A New Era of Evangelism
Marvin Bryant
(From
Church Growth, 1st Quarter, 1998)
Do you ever feel like everybody else gets to do the really neat and
important things in life? Do you
ever feel like what you do is sort of second rate?
I do.
A while back I was looking at the credits on a music CD and noticed the
names of a few people who were students at ACU at the same time I was.
I caught myself muttering silently, “Boy, I wish I had my name on a
list of CD credits.”
In spite of such feelings, the truth is that everyone of us can be
involved in something that really matters. No
matter who we are, what we’ve done, or what our gifts are, we can all be a
part of something that is significant. We
can all be a part of the mission God inaugurated through Jesus and that
continues until this day.
I yearn for the mission of seeking and saving the lost to become our
focus once again. I long for great
numbers of people to be brought to the Lord in our day, like they were at
Five
Noteworthy Characteristics
I am praying for an era of evangelism characterized by great numbers of people being brought to the Lord.
Luke appears to be emphasizing this in his description of what
occurred at Antioch
(Acts 11:21, 24, 26). The
missionary work later launched from Antioch
(Acts 13:1-3) led to countless additional conversions.
It appears to me that being a part of a church where large numbers of
people are brought to the Lord would be tremendously exciting, inwardly
fulfilling and awe-inspiring. Even
being involved with smaller numbers of people turning to the Lord has created
some of this sense. More
importantly, I know it would be greatly pleasing to our Father to see great
numbers of his lost children returning home (Luke 15; II Pet. 3:9).
I am dreaming of a new era of evangelism characterized by changed
lives. At Antioch, apparently it was the lives of the new believers that made the grace of God
evident (Acts 11:23). In fact, the
change in the people and the connection to Christ were so visible that the
disciples were first called Christians there (v. 26).
I would love for the congregation I am a part of to develop a reputation
of "that's where you go if you really want your life to change."
I'd love for it to be a given that new believers would in fact be
disciples and continue in their growth until they "become like their
teacher" (Luke 6:40). Additionally,
in a context of thriving evangelistic growth, those who have been Christians
longer would also grow and change as they got involved in the mission.
William Abraham has accurately written, "In evangelism, the church
itself is re-evangelized" (William Abraham, The Logic of Evangelism, Eerdmans, 1989, p. 170).
I am working toward a new era of evangelism in which many
people are involved in many ways for many years.
Getting many more Christians involved in reaching out in some way appears
to be one of the keys to reaching more lost people (cf. Matt. 9:35-38).
At Antioch, some nameless, faceless “Harrys” initially did most of the speaking of the
good news to the lost (11:20). Then
Barnabas, a known leader in the church elsewhere, got involved by encouraging
the new believers (11:22). Later,
Saul (Paul) joined Barnabas in teaching many others (v. 25).
There will likely be some prominent evangelists among us today, but many
other “Harrys” and “Sallys” will share the gospel with the lost as well
(cf. 8:1-4). Though we don’t have
the details in regard to Antioch, the New Testament letters suggest all
Christians can be involved in the mission in some way, if not by teaching the
gospel, then by living lives worthy of the gospel, prayer, being wise in the way
they act toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity, and/or always
being ready to give an account (Phil. 1:27; Col. 4:2-6; I Pet. 3:15-16).
I am yearning for a new era of evangelism characterized by an
emphasis on biblical centers of the gospel, prayer, and the power of God.
Some previous eras of evangelism have been characterized by an emphasis
on methods, guilt-motivation or human ingenuity.
Not so with the biblical era of evangelism.
At Antioch, people told others the good news about the Lord Jesus, the Lord's hand was
with them, and consequently great numbers were brought to the Lord (Acts
11:20-21). The God-centeredness of
these early Christians is also evident from their worship, fasting, and prayer
(13:2-3). What’s more, when the focus is on God and his resources, it is not
surprising to find people with humble hearts who eagerly give God credit and
praise for all the good that occurs (cf. Acts 14:26-27).
I am hoping for a new era of evangelism characterized by a balanced
ministry. A while back I went to
a congregation and presented the Heart for the Harvest seminar.
The preacher there, a friend, was very affirming about the seminar, but
he also warned me that everyone he's ever known who gets heavily involved in
evangelism stops caring about people's physical needs.
The church at
The
Result
My experience is that I have gained a wonderful sense of joy and
fulfillment from being involved in God’s evangelistic mission.
Significantly, others have made the same comment.
I believe one reason we experience such wonderful feelings when helping
others enter the kingdom is that we are participating in the most significant
undertaking in all the world. No
wonder there is such joy! No wonder
we feel like we’re involved in something important! Imagine how much more
these feelings would overflow if we were a part of a whole new era of
evangelism!
We must remember, though, that evangelism is ultimately not about us but
about God. As we make ourselves
available to be used by God in his mission, God’s grace will reach more and
more people. When it does,
thanksgiving will overflow to the glory of God (II Cor. 4:15)!
Thank God for the joy we feel, but even more, thank God for the privilege
of being involved in something that will overflow to His glory.
How
It Might Occur
How might a new era of evangelism come to be?
I don’t think anyone could say definitively, but let me suggest some
possibilities.
First, a new era of evangelism will emerge only
if it is the will of God and enjoys the blessing of God.
Sometimes we approach evangelism with the same kind of practical
atheism as that which James condemned in the Christian merchants of his day
(4:13-17). If Acts teaches anything
at all concerning the mission, it teaches that the wonderful things that
unfolded in those early days were a result of the working of God, the hand of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit (5:38-39; 11:21; 1:4-8; etc.).
God is vitally involved in the matter of evangelism from start to finish.
He literally created the gospel. He
commissions us, gives us opportunities to speak, enables us to speak clearly,
opens people’s hearts, gives growth and helps new Christians mature.
In
view of God’s sovereignty and his comprehensive role in evangelism, it is
imperative that we pray earnestly and continually about it. Sometimes prayer is
the "easy" way to get involved in evangelism, for those unwilling
to get out of their comfort zones and do anything else.
At other times it is the catalyst that launches evangelistic work and
the power that sustains it. You may
want to read back through the New Testament and find all the specific aspects of
evangelism that are prayed for and then begin praying those same things.
In the spirit of Habakkuk, who reflected on better times in the past and
asked God to renew his deeds in his own day (3:2), you may also want to reflect
on what transpired at Antioch and ask God to renew his deeds in our day by
granting a
new era of evangelism.
Second, a new era of evangelism may emerge when
more and more of us actually begin to do the things we already know to do in
evangelism. The problem we face
is not that we don’t know enough to reach out but that not enough of us are
willing to do what we already know. There
is more we need to learn, certainly, but imagine how much progress there would
be if we all did what we already know. Besides,
we won’t likely learn much more about evangelism until we use what we already
know (Mark 4:24-25). While
recognizing the primary role of God in evangelism and the ever-present
temptation of exalting our role over God’s, we also recognize that God has
chosen to do his work through us. So,
like the Twelve before us, we begin acting on what we know.
Neither fully understanding nor fully prepared, we go out in faith that
he will be with us, use us, and work through us even better the next time than
today.
The question, then, is, what do you already know to do evangelistically?
If what you know to do is take some cookies over and meet your neighbors, then
do it! If what you know to do is
have some non-Christians over for dinner and see what happens, then do so!
If what you know to do is invite a friend to church or a Bible study,
then invite them! If you know how to
share the good news, please do! If
you want to hold the hands of a newer Christian, then by all means do so-- they
need it far more than most of us realize. God
can work through all these steps of faith; but
again, knowing this is futile unless we actually begin to do it.
Third, a new era of evangelism may emerge when
more and more workers enter the harvest (Matt. 9:35-38).
Since there are no quick and easy answers to reaching many
non-Christians, perhaps the best place for us to focus our efforts is on getting
many Christians involved in evangelism. While
prayer is the primary step toward having more workers (v. 38), there are also
things we can do that the Lord of the Harvest may use to enlist them.
I am concentrating my efforts on providing motivation, mentoring, and
methods.
Too
often the only motivations we have appealed to are guilt and duty.
There are other motivations, though, that are more powerful and longer
lasting, including the love of Christ, bringing glory to God, and having an
internal, spiritual compulsion to speak. (See
the the article, “A Heart for the Harvest,” on the Resources page.)
At times we have also been guilty of telling people they need to evangelize but not showing them how. New workers need a mentor to show them what to do. If having more workers involved in evangelism really is one of the keys to reaching people, then the extra time and effort it takes to make sure you have another Christian with you when you reach out is well worth it.
Both
individual and corporate methods should be made available as well.
Such things as having a well planned Neighbor Day or a prayer breakfast
for missions and evangelism not only enable the entire congregation to
participate in evangelism but also provide them an opportunity to be inspired by
reaching out together. Other special
events, both spiritual and social, can be provided as opportunities for the
members to invite guests. Methods
for teaching non-Christians and following up with newer Christians also need to
be provided to those who need them.
If we bathe in prayer all our efforts to provide motivation, mentoring, and methods, the Lord of the Harvest may use them to raise up and send out additional workers into the harvest. Gaining these workers is a key step toward a new era of evangelism.
R. Wayne Willis has told the story of Louis Pasteur, the pioneer of immunology, who lived at a time when thousands of people died annually due to rabies. Pasteur had worked for years to find a vaccine. Just as he was about to begin experimenting on himself, a nine-year-old boy, Joseph Meister, was bitten by a rabid dog. The little boy’s mother begged Pasteur to experiment on her son. He did so, injecting the boy for ten straight days, and remarkably the boy lived! Decades later, of all the things Pasteur could have requested for his tombstone, he asked for three simple words: Joseph Meister Lived. We may preach a lot of sermons, teach a lot of classes, or start a lot of new programs in our ministries, but the greatest legacy possible for us is the people who will live eternally because we prayed earnestly about it, acted on what we knew to do, and did what we could to get more workers involved in the harvest.
I hope you will share the dream of a new era of evangelism and find ways
to act on it. Whatever we do toward
this end will be tremendously significant.