Be Unashamed of the Gospel

Do you find making a good first impression to be awkward? Have you ever tried to say something inspiring but ended up saying the wrong things? Is the mere thought of evangelization too nerve-racking to even contemplate?

Welcome to the Every Knee Shall Bow podcast where hosts Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle discuss ways you can bring God’s kingdom to earth, so his will may be done as it is in heaven. Every week they will answer questions, explain Catholic teachings, and give you five practical takeaways, all centering around bringing people to Jesus Christ. Today, Mike and Dave explain what Season One is all about—being unashamed of the gospel. The world desperately needs the love of God, and who else will bring it to them except you?

 

Snippet from the Show:

If we are in Christ, then we know that people are not projects. What we want for them is what we have for ourselves.

 


5 Practical Evangelization Takeaways!

 

  1. Pick a person in your life who needs to know the Lord. Start praying for that person by name everyday to accept the Lord into their life. This is called intercessory prayer.  (See 8:59 in the podcast)
  2. It’s not enough to just want someone to convert. Pray for yourself, for God to make an opportunity for you to evangelize. (See 11:23 in the podcast)
  3. Take some time every day this week and reflect on the change in your life that started your relationship with Jesus Christ. How did Jesus change you? What difference did a relationship with Jesus create in my life? This is your testimony. (See 12:27 in the podcast)
  4. Being in Christ is what changes your life. As you grow in holiness, you are actually growing in conformity to who Jesus Christ is. When you sit down to pray, open your Bible to Ephesians Chapter 1. Make note of every time St. Paul mentions abiding in Jesus (in him, in Christ, in the Beloved, etc…). (See 14:09 in the podcast.)
  5. Go out and evangelize.  Share God’s love with another person. You could sit and take evangelization classes for the next ten years, but the only thing that makes you ready to go evangelize is actually getting out there. (See 15:55 in the podcast.)

 


Meet Your Hosts


 

Michael “Gomer” Gormley

Michael “Gomer” Gormley

Michael has been leading evangelization and ministry efforts for the past ten years, both as a full-time parish staff member and as a speaker and consultant for parishes, dioceses, and Catholic campus ministries.

Michael is also the founder and creative director of LayEvangelist.com, and the producer and cohost of a Catholic young adult podcast Catching Foxes, which discusses the collision of Faith and Culture.

He is married to his college sweetheart, Shannon, and they have about 1,000 children and get about 3 hours of sleep a night, which is alright by him.

 

David “Dave” VanVickle

David “Dave” VanVickle

Dave VanVickle fell in love with the Lord at the age of fourteen and has since dedicated his life to bringing others into a radical relationship with Christ.

Dave is a speaker and retreat leader who focuses on proclaiming the universal call to holiness, authentic Catholic spirituality, spiritual warfare and deliverance. Additionally, Dave has over ten years of experience assisting Priests with their ministries of exorcism and deliverance.

Dave resides in Pittsburgh with his wife Amber and their five children: Sam, Max, Judah, Josie and Louisa.

6 Comments

  1. I actually had been thinking about my neighbor for a couple of days after seeing an ambulance at their house. She beamed the whole time I was talking to her! Really all I said was I prayed/concerned for them, added a dash of vulnerability and ended with I go to St Marks church and sometime I’d love to tell you what God has done for me. My delay in doing this has been rooted in
    a concern that I’d be annoying! Her face said it all and it was too easy to not do it again!!!

    Reply
  2. Listened to your 1st podcast on a road trip. Little did I know that that evening I would be put to the “test” and I was ready! I usually struggle to have good answers but this time I think the Holy Spirit was working in me as they flowed! I have been reading every apologetics book I can get my hands on for the last several years, been praying for certain people specifically and guidance for myself, so I finally know the basic answers. (Still need to read Ephesians Ch1…) A Catholic family friend started complaining about how Protestants don’t have to feel guilty like we Catholics do, and more specifically about Purgatory. I was able to respond back, “Aren’t you glad you know the Truth?” The rest of the conversation is a blur but I came out feeling like I may have planted a seed. I told her I would send her some info which she said no, she won’t read it. So I sent her a video from Fr. Mike Schmitz so she can just listen:)

    Reply
  3. This is a great podcast! I am so happy that you are addressing this. My parish doesn’t have a program in evangelizing so I am eager to learn more. I feel that the Holy Spirit is nudging me to go out there!

    Reply
  4. I enjoyed your first podcast on 12/5/2018. I will typically be listening on my iPhone through apple iTunes and was wondering if it’s possible for you to summarize your 5 take-aways in the details of that podcast medium.

    Thanks for challenging me.

    Reply
  5. Very helpful! Thanks so much for your dedication to spreading God’s word in our troubled land.
    Looking forward to next week!

    Linda

    Reply
  6. I’ve been using some of these steps for awhile, and I had an amazing thing happen recently. I have been praying for my two sons who left the Church some years back as young adults. I recently visited one of these sons, and I was smacked up the side of the head (figuratively) by what happened the night before I left to come back home. My Presbyterian daughter-in-law turned to me and point blank, out-of-the-blue, and asked me why Catholics are so sure that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus Christ…’show me where in the Bible you find that’. So, I looked up the King James Bible (why would she listen to anything from a Catholic Bible, right?) and read John 6: 51-58. She became extremely agitated, shook her head and said, “No! No! No! That is just a story. Jesus always spoke in parables!” She accused me over and over that I believed she was going to Hell, which I denied, but she was really angry and told me that no one could do that (turn bread and wine into body and blood), not even God! Then stomped off to bed angry. I just sat there dazed and shaking. This moment came from my daughter-in-law, not my son, for whom I had been praying. I am totally convinced that it was the power of the Holy Spirit in action, and that there were seeds planted deep that night. I wait now, and continue to pray for her also.

    Reply

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