Evangelism the Lord's Way

Greetings.

It is Summer again and we are in the middle of a heated Presidential election year. In fact, its hard to decide which is hotter – the wonderful sunshine or the hot air coming from the campaigns. I trust you found that more humorous than the campaigns have been…

I read an article in our recent Church of God Evangel written by a ministerial colleague in Kentucky. The article is entitled, “Looking for an Opening”. In the article, Mark says that he conducted a survey of his church members and found they were doing very well in all areas of discipleship such as regular prayer, Bible reading and church attendance but there was one area they felt lacking. They were having trouble witnessing (evangelizing).

Mark suggests that we focus more on building relationships and making real friends of people. Spending time to build a relationship is much more costly than investing in tracts. Then he says that we need to look for an opening. There are many that will be given. We cannot afford to be ‘pushy’ or ‘preachy’. Remember, the idea is to be a friend. This strategy could take years and even then the person may never give their heart completely to the Lord. The key is that you will be able to stand before God and know you gave your very best.

Finally, Mark suggests finding your own evangelism style. That might be hosting a block hot dog grill or volunteering to help at a nursing home. Your evangelism needs t be more than a memorized formula but a genuine relationship you build with those who will one day go into eternity.

Let’s face it: Evangelism is not all that popular an idea down here. In heaven, God thought it worth sending His Son. Let’s get heavens value system into our hearts and treat souls the way the Lord would.

Pastor Stacey