"Go Ye"... But How?
by Lorne Sanny
Living out the Great Commission is still a challenge.
Suppose you want to evangelize—how do you get started? There are many things you could do, but there are a few minimum requirements.
1. You must be following Jesus. He Himself makes this a precondition of winning others. " 'Come, follow Me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men' " (Matthew 4:19). Your witness will have a genuine ring to it if you are walking in fellowship with Christ.
2. You must pray. "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved," wrote Paul in Romans 10:1. Colossians 4:2-6 also shows the way prayer is entwined with evangelism. Verse 3 says, "And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains."
3. You must depend on the Holy Spirit. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). These were our Lord's last words before He ascended into heaven, leaving us with all the resources needed to carry out the task of evangelizing and discipling. Without the Holy Spirit we are powerless.
4. You must live the Gospel. Loving service demonstrates the character of Jesus Christ, whose message we bring. When Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you" (John 20:21), He meant for us to represent Him in service as well as in our words. We are appointed to be an incarnation of the Gospel message!
5. You must articulate the Gospel. This can be done several ways. Perhaps the easiest would be sharing your testimony. The man who was born blind did this, even in a very hostile atmosphere. He said, "One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25). Another way to articulate the message is to teach the Gospel from the Scriptures. The Word of God is the seed that springs into new life in those who hear and receive it. "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Peter 1:23).
A further stage of articulation is to persuade or lovingly confront people concerning a decision. "Since, then we know what it is to fear the Lord," Paul wrote, "we try to persuade men" (2 Corinthians 5:11). This stage takes the most courage, but it is essential that at some point the hearer be confronted with the choice of whether or not to receive Christ.
6. You must see a confirmation of the decision. This is simply the requirement that those who receive Christ show that they know what they have done. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God," wrote John, "so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
Evangelizing is within the reach of every follower of Christ. Those who seek to bring others into the Kingdom of God are directly involved in carrying out Christ's Commission.
Lorne Sanny served as The Navigators' second president and chairman of the board for three decades. This article was first published in NavLog, December 1981/January 1982.
Evangelism Tools from Dawson Media.
Need help with evangelization? We have some great tools to help you!
Suppose you want to evangelize—how do you get started? There are many things you could do, but there are a few minimum requirements.
1. You must be following Jesus. He Himself makes this a precondition of winning others. " 'Come, follow Me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men' " (Matthew 4:19). Your witness will have a genuine ring to it if you are walking in fellowship with Christ.
2. You must pray. "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved," wrote Paul in Romans 10:1. Colossians 4:2-6 also shows the way prayer is entwined with evangelism. Verse 3 says, "And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains."
3. You must depend on the Holy Spirit. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). These were our Lord's last words before He ascended into heaven, leaving us with all the resources needed to carry out the task of evangelizing and discipling. Without the Holy Spirit we are powerless.
4. You must live the Gospel. Loving service demonstrates the character of Jesus Christ, whose message we bring. When Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you" (John 20:21), He meant for us to represent Him in service as well as in our words. We are appointed to be an incarnation of the Gospel message!
5. You must articulate the Gospel. This can be done several ways. Perhaps the easiest would be sharing your testimony. The man who was born blind did this, even in a very hostile atmosphere. He said, "One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25). Another way to articulate the message is to teach the Gospel from the Scriptures. The Word of God is the seed that springs into new life in those who hear and receive it. "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Peter 1:23).
A further stage of articulation is to persuade or lovingly confront people concerning a decision. "Since, then we know what it is to fear the Lord," Paul wrote, "we try to persuade men" (2 Corinthians 5:11). This stage takes the most courage, but it is essential that at some point the hearer be confronted with the choice of whether or not to receive Christ.
6. You must see a confirmation of the decision. This is simply the requirement that those who receive Christ show that they know what they have done. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God," wrote John, "so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
Evangelizing is within the reach of every follower of Christ. Those who seek to bring others into the Kingdom of God are directly involved in carrying out Christ's Commission.
Lorne Sanny served as The Navigators' second president and chairman of the board for three decades. This article was first published in NavLog, December 1981/January 1982.
Evangelism Tools from Dawson Media.
Need help with evangelization? We have some great tools to help you!
