'Evangelism hub for churches'
A new website that aims to give Christians all the tools they need to share the gospel will launch later this month
The Great Commission evangelism website has been developed by the Evangelical Alliance and launches on 26 October. New video stories will be released each week on the site, sharing how people have come to faith in Jesus across the UK.
There will also be accounts of Christians and churches who are talking about Jesus and seeing lives changed.
The site is designed 'to help Christians share their faith, and to inspire people that Jesus is changing lives in the UK today.'
In the first video, released in the run up to the launch, Joe shares his story. Joe says: 'Aged about nineteen I got involved in substance misuse, and that was my life for about 20 years. In the end I felt like I was a failure, addicted to failure, I was just desperate. I just wanted out of my situation.
'I just cried out to God, begging him for help; ‘if there is a God I need you now’. Within several weeks of calling out to God and God answering my prayers, placing people in my life who were there to support and encourage me, I found I’d detoxed myself within a few weeks, gained the strength quite quickly that I’d never had before.'
Joe goes on to talk about the way Jesus has changed his life, and how he’s now introducing others to the life-changing good news of Jesus: 'I thought I was unemployable and I now work within the detox centre that I went through myself.
'I’m there sharing my experience, and I share my faith and show that it was a big impact on how I became abstinent from drugs. I’m in the process of becoming a member of an Eden team and I’m running a men’s group from my flat and people are coming and getting saved.'
Joe's Story | Great Commission from Evangelical Alliance on Vimeo.
Gavin Calver, director of mission at the Alliance and an accredited Baptist minister, commented, 'We know Jesus is changing lives across the UK today, but still four out of 10 people in England are not even convinced that Jesus was a real person.
'What’s more, of non-Christians in England who say that they do know a Christian, four out of 10 say that they have never had a conversation about Jesus with that person.
'There’s a huge opportunity for Christians in the UK to talk about Jesus, and we want the stories, reflections and resources on the Great Commission site to inspire and equip Christians and churches to be confidently talking about Jesus.'
In the
latest Great Commission weekly story, Shelia talks about how she shares Jesus’ love by offering prayer and hugs to people on the streets of Peterborough.
“People do say to me, ‘it’s okay for you because you find it easy’, but I think we can all find it easy if we take that initial step. I’m not special in any way, just a mum and a grandma and I just have the conviction of my faith. I always, after I’ve hugged them, say that it’s from the Lord, it’s a gift from God to them to express his love.'
The Great Commission team is sharing stories on twitter at @great_comm. Sign up at www.eauk.org/great-commission to receive the latest updates. The site will be live from 26 October.
Baptist Times, 04/10/2016