Tell the World

TellTell theworld

A H A N D B O O K O N W O R L D E V A N G E L I S M

Tell theworld

T E L L T H E W O R L D

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EVANGELISM AND YOU

What is Evangelism?

Evangelism in its simplest sense is taking the good news to the unsaved. It is taking the gospel of

Jesus to the lost. (Mark 16:15)

Evangelism is looking at the world through God's eyes and doing exactly what God did; reach

out with the hand of salvation.

Evangelism is going after the unregenerate with the message of God's love and a burning desire

to see them respond (John 3:16, Jude 23).

Evangelism is leading the wandering back to God. It is lifting them out of darkness by the power

of God, into God's own light (John 8:12).

Evangelism is letting men know that Life in its absolute sense is available to all and for all who

believe (John 10:28, John 3:16, John 10:10, Romans 6:23)

Evangelism is getting the unreached to know that they can be reconciled to God, have peace

and be in harmony with Him (Romans 5:1, 11; Eph. 2:14).

Evangelism is taking your place as a partner and co-labourer with the Holy Ghost to draw near,

those who are far from God, trusting absolutely in his convincing power, (Eph, 2:13,17-18; John

16:8-11, Eph 2:10)

Evangelism is creating in that unbelieving one, a consciousness and an awareness of God's

divine favour, leading him to accept God's outstretched hand of fellowship (Romans 3:24)

Evangelism is God and you working together to make the world vitally saved.

HOW AM I CONCERNED?

You have been saved; this means you have believed in your heart the Lord Jesus and confessed

his Lordship over your life (Romans 10:8-10). It also means that you have, as a result of this,

received eternal life- Life in its absolute sense; the Godkind of life (John 3:16, John 1:4, John

4:14, John 6:47, John 10:10,28).

You have believed the Good news of Jesus- the message of salvation- and this makes you born

again (regenerated), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal, by

the ever living and lasting Word of God.

I Peter 1:23 (AMP.)

This means that the Word of God which was preached to you and which you believed got you

born again. This same Word has become your origin with I Peter 1:23 describing it as immortal

(incorruptible, indestructible). You have him now in your heart.

This is what qualifies you to be an herald of the good news of Jesus Christ. It is the reason life can

be reproduced in another heart when you preach. The unregenerate cannot preach the Gospel

for this message of reconciliation has not been committed to them but to the saved. The blind

cannot lead the blind; neither can a lost one show another the way.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and teachers of the Law calling them blind leaders of the blind.

This is because they did not have a precise understanding of the Law they taught and sought to

uphold. As a result, their leadership was a burden to the people. They could not perceive the

path of life,much less lead others to walk in it.

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The unbelieving one does not know who to call on. He does not know what to believe because he

has not heard what to believe. This in turn stems from the fact that nobody has preached to him

though God has sent many (Romans 10:13-15, Matthew 28:19). The unreached will remain that way

until someone reaches out to them.

The world will continue in darkness and death until the light of the glorious gospel of Christ

shines on them. They will always carry on without God and without hope (Eph. 2:12) until the Word

of truth is preached, to translate them into the kingdom of God's dear Son (Col. 1:13).

You, however, have become alive unto God (Eph. 2:1). Now you are in tune and in perfect harmony

with Him (Eph. 2:14). God can therefore communicate His thoughts to your heart unrestrainedly.

The person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. I Corinthians 6:17 (AMP.)

You can be sure that the thought, which is foremost in God's mind, is the though t of the

unreached. This is made obvious by the fact that He gave his all as seen in John 3:16 (AMP.)

For God so loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up his only begotten (unique)

Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to

destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

God dearly loves and dearly prizes the unsaved. He did not wait to hear the world cry out for

salvation, rather, of his own free will He set about, carrying out the Redemptive plan and called

out to all when it was done.

But God shows and clearly proves His (own) love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners,

Christ (the Messiah) died for us Romans 5:8 (AMP.)

God takes no pleasure in the death of the sinner and therefore constantly searches for hearts

that burn ceaselessly like His, with a passion for the lost, with whom He can work effectively, by

His Spirit. He has shown us His love by sending Jesus to die for us. Now we ought to show our own

love for him by taking the Message of salvation to the world.

More so, you have enjoyed a sweet fellowship with Him and other members of His Body, having

become a child of God. You have tasted of His goodness and partaken of His nature (II Peter 1:4).

