Be An iWitness

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Why Evangelize?

Why evangelize? Isn’t that what the preacher is paid to do? Perhaps, it’s through apathy or a lack of solid teaching on the subject, but churches must understand the absolute necessity to spread the gospel message. It can’t be left up to just the preacher or the teachers. Let’s understand the important reasons why God’s people must take the initiative to be effective evangelists.

First, Jesus commanded His churches to spread the gospel. Jesus spoke the famous words of the Great Commission to His assembly. In doing so, He commanded them to make disciples. Matthew 28:19 says, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. The word teach comes from the Greek word matheteuo—to make disciples of. We understand that this word is in the imperative; thus, it is a clear command from the Master Himself. In addition, this word is in the active voice, thus, requiring action on the part of evangelists and churches. The conclusion is an obvious one that must be reached—evangelism is not an option. Jesus would later confirm these words. Acts 1:8 reminds us: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Seeing the actions of the early churches in the book of Acts, it is clear that those churches understood what Jesus expected of them. Those churches that faithfully evangelize today equally agree that Jesus still expects His people to spread the gospel.

God’s people need to understand that God has always sent people into the world to be His spokesmen. When God commissioned Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 3:11, He said this, And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. Likewise, when Jesus called His disciples, He said, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). The modern-day question that must be asked is simple—if churches today don’t evangelize, then who will? If disciples of Jesus don’t faithfully make disciples, then who will? God is still asking the same question that He did in Isaiah. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I ; send me (Isaiah 6:8). The churches of the Lord Jesus Christ must be those who definitively answer that question with, Here we are, we will go!

Second, God’s people must have a love for the unsaved. It is often said, We have read the back of the book, and we win! While that is true for believers, it is equally true that all who have rejected Christ as Savior will face final judgment at the Great White Throne; then, they will be sentenced to an eternity in the lake of fire. There is no hope for those who die without Christ. The Bible is quite vivid and graphic regarding the conditions that exist in hell. Jesus said that hell is a place where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:44). The Bible also describes hell as a place of complete darkness. In addition, hell is detailed as being a place of complete torments; it’s a place where people feel as if they are being burned alive, but they are never consumed by the flame. Make no mistake about it; God wants none to go to hell. Second Peter 3:9 reminds us that God wishes none to perish, but desires all to come to repentance and faith in Christ. God will equally judge sin, and those who reject God’s plan of salvation will bear the debt of sin themselves.

Contrary to some religious teaching, there is no other option in eternity; it’s either Heaven or hell. No in-between places such as purgatory exist. No options are available for people to pay a dead person into Heaven. People cannot baptize for the dead. Once a person leaves this life, his eternity is set, and there is no changing it. Abraham said it best, when discussing this reality with the rich man: And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence (Luke 16:26). Death is a finality of everything regarding the eternal state of mankind.

It is imperative for great evangelists to have a love and concern for the lost. Perhaps, it’s best to personalize it like this: Someone cared enough for me to share the gospel with me. That thought is indeed true for every believer, because: faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Paul did well by quoting Isaiah in the previous verses. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:15). The important question that every child of God must ask is this: Will the compassion for the lost end with me, or do I care enough about the lost to leave my comfort zone? Paul said it best when writing to the Corinthians. In chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, he talked about having all the faith in the world. Yet without love, what good is it? Without love for the lost person, all the faith in the world from a child of God does no good. The love for them and their eternal state must produce action.

Third, God considers those who win souls to be wise. Proverbs 11:30 tells us: The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. This should be an obvious conclusion that any good evangelist should come to as well. Think about it like this: people have been saved for a purpose. Paul reminded the Ephesians that believers have been saved to be the workmanship of Jesus Christ, and that all believers should walk in those good works that have been set before them (Ephesians 2:10). The good evangelist who takes up the mantle to faithfully share the gospel with the world around him is not only obedient to the Great Commission of the Lord, but is also wise in his behavior after salvation. God gave mankind a free will. With that free will man can choose to serve God or not, even after salvation. The person who chooses to make the choice to share the gospel with others is indeed wise in his or her use of the time God has given.

Fourth, being effective evangelists brings the pleasure of God. Jesus made a profound statement in John 15:8: Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. We equally know that there is rejoicing in Heaven when a sinner repents. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth (Luke 15:10). As human beings, people tend to want to please those who are over them; children want to please their parents; employees want to please their bosses; athletes want to please their coaches. Why wouldn’t the same logic apply to our Heavenly Father? We see that sharing the gospel with others, and being part of their salvation, brings great pleasure to God Himself. Shouldn’t that be enough motivation to be great evangelists?

Who Should Evangelize?

It is imperative to recognize the responsibility for evangelism within two main contexts—the evangelism carried out every day by individuals as they go and by churches collectively as they make inroads within their neighborhoods. Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

As part of the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Jesus began His instructions by saying Go in verse 19. However, as we examine this Greek text further, we can see that this would be understood as As you go, or even As you are going. This clearly refers to the desire that Jesus expressed for His people to be ready to engage others with the gospel message throughout their everyday lives. People have busy lives. Those busy lives include trips to the grocery store, gas station, schools, sports practices and many other destinations. The common thread throughout all these is the interaction with people. As we go through our day God’s people are to take advantage of opportunities to reach others with the gospel. Often, this is the greatest area of failure in the life of a child of God. In the busy, fast-paced life that exists, it is very easy to stay in our own little bubble of comfort and then hurry on to the next activity. In the pace of life, what is missed is the man carrying around the burden of a failing marriage, the kids who are living in a broken home, and the woman who is struggling with an addiction. Good, dedicated evangelists will have the spiritual eyes to see these needs around them, and equally have the burden for the lives that are torn apart. It is that motivation that propels them to take the time out of their day and out of their schedule to share the gospel. In doing so they have fulfilled that part of Jesus’ Great Commission to His people.

Take the example of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8. What takes place between Philip and the eunuch is clearly a divine appointment orchestrated by God. The Lord directs Philip to go toward the south (verse 26) and then to join himself to the eunuch’s chariot (verse 29). We see that God matched a person who needed to hear the gospel with someone who was willing to share it. We see later in the 8th chapter that the eunuch accepts Christ as his Savior. The underlying lesson of this entire encounter was the fact that this occurred as Philip was going through his day. He hadn’t planned to meet up with this eunuch, but God had. We see God using the willingness of His evangelist to spread the gospel. Such encounters occur quite often, but with very different results. It is a common occurrence to run into someone at the store or elsewhere. These are not random, happenstance meetings but are similar to the divine appointment that occurred between Philip and the eunuch. However, when people fail to recognize the purpose of these encounters, they equally fail to fulfill Jesus’ intention for His people carrying out the Great Commission. Let’s face it, if we’re not willing to take advantage of these circumstances to share the gospel, then when will we? It’s a very common pattern that those who don’t witness as they are going generally don’t witness on any other occasion either.

The other area of evangelism involves the entire congregation. Any strong, growing, vibrant church must not only have members who are willing to share the gospel throughout their day, but also utilize occasions for the entire congregation to impact their communities. It should be stressed that the very life-blood of a congregation is her outreach. A church must be faithful and committed to outreach. A simple observation of churches is very telling. Amongst those churches that fail, one of the biggest reasons is that there is nothing in the area of evangelism. What is a church if not the avenue for preaching the gospel? A church without evangelism has ceased to fulfill her Commission to the Master. Every church should be warned with the same stark reality that God had to relay to the people of Israel. In Hosea 1:9, when naming Hosea’s son and illustrating His displeasure with Israel: Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. We know that God has not utterly cast away the people of Israel. Those who were being addressed by God through the prophet Hosea, were being rebuked for their faithlessness. Israel had become useless as a representative of God. They had chosen through their behavior that they no longer wanted God as their God. This is the danger for a church that ceases to preach the gospel. Such a church is useless as a representative of God. Jesus warned the church in Ephesus to repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent (Revelation 2:5). The churches of the Lord Jesus Christ must be active in their outreach or risk becoming a useless tool in the hands of the Lord.

Frequency and Methods of Outreach

It’s often asked, Just how and how often should a church do churchwide outreach? One thing is for certain; there is no one single thing that works better than others. A church should employ a number of methods to reach their communities.

First, a church should go door-to-door. This method has many critics. Some desire to distance themselves from the activities of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons. Others consider it an antiquated method. Satan still utilizes door-to-door evangelism through his ministers. By their sheer numbers, it works for them. Satan is showing his hand and telling the world that door-to-door evangelism still works. The apostle Paul utilized door-to-door outreach as part of his ministry. When speaking to the Ephesian elders he said, And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house (Acts 20:20).

Our efforts confirm that door-to-door evangelism still works. Over the span of about 4 years, First Church of Bakersfield faithfully has gone door-to-door monthly. During that time, we have seen more than one hundred people make professions of faith in Christ as their personal Savior. That’s over 100 people who will not have to experience the lake of fire. That’s over 100 people whose names are now written in the Lamb’s book of life. That’s over 100 people who had their eternity changed forever. I would like to think that they will emphatically say that door-to-door evangelism still works. Their lives were changed forever as a result of a simple knock on the door.

