Ineffective Evangelism

To understand Effective Evangelism we must first look at Ineffective Evangelism. Let us examine why some evangelism is not effective. Ministry begins with God and our belief in God. If we are weak in our belief, we will make God into an idea and not the true and living God. If we view Him as an idea, we will not seek council from Him. How many times have you prayed and ended prayer without waiting for God to answer? This is an example of seeing God as a good moral idea. This isn’t feasible when embarking on Evangelism. True evangelism entails confronting a real devil and to accomplish such you need God to lead and back you up. Scripture provides us with an example of operating inside evangelism without the leading and backing of God.

Acts 19:14-16

14. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

15. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

16. And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

The sons of Sceva, are primary examples of individuals proceeding toward ministry outside of the leading of the Holy Spirit. One thing we should notice in this story; “the consequence of such actions”. Another is the foundational truth that we learned years ago; ministry starts with God. If the Father doesn’t lead us inside of all our endeavors toward ministry, there is no guarantee that we will have His power. We must always keep in mind that we are just vessels for the Master’s use. When we take on another agenda that will establish us, rather than the Kingdom of God in the earth, we have stepped outside of the boundaries

of the faith.

Another key point in this story is that the evil spirit noted who it recognized. “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” Christ said, “Beelzebub can’t cast out Beelzebub.”

Mark 3:22-23 KJV

22. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

23. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

The bible states that the prayers of a righteous man avail much. Evil spirits only recognize holiness, which is obtained through the life of Christ. Paul says let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:5-7

5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Paul requested in the above scripture that we allow the mind of Christ to be in us also. Such is a mind that thought it not robbery to establish the will of God on the earth, a mind that sought no reputation of its own even at the sacrifice of its personal life experiences. Paul made this appeal to the Philippian church because he knew that this is the only way to be approved of God to work ministry. If our lives are not upright before God, we have no authority in the Spirit.

Now let us go into the Old Testament to an example of a principle relating to spiritual warfare; an example of being led by the Spirit. Take the story of David, a twelve year old boy, not a warrior or soldier, but a shepherd boy who one day encounters an enemy of God in the form of a giant named Goliath. As the story reads, Goliath issues insults and threats. David answered those threats by saying,

I Samuel 17:45

Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

WE MUST BE LED

The Book of Acts illustrates a number of examples of being lead by the Holy Ghost in ministry:

Acts 13:2-4 KJV

2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

3. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

4. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

In this scriptural account there were prophets, teachers and the apostles gathered together. As they were fasting and praying, they were sent by the Holy Ghost into Seleucia and Cyprus to minister the gospel. There are several valuable points that we don’t want to forego in this scripture.

First, they ministered to the Lord, second they fasted, and finally were given instruction by the Holy Ghost to separate Barnabas and Saul to work the ministry in which they were called to do. Prayer is essential. We cannot even begin to consider working ministry without communicating with God as to the direction in which we are to work.

Acts 16:6

Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,

The above scripture provides us with an example of being forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach in a city.

The apostles were always seeking God for instruction and would follow suit in all cases.

These are some examples of the apostles being led by the Spirit.

Acts 8:4-5

4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.

5. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

Acts 8:25-26

25. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

26. And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

Acts 18:9-10 KJV

9. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:

10. For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

Acts 10:1-5 KJV

1. There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

2. A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

3. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

4. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

5. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:

Acts 10:19-20

19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

Acts 16:9-10

9. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

10. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

IN THE NAME JESUS

In my early years of salvation, as a young believer in the Lord, there were terms I frequently heard spoken by the elder saints during prayer. I recall often hearing them say, “In the name of Jesus.” When we are babes in Christ we have a tendency to imitate what we have been exposed to by others. Therefore, when I would pray concerning a certain situation, I often would say the same; “In the name of Jesus.” Now I’m not saying this to say this is incorrect, but do we really know the true essence of the phrase “In the name of Jesus”? During the time of spiritual immaturity, I must confess I didn’t truly know the meaning of such a statement. Thirty years after my spiritual birth, the Father has caused me to truly understand the statement that we as Christians so unknowingly sling around like a weapon of choice, when dealing with the devil.

Let us visit one of the first times the statement, “In the name of Jesus,” was ever used in prayer. It takes place in the Book of Acts, the 3rd chapter, when Peter and John were about to enter the temple. The time frame was not very long after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the entrance of the temple was a lame beggar. Most of us know the story of Peter saying, “Silver and gold have we not, but such as we have give unto thee,” as he commanded the man to rise up in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-3). When we read this event we often focus on the miracle itself, rather than what the miracle was purposed to do. You see, if there was no miracle in this story, there would have been no message delivered by Peter to his countrymen. Let us take a look at what Peter says in his message to the men of Israel:

Acts 3:12

And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

In the beginning of Peter’s message, he clearly expresses that neither he nor John had any power of their own. He took the attention off of them as men of God.

Acts 3:13

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

After taking the focus off themselves and placing the most sufficient focus on Jesus, Peter uses the platform that the miracle provided for him to minister Jesus to his countrymen.

You see, like Christ we have been given the power of God, but it only operates in the establishment of the Kingdom; not at our vanity of thought. Paul says in I Corinthians 4, “We have this treasure in an earthen vessel that the excellency of the power is of God and not of us.” We must do more than just say, “In the name of Jesus,” but operate in His name. This means continuing His ministry, on His behalf, and in His absence.

This is what Peter and John were doing when God used them to heal the lame man. They were proving that the testimony of Jesus was true. They were also following an example left to them by Jesus. When Jesus said, “I only do what the Father does; I only say what the Father says.” This is also our responsibility. Paul says in Ephesians 4:1, “Let us walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.” As children of God, we must embrace that we have been given a charge to keep. We are unprofitable servants, travelers in a foreign land and missionaries on assignment by God in His name. If this is not the location of our hearts, we can quote the words, ‘in the name of Jesus’ and still experience

no power.

The concept of ‘in the name of Jesus’ far exceeds the words spoken when we pray. It is the authority and the authorization by God, to operate as children of light in a dark world. An example of this authorization by God in His children is seen in all the lives of the disciples. These men were able to do remarkable things in ministry because they were operating in the name of Jesus. They were able to evangelize without the internet, network broadcasting, nor modern transportation, and I would venture to say with very little money. This was all done in the name of Jesus. Paul was bitten by a deadly serpent and didn’t succumb to its venom. Why? He lived his life in the name of Jesus. Many attempts were made on John’s life, but none were successful. He walked in the name of Jesus. These are a few examples that allow us to see the power that lies in the name of Jesus. Operating in His name allows the anointing of God on a life; causing it to be both fruitful in ministry and preserved unto an appointed time of God.