Go Fish.

Reviving Personal Evangelism

Shonn Keels

• Publisher: Morgan James Faith
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781631955761
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Go Fish addresses one of the greatest challenges in the American evangelical church today--APATHY!

Research reveals a very small percentage of the church is actively engaged in the mission of God. This research also points out, many in the church are comfortable with their disobedience to the Great Commission. Go Fish is an actual Doctor of Ministry research project and it offers an answer for the church today. This resource is academic, Biblical, and practical.

CHAPTER ONE

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge at The First Church (TFC) is the majority of the membership is not actively engaged in personal evangelism. While TFC is a great church, she is living in disobedience to the clarion call of Jesus to reach the world with the gospel. Souls are at stake. The difference is heaven or hell. The church must wake up and answer the call of Christ. TFC is made up of loving people, and there are many great things going on in this church. The music is God honoring, the preaching is Christ exalting, and the people genuinely love God and others. They are known in their city as a very hospitable church. However, there remains a major challenge. As mentioned, the challenge is the majority of the membership at TFC is not consistently sharing the gospel with the lost in her community. The purpose of this project is to specifically examine the young adults at TFC with particular reference to their lack of attention to and engagement in personal evangelism in order to develop a church-wide personal evangelism training ministry to be sponsored, led, and conducted by the project director. This challenge is not unique to TFC. There are churches all over America that are struggling to get their people to engage in personal evangelism.

It appears the attitude of many at TFC is that personal evangelism should be left up to the paid professionals. This conviction is both unfair and unbiblical. John Mark Terry writes, “A pastor, or even a pastor and staff, cannot reach the church community for Christ. Many church members try to place the responsibility for outreach on the pastor alone, but this is unbiblical and impractical.”⁶⁰ While this is unacceptable, personal evangelism has unofficially been assigned to the senior pastor and the pastoral staff. However, most of the evangelism from the senior pastor and his staff comes by way of mass evangelism: either from the platform, camps, retreats, and/or special mass evangelism efforts. This approach leaves personal evangelism virtually non-existent among the staff and the membership. The lack of personal interaction with the lost concerning the gospel message is not only disappointing it is antithetical to the example of Jesus in the Scripture. Jesus clearly sets the example of how to make personal evangelism a priority. Consider a few examples.

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

Jesus often speaks to the multitudes—mass evangelism; but not at the expense of personally interacting with the lost. Relationships matter to Jesus as He carries out His earthly ministry. Consider the woman at the well recorded in the fourth chapter of John. J. Dwight Pentecost notes, “Concerning the journey of Jesus from Judea to Galilee, John stated that He “had to go through Samaria” (John 4:4). The word “had” implies necessity.”⁶¹ The journey through Samaria is by divine design. Pentecost continues, “… it seems as though the necessity arose out of Christ’s understanding of God’s will for Him.”⁶² By traveling through Samaria, Jesus crosses many barriers: color, culture, and creed to position Himself in the presence of one who is searching for a relationship with God. Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus breaks the traditions of the Jews to go through Samaria to fulfill His purpose on earth, “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28). Jesus came to earth to sacrifice His life for the sins of the Samaritan woman and the sin of the world (Jn. 3:16). Jesus personally delivers this message to her as she inquires about the coming of the Messiah. “The woman said, ‘I know that the Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you—I am he’” (Jn. 4:25-26). Jesus personally shares the message of Christ—the gospel with the Samaritan woman—a lost person. Personal evangelism is His normal practice.

Jesus Calls Matthew

The calling of Matthew is another great example of the personal nature of evangelism in the life and ministry of Jesus. The calling of Matthew also demonstrates the great lengths that Jesus takes to reach a lost person (Mt. 9:9-13). Jesus again breaks the customs of the religious leaders of His day and goes to the house of a sinner to interact with more sinners. Pentecost points out, “The righteous Jews of the community would not have responded to an invitation to come to the house of a tax collector; so the banquet was filled with fellow tax collectors and others who fell into the category of sinners. Jesus did not draw back from association with such people.”⁶³ The practice of Jesus is to penetrate the lost culture around Him. Matthew records, “When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” (9:11). The reason Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners is simple—building relationships with the lost matters to Jesus. Jesus says, “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (9:13). If building relationships with sinners and personally reaching lost people is important to Jesus, the church must make personal evangelism a priority.

Jesus Visits Zacchaeus

The Gospel of Luke chapter nineteen records another personal evangelism encounter of Jesus with Zacchaeus a sinful “chief tax collector” who was ostracized by his own people (19:1-10). J. Dwight Pentecost adds, “Christ chose to spend the night in the home of this despised tax collector.”⁶⁴ In this encounter, as was Jesus’ custom, Jesus breaks the traditions of the religious Jews and personally meets with a sinner—Zacchaeus. Luke writes, “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today’” (19:5). Personally, meeting with Zacchaeus is a priority for Jesus, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (19:10). The personal nature of evangelism cannot be neglected if the church studies and seeks to imitate the life and ministry of Jesus. The Scriptures and the testimony of the Savior demand the church increase the priority she places on personal evangelism.

Relationships Matter Most to the Master

The above three personal examples of Jesus demonstrate the importance that He places on relationships. The importance Jesus places on relationships is consistent in both His life and His teachings (Mt. 22:34-40). An expert in the law once asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Mt. 22:36). Jesus’ response places a high priority on relationships. First, Jesus’ response places the highest value on one’s relationship with God. Matthew writes, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (22:37-38). Second, Jesus’ response places an equally high value on one’s relationship with others. Matthew continues, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” (22:39). Jesus is clear, relationships matter most to God and relationships must be governed by love. Frank Stagg agrees, “The key word in the great commandment as well as the second that is like it, is love”⁶⁵ (original author’s emphasis). Love fulfills the laws of God. Matthew writes, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (22:40). Loving God and loving one’s neighbor are to be top priorities in the life of a Christian. Loving God and loving one’s neighbor are impossible apart from a life devoted to the practice of personal evangelism. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (Jn. 14:15). Loving God is obeying Him. Loving God is serving Him. Loving God is sharing Him with others.

Busy and Distracted

Unfortunately, many at TFC are not personally sharing Christ with others. Sadly, many of the members do not recognize their lack of zeal for personal evangelism and their lack of participation in the same because they are too busy and distracted. The evangelical delirium of the membership may also stem from the fact that the church is experiencing substantial growth. The growth at TFC itself is exciting, however much of the growth is not by way of salvations. The church records reveal that most of the growth is from transferred memberships (See Appendix A). The transfer to baptism ratio from 2013 to 2018 is 3:1. There are three transfers per every salvation. The ratio is not concerning on the surface. However, a deeper study of the statistics reveals most of the salvations over these six years are from the youth and children’s ministries and these salvations are a direct result of mass evangelism—summer camps. Most of these salvations are not a direct result of personal evangelism. As earlier mentioned, mass evangelism is biblical and necessary; but it cannot be the sole source of evangelism for a local church. Leon Maurer writes, “The Holy Spirit was not only given for power to reach the masses, but also to reach individuals.”⁶⁶ TFC must equip and engage her members in personal evangelism. Reaching the world through personal evangelism is what Jesus commissioned the church to do. Sharing the gospel with the lost is also what Jesus prayed His followers would do just before He ascended into Heaven.

Jesus Prays for Personal Evangelism

Jesus not only commissions His disciples to be soul winners. He also prays for them to strategically make the gospel known to all nations. This prayer is not done in solace away from His disciples. Jesus prays among them illustrating the importance of the content of His prayer. J. Dwight Pentecost notes, “In His prayer in their hearing, He had said that He was sending them into the world for the same purpose that the Father had sent Him into the world (John 17:18); namely, to make the Father known.”⁶⁷ This is a significant moment. Those who follow Jesus will represent Him to the world. The apostle Paul writes, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:20). God is choosing to reach the world through His people. This is phenomenal. God being both omniscient and omnipotent chooses to use His people to reach the world. He did not choose a certain type of worship service, a special method of evangelism, an angelic being, the expanse of the skies; nor did He choose a certain style of music. No, God clearly chooses His people to accomplish His global purpose of making disciples of all nations. The church must never forget the purpose of God for His people. The church must also stop neglecting the purpose of God for His people. Christians must actively engage in the soul-winning effort.

