I believe that we all should be reminded and challenged concerning the Great Commission that the Lord left to his people. All Christians care about the lost and desire their salvation. Paul expressed his desire this way:

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." (Rom. 10:1-2.) "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." (Rom. 9:1-3.)

God’s desire to save is also fervently stated and shown: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16-17.) After giving the gift of his Son, he commanded the apostles—"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatso-ever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:18-20.)

Evangelizing, teaching and preaching are ways of expressing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that men can have a great hope of a better life in a better land. The transgressions and sins of man can be forgiven through the acceptable sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We should not allow other interests and petty strife in the church keep us from this work of making known this good news.

I am encouraged when I hear members make statements like those I have heard this past week. I have heard expressions of concern for those that you know who are lost and not members of the Lord’s body. We need to renew and kindle that interest and concern. Perhaps, we all feel much the same way about this subject. The command to go into all the world seems so overwhelming. How do we accomplish this task of evangelizing? How can we all be involved? In this message, I want to present four ways in which evangelism can be and is accomplished.

Did you notice that Paul said, "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved"? (Romans 10:1.) We must not forget that one of the most powerful and most direct ways in which we can be involved is by praying for the lost. One of the things that we must not fail to do for the lost in Hopewell is to pray to God on their behalf. Many of the Jewish leaders and friends of Paul were biased, stubborn and far away from believing in Jesus Christ. What can you do when it seems impossible to reach some people? You can pray. God will hear. Things can change through prayer.

We do not know exactly what Cornelius asked God when he prayed. But we do know that prayer was a center part of his conversion. Here was a Gentile family, a very devout family, who did not know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, they were seeking God in their lives. Peter was also praying on his housetop. An angel stood before Cornelius when he was praying and said to him, "Thy prayer is heard and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God." (Acts 10:31.) A conversion can result when the saved are praying for the lost and when the lost are seeking God in their lives. Don’t ever discourage the lost from praying to God! Warn sinners who stubbornly refuse to obey God from praying because their prayer is an abomination. (Prov. 29:9, John 9:31.)

We can also be involved in seeking the lost by praying for God to send more workers into the vineyard. "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." (Matt. 9:37-38.) After Samuel reproved Israel for their ingratitude they asked him to remember them in prayer. He responded, "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way." (1 Samuel 12:23.) Let us not sin against the lost by failing to pray for their salvation and to pray that God will send more laborers into the field. Here is something that we all can do. How many more might be saved if we fervently prayed for them!

It might seem impossible at first, but we can evangelize without saying a word. In fact, sometimes this is the best possible way to reach others. Constant battering can turn people away. Young adults in our families and mates do not like it. Your friends may come to resent it. There is some psychology involved and we must be wise. Listen to Peter as he speaks to wives whose husbands are not Christians:

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel. But, let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." (1 Peter 3:1-4.)

The old KJV word, conversation, does not mean talking to one another. It is in fact the very thing that Peter says not to do. You can win your mate by not saying a word. How is that done? It is done by your example, the inner beauty of the heart and Christian life. Everybody is involved in this kind of evangelism. We do influence others by our lives, either for good or evil. When we cannot do anything else overtly to win others, we can influence them by how we live.

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:13-16.) Paul wrote to Timothy, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Tim. 4:12.) "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Tim. 4:16.)

After the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, initially the sharing of the news was spontaneous. People everywhere were talking about it. Jesus encountered two disciples from Emmaus who were talking about the recent event. (Luke 24:13-24.)

Paul wrote about this spontaneous and natural evangelism. He said, "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak." (2 Cor. 4:13.)

Jesus conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well was casual and spontaneous. He and the disciples had stopped at the well for water. The woman came out of the village of Sychar for water. Jesus engaged her in a religious conversation using the water as a symbol for what he could give her. There are many such casual opportunities where we met other people and turn the conversation into a teaching opportunity to make known the good news of the Gospel. We teach our children in this kind of normal, casual, non-formal way in our homes.

"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." (Deut. 6:7-9.)

What we say and how we say it in these everyday settings is very important. We should choose our words carefully. If we sound condescending and more righteous than others, if we are judgmental and condemning, we can drive people away from the hope of the Gospel. I have left overt evangelism for the last, because I wanted to emphasize the importance of these other methods (praying, example, and casual, spontaneous evangelism) first. If we fail in these first methods, we will not be very successful in this last one. Those not members of the Lord’s Body will not hear our public proclamations if we have already turned them away by our private conversations and lives.

When Jesus commanded the apostles to go into all the world, there was something very direct and bold involved. They did use more than their influence and lives to teach others. They boldly proclaimed the gospel to everyone. They urgently traveled to distant places to make known the gospel of the resurrected Savior to those who had not heard. The book of Acts recounts the stories of that work, primarily of two apostles, Peter and Paul. Paul went among the Gentiles especially, and Peter was the apostle to the circumcision. The Jerusalem and Antioch churches are the two prominent congregations involved in sending out the missionaries in Acts.

Paul related how the word came to be near to people so that they could receive it by faith and be saved. Here is what he said.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10:13-15.)

Planned, purposeful evangelism includes mission work in places where the church does not exist. It includes evangelism at home by having gospel meetings, campaigns, using radio, television, and the printed page to teach others. It includes home bible studies with a very bold purpose of teaching the lost what they should do to become Christians. The world is lost in sin. There is a Savior. There is something good that we can tell lost people. There is hope. The lost can be saved. Everyone who desires salvation can receive it as a gift from God.