You dwell in His Presence, walk daily (as you are being taught) in the knowledge of His Word and

bask in the richness of His Love. Now, God expects you to share these with others who have not.

Remember you are to love as Christ has loved you. This simply means that you are to do much,

tell much and share much about what Christ has done for you. God wants you to be aware and

conscious of His thoughts concerning the unsaved and as His son, be devoted in carrying them out,

Thank God! His thoughts are definitely not mysterious. They have been made known in His Word

as we see in I Tim. 2:4, which tells us that God wishes all men to be saved and come to the

knowledge of the truth (KJV).

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You Have Been Commissioned And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the Good News (the

Gospel) to every creature (of the whole human race) Mark 16:15 (AMP.)

This scripture has been grossly misunderstood and misinterpreted by many. People have thought,

after reading it that the Great Commission was only committed to the apostles. Some think that

Jesus must have had the evangelists in mind when He spoke, while others have concluded that it is

the sole responsibility of Pastors.

Well, if you fall into any of these groups, I have news for you- the fact that 'Go ye, includes you. This is

because you are also a disciple of Jesus, having believed and received his Message (II Cor. 5: 17-18). Oh!

Thank God for the Apostles who were bodily present when He spoke the words but they were only

eleven yet we see various accounts in the Book of Acts where many more people- disciples,

Apostles, devout men who went about preaching the glad tidings of the Good News (Acts 5:14, Acts

6: 42, Acts 8:4, Acts 8:35-38) and the scriptures say that God was with them, confirming their work with

signs and wonders (Acts 5:15-16, Acts 9:17-34, Acts 8:44, Acts 11:15, Acts 14;3, Mark 16:20). He attested their

ministry.

This only goes to show that they had God's approval because they all did His Divine will- keeping to

the words of Jesus. Today as well, as disciples of Jesus He expects no less from us. Go into all the

world This means to go out where the sinners are. It is not necessarily to travel outside your

country, state or locality but rather to locate the unbelieving ones around you, the very ones you

come in contact with everyday- those who reside near you. It means you should start right where

you are. Quit waiting for the sinners to come to you. The instruction from the Lord is to go to them.

Search them out. Go into the villages, the nooks and crannies. Too many Christians waste precious

time waiting to get out of their countries before they start to herald the Good News. Such people

when asked retort that they are sent to the Nations and therefore do no work in their

environment.

Dear One, if you believe that God has sent us to the unbelieving ones and that we have them

around us most of the time, then you will also believe that He expects us to start with them and

right away too. We meet them as we commute to school, work and the market places and

sometimes on our way to Church! It is sad to note that saints of God- this refers to believers (Romans

1:7, I Cor. 1:2, II Cor. 1:1) because of their unawareness of this grave responsibility of the Great

Commission, take on the attitudes of the Levite, Priest and Pharisee which Jesus spoke about in

the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-35).

The Gospel has been committed to your trust. You have to see and handle it like you were the only

one God depended on to spread the Message, it should be done whole-heartedly and consciously.

Some believers preach the gospel, but are not committed to it. They do not therefore persist in

their preaching and (or) in their praying for the lost, until he accepts and believes the Message.

They give up on the sinner far too easily.

All that is needed sometimes to get him to make a decision is a few more minutes spent preaching

to him; other times it may be a few more hours of intercession and supplication, or a few more

visits. Your persistence, coupled of course with your prayers, would cause the importance of your

Message, to dawn on him- that way, you would have gotten the job done. So great was Apostle

Paul's commitment that inspired by the Holy Ghost, he said, woe is me if I preach not the

Gospel. I Cor. 9:16

This means that you should not go on without remorse if you have shirked this responsibility. You

should repent and be determined to cooperate with the Holy Ghost and do what is right. To repent

is to take your mind off one thing and resolutely fix it on another. Note that it is not primarily the

shedding of tears that moves God, rather a firm decision to do the Word. Tears are not bad but be

sure that you have decided to do the Word, the tears may then follow if they must.

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WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS MESSAGE?

This Message of which we speak is the Message of Love.

John 3:16 tells us how God greatly loved and dearly prized the world that he gave Jesus. He gave

him to be our substitute, to take our place (in identification with the sin nature) and to pay the

ultimate price- Condemnation and Death- for our sin.

I John 4:10 (AMP.)

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation

(the atoning sacrifice for our sins).

It is the Message of availability of abundant life to all and for all who believe and accept Him.

