THE EFFECTIVE EVANGELIST

    TEXT: 2 Timothy 4:5 - But you watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an Evangelist, fully carry out your ministry.  ...

 

 

TEXT: 2 Timothy 4:5 - But you watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an Evangelist, fully carry out your ministry.

 

INTRODUCTION: Go!  Evangelism was born with that simple command from the risen Jesus (Mt.28:19). Our task is well defined: mission outreach. Our territory is well laid out: the local neighbourhood to the world at large. Our message is plain: Jesus. And the needed means are made available: "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" . God doesn’t want anyone to perish; He wants as many people as possible to come to a life of peace and harmony with God. 2Pet.3:9. God has called each of us to be partner in His redemptive plan, hence we are Jesus hand and feet on earth to continue the work He had begun. And every Christian should be involved, in some way, in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through evangelism.

 

WHAT IS EVANGELISM? 

1.     Evangelism is the commitment to or act of publicly preaching of the Gospel with the intention of spreading the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.

2.    Evangelism is the announcement, proclamation, and/or preaching of the gospel, the good news of and about Jesus Christ.

 

WHO IS THE EVANGELIST?

1.     Christians who specialise in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are in their home communities or living as missionaries in the field, although some Christian traditions refer to such people as missionaries in either case.

2.    Christian groups who encourage evangelism are sometimes known as evangelistic or evangelist.

3.    Any person, male or female, who brings the gospel to others through various means, is an Evangelist.

 

WHAT IS EFFECTIVENESS? ---Effectiveness is the capability of producing a desired result.

For something to be effective ----

1.     It must have an intended, expected result or outcome.

2.    It must produce a deep and vivid lasting impression

God has called us not only to be an Evangelist, but to be effective so that our evangelism can have an intended, expected result which is winning souls for Christ.

 

GUIDELINES TO BE AN EFFECTIVE EVANGELIST:

1: BEEN LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT- Acts.16:9-10

Like Paul, we must continually ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to people whose hearts are ripe and ready for the harvest. Consider asking the Holy Spirit to lead you to those who are desperately searching for more in life and will be open to God. Learn to look to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to take over the conversation. Know with confidence God will lead you and give you the right words to say to the right individuals.

 

2: BE EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT- Acts.1:8

For you to be an effective Evangelist, reliance on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and not your power, intellect, wisdom is very imperative. Without the Holy Spirit empowerment, you cannot be an effective Evangelist.

3:BE CONVICTED BY ETERNAL REALITY: (2Pet.2:4, Rev.14:11)

What is your motivation for evangelism? Are you just doing it because it is the Christian thing to do? Are you doing it to try to please God by your good works? Are we doing it to try to grow a bigger church? If we are gripped by a realisation of the fleeting nature of this life and of the solemn ‘unendingness’ of eternity, we shall be constrained to ‘persuade men’ to be reconciled to God. When God shares His breaking heart with us, we will share His burden for the lost. We must be absolutely convinced about the present desperate need of every lost soul and about the future destiny of all the impenitent. If we believe the testimony of the scriptures concerning the condition of the unregenerate we shall surely feel drawn to do something for their salvation. If we are to be effective Evangelist, we will take time to meditate upon the truth of E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y, and the future destiny of the saved, and of the lost.

 

4: ALL- CONSUMING PASSION FOR THE LOST SOUL:  Rom.9:1-4, Gal.4:19, Phil.1:8

We find that Paul had an all-consuming passion for lost souls, especially for his people, his Jewish brothers and sisters. Indeed, even before Paul's conversion, the Bible says he was full of zeal, persecuting the church - and after his conversion, he was full of zeal propagating the gospel and building the church. He was wholehearted in the service of Satan, and then when God got hold of him he became wholehearted in his service to Christ.  Apostle Paul had passion for lost souls, no wonder he was an effective Evangelist. Likewise, if we are to be an effective Evangelist, we must have all consuming passion for the lost soul. Do we have a passion for lost souls, or have we lost the passion?

 

5: OUR LOVE FOR THE LOST SOUL MUST NOT BE PRETENTIOUS: (Romans 9:1)

This love of Paul's was no sham, it was no falseness, it wasn't drummed up emotion for a mission or a campaign, it was a constant aching pain within his breast that wouldn't leave...

Our love for the lost soul must be the kind of love Christ had for us to the extent that He surrenders His life for us. (1 John 3:16) Like Apostle Paul and other disciples (1Thess.2:8) our love, our passion for the lost soul must not be pretentious but rather a genuine love if we are to be an effective Evangelist

 

6: OUR AMBITION MUST BE SOUL OF MEN— (Rom.10:1)

What are we really living for? What's your heart's desire? What's mine? What is our greatest ambition - position, worldly success, money? There will be a ‘’must’’ in our lives, as there was in His, if our ambition really is win the lost soul for Christ, we shall be ready to relinquish secondary things so that the matters of first importance may be supreme. Only then can we become effective Evangelist.

 

7:WE MUST HAVE BROKEN SPIRITS WITH WET EYES: (Romans 9:2)

Any Evangelist that wants to be effective must have great heaviness and continual sorrow in his/her heart. Like Apostle Paul, we must not be an uncommitted bystander. Why are we not effective as an Evangelist? Many reasons, but let me give one. Our tearless heart, our dry eyes for the lost soul is one of the reasons we’ve not been effective Evangelists. Jeremiah compared his weeping to a fountain of waters, a river of tears. (Jer.4:19, Jer.14:17) For us to be effective Evangelist, we must have a broken spirit with wet eyes for the lost soul. All great men and women of God, whoever did a great work for God were broken spirits with wet eyes.

