March 28, 2023
by Eric Stillman
The Bible is full of hard sayings, and perhaps none is harder than John 3:36. The assertion made here, and echoed throughout the New Testament, is that a person’s eternal destiny depends upon whether or not they believe in Jesus. It is not hard to comprehend the logic of the argument; rather, what is hard is allowing the full weight of this statement to impact our hearts. If these words are true, then every day we are interacting with people who, unless they repent of their sin and trust in Jesus, are headed for an eternity separate from the God who created them, experiencing forever the just wrath of a holy God. It is not a pleasant thought, but it demands our attention, careful consideration, and compassionate action....Keep Reading
Posted in: Evangelism Tags: Evangelism, Heaven, Hell, C.S. Lewis
July 12, 2022
by Becky Derby
It was my senior year of high school - 1985. I was in the midst of what would today be diagnosed as clinical depression when my parents told me that we would be moving from my rural community of North Smithfield, RI, to Tolland, CT, the following year. I was beside myself. I was going to college in the fall, less than 20 miles from where I grew up. But, because of my parents’ move, when I came home from college, I would be in a strange place and a strange house. I wouldn’t know my way around, and I wouldn't know anyone. I was devastated and scared....Keep Reading
Posted in: Evangelism Tags: Evangelism, Salvation
August 24, 2021
by Eric Stillman
You may have heard the expression, “once you see this, you can’t un-see it” in reference to some particularly disturbing picture. I find this quote from Francis Chan to be like that: once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it....Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Evangelism, Missions
July 21, 2020
by Eric Stillman
A popular line that I have often heard used in evangelism is “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” I believe that these words usually come from a well-intentioned place. The Christian who is speaking this line genuinely wants the one who does not believe in Jesus to know that God loves them, and that knowing and following God is far better than anything the world has to offer.
The problem is, the line is only partially true. And this partial truth is more likely to lead someone to Hell than it is to a saving relationship with God.
...Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, God's love
November 12, 2019
by Eric Stillman
You may have heard the expression, “once you see this, you can’t un-see it” in reference to some particularly disturbing picture. I find this quote from Francis Chan to be like that: once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it....Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Missions, Francis Chan
October 8, 2019
by Eric Stillman
The first time I remember hearing the phrase "born again" was in relation to Darryl Strawberry, the former Mets and Yankees star. I recall reading that Strawberry had become a "born again Christian," and while I wasn't quite sure what that meant, it was obvious that he seemed to have found religion.
The phrase “born again” carries with it all kinds of baggage in this day and age....Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Salvation
June 4, 2019
by Eric Stillman
I grew up going to church; however, God did not truly become real until I was 18, right at the beginning of college, as the result of attending a youth group the summer after my high school graduation. As a new Christian, I was full of young enthusiasm for God, for the Bible, and for Christian fellowship, but also very unsure of who God was and what it meant to know and follow Him.
Three months after becoming a believer, I went on a retreat with Musicon Ministries. ...Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, God's love
November 13, 2018
by Joe Barone
Do you have a friend, relative, or co-worker who you’ve shared the good news of the gospel with? Have you witnessed Christ’s love to them? Did they appear curious and welcoming of additional information? Then, after all your efforts, did their interest wane and did all seem for naught? Are you frustrated? Confused? Ready to give up? There is help, and it’s closer than you think. First, let me tell you my story about a little, lime green train engine....Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Faith
April 17, 2018
by Eric Stillman
It was 1872, and D. L. Moody decided to go to England for a time of learning from the great English preachers of that day. He had decided to merely sit and listen, and not do any ministry of his own. One pastor named John Lessey, upon hearing that Moody was in town, begged him to preach in his pulpit on both Sunday morning and Sunday night. Reluctantly, Moody accepted the request of this pastor of a medium-sized congregation in London.
The morning sermon did not go well...Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Prayer
April 25, 2017
by Eric Stillman
In the years after I graduated from UConn, I found myself wishing that I could go back to some of my classes and defend my faith against some of the messages I heard from my professors. I became a follower of Jesus right at the beginning of my freshman year at UConn, and although I was an eager learner when it came to my newfound faith, I had no idea how to answer many of the criticisms of Christianity I heard in my classes. For example:
“Missionaries are arrogant, evil, and ethnocentric.”...Keep Reading
Posted in: Evangelism Tags: Evangelism, Apologetics
May 26, 2015
by Eric Stillman
One of our priorities this year as a church is to increase our prayer for and outreach to those who do not know Jesus. One of the steps I have taken is to take regular prayer walks through the apartment complex next door to our church, praying that God would open doors and help us to make connections there, so that we might love our actual neighbors as Christ has loved us.
