Evangelism

A few years ago, I preached a sermon that recounted numerous evangelistic stories from the life and ministry Jan and I have shared. One person described the sermon as “your life in less than 30 minutes.” God marvelously blessed us with 20 years of local church ministry in two evangelistic, rapidly growing churches. Later, we spent a dozen years in Christian higher education with a focus on training ministers. Along the way we became involved in mission work. Always our ministry has been about saving souls. God blessed us in our early ministry with an understanding of the power of the gospel, and we have been part of hundreds of baptisms—teaching, preaching, encouraging, and asking people to accept salvation in Christ.

In recent years, the church has made evangelism hard and unnatural. Sharing good news should be one of the easiest, most natural things in the world. We have made it artificial and difficult. We have developed programs that seek “converts” and depend more on human wisdom and power than on God’s wisdom and power. While we quote Bible passages that speak of God’s power (in his Word, grace, the gospel, and preaching), we have failed to see God’s power in the obvious places.

The power of God is in unlikely and unseen places—the power of the ordinary, the power of relationships, the power of encouragement, the power of caring, the power of a vision and goal, and the power of asking. In these simple rhythms of our lives, the power of the gospel is available to us. God sends us forth according to his plan and purpose in the ordinary days of our lives, through the relationships and people in our lives, with opportunities to encourage and care, with boldness to ask.
Evangelism is something we are more than something we do. Perhaps we are less than effective because we have focused on “doing” rather than “asking.” Jesus promised, “Ask and ye shall receive.” If evangelism is by God’s power, it should be a constant subject of our prayers.

The Cause of Jesus Christ

I often close letters with some phrases like, “Yours in the Cause of Christ,” or “Yours in the Greatest Cause.” In this use, cause is a synonym for kingdom, church, and work. One way to describe the work of the kingdom or the work of the church is to use the work “cause.” If we are part of a cause, an important question is, “What are we causing?” Kingdom life is not measured by what we think of ourselves, nor by building churches or church buildings. Genuine kingdom life begins when we ask what we are causing. What are the results of our life in the kingdom? What are we causing? Life in the kingdom is about what others think of us. Kingdom life is about how we connect with others–in the church, in our communities, and around the world. To lead or share a cause is much different than being satisfied with managing or belonging to an institution.

One Measures What Matters

Among the most important things a church does: it learns who it is, and it learns what is God’s purpose for the church. Leaders must work constantly to focus the identity of the church. It is the responsibility of leaders to remind the church of its purpose.
Jan and I were in Fort Gibson Sunday, spending time with one of our favorite churches. It was Mission Sunday–the church gave almost $50000 for missions! Missions is a part of the heart of the church. We ministered with the Fort Gibson church for eight years. The church helps us in our mission work. As we walked in the door, one of the first things we noticed was a prominent display in the main foyer: “New Births.” It was one of those old wooden display boards with changeable numbers. As we entered, the preacher was changing the number from 10 to 11. During the announcements, we found out that there had been another baptism earlier in the day.

I do not remember where I first heard it: “You count what matters to you.” What is important in the church where you attend? The answer is, “What you count.” Most churches count and publish attendance and contribution. The Fort Gibson church counts (and publishes in the bulletin each week) souls won to Christ.
One can say lots of things about the Fort Gibson church. It is a unique community of believers from various backgrounds and preferences, united under the cross and allegiance to Christ. They spend significant amounts of time caring and sharing for one another, enjoying fellowship and sharing spiritual nurturing. They are generous and involved in lots of activities. But above all, they are soul-conscious, and that motivates their generosity and desire to touch lives for Jesus. Because they are soul-conscious they make concerted efforts to touch lives in their community and around the world. To remind themselves of God’s purpose and their identity and involvement in that purpose, they keep their eyes focused on souls won through the local church work.

Developing Missionary Churches

In our mission work, we often talk about the goal of developing missionary churches. What do we mean by a missionary church? A missionary church can be developed in various ways, but the normal process is that (1) a church is planted or established with intense, focused evangelistic efforts, followed by (2) a continuing process of edifying and strengthening the members and the local church so that the development of teachers and leaders occurs naturally. As we use the term, a missionary church is a self-governed local church that (3) accepts the responsibility for its own affairs (including local evangelism) and (4) is willing and capable of duplicating itself in the establishment of additional missionary churches.
The first step toward the development of this kind of missionary church is usually a focused effort in evangelism. Historically, this has been done by “inserted” missionaries who help the church get a foothold in a new area. Such missionaries often leave the field after a time of church planting and intense evangelism.
The second step toward the development of effective missionary churches is the development of teachers and leaders so the church can become self-governed. This is a process of edifying and strengthening local churches , with the goal of naturally developing leaders within the local churches. This process includes helping every member find a place to work and contribute to the ministry of the church.
The third step in the development of effective missionary churches is that the local church accepts responsibility for its own functioning, without the need for outside continuing support. If the church desires a located “minister” with primary responsibilities within the local congregation and community, this third step includes that the local church accepts responsibility for the support of that person. A biblical model uses evangelists who work in congregations already established and also work toward establishing new congregations. In this case, such evangelists often continue to receive financial support from planting churches or mothering churches outside the local region (most often churches in the U.S.).
The fourth step is that the missionary church is willing and able to duplicate itself in the establishing of new congregations, thus becoming a planting church. This requires an intense evangelistic effort which is done by the evangelist, members of the missionary church, and visiting teams or groups from other missionary churches (or from the U.S.)

The fourth step in the development of a missionary church is the first step in the development of a new missionary church. Note that the new church is developed without an inserted missionary team. The gospel echoes forth in a certain region as the result of the work and life of the churches that already exist in that region.

An Evangelistic Church: Sharing the Good News

One can say it in many ways–a church that walks in and shares the story of God, a church that tells the Good News, a church that reaches out, a church that touches hearts and transforms lives, an evangelistic church. In my mission work, I outline and guide churches through steps for the development of a “missionary church.” Regardless of how one says it, one must constantly keep in mind: IT IS NOT OPTIONAL!
All of the above phrases are descriptions of a church that grows numerically through evangelism and is involved in planting and strengthening more churches that will become missionary churches. The church is an integral part of God’s plan for sharing the gospel. God’s people are God’s ambassadors in the ministry of reconciliation.

What are some of the characteristics of an evangelistic church?
First, an evangelistic church is a church convinced that everyone must learn about Jesus, believe in Jesus, obey Jesus’ gospel, and becomes faithful disciples of Jesus or they will die in their sins. This foundational belief defines the church. Evangelism is the focus of the ministry of the church. The preacher talks about evangelism, the preacher is constantly evangelizing. Evangelism is a primary focus and work of the leaders. A significant part of elders’ meetings focuses on evangelism. This focus on evangelism is reflected in public prayers. The responsibility of the local church for evangelism is a part of the belief system of the church.

Second, because of this foundational belief that defines the culture of the church, the church is actively involved in seeking and saving the lost. The worship, Bible classes, small groups, church programs, and special events point toward evangelism. Some of the activities of the church may not receive sufficient attention and may not operate smoothly, but evangelism is never a secondary activity. Evangelism is what the church does. The focus on evangelism is apparent in the church’s publications–bulletin, tracts, and announcements. Evangelism is the lifeblood of the church. Evangelism is what the church does.

Third, an evangelistic church is a church where all the members of the body are involved in the functioning of the church. Because the primary function of the church is evangelism, every member is involved in evangelism. The church provides training and encouragement for its members. The church inspires its members to faithfulness and involvement in evangelism. The church provides multiple tracks for evangelistic involvement according to the gifts of the members. Evangelism is what the members do.

Fourth, an evangelistic church is interested in saving souls and is also interested in keeping souls saved. An evangelistic church loves, edifies, and spiritually strengthens souls. Toward this end, an evangelistic church develops activities and programs broad enough to interest and involve every member, including new members. These activities and programs maintain an evangelistic focus, helping new members share the good news with their friends and acquaintances. New members quickly learn that evangelism is the task of every member.

Fifth, an evangelistic church lifts up its eyes to the harvest beyond the local church. An evangelistic church will be involved in establishing in winning souls and establishing more churches in its local region and around the world. An evangelistic church will be concerned about how new churches are edified and strengthened, how new churches are developed with internal teachers and leaders, and how new churches become missionary churches capable of duplicating themselves and establishing even more new churches.

What is the result? Evangelism becomes a constant reality because the evangelistic church is not paralyzed by fear, discouraged by failure, nor satisfied with success.

It’s Sunday Again: Teaching and Preaching about God

Today is jam-packed filled with kingdom “stuff.” We will attend early Anglo worship; I will teach the Bible class at Iglesia de Cristo. Today is community groups day–spending time with brothers and sisters is always special.
This afternoon I will preach and give a mission report at Fort Gibson. This church is special, near and dear to our hearts. It is hard to believe that 18 years have passed since we completed our ministry there and began our work in Christian higher education. The depth of the relationships that were built is evident in the warmth and hugs we share every time we return. Fort Gibson is definitely one of our ‘home churches’ where we maintain our membership even in our absence.
The Fort Gibson church has a heart for mission work, and has graciously assisted with our mission work in strengthening churches and developing teachers and leaders. I look forward to our return and the opportunity to share the word and what God is doing among his people.

Life in the kingdom is about God and what he makes of us. God works in our lives by his grace. The kingdom mission with which we are entrusted is his mission, not ours. Our first goal is not the mission–our goal is to become like him. Our goal is to make him known as others hear our words and see our lives. Jesus is king in the kingdom–he tells us to teach (disciple) others for kingdom transformation and service.

The Power and Purpose of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1)

In Acts 1, the apostles were instructed to “wait on the Spirit.” Why? The obvious answer is that the Holy Spirit would provide the power for their testimony or witness unto the uttermost parts of the earth. While we in the contemporary church have affirmed the power of the Holy Spirit in evangelism and preaching, we have limited the power of God’s Spirit in other facets of our life. The power of the Holy Spirit can do things we seldom consider.

First, the Holy Spirit helps us develop an appropriate sense of self. In Acts 1, the Holy Spirit was involved in the selection of Judas’s replacement. Only the Holy Spirit can provide an appropriate sense of calling; only the Holy Spirit can provide an appropriate sense of self-disqualification. Through the Spirit, one is conscious of self—strengths and weaknesses, positives and negatives. In the spiritual realm, it is through the Holy Spirit that we see ourselves. Thankfully, in the Holy Spirit we also see that perfection is not required of us. The Holy Spirit empowers us individually beyond ourselves.

Second, the Holy Spirit helps us see one another clearly. In the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome distinctions and divisions. The church without the Holy Spirit is severely limited, in fact incapable, of being the body of Christ that God intends. Paul writes of the “unity of the Spirit” in Ephesians 4. The Holy Spirit unites us. The Holy Spirit empowers us corporately beyond ourselves.

Finally, through the Holy Spirit we see others. We see beyond ourselves, we see beyond our little world. We see those in need of the gospel. We see the hurts and problems of our world. We see the heart of God touched by the needs of our world, and we hear God’s call asking who will go and whom he may send.

As you develop a Christian worldview, do not exclude the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is essential to seeing what God sees.

Will We Share the Gospel?

I am thinking this morning about how much our world has changed from the 1950s world I knew as a boy. If you had told my grandmother, or even my mother, about the possibilities we enjoy today in a constantly shrinking world with almost unlimited opportunities for travel, they would hardly have believed it. The ability to travel around the world, to travel frequently, to visit mission points and participate in the things of the kingdom of God in many places outside the U.S. is a blessing. That I correspond daily with people all around the world by email, or even better, use the computer to talk by phone to people in faraway places is astounding.

