POWER DEMONSTRATION IN EVANGELISM
…..”The truth is fallen on the street” (Isaiah 59:14b). This aptly summarizes the evangelistic state of things on our communities today. The challenge is shifting ground from the absence of truth to the overbearing presence of error – liberalism, nominalism and religious ceremonies. The present scenario is reminiscent of the days of Elijah (1 kings 18:27). Recent events across our land demand the pragmatic and dynamic approach of Elijah’s days. He turned the table overnight by tactfully organizing a crusade never heard of (1 Kings 28:21-39), if we be true, God will help us to do the same today.
1. CALL TO EVANGELISM.
Acts 17:21; Proverbs 11:30.
Our world is becoming more and more permissive every day. It is also the modern day Athens, the melting point of new ideas and fables (Acts 17:21). There exist rampaging allies of false religious groups and graceless preachers of materialism. The devil is making his largest and greatest recruits now and we must go beyond giving our attention, to concentrating our efforts to this great task.
God in heaven is crying, “who shall I send and who will go for us”
(Isaiah 6:8). Voice of the lost in hell with relations on campus are crying,
“…lest they also come into this place of torment”. We are the Moses (with the word of God) and the prophets (with the mind of God) they are waiting for (Luke 16:29). People in the world are dying of AIDS, in religious unrest, occultism and accident and the souls of the sinning ones are crying and “unto us is committed a dispensation of the gospel” Therefore necessity is laid upon us and woe is unto us if we preach not the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16).
It is important to realize that the end is near (Hebrews 10:37) and Satan knows he has but a short time. He is in an end-time campaign and we must arise to save the indecency, socially distracted evil affected souls in our world.
2. TACFULNESS IN EVANGELISM.
Proverbs 4:7; John 4:7-29; Luke 9:55-56; Acts 8:26-38; 17:23; 1 Corinthians 9:22
Due to the uniqueness and awareness of the world today, well-planned strategies must be employed else our efforts may be unsuccessful. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, tact’ “is the skill in avoiding offence or winning good will”. ‘Avoiding offence’ here is nothing about compromise, rather an enduring strategy of tenderness, patience and accommodation to avoid friction with the sinners to which we are reaching with the life saving gospel of peace. We need to win the co-operation of the sin-sick world before we can give them sin-curing gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ in wanting to reach the Samaritan woman broke the ethnic religious barrier by making an unusual request (John 4:7); Nehemiah first surveyed the land and imparting the vision to his allies (Nehemiah 2:1115). Philip, the evangelist won his way into the Alien (Ethiopian) chariot by offering to help to explain a difficult bible passage (Act 8:80-31). Paul, the great Christian tactician, talked about ‘provoking to emulating them (the Jews) which are my flesh and might serve some of them (Romans 11:14). He however, forced the philosophical Athenians to their knees by presenting the gospel to them from an unsuspecting philosophical ground (Act 17:23). A number of other time-tested strategies that can be used (sometimes with modification) include.
Organizing love feast as done often by the early church (Jude 12).
Orientation programme using captivating headings like ‘Divine matriculation. This help to bring them to Christ before sinning friends pollute them.
Organizing evangelism week.
Symposia on current issues such as AIDS/HIV, Trends in world politics etc.
Strategically located billboards with well illustrated gospel truth.
Use of tracts, comic and literature materials that easily appeal to students reading appetite
Social interest programmes such as musical concert, film show, drama which have gospel interest in focus.
3. DYNAMISM IN EVANGELISM.
1 Kings 18:18-39, 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Acts 1:13-14; 2:1-4; 18:28; 2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Corinthians.
Dynamism means energizing power. There cannot be locomotion without an engine. Only pressure creates an overflow. If we must shake our campus as Elijah shook his generation we must be as dynamic and tactful as he was. We need a
(i) dynamic (powerful) prayer (Romans. 10:1; II Thessalonians 3:1); sinners are bound in the spirit realm only effectual fervent prayer can lose them. Our effectual prayer will not only win the sinners, it will make us and keep us more compassionate (Matthew 9:36; Luke 10:33)
(ii) dynamic (active) demonstration of the Spirit and His gifts (Acts 2:14-38; 4:21)
(iii) dynamic (apologetic) presentation of gospel truth (2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 18:28). The world is full of critics and the evangelist must know his onions (iv) dynamic (convicting) Christian living (2 Corinthians 3:2). Our life is a book, they may not read the Bible but through our godly life they may know the God of the Bible.
Christian history and heaven will never forget the tacts and dynamism of women like Aimee Mcpherson Semple (the pragmatic founder of the foursquare Gospel Church) and Kathryn Kulman, of men like John .G. Lake, the great missionary to South Africa and Charles Parham (the apostle of Pentecost) and organizations like the Salvation Army. These made their imprint indelible on the sand of time. This is our own time; let us put our entire God-given resources – intellectual, talent, time and materials – into it.
The Holy Spirit is the technician and mastermind of all evangelism; He is still at work today. He is ready to fill us, He is willing to guide us, and He is willing to give us the key to winning the lost in our respective communities.