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151

6A

fellow Christian visited my home recently.

She had been on an assignment working for an

international aid organisation and it wasnt long before

we started talking about evangelism. I showed her the

video of the gospel which as a ministry we produced

and which you can see at www.biblein11.com. I encouraged her to

load it on her phone and use it on her travels.

Alice: Julian, I could never go around giving people the gospel

like you do. Its just not me.

Me: (very gently) Why do you think it is just not you?

Alice: (a little defensively) I would feel very awkward doing it.

We all have different gifts, you know. You are good at this kind of

thing and God has designed you to do it. You have the personality

and I dont. I am not that kind of person. I am better at just getting

alongside people and befriending them. I have more of a relational

evangelism styleyou knowfriendly and relaxed. I have found

that people are attracted to who I am, not what

I say I have found that love is what attracts

people

Me: I agree with you that being loving,

Are all

Christians Commanded

to Evangelise or just

those with the gift?

C H A P T E R S I X


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152 > EVANGELISM: Strategies from heaven in the war for souls

relational, friendly and kind is all good. But dont you

think that all the other people of other religions, and

even people who are not religious at all, can be nice

and loving? What would make you different from all

of them in the eyes of people you are working with?

Surely, in all the relationships you are building, there

must come a time when you know you should get to the nitty gritty

andwellexplain what you are really on aboutgive them the

gospel? Otherwise youll just leave people guessing about what

makes you so nice!

Alice: Oh, I talk about God with people dont get me wrong.

But I dont give them a presentation like you do. I sort of drip feed in

bits and pieces about Christianity over a long period of time, maybe

over dozens of conversationsoften I dont talk about God at all

only when it comes up naturallyyep, thats pretty much how I do

it.

Me: How do you know the people you talk to are putting all

the bits and pieces you are giving over time together and making

complete sense out of it? And

how do you know all the bits

and pieces are the gospel?

What happens if you just tell

them one or two bits and never

see them again, and they never

get to hear the gospel? What if

the bit you gave them, on its

own, might lead them astray?

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I met someone the other

day who told me she was going to heaven because a Christian had

told her God loves everyone. She assumed from this that she was

right with God and there was nothing for her to

do in her life about God. She expected a loving

God would be ready to meet her the other side of

death. Yet when I took her through the gospel she

was shocked to nd out she was headed straight

for hell. Wouldnt it be best to try and give the

I met someone the other day

who told me she was going to

heaven because a Christian told

her God loves everyone. She

assumed from this that she was

right with God.


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Chapter Six : Are all Christians Commanded to Evangelise? < 153

whole gospel in one go to those you meet, when the

time and place is right, and take the discussion from

there? At least that way you know they have heard it

and understood it. And you have planted the seed

of the gospel in them for God to grow and you

have left nothing to chance. After all, Jesus did both. He was very

relational and He proclaimed the gospel. He was full of grace and

truth. Arent we supposed to be imitating Him?

Alice: (laughing) Julian, the bottom line is, youre an evangelist

and I am not. Its just not me Julian, I am sorry, I am just not cut

out for that stuff.

Me: (gently but starting to feel frustrated) But what about

all the millions of people out there who are not brushing with a

Christian and who dont have a Christian friend? Who is going to

reach them? Eventually, we have to get beyond bits

and pieces conversations and get down to actually

communicating the whole gospel. I have the gift of

evangelism and I am supposed to train everyone how

to do this. So if Gods assignment to me is to train

everyone, then everyone must have a responsibility to

do evangelism, and even make it a priority. God wouldnt command

everyone to do it if only a few people were capable. That would be

cruel of God.

Alice: (defensively) Ok, show me where the Bible says we are

all to do it. I know for sure the Bible teaches that we are a body,

each with a different part to play (more light heartedly) I am

not the same body part as you Julian. Just prove what you are

saying from the Bible!

Dont be dupedMany Christianswant to know the answer

to Alices excellent nal

question. In this chapter

I show from the Bible

that evangelism is the

responsibility and privilege

If the enemy can dupe

Christians into believing that

only those with the gift of

evangelism are to do it, and fewpeople in the Church have that

gift, then few in the Church will

do evangelism.


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of all believers.1 If the enemy can dupe Christians

into believing that only those with the gift of

evangelism are to do it, and few people in the

Church have that gift, then few in the Church will

evangelise. This is exactly what the enemy wants.

Dr Sidlow Baxter, theologian and author, writes powerfully on

the subject of how the enemy tries to discourage Christians from

doing Gods will. The rst temptation in Eden and the many

temptations which have entrapped men and women since, are

fundamentally identical. The tempters great purpose is to divorce

the will of Christians more and more from the will of God.2

So what is the will of God when it comes to evangelism? What

do Christian scholars and signicant leaders say? Are all Christians

commanded to evangelise or not?

Dr William Barclay: It is the duty of the Church, and that

means the duty of every

Christian, to tell the story of

the good news of Jesus to those

who have never heard it.3

It doesnt get much clearer

than that. But Ill throw in

more quotes, lest you think

Im relying on one or two

scholars who happen to agree

with me.

Few opinions would be as respected as that of Dr Billy

Graham. He is emphatic: For too long we have assumed that

evangelism was the province of only a few professionals, or a task

that the pastor alone could do (in addition to the multitude of other

duties the pastor faces every day). Such a view is not faithful to the

New Testament, nor is it realistic if the challenges of the coming

decades are to be met. The task is simply too overwhelming.4

1 When I speak of all believers I mean all who are physically and mentally capable. There are some in the

Church, who, because of severe disability, or their age (e.g. babies) cannot evangelise.

2 Dr J. Sidlow Baxter.Explore The Book. Zondervan, 1966, p.37

3 Dr William Barclay. The Gospel Of Mark.Saint Andrew Press, 1975, p.370

4 Dr Billy Graham. Christianity TodayMagazine. December, 1977.

It is the duty of the Church, and

that means the duty of everyChristian, to tell the story of the

good news of Jesus to those who

have never heard it.Dr William Barclay


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According to Dr Leighton Ford, the Latin American

Mission researched the fastest growing movements

in their eld and found them to be the Communists,

the Jehovahs Witnesses and the Pentecostal churches.

They then sought to discover a common denominator

which was obviously not their message. Finally they came up

with this proposition: The growth of any movement is in direct

proportion to its ability to mobilise its entire membership for

continuous evangelistic action Based on this thesis,says Ford, a

programme of evangelism in depth has been moving from country to

country in Latin America, training, uniting and mobilising ordinary

Christians as never before, and making unprecedented impact in the

life of these nations.5

Sowing seeds of doubt and twisting scripture: hallmarks of theenemy.The enemy loves to stop Christians from proclaiming the gospel

by sowing doubt in their minds regarding Gods instruction. Did

God really say all Christians are to proclaim the gospel? he

asks slyly. But he does not stop there. He plays on this doubt by

persuading many Christians they are not gifted by God to do so, or

that evangelism is for those with a certain personality type.

