7 Billion reasons to Go

Where will the people you love spend eternity?

The impact of accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and being born again was so powerful that all I wanted to do was tell everyone.

I remember sharing my faith with friends and family members I was just so excited about the reality of actually knowing God personally and how He changed my heart.

I couldn't help but want others to experience what had happened to me for themselves.

As I started growing in my faith, I not only became more grateful for what He had given me through His Son, but also grew in a deeper awareness of what He had saved me from.

That only fueled my desire to share the truth about God more. I didn't even really know how to present the gospel effectively.

All I really knew was my testimony and what God had done in my life.

I did incorporate the need for repentance and a savior, but I didn't know all the Bible verses and deeper details. My message was simple: God saved me, and He can save you.

I was definitely sloppy in a lot of ways that I can see now, looking back. But my faith was genuine, and so was my love for God.

I knew that sharing my faith was something that God called us all to do, so I started studying how to do it more effectively.

I started watching YouTube videos and reading books on how to evangelize, and just hitting the streets. It's all I wanted to do.

I did everything from passing out tracts, walking up to random people, doing open-air preaching, you name it, I probably did it.

I went from the hoods to the suburbs, trailer parks, and college campuses. I didn't care. Sometimes I was out at two or 3 o'clock in the morning.

At that time, I became highly involved with serving at my local church. One day they mentioned going out to evangelize as a group, so I was super excited.

We all went to the park and they gave us bottles of water and told us to pass them out to people and say things like "God bless you" or "Can I pray for you?”

I don't remember them telling us to even share the gospel. I thought that was strange, so I did my own thing while I was there and I actually had a pretty good time.

The next outreach that they planned was downtown Detroit, and I was super excited again because that was my stomping grounds.

So we all went out as a group, and when we got there, they shuffled us into this random little warehouse area and told us that we would be pretty much cleaning up the building, and that was our outreach.

This time I was actually upset.

So, I went to the youth pastor at that time, and I asked him, "Are we gonna go hit the streets?" He told me that we weren't because it was a safety hazard.

It blew my mind because I wouldn't have even come if I knew we weren't going to be hitting the streets.

They made it sound like we were going to be reaching people for Jesus, downtown Detroit and then we get there, and we're folding clothes in some random building.

I remember having a conversation with some of the leaders soon after and addressing this issue.

I told everyone that we needed to start incorporating things in the church, like evangelism training and actual outreach. I even offered to train people.

This was around the time when I was also pointing out the lack of discipleship in the church, so it didn't help.

That was a very frustrating time for me in my journey as a believer because all I wanted to do was serve in the church, make disciples, and reach people for Jesus.

Evangelism

People acted as if they didn't know what evangelism was because when we did "outreach," the goal always seemed to be more about just physically being there.

I remember hearing people say things, like share Jesus with your life, and only use words when necessary.

That sounds cute on the surface but that's not what the Bible teaches.

Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:14

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

We know for sure that God calls us to open our mouth and it's actually the enemy who wants us to shut it.

Evangelism is sharing the Gospel with the intent of leading them to faith in Jesus Christ.

The term "evangelism" comes from the Greek word "euangelion," which means "good news."

So evangelism is the act of bringing the good news of Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection which is the Gospel.

This is one part of the great Great Commission that Jesus gave to the disciples before He ascended to heaven.

Mark 16:15

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Evangelism is about accepting the responsibility that Christ gave us to share the word of God, which is able to save souls. James 1:21

You can evangelize in many different ways, such as personal witness, public preaching, making content online, and doing things like mission trips.

Evangelism is for everyone who has who is born again. Including you.

Its is not about arguing,manipulating or forcing beliefs on other people. It's about lovingly sharing the gospel clearly and respectfully, and inviting people to make a decision for themselves.

Evangelism is what Jesus and His disciples did, so it's your responsibility as a Christian.

There are people out there right now that God wants you to reach, and you probably even know them by name.

Matthew 9:37

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

It's not God's will that anyone shall perish (2 Peter 3:9). Everyone can have the opportunity to inherit eternal life regardless of what some these so-called Christian denominations teach.

