Without evangelism the Christian religion would have died down with the passage off time because there would have been no people who believe and follow the teachings and works of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, it would never be an understatement to say that evangelism is the driving force of the Christian religion because it is through it that more and more people are being numbered into the Christian fold.
It is however sad to discover that so many Christians are living with the ideology that it is only those who are ordained as ministers, that is the pastors, prophets, evangelists, teachers etc. who are tasked with doing the evangelical work.
In John 15:16 the Lord Jesus clearly pointed out that He choose every Christian in order that they might bear fruit. And this bearing of fruit simply means the ability to convert others to become Christians.
While on earth, Jesus had so many disciples and one of the task He would always give to them is going out to evangelize.
In Luke 10:1-23, we can see how He sent 72 of His disciples to go out and evangelize.
But before any Christian attempts the evangelical work, he must be able to know the types as well as the aim of evangelism.
This sermon is therefore going to look into the main aim of evangelism, and after doing so I will also help you to understand what motivates evangelism as well as how to encourage people to evangelize.
The main aim of evangelism.
The main aim of evangelism is the conversion of people to the Christian religion, and this is done by way of preaching the Good News or gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Himself was an Evangelist and when He began His ministry on earth the theme He was using to achieve the aim of evangelism was repentance and forgiveness of sins that will enable people to enter into the kingdom of God.
In Mathew 3:2 we will find Jesus saying “repent for the kingdom o God is at hand”. And in Luke 24:45-47 H e commanded His disciples to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins.
Basically, evangelism should be done only to unbelievers who comprises off those belonging to other religions as well as those who do not belong to any religion at all. But sadly, the modern Christian denominations have seen evangelism as a means of moving believers away from their present church to theirs.
This ideology is common among the Charismatics who sees the orthodox and Pentecostals as holding on to doctrines that is unable to make people truly born again.
But if you really want to achieve the aim of evangelism, ensure you are targeting people from other religions as well as those who do not belong to any religion at all.
What motivates evangelism?
Having compassion for lost souls and the desire to save them through the gospel of Jesus Christ should be what motivates every Christian into evangelism.
In Luke 19:10, Jesus reveals that He came to find the lost souls after He had earlier used the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son to illustrate His mission in Luke 15:3-32.
In these three parables, we will see how the masters made a feast to celebrate the lost and found item they even deserted the remaining ones to go searching for.
As a matter of fact, His mission to save the lost souls involved an untold persecution by His own people which led to His being wrongfully accused and crucified on the cross of Calvary.
And it sis worth noting that no matter how He was tempted to give up the mission, His compassion and the desire to save the lost souls motivated Him to endure to the very end.
And as Paul would say in Philippians 2:5, we must also posses this same mind which was in Christ Jesus and allow our compassion and the desire to save the lost souls motivate us to do the work of an Evangelist.
How to encourage people to evangelize.
You can encourage people to evangelize by showing them God’s promises to those who do the work of evangelism.
Below are some off those promises that is found in the scripture:
- Those who lose their lives for the sake of evangelism will save it (Mark 8:35). We can see the evidence in the fact that all the disciples of Christ suffered martyrdom, and I believe it is this words of encouragement by Christ that gave them the ability to withstand those torments and death.
- Eternal life is a reward that awaits all those who are able to evangelize (Mark 10:29-39). I always believe that God will reserve a special place for evangelist in His kingdom.
- Those who turn many to righteousness shall shine like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 2:3). Evangelist shall be the light that lights up the kingdom of the Father.
- Those who evangelize are given the power and authority over demons as well as the power to cure every kind of diseases. (Mathew 10:1). When the disciples discovered that they had power over demons, the scripture records that they came back feeling so happy (Luke 10:17-19). And I can’t imagine such happiness if we are also able to experience it.
Another way you can encourage people to evangelize is by telling them not to be ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God to salvation for those who believe.
Conclusion.
Whatever aim we see or hold about evangelism, we must ensure that we do not deviate from the path that Christ showed to us.
It is common among Christians to consider themselves more lucky than those they see living in sin and sometimes they even disassociate themselves from such people.
These kind of Christians will never be able to achieve the aim of evangelism because the compassion for the lost souls you see is going to be the driving force that will make you go out to evangelize to them.
