A Word about Healthy Evangelism

Today I like to share a word about Healthy Evangelism as I comment on Acts 1:6-11, which reads:

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

We have been looking at the characteristics of a healthy church as defined by the International Mission Board.  We’ve seen how the how healthy worship is our “Job 1.” Today we will see how God has given us a commission to proclaim the Gospel.  As I began thinking about this message, I was reminded of a joke sent to me by a friend:

A mom was preparing pancakes for her sons Kevin, 5 and Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.  Their mother saw a chance to teach a moral lesson. She said, “If Jesus was sitting here, he would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake.  I can wait.’”  Kevin turned to his baby brother and said: “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

So often that’s our attitude about evangelism, missions, and outreach. Like our trash, we’re glad that those things are taken care of . . . by someone else!  That’s not a healthy Biblical attitude, though. Let’s consider Acts 1:6-11 and see what our attitude ought to be.

WHO WAS JESUS SPEAKING TO? US!

In the South we have our own vocabulary. For example, the plural of “You” is “Y’all” and the plural of “Y’all” is “All Y’all.” The plural of “Us” is “Us’ns” and the plural of “We” is “We’uns.”

When they are asked to proclaim the Gospel, some people will reply, “Who, me?”

Who was Jesus talking to here? Not pastors, they didn’t exist yet. Not deacons, they hadn’t been selected yet. Not to the world, they didn’t believe in Jesus. He was speaking to the church, those called to follow Him. He was talking to “All Y’all” and to “Us’ns.”

Heathy churches enlist their entire fellowship to be witnesses for Christ. 

WHAT WAS JESUS ASKING US TO DO? WITNESS!

God wants to communicate His love to people. He invested all He has in saving mankind and this would be wasted if people did not hear. As the second half of  2 Peter 3:9 tells us: “[God is] not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

We have simply been asked to tell what we know; to witness is just to tell what we have experienced firsthand. Even physical, forensic, and documentary evidence must come into court by way of a verbal witness.

Our personal testimony is powerful, because no one can deny what we have personally experienced. It is portable because we can take anywhere that we ourselves go. It is persuasive because the best way of promoting something is by word of mouth. As missionaries to South Vietnam used to say, “What was whispered in Hue in morning will be shouted in Saigon by the afternoon.”

The truth is, we will be witnesses whether we like it or not, but what kind will we be? As a hospital marketing director once told the Board of Directors, “Everything our employees do is marketing, some of it good, some of it bad!”

Heathy churches give a good witness to Christ.

HOW WAS JESUS ASKING US TO DO THIS? BY GOD’S POWER! 

Doing a job without the right tools is frustrating and dangerous. For example, many people have cut themselves badly while trying to use a knife as a can opener. I remember how eye-opening it was for the first time I cut a loaf of bread with a real bread knife! It was so much better than using a butcher knife or a steak knife!

God knows that witnessing for Him is difficult; Jesus witnessed, and he was reviled by His enemies. Not only that, but Jesus witnessed, and he was misunderstood by His friends. In the end, Jesus witnessed, and he was killed by a distant, unfeeling government

God has made provisions to help us, however, First, He sent the Holy Spirit to us and though the Spirit He gave us Spiritual gifts. He also gave us pastor/teachers to train us and lead us. Finally, He promised He’ll give us the words to say in our time of need.

If we say “I can’t” we are right. If we say that “God can’t use me” we are wrong!

Healthy churches allow God to empower their evangelism and outreach.

WHY WAS JESUS ASKING US TO DO THIS? THE NEED IS GREAT!

There is a world of hurt out there:

• COVID-19 has killed untold numbers of people in the world who have died without Christ.
• We have a continuing problem with substance abuse and the resulting addictions.
• Suicide is becoming a serious problem in western society.
• Political and social unrest are common, and the cancel culture is in full bloom.

There is a world of lost people out there:

• There is no county in the USA which has more Christians than it did ten years ago
• Our birthrate is outstripping rate of baptisms.
• Overseas baptisms now top baptisms at home.
• About one billion people in closed countries have never heard Gospel.
• People are dying and going to Hell!

Heathy churches understand that this world and everyone in it need Jesus!

WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO? 

Healthy churches:

• Are good witnesses for God in our words and deed.  
• Take every opportunity they are are presented to witness for the Lord. 
• Invite people to their church.
• Pray that the harvest will increase.

Everything in nature that is healthy reproduces. A heathy church will reproduce itself through evangelism!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt