Love is the true spirit of evangelism. We should warn people about the danger of hell as if they were our own children walking on the brink of a volcano.- Reinhard Bonnke
Christians, do you believe that hell really exists? If you believe it, for God’s sake, let your life show it! We should be full of compassion for all men, especially those who hate us. God’s word declares concerning the fearful and unbelieving that their part will be in the Lake of Fire, which burns endlessly – see Revelation 21:8. The Bible says we should “love our neighbour as ourselves”. If your neighbour’s house was burning down, would you warn him?
Please see this video animation of William Booth’s vision of lost and drowning souls
Now we probably should not begin our interactions with people on the subject of hell, unless we are already weeping for them day and night. But still, we should not be afraid to let this factor motivate us. Many people are not ready to hear this word. We therefore need to do evangelism the way Jesus did it, and begin by showing people the grace and compassion of God in ways that minister to their felt needs. However, we cannot stop there.
For the sake of Jesus Christ, and the honor of God, give your heart fully to God and His purposes, and then use your God-given brain and learn how you can get people to God. Do not say, “its not my ministry”. Evangelists are in the body of Christ to equip you to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). Every Christian should do the work of the ministry, and soul-winning is part of it. You need to learn and to learn you ought to study and practice. That is just the way things are in life.
Non-believers – God is not offering an apology for hell’s existence. It is a righteous thing with God to punish those who do not know Him, who reject His right to be God in their lives. But that is hard to understand unless you first realise that to reject God is to reject the One to whom we owe everything. It is to reject and break the heart of the One who is the Source of love and goodness. All sins and evil come out of people who are not humble before God. We have broken God’s laws. But God also yearns with compassion for those who don’t know Him, and who as yet can’t see clearly. He has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. He doesn’t WANT you to go to hell. He loves you and would do anything that doesn’t violate His principles of eternal justice to get you to heaven, and not in hell. That is why He ended up sending His beloved Son Jesus to die in your place. I hope I can be one Christian amongst many who can accurately represent the love of the Father to you. I pray that the Lord may use me to turn many to righteousness, and help others to do the same. Have a look at The Big Issues.
Keys to Effective Evangelism
God wants us to be so full of Him that it is natural to share about Jesus with others. One key to overcoming our fears is to gain knowledge, another is to get full of God. If the Christian message is true, believers should do all in their power to communicate God’s truth to a world [and many times a church] which doesn’t believe it. That is one of the main reasons for this site.
Many people are waking up to the fact that it is not enough to simply say the message, as important as that is. We must give evidence to certain things also. We must give evidence to the fact that Christ has changed our lives. We must give evidence to the fact that He is able to heal, save and deliver from demonic oppression. We must give evidence to His love. Sometimes we need to be able to be able to defend the ideas we believe in against the popular notions published everywhere by the media of this world. For this reason we need to study and think. Otherwise our thinking will be molded by ungodly people and we will end up taking sides with their viewpoint against those who love and preach the uncompromised Word of God. Its better to please God than to please the world. This world crucified Christ and will hate those who steadfastly refuse to bow to the idols of our time, instead preferring to lift up Jesus Christ as the Savior.
The Big Issues – some resources on this site to challenge and stimulate non-Christians. Pass the URL to your associates!
Our Mission as Christians – Bible teaching on evangelizing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Doing Evangelism like Jesus – The thesis of this article is that Jesus showed us how to do evangelism, both by direct instruction and also by example.
The Power of Your Testimony – how’s and why’s on using this weapon to destroy Satan’s power.
Witnessing – a practical guide to witnessing to strangers and people you meet.
Church Planting Resources
Church planting is considered to be the most effective means of doing evangelism. It also requires great resources. It requires the development of men (and women) to do the job. If you are a believer, God wants you to be involved with church planting efforts – be it to go, send, pray or give.
Church Planting Manual – a practical resource manual for church planters by Ps. John Iuliano
Saturation Church Planting Manual by United World Mission
Reaching Men
Men’s Ministry Manual – strategies and ideas for reaching men, geared to the Australian situation.