How many sermons have you preached about the Great Commission? But how many people have you led to Christ outside the context of your local church? What this means is getting out of the Ivory Tower and making intentional contacts in the community.
For many pastors it means adding one more thing to their already busy schedule. However if we take seriously the great commission, then shouldn't it be a priority?
Let me share the advatages of being intentional about your own evangelism:
1. It demontstrates proper role modeling.
2. It brings greater integrity to your preaching.
3. It can change the DNA of your church to become more reproductive.
4. It personally motivates and ignites passion in a a pastor's heart when someone's life is
transformed.
If you have been wondering why God hasn't blessed you with more conversion growth maybe it's because you have set a poor example.
There have been many pastors who have joined health clubs, reached out to their neighbors, done chaplaincy work, coached, or gotten involved in various community or school movements.
The list can go on.
Rather than settling for being a good equipper maybe it is time to be intentional about your own personal evangelism. Wouldn't it be fun to share how you led someone to Christ during a Sunday morning sermon? How contagious and challenging would that be?
Hope to see you on the street and out of the tower.
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Tom, you are right on. One of the reasons I miss flying in the Navy Reserves is the contact I had with unbelievers and the opportunities to share the gospel. Now I am getting more opportunities to talk with non-Christians at the gym that I go to each morning. I also started serving as a Blue and Gold Officer for the Naval Academy and interview high school students who are interested in applying for admission. I usually go to their home and meet their parents. At my first interview, the student asked: "Why did you leave the Navy to become a pastor?" Talk about an open door! I have noticed that when I share about these experiences from the pulpit, the congregation seems intentional in looking for similar opportunities to share Christ.
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