The goal and purpose of evangelism is faithfulness to
Christ. The method of evangelism should be to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s
leading—for the proclaimer and the hearer. Cultural and theological shifts have
resulted in a decline in evangelism and missions within churches. However,
biblical evidence supports evangelism and missions as foundational to the local
church context. The message of the gospel is at the heart of the Great
Commission. Additionally, the gospel message is the central focus of the New
Testament and, therefore, should be a focal point of the New Testament
churches.
Live with a Commitment to Prayer
Within the local church, evangelistic efforts must begin
with prayer. S. D. Gordon asserted, “The greatest thing anyone can do for God
and for man is to pray. It is not the only thing. But it is the chief thing.” The
believer must understand the significance of the point of importance and
intentional prayer.
The Scriptures are rife with examples of prayer. First,
Jesus demonstrates what is exemplary in prayer. That prayer begins with God.
Charles H. Spurgeon understood this and noted regarding prayer, “Let the Lord
alone be the object of your prayers.” Jesus exemplifies this in His
instruction of prayer in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus taught, “When you
pray, say: ‘Father, Hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come’” (Luke 11:2).
In addition, in his letter to the church in Thessalonica,
Paul commanded them to “pray without ceasing.” In the context of
Paul’s letter, the idea of good Christian conduct was central. The Greek word
for “without ceasing” carries with it a connotation of
constancy. It could be understood as avoiding unnecessary gaps
in time. The whole first part of the peroration has to do with prayer, which is
said to be God’s will for Christians.
To apply the importance of prayer commitment, we should
provide a theological understanding of putting God first and foremost in all
prayers. Additionally, the church could provide prayer guides on common
techniques for praying for the lost and, finally, host dedicated times to pray
for the lost by name. This dedicated time can take the form of prayer groups,
dedicated corporate worship-led prayer, and pastoral connection prayer request
cards.
Live with Great Commission Conviction
The Great Commission commands followers of Christ to “go and
make disciples.” First, the great commission involves the individual believer.
The individual makes disciples and goes to the mission field. However, the
Great Commission also involves the local church.[1] The
local church raises and sends evangelists and missionaries into the mission
field. Therein lies the conviction for the Great Commission—identifying the
responsibility of all believers. As Mike Morris wrote, “Because Jesus said that
He would be with His disciples always and to the end of the age, we must
acknowledge that the Great Commission was directed not only to His original
twelve disciples but also to us.”[2]
Jesus said, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…”[3] Clearly,
the discipleship process begins with sharing the gospel. Yet discipleship is
not merely about sharing the gospel and baptizing. The foundation of
instruction must be coupled with the sharing of the gospel. The church must
view its role through the lens of Christ as her example. Jesus taught
multitudes of people at any given time.[4] Yet,
from the multitudes, Jesus spent most of his time intimately discipling twelve.[5] Further
still, from the twelve Jesus singled out, he invested more deeply into three.[6] He
intimately invested in his disciples so that when they were ready, He could
send them out.[7]
The first thing we see from Jesus is a call to come. Jesus
demonstrated “go”, the part of the Great Commission, when He went to the
disciples and invited them to come with Him. The invitation is the church’s
role through the proclamation of the gospel. Paul asks, “And how will they hear
without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent?”[8] Jesus
invites the disciples to hear the good news of the kingdom of God. In like
fashion, the church should proclaim the gospel’s good news through invitation.
Next, Jesus demonstrated the necessity of biblical training.
He taught the disciples. Biblical instruction is the church’s role. The church’s
teaching is through faithful adherence to the Bible. Regarding God’s word, Paul
stated, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God
may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”[9] Furthermore,
Paul commanded Timothy to “preach the word.”[10] Deeper
exegesis reveals that Paul was commanding Timothy to preach the gospel and to
hold a worldview informed by the gospel that opposes false doctrine and selfish
religion.[11]
Finally, Jesus sent his disciples out. Jesus’ teaching was
not sufficient for mere head knowledge—it demanded action.[12] To
engage the head without appealing to the heart toward action, the teacher has
failed to stay true to the gospel. The gospel demands action—it demands a
response. In the action of the gospel, the believer can see the message come
full circle. Starting with come and see, moving toward teaching and
discipleship, and culminating in go and tell others to come and
see.
Within the local church context, the application of the
Great Commission conviction comprises three components: come and see, train and
teach, and send out. First, the church will mobilize into the community to
invite others to come and see. This application consists of making the church’s
intention known—spreading the gospel. Whatever facet of the church’s engagement
with the community will be coupled with a gospel presentation.
Second, we must faithfully equip and train lay leaders and
volunteers to make evangelism a priority by giving them the tools and training
necessary to share the gospel. The core of this is to learn to contextualize
the gospel without compromising it. Additionally, more biblical approaches to
sharing the gospel provide a sense of comfort to the church body through
empowerment.
