The Local Church and Evangelism
- April 1st, 2008
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Where does the local church figure in evangelism? What is evangelism?
Christians of all generations practice evangelism, rather than merely talk about it. They draw their spiritual life from the Word and for this reason evangelism is a way of life rather than a technique to be learned. They witness for the Lord Jesus Christ and teach His salvation to others.
The roots of evangelism are embedded in the local church which derives its life from Christ. Christians who abide in Christ by abiding in a true local church will evangelize spontaneously. We should devote our time and energy to evangelism, evangelism that springs up all year round.
Evangelism is not a special crusade or campaign. Evangelism is the preaching of the Gospel to every person old or young, male or female, rich or poor, weak or strong. The Gospel must be preached and applied to our own family first before we go into all the world.
Evangelism, in which teaching and doctrine are minimized by man-centered religion with emphasis on entertainment, is weak and disappointing because those who profess to have made decisions for Christ soon fall away. It is not by the wisdom of men that souls are saved, but by the foolishness of preaching (1 Cor. 1:21).
Door to door evangelism, if thoughtfully conducted, is found to be the best means of evangelism. To evangelize is to teach and instruct every person about the Gospel (Matt. 28: 19). Door to door evangelism can be done two by two. It is not suitable for men to visit women on their own. One purpose of visiting is to make contact with the people and to inform them of the work of the church in their area. While people are invited to come, it is to be realized that it is exceedingly doubtful that they will respond to such an invitation and therefore, the main objective must be to share the primary issues of the Gospel. We must not wait for them to come to us for we will wait in vain; Rather, we must be the ones to walk the distance. Records should be kept. Careful follow-up work is also very important. Proper timing for visitations need to be observed.
Starting door to door evangelism is difficult to do, follow-ups can be even more painstaking. Our Lord commanded us to teach all nations and assured us that He is with us even to the end of time. If He has commanded evangelism and promised to be with us, then that should be enough to encourage us on. We should persuade one another in this urgent and important mission.
A total of 568 Houses visited, 769 Individuals Witnessed to, 56 Converts, 52 Houses Open for Bible Studies, 216 Houses Open for Follow-up in the areas of Villaros, Baretbet, Villa Coloma Bagabag, Diffon Quirino, and San Pedro Bagabag was reached by Gospel Xpress.
Our Cavite Team composed of Lissa Destura and John Paul de la Cruz in one area and father and son tandem of Lorie and Francis de Sena in another area continue to be zealous in spreading the Gospel through GX and other very helpful and practical ways.
SOP Church inaugurated the pre-school class of the Kids Center last 4 June 2007, offering free day care service for children ages 4-5 years old. With the kind heart of Ms. Shirley Tolosa, the center is able to teach Christian Values, English, Pilipino, Math and Science to 24 children. School supplies, other materials, and snacks are given free to these children.
“How to share the Gospel to your kids” was the theme of this seminar. Participants were parents from the SOP daycare and nearby churches.
Sixteen participants with mixed age groups attended our seminar on evangelism. Bro. Chito started out with praise and worship before proceeding to the main part of the program. They enjoyed the lecture just as much as they enjoyed the singing. Afterwards those who prepared shared their short testimonies and gamely tried out their newly acquired strategy on soul winning on each other. The seminar ended with snacks provided by Bro. Chito and Sis. Irene.
Teacher Joey presented the first batch of students on their recognition day last April, 2007 where citations and special awards were handed out. Little Angel Mendita told the audience she would like to be a doctor when she grows up.