Eyes for Evangelism: Who is a Contact?

JOSHUA ALEXANDER

“Nobody is interested in the gospel anymore, door knocking doesn’t work, Bible studies are a thing of the past, we have tried that before and it didn’t work, personal visits are an invasion of people’s privacy, and cards are just annoying.” If you want your congregation to close its doors, just practice saying these things repeatedly. We live in a world in which sin is rampant, hope is fading, and Christianity is laughed at and belittled, and it is nothing new. Christians in the first century faced all kinds of persecution, and yet the church grew. How is that possible? Because the gospel is that powerful, and the people were willing to work. They believed in the power of God’s word and the glorious gospel of Christ. Do we still believe in the power of the gospel to save the erring sinner? Do we still believe the word of God is “able to save your souls” (James 1:21)? If we do, then we would do everything in our power and spare no expense to evangelize. Yes, throughout the world, and specifically within this community. Sometimes, Christians may become discouraged seeing the sinful condition of our world and think that all hope is lost. Instead of assuming we cannot grow in these conditions, we need to listen to and apply the words of the savior. Jesus truly had eyes for evangelism. Notice His attitude toward the lost “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Mat. 9:35-38).

Who is a Contact?

Who should be on my radar for a Bible study? Do you know anyone in your realm of influence (family, friend, coworker, neighbor) who is not a member of the Lord’s church or is an apostate member? They are a contact! What if they have already told you they are not interested? It does not matter. What if they are a leader in their denomination? It does not matter. What if they have a distaste for the church because of a bad experience in the past, and they are very antagonistic toward the church? It does not matter. What if you have already studied with them and it didn’t work? It does not matter! These are contacts. A school without students is out of business. A business without customers will go bankrupt. A congregation that has no targets or contacts will die. It is that simple. What we need every member of the congregation to do is start opening their eyes to evangelism. Contacts and potential converts are all around all the time! We interact with them daily. Instead of trying to separate our spiritual and personal lives, we should instead learn from our Lord and be “moved with compassion” because they are “sheep with no shepherd.” Who will introduce them to the great shepherd? Who will answer the call to be a laborer into his harvest? Evangelism is not a program or something to throw money at. It is the lifeblood of a congregation. Evangelism is what we are all about! The church is not a social club for the saints, it is a beacon of light in a world of darkness (Mat.5:14), it is the place wherein salvation from sin is found (2 Tim. 2:10), it is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22), the kingdom of God (Mat. 16:19)! 

We need every member of the congregation to give us a list of every person within your realm of influence who lives in Searcy or a surrounding city, who is not a christian, and whatever contact information you may have. On that list, please circle everyone who is going through some sort of transition in their lives. Fighting a disease, loss of a loved one, just moved, just married, new baby, whatever the case may be, so we can begin the prospecting process, but we will talk more about that at another time.