Understand the Task

It was at the end of three months of hard work in the fields in Burkina Faso. There had been enough rain that year, and the harvest was good. The chief called for a big celebration day. Men and women, boys and girls covered the big marketplace. They came from every direction.

Many dancing groups were performing. People were walking to and fro. The whole village seemed to have moved into the market. Then, about midday, a loud, deafening cry was heard from among those in the crowd. A person cried out as if he were in danger. All attention was directed to him.

“What happened?” The question went from one person to another. Some thought a person had become insane, but the man explained the reason for his cry. He said, “When I looked at this crowd, I thought how the day is coming when all of us will be under this earth we now walk on. The feeling of loss was so great upon me that I couldn’t help but cry out. I meant to cry deep within myself, but I could not control it. It just came out!”

This story reminds me of the last day of a festival in Jerusalem. People from all nations were about to leave Jerusalem without meeting God.

Christ, sensing a great loss, could not help but call out to them: “Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink” (John 7:37).

Jesus’ invitation came from a desire to help. The need is great around us. People are dying without Christ. The loss is great. Unless we realize that, we will not do our utmost to pass on our experience. May this lesson open your eyes to the great need for personal evangelism, sharing the good news!

Workers are Needed

If we look around us, we will see millions of people without Christ. If we go to the hospitals, we will see that great numbers of people are dying without Christ. Everywhere you go, you will see many more who have never heard of Christ and His good news.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples about the greatness of the task, He compared it to a very large field ripe for harvest. But He added that the workers are few. (See Matthew 9:37.)

Many Christians are not aware of this great need. Some have even said that it is not their business to win souls. Some are stopped by fear, or because they do not know how to approach people. Yet more than at any other time in the church’s history, the Lord of the harvest is short of workers. He is calling and pleading every day, “Who will go for me? Who will tell the unbelievers of my sacrifice for them? Who will be my feet to walk, and my mouth to speak?”

Angels would have been willing to do the job, but God has not chosen to use them. His will is to use men. If only every Christian would be involved in personal evangelism, many people would not die in their sin, and there would be many more Christians in the world.

The command of Jesus was not given to just one nation. It was given to the whole world. It was to all nations. It was to include the ends of the earth. The task Jesus gave us certainly is not small. It is greater than we can even imagine. There is a need for workers everywhere.

It is true that we hear of many people coming to Christ today. Millions are praising Him all over the world. We thank Him for this wonderful work. But the world’s population is growing very fast. This means that the harvest field keeps on increasing. When we look at what remains to be done, we cannot help but cry out in sorrow, because many millions are still living in sin.

Our efforts at times seem unfruitful, but when each believer seeks to follow God’s leading, God will give opportunities to speak for Him. Our sense of responsibility and obedience to His Spirit will bring results. When each one of us becomes a personal evangelist, fully aware of our God given burden for lost people around us, we will see a wonderful spiritual harvest.

Let us pray to the Owner of the harvest, that He will send out workers to gather in His harvest. And when you do pray, also be willing to answer, “Lord, here am I, send me.” If you do this, you will know the joy of being a co-worker with Christ.

It is true that certain ministries are given to some in the church. (Read Ephesians 4:11.) But personal evangelism is for every Christian. As someone has said, “Personal evangelism is the whole work of the whole church for the whole world.” We have been born again. We no longer belong to ourselves. Let us then wholly serve our new Lord and Master.

Vision is Needed

We are living in troublesome days with great needs worldwide. Regardless of the country or place, the needs are the same—economical, spiritual, or political. Some people are giving up their faith in God. Others are obeying deceiving spirits and following ungodly teaching. The whole world seems to be going from bad to worse. Moral values are changing. Social institutions are breaking down. The radio, television, and newspapers tell us about murders, wars, famines, and starving people. Everywhere, urgent cries of helpless souls can be heard.

But unless God gives us a vision (a specific burden and reality), we will not be able to see the need and hear the cries. As a personal witness, you and I need to have a clear vision or understanding of the condition of the unsaved. This vision will give us the strong desire to help these needy people.

When the apostle Paul saw the vision of the begging Macedonian man (Acts 16:9) he did not waste any time. He and his co-workers went over and, as a result, that part of Europe was turned upside down. Since then, many hundreds of thousands of people have been won to Christ.

It was when He saw the general condition of the people in Jerusalem that Jesus began to weep with compassion. He knew that if they had understood His love, they would have accepted Him, and He would have sheltered them even as a hen shelters her brood (Luke 13:34).