Throughout history

Christians have often failed to yield to the Holy Spirit when interacting with different people groups and cultures when it comes to evangelism.

This has led to a lot of judging or condemning of things without any scriptural support, distorting the views of Christians even till this day.

There are well-meaning Christians that struggle with understanding others cultures and traditions and just calling it evil.

Religious systems continue to pass down these ideologies that hinder the outreach of the body of Christ.

This is why it is so important to depend on the Holy Spirit and have the word of God as your standard for truth.

Evangelism is not a one size fit all type of work. We're all different, and God will use us in various ways.

1 Corinthians 9:22

to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

This doesn't mean that Paul compromised his stance on truth, but that he understood that everyone is different, especially in the cultural context.

For example, in the Native American community, there are some professing Christians who teach that using drums to praise and worship God is demonic, despite there being nothing in scriptures that supports that claim.

This type of behavior, misrepresents God and the body of Christ turning people away from God.

This is why I encourage people to always get into the word and study it for themselves because there's so many different beliefs and doctrines being pushed in Christendom, that are not even biblical.

You don't have to know the Bible from front to back to preach the Gospel but let's not be ignorant of the Word of God.

Fear and rejection

Knowing what you believe in and where it is found in Scripture definitely builds your confidence, but rejection is something you will have to get used to over time.

A little trick that I like to use to overcome rejection is to always ask for a discount when buying something.

Most of the time people say no, and that starts to build up your tolerance towards rejection.

But many times they ok and then you walk away with a discount so it's a win-win.

Always remember it's about what God thinks and not man.

Fear is something we must overcome as Christians because if we don't, it will hinder us in many areas of our lives.

If fear is something that you struggle with, it's usually because you're believing a lie that you or the enemy has set up in your mind, which has now become a stronghold.

So how do we deal with stronghold?

We need to renew our minds with the word of God.

Identify the area that you struggle with and find the scriptures on that topic.

Meditate on them day and night, and the truth of God's word will crush any lie in your mind.

The Bible speaks about fearing not 365 times. That's one for every day of the year. So there you go.

Its says that the fearful and unbelieving will be the first ones cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 21:8) So yes this is serious business.

We must accept that the gospel is offensive. Telling someone that Jesus is the only way to inherit eternal life will upset a lot of people. But it's the truth.

Sometime people aren't ready to receive the truth so you must use discernment.

Don't be the Christian that, when a person rejects what you have to say, you alienate them as if they're not God's creation as well.

We don't ever want to ruin our chance of witnessing to them in the future.

I remember going out with a group of friends to evangelize and noticed how all they would do is try to talk to the homeless people.

At that moment, I realized subconsciously that I would do the same thing a lot of the time.

I would focus on witnessing to people who outwardly looked like they needed Jesus, and that was wrong.

I call that spiritual stereotyping.

This approach is wrong on many levels and also comes off as self-righteous and judgmental.

I used to be the guy on the corner with the PA speaker preaching for hours.

I'm not saying there is nothing wrong with that. I just find it to be less effective in many ways.

Walking up to people and starting regular conversations with them about life, building quick relationships, has always led to more people accepting Christ, and that's the goal.

Everyone is God's creation.

Treating people as projects or targets, as if you're trying to reach some kind of quota, is wrong.

If you're not willing to listen to people's needs, questions, and stories, then I don't think you need to be out there anyway.

Evangelism should be relational. Just preaching to people is not the example Jesus left us.

Jesus was led by compassion and not by selfish agendas.

He took time to meet people where they were and had genuine conversations with them, even meeting their physical needs sometimes.

I believe if you're serious about evangelism, then you should educate and train yourself.

As christians representing Jesus to the world we should want to be effective in everything you do, including evangelism.

This doesn't take away from allowing the Spirit to use you as if you're depending solely on your own ability, but it's sharpening the pencil God uses to write “His Story”.

In everything we do for the Lord, we must rely on His Spirit. However, as co-laborers with Christ, I believe it is only right to build upon our skills, talents, and gifts.

A lack of training is only going to hinder you from being more effective. It's not something you have to do but as a follower of Jesus you should want to.

