IMPORTANT TIPS ON EVANGELISM (DISCIPLESHIP PART 3)

I hope you are excited enough to get started… knowing Jesus and welcoming the Holy Spirit. Your journey to evangelism is set. A couple of things to take note of.

The urgency

The way my article has been made might make it seem like discipleship is a thing you sit down and wait for up until you feel it in your heart that it is time. That we have all the time in the world to be doing anything else we want and deem important in our lives and keep some time for evangelism. You could not be more wrong.

Time is running out. Almost all the things that were prophesied about, signalling the end of times have come to pass. Prayers of you, you and things to do with you will not cut it anymore. You need to live a life that imitates Christ. He was more concerned about the salvation of people.  It is a very urgent matter as time is running out and the aim is not just to be a soldier in the army, but a general. And you are not going to get there by just sitting around. Every day, every given opportunity, tell someone about Christ.

Who needs to be saved?

Is it the poor man on the street?  Or the rich uncle that’s always drinking and messing up his family?  My thoughts;  start where you are. Start with the people around you; Family, friends. And yes, that man who touts for minibuses at your stage and curses at you every time you pass by. Literally everyone who is not saved should be your target.

Converts and disciples

This is the point Lewis made me read and take serious note of.

Be very careful not to make converts.

What are converts? Converts are the people who you explain the word of God to, and fully comprehend the need for them to repent. In the normal language, we would say they are the ones who now have received Jesus Christ as there Lord and saviour. This is good. Great! But this person at this very moment is a convert.

I will equate this to a new born baby. The joy you feel at just receiving a new born baby. When somebody just gets in the Lord, they are also just babies, no matter how grown in physical world they might be.

So like a new baby in the world is mothered or fathered (taken care of), so is a convert, or our spiritual baby supposed to be taken care of.

Love

The main ingredient would be love. You, as their guide, would teach them and guide them in all spiritual truths. Do not be worried you have all spiritual truth, some of which you have no idea about. (NIV) john 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  But your task should never end on making converts, because if not taken care of, they will die. They will return back to their sins. And sin leads to death.

I will expand on love. There is a reason why love is the utmost of them all (1 corinthians 13 vs 13).  Even in your evangelism, or any way you go about spreading the gospel, love will be the ultimate decider of your success. The opposite of course is true. Without love, you end up being frustrated, because the people you have converted will turn back to their ways most likely. You would have just made a convert.

People find it easy to relate to the person they have trusted to bring them to the Lord. And you have to be there for them, even if they don’t ask of it. They need a standing structure to grow, a family. The same way, a new born needs a family to take care of their needs.

You love them. You check up on them, on their spiritual progress as often as you can. You give them material that they would maybe not know where to find. Books to read, songs that will elevate their lives and many other ways the Holy Spirit leads you to (see one of the reasons why he must be there?).

Make them feel welcome in the lord, so that they feel no need to go back to their ways in the world. Remember:  (NIV) 1Co 13:4  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

CROSS THE LINE

Do not smother them so much that they are concerned about a relationship with you than the master. The point is to help them through this journey. Render help and not hinder it. They should not feel like if they do something wrong, they will disappoint you. That should not be the reason they do not do something wrong. In your absence, they will sin. And you are not guaranteed to always be around.

Point them to the father. They are answerable to the father.

Which brings me to the purpose of all this. When not making converts, you are making disciples.

Like a new born baby, you handle everything of theirs and allow for their mistakes when they are young.  Eventually though, you have to give them room to grow. They should not remain babies for ever.  Firstly; you as a person need to be attending to other new babies in the kingdom. Secondly; the field is big and the harvesters are small in numbers. (KJV) Luke 10:2 therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few…  Having been made a disciple, they should also be able to make other more disciples from the world.

Never cease to grow yourself.

Just because you are now able to make disciples and people look up to you does not mean you have reached the IT point. If there is one thing you should never do, is cease to grow. Mary and Martha had been with the Lord for long, they knew ‘everything’ the Lord was capable of doing. To the point that when their brother passed on, they chastised the Lord for not having been there to stop it. They had no idea Jesus was very well capable of raising a dead man from the grave (JOHN 11-12).  It is a grave mistake to ever assume we have known everything about God, or to just relax our guard because we feel we have reached a point we know almost everything. If you have read the whole bible twice, or many more times, read it again! You will always find something that you missed every time you read; the Holy Spirit will whisper secrets. You need this for growth.

1 COR 9:27   

(NLT) I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

(AMP)  But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].

(MSG)  I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

STAY BLESSED. J

WHAT TO DO? (DISCIPLESHIP-part 2)

Please start off by reading the previous post on discipleship.

“Christian” is a name given by pagans to the disciples (we adopted It from them). It basically meant, Christ alike. That is to say, they did what Christ did. They lived the way Christ lived. Hence  Christ-ians. Story for another day.

So yes, a real Christian is the one who possesses Christ attributes.

So first of all, you have to know the nature of Christ. What and who He was/is.  How do you do that? You know Christ by reading the Word. He is The word! (John 1:1).

Maybe you did not exactly get me right, But Christ, Is the word!. And the only way you know Him is by reading the Word. Did I say by going to church or by by listening to gospel music or by reading this blog?  I said, by reading His word!

That is how you know the nature of Christ. That is How you know what it is like to be a Christian/Christ alike! That is how you can be a true disciple.

Jeremiah 4 vs 22:

(KJV)  For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

(MSG)  "What fools my people are! They have no idea who I am. A company of half-wits, dopes and donkeys all! Experts at evil but klutzes at good."

Foolishness my dear, is having no idea who your Lord (Master and saviour) is.

So first rule in discipleship, get to know Christ!

So, the disciples had known Jesus (Having lived with Him for years), and they were ready to proclaim the word!

Yes, soon after Jesus had left, they could have started their merry way to making disciples of all nations. But Christ told them to wait. At this point, its important to realise, God has a plan for all of us, each one different from the other, or we would all end up being preachers. So God told them to wait. For what you ask.

Luk 24:47: It must be preached that men must be sorry for their sins and turn from them. Then they will be forgiven. This must be preached in His name to all nations beginning in Jerusalem.

Luk 24:48 : You are to tell what you have seen.

Luk 24:49: See! I will send you what My Father promised. But you are to stay in Jerusalem until you have received power from above.

The Holy Spirit MUST be available when you start your journey in winning souls. He is the one that tells you what your role is, how to play it and all.

Do not go on your own and claim to do His will. Its effort wasted. Gods work is effortless and enjoyable (such is the grace and I can testify). And Gods Spirit is there for such.

So what did the disciples do waiting for this Spirit?

They did as He (Jesus) asked, they stayed in Jerusalem, and….

Luke 24:53

(AMP)  And they were continually in the temple celebrating with praises and blessing and extolling God. Amen (so be it).

So where is your temple? Where do you praise and extol God? Is it a place that the Holy Spirit will come like it did, Jerusalem? And you have to admit, there are always places that the Spirit will manifest Himself, and there are those that He won’t. It’s just that simple. That is why Jesus was specific on where they should stay, Jerusalem!

Your Jerusalem could be your church, or a Ministry or a fellowship gathering of believers. That is where you stay! Not move around, lest the day of Pentecost comes and you are busy visiting Judea. Stay and capture the Spirit of God in your Jerusalem. Praise God waiting for the Spirit of God always knowing when He comes, you will know exactly where you are going and how you are going to get there. But Know Jesus first. And you will realise, even when the Spirit is upon you, you want to just know more of Him!

It doesn’t matter where how old you are, or that you are not a peoples person, you cannot speak as cool as others, or you cannot sing, or my favourite, you basically have nothing you can tell others, Leave that to Him. Just tell Him, you are ready to join in on the great commission, and let Him do away with you.

(Jeremiah 1 vs 1-10, Exodus 6 vs 29-30, 7 vs 1-2, )

So in this great commission;

Mat_10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

Joh_6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Joh_16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

And remember, the Ministry is not for perfect people. It is where people are perfected (Pr. Joel Gondwe - RFP Lilongwe)

I AM BORN AGAIN, THEN WHAT? (DISCIPLESHIP- part1)

So you have gotten born again. Then what? You start enjoying the benefits of being God's Child, a co-heir with Christ and part of the chosen generation. Discover Grace and live in a peaceful bliss of happiness and joy and love.Yes, you can have it all and end there. And most people usually do. Probably the reason why most people backslide. Because after getting born again, they have not found the reason they were redeemed for.We were all redeemed for a purpose. First of all, Jesus saved you and I, so that we can be able to fully enjoy and delight in a personal relationship with God. Remember, we had sinned and fell short of Gods Glory. 

Then, you need to share.

Imagine if the person who had taught you about Christ had ended where you so wish to end? Who would have taught you the gospel?

No, I am not trying to guilt trip you, but here is a great example. The disciples of Christ. They all had lives before Jesus came in their lives. They weren’t great lives yes (We run to God usually because our past life is not that great) but they were lives regardless. And after Jesus came in their lives and left to sit on the right hand of the Father, they could have as well have gotten back to their lives. I mean, by virtue of all they had been through with Jesus, by believing in Him, they had a pass to heaven, Yes?

But Jesus, gave them a purpose. He gave you and I and a purpose after our salvation.

Matthew 28:19; (NIV)  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

(MSG)  Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

When Jesus left, He gave what you would call as assignment. A mission. Go ye and make disciples of all nations.

We can admit the 11 disciples did a great job can we not? Because we have come to know the gospel through them. They dedicated their lives (and I mean every part of it, in whole), to making sure, that you and I today, 2000 years later know the gospel.

Imagine if they had kept it to themselves. Imagine if they had not traveled and suffered just so you and I get to be born again today.

I have always thought they were blessed and it was easier for them because they had actually seen Jesus in the flesh.

Listen to what He (Jesus Himself) says,

John 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Now that’s you and I. Blessed! Not having seen Jesus days! But blessed even more because we have believed!

God called us to be saved. To sit at His table and partake in His grace.

I always compare it to, a street child; who does not know good living up until someone adopts them. Then they discover “Life.” Where they were in the streets were many others. Should they be selfish enough and not call upon their friends to dine with them, live the life that’s being given to them, for free even? That’s selfish yes?

There is no excuse you have in not bringing souls to Christ. Someone had to fast and pray for your soul. Why can you not do the same?

It is not, and I repeat, NOT, the duty of the pastor, prophet, bishop, reverend or anyone in particular to save souls. It is everyone's!

Its called, THE GREAT COMMISSION!

There is a reason why my name is Not Florence, and I do not have the height she has, why I speak and write and text differently from her. Why we were born in different families and have so many things different. God made us each unique for a reason. We are all but different pieces that together we can work in His kingdom. Aliyense (everyone) with a role to play. When you decide Not to play your role, there is no, another you that can do that job!

We are all called to Ministry, and that’s the Ministry of winning souls! Whether by preaching, or by singing or by dancing…whatever unique feature God made you have, it is so you join and supplement/complement winning souls.

Make an heir or two for the throne.

I feel like i just run through this..

In the next post, I will explain some basic virtues to discipleship. Lewis just made me read a post on discipleship, I loved it. I will share what i learnt from it soon.

But be excited!

Luke 15:10  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Imagine, you being the reason the Angels of God rejoice….I mean,a lost sheep is found, you are of course going to thank the shepherd who found it right?