Vision will give us strength and courage in our daily battle against sin. Vision will help us keep our eyes on the nearby harvest and see people the way God sees them. Vision will help us rescue people from death.

Unless we have this powerful vision, the people around us will die in their sin. There is no time to lose. Let us ask the Lord of the harvest to give us this vision, so that we may do His will.

Dedication is Needed

Personal evangelism is a form of evangelism that all Christians are commanded to do. But unless we are totally dedicated to that job, unless we realize that it is part of our life, we will not see good results. Jesus was so dedicated that He even said to His disciples: “My food is to obey the will of the one who sent me and to finish the work he gave me to do” (John 4:34). Jesus, the greatest personal evangelist who ever lived, went on eating this “food” until the day He cried, “It is finished!” He had completed the work for which He was sent.

The apostle Paul was dedicated to personal evangelism. His life and writings demonstrated this. The Holy Spirit revealed that he would go through many hardships in Jerusalem. His co-workers tried to keep him from going to Jerusalem, but Paul said, What are you doing, crying like this and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem, but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13-14).

Paul saw the work as more important than even his own life. For him it did not make any difference whether he lived or died. He did what he was sent to do.

Prayer is Needed

When Jesus showed His disciples the great size of the harvest, what do you think He did next? We might think that He should send them immediately into the harvest field. But no, He did not do that. He said, “Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest” (Luke 10:2).

When we pray to the Owner of the harvest, we are showing our great concern. When we show concern, love, and compassion for the spiritually lost, this will lead us to pray and to share the message of Christ.

When Israel disobeyed and God was about to bring judgment upon the nation, Moses interceded in prayer and compassion. God heard his prayer, and the request was granted (Exodus 32:30-32).

God poured out His Spirit on 120 believers on the Day of Pentecost because Jesus had promised it. The result of that outpouring was great concern for the lost (Acts 2:1-4). The disciples had seen Jesus go up to His Father in Heaven. They all heard Him when He commanded them to wait in
Jerusalem for the coming of the Spirit (Acts 1:1-5). Then, 120 of them gathered to wait in prayer to receive the promise. Those were the first ones whom the Lord sent out into His harvest.

Humility is Needed

One of the greatest dangers in personal evangelism is for the workers to look at their success as something they have done themselves. You and I have been sent by God. We are using our Lord’s name in all our work of witnessing. If the Owner of the harvest blesses our work and causes it to produce results, we should be careful not to take pride in ourselves. Rather, we should rejoice in our Lord who was willing to humble himself and give all the glory to His Father.

David offered to fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17:34-37). What was his purpose? To glorify God! Listen to what he said to Goliath: “You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, This very day the Lord will put you in my power; I will defeat you, Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, and everyone here will see that the Lord does not need swords or spears to save his people” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

David did not say that the whole world would know that he, David, was brave or courageous. His desire was that people would know that God was not limited that He does save in all circumstances.

As workers in the harvest field, we must be humble. We must never take glory for what is done. We must give all the glory to the Owner of the harvest. We must be willing to let Him use us so that others will see His glory. This is the true spirit of the worker in personal evangelism.

Understanding is Needed

Know the Assignment

Trying to do a job that is not ours will lead to difficulties. We are workers together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). We are not just working for God. In personal evangelism, just as in any other ministry in the church, we have a part to play, and so does God. Good results come when the two parts fall into their proper places.

We are sent to sow the seed, to plant, and even to water. This means that we share the good news of what Christ has done for us, and we take every opportunity that comes to us for sharing. The rest belongs to God, to His Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

It is good to see people saved. It is good to see them turning to God through our testimony. But remember that we cannot convict people of sin through our speaking. It is the Spirit of God that convicts them when we speak. We cannot save people from sin. But Christ can through us.

So, whether you see many results or not, remember that our job is to spread the good news and to warn people of the danger of dying without Christ. For He who sent us has told us that His Word will never fail to reach its goal (Isaiah 55:11). Let us not mix up or try to trade responsibilities with God.

Know the Bible

A worker in personal evangelism cannot expect to be effective without at least a general knowledge of the Bible, the Word of God. We should know its major and minor divisions. We should know where to find key verses that will help us in talking with people about Christ. We should be able to interpret and apply these verses. Every Christian soul winner should have a basic knowledge of the Bible for the sake of Christian growth and experience.

As personal evangelists, we should also keep in mind that it is the Word that gives faith. It is the Word that brings conviction. It changes lives. It teaches us about holiness. It keeps us from falling into sin. When we know the Word, it will help us to speak the right words at the right time.