EVANGELISM: THE TASK THAT MUST BE DONE

        EVANGELISM: THE TASK THAT MUST BE DONE

   

  INTRODUCTION

           Without Yesterday Missionaries, there would not be Today Christians.

The work of soul winning is the only work that the Lord commissioned all believers in the time of His ascension (Mk. 16:15). But it is painful that it is only few people that have compassion that are doing the work, though to go out from one’s house to another man’s house is a big work. It is only those that have compassion for souls alone that can do such work. Only compassion of soul that can disallow shame.

Don’t forget that the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross between two thieves, on the town heap, at cross road, so cosmopolitan that they have to write His title in Hebrew and Latin and Greek.

Therefore, such a place is where Christians can best share their message of love because, that is what real Christianity is all about. Let us remember that the Holy Spirit “Moves” through us. We are His Temple. If we are too busy to witness He has no other channel to minister through. He lives in our bodies.

Sinners in your community will never be visited by our Lord, if you do not go and speak in His Name.

Those who are sick and in prison shall never be visited by the Holy Spirit if we do not go to them in His Name.

Men shall never see God-except as they see Him in you. Christ’s love, can only be manifested through your life. His compassion and concern for lost souls can only be exhibited through you. Some Christians say Oh! Yes, we have compassion for the lost, because we hold special prayer meeting for the lost. My friend, this is not what Christ told us to do. He did not tell you to go to church and ring bell, or engage in praying for sinners to come in.

He commanded: “Go out into the high ways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled (Lk. 14:23). When we talk of soul winning, we must remember this basic fact: sinners don’t go to church. So we can’t reach these lost multitudes inside the church. We must go outside the church to win them.

A fisherman doesn’t go fishing in his bathtub, and a farmer doesn’t harvest grain in his dining room, Christians go out where the sinners are.

To add to your burden and mine as of 1972, there are fifteen million Jews, 315 million Mohammedans; 170 million Buddhists; 350 million of others whom Christ died and who are mainly unreached with the blessed Gospel. In America 27 million youth are unreached, 99 people died every minute and 1 million every week.

Beloved, I want you to know that: No Pentecost without plentycost. It must cost you plenteous before you become what God wants. Your having anointing or gift of the Holy Spirit is not enough. You need to evangelize, so that your anointing will be flowing well. (Mk. 16:15).

Brethren, do the work of evangelism as if you have no other time to do it. For if not you, then who? If not now, then when? Salvation is a matter of individuality.

Jesus was asked to sit down at the right hand of God, because he has done his own part by dying  on the cross. But now my own responsibility is that the repentance and remission of sin should be preach in his name stating from Jerusalem. ( Acts

WHAT IS AN EVANGELISM?

a.           Evangelism is to bear witness to the gospel with soul a flame, and to teach and preach with express purpose of making disciples of those who hear. Act 7:54

b.           Evangelism is to communicate effectively the good news of Christ and His salvation so that individual will willfully make a decision for or against it.

c.      Evangelism is proclamation of the gospel with the purpose of persuading condemned and lost sinners to put their trust in God.

WHY EVANGELISM?

The reason why we must preach the Good News is that, first news after resurrection of Jesus was a bad one :  

Matt 28:11-20

11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in a the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." NIV

In contrast to Mk. 16:15. He now commanded the disciples to go and preach the Gospel. Gospel is the power of God that works in the lives of sinners unto salvation. If not the gospel of Christ, it will not save Rom. 1:16.

STAGNANT CHRISTIAN

Stagnancy means an unflowing water; non pouring out and non receiving water, such water will create a lot of problems to the people at that community.

These are things that can be found in stagnant waters:

i.                Mosquitoes.     

ii.              Refuse Joint.

iii.            Undrinkable to the people

iv.            Snakes can live in it   

v.              Stinking.

vi.            Danger to the children that are playing nearby.

vii.          It will be a sorrow instead of joy.

Stagnancy appeared two times in the Bible, and God dealt with it, and allowed smooth flowing in these two times.

a.    BABEL CONFUSSION:         God commanded that men should spread out and reach out to the uttermost part of the world but the people decided against God’s command. God had to use this power to confuse them and forced them to spread out. Gen. 11:1-9. A Church which does not preach the gospel is not flowing and it is stagnant and such condition is very dangerous to the Church growth.

b.    THE EARLY CHURCH:        In Acts 6:1, also Acts 8:1-4 there is a record of stagnancy when the early Church members were multiplying daily, and there was no arrangement for evangelistic programme, there was a big problem. God also allowed the “Jews” to stoned Stephen the evangelist to death.

By then there was a great persecution against the Church at Jerusalem, and all members were scattered abroad and the bible said “those that were scattered went and preached the word all about”. Therefore, train the brethren and give them what to do, send them out to go and preach.

THE LIFE OF A SOUL WINNER

i.        A victorious soul winner must experience personal salvation. Acts 9:1-8

ii.       He must have graduated from childish and have something to share. Gal. 4:1-2

iii.      He must be able to speak with boldness and not boldface. Prov. 28:1 Psalm 15:1

DIFFERENT METHODS OF EVANGELISM

There are many methods of Evangelism, but one message, one purpose and one goal.