We are today blessed with opportunities to spread the gospel in ways that were unimaginable just a few short years ago. Many of us are trying hard to do what can be done and to walk through the doors God opens. I fear, however, that we are not aggressive enough nor committed enough to the dream of taking the gospel to our world. We commit too few resources to the task; we commit too little of ourselves to the task; and too few churches have caught the vision.  We are increasingly ‘wimpy’ at home in our conversations with our friends, neighbors, and family members, and too few Christians consider sharing the gospel a high enough priority to pray about it daily and focus life’s activities toward bringing others closer to Christ. Our lack of boldness at home has more and more translated to a “benevolence first” mentality in missions so that many people come within our sphere of influence without ever hearing the saving message of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps part of the solution is in this solemn reminder.  Without Jesus Christ, people are lost. God sent Jesus so that the world might recognize him, respect him, and respond to his love. People cannot know the God of heaven unless the story of Jesus is told. Each Christian has a different role to play in meeting the challenge; we all have different opportunities. But we have the same challenge—walking in the reality of God’s presence in this world so that our lives reflect him.

One Calling, Many Jobs

[Note: I am indebted to Os Hillman for an insightful article written under the same title.]

“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Ps. 16:5-6).

I often require ministry students to write about their calling from God. In this article, I reflect my own awareness of God’s calling. Over my lifetime, I have had several jobs outside of ministry. Not all of those jobs were full-time. Some helped support me during my educational endeavors. My list of jobs includes retail lumber and construction sales, janitor, switchboard operator, director of student hous-ing, metal extrusion pressman, and advertising director. More recently, I have worked with one foot in the local church and one foot in Christian higher education. I have served as professor, preached and ministered, sponsored student organizations, done mission work, directed academic programs, consulted with churches, and served in academic and university administration. In 2010, I “retired” from full-time local church ministry to pursue my dream of serving in a variety of ministry and mission activities. I make mission trips almost every month with the goal of edifying and strengthening local churches, developing leaders and teachers, and encouraging every-member evangelism. Between trips, I teach and preach in local congregations by invitation. I am a writer, adjunct professor, minister and missionary. I am a church consultant and coach for church leaders around the world.

I can see now that all of these jobs were important, for they provided the foundation and experience for my current ministry in God’s kingdom. Looking back over my life, I see the reality of the concept: one calling, many jobs. The constant throughout my life has been that I am God’s person. All is for his glory, for his purpose, for his cause. I have had many jobs, but I have one calling. Consider the words of Oswald Chambers: “In the beginning we do not train for God, we train for work, for our own aims; but as we go on with God we lose all our own aims and are trained into God’s purpose. Unless practical work is appointed by God, it will prove a curse.”

In mysterious ways, God equips us to fulfill our calling. He makes us wait when we want to act; he leads us where we cannot see. He takes us where we never dreamed of going; he closes and opens doors. He uses unlikely methods, places, people, and challenges. God got Moses ready by herding sheep for 40 years. Israel got ready by wandering for 40 years. God prepared Joseph with a prison sentence. Amos got ready as a shepherd. Jesus was prepared as a carpenter. The apostle Simon prepared for service in the Jewish sect of the Zealots. Saul got ready by opposing what he eventually embraced.

God is forming us; he is changing and transforming us. God is equipping us, preparing us. God’s message is sharpened within us; God’s power is focused. God has a plan for your life. Pray that God accomplishes His intended outcome in you through the work you are doing today.

Kierkegaard: If I Do That….

I get a lot of emails—lots of people sending lots of things vying for my attention. Most are automatic deletes. The following brief excerpt from Soren Kierkegaard was sent under the title, “If I Do That….” Its source was listed as “Kill the Commentators,” in Provocations. Read, contemplate the nature of authentic discipleship, and ask when and how we soften the demands of God and defend ourselves against the Bible.

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.

There you have it. “To ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close.” God forbid!