A Heart For The Lost
A lot of well-intentioned people plan in advance, making resolutions. Many of these resolutions go unaccomplished, and some forgotten with time even before the year ends. We struggle so much to bring results out of the plans we make, despite our tireless effort.
Man is naturally weak, especially against the forces that we content with. The kingdom of darkness exerts a lot of pressure against the life of mankind, and if man were to overcome and be free, there is freedom in no other but the Gospel of Christ, the Name of Jesus and the Power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:12,
where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, see also 2 Corinthians 3:17.
The world is sick, blind, hopeless and lost, desperate and in total darkness, but there is Salvation in and through Jesus Christ. Nothing short of the divine intervention of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ can change this state. This is the message that the world needs to hear. Men have always striven to find life solutions in a dying and corrupt worldly system.
Now notice that we, who received Christ, were part of this system (Ephesians 2), but we were redeemed. We were chosen and picked out of the world, as Peter denotes in 1 Peter 2:9
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:”
Colossians 1:13
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”
RECONCILIATION
In order to take Christ to others, it’s essential to experience Him first, before we go out, we must and ought to have Christ in us. God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has handed over to us the ministry of reconciliation, 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not [d]imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Salvation is not just a way of escape from the world, but a responsibility in the Kingdom. Believers are tasked with witnessing and reaching out to the lost. We were lost but now are found, were blind but now can see. We now ought to be the agents of change in the world. The light of the world, and the salt of the earth. Matthew 5:13-16
“16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
With the understanding of what we have received, we know we are not called to peace with the world, but to content with the powers and principalities of the kingdom of darkness, that have bound lives and taken many captive, until we see their liberty in Christ manifested. We have been commissioned to go to the whole world, preaching the Gospel of Christ, winning souls and making disciples. This is the duty of every believer.
In Evangelism, we proclaim the Life-Changing Power of the Gospel of Christ. Jesus sending His 12 disciples, gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of diseases. Jesus at this point actualizes His promise at the time when he called the disciples, that he’d make them fishers of men. Evangelism is an urgent assignment; it must be taken with the weight it deserves. It’s a call we ought to respond to with salience.
We have been sent into the world. In Kingdom Evangelists, a Missions movement consisting of young and passionate men and women that I lead by God’s grace, we are kept on our toes by our slogan “Go, Send of Disobey!” If we are not taking part in evangelism on ground, we ought to support those going; else, we are disobeying Christ’s Great Commission.
The church is as lively as its Evangelism wing. If evangelism is dying, the church is dying. The strength of the church is not measured by the sitting capacity, but by the sending capacity.
THE LIFE OF AN EVANGELIST
The Gospel is the heart of all Christian Living, and sharing the Gospel and message of salvation is crucial for each of us. As we carry out this assignment, we grow in our knowledge of God and intimacy as we seek Him for others. I pray that your heart will be warm as we share on crucial elements of the life of an Evangelist.
Those of us in active evangelism, or those aspiring to be part of the team that goes out to fish souls into the kingdom, need to note what an Evangelist needs to observe in order to have effective and impactful work in the Lord’s vineyard.
- Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit
An evangelist does not go his way, but has to be led. He is sent, and has to go where there Master needs him at any particular moment. Several times we note the Holy Spirit forbidding the Apostles from going to certain places, Acts 16:6
“Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia”. He is the power engine behind evangelism and witnessing. Acts 1:8
- Dedication and Commitment to Prayer
The business of the evangelist is in the market, and he knows there are competing forces. He therefore has to spend time connecting with the source of his power, to be energized for his assignment. Prayer is critical, it cannot be overemphasized. Acts 6. The evangelist entirely relies on the Holy Spirit and believes that He alone can convict and convert.
- Mastery of the Gospel
No one can give what they do not have. An evangelist therefore needs to be well equipped with the Message of the Gospel, and have a clear understanding of what should be preached to the Lost. The study of the Word is an unavoidable segment of the Evangelists life, knowing that he doesn’t speak out of himself but out of what he has been commissioned. Jesus said,
“For I have not spoken on my own authority; but the Father who sent me gave me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” John 12:49. Spending more time in the Bible helps them see the intensity and thickness of the darkness in the world and God’s immense love to save the world.
- Enthusiasm
There is an excitement that comes when evangelism is at heart, and you don’t wait to be reminded, you’re always ready to take initiatives. Philip the evangelist made the move to approach the eunuch in his chariot. There must be a trigger from the inside that is provoked at the sight of a lost soul or at the thought of a tormented life. An evangelist pursues the lost with love and passion.
- They are intentional
Due to the love for God and burden for the lost, the evangelist takes initiatives to find opportunities for sharing the Gospel and his heart melts with compassion at the tough or sight of the lost. They plan and budget for such opportunities, so that they can take advantage of them when they appear, lest they get caught unprepared.
Evangelism is a core segment of a believers life. Take an initiative to participate in whichever way the Holy Spirit convicts you and as God lays a burden in your heart. It is worth it.
Shalom
Isaac Philip
