HEALTHY CHURCH: Jesus Evangelized
In the Gospels, as you watch the ministry of Christ unfold, you see our Lord preaching and teaching. He said clearly that He had come to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus practiced what He preached, going to Samaria and presenting the gospel to the woman at the well. Jesus showed His pursuit of the lost by going to the house of Zacchaeus, a sinful tax collector. He demonstrated His availability when Nicodemus, a religious leader, desired to discuss what was required to go to Heaven. Even on the cross, He received a hardened sinner who would never accomplish anything for His Kingdom and took him to paradise with Him.
Mark 1:14 shows Jesus’ dedication to His message: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.” The message was to “repent and believe.” John 1:12 clarifies this message, “But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” When Jesus called the first disciples to follow Him, He said in Mark 1:17, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” The decision to follow Jesus requires obeying Him in every area of your life, including evangelism.
If you are following Jesus, you have chosen to be His disciple (follow Me). He then begins to change your heart (I will make you). Additionally, He calls you to commit to His mission (fishers of men). In our Multiplication Workshop training, my good friend, Dave DeVries, says, “Jesus Christ is the Embodiment of the mission. The Holy Spirit is the power of the mission. The Church is the instrument of the mission. The Culture is the context in which the mission occurs.” I Peter 2:9 tells us that He has called His chosen people to “shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
In Missional Transformation, Dave stated, “God is a missionary God and He has sent the Church to participate in His mission of reconciling the world to Himself. That mission is the purpose of the church on this earth, and the message is the good news of the kingdom. Missional activity encompasses the redemptive mission of Jesus. Just as Jesus was sent to seek and to save what was lost, the church is sent to seek and to save what was lost.” You and I are sent by Jesus, sent with the gospel, sent in community (your church), sent to every culture, sent by our King and sent for His kingdom. We must discern and accept our role in His mission.
The journey in committing to God’s mission begins with complete surrender. The message of our responsibility and the knowledge of our task is clear, but are you actively obeying by seeking to engage people far from God? Begin by surrendering to His mission like Isaiah, “Here am I, Lord, send me.” Then begin praying daily for God to guide you to be receptive to His divine appointments. God did not design the church to expand and grow by numbers infinitely upward, but rather to multiply outward. Our natural inclination is to become inwardly focused, but your campus is not your most important ministry tool.
In the Church Revitalization Checklist, Sam Rainer stated, “Is a church building necessaryfor discipleship? Absolutely not. But the gathering of the saints is essential. This gathering is designed by God to be in person. A church that does not gather — in person — does not exist.” The reality is that God has placed you where He placed you not only to gather, but also to live on mission. When the Apostle Paul entered a city, he went where the people had gathered. Where do the people not only gather for worship, but also gather for other things, where you could have a voice in sharing the gospel with them?
Sam continued, “Wherever you are. Whatever location you have. Whatever you are experiencing right now. Your church address is not an accident. Start right where you are… The church is not a destination point for crowds. The church is the vehicle designed by God to take the good news of Jesus into our neighborhoods, our communities and ultimately to the nations. Your church should view your address as a launchpad. Accomplishing our mission is less about filling the building and more about sending brave saints into the world.” It is intentionally and purposely living sent every day, right where you are.
This journey requires surrendering to God’s plan, praying for open doors and opportunities (divine appointments) and then proper preparation. Have you trained yourself and those you lead in how to engage people far from God? Have you trained them in how to have a gospel conversation? As a teenager, I was trained at our church in the Romans Road. We were given New Testaments and made different colored tabs to find our place quickly. We memorized the verses and underlined them in red. We were trained to turn our Bibles around so the one we were witnessing to could read the verses themselves out loud.
You might not like that method. My question to you then would be, “What is your method?” If you do not have one and are not prepared to share the gospel, that is clearly unacceptable. Find a training and train yourself and those you lead in how to share the gospel. If you contact us, we would love to make you aware of several trainings we utilize and recommend. Be ready to give people an opportunity to receive the message Jesus has sent you to share. If you want to be like Jesus, seek out those spiritually lost and far from God!
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Larry Barker
Director of Church Planting and Church Health Larry Barker submits a weekly column titled, Healthy Church Solutions, designed to strengthen and encourage the local church.
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