 

8: LIVE AN ATTRACTIVE AND CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN LIFE-(2 Cor.3:2, 1Tim.4:12-16) 

Remember nobody would be fooled by a so-called “Christian” trying to sell a life that they themselves weren’t living. The way to promote and sell Christianity to unregenerate souls is to live it yourself. Maybe you are the only Bible people around you are reading. If they can’t see that you are becoming free from sin, that you are becoming full of joy, peace, humility, kindness, patience, and blessings then why should they want to be a Christian? Only by living an attractive, consistent Christian life, can we become an effective Evangelist the Lord wants us to be.

 

9: SHARE YOUR STORY: (Luke 8:38-39, John 4:39-42)

Many of us want to be effective Evangelist, but don’t want to share our story. One of the best things you can do to nudge people towards considering Jesus is to share your own Before & After story. The story of how Jesus has transformed your life. Your story has incredible potential. It can be the catalyst the Holy Spirit uses to help your friends open up to change. To realize that change is possible for them too with Jesus.

 

Sharing your story is not a new idea. In the gospels, this happens all the time. People whose lives are changed by Jesus have a tendency to drop what they’re doing and start spreading the good news. (Luke 5:29)

 

You have a very powerful story and God wants to use it! People will be most compelled by your thoughts and experiences because they know you. If Jesus is a tangible reality in your life, others will see that and want it. Your story matters. God has personally invested in you. He wants to use your story to make His son known. So if truly you want to be an effective Evangelist, it’s imperative to share your story with people living Christ-less lives.

 

10: WE MUST PUT JESUS IN OUR CONVERSATION: (Mk 8:38,Lk 9:26;12:9,2 Tim 4:2)

It’s easy to talk about the people and things that we love. Think back on some recent conversations you’ve had. How often did someone recommend a movie, a restaurant, or their favourite website? When we find something that works for us it’s effortless to invite others to try it too. So why do we struggle to talk about Jesus?  Think back over your conversations for the past two weeks or skim through your Facebook statuses. What did you talk about? Is there any mention of God? Many Christians don’t talk about God with their non-Christian friends on a regular basis. Look for a natural way to put a reference to God in your Facebook status. When someone asks you what you did this weekend, talk about church. Look for an opportunity to tell a story about something God has done for you. To be an effective Evangelist that God will be proud of, you must do your utmost best to put God in your conversation

 

11: IT MUST COST US SOMETHING: (Romans 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, ('I could wish', 'that I was accursed from Christ').  What is it costing you to win the lost? Is it costing you any time, any money, inconvenience? Is it costing food on the table, sweat from your brow, blood and tears?  You cannot be effective Evangelist if winning lost soul is costing you nothing. Remember it cost Jesus His life to call you out of the darkness of this world to His marvelous light. What sacrifice can you make for the lost soul on behalf of God in order to be effective Evangelist? (Exodus 32:30, 32)

 

12:PRAYERFULLY PRAY FOR THEM:  We would rise early, we would stay up late pleading for souls. We would fast for souls. We would bleed for souls. Paul groaned for souls. What are you groaning about? Oversights and assemblies spend a lot of time, waste a lot of time, listening to believer's groans - and yet there are millions of souls going to hell, and very few groaners for them. The disciple's prayer must be stricken with much crying and many tears for the lost soul. The ministers of Calvary must supplicate in bloody sweat, and their intercession must often touch the point of agony. True intercession is sacrifice, a bleeding sacrifice'. One of the most essential components of evangelism is prayer. You may have loved ones or friends whom you have been continually praying for years. Do not give up hope!  Prayer is the catalyst that initiates God's will being done on the earth. So if you truly want the lost soul to be saved, to have encounter with Christ, go on your knees. Only then can you become an effective Evangelist that the Lord wants you to be.

 

13:BE PATIENT AND FAITHFUL: 1 COR. 3:6- I have planted the seed, Apollo’s watered it, but God gave the increase. For many people evangelism can be very discouraging because they don’t see immediate results. Though the ultimate goal of all evangelism is to lead people to Christ, it may not happen overnight. We must remember that only God knows when the seeds we plant will bear fruit. Our responsibility is to simply lead them further down the path and bring them closer to finding a relationship with Jesus and leave the rest to God.  Patient and Faithfulness to the task is expected of us if we are to be effective Evangelist. Nobody who has ever been converted to Christ has ever been converted by another person. It’s God who actually draws them to Himself. But you can be a co-worker of God and be a tool that He can use to bring people to Him. (John 6:44, Gal.6:9) 

 

14: OUR MESSAGE MUST INCLUDE: For us to be effective evangelist and for our evangelism to have intended result, we must never be economical with the truth with the lost soul. Clear understanding of the message must be given at all times to the lost soul. No compromise.

1.     Warning about sin-Evangelism includes warning people about sin and the consequences of sin (Rev.20:11-15)

2.    Explanation of God’s remedy for sin- gospel (Acts 8:29-35; Romans 3:21-26; 2 Cor.5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

3.    Clear call to repent: To turn from sin and to turn toward God, and believe the gospel, by faith (Mark 1:15  and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”) (Luke 13:1-5; Acts 17:29-31; Romans 1:17; Romans 10:9-13).

 

CONCLUSION: The Lord is counting and depending on you to win soul for Him, to bring people into the knowledge of Christ. To be His eyes and feet’s in this world to the lost soul. Christ promises great rewards for those who serve in this way. His recognition and praise should motivate us to want to become His evangelists, an effective one for that matter. God has called us not only to be an Evangelist, but to be effective so that our evangelism can have an intended, expected result which is winning souls for Christ. You cannot afford to let God down.