A Vision For Evangelism

Vision For Evangelism

Matt. 28:19

Jesus said go and make disciples in all of the world. He was

talking to you and he was talking to me. We have a mandate, we

have a calling, we have a ministry to touch this world with the

message and the love of Jesus Christ. We live in a time when our

family our neighbors and friends are crying out for something to

believe in. What we have will fill every void and need in their lives,

Jesus will take the place of drugs and alcohol, he will take the

place of the physical longings to be loved, he will fill their hearts so

that they no longer need a psychic to tell their future because they

have hope.

The Assemblies of God in the decade of harvest grew by leaps and

bounds. In 1990 there were 16 million believers worldwide that

belonged to Assembly of God churches, closing out the year of

1999 the Assemblies of God numbered 34 million. Our fellowship

more than doubled in ten years! What a great harvest of souls for

the kingdom. It is exciting to be a part of what God is doing in the

last days. Or are we a part. You see almost all of that growth that

we saw in the last ten years has occurred outside of the United

States. Our fellow believers around the world are seeing an

incredible harvest and we are seeing mere trickles in comparision.

It is something that should burden our hearts and take notice, for

obviously they are doing things differently than we are.

Maybe the church here has forgotten what it our primary mission

is. It is not to build great buildings or to come up with the greatest

curriculum, we are called to reach and evangelize this world, and it

starts right here in our own backyard, at our work, with our

families and friends. They need Jesus!

At the beginning of the year a vision committee came together and

sought God for His vision for our church body. Every Sunday

morning we start our services with the first line of our vision

statement. The vision statement is posted on the wall just outside

the sanctuary. As we asked God for His vision we felt that one of

the important things that he wanted us to do was evangelize.

Read that part....

This week as we were a part of the Worldwide A/G 2000

Celebration, I was stirred by the Holy Spirit in what I saw and

heard. Near the end Thomas Trask, the general superintendent

read the vision for the entire A/G.

Let me read one part to you.

It is no coincidence that we were given 8 months earlier the same

vision that God gave for the entire fellowship. This is God’s

heartbeat.

We are Pentecostal people, and I believe that God is sayng that it

is time for us to start acting like one.

What do I mean?

Acts 1:8

The baptism in the Holy Ghost is what makes us pentecostal, not

the fact we speak in tongues or dance around for Him, we have

received the blessing of the Spirit empowerment.

The word says you will receive power and you will be...

It’s not power to speak in tongues or dance, it’s not power to feel

Holy Ghost bumps, it’s not power to prophesy or receive the gifts

of the spirit, it’s not for me so that I can feel good about myself

It is not about me at all, it’s about being filled with Him so that I

can have power to reach this world for Jesus.

As pentecostal people it is what we are to do. He didn’t give us

the precious gift of the spirit so we can have a bless me club, he

gave it to us so that we could step out and do His will.

I can’t imagine what the numbers would be, if we were to walk in

almost any of our churches and take a poll on reaching out and

witnessing. If we were to ask how many this week shared the love

of Jesus and what he has done for you and then asked that person

to church.

I will tell you that the numbers would less than 25% of those

polled. The growth of the church in America stands behind this.

If we were doing it, then our results would similar to the world.

The enemy has gripped the people of God in America with fear.

You even mention witnessing and people in our churches become

uncomfortable, they will find every excuse there is to not be a part

of sharing the love of Jesus.

Fear will keep you from receiving what God has for you.

2Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit