2008-11-09T10:07:26-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com http://www.gospel.com/feeds/topics/biblical http://ied.gospelcom.net/felt-needs.php 2008-11-09T10:07:26-05:00 The concept of ministering to people’s ‘felt needs’ is sometimes misunderstood. “Surely we should be speaking to their real spiritual needs?” is a potential criticism and valid question. http://ied.gospelcom.net/creative-thinking.php 2008-11-09T10:04:15-05:00 A 30-second film shows six people playing basketball, three in white shirts and three in black. Volunteers are asked to count the number of times the white shirt team pass the ball. At the end of the film, they are asked if they saw anything unusual. Most do not. The unusual thing is: halfway through the film, a man wearing a gorilla suit walks through the players, beats his chest to the camera, then walks off. The film illustrates a simple fact – that if we are only looking for one way to do something, we do not usually see other possible options. http://ied.gospelcom.net/bridge-strategy.php 2008-11-09T10:02:16-05:00 Most people are not searching for Christian material, and so of course will never find it. If they do, by chance, come across an obviously Christian page on a search engine listing when looking for a secular subject, they are unlikely to click on it. If they do, they probably will not stay. The Bridge Strategy is to offer people pages about things they are searching for. http://ied.gospelcom.net/communicate.php 2008-11-09T09:57:52-05:00 There are a number of theories of communication, often quite complex to grasp. They are nevertheless helpful to us in understanding how messages are transmitted and received. Rather than being ‘psycho-babble’, they often demonstrate human truths which are also clearly given us in the Bible. Wilbur Schramm’s simple diagram of overlapping circles demonstrates visually 1 Cor 9:19-23 – seeking to identify and find areas of common ground. http://ied.gospelcom.net/strategy.php 2008-11-09T09:55:16-05:00 Some people might ask, “Why do we need evangelistic strategies at all? Surely we are just called on to preach the Gospel, plain and straight, and leave God to do the rest?” Even the words ‘communication strategies’ may seem to imply worldly marketing methods rather than a dependence on the power of the Gospel through the Holy Spirit. http://ied.gospelcom.net/relationships.php 2008-11-09T09:49:11-05:00 Web Evangelism, indeed any form of outreach, should not primarily be 'cut and run' – the hope that a quick exposure to an evangelistic page, tract, or some other message is likely to communicate effectively on its own. Fruit from web evangelism does not usually happen this way. http://ied.gospelcom.net/needs-based-evangelism.php 2008-09-28T14:13:16-05:00 This article is Chapter 8 in Dick Innes’ book I Hate Witnessing and is carried here in grateful partnership with him. You may reproduce this article without permission in print publications, or incorporate it into your website. http://ied.gospelcom.net/whydrama.php 2008-01-11T17:54:36-05:00 Sometimes Christians have been wary of using drama. "Can it be right to communicate in this way?" they ask. Others may happily use drama for children, but consider it has no relevance for adults. We suggest that drama is an under-used yet essential means of communicating Gospel truths. http://circuitriter.gospelcom.net/hot/ 2007-11-07T19:10:52-05:00 Biblical perspectives on current events and hot topics.