As I reflected on this emphasis, I was reminded by a powerful video by Penn Jillette of the Las Vegas illusionist duo Penn & Teller...Keep Reading
Posted in: Evangelism Tags: Evangelism, Hell
June 11, 2013
by Eric Stillman
On the second Wednesday of every month, I lead a service of worship for about 25 senior citizens at the Glastonbury Health Care Center. I play a few songs of worship on the guitar, share a brief teaching from the Bible, and always close by singing Amazing Grace. It‘s quite the scene: there‘s me up front, shouting my sermon, trying to proclaim the gospel to a crowd that inevitably includes one or two people talking loudly about who knows what, another person whose hearing aid is squealing because the volume is up too loud, and about five people who have dozed off before I have even begun to speak....Keep Reading
Posted in: Evangelism Tags: Senior Citizens, Evangelism
March 5, 2013
by Eric Stillman
One of the biggest reasons people turn away from God and the Christian faith is the hypocrisy of Christians. Even those who have very little knowledge of the Bible know that the message of Jesus had something to do with love and moral living, and when they see followers of Jesus who preach love but live lives marked by looking down on the world, judging others, or moral failure, they are turned off from Christianity. Add to the everyday hypocrisy of believers bigger scandals such as the Catholic sex abuse scandal or the shady dealings of some televangelists, and it’s no wonder that many people in our world have a hard time embracing the Christian message....Keep Reading
Tags: Gospel, Evangelism
May 22, 2012
My faith light has been shining through more and more as my walk with Christ has grown stronger, attracting more and more questions from non-believers and “on-the-fencers”. After a while, a common denominator emerged in their queries; they all begin with: “Why does God...” Why does God permit suffering; why does God let children die; why does God permit wars; why does God never answer my prayers; why does God let evil go unchecked. Usually I would just respond with the same look most people would have if under interrogation; turns out that didn’t help much in the witnessing or saving department....Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Guest Blogger
March 27, 2012
by Eric Stillman
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” (Romans 2:1-4)...Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, God
April 5, 2011
by Eric Stillman
I am a huge UConn basketball fan. I attended UConn many years ago, and during my time as a student, I attended every home game, often waiting in line for hours in order to be as close as possible to the court. This past Monday night culminated a few months of great excitement as the UConn men won the national championship. Having followed the team for years, I was amazed that they pulled it off" after all, they weren’t even picked to make the NCAA tournament in most preseason publications, let alone compete for the title. But under the leadership of Jim Calhoun, and guided by the play of Kemba Walker and his supporting cast, they shocked even this diehard fan....Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Discipleship
March 22, 2011
by Eric Stillman
Last week, I was watching an interview by MSNBC’s Martin Bashir with Rob Bell on his new book, Love Wins, and Bashir began the interview by asking Bell point blank, “The tsunami in Japan" which of these is true" either God is all-powerful but he doesn’t care about the people of Japan, or he does care about the people of Japan, but he’s not all-powerful. Which one is it?” Bell danced around the question with his answer, but I am sure that I would have done far worse if I had been asked that question on national television and had only two minutes with which to answer. Not only is the “problem of evil” a question that has challenged philosophers for centuries, but for the majority of people, it is not a philosophical question but a profoundly personal question, a question often filled with despair or rage towards God. Why, God? Why would you allow this devastation in my life? Why did you allow me to be abused? Why did you allow my son to be killed? Why have you allowed this crippling illness in my life? Is it that you just don’t care? Or you’e not powerful enough to stop it? Why, God?...Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Suffering
August 25, 2010
by Eric Stillman
In my last sermon before I went on vacation, I told the story from Luke 7 about the sinful woman who crashed the Pharisees’ dinner with Jesus and honored Jesus by anointing his feet with her tears when she saw how Simon the Pharisee was publicly shaming Jesus (read Luke 7:36-50 if you have no idea what I’m talking about). Near the end of that passage, Jesus says “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” This incident is just one of many where, in the end, the proud religious man is challenged and the “sinner” is shown love and compassion instead of judgment and condemnation....Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, Outreach