Moreover, he often uses Scripture to bolster his case. For example,

he will whisper in the ear of a Christian, The Bible says the Church

is a body with many parts. An evangelist is a special part of this

spiritual body, as an eye is to the physical body. If youre the heart,

dont even try to be an eye. Just rest in how God made you. This

line of reasoning sounds right and logical, but is it biblical? Answer?

No. So how do we counter his arguments? We do so from

Scripture.

Defeating the enemy with scriptureAcknowledging there is no single Bible versethat tells us bluntly, All Christians are commanded to

proclaim or spread the gospel,we reach this conclusion

by systematically piecing together various scriptures.

First, each of the Gospels contains a command from

5 Dr Leighton Ford. The Christian Persuader. A New Look At Evangelism Today. Harper and Row, 1976, p.47


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Jesus to do evangelism:

1. Matthew: ...Therefore go and make

disciples of all nations(Matthew 28:19).

2. Mark: Go into all the world and preach

the good news(Mark 16:15).

3. Luke: and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be

preached in His name to all nations (Luke 24:47).

4. John: As my Father sent me, even so I send you(John

20:21).

Together with Acts 1:8, these are viewed by scholars as Jesus ve

Great Commission announcements.

Studying and meditating on these verses is an important strategy

from heaven in the battle for souls. If we are not convinced from

these and other verses that evangelism is for everyone, we

will not do it. So what do I want you to notice in the ve

verses above?

While only Mark talks explicitly about proclaiming

the gospel, the other three Gospel writers do so

implicitly.

For example, in Matthew Jesus talks of making

disciples. A disciple is an apprentice or learner, someone

who imitates his master or teacher. So, if all Christians are disciples

and imitators of Jesus, and He spent a lot of time saying who he

was and why he came, then it follows that all Christians are to learn

how to evangelise and do it. Serious disciples of Jesus will desire

earnestly to imitate Him in this crucial work.

In John 20:21, Jesus is talking to His disciples. Since we

too are Jesus disciples, you in this verse refers to us as well.

Furthermore, if all are sent, what are we all sent to do? I answered

this question in the previous chapter. We are sent to make a priority

of proclaiming or spreading the gospel, just as Jesus and Paul did.

As for Luke 24:46-49 and Acts 1:8, Luke has recorded the last

words of Jesus before He was taken up to heaven.

Again, Jesus is talking to all the disciples, and since all

Christians are disciples of Jesus, He is talking to all of us as

well. We are to actively participate in the great task of


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preaching repentance and forgiveness

in His name to all the nations. To do

so is to witness.

Dont take on the absurd

Some have argued that Jesus

command to go into all the world

and proclaim the gospel was only

to the disciples of His day. That

instruction, they claim, does not apply

to Christians now. But remember Jesus also told His disciples to

Love one another. Wouldnt it be absurd to argue that this

command did not apply today?

Listening to respected leadersDr Jerram Barrs, Founder and Resident Scholarof the Francis Schaeffer Institute at Covenant

Theological Seminary, says the Bibles position

is clear: The apostles and the whole Church

understood that the command to reach out with

the gospel was not for the apostles only but

for the entire Church of that day. It was also

a commandfor every day in the life of the generations to

come.6 Popular theologian and author Dr John Piper, agrees:

The rst thing to make clear about [the Great Commission] is that

it is still binding on the modern Church. It was given not only to the

apostles for their ministry but also to the Church for its ministry.7

Renowned missiologist

Dr Norm Lewis exhorts

us: To evangelise the

world with Gods good

news is not an option for

the follower of Christ. Nor

is it the sole territory of a

few idealists who choose

to be different. Jesus

6 Dr Jerram Barrs, The Heart of Evangelism. Inter Varsity Press, 2001, p.37

7 Dr John Piper,Let The Nations Be Glad. The Supremacy of God in Missions. Baker Books, 2003, p.160

All of us are to actively

participate in the

great task of preachingrepentance and

forgiveness in His name

to all the nations.

The rst thing to make clear about

[the Great Commission] is that it is

still binding on the modern Church.

It was given not only to the apostles

for their ministry but also to the

Church for its ministry.Dr John Piper


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Christ made the worldwide

witness8 the business of every

believer every Christian

will answer at last to Him

based on obedience to His

command. Go into all the

world and preach the good

news to the whole world (Mark 16:15).9

Dr Leighton Ford rebukes churches which rely on evangelists

and pastors to do their evangelism.

A church which bottlenecks its outreach by depending on

specialists - its pastors and evangelists to do its witnessing, is

living in violation of both the intention of its Head and the consistent

pattern of the early Christians.10

Dr Peter Wagnerchips in: the true mission of proclaiming

the gospel begins in the local church and extends to the whole world

and is the task of every believer.11

The gift of evangelismwho has it and whats it for?

Now lets look at Ephesians 4:10-14. Here, the Bible

speaks of a person who is Christs gift to the Church. It is from

this scripture that we get the idea of someone having the special

gift of evangelism.

He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all

the heavens, in order to ll the whole universe. It was He who gave

some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists,

and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare Gods people for

works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we

all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of

the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the

whole measure of the fulness of Christ(Ephesians

4:10-14). We can glean at least four truths from this

8 In chapter two, I explained the meaning of this word, so often limited by Christians to mean only letting

non-Christians know, somehow, that we are a Christian.

9 Dr Norm Lewis,Priority One. OM Literature, 1988, p.1

10 Dr Leighton Ford, The Christian Persuader: A New Look At Evangelism Today. Harper and Row, 1976,

p.46.

11 Dr C. Peter Wagner & Pablo Deiros Ed. The Rising Revival. Renew Books, 1998, p.51

To evangelise the world with

Gods good news is not an option

for the follower of Christ.Dr Norm Lewis


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passage of Scripture:

1. God has given certain people to the church as a gift.

2. The evangelist is given to prepare Gods peopleWhat for? To

show them how to evangelise.

3. These evangelists are given to the Church to prepare it for

works of service.What service? The evangelisation of the

world.

4. When each person in the Church is fully equipped by these

people (prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, teachers), the

task of preparing Gods people for works of service will be

complete. Every Christian who is fully equipped can attain to

the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.In other words,

they can walk in the fulness of Gods maturity, fruitfulness, and

blessing.

