Characteristics of a Healthy Church – A Passion for the Disengaged
JUN 16, 2021
The young salesperson was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he lamented, “I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” The manager replied, “Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty.” So, it is with evangelism. Our lives should be so filled with Christ that they create a thirst for the Gospel. - Preaching, November-December 1985.
This illustration sounds so simplistic and yet profound. What should be our goal in evangelism? Our goal is to present the Gospel in such a way that people are thirsty for more. What are some of the challenges?
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Complacency is the death of evangelism.
Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! (Romans 12:11) (CEV)
What do you do if you don’t have a passion? Or what do you do if your passion is low? What we need to do first is pray that we align our heart with the heart of God. We see God’s heart clearly in Matthew 18:10-14/
10 “Be careful that you don’t look down on one of these little ones. I say to you that their angels in heaven are always looking into the face of my Father who is in heaven] 12 What do you think? If someone had one hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, wouldn’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go in search for the one that wandered off? 13 If he finds it, I assure you that he is happier about having that one sheep than about the ninety-nine who didn’t wander off. 14 In the same way, my Father who is in heaven doesn’t want to lose one of these little ones.
God can cultivate a passion in us for the disengaged. In the end what gets our attention gets us engaged. Our priorities are what will shape and characterize our ministry. Before we can be a church with a passion for lost people, we must begin with “wanting to” (thirst) before we can move to the “how-to” (strategy).
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A passion for the lost leads to a sense of urgency about the Gospel.
For most when the topic of evangelism comes up it makes us nervous. My first experience was in an outer ring suburban city of St. Louis, Eureka, MO. My seminary class did a weekend evangelism training event. We were given the Kennedy evangelism questions as ice breakers. The first one was, “If you die tonight, are you sure you would go to heaven.?” For those who have not met me imagine a six-foot-five-inch Black man. That introduction can be a bit intimidating. Imagine the prospect of death at your front door, how open are you to beginning a faith conversation.? I never got around to the second question in most cases. This was not a great confidence builder for a mission-mind seminary student.
If evangelism makes you nervous, it might help to study carefully how Jesus interacted with people.
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Whom did He meet?
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How did He connect with them?
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Where did the encounters take place?
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Who initiated contact?
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What happened in the conversation?
Like Jesus’ original followers, Christians today are sent into the world to be His witnesses. “Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
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In the Gospels in nine cases, Jesus initiated the conversations. Examples: a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-42); a crippled beggar (John 5:1-15).
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In 25 instances, another party started the discussion. Jesus responded to other people’s inquiries. Examples: a rich young ruler (Matt. 19:16-30); a demoniac (Mark 5:1-20); Jairus, a synagogue ruler (Mark 5:21-43); a hemorrhaging woman (Mark 5:24-34).
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Where did the conversation take place? Many of Jesus’ interactions occurred in the workplace. Examples: with James and John (Matt. 4:21-22); with a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-42); with a lame man (John 5:1-15).
The lesson for us from Jesus is that evangelism happens naturally. It happens as we live life, engage in everyday conversations, at work, at home, and organically. Pray that you recognize the opportunities to share Jesus with the lost and disengaged. And evangelism will become like breathing, a normal everyday way of life
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P.S. (from bruce) When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !! If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ?? Here is the truth about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… https://godsmanforever.com
To my brothers and sisters in Christ, please feel free to share this message of the cross with those in need…
Picture credit: https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00RJl1GOsdVz0PiqZXkVXbpnKhsMQ:1624275619615&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=image+passion+for+sharing+the+gospel&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHz8ua0qjxAhUkSDABHeH-ANAQjJkEegQIBRAC&biw=1409&bih=861#imgrc=LCQcU8Erc7WD6M
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About Godsmanforever
I present posts about God's Word, with a personal focus on how God's grace is received through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ... Sinners must understand and obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ... See this link for more...
https://godsmanforever.com/2014/10/26/the-truth-about-sin-10262014-by-bruce-reposted-from-7112013/
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“The lesson for us from Jesus is that evangelism happens naturally. It happens as we live life, engage in everyday conversations, at work, at home, and organically.” If we are truly walking in the Spirit, our everyday lives become a tool or at the very least, an opportunity for sharing the Gospel. Amen and AMEN! Love this.
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