Many times in the last 40 years I have heard leaders of local bodies say something to the effect that as believers we should be bringing people to the church so that the leader could share the gospel with them. I am deeply grieved every time I hear a message like this.
Christ did not do this. Why do we?
Look at Mark 6:7 – 13. Christ sent the twelve out to tell men to repent. He did not tell them to go find men and bring them to Him so that He could tell them to repent. He has just invested the first 5 chapters of Mark demonstrating ministry for and explaining His message to them. He was sending them out to do real work for the Kingdom.
Each time I hear a leader tell people to bring people to the church in order to minister to them, or defining evangelism as getting people there to hear him, it is yet more evidence that person has ignored Ephesians 4:11 – 16. Instead of equipping his flock to do ministry, he thinks he is supposed to do ministry.
Those that need the gospel are not all that likely to darken the doors of our churches. We have to go to them. That is going to be uncomfortable. That means that we are going to have to get out of our comfort zones and move into theirs, rather than asking them to move out of their comfort zone and move into ours.
Isn’t that what Christ did? Luke 19:10, Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost… They are out there. They are not going to come. We have to go to them.
Look at Mark 6:7 – 13. Christ sent the twelve out to tell men to repent. He did not tell them to go find men and bring them to Him so that He could tell them to repent. He has just invested the first 5 chapters of Mark demonstrating ministry for and explaining His message to them. He was sending them out to do real work for the Kingdom.
Each time I hear a leader tell people to bring people to the church in order to minister to them, or defining evangelism as getting people there to hear him, it is yet more evidence that person has ignored Ephesians 4:11 – 16. Instead of equipping his flock to do ministry, he thinks he is supposed to do ministry.
Those that need the gospel are not all that likely to darken the doors of our churches. We have to go to them. That is going to be uncomfortable. That means that we are going to have to get out of our comfort zones and move into theirs, rather than asking them to move out of their comfort zone and move into ours.
Isn’t that what Christ did? Luke 19:10, Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost… They are out there. They are not going to come. We have to go to them.
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