The Evangelistic Church

Are We Making A Difference?

The first century church did not leave their world in the same way they found it. This group of committed, Spirit-empowered followers of Jesus made a difference. As described in Scripture, they turned the world upside down for the sake of Jesus Christ (Acts 17:6).

How different is that from the church today. As we sit poised to enter a new century, our numbers have never been greater, our opportunities are unparalleled, we have the greatest technology available to reach more people than ever before, yet we have become increasingly distracted from the commission the Lord left with us to go out into all the world with the gospel.

• While the world is going to hell in a hand basket, we are having holy laughter.
• While people desperately need others to tell them about the hope of Christ, we are lamenting about how dysfunctional we are and how much we suffer from lack of self-esteem.
• Instead of spending our valuable time preaching the gospel, we argue about whether or not a person has been predestined to eternal life.
  

The Distraction Factor 
The Devil has always had his counterfeits and distractions for the church. Remember, Satan is a master-counterfeiter (2 Corinthians 11:14–15). Not only does he flood the market with these distracting issues, but he clouds the water with cheap imitations of the real thing.

For instance, what some are now hailing as a revival involves receiving some sort of blessing that is characterized by falling on the floor, laughing, and making animal noises. Yet, if it is truly a revival, where is the repentance (see James 4:8–10)? And, most importantly, where is the evangelism?

Still, other churches seem fired up for social action. They are eager to participate in the latest boycott or protest, but they seem far less eager to preach the gospel message. While these activities may have a place, they only have a limited effect, at best. And Jesus never tells us to make these things a priority.

A God-Given Opportunity 
The book of Revelation gives a brief description of the church in the last days. The second and third chapters describe seven different churches, portraying both their strengths and weaknesses. In Revelation 3:7–8, we read this about the church of Philadelphia:

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens': 'I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

“He who opens”
In the phrase, “He who opens and no man shuts,” the word “opens” signifies that God is opening the door of opportunity, with the key being the symbol of His authority. Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians 2:12, where he writes, “When I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, . . . a door was opened to me by the Lord . . . ”

Jesus is essentially telling the church of the last days that He is going to open doors for us that are unparalleled. Certainly that is the case today. Just look at the opening of doors for missionaries to formerly closed countries, the increased use of computer and video technology to reach people around the globe, and other unique opportunities.

“A little strength . . .”
This alludes to a sick person coming back to life and reviving. In other words, this particular church is getting back to the strength it once had in its early roots and regaining its health. It is not some super church taking dominion over the world. Likewise, there is hope and opportunity for the church today if we regain our spiritual health and vitality by returning to the basic essentials needed for a dynamic church.

Remembering The Three-Fold Purpose of the Church

Scripture lays out three primary purposes for the church:

1. Exaltation of God

God has called us to live “for the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12). We are here on this earth to glorify and know the God who created us.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light . . . ” (1 Peter 2:9).

2. Edification of the Saints

Paul explains that his own goal was not merely to evangelize, but to “present every man mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28).

“He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do this work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ. . . ” (Ephesians 4:11-15 NLB)

3. Evangelization of the World

This is natural outgrowth of the first two purposes, and Jesus specifically addresses it. In what has been called the Great Commission, Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Jesus said,“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20).

Our country is in such dire spiritual and moral shape, our only hope is the message of the gospel. There will be no moral awakening in our country apart from a work of God. For that reason, we must preach the gospel and pray for revival.

Evangelism Begins with You

When the subject of sharing our faith comes up, we often come up with a plethora of excuses for why we cannot do it. A recent survey among Christians revealed that 95% of those surveyed had never led another person to Jesus Christ.

Why are so many of us reluctant to share our faith? The reason many of us rarely share our faith is because we do not want to. And the reason we do not want to is because (if we are completely honest) we do not care.

We hear so much about the need for evangelism.

We have sermons on how to do it and programs designed to mobilize the church in this area. Yet, all this is of no consequence if we are lacking one simple basic: a burden and concern for the lost.

The famous preacher C. H. Spurgeon said, “The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you. If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest, too. But if you are filled with an agony for them, if you cannot bear that they should be lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy, too. I hope you will get into such a state that you will dream about your child or your hearer perishing for lack of Christ, and start up at once and begin to cry, 'O God, give me converts, or I die.' Then you will have converts.”

A Compelling Compassion

This compassion motivated Jesus throughout His ministry. In Matthew 9:36-38, we read, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Everywhere Jesus went, He was literally mobbed with people. Many wanted something from Him: a healing, a resurrection, or a deliverance. But Jesus saw their deepest need. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd going astray, and He had compassion.

• When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He could have lectured her on the evils of immorality. Instead, He looked beyond her sin and saw her spiritual emptiness, and appealed to her longing for God.
• When Jesus saw Zacchaeus, He could have rebuked him for his greed and theft. But Jesus said that He had come “to seek and to save that which was lost”(Luke 19:10). And separating the sin from the sinner, He met with this short, despised tax collector and led him to a saving knowledge of Christ.
• When Jesus saw Mary and her friends weeping over the death of her brother, Lazarus, Scripture says, “He was deeply moved in Spirit and troubled” (John 11:33). While He knew that He would bring Lazarus back to life, He was still seized with grief when He saw the pain that death brought upon this loving family.
• When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, His concern was not for Himself, but for His disciples. He told the soldiers, “If you are looking for me, then let these men go” (John 18:8).
• Even while on the cross, Jesus showed concern for the welfare of His mother, telling John to take care of her (John 19:26-27), and He prayed for the forgiveness of His persecutors (Luke 23:34).

Obviously, Jesus cares about people. Likewise, if we are going to be used of God in any capacity to win others to Him, we, too, must care.

We should not share our faith with others out of obligation, duty, or guilt, but out of a God-given burden for their lives.

The Apostle Paul also showed this compassion. In Romans he writes, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race” (Romans 9:2,3). Paul cared for his kinsmen so much that he was willing to go to hell (if necessary) so that others could go to heaven. No wonder he had such a powerful and effective ministry!

Evangelism, however, is not just for preachers and evangelists. It is the responsibility of every Christian. In the Old Testament, we read about Nehemiah. He was not a priest or prophet, but he was genuinely touched with the needs of the lost. While in Babylonian captivity and serving as the king’s cup bearer, he learns that the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins. Realizing that the walls were but a symbol of a people who once stood with God, separated from the pagan nations around them, Nehemiah wept. Then, he realized that as a laymen, he could make a difference by working to rebuild the walls. Then he prayed for God to guide and help him in this endeavor. And God did, providing him with fellow laborers for the project.

God wants you to be a laborer in the harvest!

The spectators are many
The complainers are many
The compromisers are many
The fair weather followers are many
But the laborers are few 

If you ask the Lord to stir your heart and to give you a burden for those who are like sheep without a shepherd, you will not be disappointed. He may call you to cross the sea as a missionary—or perhaps just cross the street! So the next time you pray for God to send out laborers in the harvest, don’t forget to include yourself in that prayer.

Part X