Evangelistswere never meant to do all the workTellingly, it does not say, He gave some to be apostles,some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors

and teachers, so that they could go and do all the work. Rather, it

says certain people are given to the church to prepare all of Gods

peopleto do the work.12

Becoming what we ought to beCommenting on Ephesians 4:11-13, Dr William Barclaywrites: After Paul has named the different ofce bearers within

the church, he goes on to speak of their aim and what they must

try to do. Their aim is that the members of the church should be

fully equipped. The word Paul uses for equipped is interesting. It

is katartismon, which comes from the verb katartizein. The word

is used in surgery for setting a broken limb or for putting a joint

back into its place. In politics it is used for bringing

together opposing factions, so that the government

can go on. In the New Testament it is used in mending

nets (Mark 1:19), and in the context of disciplining an

offender until he is t to take his place again within

12 Some people have asked If evangelists teach us how to evangelise, does this mean prophets teach us how

to prophecy, teachers how to teach, apostles how to be an apostle, and pastors how to be a pastor? The answer to

this question is on our web site at www.esisite.com and look under frequently asked questions.


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the fellowship of the church

(Galatians 6:1). The basic

idea of the word is that

of putting a thing into the

condition in which it ought

to be. It is the function of

the ofce-bearers of the

church to see that the members of the church become

what they ought to be.13

Christians who do not evangelise are like broken

bones. They are not what they ought to be. Evangelists

are Gods physicians, given to x the bones.

How to maximise the health of your churchBut that is not all. Paul teaches in Ephesians 4 that theChurch is ailing because she is not united in the faith, not united

in the knowledge of Gods Son; that she is immature and falling

short of the fulness of Christ. So in Ephesians 4:10-14 the Lord is

speaking to her as a doctor would to a sick patient. He says, I am

going to give you ve gifts to cure

this sickness apostles, prophets,

evangelists, pastors and teachers.

Each of them has a unique and

vital contribution to make you

spiritually t and vibrant. As each

of these gifted people prepares

you for works of service, and

as each person in the Church

puts into practice what they teach you, the body of Christ will be

healed. Take out one of the ve, and you wont attain the radiant

health I intended.Some might argue, Well, I dont evangelise and

I dont feel spiritually sick. I feel close to Jesus and

my spiritual life is awesome!How should we reply?

Many forms of disease can be present in the body

without the carrier being aware. Awareness comes later

13 Dr William Barclay. The Letters To The Galatians and Ephesians.The Saint Andrew Press. Edinburgh,

1985, p.149

Each of the ve-fold ministry

gifts has a unique and vital

contribution to make you

spiritually t and vibrant.

Christians who do not evangelise

are like a broken bone.

They are not what they

ought to be.


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when the sickness becomes full blown, or by

chance discovered through a blood test. It is

the same with evangelism.

When we dontfeelthe need to evangelise,

this doesnt mean God is not commanding

us to evangelise, or that our participation in

evangelism is not necessary.

It simply means that we are out of sync

with the will of God in this area of our lives. It will only be as we

begin to evangelise that well become aware of how sick we were

when we werent evangelising. In short, those who are currently not

evangelising dont know what they dont know.

An antibiotics analogyIf you are sick and the doctor gives you a ten-day supplyof antibiotics but you only take half the course, your medicine will

not work. Its the same with the ve-fold ministry gifts. Take out

the evangelism component (or any other gift) and the healing

wont work.

In most churches in the West, serious ongoing training in

evangelism is not on the calendar.

Take Britain for example.

Of 1017 churches in Britain who were surveyed to ascertain

how many had trained their people for evangelism in the decade

2001 to 2010, only a staggering 36

(3.5%) said they had done so.

All other Western countries

would fare no better.

How this situation must sadden

Jesus. Out of the supply of His

glorious riches and bounty He

gives a precious gift and we

reject it.14

This ought never to be.

14 True, some evangelists deserve bad press. We can be insensitive, dogmatic, threatening, and one-eyed.

These are just some of our weaknesses. Yet, in spite of this, God calls us, and the strengths we bring, a

gift to the Church.

Of 1017 churches in

Britain who were surveyed

to ascertain how many had

trained their people for

evangelism in the decade

2001 to 2010, only a

staggering 36 (3.5%) said

they had done so.


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And the church will never attain to the whole

measure of the fulness of Christ as long as this situation

persists. A key battle strategy from heaven, then, is to

utilise to the full all the ve gifts God has given to His

church, including evangelists.

The benets of evangelising whats in it for you?We are not yet nished with this passage fromEphesians. It indicates there are many benets for

the Church when its members are equipped for, and practising,

evangelism. It helps to:

1. Unite the body of Christ in faith.

2. Unite the body in the knowledge of Gods Son.

3. Bring the body to maturity.

4. Bring the body to a place where it can attain the whole

measure of the fulness of Christ.

But it is not just Ephesians 4 which highlights the spiritual

benets for the believer of being active in evangelism. There is also

Philemon 6.

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you

will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

How does this passage teach that all Christians are to proclaim

the gospel? Well, if it is Gods will that all Christians come to a full

understanding of every good thing we have in Christ, and sharing

our faith is a vital part of this process, then all must be active in

sharing their faith.

The gift of the Spirit and the call to witness belong togetherCiting Acts 1:8, Dr John Stott argues that evangelism iseveryones responsibility: There is not room for evasion by trying

to limit the commission of Jesus to the apostles or to any subsequent

section of the Church. Acts 1:8 is clear: You

shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes

on you; you shall be My witnesses We can

only restrict the command to witness if we equally

restrict the promise of power. The gift of the Spirit

and the call to be witnesses belong together and

apply indiscriminately to all Christians. All Christians


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may inherit the promise; all must obey

the command.15

By witnessing, in this context,

Stott means proclaiming the gospel.16

Being the ambassador God alwaysmeant you to beDr R. Kent Hughes, Author and

Senior Pastor of College Church in

Wheaton, Illinois, interprets Acts 1:8 similarly: The command

to be Christs witnesses is for all true believers in Him. There are

no loopholes. No one can say, This does not apply to me. Our

mandate exceeds that of any worldly ambassador, whether it is to

mainland China, France or the private ofces of the Prime Minister

of England. Christs last word is You will be my witnesses.17

Dr Hughes also mentions 2 Corinthians 5:20 in support of his

case. We are therefore Christs ambassadors, as though God were

making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christs behalf:

Be reconciled to God.

Paul is referring not to the requirements of believers,Hughes

writes, but to the evangelistic duty of Christs ambassadors to go

into the world and announce the good news of reconciliation to

every creature, pleading with men to receive as their own what God

has freely provided in His Son. An ambassador speaks and acts not

only on behalf of but also in place

of the sovereign from whom he

has received his commission.

Since all Christians are Christs

ambassadors, we must all perform

the duty of an ambassador. If we

are truly ambassadors, we too

must proclaim, if indeed we are

15 Dr John Stott.Motives and Methods In Evangelism.IVP, 1973, p.5

16 Many in the Church misunderstand witnessing. For some it means letting a non-Christian know you

are a Christian. If, for example, a non-Christian asks the question, What did you do on the weekend?

and I answer, I went to church, some may think I have witnessed. But there is much more to the true

understanding of witnessing than this. I discussed this in chapter 2, device 10.

