03 - Chapter 3
CHAPTER III CREATING AN EVANGELISTIC ATMOSPHERE The advisory board of the church had gathered at the parsonage to consider the question of creating an evangelistic atmosphere in their church. The pastor’s message on “ Seasons of the Soul “ had stirred all their hearts.
Each felt a deep concern for the spiritual welfare of the church.
“We are becoming enthusiastic over this idea of a campaign in our church of * Evangelism of Youth,’ “ said Deacon Jones. “What should be our next step, and when can we get started? “
All turned to their pastor as their leader in this enterprise. He had been very thoughtful through the devotional period which had preceded.
“ Men,” he said, “ I have a confession to make. We cannot lead our people where we do not know the way.
We cannot lift our people spiritually higher than we ourselves have attained. This coming campaign has caused me to search my own heart and life. I find that I have not been spending time enough with my Bible and in prayer. My soul needs food. I need the resources and power of God for my work. I have read the Bible to get sermons and to prepare lessons, but I have not taken enough time with God alone in prayer and in communion with his word. I have vowed before God and now before you to spend more time feeding my own soul from the word and in prayer.” The officers looked at each other. Finally Deacon Lovejoy said: “ Pastor, I too have neglected my Bible and my prayer life. I will enter with you into closer communion with our Lord.” One after another they confessed their neglect and promised God that they would do hetter.
Then an unexpected thing happened. Deacon Brown turned to Deacon Miller and said: “ At our last annual meeting you did something I did not like. I have cherished a grudge against you ever since and have been waiting until I could get even with you; but now I see my fault. I want to confess and ask your forgiveness.”
He reached his hand to Deacon Miller, who grasped it and said: “ I too have not liked you and have been unhappy because of it. I am so glad it is all settled right now and that we can be brothers in Christ again.”
What is Evangelism? The pastor spoke again: “ Now that we are united and purpose to live closer to our Lord I want to explain to you my idea of evangelism. In the church where I attended as a bpy they had the custom of calling in an evangelist once in every three or five years. The church people would rally. Everybody for miles around would attend night after night, and the whole spiritual life of the church would be lifted. New members would join the church, and the services would be largely attended, but soon things would begin to lag, and at the end of six months or a year conditions would be much as they were before the revival. No one seemed to think that a person could be converted through the ordinary services of the church, and no one expected a child would become a follower of Jesus through the work of the Sunday school. In my early thought evangelism meant a revival service.
“ From my study of the Bible and of child life, I have found that evangelism means much more than a revival service and much more than a single act of the will by which Jesus is accepted as Saviour and Lord. Evangelism is the good news. The one who tells the good news must be the living embodiment of the message.
He must tell it with all the love and power of his own soul, and he must tell it in such a manner that some one else understands it, accepts it, and lives according to it. The teacher in the Beginners’ Department, who is introducing the little ones to the heavenly Father who loves and cares for them, is doing the work of an evangelist. The teacher in the Primary Department, who is showing through stories God’s will and presenting Jesus as the friend of children, is doing the work of an evangelist. The junior teacher, who is storing the eager mind with the facts of the Bible, who is making the Book known and loved, and who presents Jesus as the Great Leader, is doing the work of an evangelist. Without an intelligent knowledge of who God is and what he will do for a soul, who Jesus is and what he came to do, there cannot be the fullest decision of life for him.
“ Some have thought that you could separate education and evangelism. Not so. Evangelism is the very heart of religious education. There is a law in teaching which goes like this, ’ Without learning on the part of the student there is no teaching on the part of the teacher.’
If this be true, then those who teach the evangel (good news) of our Saviour, must do it in such a manner that Jesus is accepted and his manner of life adopted. Else there is no true teaching. We expect a decision on the part of the pupil for Christ, but this decision must be on the basis of knowledge that has been given. The person who secures this decision of the will to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord, is doing the work of an evangelist. So also the person who takes a child, a young man, or an adult, and teaches him to observe to do all that Jesus has commanded to be a doer of the word that person is doing the work of an evangelist.
“ There are three phases of evangelism:
“ 1. There is the telling of the good news of the heavenly Father and of Jesus the Saviour.
“ 2. There is the securing of the actual decision of the will by which a person chooses for himself Jesus as Saviour and Lord.
