IMPARTATION FOR EVANGELISM

Last Tuesday night at our Prayer Meeting we all prayed “not to fear” …..to do evangelism. To many people going bungee-jumping, spalanking (cave exploring), or even rollercoaster ride would be less frightening than doing evangelism. What about you? On a scale of 1 to 10 how afraid are you to do evangelism? You are. This could be the only reason why so few have signed commitment cards, and so few have joined the evangelism preparation team.

So, we simply prayed that God would remove our fears. After all the Book of Revelation says for a reason that fearful will not get to the Kingdom of heaven (Revelation 21:8). It lists fearful, cowardly together with unbelievers. Humanly it is frightening. And it should be, because evangelism is the spiritual warfare. It is about getting people out from captivity of evil, and if you attempt to do it on your own – you better be afraid!

Let me ask you, did Jesus do Evangelism all alone, by himself? Jesus Christ the original and the greatest evangelist who ever walked this earth – he had disciples to go before him, to work with him. Most important, Jesus worked by and with and from the Holy Spirit. If we attempt to do evangelism – it is the Holy Spirit that we need. When we attempt Evangelism, we are promised that the Holy Spirit will be working ahead of us, and his presence will be with us. But we cannot impart to others what we do not have.

As we talk about Evangelism, we recognize that new people will look for friendship and community, yet it is not what they come for. Many will leave long lasting friendships to join the new community of faith not for the sake of a new friendship, but for more, much more – for spirituality. Evangelism is about offering people what they need and will not receive anywhere else – the revelation of Loving God, the Spirit of Living Water. That is possible only when we, as God revealers, God’s representative receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. (John 7:38-39).

So this imparting, which is necessary before demonstration and delegation, is more than information transmission, more than teaching. It is giving the Spirit. Just as Jesus gave us his peace, joy, life, He continues to give us His Spirit (John 20:22).

No doubt the Holy Spirit is working in your life, convicting you of sin, pointing out to righteousness and the Judgment (John 16:8). No doubt the Holy Spirit is sustaining and protecting you always. But it is not given until you obey, until you consecrate yourself in full obedience to God’s commands (Acts 5:32). Only then the church as people will be truly motivated, only then we will possess the power to make Christ known in our community.

We had discussed what we believe. Some are still oblivious, others are coming to study and understand more through the Adventism 101 seminars. We have spent whole year (2007) conversion about the sincere authentic Christian life. this year we explored what it means to be the Kingdom of God. I think no one has doubt or misgivings about the church as a community on its way to the Kingdom of God. We should be able to say any time “I am going to the Kingdom!” The next step is Conversion, deeper conversion within the community, and facilitating conversion outside. And that is possible only by imparting the Holy Spirit.