17 Dr R. Kent Hughes.Acts. The Church Are. Crossway Books, 1996, p.17

We can only restrict the

command to witness if

we equally restrict thepromise of power.

Dr John Stott

The command to be Christswitnesses is for all true

believers in Him. There are

no loopholes. No one can say,

This does not apply to me.Dr R.Kent Hughes


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truly representing our Sovereign. We cannot claim all the

benets of an ambassador (eternal life, grace, peace, the

gift of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, etc) without taking up the

responsibilities.18

Hold your head up high you are a privilegedperson!Dr Warren Wiersbe, well known international Bible

conference teacher and author of more than 80 books,addsfurther insight. He argues that since we are all ambassadors for Christ,

we all must act as such by announcing our Sovereigns message.

In the Roman Empire, he writes, there were two kinds of

provinces: senatorial and imperial. The senatorial provinces were

made up of people who were peaceful and not at war with Rome.

They had surrendered and submitted. But the imperial provinces

were not peaceful. They were

dangerous because they would

rebel against Rome if they could.

Rome had to send ambassadors

to the imperial provinces to

make sure rebellion did not

break out. Since Christians in

the world are the ambassadors

of Christ, this means the world is in rebellion against God. This

world is an imperial province as far as God is concerned. He has

sent His ambassadors into the world to declare peace, not war. If

sinners reject us and our message, it is Jesus Christ who is actually

rejected. What a great privilege it is to be heavens ambassadors to

the rebellious sinners of this world!19

How to grow your churchDr Michael Green points to otherscriptures to support the case that evangelism is for

all believers:

The biggest difference between the New

Testament church and our own, he says, is that

18 ibid, p.17

19 Dr Warren W. Wiersbe, 2 Corinthians. Be Encouraged. Scripture Press, 1984, p.68

...What a great privilege it

is to be heavens ambassadors

to the rebellious sinnersof this world!

Dr Warren Wiersbe


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every member was a witness. The responsibility of

bearing witness to Jesus rested fairly and squarely

upon every single member. You dont just nd it in the

odd by-ways of the New Testament: Jude urges his

readers in graphic terms to save some, by snatching

them out of the re (Jude 1:23).

Timothy, though naturally timid and not an evangelist, is

nevertheless bidden to do the work of an evangelist and to be

urgent in season and out of season (2

Timothy 4:2). You nd it everywhere.

In 1 Thessalonians 1:8, Paul rejoices

that the Word of God has sounded forth

from the newly-edged Thessalonian

Christians, and that their faith in God

has spread like wildre. And in Acts

8:1-4 we nd the Jerusalem leaders

shut up in fear in an upper room while the common believers were

scattered by a persecution springing from the death of Stephen.

What did they do? They went everywhere spreading the gospel.

Evangelism was the spontaneous chattering of good news. It was

engaged in naturally, continuously, easily and joyfully by Christians

wherever they went.

If you want evangelism in your church, do not hire a famous

preacher. Build up the congregation for informal witness. And the

church will grow.20 Wise pastors and leaders take note. Michael

Green is speaking here of another

battle strategy from heaven.

Three other scriptures are

cited by scholars to show how

the responsibility to evangelise is

the privilege of everyone in the

Church: Follow my example, as

I follow the example of Christ(1

Corinthians 11:1). The Spirit of

20 Dr Michael Green.Evangelism Now And Then. IVP, 1979, p.118

The common believers

went everywhere

spreading the gospel.Dr Michael Green

If you want evangelism

in your church, do not hire

a famous preacher.

Build up the congregation

for informal witness. And the

church will grow.Dr Michael Green


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the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to

preach good news [the gospel] to the poor (Luke

4:18). For the Son of Man came to seek and to save

what was lost(Luke 19:10).

If the goal of the Christian life is to imitate Christ,

and gospel proclamation dominated His life, then

surely, if we are truly in touch with this goal, we are all bound to

imitate Him in this vital task?

What it takes to be like a top golfer in the world...Think how amazing it would be if you boldly andunashamedly added to your Christian experience the habit of

regularly proclaiming the gospel. You could then say honestly that

you were imitating the major aspects of the life of Jesus.

I cant think of any Christian behaviour which would put you in

a better position to receive the fulness of all that Jesus has for you.

To desire to be a sincere disciple of Jesus but omit regular personal

evangelism is like saying, Im going to imitate the number one

golfer in the world, but, if you dont mind, I dont want to hit any

golf balls.

Jesus never gave his disciples

the option of picking and choosing

which aspects of His life they

would like to imitate. The authentic

Christian life can never be reduced

to a spiritual smorgasbord.

Jesus is so great, He is worthdeclaringAn Australian theologian, John

Chapman, cites 1 Peter 2:9-10 to

show how evangelism is a command

for all Christians rather than just those with the gift: But you

are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people

belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who

called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were

not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not

received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Jesus never gave the

disciples the option of

picking and choosing which

aspects of His life they would

like to imitate. The authenticChristian life can never

be reduced to a spiritual

smorgasbord.


17/35


The people of God are described in 1 Peter in

terms taken directly from the Old Testament, writes

Chapman, who then goes on to amplify this.

First, Gods people are a special people, he

reminds us. As chosen specially by Him, they cannot

be ordinary. Had the choice of who could be Christians been left

to us we might have chosen differently, which only shows how

unlike God we are! He loves them and so should we.

Secondly, Gods people have a special task to declare the

praises of God, and these praises are all associated with

the work of salvation, when people move from darkness

to light. To whom is this declaration in 1 Peter 2: 9-10

made? Since Gods people are here described in Old

Testament terms which referred to Israel, the declaration

is clearly to be made to the nations (Isaiah 49:1) to

whom Israel is called to witness (Mark 1:17; Isaiah

56:6-7).

The declaration of Gods mighty deeds in salvation is to be

made known to those who are not yet Christian. All Christians

not just those with the gift of evangelism belong to the people

whose purpose is to declare the mighty deeds of God.21

Chapman continues, There is a special gift of the evangelist

as there is a special gift of faith

(1 Corinthians 12:9), but that

doesnt mean all of us shouldnt

evangelise, any more than it

means we dont all need to

exercise faith.22

God the Evangelist calls us tobe His fellow workersThe Lausanne Covenant

documents cite 2 Corinthians

6:1 as a key scripture to support

21 John Chapman.Know and Tell the Truth. The Why And How Of Evangelism. Hodder and Stoughton, 1991,

pp.42-4

22 ibid, p.42

There is a special gift of theevangelist as there is a special

gift of faith (1 Corinthians

12:9), but that doesnt mean all

of us shouldnt evangelise, any

more than it means we dont all

need to exercise faith.John Chapman


18/35


the truth that evangelism is the responsibility

of all believers.23 As Gods fellow workers we

urge you not to receive Gods grace in vain.

Commenting on that verse, Dr John Stott

says, God the evangelist gives His people

the privilege of being His fellow workers.

