Next month is our major evangelism push for the year, where we preach on topics our church members indicate they would invite their non-Christian contacts along to hear. This year we’re calling it ‘New Member September’. It’s a simple title that captures what we want; new members joining our church. But what part can we play? Well our evangelism strategy is designed for ALL church members to be a part of. It’s ‘as easy as pie’; P.I.E.
The ‘P’ stands for Prayer. Two out of three of Paul’s greatest wishes for evangelism are for prayer. Before we even think about speaking to people about God, we first need to speak to God about people. And everyone can do this. So please be praying (i) that God may open a door for our message, and (ii) that the message be proclaimed clearly.
The ‘I’ stands for Invitation. The primary way a person becomes a Christian is through hearing the good news of Jesus. Sadly this pandemic means that although we are a COVID-safe venue, some people are still advised to stay away from large gatherings. Yet this pandemic has also given us a new and wonderful evangelism tool; on-line church. We can now offer to watch a sermon WITH them on-line, or email them the link to a sermon we think they might be open to. Again, please be praying for 3 non-Christian contacts we would like to invite along to church.
Finally, the ‘E’ stands for ‘Engaging in the word’. As 1 Pet 3:15 tells us, ALL Christians must be prepared to tell people of the reason for the hope we have. The urgency of the situation means we should be praying for opportunities, and/or doing our best to create them ourselves.
May we not let this month of evangelism go to waste! Let us urgently speak to God about people, then urgently start speaking to people about God.