The Current Context of The First Church

Currently, there are a few churches in this midwestern city experiencing turnover in senior leadership due to retirements and other various reasons. As a result, many individuals from these churches have made their way to TFC. Nevertheless, there is no systematic plan to equip people for personal evangelism and to employ them to do the same. The lack of such a plan goes unnoticed, as the people of TFC appear to be content. This must change if TFC is to maximize her redemptive potential as a local church. Alphonse Turner writes, “The local church plays a critical role in evangelism, for it is the force that is most capable and strategically positioned to reach the unchurched.”⁶⁸ The church indeed is the force that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower for such a task—global evangelization (Acts 1:8). The need for the church to rise up is ever increasing. George Barna reports, “The adult population in the United States has grown by 15 percent. During that same period, the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 million—a 92 percent increase!”⁶⁹ However, many Christians are not aware of how many people in their own communities do not know Jesus. Thom Rainer agrees, “Many Christians do not realize how unevangelized and unchurched America has become.”⁷⁰ Year after year the church in America continues to lose influence and size in the United States. John Dickerson adds, “By multiple accounts, evangelical believers are between 7 and 9 percent of the United States population.”⁷¹ The church in America has grown smaller and smaller. It is time to reverse this trend.

TFC is strategically located in a midwestern city in the United States. TFC moved to her current location more than a decade ago anticipating an explosion of growth in this area of the city. The move proved to be a smart decision. As anticipated, the area exploded in growth and the church was one of the largest in the region. However, these fruitful times were followed by some dark years and a severe decline in membership. The church dropped from averaging over 2,000 to 200 in Sunday school attendance. In 2011, the current senior pastor who was the youth pastor back when the church was a true beacon of hope in this growing midwestern city was called to lead the church out of the valley. At the time, TFC was running around 300 in Sunday school attendance. Since the installment of his pastorate, the church has doubled in Sunday school attendance; yet as explained earlier there is no real passion for soul winning among the membership. During this time there has also been a noticeable trend of declining numbers in Sunday evening discipleship. The decline is so substantial that Sunday evening discipleship no longer exists. The conviction of the author is that somehow the two are related. Jim Austin agrees, “You cannot divorce evangelism and discipleship.”⁷² People who are deeply committed to the study of the Word of God are also committed to the work of God. George Barna writes, “When individuals are single-minded in their devotion to God, their commitment to His ways and His principles becomes much deeper, much more intense.”⁷³ The greater commitment to God’s Word will result in a greater commitment to His work. George Barna adds, “They will gladly share their faith in Christ with non-believers because they understand their responsibility to other people and to God, because they simply cannot contain their own excitement about the privilege of relating to God.”⁷⁴ Learning God’s Word and living God’s Word are one and the same. Christians who are active in the study of the Bible are typically active in living it out as well. Growing in relationship with Jesus will feed one’s desire to reach people with the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Growing people reach people. Evangelism will be a natural overflow of an active intentional walk with the Lord. Luke agrees, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). A close walk with Jesus is the key to Peter and John’s newly found courage to evangelize the very people who could persecute them even to death for proclaiming the gospel. Similarly, today, those who have “been with Jesus” cannot go long without sharing their faith.

The Example of the Early Disciples

Consider John’s account of the calling of Jesus’ first disciples. J. Dwight Pentecost writes, “John had publicly identified Jesus as the Messiah to the nation Israel.”⁷⁵ John sees Jesus and proclaims, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29)! On the next day John sees Jesus and repeats the declaration that Jesus is the “Lamb of God” (Jn. 1:36). John’s disciples understood this to be the fulfillment of the promise God made concerning the Messiah. Andrew now understood this too. Pentecost continues, “After the day spen...