The answer is a very resounding yes. Your church is meant to advertise who God is and what He has done. How are you, as a church body, doing at that? God has strategically placed you where you are to carry out His mission. It has been said many times, but it deserves to be repeated over and over again. The church is God’s plan to make Himself known, and there is no “Plan B.” Ephesians 3:10 says, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” Is your church focusing on the fields white unto harvest?
Your local church matters because people matter to God and desperately need to hear the gospel. Jesus was “God with us” in a physical body, but now your church is His body, commissioned to carry out His will and His mission. Bible Hub defines it this way: “The church, as God’s instrument, is a divinely ordained entity with a multifaceted role in God’s redemptive plan.” Several studies on church health reinforce the truth that the healthiest churches are those that are outwardly focused. The reverse is also true; the unhealthiest churches are inwardly focused.Where is your church’s focus?
Several churches share this mission statement: “Knowing God and making Him known.” That states it in a nutshell. Simplistic in verbiage but not simple in implementation. How does a local congregation carry out this God-sized task to make His name and fame known? Acts 4:18-20 states, “And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
These verses make it very clear that the truth of Christ is too good and too awesome not to be shared. Why do you do what you do? Because you want people to know about Jesus and be saved. Because you have been given the Great Commission. Because the task is still unfinished. Because Jesus is the only solution. Yet, the question must be asked of your church: Have you lost your evangelistic zeal? Have you forgotten your God-instituted marching orders in sharing the gospel? How are you actively pursuing the lost and building an evangelistic, outwardly focused culture in your church?
Time is too short, and the need is too great for this to be ignored. Jesus stated in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” What is your church doing intentionally to be an evangelistically focused church? How are you teaching and training your people to build relationships with those in their circles of influence? Have you offered evangelism classes to teach them how to share the gospel in their daily conversations when the opportunity arises? Here are a few things to consider in steps toward becoming more outwardly focused.
Think process more than program. For years, churches have promoted a program on a particular night in which you would go out to invite visitors and contacts. Many have participated in knocking on doors “cold turkey,” and some still do. In some communities, knocking on doors can actually become a barrier to the gospel rather than a pathway. Trajectories change, and while the message never changes, the methods certainly can. Paul said he was willing to become all things to all men that he might win some. Why did Paul state this? For the sake of the gospel. What might you change to reach more?
Evangelism needs to be relational and ongoing, leveraging your greatest asset: believers who are willing to share their life transformation with others. Please realize that holding an event can be a great thing, but that, in and of itself, is not evangelism. It might be pre-evangelism, but evangelism is where the gospel is clearly presented with an opportunity to respond. You need to build trust and remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. You can wait too long, and a gospel presentation becomes even more awkward. Your life validates your testimony, but make sure you verbally share the gospel (Rom. 10:14).
One author challenges us to be careful of a purely “punctilious” approach, which gives great attention to step-by-step details. You are trained very emphatically to do this and then do this next. What about the leadership of the Holy Spirit? You should always be ready to witness for Christ and never be ashamed of the gospel. You should pray for boldness and expect God to give you that boldness the same way he did His disciples in Acts 4:29-31. Be flexible and realize that the person you are speaking to greatly values honesty, authenticity, and respect.
Churches tend to develop and train certain methods (programs) that they believe are the way evangelism should be done. If you are not careful, you give no regard to the person. You bring these truths to them without understanding who they are and where they are in their life. One training instructed you to grab the person’s hand and not let go until they prayed the prayer. You are not a salesman nor the Holy Spirit. Place your trust in the power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to draw, convict, and convince. For the most part, sharing the gospel requires a relationship built on trust.
If you truly love people and care about them, your greatest concern is their eternal destiny. Do you care enough about them to share the gospel with them? The truth of Christ is too good and too awesome not to be shared. Church, how can you better advertise the gospel of Jesus Christ than you do right now?