Negative views of evangelism

There are a lot of negative perceptions around evangelism. Many people throughout history have done things in the name of Jesus that were not of Him.

People have been manipulated, controlled, and even killed in the name of evangelism.

Some people actually have trauma associated with what they believe is Christianity.

So it is important to approach this with wisdom and not dismiss it, but meet it with empathy.

In a world of various belief systems, for one group to say that theirs is the only way to inherit eternal life can be seen as intolerant or disrespectful to other beliefs.

This is why training and education is so important. We need to know how to respond in these type of situation's.

With all the hypocrisy in Christendom, many people look at Christians with a negative view because of what they've seen and heard people do in the name of Christ.

There's a term, I like to use called spiritual racism, and that's when somebody judges a belief system based upon an isolated incident in the name of that belief.

A good example is if a white woman did something harmful to a black woman, and then the black women looked at all white people the same because of that isolated incident, that would be called racism.

So when a person judges another's belief system because they had a bad experience with somebody who proclaimed to be a part of that belief system, that is spiritual racism.

You see this a lot with people who are church hurt. They had a negative experience at a church and then want to say all churches and christians are the same.

This is actually something I run into a lot.

People like this tend to look at the faith as a whole as something they don't want anything to do with.

These type of experiences are usually a byproduct of the harlot church system.

There is so much misunderstanding in the world when it comes to biblical Christianity that hurts my heart.

All the false doctrines and practices happening in Christendom today, we must learn how to navigate through it all when confronted with these types of conversations.

Growing up I used to believe that Christianity was a white man's religion but the more I looked into it for myself, the more I realized how delusional I was.

It blew my mind to find out that Black people in Africa worshipped Yahweh, the God of the Bible, long before “The White Man” came into the picture.

Same thing with the Native Americans.

Jesus always being portrayed as a white man is deceptive, and this turns a lot of people away.

I'll say it: Jesus was definitely not a white man.

However, getting lost in trying to know exactly what "color" he was to me is none since. He could have been a light-skinned or dark-skinned Jew; we don't know.

In the bible Philip the evangelist was the first one to baptize somebody after Christ had risen, and it was a black Ethiopian man. Acts 8:26-40.

Ethiopia, until this day, is predominantly a Christian country in Africa. So, stop with all the "Christianity is a white man's religion" stuff.

Jesus said the truth will make you free.

One of the reasons truth is under attack today is because people don't want to be held accountable for their actions and if you can do away with truth, then no one can say anything is right or wrong.

So what do they do?

They removed Christianity from our schools and replaced it with Darwinism, which is losing ground so now they're pushing relativism.

The definition for relativism.

The doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.

This is a “doctrine” of devils. 1 Timothy 4:1

The definition contradicts itself, because if there are no absolutes “truth” then this statement, it's not absolute “true”.

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

This is why just conveying information is never the route to go.

We have to rely on the spirit of God and genuinely build relationships with people and let them know that we love and care for them.

Anyone who comes in the name of Christ should do so from a place of humility, and not pride.

This does that mean that we can't be confident and bold about what we proclaim.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Jesus is our example

He gave grace to the humble but he rebuked the proud. James 4:6

We must be led by the spirit in how to convey the gospel to each individual and obey Christ even when it's uncomfortable.

This is what it means to live out our faith as we obey the Lord and go do what he called us to do.

As believers, we do this not just because He commanded us to, but because this is a part of our identity in Him.

As we evangelize, it actually deepens our own understanding and relationship with God.

You will find yourself, studying the scriptures more, praying more and growing spiritually.

You'll start to uncover your own gifts and talents that God has given you.

You will start to experience more joy and fulfillment because you're walking in your purpose.

There's nothing like seeing somebody genuinely accepting Christ and being born again.

Think about that for a minute. Someone's eternal address has changed, and you were used by God in the process.

As you go, you will start to build meaningful relationships and actually meet other believers because of starting conversations with people whom you normally might not have spoken to before.

I have many friends today, as a result of engaging them in a conversations about the Lord.

