We continue to study Master’s Plan of Evangelism. Every Tuesday night volunteers, those who are passionate about evangelism are invited to come and join the Prayer group at the South Church at 7 pm. This past week we focused on how Jesus prepared for Evangelism. I had been writing for about two months highlighting the single point: Jesus was not about programs, but about people! When you put people first programs become organic, natural, relevant, not a mechanical institutional “add-ons.”
What program did Jesus use to disciple and train people for Evangelism? Our first intention, and that is how some people responded at our meeting, would be to say: “He proclaimed the gospel and they watched Him do it.” I invite you to look deeper into the process of Jesus’ training program – he lived with them. As they travelled there were women who cooked, washed, and helped his group from their substance. As they were in a small boat together he fell asleep, when his family came to talk, he placed disciples on the top priority, when some people came to complain about disciples he showed transparency and vulnerability in keeping them accountable. They suffered rejection together, they were kicked out from villages, laughed and scorned at TOGETHER!!! There was nothing hidden from his disciples in Jesus’ life.
If we, the mature Christians, are to train others, the new believers, in the work of the Gospel – we are to associate with them in every trivial aspect of our lives, even in the mundane things. Christianity is experienced first, then explained. Of course there were stories, lessons and parables. But it was the life, the “reality show” that made disciples want to know more.
Are we ready for Evangelism? Currently we see that ½ of people who join the church leave, because no one befriended them. How many people are we ready to embrace and associate with? What if the Lord would send a 100 new people into our midst, would we have a 100 of volunteers to “adopt” a new believer each, and to spend next 3½ years discipling? Would we have at least 50, to adopt two each? Consider Jesus’ method – He did not chose one, he chose twelve, and among them he chose three, hence no hierarchy was created. The best way of discipling is to have at least three individuals to associate and invest in.
As I am thinking about Evangelism, I can’t help but think about those who were among us but faded away into the community, stopped coming, disappeared. We still see them occasionally at work, in the market, on the street. Do we admit deep inside that the reason they left is we did not pay enough attention to them, we did not associate meaningfully with them? Unless we turn this trend around and begin to invest in people by selecting individuals, and then associating with them, we will not evangelise the city.
Jesus method of training was in letting people follow and be with Him. His way was not scholastic lecturing and formal meetings, as scribes did it, but in saying “come and see where and how I live.” As time progressed the group got even more close together. As the Nominating Committee completed its work of selecting officers and asking volunteers to commit I still wonder, do we k now each other well enough to march talents with tasks well?
Suppose you are a member of a church that does not have people committed to leading others to maturity, what would you do? Jesus’ way of associating with us gives an example of initiative: “Lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20) Are you ready to say it to someone who is willing to learn and wants to learn it from you?
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