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I come that they might have and enjoy

life, and have it in abundance (to the full till it overflows). John 10:10, I John 5:12

It is the Message of Reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18-20). The world needs to know that God wants them

to be reconciled to HIM. They need to know that He no longer holds sin against them and that they

can come just as they are, in total surrender and a complete acceptance of His Grace which has

appeared to all (Titus 2:11).

This Message is also that of sonship. God desires to make men sons, by imparting freely into them,

His Nature. He desires to give them a whole new incorruptible origin (I Peter 1:23, James 1:18)

which would result in a new creation in Christ. And it was of his own(free) will that he gave us

birth(as sons) by (His) word of truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures ( a

sample of what He consecrated to Himself) James 1:18 AMP

The Gospel is the Message of Truth. The Gospel is the absolute reality about man's need for

Redemption and God's solution- The Cross. This message tells how as a result, there is salvation in

and through no other Name under heaven given among men by and in which men must be saved

but the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12). He is the Way, the Reality, and the Life and no one has

access to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

We learn from I John 2:21 that there is no falsity in the truth. The next verse says, Who is (such

a) liar as he who denies that Jesus is the Christ (The Messiah)? Is the antichrist (the antagonist of

Christ), who (habitually) denies and refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son. (I John 2:21-

25) AMP.

The devil is the father of lies. He is the originator of it, he leads men to think at times that they can

deny the Son and yet have access to the Father. Praise be to God, however, for the Gospel has the

inherent ability to liberate men from all deception.

The Message of the Gospel runs as a thread all through the scriptures and is referred to and

described in various ways, with various expressions:

The Good News : Mk. 14:9, Mk. 2:10, Rom 1:16

Glad Tidings: I Cor. 9:16, Gal. 1:16, Eph. 3:16, Col. 1:23

The Gospel of Christ: Rom. 1:16, Gal 1:7, Gal. 2:2

The Word of faith: Rom. 10:8

The Power of God: Ro. 1:16, I Cor. 1:18, I Cor. 1:24

The wisdom of God: I Cor. 1:2

The Word of Life: Phi. 2:16

The Message of Reconciliation: II Cor. 5:19

The Truth: II Cor. 13:8, Gal. 2:5, III John: 4-5

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Jesus declared in Luke 4:18-19 The spirit of the Lord is (is) upon me because He has

anointed me (the anointed one, the messiah), to preach the good news (the gospel) to the

poor. He has sent me to announce release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to

send forth as delivered those who are oppressed (who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed

and broken down by calamity);To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the

lord(the day when salvation and the free favours of GOD abound) (also Isa 61:1-2) AMP.

In the sight of God, the minute Jesus was born into the world, the work of salvation was as

good as done. Jesus declared that He was anointed to preach the Gospel to the poor. He

did the perfect will of the Father throughout His earth-walk and He is described as the sole

expression of the Glory of God, the perfect imprint and very image of God's divine nature

(Heb 1:3) AMP. This will is redemption from spiritual death which has resulted into sickness

and poverty. The Gospel proclaims that all these profusely abound in this dispensation of

God's favour.

This Gospel indeed is health to the sick, strength to the weak, comfort to the troubled,

peace to the anxious, the truth to the deceived, the way to the lost, the light and the

direction to the wandering, life to the dead. In a word, the Gospel is God's one and only

solution to humanity's problem. It is All the Power of God to save man (Rom. 1:16).

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WHERE AND WHEN SHOULD I PREACH?

The Gospel should be preached every time and everywhere. It should be preached without

season and ceasing, considering the gravity of the Message and the implication if men do not

get to hear it and believe. II Tim. 4:2

The implication is that men will go on living aimlessly. They will be brought into the world, live

in it and pass on without God and without hope both here and in eternity, despite all God has

given and done to save them (Eph.2:12)

They cannot be saved however, just by themselves. They need to hear the Gospel but they

cannot, if there is no one to preach it to them and no one will do this if no one is sent. Thank

God for the numerous sent ones (this includes you) whom we have all over the world.

The Holy Ghost, speaking to us through Apostle Paul in II Tim. 1:7-8 reminds us that God did

not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and of love and of a calm and well-

balanced mind. He goes on in verse 8 to say, Do not blush or be ashamed then, to testify to

and for our Lord nor of me, a prisoner for His sake, but (with me) take your share of the

suffering (to which the preaching) of the Gospel (may expose you and do it) in the power of

God.