The more you get out here and be a light for Jesus, the more equipped you will be in the future to deal with a lot of stuff that comes from being in the field.

As other believers, see us obeying God when it comes to going and reaching the lost it encourages them to do the same.

So not only are we reaching the lost but were building up the body of Christ.

Love in action

As we go out into the world we're showing them the love of God.

Expressing our desire for them to experience the same thing.

Just your testimony alone is powerful.

It demonstrates in real time the transformation Jesus has had on your life.

Even the bad things that happened to you throughout your life can be used to demonstrate the power of God's ability to use them for good.

I was molested when I was a child and despite that, God was still able to build me up into the man I am today and use me to advance His kingdom.

People have even given their lives to Jesus as a result of me sharing that story with them.

If even one person can enter into the kingdom of God because of what happened to me, it was all worth it.

Sharing the truth of the Gospel is how whole communities and nations can be impacted by the grace of God.

Through 11 men the the entire world was changed, and God wants to do the same through you.

All you have to do is be willing.

Real power

Actively going out into the world to reach the lost creates opportunities for God to demonstrate his power and love through you.

A lot of the supernatural things that I've experienced in my life have been a result of actually being out there in the field.

Everything from Casting out demons demons, healing the sick, even words of prophecy.

Me, my daughter, and a couple of my brothers went to the bus station downtown Ypsilanti to hand out food trays and preach the gospel.

There was a man who appeared to be a homeless and on drugs trying to cause a scene.

He started manifesting demons, so I took authority over them in the name of Jesus and cast them out right in front of many people who just happened to be at the bus stop.

After the person got up, he was crying and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

I didn't understand discipleship the way I do now and sadly I left without staying in touch with this man.

A few years later, I was at my uncle's barbershop getting my haircut, and as I was sitting in the chair, there was a man sitting across from me, talking and waiting to get his haircut.

This man was wearing a suit and nice shoes, just looking good.

The more I looked at him, the more I started to realize who he was.

He was actually the same man from the bus stop years earlier.

So, I asked him, "Do you remember me?"

He looked puzzled at first, but then I reminded him of the incident that happened at the bus stop.

His face dropped, and he started to tear up. Then, he got super loud, and all he could do was keep thanking me for what happened at that bus stop.

I told him, "All glory be to God, I was just a vessel being used."

So as I continue to get my haircut he starts telling me that after that had happened, he got off the streets and got his life together.

That experience blessed and encouraged me to continue doing what God called me to do it.

The gospel that we bring as men and women of God doesn't just changed peoples lives here and now but for eternity.

Meditate on that for a minute where talking about forever.

There's coming a time where you might be sitting across from someone in heaven, who is also there as a result of you opening your mouth. That's amazing.

This is who we are

Evangelism should be something that we do because of who we are. It should come organically, but we should also do it intentionally, and there is a difference.

As a lifestyle, we share with everybody around us in casual conversation.

However, when we approach it from a more intentional angle, we actually think about who, where, and when.

Don't believe the lie that you have to be perfect or reach a certain level of maturity in your faith before you reach people for Jesus.

Always stay prayed up and ask God for wisdom, discernment, being sensitive to the Spirit in who He wants you to reach.

I used to just walk up to random people and start witnessing, but as I matured, I started to ask the Lord to lead me to those whose hearts he's already prepared.

As I did this I became way more present of his Spirit while out in the field, and the outcome has always been better.

All opportunities aren't divine so pray, and ask God to lead you to the ones that are.

This will save you a lot of time. You may not speak to as many people, but the ones you do are more tailored to the way God wants to use you.

Relationship is key

Build a genuine, caring relationship with the person you want to share the Gospel with.

It doesn't take long to build a relationship with somebody at least to the point where they feel you're genuine in your approach.

You can do this, literally in minutes just talking about random things and finding common ground.

Try to get to know and understand them and listen to what they have to say.

As you listen to them, you'll start to understand how your approach should be with them.

A good practice that I use is when I'm talking to somebody and I know in my mind I want to share my faith with them is start praying for them even while I'm talking to them in my mind.

I come on up against anything that may stand in the way from them, receiving the truth.

