Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 17
Evangelism
– Inviting Loved One and Friends to Church
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
INTRODUCTION
There is a sense of lethargy, slackness, and even slothfulness in the church today. The First Commandment of Christ to the church to fulfill the Great Commission seemed to be neglected. It has become the greatest omission. The passion for souls, the injunction to reach out to a dying world seemed to be a lost mission of the church. Let us realize that personal witnessing is not an optional but a sacred duty. It is a privilege because Christians are the only people with the true message of hope, the only message of salvation – Jesus saves!
We are ambassadors of the King of kings and Lord of lords, a tremendous privilege that He has bestowed upon us.
It is a work that brings eternal reward for the Christian. Christians will all stand before Christ one day at the bema seat to give an account of stewardship. How will we fare in that day of reward?
Are we prepared? Ready for this mandate that our Master has given to you? Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
We are to prepare ourselves so that we can be made ready with the holiness of life to give an answer for the hope that is in us. We are to prepare our lives so that it may be a vessel fit for the Master’s use to declare His worth!
(1) Prayer
The work of evangelism begins with prayer. And it prospers through importunate prayer. We are not to be discouraged but when the people we reach out do not seem to be interested. We do not stop witnessing. Rather, we pray for the person and trust the Lord to work out His goodwill in their life.
Pray that God would enable us to be His witness!
(2) Not Ashamed of the Gospel
Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” If we have understood the true worth and value of the gospel, why should we not want to declare it? Oftentimes, our spiritual life needs some spiritual filling to be attuned with the voice of God rather than the voice of the world. A divided heart is often the cause of lethargy. There may be certain idols in our lives that take our attention. We need to search our hearts and understand where we have fallen and come back to Him! If we have truly seen the glory of God then we must be like Peter and John who testified:
Acts 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
It is like we have found the cure for cancer. Can we withhold it from those dying from cancer? Sin is the greatest disease more heinous than cancer! It invokes the wrath of God and eternal damnation in hell.
Begin in our Jerusalem, the people closest to us. Start here. Do not stop here if we encounter opposition.
(3) Taking the Trouble or Making the Effort
The suggestion that I have is really quite simple. What we can do is simply be willing to spare time and effort out of our schedule to make a difference to someone by inviting such a one to church, whether he or she is a friend or a loved one.
It involves making priority and being willing to sacrifice some inconvenience of time, effort, and resources to facilitate this effort that can reap an eternal reward.
We cannot yet see today what great impact we are going to make in the life of that person which we are inviting to church. Paul says:
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
We are to take a little to think and plan and do the needful. The transport ministry is one aspect that required thinking on our part to facilitate this effort.
(4) An On-Going Ministry
Once a person agrees to come to church this begins the process of discipleship that last a lifetime and for all eternity. We see him or her not only in this life but in eternity to come. It takes some perseverance on your part to keep up the good work.
The first step is in sharing the gospel to help the person come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, the next is to worship the living God every Lord’s Day as a spiritual blessing and discipline. The person is invited to come for a prayer meeting to develop his or her prayer life. Also, to be involved in weekly Bible Study. With some consistency, the person is invited to attend the Foundation Bible Class to prepare for baptism. Meanwhile, attending Adult Sunday Class will help such grow in the faith. The person in turn, filled with the Spirit, begins inviting others to come to church.
Be sure that we are daily growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord so that we can sustain this effort with personal spiritual vitality. Take good care of ourselves.
(5) Look at Your Circle of Friends and Loved Ones – Make a Friend
General invitations can be given out but focus on those who showed interest, and find opportunities to share with them your testimony. How God touches your life! Be a friend to them.
CONCLUSION
May God give to us a passion for souls! Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee