One of my
favourite speakers is the evangelist J.John. He says, “In general, people go to
church three times throughout their lifetime. Once to be christened, secondly
to be married and finally the third time is for their funeral. The point being that
on two of the occasions that they do go, they have to be carried in!”
“And the lord said unto the
servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that
my house may be filled.' Luke 14:23
The
scripture above is very clear and there is no doubt that it is also a command.
Jesus is once again using the word ‘Go’ as He did in Matthew 16: 15 “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all
creation.”
So
what should we do when we follow the command of Jesus but get the reply “You
won’t get me inside a church!”? I believe that the answer is to be more creative
and more intentional in our approach towards those that don’t know Jesus as
Lord. That means being deliberate about a number of things in order to be successful
in this very important area.
Most
churches offer meetings that are less formal, particularly for specific groups,
such as The Business Men’s Fellowship, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship
International, and the Women’s and Men’s Aglow organisations. These are really
great for taking a two step approach towards giving a person a chance to hear
the Gospel. By two steps I mean inviting a person to a less churchy type of function
before them visiting church.
I
have been involved in this type of evangelism for many years now and know from
experience that inviting someone to a breakfast, dinner or lunch is much easier
that asking them to come to a church meeting. I have seen many lives changed
through them.
In
this kind of meeting, the Gospel is usually shared through the life experience
of someone’s testimony. It is not like being preached at, plus they will have
had an opportunity to chat to other Christians. I often speak at such functions
as well as organising them.
Key Point: Being intentional prayed up.
planned and rehearsed will increase your effectiveness at inviting people to
church
From
experience, I believe that there are three important areas to focus on so that
when we invite a person to an event, similar to the ones I have mentioned, that
the person invited says ‘Yes’. These areas are:
·
Decide who
you are going to invite
·
Pray before
you invite them
·
Rehearse
how you are going to invite them
Being definite: Experience has shown that being intentional and focused
on a number of specific people proves to be more fruitful than randomly
inviting many to come along. I spent many years in sales and recruitment where
we had saying – “If you throw enough mud at the wall some will eventually stick.”
It’s true, but we have to remember how many people get put off by this type of
approach. In evangelism training, I teach the vital importance of always
keeping the door open for another opportunity. It is also absolutely essential
to pray and rehearse your approach.
I
have worked with people who witness effortlessly on the streets. It is their
gifting to be able to stop someone and within a minute or two they are
explaining the Gospel followed by a prayer of repentance. It truly is a gift, because
it is evident in the results that follow the way they share with others.
With
this in mind, make a list of people that you want to invite to an event. Think
and pray about it before you actually speak to them.
Praying: One of my mentors in evangelism is
one of the most gifted people in this area, a lady called Marilyn Harry. She always
states emphatically that prayer and evangelism go hand in hand. She is absolutely
right.
A
Fervent prayer about the people on your list will
make
a difference. Ask God to prepare their hearts to break down barriers as well as
creating opportunities to give you uninterrupted time to speak to them - this will
yield
results. “The prayer of a righteous person is
powerful and effective.” James 5: 16. I believe that scripture and as Paul said in
Timothy 2: 4. “God desires that all men should be saved.”Do we need any more
encouragement? When you invite a person along to an event, or share Jesus, you
are doing what God desires. What a thrill!
Rehearsing: This point is often overlooked.
Some people ask nervously, others ask in a way that is jumbled up and hard to
understand, some come across as boring, some talk too much and talk the person
out of coming along!
This
is why it is necessary to practice what you are going to say and importantly
how you are going to say it. This comes down to being intentional once again.
Practicing with the intention of improving is the mother of learning.
I
often practice rehearsing my messages. My pastor of many years would say that it
takes at least twelve hours to prepare a message; this includes (d ,) praying
and waiting on God, writing out the notes, practicing it and continuing to
pray. Very often I preach the message to the wall in my office as if I am
preaching to a thousand people. It makes a difference!
If
possible, pray just before you invite and during the time you are speaking. I
will often walk up to a person praying quietly under my breath. “Lord, help me
here, open the door.” I will also be thinking a prayer like this while I am
talking. If you don’t do so already, have a go.
Here are some things you could do:
·
Write down a few notes so that you know what
you are going to say
·
Practice it on your own
·
Ask a friend to listen to what you are going
to say
·
You could even record yourself. You may be
surprised at how you sound.
·
Go and do it knowing you are intentionally
prayed up and rehearsed!
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