During the 2018 Summit, Roc Collins, TBMB director of strategic initiatives, hosted a panel discussion on evangelism and discipleship. Below are some excerpts from the discussion. A full length transcript and an unedited audio version of this discussion is available here.
— Compiled by Chris Turner
Panel members (from left) Thomas Bester, Randy C. Davis, Steve Gaines and Derek Smith discuss evangelism and discipleship with moderator Roc Collins.
— Photo by James Wilson
THOMAS BESTER
Founding Pastor, Forerunner Baptist Church, Ripley
Evangelism Coordinator, Big Hatchie Association
“The Bible says that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and if you can’t share the gospel, then you can’t share the power.”
“Our first gospel conversation needs to be with God. This entails God’s children talking to God. Then we must share that conversation with the people of God. … It’s important that we, as children of God, not keep the gospel to ourselves.”
“Now when I say the people of God, I mean all people and we must understand that the people of God will become the children of God, only through the sharing of the gospel and by the use of that power of the gospel.”
“I don’t understand why the saints of God, have become ashamed of the gospel. We go to work and the sinners at work, they pull out their magazines, they pull out their articles, we look at TV, we hear radio, we hear all of these dastardly things going on, but we seem to be ashamed of sharing the gospel.”
“Too many times we look at people through our eyes and not through the eyes of God. We see black people, we see white people, we see yellow people, we see brown people, we see Asian brothers, we see Latino brothers, but there are only two kinds of people. Saved and lost.”
DEREK SMITH
Lead Pastor
Living Hope Baptist Church, Clarksville
“I’ve heard it said that, “Go to your Walmart any given Saturday and see the people there and your church should look like the people at your Walmart.” Do we look like the people in our community, are we connecting with the different diversities that are there and different ethnicities?”
“We chose to put (our kids) into public schools so that we could build relationships more intentionally with people in our community. … So often we’re so wrapped up in the stuff of the church that we’re not able to get outside of the church and connect with those that are lost. So, through my kids, we’re able to do that.”
“So often in today’s world we’re talking about felt needs in the church. We need to preach the gospel in the church and we need to tap into felt needs outside the church and use that as the bridges to the gospel.”
“Meeting needs in the community. That builds bridges to the gospel. The gospel is the only supernatural transformative message in the history of mankind.”
“Evangelism and discipleship are flip sides of the same coin. We write mission statements as a church, but really Jesus already gave us our mission statement: The Great Commission. Disciple making is the end goal of evangelism.”
STEVE GAINES
Lead Pastor
Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova
“You have to know your audience. I think that the gospel is the same, but I think we have to become all things to all people that we may by all means connect with them and share with them. So I think we have to constantly pray and ask the Lord to help us.”
“Any great soul winner … becomes like the people that they’re around, in the sense of trying to make connections with them so that they can share the gospel.
“We’ve got a gym at Bellevue and I never go to it because I go to the YMCA, not just to work out, but to witness.”
“You can’t teach evangelism in a room reading a book. You’ve got to go out and do it. You’ve got to get out where the people are.”
“The split second you repent of your sins and receive Jesus by faith, you become a disciple and then you start to grow in grace.”
“I think you have not shared the gospel unless you give them a chance to get saved. … It doesn’t have to be a come forward while we’re singing ‘Just As I Am,’ but you do have to give an invitation.”
RANDY C. DAVIS
President and Executive Director
Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
“If we’re going to impact our culture, we cannot think of it in the context of 1950 Tennessee. … We’ve got to think like missionaries in reaching lost people.”
“I remember a conversation I had with Dr. Jeff Iorg at Gateway Seminary in California. He said that in five years, Tennessee will look like Colorado and in ten years it will look like California.The gap between those that profess Christ as Savior and those that do not profess Christ as Savior in Tennessee is growing rapidly.”
“You’ve got to be people of prayer. You become brokenhearted and concerned about the people you’re praying for.”
“On the other end of it is celebration. … It becomes more contagious when you celebrate and you make a big deal out of baptism.”
“People that are being saved, need to be discipled, and when you’re discipled, you really disciple, then you become one that shares what’s happened to you.”
“The most mature believers in your fellowship are those who have a daily regimen of being in the Word, that are being in prayer, a few simple disciplines grow some dynamic disciples in following Jesus Christ.”