For although we cannot witness without Him,

He normally chooses to witness through us.

He calls only some to be evangelists,24 missionaries or pastors,

but He calls the whole Church and every member of it to be His

witnesses.25

As Dr Leighton Fordsays, If our goal is the penetration of the

whole world, then for the agents to carry out this task, we must aim

at nothing less than the mobilisation of the whole Church.26

Catholics take a leadSadly, Protestants and Catholics often disagree on points oftheology, but on the question of who is to do evangelism, we are

agreed. The late Pope John Paul II, addressing Catholic young

people at World Youth Day in 1992, had this to say: Here we are

before the Seventh World Youth Day. I chose these words of Christ

as this years theme: Go into all the whole world and proclaim the

gospel (Mark 16:15). Through the Church, these words addressed

to the apostles concern every baptised person.

The same Spirit who made us children of God compels us

to evangelise. Moreover,

proclaiming means precisely

proclaiming becoming

one who brings the word of

salvation to others. There is

indeed much ignorance about

the Christian faith, but there

is also a deep desire to hear

23 Cited in Dr Lewis Drummond. The Word Of The Cross. A Contemporary Theology Of Evangelism.

Broadman Press, 1992, p.363

24 Stott means those with the Ephesians 4:11-12 gift of evangelism.

25 For a full discussion on what it means for a Christian to be a witness, see chapter two.

26 Dr Leighton Ford. The Christian Persuader: A New Look At Evangelism Today. Harper and Row. 1976, p.45

Dear young

people, proclaiming the Word of

God is not the

responsibility of priests or the

religious alone,

but it is yours too.Pope John Paul II


19/35


the Word of God.

And faith comes from listening. St Paul

writes: How can they believe unless they have

heard of Him? (Romans 10:14). Dear youngpeople, proclaiming the Word of God is not the

responsibility of priests or the religious alone,

but it is yours too. You must have the courage

to speak about Christ in your families and in places where you

study, work or recreate, inspired with the same fervour the apostles

had when they said: We cannot help speaking of what we have

heard and seen (Acts 4:20). Nor should you be silent!27

How do I nd the time?Despite all the evidence, many Christians struggle to seehow they might t evangelising into their daily lives.

Am I supposed to give up my job and be out there proclaiming

the gospel all day long to everyone everywhere?one might ask.

As a busy mother, how can I be obedient to this command when

I spend most of my days just surviving with my children?I run a clinic for AIDS patients. How am I supposed to make

proclaiming the gospel the main thing?

I am a busy executive working 18 hours a day. Where would I

nd time to do this?

These are honest questions.

The diagrams below help us to see the difference between how

people with the gift of evangelism might use their day and howeveryone else in the Church might t evangelism into their routine.

They also help us see how engaging in evangelism is much

simpler and easier than we ever dreamed or

imagined.

With the revolutionary tools and strategies

God has graced us with, now literally everyone in

the Church can feel comfortable with evangelismand actually engage in it. How good is that!

27 http://www.pcf.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/youth/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_24111991_vii-world-

youth-day_en.html


20/35


The circles represent all the various things an evangelist (i.e.

someone with the gift) does in their day. One of them is shopping.

When the evangelist leaves their ofce, they can give the gospel to

someone while they are out shopping. In other words, they evangelise

naturally as they go about their day. The rest of their time is spent

organising training events for churches and preparing resources.

In contrast, the diagram below represents the waking hours

of someone who has a talent or a calling in an area other than

evangelism. Lets say the person represented by the diagram below

is a mother of three little children under ve and she has a husband.

Like the evangelist with the gift, she too gets out of her house.

This is when she can speak to someone about the gospel or at the

Reading

Dishes

Phoning

EatingShopping

Talking

Taking a childto the doctor

Praying

Writing

Shower

Toilet

Eatingchocolate

Get librarybooks

for the kidsTake kidsto school

Vacuum

Reading

Dishes Phoning

EatingShoppingTalking

ResearchingPraying

Writing

Shower ToiletAttendingmeetings


21/35


very least give them a booklet with the gospel written

on it or a www.biblein11.com business card.28

How else might this mother evangelise?29 She

might:

Have coffee with a friend and share the gospel

while the children play outside.

Attend a recreational activity while a baby sitter looks after

her children and share the gospel with someone there.

Leave a tract in the doctors reception rooms after taking her

preschooler to an appointment.

Give a www.biblein11.com business card to the library

assistant when she takes out a book.

She might give a www.biblein11.com card to someone she sees

sitting in a car next to where her car is parked.30

What each of us must realise is that we are nearly all brushing

with non-Christians everyday and each and every brush is a

potential opportunity.

We need our eyes opened to see these opportunities and our

hearts changed so that we possess the heart of Jesus to take and

make them. We also need great tools and strategies which make

evangelism quick and easy.

Thankfully, we now have these so

absolutely everyone in the Church

can now participate.

We have to be intentional

For me personally,

I have found that if I try to

28 To nd out more about this concept, just email me: [email protected]

29 Most people in the world perceive they are extremely busy and most are. It is easy to see how evangelism

would quickly shut down if every Christian thought they were exempt from proclaiming or spreading the

gospel just because they were busy. This is why I wrote chapter ve of this book to show that what we

make a priority will nearly always get done. To illustrate this truth, I have often put the following scenario

before Christians: Imagine if the richest man in the world became a Christian and he became radically

committed to evangelism. In fact, he became so committed that he offered to pay any Christian $US1000

for anyone with whom they shared the gospel.I am certain the priority of many Christians would suddenly

change quickly. Courses on evangelism would be full to over owing. Christians proclaiming the gospel

would ood the world. Evangelism would boom. Serving mammon has become more precious to many of

us than serving God. What other conclusion is there?

30 E.g. giving them to tellers at shops and banks, placing them at ATM machines, public telephone boxes; on

the table in cafes and restaurants any situation where we mix with non-Christians or where someone might

pick it up and read it.

Has serving mammon

become more precious to us

than serving God? What other

conclusion is there?


22/35


t evangelism into my day, I will end up not

evangelising i.e. when I go shopping, I intentionally

take time out to reach someone with the gospel.

How often should we do it? Really, this is a silly

question. Its like asking how often should I love

my children, read my bible, or pay my bills on

time?

As long as people have not heard, we must reach them. Anyone

can evangelise in the course of a day by putting a tract or www.

biblein11.com business card in a strategic place. I cant think of

anyone in the Church who couldnt do this. Really, how hard is it to

give out a business card or leave it where someone will nd it?

We are all busy, butNo matter how busy we are, if we truly get it in our heartsand minds that the evangelisation of the

world really and truly is Jesus priority,

any genuine believer would make it their

personal priority, surely? What would

it look like for a busy person to make it

their personal priority? Someone I know

works in the inner city in a busy ofce.

He has a wife and children at home and

has one hour for lunch each day.

Before he eats, he leaves the ofce to give the gospel on the busy

streets. He wont eat until he has evangelised. He has made this a

habit. He also holds himself accountable to another friend so that he

wont slip back into old ways.

Another lady simplied her lifestyle in order to make evangelism

the priority. Instead of watching ve hours of TV a week she

watched only four, dedicating the other hour to

evangelising the world. She leaves her house one

evening a week to go out and look for someone towhom she can give the gospel.

Another whole family dedicated Saturday mornings

to going out as a family to evangelise. They report that

it bound them together as a family like no other family

How often should we do

it? Really, this is a silly

question. Its like asking

how often should I love

my children, read my

bible, or pay my bills on

time?


23/35


activity had ever done.

Making evangelising a priority is,

ultimately, just a choice. Every person

in the world has 24 hours in their day.

What each person does with it depends

on whats in their heart.

Proclaiming the gospel from theheartWhatever commitment we make,

it is the spirit with which we make it

that counts. The heart of any genuine

believer, though their time might be limited, will be to reach

more people with the gospel and go out of their way to create

opportunities. Their rst motivation is for the glory of God, the

second is because they love people.

Six things that could stop us from evangelisingIn my experience it is not just a question of time constraints.Most of us want to be able to evangelise, but six things stop us:

1. We dont know how to start the conversation.

2. Once weve started, we dont know what to say.

3. We lack training and tools that are contemporary, designed for

todays culture, and easy to use.

4. We dont feel condent to answer the questions which non-

Christians might ask when we share the gospel with them.

5. We fear others will respond negatively when we share with them.

6. We have been inuenced by the enemys devices and think it is

someone elses responsibility.

We want solutions to these problems. We want to evangelise in a

way that is quick and simple, which glories God, and which does

not compromise the gospel in any way. What would you think of

a gospel tool or method which omitted no important truth, which

was not unnecessarily complicated, and which left the

non-Christian feeling loved yet utterly convicted by

the Holy Spirit of their need for Jesus?

Thats quite some wish-list! Fortunately there are

some tremendous tools available now which will

Making evangelising a

priority is, ultimately, just

a choice. Every personin the world has 24

hours in their day. What

each person does with it

depends on whats in their

heart.


24/35


enable you to evangelise in just such a way.31

Whats in your heart? Do the test...We could react to the content of thischapter that the task of evangelising is given to all

of us in at least four different ways, each being a

cunning device of the enemy to knock us out of active

participation.

First we could decide that it is true, but do nothing about it.

This would be wilful disobedience.

Next we could put the responsibility on the pastor, saying we

will get serious about evangelising as soon as some training is

organised. This would be passing the buck.

Thirdly we could employ delay tactics: Im going to pray

about this,we might say, and when God tells me to do it, I will.

This would be delaying obedience.

Fourthly we could deny the truths

outlined in this chapter and return

to our old way of life, clinging to

the myth that evangelism is to be

done only by those with the gift

or by people who are less busy than ourselves. This would be

suppressing the truth.

Lets not react in any of these ways.

B

eing in the best position to ourish

Without doubt obedience positions us for the blessing of

God.32James says, Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers

(James 1:22).

We are called to obedience (1 Samuel 15:22); passing the buck

is a sin which has been around since the beginning of

time (Genesis 3:12); Jesus specically taught against

delaying obedience (Matthew 8:18-22); and James

(James 13:3) and Paul (Romans 1:18) both warned

against suppressing the truth.

31 Please email me at [email protected] and I will give you access to an on line library of tools and strategies.

32 There are exceptions of course. Obedience can sometimes bring torture, persecution, separation from family

and friends and even death.

Obedience positions us

for the blessing of God.


25/35


In contrast, those planted in the house of the Lord

[i.e. those who seek to live in obedience] will ourish

(Psalm 92:13).

Dont blame your pastor.

There is a sobering warning in Ezekiel 33:7-9

about not putting all the responsibility on our leader or pastor:

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel;

so hear the word I speak [to you] and give them warning from me.

When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you will surely die, and

you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked

man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his

blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and

he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved

yourself.

God is talking to you tooNotice Ezekiels constant use of the pronoun you. Theenemy would like us to brush this verse aside. We might say, Oh,

God was only talking to Ezekiel the prophet, and through him to

Israel. This verse does not apply to believers today.

Does Ezekiel 33:7-9 apply to all of us today?Why would Ezekiel 33:7-9 notapply to us today? Whatsdifferent between Gods charge to Ezekiel and Jesus command

to us in Mark 16:15? The judgments Ezekiel was to proclaim are

similar to those in the gospel. For example, Ezekiel is commanded

to transmit a message given by God, and so are we. He is to

alert the people around him to the peril of their ways and to call

them to righteousness, as we are (e.g. Luke 13:3). The offer of

forgiveness is certain for those who turn, which is the core of

our gospel message (e.g. 1 John 1:9). If sinners dont turn, they

will meet with a violent and terrible end (John 3:18). There are

consequences for not evangelising (e.g. Luke 9:26).

We are all Gods sentries

Dr Christopher Wright,former principal

of All Nations Christian College, London, is also

convinced Ezekiel 33:7-9 applies today: The

implications for Christian ministry seem to ow


26/35


naturally [from these verses] those who are among the

ock being pastored need the challenge of the evangelistic

warning and appeal. The sentry is never off duty.33

The fact that Paul in Acts 18:6 and 20:26 uses the same

imagery as Ezekiel when his audience rejects the gospel,

further strengthens the argument. Dr John Stott34 and

Dr I. Howard Marshall35 are two other scholars who

connect these two verses in Acts with Ezekiel 33. It is not

only pastors and leaders who will be accountable for the blood of

those who perish without having been warned through the gospel,

but each of us, individually. If your church doesnt provide training

in evangelism, it is your duty to seek it out.

Watch out for self-deceptionAs for saying, Ill pray about it, before deciding toactively evangelise, really, what is the point? The Bible already tells

us clearly that proclaiming the gospel is the will of God for each one

of us. Yes, we ought to cover our activities and decisions with prayer,

but lets not use prayer as a delaying tactic.

I urge you in Jesus not to return to your old way of

thinking. Consider the many exhortations in the Bible not

to be deceived. For example: But I am afraid that just as Eve

was deceived by the serpents cunning, your minds may somehow

be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ

(2 Corinthians 11:3).

Of course, even once we are convinced it istrue that we must all

take responsibility for proclaiming the gospel, Satans next cunning

device is to suggest the come to me approach. He persuades

Christians to pray, Lord, if you want me to reach someone with the

gospel, please bring them to me and make it obvious. If you dont

do this, I will know you dont want me to do any

evangelism today.

