CHANGE (7)
We now come to the letter E in our acrostic on CHANGE. EVANGELISM at our core.
There have been many great parachurch organisations in the past, like Open Air Campaigners, E.S.A. Y.W.A.M. and others that have majored on Evangelism. The Salvation Army, was born as a movement to promote Evangelism. Here we are suggesting that the Local church is to have Evangelism at its core really?????
Again, a generation ago, Evangelism was a higher priority, our evening services were called Gospel meetings and Christians were encouraged to bring unsaved friends to church, and altar call was given following the preaching, and people were encouraged to respond. Those days seem to have gone perhaps forever (in most churches). Let us remember METHODS CHANGE BUT THE MESSAGE MUST NEVER CHANGE.
In 2018 we need creative new ways to present the Gospel, this blog is not to suggest new methods, but for us to pray that God would put in our hearts CREATIVE NEW WAYS to evangelise.
I sincerely believe that people and opportunities come across our paths virtually every day but we are blind to them ,as we rush here and there doing our own thing.
Are we convinced that the unsaved are going to suffer in hell for eternity?
Do we ever lose a moment’s sleep about concern for unsaved and backslidden family and friends ?
It may be that those persons are not near you, although there is great technology today, I also pray that God would bring Believers across their paths to witness to them. We have heard stories of people praying for years, some even coming to Christ after the person praying had died.
Keith Green challenged us when he was alive that everyone called to be missionaries, We perhaps are not called to go to another country but OUR MISSION FIELD STARTS ONE CENTREMETRE FROM OUR SKIN. I know a couple of churches which have a sign as you leave the church carpark, YOU ARE NOW ENTERING YOUR MISSION FIELD.
I am not here to scare you, but I do not want to stand before the Lord and answer that I did not witness and evangelise, and people went into a Christless eternity because of my disobedience.
I wrote a simple FB blog this week that said, Just as breathing is natural and normal to us, so should evangelism be natural and normal to the Believer.
Daniel Kolenda, the Evangelist that Reinhard Bonnke has raised up to replace him puts it this way:
YOU CANNOT BE A TRUE WORSHI[PERR OF GOD AND NOT HAVE A BURDEN FOR SOULS
In other words, as you get closer to the Lord in your relationship with Him, you cannot help but feel His heart for a lost and dying world.
LORD GIVE US CREATIVE WAYS AND MAKE EVANGELISM THE CORE OF ALL WE DO