How Can Evangelism Help a Congregation?
Roger D. Campbell
Jesus wants us to preach the gospel to every person (Mark 16:15). That includes teaching His saving message to those people in our own community. If the members of any local church will be actively involved in trying to teach the gospel to those who are lost, this will bring great benefits, both to those individual Christians who participate in this teaching and to the congregation as a whole. What are some of these blessings that will come to a local church that practices personal evangelism?
Being Busy in Personal Evangelism Will . . .
...Cause Each Member To Study More. We have to be ready to give an answer to
those who ask questions (1Peter 3:15). The answer that we are to give them must
come from God’s word (1Peter 4:11). We have to search the scriptures (John 5:39)
in order to be able to be the teachers that we ought to be (Hebrews 5:12). We
cannot teach that which we do not know, so trying to teach others will force us
to study more!
...Cause Each Active Member To Pray More. We will certainly feel the need for
our Lord’s help, because personal evangelism can present some pretty tough
situations. Have you ever noticed how often the New Testament speaks about
praying for the gospel to be preached? Jesus said that we are to pray to the
Lord of harvests so He will send forth reapers (Matthew 9:37,38). We are also
told to pray for open doors in evangelism (Colossians 4:3; 2Thessalonians 3:1,2)
and for the courage of those who preach the word (Ephesians 6:19). So often we
have felt frustrated by our own inability to convince those whom we are trying
to teach. Such makes us turn to the Lord in prayer and seek His guidance.
...Cause Those Members Who Are Teaching To Grow Closer To One Another. This is
the natural result of working together to reach a goal. God wants men to be
saved (1Timothy 2:4). So do you and I, and when we work together to help others
learn the message of salvation, that is going to draw and bind us together. When
we are busy teaching others, we will find ourselves praying together, we will
ride or walk and talk together, we will cry and rejoice together. When all the
members of a congregation are busy trying to teach the gospel to the lost, then
they are giving their attention and energy to the task of helping others be
saved. That does not leave much time for fussin’ among themselves.
...Cause Souls To Be Saved And The Church To Grow. Yes, God’s word will not
return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11). The church will grow when we sow the seed
(Acts 2:47; 4:4; 5:14; 5:41-6:1; 6:7). Is this not what we are working for, not
our personal glory, but the salvation of souls?! Remember the message of Mark
16:15, 16 — it begins with preaching the gospel and ends up with salvation!
...Cause Those Who Actually Teach To Have Personal Joy. “They that sow in tears
shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall
doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm
126:5,6). There is joy simply for a person in realizing that God wants me to
teach others, and hey, that is what I am trying to do. Again, we rejoice with
those who obey the gospel (Romans 12:15). There is surely no way to top the
wonderful joy that one feels as a result of helping a person be saved! How would
you feel if you saved a child’s life by grabbing him off the railroad tracks at
the last instant just before a speeding train passed, and as a result your
picture was on the local TV station and in the newspaper? Why, any of us would
feel good about themselves over something like that. Yet how much more precious
than physical life is the eternal soul of every person, and we ought to rejoice
in knowing that we can have a part in helping save a soul from eternal
condemnation by teaching the gospel.