Jesus created the opportunitiesDont fall for this. Jesus specically said33 Dr Christopher J.H. Wright. The Message Of Ezekiel,IVP, 2001, p.221

34 Dr John Stott, The Message Of Acts. IVP, 2003, p.298

35 Dr I.Howard Marshall, The Acts Of The Apostles. An Introduction And Commentary, IVP, 1987, p.333


27/35


Go(Mark 16:15).36 Once trained in

evangelism, we must do more than wait

for opportunities to fall into our lap. We

must learn to create them, as Jesus did.

In the parables of the lost sheep and

the lost penny,37 the shepherd and the

housekeeper went looking for what was

lost. These parables illustrate important

truths about evangelism:

First, as God sought us, so we in turn ought to seek the lost

around us and present the gospel to them. Imagine what Jesus

endured in coming to us. In heaven

He was worshipped and adored by

the angelic host and yet He left the

comfort of His home to come to

earth and seek us out. For His efforts

He was rejected, beaten, mocked,

despised and eventually crucied.

Jesus set the level of the bar with

respect to inconvenience.38

Second, seeking out the lost will

cost us something. It will nearly always be a hassle, or at the very

least an inconvenience. Having to leave the 99 sheep and look for

the lost one was a major inconvenience for the shepherd.

He probably had to nd someone to look after the 99, and this

may have cost him nancially. Then there was the irritation of

the actual search. Having to contend with steep hillsides, thorns,

bushes, wild animals, heat, thirst, and an animal quick

on its feet that delighted to resist capture was, overall,

one gigantic inconvenience.

Similarly, looking for the lost coin took a lot of the

36 Better still, as you go.

37 Luke 15

38 Often Christians ask, If I go and look for lost people to present the gospel to, how do I know who to

choose? Please email me. I will direct you to resources which will answer this question. [email protected]

Seeking out the lost will

cost us something. It will

nearly always be a hassle,or, at the very least, an

inconvenience.

The truth is, God can

grow a seed from the hand

of a farmer with a bad

attitude but never a seed

from the hand of a farmer

with a good attitude, who

doesnt sow it.


28/35


womans time. Moving all

the furniture, getting down

on hands and knees, endless

back-bending. What a chore!

Yet she did it because of the

value of the coin. Jesus said,

If anyone would come after

Me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily

and follow Me (Luke

9:23).39 Putting ourselves

out is one way to take up

our cross. To know how to

create opportunities and to be

intentional about evangelism are two vital battle strategies if we

want to win this spiritual war.

P

ushing through

I will close this chapter by telling a personal story of the

blessing which comes from embracing the inconvenience factor

in evangelism. One cold, rainy night in the middle of winter I was

travelling home around 11:30pm. I had been ministering all day, and

the last thing I felt like doing was reaching

a non-Christian with the gospel. As I drove

down a long, inner-city road near my house, a

great battle arose in my mind.

Look, Im weary! I told myself. The

commitment I made to reaching one person a day

is just legalism.40I dont have to do it. God can see

39 This was one scripture which guided me to setting a goal of reaching at least one person a day with the

gospel. By Gods grace, for many years, I have been able to keep this commitment, missing no more than

a dozen days. Some days, I admit, I have gone out and given the gospel with a very poor attitude. I have

wanted to tick the box rather than really sincerely love my neighbour or glorify Jesus. But I reason

that going with a bad attitude is far better than sitting at home piously congratulating myself for notgoing

because I would dishonour the Lord with my bad attitude. This is yet another of the enemys devices. The

truth is, God can grow a seed from the hand of a farmer with a bad attitude but never a seed from the hand

of a farmer with a good attitude who doesnt sow it.

40 On his retirement, I once asked Bob McNaughton, an old, greatly-used-by-God evangelist of many decades

the question, what is the one piece of advice you would give me as you retire from this organisation? He

looked at me with his piercing, clear eyes and replied with some force, Julian, never stop actually doing

evangelism. This is my advice to you.

On his retirement, I once asked

Bob McNaughton, an old, greatly-

used-by-God evangelist of manydecades the question, What is

the one piece of advice you would

give me as you retire from this

organisation? He looked at me with

his piercing, clear eyes and replied

with some force, Julian, never stop

actually doing evangelism. This is

my advice to you.


29/35


Ive been doing His work, and He will love me no less

if I miss a day!

As I began to settle this in my mind, another voice

spoke up.

You made a commitment just do it! Hey, if you

cant push through the hard times, what kind of an example is that

for others? You can only lead others where youve been yourself.

If you make excuses, everyone else has a right to also. You know

that in the past when you made big sacrices for the lost, God came

through. Just do it.

Thankfully I listened to the second voice. As I drove up the

road, I could see a lone gure inside a McDonalds restaurant. The

persons face was obscured by the rain running down the window.

I parked the car and made sure I had the little tool we use to deliver

the gospel, plus a follow-up booklet. Then I made a dash from my

car through the rain. When I got inside, it turned out the gure I

had seen through the window was in his fties. He was reading the

newspaper and enjoying a hot drink.

Down to the wireBy now it was about 11:40pm. I approached him in the usualway, but to my surprise he said politely that he would rather not hear

what I had to say as he had had a big day and was just unwinding.

There was no one else in the restaurant and time was running out.

Would I have to go out in the rain to nd someone?

I decided to buy something to drink and think what to do next.

The friendly woman who came to serve me was in her fties.

Suddenly, an idea came.

Hey! I said to her. I wonder if you could help me with

something? Immediately she agreed; and we went all the way

through the gospel presentation. About a third of the way through,

we were joined by two other McDonalds employees

who also seemed eager to listen and watch. At the end

of the presentation, all of them agreed that if they died

that night they would go to hell. This was clearly a

shocking revelation. They had always believed that all

you had to do to get to heaven was be a good person.


30/35


More follow up booklets neededI had brought only onefollow-up booklet with me when I

rst entered, and so I quickly gave the

one I had to one of the younger staff

members and asked the other two to

wait a moment while I dashed to my

car to get two more copies.

When I returned, the older staff

member did a most surprising thing.

She lunged forward and tore one of the booklets from my hand.

Pressing it to her chest and looking upward, she exclaimed, as if to

God, Oh, thank you! I have always wanted to know about this!

By this time it was 11:59pm, but I felt refreshed both physically

and spiritually. I drove off, listening to my favourite praise music

on the stereo. When I got into bed I just lay there, basking in the

Holy Spirit as I thought about what had just happened and the

goodness of God to hold me to my commitment.

What are the lessons here? It seems to me that the bigger the

inconvenience/pain, the bigger the blessing. We will never grow

unless we continually push our personal boundaries and limits. Why

not make it your goal to progressively move up the levels in The

Six Step Master Plan of Evangelismwhich I detailed in Chapter

One?

Do not leave it to chance put it in your diary

Pastors and leaders, diary into your day or your week an

appointment to reach someone with the gospel,

either through a tract or through proclamation.41

Let it be an inconvenience for you. Feel the

weight of the Cross. Set the example in your

church. Take up Pauls exhortation to Timothy to

do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5).

