1.
Commend Not Convert. We dare not handle the word of God
deceitfully. There are no tricks needed in Holy Spirit driven evangelism. We do
not save anyone. Jesus saves. We are messengers who are “by manifestation of the
truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2
Cor. 4:2) This is what we do. This word “sunistemi” (to commend) means to sit
down with someone else and be connected with them. It means to set one part of
a whole with another part and to present ideas. We are all part of humanity and
we are all part of local communities. Our responsibility in evangelism is not
to “make converts”. Our privilege is to associate with our neighbors and share
with them the greatest ideas ever delivered to mankind. According to the
Scriptures, Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third
day. Thereby saving all who turn away from sin and trust Him as Lord and
Savior. There is no need for high-pressure techniques that disable Christians
because they are afraid they won’t say the next bullet point correctly in the
canned presentation. Bullet points and helpful presentations may be wonderful
tools to lay out our ideas but there should be no sense of obligation to make a
convert. Pray for their souls, desire them to be saved, and commend the truth of the gospel to your neighbors. Watch the Holy
Spirit help them see the truth in the beauty of Christ. Be an intentional
disciple-maker. Convince (help them see their wrong doing) and rebuke (call
them away from what is wrong and dishonorable) but even these are to be done
with exhortation (urging as a comforting friend) “with all longsuffering and
teaching.” (2 Tim. 4:2) A true evangelist commends people to Christ and
manifests Christ to people. This is our life's work. There is no way we can make converts but it sure is awesome to watch Jesus draw men to Himself and to know that we were tools in our Master's hands as He did it.
1.
Get a Fresh Look at the Church’s Facilities. It’s human nature to overlook the most obvious things. I
see myself in the mirror multiple times a day but I don’t notice the wrinkles
and the gray hair. I blissfully assume I still look the way I did at 25. I most
certainly do not. When someone else looks at me they see me the way I really
appear. And if I take a few moments and focus I can do the same thing. So it is
with our church facilities. Things change with age. We need fresh eyes to look
at our facilities and help us to clean up the things that have become wrinkled
and broken down. The appearance of our facilities communicates so much to the
rest of the community. An old, crusty building that has not been well
maintained preaches to the community that this is an old, crusty church that
does not care much about her mission. How do you think parents will envision
the nursery for their babies on the inside if the outside is shabby? I know
what some will say, “We are not here to entertain people. They should desire to
be part of a church whether there is a nursery or not. We focus on the word not
buildings” While this is true we should also consider the excellence with which
all things should be done. If we will have buildings, then they should display
the honor of God. They need not be overly ornate but proper maintenance is a
must. Do all things well. Freshen up your facilities and show your neighbors
there is excitement where God’s people meet.
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