Finally, we must be committed to going out. The church
should hold a deep conviction to take what they have learned and seek out the
opportunities to share. The Great Commission should be of such deep conviction
that the church is unable to fill the pew passively. We could fervently support
evangelistic efforts through providing gospel tracts and establishing weekly
evangelism outings to both demonstrate and apply what the congregants have
learned.
Live with an Evangelism Consciousness
Within the local church, evangelism
must be a priority and an intentional act. According to a recent Barna
survey, 47% of millennials believe that sharing personal beliefs is wrong,
despite 96% agreeing that it is part of the Christian faith.[13] This
reveals a lack of intentionality in evangelism. No matter the underlying cause,
addressing this decline means identifying the biblical expectation to share the
gospel through evangelism.
Many biblical examples demonstrate an intentionality in
evangelism. One such example comes from Paul in Athens.[14] While
he was waiting for Silas and Timothy, Paul used the opportunity to share the
gospel. He immersed himself in the culture by observing their behaviors and
patterns. Ultimately, Paul contextualized the gospel to resonate with their
religious sensibilities.[15] It
was through this intentional sharing of the gospel that Paul saw the fruits of
its message.
However, looking to Christ is best given the social trends
against evangelism. Jesus demonstrated this intentionality in sharing the
gospel. In the accounting of the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus crossed
social boundaries to share His gospel.[16] First,
Jesus talked with her even though she was a woman. It was socially “wrong” for
Jesus to talk to her. Second, she was a Samaritan and Jesus a Jew. Their
cultures were different, and there were deep prejudices between the two. Yet,
Jesus intentionally talked with her.
Both Paul and Jesus demonstrated obedience in proclaiming
the gospel. Paul’s obedience was to Christ, and Jesus’s obedience was to the
Father.[17] To
apply what Paul and Jesus established in the Scriptures, there are three
applications.
First, know the message. Paul summed up the message—Jesus
Christ is Lord.[18] In
the first four verses of Romans chapter 1, Paul laid out with absolute
precision the core of the gospel. Jesus Christ is the Immanuel promised in the
Old Testament. Here, Paul proclaims not only Christ as savior but Christ as
Lord. This is consistent in his presentation in Athens. Paul knew the message
he was compelled to proclaim. Additionally, Jesus knew the Samaritans’ hurt.
Moreover, He knew the hope only He could offer. The message of the gospel drove
them both.
Second, be intentional with the time God has given. In the
mundane aspects of waiting, be intentional with that time. Look for
opportunities in the obscure places of life and use each one to share the
gospel. The church must be willing to initiate the conversation. Unless the
church speaks, the world will not know the gospel message the church holds.
Both Jesus and Paul took opportunities as they presented themselves.
Third, the church must be willing to cross social barriers
for the sake of the gospel. The communities in which the local church exists
are as diverse as the churches themselves. Therefore, the church must be
gracious to the people God brings across their path. The church must
demonstrate the same concern for the lost as Christ does. Both Jesus and Paul
crossed social barriers to deliver the message of hope found in the gospel.
Conclusion
The call for effective evangelistic fervor within the local
church is a more apparent need now than ever. Evangelism is not merely an
activity of the church but the heartbeat of its identity and mission.
Faithfulness to Christ demands that believers live prayerfully, intentionally,
and obediently under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Great Commission
calls every follower of Jesus to participate in the divine rhythm of coming,
learning, and going—inviting others to experience the transforming power of the
gospel. When the church prays fervently, teaches faithfully, and sends
courageously, it embodies the very pattern Christ modeled. In a culture
increasingly hesitant to proclaim truth, the church must recover its
evangelistic consciousness—crossing barriers, redeeming time, and proclaiming
Christ as Lord with conviction and compassion. Evangelism, then, is not a
seasonal endeavor but a continual expression of love for God and neighbor,
sustained by prayer and empowered by the Spirit, until the whole world hears.
[1] Mark
Dever, “Understanding the Great Commission” Church Basics, edited
by Jonathan Leeman (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2016), 2.
[2] Mike
Morris, Growing a Great Commission Church: Biblical Principles and
Implications for Methods (Fort Worth: Seminary Hill Press, 2017), 7.
[3] Matt
28:19–20.
[4] Matt
5:1–2; Mark 6:33–34; Luke 5:1–3.
[5] Luke
6:12–16.
[6] Mark
9:2–3.
[7] Acts
1:8.
[8] Rom.
10:14–15
[9] 2
Tim. 3:16–17.
[10] 2
Tim. 4:2.
[11] 2
Tim. 4:2–4.
[12] Matt
28:19–20; John 21:15–17; Acts 1:8.
[13] Barna,
“Almost Half of Practicing Christian Millennials say Evangelism is Wrong.”
Articles in Faith and Christianity, February 9, 2019.
https://www.barna.com/research/millennials-oppose-evangelism/
[14] Acts
17:15–17.
[15] Acts
17:22.
[16] Matt
4:6–26.
[17] Paul
demonstrated obedience in Rom 1:14 and Jesus demonstrated obedience in Jn
14:31.
[18] Rom
1:4
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