The methods include:

a.     Mass or city Evangelism:

i.        Outside Crusade )

ii.       Street Evangelism

iii.      Moring Cry

iv.      Market Evangelism

b.    Village Evangelism

c.     Literature Evangelism

d.    Tracts Evangelism

e.     Audio - Visual Evangelism:

i.        Visual Teachings Aids

ii.       Film Evangelism

iii.      Drama Evangelism

iv.      Radio

v.       Cassette and

vi.      Telephone.

f.      Hospital and Prison Evangelism.

g.    Personal Evangelism / House to House Evangelism

PERSONAL EVANGELISM

Personal Evangelism is a definite effort of a believer to lead a definite person to a definite saviour at a definite time. Acts: 20:20; Pro: 11:30.

Preachers and missionaries often get busy with meetings and classes to the extent of forgetting the private touch of personal soul-winning. And no one is too big than personal Evangelism. This is the time when all when all Christians, minister or lay members should be re-awakened to the ministry of personal Evangelism. Few are called to be preachers but all are called to be soul-winners.

As we are going out for Evangelism, we need to realize that we will meet three types of people that are bound in the religious sects.

They are as follows:

-        Nominal Christians

-        Muslim and

-        Pagans.

The devil used the devices of religions to close the gate of the heart of the people. Jesus told Peter “Follow me; I will make you fisher of men”. In this verse of the Bible there are two types of fishing e.g. NETTING AND HOOKING systems.

1.    NETTING: Net will bring many kinds of fishes out of the water, this is otherwise known as mass evangelism.

2.    HOOKING: Hook will bring nothing out of the water but a fish, and this otherwise known as personal / person to person evangelism.

IMPORTANT OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM

We shall notice seven reasons for the importance of this work of personal evangelism.

SCRIPTURE ENDORSES IT             

1.       GOD HIMSELF DESIRES IT:     In sending His son, God proves His desire for the salvation of men. Christ came, not in order that God might love us, but because God loved us (1 John 4:14 Galatians 4:4; Acts 3:26 John 3:16, 17) Thus the great God himself is intensely concerned with the salvation of sinners.

2.       CHRIST REVEALED IT: He did his first by his own example. He knew he had out 3 to 4 years of public ministry, yet He did not neglect personal work. He choose his disciples individually (mark 3:14; 11,16; John  1:43; Mathew 4:21; 22; 9:9) He engaged in personal conversations.  John 3:4; 5:1-9; Luke 10: 38; 7:36-50; 23:39-43; etc.

3.       THE EARLY CHURCH PRACTICES IT
The Acts of the Apostles was full of the story of how the early church spared the word of God through evangelism. Acts 8:4 ; Acts 6:7
GENERAL BOOTH; founder of the salvation Army, used to say that every Christian ought to be sent to hell for a week, for this would make a lost eternity so real to him he would spend the rest of his life on earth in seeking to  deliver people from the possibility eternal damnation.

4.       THE CHURCH TODAY CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT IT

The church that does not go with the gospel will be soon be gone.

5.       IT IS THE BELIEVER’S RESPONSIBILITY   
Men are not born soul winners, but made. Some Christian seem to think that only few believers are called to this work, and that the obligation is not universal; that it may or may not be done as we choose. This is false. Unscriptural, and illogical. It his committed to every believer, all may become soul winner if they give them self to it.
THOSE WHO WIN SOUL ARE ‘’WISE’’     (PROVERBs 11:30)
THREE TERMS TO EXPLAIN:
          A.       MILITARY TERM
          B.       OCCUPATIONAL TERM
          C.       MATRIMONIAL TERM 
6.       THE SHORTNESS OF TIME
Read John.9:4; Ephesians:14-16, 2Corinthians.6:1; 2; 2Timothy.4:2;3; Romans.13:11; 12. Life’s little day will soon draw to a close, and the time of our opportunity for service be gone forever.
7.       GOD HONOURS PERSONAL WORK
Andrew is a picture of the personal worker. He is mentioned three times, and each time he is described as bringing someone to Christ (John.1:40-42; 6:8; 12:22).

HANDRANCES TO  EVANGELISM              
                Since soul winning, through personal evangelism, is so essential and so greatly blessed of God, why are more Christian not engaged in it? This section will attempt to answer this question by viewing  negatively   what we have started positively  in the previous section.

1.       THE FEAR OF MAN (PROVERBS 29:25)  
                Many Christians have allowed themselves to be silenced in their witness by their fear of the approach and ridicule of men. The thought of being view as ‘’peculiar’’ by the ungodly, by the carnal Christian, Has thousand, of their courage to testify for Christ (Rom8:15)
2.       PRAYERLESSNESS

The lord Jesus has left us an example that we should follow his steps’’. This applies  to prayer, as in every other aspects of the Christians life (1 Pet. 2:21). How often it is recorded of him that he prayed, sometimes the whole night through. If he needed prayer, how much more we. Luke 18:1 LK6:12, Matt 9:37-38, James 5:17-18, 1Sam 12:23.

