell you that a great many of the enemies of what God has to say with massive impact to our day and generation, inside the Kirk and out of it, are in the evangelistic camp. I don&#8217;t think some of these people are saved at all. The only evidence there is that they are Christians is that they like Sankey, or Redemption, or similar-style American hymns. I have found to my bitter cost that if you take these away (with their repetitive choruses which are to be sung with glazed eyes, moronic expressions, and slightly swaying movement like primitive tribespeople), they hate you like the devil. They will stand any kind of preaching provided it is dressed up in their favourite clich\u00e9s. But you must not take away their ranty hymns. That is their religion. It is their god. And it is an idol which I believe must be smashed. God is calling some of us to smash it.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>A great many of us are far busier propping up our particular brand of democracy and social service than building the church of Jesus Christ against which even the gates of hell shall not prevail, whether our democracy collapses or not. The church is not called to subsidise the state any more than she is called to work against it;<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>A true Christian fellowship is a place where stray cats and dogs can find a home. It is a hospital, where the only sin is to hide your wounds from the doctor and nurse. And the true pastor&#8217;s job is to strip all the fearful ones, however gently, patiently, faithfully, and all the hypocritical ones of their camouflage and cloaks. Grace and truth come by Jesus Christ.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>Happy is the minister whose people release him from petting and pampering them, so that he can get on with the real work of building the church, seeking the lost, patiently encouraging others to persevere, and sharing the sorrows, sicknesses, loneliness and heartbreaks of those who are in real need.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>When real people come seeking real help, receive them with all grace, patience and forbearance. Let them talk: don&#8217;t jump to conclusions and turn the interview into another sermon on the lines they may have heard many times before. If they are real, they know all that. But there may be something that has not been made plain so far, at least to them. Let them talk, and you listen. The hardest thing ministers, who are great talkers, find to do is to listen. Don&#8217;t be making up your next speech while the other is talking. Listen! You may hear something you have never heard before. Don&#8217;t assume that this problem is like many others you have dealt with. It may seem to be, but as no two people are exactly alike, so no two persons\u2019 problems are alike. You will find that many of your fixed ideas, which you may think are thoroughly Christian and apply to all cases, will be upset if you listen carefully enough to begin to see what the solution to a particular problem may be.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>My principal surgery, clinic, vestry hour, consulting room \u2013 call it what you will \u2013 is the pulpit and teaching desk. If, in the end, I cannot get people to see this, I despair of them ever becoming what Christ means them to be; they will certainly never become the satisfied, happy and, more important, useful people they could be.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>To be true pastors, your whole life must be spent in knowing the truth of this Word, not only verbally, propositionally, theologically, but religiously, that is, devotionally, morally, in worshipping Him whom it reveals, and in personal obedience to Him whose commands it contains, in all the promised grace and threat of those commands. To be pastors you must be \u2018fed men\u2019, not only in knowledge, but in wisdom, grace, humility, courage, fear of God, and fearlessness of men.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>The pastor is called to feed the sheep, even if the sheep do not want to be fed. He is certainly not to become an entertainer of goats. Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goatland. You will certainly not turn goats into sheep by pandering to their goatishness.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_S05E02.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fevangelism-or-discipleship-season-5-episode-2%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_S05E02.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=11435-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_S05E02.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"NIST_S05E02.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 37:12 &#8212; 34.1MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('11435-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_11435-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_11435-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_S05E02.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fevangelism-or-discipleship-season-5-episode-2%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-2&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p><!--powerpress_player-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThere are different periods in the life of every church and now is one of those times when we just need to focus on strengthening the people who remain in our church rather than trying to share the gospel with unbelievers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Believe it or not,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[297],"tags":[81,517,10,98],"class_list":["post-11435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-discipleship","tag-easy-believism","tag-evangelism","tag-gospel","post_format-post-format-audio"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/alexander-michl-724529-unsplash.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-2Yr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1825,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/2-days-with-25-church-leaders\/","url_meta":{"origin":11435,"position":0},"title":"2 Days with 25 Church Leaders","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I have to say \"thank you!\"' to \u00a0all who were praying for us this past weekend. \u00a0Misha and I traveled to the city of Nickolaev, about 2 hours from Odessa. \u00a0We were invited to share the Good Soil evangelism and discipleship seminar with a group of church leaders from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6819,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/4-reasons-why-we-give-up-on-the-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":11435,"position":1},"title":"4 Reasons Why We Give up on the Gospel | Season 02 Episode 07","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"August 24, 2016","format":"audio","excerpt":"Did you know it's possible to give up on the Gospel too early and be unaware of what you just did? In this episode of \"Now Is the Time\" I talk about why it is that we often give up and stop sharing the Gospel too soon. I share with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Why-WeGive-up-on-the-Gospel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Why-WeGive-up-on-the-Gospel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Why-WeGive-up-on-the-Gospel.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7792,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/man-of-god-pastors-conference-photo-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":11435,"position":2},"title":"&#8220;Man of God&#8221; Pastor&#8217;s Conference -Photo Report","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"May 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This month we held our pastor's conference right in the middle of Ukraine in the town of Bela Tserkov.\u00a0 The goal of the conference was to encourage and equip men to be men of God through solid Biblical exposition. Our three main speakers, encourage, convicted, and exhorted us to pursue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DSC08248.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DSC08248.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DSC08248.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DSC08248.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DSC08248.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23432,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/introducing-the-gospel-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":11435,"position":3},"title":"Introducing The Gospel Today","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"August 20, 2025","format":"video","excerpt":"For the past twenty years, Christina and I have had the joy of serving in Ukraine through our partnership with ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism). Together with ABWE, we have seen God bless our ministry in remarkable ways: churches planted, believers discipled, leaders trained, and the gospel proclaimed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Updates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-16-at-10.08.23-AM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-16-at-10.08.23-AM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-16-at-10.08.23-AM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-16-at-10.08.23-AM.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-16-at-10.08.23-AM.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-16-at-10.08.23-AM.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7645,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/why-sharing-the-gospel-with-family-can-be-so-difficult\/","url_meta":{"origin":11435,"position":4},"title":"Why Sharing the Gospel with Family Can Be so Difficult","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"April 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever noticed that sometimes it can be easier to share the gospel with a stranger than to share it with a member of your family who knows you well? Sharing Jesus with your family members is one of the most important things you can do yet it often\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/17504951_743907495783150_5351909488219995668_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/17504951_743907495783150_5351909488219995668_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/17504951_743907495783150_5351909488219995668_o.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/17504951_743907495783150_5351909488219995668_o.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7770,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/what-happens-when-the-church-stops-sharing-the-gospel-season-3-episode-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":11435,"position":5},"title":"What Happens When the Church Stops Sharing the Gospel | Season 3 Episode 8","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"April 27, 2017","format":"audio","excerpt":"In this episode of \"Now Is the Time\" I give you 10 negative results of a failure to share the gospel in our churches. News This month a great man of God, Jason Nightingale passed into the presence of Jesus! He impacted many hearts for God's glory through Scripture recitation,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11435"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11559,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11435\/revisions\/11559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}