This is a form of spiritual warfare because, best believe, there are demons in the mist throwing fiery darts at the mind.

You might be surprised but one of the most effective ways of being a witness is simply just sharing your testimony.

Let them know about the darkness you where in prior to accepting Jesus and where He's brought you.

I encourage you to record your testimony and post it publicly.

This does two things: it actually helps you craft your testimony, but also opens up opportunities for it to impact other people's lives, believers and unbelievers.

Be mindful not to fall into the trap of glorifying sin as you explain how sinful you used to be. I see this happen a lot, especially in music.

Let those people know the process that you went through to become a believer. Also, let them know how things have been since accepting Christ and all the things that he has done in your life.

Be careful not to paint a false picture either because it's not all sunshine and rainbows on this side of the fence.

There are hardships as a result of becoming a Christian. We all have to count the cost of following Jesus.

The Gospel

I strongly believe that one of the most important thing in evangelism is to be able to explain the gospel in a way that people understand.

One of the ways that you do this is by knowing what the gospel is without having to look it up when sharing your faith.

Get the essential elements of the gospel down deep into your soul.

• We have all broken God's law which is sin and our need for repentance and a savior.

• The love and grace of God and what was done to save us.

• Who Jesus is and the sacrifice he made to restore our relationship with God.

• The offer of eternal life only found in Jesus Christ.

Always allow room for the Holy Spirit to guide you in how you communicate the gospel whenever you share it, but make sure not to neglect the fundamentals.

This is how many false converts are made. People get caught up in their emotions and how they feel in the moment and accept something they don't even understand.

Get in the word and learn from the many resources available to us via the internet.

Look up Ray Comfort and living water ministries.

I've personally learned a lot from them in regards to effective evangelism.

I don't agree with some of their theology but they are still brothers that I encourage you to learn from.

Prepare yourself to answer questions and objections.

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 to be prepared to give an account for our faith, so stay ready because you never know when God wants to use you.

Don't try to act like you know everything.

If someone ask you a question you don't have an answer to let them know you don't know. It's okay not to have all the answers.

Stay dependent upon God but study to show yourself approved. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Its says in Luke 12:12 that the Spirit will give you the words to say in the moment you need them.

It also says that He will bring to remembrance of the Word. John 14:26.

You gotta get in the word in order for Him to remind you of it.

Respect people

Rather they accept or reject what you have to say.

Don't come all lovey-dovey and then, when they reject what you have to say, you get all condemning and loud.

You'll be misrepresenting Christ and making it harder for the next person to share Jesus with them.

After it's all, said, and done if a person doesn't accept Jesus you still planted seeds.

If the person is open to it, offer to pray with them.

Prayer can be a powerful way to invite God's presence to touch them and as they walk away trust me that presence goes with them.

Let people know that they should look into the person of Jesus Christ for themselves, and not just believe what they heard.

Encourage them to do their own research and come to their own conclusion.

The Case for Christ documentary, by Lee Strobel, is available for free on YouTube, and I believe everybody should watch it, whether they are a believer or an unbeliever.

If you can get a number or way to stay connected with them on social media do it.

Try to build a relationship with them and maybe go hang out.

Evangelism can take a toll on you if you're not grounded in love and patience.

So remember to stay in the presence of the Lord growing in His love.

Everyone is in a different season of life, and it's our job to continue to be a light in this dark world.

Seek guidance and accountability from a brother or sister in the Lord. Learn from them and maybe go out and put your faith into action together.

Evangelism is one of the main purposes of our life on side of eternity.

Everybody is not an evangelist but everybody is a witness so there's no excuse.

Jesus said if you love him then you will keep his commandments and one of the things that he commanded us to do with a go preach the gospel.

Before you go out to evangelize, ask yourself this, are you willing to disciple someone if they give their life to Jesus?

Do you know somebody who will disciple this person if you're not able to?

If you can't answer, yes to one of these two questions then I don't believe you should even be out there.

Evangelism is just one part of the great commission.

We're also told to make disciples, and if we're not willing to carry out the other half.

Then repent and seek the Lord to change your heart in this area.

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