He urges us to testify of the Lord without shame. This means that we must be ready to preach

Jesus in our neighbourhoods, streets, schools and classrooms, in taxis and buses, in market

places, from house to house and just about everywhere. He warns us at the same time to

expect some suffering which includes embarrassments, insults, threats, opposition, physical

punishments etc, but encourages us to take them all in the power of God. Sometimes in the

work of evangelism, you would meet people who would talk rudely to you, threaten you,

throw you right out of their homes (or shops), hit you or even curse you. There is the story of

one who had water in which fresh pepper had been washed, poured on him in the course of

preaching the gospel, but this sure is nothing compared to the imprisonments, whippings,

hunger etc which the apostles endured. All these and even more could happen but thank

God! We can face them, overcome them, and rejoice despite them, being fully aware that He

is with us in them all.

GOING FOR EVANGELISM

Evangelism is a spiritual exercise, therefore there are things that you need to do before you

start out.

i. Pray for boldness (Acts 4:29-31). The gospel of Jesus should not be preached with

timidity, fear, or in cowardice. The boldness that would accompany your speech and

deeds as you evangelize should mark you out as a disciple of Jesus, just like it did the

early apostles.Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of peter

and John and perceived that they were untrained and unlearned in the schools

they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus (acts 4:13).You

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Don't have to possess a long list of academic qualifications to preach the gospel

effectively. The apostles Peter and John were obviously bold despite their lack of

education; they preached the gospel and got marvelous results. Apostle Paul in 1

Cor. 2:1-2 said; As for myself brethren, when I came to you, I did not come

proclaiming to you the testimony .of God (concerning what he has done through

Christ for the salvation of men) in lofty words of eloquence. And wisdom; for I

resolved to know nothing (.to make a display of the knowledge of nothing and to

be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ and him Crucified.Even

though Apostle Paul on the other hand was educated, he did not go about preaching

the gospel with the consciousness of it, neither did he seek to display knowledge,

rather he stuck to and was conscious of his message which is Christ and his death on

the cross. So whether you are educated or not, what GOD expects of you as you go is

to be focused.

ii. Pray that the Word of the Lord will spread rapidly among the unsaved people you are

about to reach out to (II Thess. 3:1).

iii. Pray also that the Message which you bear will be received as the very Word of God,

not that of man and therefore be strictly adhered to.

iv. Pray for wisdom (James 1:5) to handle effectively whatever situation you might be

faced with and to answer wisely, skillfully, any questions you might be asked without

getting into fruitless discussions and arguments. Declare also, according to God's

Word that you have a mouth and wisdom which no one can resist. Luke 21:15For I

(Myself) will give you a mouth and such utterance and wisdom that all of your foes

combined will be unable to stand against and refute. Acts 6:10 (AMP.)

v. Pray for utterance (Eph. 6:19): that you would say by the Holy Ghost, just the right

thing in every situation and to each person or group of people while speaking at the

same time freely and without reservations.

vi. Meditation on God's Word is important. Spend some time thinking on scriptures

that pertain to what you are about to do. Meditation empowers you to act,

therefore, spending some time to ponder over God's Word would help you to be

bold, increase your zeal and help you to keep relevant scriptures at your finger tips to

be put into use when needed. (John 3:16, Acts 4:12, Rom. 5:8, I John 2:21-25).

vii. You will do well to pray also for those you are preparing to reach out to. You should

not however, leave this aspect out just until you are about to go on evangelism.

Rather, it should be done more often that. You should start your praying long before

you set out.

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PRAYING FOR THE UNSAVED

Prayer is an activity, which has a definite way in which it should be carried out. Prayer is based on

the kind of agreement or relationship between the one praying and the one receiving in prayer (I

John 5: 9-12, 14-15),

Prayer has different forms because because there are different circumstances. God loves the

world (John 3:16). It is therefore His desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of

the Truth

who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth? (I Tim. 2:4)

The knowledge of salvation and God's Love cannot be discerned by the natural man (Romans 8:7-

8, II Cor. 4:4), it is beyond his comprehension. This makes obvious the fact that just like every other

spiritual activity, the battle of evangelism is won in the place of prayer.

God makes His thought on this issue clear when the scripture says in I Tim 2:1-2

First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be

offered on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in positions of authority or high

responsibility, that (outwardly) we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life (and inwardly) a

peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way: AMP.

The believer can be sure he is doing God's will when he gives himself to praying for the unsaved.

Such praying is good and right and it is pleasing and acceptable to God our savior (I Tim. 2:3). God

takes pleasure in hearing the prayers of the believers for the unsaved and we know that when He

hears, we have what we ask of Him I John 5:15).

There are different forms of prayer applicable in different situations but here- in praying for the

unsaved- more attention will be given to intercession and supplication. Intercession means to

stand in the gap, that is, to bridge a gap between two parties; act as umpire between two warring

parties. Intercession also means to stop the hand of judgment from coming down on another.

Abraham made intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah to stop the deserved judgment for their

sins (Gen 18:23-32).

The believer has become a house of prayer for all nations (Luke 19:46, Isa. 56:7) - he has become

God's dwelling place. Prayer is supposed to issue forth from him for men of different tongues,

tribes, and races.

Supplication simply means to make entreaties- to make a petition or an earnest heartfelt request.

Examples of this form of prayer run all through the scriptures. We see King Solomon (I Kings 8)

making heartfelt requests, entreaties and petitions to God as he dedicated the Temple he had

built. God's answer to that prayer was recorded in chapter 9: The Lord told him, I have heard your

prayer and supplication which you have made before me (I Kings 9:19). Worthy of mention is

Hannah's heartfelt, earnest continued prayer for a child (I Samuel 1:10-21), Samuel was the result

of that prayer.

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Over in the New Testament, Acts 12:5

Peter was kept in prison but fervent prayer was persistently made to God by the church

(assembly). The church came together and made supplication to God for Peter who was

miraculously set free and led to safety by an angel that same night.

A close look at Apostle Paul's prayers for the saints (Eph. 1:17-22, Eph. 3:14-19, Phil. 1:9-11,

Col. 1:9-11, I Thess. 3:10) reveals a common thread:

I. He did not cease to pray these prayers

ii. They were definite, heartfelt, earnest requests.

God urges us in His Word to be earnest, unwearied and steadfast in our prayer (lives) being

alert and intent in it with thanksgiving (Col. 4:2 AMP.).

In James 5:16, he draws our attention to the fact that the earnest, heartfelt, continued

prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (dynamic in its working) AMP.

This tells us that supplication makes tremendous power available and that power is

dynamic, that is, it can be channeled towards various purposes. It is applicable in diverse

manners, in diverse situations. The point of focus therefore, in making supplication for the

unsaved is NOT the number of years he has spent being a sinner, how difficult his situation

appears or how much evil he has perpetuated but the dynamic, tremendous power that is

generated, made available to save him.

But even if our gospel (the glad tidings) also be hid (obscured and covered up with a veil

that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden (only) to those who are perishing and

obscured, (only) to those who are spiritually dying and veiled (only) to those who are lost.

For the god of this world has blinded the unbeliever's mind (that they should not discern the

Truth), preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the Glory of

Christ (II Cor. 4:3-4 AMP.).

When a man hears God's Word, it gets first of all to his mind then, to his spirit. The devil

however, has blinded the minds of the unbelievers that they may not receive the Gospel

therefore the light of the Gospel will not shine in their hearts to lift them out of the darkness,

to recreate and to transform them. Praise God, however, for the right to supplicate for the

unsaved and the power that is made available when this is done (James 5:16). You can

channel this power towards the unbelievers you are going to reach out to, that the hold of

the devil over their minds will be broken (II Cor. 4:4) in that the Message of the Gospel which

you bring will speed on, spread rapidly, and run its course among them just as it has done

with you (II Thess. 3:1). Do not forget that such praying is right and pleasing to God,

therefore, He hears and when He does, we know we have what we asked of Him (I Tim. 2:3, I

John 5:15).

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Apart from the II Cor. 4:4, general problems of the unbelievers, there are a few other

reasons why some unbelievers have remained so. We see this in Romans 10:13-15, which

says: For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord (invoking Him as Lord) will be

saved. But how are people to call on him whom they have not believed (in whom they have

no faith, on whom they have no reliance)? And how are they to believe in Him of whom

they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men be

expected to preach unless they are sent?

The unbeliever is not saved because:

I. The god of this world- the devil- has blinded him

ii. He does not know who to call on

iii. He does not know what to believe

iv. He has not heard what to believe

v. No one has preached the Gospel to him

vi. No one has been sent to him

These can be well-handled in the place of prayer. Consider carefully, the situation(s)

surrounding the unbeliever you intend to reach out to, which is (or are) the likely

reason(s) why he is not saved. Every believer has been sent (including you, if you are

saved). So if he is not saved primarily because of the sixth reason outlined above, then

there is no need to pray that somebody be sent, YOU ARE THE SENT ONE, SO GO! (II Cor.

