Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

iINVITE Strategy
Identify
Nurture
Verify
Involve
Tell
Encourage Godly Influence
by Tom Goodman
January 20, 2010

You know that Christ's call to be his witness applies to you, but you don't know how to get started.

There's an app for that!

The Hillcrest "INVITE Evangelism Strategy" introduces you to six clear applications designed to invest your life with others and introduce them to the gospel:

IDENTIFY your THEMs
NURTURE an authentic relationship with THEM
VERIFY their spiritual condition
INVOLVE THEM with your church family
TELL THEM your Faith Story, and
ENCOURAGE THEM to cross the line of faith

This Sunday, January 24, our congregation will begin a 6-week focus on this strategy.

"Been there, done that," some of you are saying. But hold on. There are two reasons to spend six weeks on this effort.

First, any subject that's worth knowing is worth repeating. Imagine only hearing about missions one time in your Christian life. Or forgiveness. Or Christ's Second Coming. We have to cover these subjects repeatedly to keep us focused on the right things. It's the same with evangelism. Sure, you've heard us talk about evangelism before -- maybe you've even heard us talk about the INVITE acrostic at Hillcrest before. But we have to repeatedly return to subjects like this because it is so important for our Christian discipleship.

There's a second reason to engage in this effort starting January 24: You may have heard us talk about the INVITE Strategy before, but not like this!

Each week during the sermon I will show you what God's Word says about each of these steps. Then your class or group will discuss the message (some classes will take a few minutes to reinforce the truths of the sermon, while others will use a discussion guide for the entire hour). Then you'll have daily readings to amplify the focus each week. This alignment of materials is designed to give you the training and motivation you need to share your faith with your world.

We're calling the campaign iINVITE. That's a hat tip to the iPhone and its famous apps, of course. But there's a more important reason for the name. You and I need to remind each other to take personal responsibility for Christ's Great Commission. It's not a Sunday night "training course" to complete but a lifestyle to own. I must invite others to Jesus.

Pray that it will have a powerful impact in the lives of our members -- and in the lives we're all meant to impact with the gospel!

--Tom

Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored," with its Links to Your World -- interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday.

Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them!

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FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org

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MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.

Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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Godly Influence by Tom Goodman January 20, 2010 You know that Christ's call to be his witness applies to you, but you don't know how to get started. There's an app for that! The Hillcrest "INVITE Evangelism Strategy" introduces you to six clear applications designed to invest your life with others and introduce them to the gospel: IDENTIFY your THEMs NURTURE an authentic relationship with THEM VERIFY their spiritual condition INVOLVE THEM with your church family TELL THEM your Faith Story, and ENCOURAGE THEM to cross the line of faith This Sunday, January 24, our congregation will begin a 6-week focus on this strategy. "Been there, done that," some of you are saying. But hold on. There are two reasons to spend six weeks on this effort. First, any subject that's worth knowing is worth repeating. Imagine only hearing about missions one time in your Christian life. Or forgiveness. Or Christ's Second Coming. We have to cover these subjects repeatedly to keep us focused on the right things. It's the same with evangelism. Sure, you've heard us talk about evangelism before -- maybe you've even heard us talk about the INVITE acrostic at Hillcrest before. But we have to repeatedly return to subjects like this because it is so important for our Christian discipleship. There's a second reason to engage in this effort starting January 24: You may have heard us talk about the INVITE Strategy before, but not like this! Each week during the sermon I will show you what God's Word says about each of these steps. Then your class or group will discuss the message (some classes will take a few minutes to reinforce the truths of the sermon, while others will use a discussion guide for the entire hour). Then you'll have daily readings to amplify the focus each week. This alignment of materials is designed to give you the training and motivation you need to share your faith with your world. We're calling the campaign iINVITE. That's a hat tip to the iPhone and its famous apps, of course. But there's a more important reason for the name. You and I need to remind each other to take personal responsibility for Christ's Great Commission. It's not a Sunday night "training course" to complete but a lifestyle to own. I must invite others to Jesus. Pray that it will have a powerful impact in the lives of our members -- and in the lives we're all meant to impact with the gospel! --Tom Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored," with its Links to Your World -- interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.