Your sacrice and discipline will give your people

courage and condence to enter condently into

41 To watch a short video of a Presbyterian minister who took up this challenge, whose life and ministry was

completely changed by doing so, please visit http://youtu.be/g3E7Xt8mALY

The bigger the

inconvenience, the bigger

the blessing. We will never

grow unless we continually

push our personal

boundaries and limits.


31/35


the battle for souls.

Ihave found that wherever the leader in a churchsets the bar, the people will follow a littleunderneath

For example, if you as the leader in your church

evangelise once a day your people will evangelise once a week. If

you evangelise once a week they will evangelise once a month. If

you evangelise once a year they will most probably never do it. It

is really that simple.42So here is another divine insight in the battle

for souls. If you are a leader and you are struggling to mobilise the

people in your church to evangelise, and you are not doing it and

you want to know why theyare not doing it, the answer is thatyou

are not doing it.

Furthermore, if you are active in

evangelism, please let your people

know. I long for the day when pastors

around the world drop stories of

their evangelism experiences from

the previous week into their Sunday

sermons and general conversations.

Tell your staff you will be out of

the ofce for 30 minutes to go and

reach someone with the gospel. Let

them see you go and come back.

Tell them what happened. Share

your experiences in staff meetings. Tell them about what happened

when you were on holiday sharing the gospel. As re ignites

petrol, so you will inspire people to follow your example. And

please, dont just relate your successes.

Tell them of your inner struggles as you sought to establish

this new evangelism habit in your life. I experienced brokenness

many times before I eventually broke through in

evangelism.

If you are a leader, be open, honest, vocal and

visible about your evangelism experiences. For

42 I deal extensively with the topic of the role of leaders in evangelism in chapters 12 to 17.

If you cant get the

people in your church

evangelising, and you

are not doing it and you

want to know why they

are not doing it, the

answer is that you are

not doing it.


32/35


you, more than anyone, this is a critical strategy from

heaven in the battle for souls.

D

ont rely on feelings for motivation, they are

unreliable

I dont wake up every morning looking forward to

going out evangelising. Some days, in fact, I dread the thought,

and some days I dont feel any compassion whatsoever. Most days,

the prospect of going into the world and proclaiming the gospel

even frightens me a little.

So when I go to the lost, it is often just a cold, hard decision.

But often when I have reached one person with the gospel, or

during the giving of it, the fresh inlling of the Holy Spirit comes

and I suddenly want to reach

others, one after the other.

Reaching lost people withthe gospel leads to agreater desire to reach more

lost people with the gospel.

I go out weeping but return

with songs of joy! (Psalm

126:5-6).

Then, when I wake the next

day, the strong desire to evangelise and the sheer joy I experienced

the previous day are gone. They are only a positive memory.

Why is this so? I believe the Holy Spirit allows these feelings of

joy from the previous days evangelism experiences to leak out

overnight for a good reason.

He is trying to show me where to nd a rich source of joy in the

Christian life.

He is saying, Julian, I am trying to show you where

to nd living water. Keep going to the lost with My

gospel. Keep planting the seed. Go and have a drink. See

how sweet it is to be about my priority. Dont sit around

glorying in your past victories. Get living water fresh

every day. My supplies are limitless. Julian, people must

here my gospel. They must know about the great love I

The truth is, we will never

ever succeed in proclaiming

the gospel if we base our decision

to go (or not) on our feelings

of the moment. Loveis a decision, not a feeling.


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have for them and why I died on the cross for them.

Every time you plant the seed with love and grace,

the Holy Spirit will grow it. We, the Trinity, will

do the hard bit which is to bring belief to those who

hear my precious gospel. Go!

The decision to evangelise each day continues to

be an act of the will but the weight of the cross these days is not as

heavy as it used to be. I have found that the more one does it, the

easier it gets. Truly, it is a learnt skill.

The truth is, we will never ever succeed with evangelising the

world if we base our decision to go (or not) on our feelings of the

moment. If we let our feelings rule, the not nowor Ill do it

another dayfeeling will alwayswin every time.

Let me draw this chapter to

a close. The responsibility to

evangelise the world falls on the

shoulders of every believer and there

are no loopholes.Having said that, I am cautious

when I hear teaching which is

peppered with red ag phrases

like we have to or we must or

we have no choice or we are to

do it whether we feel like it or not.

Legalism is always lurking lookingfor an entrance into our lives, and we ought to bar and lock all

possible entry points.

So how is what I have written in this chapter not marching

everyone straight back into legalism? After all, this chapter is

pregnant with the red ag phrases I have just mentioned. Answer?

The command to evangelise the world was given by Jesus

who is God. When we signed up to become Christianswe said to Him I make you Lord of my life (Romans

10:9-10).

Whether we realised it or not, at that moment we

invited Him to become our commander in chief

The truth is, we will

never ever succeed with

evangelising the world if

we base our decision to go(or not) on our feelings of

the moment. If we let our

feelings rule, the not now

or Ill do it another day

feeling will alwayswin

every time.


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and we submitted oursevles to Him and His authority as one of His

soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3).

Now when a commander of an army in the natural world gives

his troops a command, he is not being legalistic. Hes simply

commanding his troops to do something upon which a great victory

depends.

And when the troops obey, they are not falling into legalism but

simply obeying an order given by their commander which is what

they agreed to do when they rst signed up (John 10:27; Matthew

7:20-24).

And if his troops obey, and the commander is smart enough, and

experienced enough, and has all the details of his battle strategy

perfectly accurate, and the strategy is a winning one, that army will

win the battle.

We in the Church ought to have no worries about whether Our

Commander is smart enough, experienced enough, or whether His

battle strategy is a winning one.

These things are not up for debate. They are settled. What isup

for debate is whether His soldiers will obey His command and not

reneg on what they agreed to when they rst signed up.

Summary It is the responsibility of all believers to help evangelise the

world. There is unanimous support for this truth in the scholarly

world.

Evangelism will not happen unless we are intentional about

it.

We must also be accountable to one another.

ACTION POINT: Help others

become aware of the issues raisedin this chapter to other Christians,

particularly leaders. Email everyone on

your address book and encourage them to

do the same. Send them a PDF le of this


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chapter by writing to [email protected].

ACTION POINT: Go to the leaders of your church. Askthem to make changes to their mission statement so thatevangelism becomes central. Ask them to bring evangelism

back to centre stage in the life of your church. Pray for them.

Encourage them.

Even if we overcome his devices just described, he does not let

up. Our next challenge is to learn how to overcome fear.

Trying to instil a fear of evangelism into the Christian troops is a

key tactic of the enemy.

If there is one device he employs ceaselessly in

the battle for souls, it is this one.

God has taught me how to deal with fear, and

I want to share my secrets with you in the next

chapter.

14 ch 6 fa pg151-183 all2evangelise

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