5: 18-20, Mark 16:15)

If it happens however, that the person is not within your locality, then you can channel

the power towards the sending of angels to cause a sent one (a believer) to preach the

Gospel to him that he can have what to believe and know who to call on, that he might

be saved. (Heb. 1:14, Matthew 9:38).

There have been cases of unbelievers who heard the gospel but did not decide

immediately to receive Jesus. These are in a different category. Sometimes, all they

need is a little push, more of the Word around them, someone to surround them with

faith and love till they decide. Angels could be directed to cause such ones around them

to do this and also to arrange situations such that they will hear the Word at that period

more than ever before. Note that praying alone cannot save the unbeliever. It is the

preaching and the hearing of the Gospel that saves a man.

The scripture I Tim. 2:3 makes it clear that such prayers as those prayed for the lost is

pleasing in God's sight therefore when you spend time praying, you are actually

pleasing God.

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ADD THESE TO YOUR EVANGELISM

Evangelism truly, is a spiritual exercise but don't forget that the people you are about to

preach to are natural men. Therefore, it is good to apply some natural wisdom. You might

decide to do your preaching in a variety of places but below are a few examples of places you

might choose and tips on how to go about reaching out to people with the Gospel in such

places.

1. In a Classroom: If you are a student, a wise place to start might be your

lecture room or classroom (as the case may be). Do not however approach anyone

while a lecture is on. Even when you have identified one or more students who are

not paying attention, it will be unwise to approach him as this would disrupt the class

as this would show that you have little regard for the lecturer or teacher.

This could cause him to speak roughly to you (whether he is a believer or not) and the

student may not be very inclined to listen to you afterwards.

2. In a commercial vehicle: be very brief and straight to the point so that as

many passengers as possible will get to hear you and respond (you should ask them

to respond after you have preached the Message) before they alight at their different

bus-stops. You do not have to start by singing. Remember that the people you desire

to preach to are not believers- they might just be put off and positively bored.

It is wise also if you choose to speak to one or two passengers only, to pick the ones

right next to you. Make sure however that they are not dozing or sleeping. If they are,

just let them be. Remember you want them to be in a good frame of mind to hear and

listen. Very few people can help being touchy when their sleep is cut short or

interrupted.

3. In a market place: Do not think you can get a trader's attention off the sale of

his wares easily except you are a customer. What do you do then? It is always a good

idea to go to such places with some extra money so that you can buy just a little of

what he or she sells. The trader is more likely to listen to you afterwards. The same

goes for the hawkers.

4. In a shop, minimart or salon: Patronise them and if not, cautiously and

respectfully declare your intention and go right ahead if they give their consent.

5. On the street: Walk up to someone and ask a question, then proceed from

there. You could just introduce yourself and tell him or her you want to preach the

gospel and go on from there. You could also think up a good topic of conversation

(one that would be brief and steered easily over to your original intention). It is wise

to go out with a partner on evangelism at times just so that if you come across two

friends, you can separate and talk to each of them individually. It makes for better

results and helps reduce the influence they tend to have on each others' attitude and

decision. If on the other hand, you find a group of people, split the group into two

skillfully. You get your work done faster and get better results.

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When preaching the gospel to children, make it as comprehensible as possible.

Make it brief too and straight to the point. You could use a story to make an

illustration but be sure to make it a short one.

Dear one, please note that there are no hard and fast rules to evangelism.

The only rule there is and which must not be broken as you go, is to be sensitive and

prompt to follow the leading of the Holy Ghost who dwells in you. The above tips are

just guides which you can deviate from if the Holy Ghost will have you do something

else in a particular situation (Romans 8:14)

It is wise to be neatly and modestly dressed. Do away with anything that could

possibly distract the unbelievers' attention as you speak to him. This means: no

strong-smelling perfumes and even the delicately scented ones should be worn

sparingly, if at all.

Also avoid flashy, jingling or dangling jewelry. Be all things to all men like the Apostle

Paul that you may win some. (I Cor. 9:22). In addition, see that you preach in courtesy

and gentleness correcting (if you must) in love (II Tim. 2:25). Let your speech at all

times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned as it were with salt (so that you

may never be at a loss) to know what you ought to answer anyone (who puts a

question to you). (Col. 4:6 AMP.).

