Reply To: Evangelism and Follow Up Group Discussion 1

[Benny4real]

Name: Owhondah Ugochi Benedicta
Course Title: Evangelism and Follow-up
Course Code: EF-108-LC
Anchor: Rev Joe Uwareme
Explain at least three(3) things being done by today’s contemporary church that are not true evangelism.

1) Marketing of the local church:
Evangelism is not limited to a ministry, local church or evangelist. No church is designed for evangelism in a particular area. Evangelism should be a collective effort of believer’s and not a means of marketing a local church. According to Rev Joe Uwareme, Evangelism is a concerted self-conscious effort to confront the unbelievers with the truth about claims of Christ with the view of leading them to repentance and not an opportunity to tell them about your local church and it’s practices. They have the right to choose a local church for themselves. You can only make suggestions but that is all. Therefore when approaching an unbeliever, the primary focus should be spreading the good news and not marketing the local church. If questions are asked about the local church they can be answered but the discussion should be centered around the Love of Christ.
2) Bullying, Coercion or convincing people to believe :
This is not evangelism. Some churches go around with their members shouting “Repent or die” Using death as a means of coercing people to accept the Gospel even if they don’t want to at that moment. That’s trying to do the work of the Holy spirit. As a believer, you should be confident in who you are but still give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to do his job which is conviction. You don’t coerce people to believe the good news, you pray for them to accept the message you’re bringing to them. Like 1cor 3:6 Says “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase
3) A means of Condemning unbelievers:
Self-righteousness has been a set back to the body of Christ. Some believer’s and local churches see themselves as holy and see others as filthy and therefore go around saying “Repent or Die” in the name of “Evangelism’. As believer’s we know that evangelism is reaching people with the “Good news” and not “the poison” The emphasis in evangelism should be the love of God from John 3:16 and how God reconciled the world unto Himself. Because Christ came for the sinners according to “Matthew 9:13 where Jesus said “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance”. Leading people to repentance jas to do with confronting them and not Condemning them.
4) Critique of other religions, other churches and other church leaders:
“Evangelism” is now used as a means of creating division in the body of Christ. Believer’s in ministries go around with megaphones speaking ill of preachers and other churches, making evangelism seem like a competition instead of a privilege given to every believer. Evangelism is our heavenly mandate and is targeted at unbelievers and not believer’s in the wrong. You pray for those who you feel are using wrong methods but so not criticize the body of Christ.
5) An activity instead of a way of life:
Evangelism is not just the task of the church but the very nature of the church. This should be taught in every local church. Evangelism is the individual and yet collective responsibility of every believer.
Some contemporary churches make evangelism an activity by limiting their members to certain days of the week where they can move around for evangelism instead of making them know that you evangelize everyday. Either by the actions you take, by the things you say and the places you find yourself. Asides walking up to people and telling them the good news. You should live the good news. As believer’s we should always know that opportunities abound around us to spread the Gospel everyday.