3.       SECRET SIN
                Any harmful habit that defiles our conscience; beclouds our spiritual faculties, weakens our sensitiveness to the spirit’s leading, or robs us of communion with God  and joy or his service must be resolutely confessed and turned from as sin (Psa. 51:12, 13).
John closes his epistle with the words, ‘’little children, keep yourselves  from idols.’’ An idol is anything that displaces God in the affections. It may be something quite legitimate in itself, but if it robs Christ of the preminence in the life, or obscures our spiritual vision, it must go (1John5: 12 ). ‘’ lay aside every weight’’ of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 9:27).

4.       IGNORANCE OF GOD’S WORD
                Many say nothing because they have nothing to say: and they have nothing to say because they haven't  been listening to God. Children learn to talk by hearing and talking: so we must (Isa.50:4.5). we need ‘’opened ears’’ if we are to have ‘’opened lips’’ (Psalm51:15).
5.       SELFISHNESS
                Soul winning is not easy work, for it calls for strenuous effort and self-denial. It costs time, money and energy. Many will give this effort to further their own business, but not for ‘’the father’s business’’ (Luke 2:49). Many are so liked to be called " a successful business men/women’’ rather than to be call a soul winner. 
6.       CALLOUSNESS
                Notice Christ’s compassion for the Lost. It was the compassion of a shepherd for lost sheep (Mark 6:34) of a physician for a patient (Mattew14:14); of a benefactor for the hungry (Matt.15:32); of a comforter for the bereaved (Luke7:13); of a deliverer for the oppressed (Mark5:19). It should be a cause for concern if we are not concerned for the lost. John knox cries, "Give me scot land, or I die.’’ Notice Paul’s concern (Rom.9:1-3), see Jeremiah's cry in Jeremiah 9:1). Christ wept as he viewed doomed Jerusalem (Luke19:41).

EVALUATION OF GOSPEL PRESENTATION

1.          Did I try to get the attention or hold their interest?

2.          If not so what can I do to change this?

3.          How much desire was created to know Christ, and be a part of this kingdom?

4.           How can this be increased?

5.          Was the person convicted about his sin? He need forgiveness, if not, why not?

6.          Did I confront the person clearly with his need to make a decision for Christ and to commit his life to him in repentance and faith? If not, how can I win this battle Next time?

BLESSING OF EVANGELISM

a.     It is through evangelism that our spiritual thermometer reads high.

b.    It is through evangelism that candle of God in us receives light. Rev. 3:15-17

c.     It is when you evangelize that you experience the promise of God and his presence in your life. Matt. 28:19-20.

I want you to remember that the word of God plus obedience is equal to victory.

WORD OF GOD + OBEDIENCE = VICTORY: W+G+O=V.

d.    It is when you evangelize that you develop holy life with God. Acts 5:41-42.

e.     Evangelism brings you to the new dimension of Spiritual growth Acts. 4:8-10;13.

f.      It is when you evangelize that the gift of God manifest in you. Rom. 12:4-7.

g.    He who goes to evangelize this poor world, the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble. Ps. 41:1-2; Pro. 19:17.

h.    He who evangelizes will be clothed with the power of God. Isa. 54:15-17; Jer. 1:6-10.

Evangelism is the source of joy, to a repented soul, you cannot have the joy of the Lord, if you don’t share the Gospel with others.

POWER FOR EVANGELISM

Our Lord Jesus instructed his disciples to “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high” Lk. 24:49. He also told them “ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses…..”Act. 1.8.

          The disciples were enthusiastic. They had been thoroughly taught the truth and had caught the vision for world evangelization. They had witnessed him preaching the gospel, performing miracles. They had watched crucified, died and resurrected and believed his ascension. They were fired with great truth and zeal, but Jesus knew that was not enough. He knew that persecution, opposition, bitter criticism and Satan’s attack through human communities awaits them, and that without the Holy Spirit power, the fire of enthusiasm in them will soon die.

The Holy Spirit plays a very important role in evangelism.

THE WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN EVANGELISM.

i.    He reveals Christ as the redeemer and convinced sinners for redemptive works. John 16:8

ii.   He applies the redemptive work of Christ into the soul of man by changing their conscience. etc. 1Tim. 1:19 & 1Tim. 4:2

iii.  He gave power to the believers to witness Christ to the sinner

iv.  He guides the believer in his own relation to God. He gives the believer the knowledge of his sonship. Rom. 8:16 and heirship Rom. 8:17.

v.   He guides the believers into all truths, and not allow them to enter into an error. John. 16:13; Acts 16:6-10.

vi.  He gives Spiritual gifts to the children of God ( Soul Winners ) 1Cor. 12:4-11

vii. He indwells believers to sanctify and help to live an holy life. Rom. 8:5

viii He intercede on our behalf at the place of prayer. Rom. 8:26.

ix.  He indwells believers for service. Acts. 1:8. Acts 4

x.   He help us to focus on things of heaven Colossians 3:1-5