Passion for Evangelism, passion for Church Growth

I challenged you last week in my write-up that it is the Gospel sharing, Evangelism, the “shoes of the Gospel” that empower the church. If the church wants to be empowered it has to be obedient for the Commission of Jesus to go and preach the Gospel.

I am sitting in class, listening to a presentation by Dr. Kidder, looking at the statistics of North American Adventism and thinking about our local reality in London. How would you measure your passion for bringing the lost to Jesus? Does it break your heart to see your family members not walking with Jesus? Does it hurt you when you think about your friends walking to destruction?

In the past we often focused on Evangelistic events – the NET at the end of the year, or a guest evangelist coming to town. While it was a novelty – our own satellite system in the early 1995-6 people came to check it out, to participate in something bigger than their local church. Then it became obvious that an event with out a consistent process of preparing community does not work. For the last 5 years the focus shifted – evangeliving, considering everything we do as a part of preparation process. Both are important – the event and the process. And everything we do should be seen through lenses of “how will it influence someone to come to Jesus?”

Church growth is not about numeric success, or a satisfaction of an accomplishment. It is about our passion for people that are lost without Jesus. Evangelism is also a spiritual discipline. We are invited to discipline ourselves “for the purpose of godliness” (1^st Timothy 4:7). Disciplined life is not periodical, it is year around, it is your daily lifestyle.

Leadership of our church is thinking constantly “What am I doing to tell my surrounding that Jesus is coming soon?” Leaders are thinking “What is my team doing to tell London that Jesus is coming soon?” The way we live, interact with one another, sends messages stronger than words. And our communication should be single-minded: “we believe that Jesus is coming soon!”

All Christians are not expected to use the same methods of evangelism, but all Christians are expected to evangelize. The most frequent excuse not to place evangelism first is that we have to put our own house in order, we need to fix whatever dysfunctions there are, we have to improve ourselves. It is true that the more we are like Christ, the more we will tell of Christ and His message. Yet nothing brings intentional change faster than guests coming to the house. The guests coming in will contribute to the working and add functionality. In the process of hosting guests and integrating new into the family we sort our own relationships, and prioritize what’s really important.

Remember that the Evangelism is the necessary ingredient of empowered Church.

Godliness…..by Evangelism

Last year we considered Spiritual disciplines through sermons. Apostle Paul wrote his protégé Timothy “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1^st Timothy 4:7). Spiritual disciplines have two purposes – freedom and godliness of believer. One discipline that we did not talk about is Evangelism.

Every Board meeting begins with a focus on Evangelism. The dictum of our meetings is “What am I doing to Tell London that Jesus is coming soon?” It is a question that every believer should ask. When we each tell a person next to us of our hope – the whole world will soon know.

From my personal experience there is nothing more intoxicating and empowering than telling someone about Jesus. Yet nothing causes an eye-dropping, foot-shuffling anxiety more quickly than mentioning evangelism in public.

We affirm our faith in the priesthood of all believers, cherishing the words of 1^st Peter 2:9 “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special, peculiar people.” We love the “peculiar” part, yet many have no clue how the rest of it goes: “that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Priesthood of all believers means Evangelism by all believers!

It is true that not everyone has the gift of proclamational evangelism – but every one is invited to tell, by your life. Last year I read an article about over a 1,000 baptisms in Madagascar. No month-long campaign, simply four months of concerted efforts by Seventh-day Adventist Church members to reach their neighbours with the message of Jesus Christ. The loving atmosphere of small-group Bible studies was what led one family to join the church. In the nation's capital of Antananarivo 1,151 new members were baptized into the church at the Mahamasima Stadium.

People give different excuses why they do not do evangelism, but the main reason, I think, is the seriousness of Evangelism. Once we talk to people about Jesus we have to take our own lives seriously and they will have to seriously consider their destination.

I preached about empowerment. We all know that it is God’s desire for His Kingdom to have Power, we know that it is Christ’s desire for His Body, the Church to receive the Power, and the Holy Spirit has been Comforting believers with Power, yet we admit that our churches today lack the power.

Let’s consider this reason:

Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”

1^st Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power.

The more we are like Christ, the more we will tell of Christ and His message. Evangelism is the ingredient of empowered Church.

Beware of deceptions…

Last week a friend from our church sent me an e-mail with a link to the youtube video “Church of Oprah.” I watched it, showed to the people at the prayer meeting, and talked with few people about the impact of the media on Christians. Since we do not have a cable or a secular satellite TV at home I am not following the latest in the media, and missed spiritualistic developments taking place.

Oprah Winfrey, raised as a Baptist, good friend of many popular people, supporting many charities, including Adventist ministries. Her “Angel’s Network” donated $100,000 for the work of Wintley Phipps with prisoners. Her approval carries significance and authority with many. Some suggest that she should add the title “Reverend” in front of her name, since her religious views are so influential. Some have been concerned about an emerging “cult.”

Last month things were said on the show, and published on the website that dispelled doubts about the direction of her influence. On February 28, 2008, Oprah said, "I really do believe I was born to be a vehicle for this information to come to all of you. If you want to be a part of it, if you want to find out who you really are, join the largest interactive classroom in the world. It’s free, because I want to begin to transform the world one reader at a time." The book was by Eckhart Tolle, a New Age guru, the author of “A New Earth” curriculum. March 3^rd 300,000 people participated. March 10^th – one million, March 17^th – 2,000,000 and growing.

Many professed Christians turning to it. In a world of political correctness and tolerance of all views the Biblical faith in Only One Lord Jesus Christ is considered “narrow-minded.” Epistle of Jude warned believers almost 2000 years ago that “certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 4)

It is significant that Adventist believers are studying the Wonder of Jesus for the next 3 months. Our quarterly Bible lessons are designed for us to thing of Jesus and His accomplishment of Salvation. We believe that Jesus is THE WAY and THE TRUTH and THE LIFE. He is the ONE MEDIATOR and REDEEMER of all. His is the SAVING NAME. There is no other Name under heaven by which we may be saved. There is no other WAY TO THE FATHER than through Jesus Christ. We believe that he SUFFERED and DIED for sinners, making himself a ransom or sin-offering for many. We believe that Jesus is both GOD and MAN. We see the CROSS, not as a sign of defeat but as CHRIST’S VICTORY. He RISES FROM THE DEAD and offers his friends a share in HIS LIFE. We believe that God desires for all men and women TO KNOW, TO LOVE, and to HAVE FAITH in Christ. We are called to be his witnesses in faith and charity in the world. None of us should ever be embarrassed by the cross or ashamed to preach Jesus Christ.

Things said on the show and in the book are not worth repeating. Beware, do not be deceived. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. (1^st John 4:2-3)