“3. There is the promotion of growth through the years into Christlike character and service.
“To produce a real evangelistic atmosphere in our church we need to begin with the smallest child and follow right through the steps of the unfolding life, until we touch the oldest member of our church.
Pastoral Evangelism
“ This will affect my preaching and my own work as your pastor. I want to see people accept Jesus as their own personal Saviour and Lord. I want to see them grow more and more like him in life and conduct. From now on, I shall teach the simple and wonderful truths of God with a new emphasis and power. The gospel is still the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth. I believe the gospel can save individuals and can save society through redeemed individuals. I believe the gospel is the only salvation for the world in its unrest, its sin, and its bitterness. I shall preach to men’s hearts as well as to their heads. I shall do more personal work and I shall watch over my people as a good shepherd of the flock. I shall need your constant prayers that in my entire ministry there may be the warm, joyous evangelistic note.”
Sunday School Evangelism
“As I see this evangelistic work,” said Mr. Richards, the superintendent of the Sunday school, “ this will affect my work very materially. In our school we have the greatest field for evangelistic effort. We need to increase the attendance. Every new pupil we can bring under the teaching of the Bible and into personal touch with our church means not only a new pupil, but also a new home with its circle of friends and relatives. We need to study our school carefully to discover any weak places. We need to follow up carefully every absentee and all irregular pupils. Our teachers need to catch the vision of the importance of their task in making Jesus Christ loved, accepted, and followed by every one of their pupils. I too shall need the prayers of the church that in our school there may be a wholesome and sympathetic evangelistic spirit so that it will be easy and natural for boys and girls to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord.”
Evangelism In the Young Peoples Society Mr. Witter, president of the young people’s society, said: “ Young people can win other young people better Creating an Evangelistic Atmosphere than any one else. I have read a great deal about the ’Win my Chum’ plans for young people. I believe in it. I can see a great opportunity in our church for our society. We must get a list of all young people connected with our congregation. We must take more training in personal work, and then we can go out and win others.
It looks to me as if we needed to give more thought to our own spiritual life as young people and to the regular meetings of our society that they should be more helpful and more attractive. Then our society should be training the young people for real service so that our young people will not only be good, but good for something. I certainly need your prayers for myself and for the young people of our society.”
Essentials
Faith. “There are some other things for us to remember,” said the pastor. “ We can do nothing without faith. We must believe. By. faith we are saved. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and without faith it is impossible for God to use us. The minute we say a thing can’t be done we put ourselves in the place where God cannot use us to do that thing. We must be happy and loving in the outward expression of our religion.
Love never faileth. We must expect God to honor his word and give us the desires of our heart.
Cooperation. “ There must be the heartiest cooperation. This is the plan we have adopted for this year.
There must be no division of our forces. An evangelistic spirit should prevail in every department of our church.
Above all, we must depend constantly upon the help and power of the Holy Spirit.”
Prayer. The spirit of prayer took possession of the men and women. They knelt in prayer and earnestly asked God for forgiveness, for guidance, and for the blessing and presence of his Spirit. As they went home all were conscious of the nearness of God, and each resolved that he would spend more time in prayer for his own spiritual life, for the pastor, the teachers, and the various departments of the church. Each knew that he was no longer a lone intercessor, but that there was now a group of the church officers praying together for one thing and conscious of the Divine presence.
“ Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION 1. How much time do you spend daily in feeding your soul?
2. What habit of Bible reading do you have?
3. Do you know of any instance where open quarrels between church officials have proved detrimental to the spiritual life of the church?
4. How create an evangelistic atmosphere in the Sunday school? The young people’s society? Among the trustees? In the woman’s society? In the boys’ and girls’ organizations?
5. How create a real passion for souls?
6. What will destroy an evangelistic spirit in a church?
Creating an Evangelistic Atmosphere
REFERENCES “ Training of the Devotional Life,” Weigle.
“Meaning of Prayer,” Fosdick.
“ Handbook for Workers with Young People,” Thompson.
“ Church School- Objectives,” Chalmers, editor.
“ Method in Soul-winning,” Mabie.
“ Passion for Souls,” Jowett.
“ Pastoral and Personal Evangelism,” Goodell.