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THE UNBELIEVER IS WILLING, NOW WHAT NEXT?

You have approached the unbelieving one with the good news of Christ. He on his own

part has given attention to it and believed it in his heart. Praise God! What you should

do next is to lead him in a simple prayer for salvation using Romans 10: 9 as a guide

thus:

Lord God, having heard the message of salvation I come in the Name of Jesus Christ. I

believe in my heart that Jesus came to die in my place and that He raised from the dead

all to pay the price for my sin. I receive Him into my heart today as Lord. I declare that

now I am saved, now I am born again. Thank you Father for now I have eternal life,

Amen.

Next, follow up is vital. Do not let Him go without writing His Name and address. Put

down on paper, also any other useful information. This will enable you to send follow

up materials such as books, tapes, bibles etc. to him.

It is important that the best way to follow up is to pray consistently for him, it is very

good to pay him visits to share God's Word with him and to encourage him but make

sure you do not rush him in any way.

Spiritual growth is gradual. Let him take his time to grow but do not cease to pray for

him based possibly on these scriptures Eph. 3:14-15, Phi. 1:9-11, Col. 1:9-11)

Introduce him to a local church and encourage him to interact with other members of

the Body of Christ for not only is he called into the fellowship with God, he is also called

into fellowship with other members of the Body of Christ. DO not however introduce

him to any local assembly that you would not like to belong to; neither should you give

him tapes and books that you would not like to listen to and read.

Expose him greatly to the Word and his spiritual growth is sure. (I Peter 2:2). Encourage

him to maintain a vibrant fellowship with God and not to start out being activity-

conscious. Let him begin to learn of his rights and inheritance in Christ and how to walk

in the light of them.

He should also be exposed to spiritual exercise, which will help strengthen him, most

especially prayer (both for himself and for others), private and general study of God's

Word and of course, evangelism. He will learn over time to be effective as a co-labourer

with God and a partner with the Holy Ghost (Eph. 2:10)

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YOU HAVE NOT WASTED YOUR TIME!

Do not be deceived into thinking and then believing that it is all a waste of time, such

thoughts are far from the truth. In fact you are, by reaching out to the lost, heaping up

treasures for yourself in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not

break in and steal.

We learn from scriptures that there is more rejoicing in heaven over a single lost soul that is

found and led back to God than over ninety-nine that do not need to repent (Luke 15:17).

This means that by that singular action, you can have caused great rejoicing in heaven.

You have walked in obedience to God: You have not sat back with folded arms, content to

watch sinners come and go right before your very eyes. You have a chosen to save as many

as you can from eternal damnation. Jesus said, Go and you simply said, Yes Lord, I will

and you did! Be sure that God is indeed pleased with you. (Isa. 1:19)

You have carried out your responsibility: God owes no man, A labourer is worthy of his

wages (I Tim. 5:18, Luke 10:7). God rewards you now and hereafter. I wonder if you know

that a glorious crown awaits every herald of the Good News.

You have cooperated with the Holy Ghost: He is in you to do amongst other things that very

work which you just did. You will find that he will express Himself more freely through you

for you have not grieved Him by being hesitant, timid, reluctant or by a complete refusal (I

Thess. 5:19)

You have gladdened God's heart: Concerning man's redemption, God has done all he can

and will. Now, He needs you to work with Him by His Spirit to help make salvation vital to the

world. It gladdens His heart, therefore to know that He can trust you to go. (I Tim. 2:4)

DEAR ONE

If this is your first time out on evangelism, I must say: Congratulations! You are sure in

for a refreshing and fulfilling time co-labouring with the Holy Ghost Himself. Do not forget

to be bold and to herald the Good News confidently. You definitely have heaven's approval

and God Himself backing you up. I say to you, then: Go right ahead. Be strong in the Lord

and the power of His might. (Eph.6:10). Thanks also for joining in.

On the other hand, if it is not your first time, then: remember to preach this Message in

season and out of season, that is, not only when it is convenient. For God is counting so

much on you. You have been out there among the lost and seen how much they need the

Light of the Gospel. Do not refrain from shining this Light right in the midst of them to lead

them to God. (I Cor. 15:58)

He has been with you in this work in time past and He is faithful to remain just that way. I

pray that you will learn to be more conscious of Him and make the most of His ever-abiding

presence.

To both groups mentioned above: Keep up the good work and keep the fire burning!

(Rom. 12:11)

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