EVANGELISM & FOLLOW-UP MADE EASY: KIND OF EVANGELISM

Evangelism or soul-winning is a Divine drama-taking man out of the hands of an enemy, out of bondage, darkness, failure and weakness and giving them strength, light, joy and success. The Lord is restoring love for souls into the Church and children of God whose hearts are touched are being set on fire for God and many are burdened for lost souls. In 1991, the Full Gospel Central Church of Korea had 1,000,000 members, and great things are happening all around the world. God is working mightily in this end time.

Yet, we must say that some hearts are unnecessarily cold, others insipidly lukewarm, half awake and half asleep. This may be caused by a number of reasons, ignorance of the state and end of sinners, ignorance of the shortness of time. Ignorance of the Lord’s will and plan, unconcern, negligence, fear or being worldly minded.

Robert Coleman said; ‘It is ironic when one stops to think about it. In an age when rapid communication of the Gospel is available to the Church as never before, we are actually accomplishing less in winning the world than before the invention of the horseless carriage’

Evangelism, winning of souls to the Lord Jesus Christ, is of more importance to God than what many dear children of God are busy about.

A. WHAT EVANGELISM IS?

1. Jesus gave His time and life for it (John 9:4; Luke 19:10; Matt 4:23; Matt. 9:25; Mark 1:38, 39; Luke 10:1). All the time and life of our Lord was taken up with reaching the sinners who are in bondage to sin, Satan and sicknesses. He was totally sold out to the work and died for it. We cannot do less if we truly belong to Him.

2. He expects the same from His followers (1 Pet 2:21; 1 John 2:6: Matt 4:19; John 17:18; 20:21; Acts 1:8; Matt 16:15). Failure to be involved in evangelism and soul winning is to risk the judgment of the Lord.

B. KINDS OF EVANGELISM

There are three kinds of evangelism

1. Presence Evangelism

2. Proclamation Evangelism and

3. Persuasion Evangelism

1. Presence Evangelism:

The message of the gospel should not only be delivered, but lived. It is more than a set of proposition. We cannot expected others to buy our message if we are not willing to demonstrate it with lives. So goes the saying “Talk the walk” as well as “walk the talk”.

a. The importance of presence Evangelism can be seen from what critiques are saying:

Nietzche said “I could more readily believe in your Savior if I could find more people who have been saved by him”.
Dr. Ambedkar said: When I study the life of Christ in the gospel I think that I and my people should become Christians; but when I see the lives of Christians here in… I say to myself” No, Christianity is not for us” And he influenced 70,000 others to embrace Buddhism.

b. A way of life. Evangelism should be taken as a way of life, and not just something that you do when you are comfortable or are in a good mood-1 Cor. 9:16.

c. We are to demonstrate the grace of God, not perfection-Phil. 3:12

d. We are to demonstrate God’s grace, not legalism.

e. We are to demonstrate love, not favouritism-John 13:35

2. Proclamation Evangelism:

Proclamation goes one step beyond Presence Evangelism. I have a sense through Presence Evangelism we earn the right to be heard, and verbalizing of our message finds more credibility. As stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1) God requires us to be faithful in proclaiming the Gospel.

a. Biblical example: John the Baptist preached (Matt. 3:1). Jesus preached (Matt. 4:35). Paul preached (1 Cor. 1:17).

b. Proclamation is necessary. Paul argued that without proclamation the gospel cannot be transmitted-Rom. 10:13-14.

c. Proclamation is the means chosen by God -1 Cor. 1:21

d. One must be ready always to share the gospel (II Peter 3:13)

e. Sharing the gospel is every Christian’s job (Acts 8:1-4)

3. Persuasion Evangelism:

Although proclaiming the Gospel message itself is authentic, persuading the hearers to respond positively enhance the effectiveness of the message. However, this has been a subject of debate with some who say that the messenger is not responsible for results. Pressing people to respond under duress should be shunned, but there is a legitimate way of persuasion.

a. Persuasion is not the same as coercion

b. Persuasion has Biblical precedence – II Cor. 5:11; Acts 19:8

c. Often persuasion helps people who are undecided. Someone said “the fear that giving an invitation may lead people to do something for which they are not ready must be balanced against the fear the fear that not giving an invitation may keep people from doing something for which they are ready.

d. The gravity of offering the choice between life and death requires persuasion – Mark 8:35-37; Jude 23.