Door-to-door evangelism must be done as Jesus set forth the example. He sent the 70 out two-by-two. It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel; sending out pairs is the most effective way to conduct door-to-door evangelism. The purpose of a pair is very important. One person has the responsibility of sharing the gospel while the other prays or runs blocker. The second person can pray, help calm barking dogs, playing kids or help alleviate any other distraction. Their presence is invaluable. It helps the main conversation surrounding the gospel message remain distraction free. Be sure, Satan will supply an endless array of distractions; the phone will ring, the kids will make noise and the dogs will bark. Satan plays dirty and will do anything to keep a lost person from hearing the gospel message. One vivid example of this was on my recent trip to Kenya, Africa to work with Missionary Chuck Fernandez. We had spent a few hours passing out tracts and speaking to people at a local park in Eldoret. During one of our conversations with the locals, I recognized a man who was observing our interaction. As the conversation continued, I noticed him inching forward until he was within a few feet of us. During the conversation, I peeled away and engaged him separately. Even though he didn’t speak a word of English, I could clearly see that the Lord was drawing him to us. About that time Bro. Chuck came over and took over the conversation, since he is fluent in Swahili. Bro. Chuck and the man walked a few feet and sat in the shade. Within seconds of them sitting down, a group of kids ran over to Bro. Chuck and started singing and carrying on. While I would otherwise enjoy the presence of kids laughing and having a good time, this was Satan’s attempt to cause a disturbance. I thought to myself, Are you kidding me? I know Satan plays dirty, but even this was a new low. I walked over and stood between Bro. Chuck and those kids. I recognized that the greatest need Bro. Chuck had was to get those kids to be quiet, so he could have a needful conversation. I engaged those kids with the best Swahili I knew. As I was talking to them, I was simultaneously walking away from Bro. Chuck. After about a minute, we were at least 25 feet away from Bro. Chuck. Shortly after, the kids wandered away to do something else. The man Bro. Chuck was talking with did get saved a few moments later. My role in the evangelism in that instance was not to share the gospel, but to help the one who was. This is the same approach that must be applied to door-to-door evangelism.

Second, a church should get creative in her outreach. Many ways are available to reach your neighborhoods; some ways work but some ways don’t. You never know what will work until you try. One of the members at First Church of Bakersfield often equates evangelism to fishing. Sometimes you have to test certain baits to see what makes the fish bite. Similarly, a church needs to try different approaches, to see what makes people respond. These are areas in which First Church of Bakersfield has developed a real niche. In addition to our monthly door-to-door evangelism, the church conducts big neighborhood outreaches approximately once a quarter. One outreach that has proven very successful is our free lunch Saturday. On a given Saturday, we advertise that we will be providing a free lunch between the hours of 11 a. m. and 1 p. m. We generally prepare 150 lunches. We have yet to reach 1 p. m. Our latest outreach saw us run out of food by 12:20 p.m. We live in economically hard times. People respond to the basic needs of life such as food and water. Jesus knew this as well, as we see Him feeding thousands of people prior to teaching them. Another outreach that has been quite successful is our Holiday Craft Party. These are conducted near Easter and Christmas. On these days, we invite the neighborhood to come and make free crafts (the crafts are designed for kids ages 6th grade and under, but the parents seem to enjoy them just as much). During the course of the craft party, one station is story time; a time that all hear the gospel message. These events generally attract about 100 people from the neighborhood. Additionally, they have been a great source of new kids for our Discovery program (youth program for ages 4 through 6th grades) and Vacation Bible School.

Perhaps, free lunches and craft parties aren’t for your church. Then what is? First Church regularly hears me say, Doing nothing is not an option. Sitting and warming a pew is not a viable substitute for effective evangelism. Last time I looked, there wasn’t a long line at church waiting for the front doors to be unlocked to come into services. Thus, it is necessary for a church to be proactive with the message of the gospel. The efforts of a faithful outreach campaign will not be fruitless because the results speak for themselves. A church must collectively do outreach and must show itself relevant to the neighborhoods.

Characteristics of an Effective Evangelist

People can be reached by evangelism in many ways. Without question, there are tactics that work and those that don’t. For example, starting a conversation with, If you don’t repent, you’re going to hell! is not an effective, nor caring way to reach people. Remember, Jesus instructed His disciples that they would need to be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). This is an ever-present need for any