Five Steps To Effective Evangelism

Five Steps to Effective Evangelism

Colossians 4:2-6

One of the greatest miracles a person can embrace in one’s lifetime is to be born of the “water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). While learning how to walk, ride a bike, starting one’s first job, getting married, and having children are life events that are spectacular; they pail in comparison to “not having one’s sins counted against oneself” and being reconciled unto God through faith in the atoning sacrifice of His Son Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17)! As we rejoice in the Lord as adopted children of the most-High King (Romans 8:14-17) and as we bask in “every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3), we can’t help but desire to see those that we meet who are still on the “broad path of destruction” (Matthew 7:13-14) to become saved. Even though as Christ’s ambassadors we know we are always to be ready to give reasons for the hope we have in the Lord (1 Peter 3:15), and even though we know “beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News” (Romans 10:14); only about one in four Christians share their salvation with those who have differing beliefs. The main reasons why believers do not proclaim the Good News, such as fear of rejection and hostility, lack of opportunity and/or interest, or just plain too busy; pail in comparison to number one reason many Christians remain silent while living in a world that is not their home. Many believers simply do not share the truth by which we were set free (John 8:31) due to them not living the word of God and as a result they are afraid their hypocritical lifestyle will make it more difficult for the spiritually blind to see beyond their sin to get a glimpse of God’s gracious gift of salvation! If you are believer who rarely tells others about Jesus or wishes to plant more seeds of righteousness in the lives of the lost then please read, reflect upon, and put into practice the following five steps to successful evangelism as outlined by Apostle Paul in Colossians 4:2-6 that will be the focus of the remainder of this sermon.

Step 1: Praying to God for Transformation

The first step to being effective in evangelism is prayer. Before the creation of this world the “ultimate communication of God” existed, His Son the Word (John 1:1). It is through faith in Christ that we are born again and have an advocate who justifies us before God and enables us to communicate with our Father who art in heaven (Matthew 6:19). The privilege to come before God’s throne of grace is not to be taken lightly but instead, we are to pray to God continuously (1 Thessalonians 5:17) with great “mental, emotional, and physical effort” and with a sense of humility and expectation that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9)! While our communication with God is to be both “energetic and incessant” (Luke 18:1) to be effective it must be given in accordance with God’s will (1 John 5:14-25). The main reasons why prayer is crucial for evangelism is twofold. First, prayer is the central avenue in which God chooses to transform us! “Echoing the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane from the passion narrative” we learn that “vigilant prayer provides the spiritual fortitude to face down temptation” (Mark 14:38). Devotion to prayer keeps the believer communicating and inviting God who encourages and enables one to trust and obey His commands (Proverbs 3:5-6). This is necessary so that not only will one have their deeds shine and point to God (Matthew 5:16) but also one will be constantly ready for Christ’s return. And the second reason prayer is critical for effective evangelism is because we can only plant the seeds of righteousness, only God can make them grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)! It is through informed prayer the one’s evangelistic efforts tend to be more “purposeful, personal, and powerful.” Even though we often face ravenous wolves we “ought to pray and not lose heart” but instead thankful that He who saved a wretch like me will save others as well!

Reflection. Have you ever been afraid to tell someone about Jesus and then when you did proclaim the Good News they got saved? When you can not think of anyone to speak to about Jesus ever stop and pray that God would show you the one who is ready to hear about the saving work of His Son? Instead using hypocrisy as an excuse to not evangelize why not just invite God to examine your heart, repent, and have your sins cleansed so that all the lost sees is God in you?

Step 2: Praying to God for a Door to be Opened

The second step to effective evangelism is to ask God to open a door for the evangelists, to give them the right words to say, and the spiritual discernment to know to whom, when, and how to share His Good News! While every Christian is to “revere Christ as Lord and always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15), not every believer is called to be an evangelist (Ephesians 4:11-13)! Even though one might not be called this does not absolve one from the responsibility to pray that God would open doors of opportunities for those who are gifted in this area to share the Good News. At the time of writing his letter to the church at Colossae Paul was chained to a guard and under house arrest awaiting a Roman trial. Even though his opportunities to evangelize might seem bleak Paul knew that a “prison sentence could not countermand” his divine orders to preach the Good News to the Gentile people. Knowing that intercessory prayer was key to evangelistic success Paul asked every member of the church to pray for him and his colleagues such as Timothy (1:1), Epaphras (1:7; 4:12), Tychicus (4:7), Onesimus (4:9), and others he mentions in his final greeting (4:7–18). Specifically, Paul asked the church to pray that God the right open a door so that he might proclaim the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:3). What was kept hidden for ages and generations had now been fulfilled in Christ (1:26). Not only is God revealed through Christ, but it is also through His atonement on the cross that humanity is offered salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Paul states intercessory prayer that he might have the right opportunities and that God would “soften the hearts of the listeners by His grace” was key to reaching the lost souls for Christ. Praying for our evangelists then is to be seen not as a passive but active and crucial role to be carried out by every single believer. The gracious forgiveness, reconciliation, and adoption into God’s family that we have received then is to be shared with the world either through proclamation or through intercessory prayer!