About Evangelism

The word evangelism simply means bringing the message of Christ to the people. It is not about displaying our intellectual capacity to the world but about telling people what Jesus (the only Saviour of mankind) has done for them (1Corinth 2:1-5).

Evangelism is not the responsibility of the ministers, Pastors or Bishops in the church only, but the responsibility of every Christians. It is a commandment we must all obey. Evangelism shows our true love for God, and it also depicts our love for the lost soul that must be saved. The benefit of evangelism is better than precious gold and the gain cannot be over-emphasized. As a Christian, we must not be ashamed of telling the world about Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul said:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans1:16 KJV)”

For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! (1Corinthians 9:16 KJV)

Evangelism as a Commandment

The most paramount concern our Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel is to see the sinners repenting and turning unto God. He laid the foundation himself and taught his disciples to do so while on earth (Luke 10:1-11). After His resurrection, Jesus commanded his disciples that they should go into the world and preach the gospels to every creatures (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19-20).

Now this commandment is not only for the disciples of old alone, it is for everyone that proclaims to follow Jesus even in the present time.

Evangelism Depicts a Love for Lost Soul

Evangelism is a pointer of our true love for the lost souls that must be saved. One fact that every Christian must bear in mind is that everyone we meet daily will certainly spend eternity somewhere – Heaven or hell. Though it is not the desire of God that anyone he created should perish but if they chose not his free salvation, he has no alternative than to send them to hell. So, it is the responsibility of all of us who are already saved to bring the message of salvation to the notice of everyone living on earth. If we derelict or neglect, then the love of these billions of unsaved is not in our heart. What we are actually saying by neglecting is that they can go to hell. Jesus said the first commandment is to love your God and the second most important is to love your neighbours as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). If you are a true child of Christ you should be ready to obey whatever he says. Love your neighbours as yourself and preach to them. Don’t send them to hell.

Evangelism Depicts a Love for God

Whenever we preach the message of salvation to the unsaved, we are actually saying that Jesus we love you, and we are fulfilling your commandment as giving unto us. We are also saying that your reasons for coming to this world must not be in vain. Every Christians should remember that Jesus came to this world and laid down His life primarily to save lost souls (Matthew 1:21, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31-32). So, what this tells me is that if we say that we are devoted Christians, yet we preach not the gospel of Jesus to people in one way or the other, we deceive ourselves and the love of Christ is not in us. Every one of us Christians should remember this scripture, Jesus said:

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38)”.

We Christians should also remember that we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart (Matthew 22:37-38). Doing this involves bringing the unsaved unto him. If we love Him and truly believe in him, then we should be ready to do his work on earth. Jesus said if you believe in me the works that I do, you shall do also (John 14:12). So, as a matter of urgency, it is important for every Christian to preach the salvation of Christ Jesus to the unsaved. We should use every means and time available (convenient or not convenient) to do this for the time is running out – Jesus will come shortly.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

(Matthew 28:19-20 KJV)

Seven Ingredients of Evangelism

Evangelism as handed over to us by our Lord Jesus Christ has seven essential ingredients without which evangelism is incomplete. To see clearly these ingredients of evangelism, the following scriptures will be our guide – Matthew 10:1-16, 28:19-29, Acts 1:4-8.

Go

The first ingredient of evangelism involves going out into the world (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15). The word ‘go’ is an action word and it is a command. As we have said before it’s a command for every believers. The Lord Jesus expects everyone to evangelize according to his/her ability.

Preach the Gospel

The second ingredient of evangelism involves preaching the gospel (Matthew 10:7, Mark 16:15) to everyone. The Lord Jesus does not expect us to know the entire bible before preaching the gospel. All He is saying is that we should tell the world the basic truth about repentance and the kingdom of God (Matthew 10:7, Mark 6:12). We should encourage them to receive the message of salvation without which they cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

Baptise

Baptism is another essential ingredient of evangelism. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to baptise them that receive salvation (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16). He did not ask us to baptise a child who doesn’t know what it means to be saved. The only prerequisite to baptism is salvation (believe). Philip demonstrated that to us when he baptised the eunuch (Acts 8:36-38).

Heal the Sick

One essential ingredient that is missing in the process of evangelism today is signs and wonders. The Lord Jesus Christ expects us to meet the spiritual needs of our converts the same way he did it when he was on earth; heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead etc (Matthew 10:8). We can’t do this on our own but the Holy Spirit can if allowed Him to work through us. The early disciples like Peter, Paul and Silas demonstrated that to us (Acts 3:1-8, 16:8, 19:11-12). Pastor E. A. Adeboye, Reinhard Bonke and a few others are still doing that till today

Teaching and Discipleship

Teaching converts and encouraging them to be disciples is the only way the church of God can grow. Jesus instructed his disciples to teach others what he has taught them (Matthew 28:20). Teaching is not only the work of teachers in the church or evangelists; it should be the work of every saved person.

Be Wise

Soul wining requires wisdom; divine and not secular wisdom. In Matthew 10:16 Jesus said “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” This is why we need to always pray before stepping out for evangelism. It is good to ask God to give unto us divine wisdom to win souls because we can’t do it alone. In John 15:4 Jesus said “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Holy Spirit

The last but perhaps the most essential ingredient of evangelism is the Holy Spirit. Effective evangelism will be unachievable without the help of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they are endue with the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8). We see the work of the Holy Spirit in the evangelistic ministry of Peter when he preached a simple message and about three thousand received salvation (Acts 2:41). Prior to the day of Pentecost Peter was a man who could not stand up for Jesus because of fear; in fact he denied Jesus three times during the latter’s trial. Whoever wants to see result when evangelising must pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He is the most important ingredient of evangelism; He emboldens and empowers.

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net