Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
The Great Commission charges all believers to spread God’s message to those who have yet to find the love and direction of God. While some true believers follow suit, pastors and religious organizations are lighting a fire under the rest of God’s children to help the unsaved turn their life around and live for Christ.
A. Thomas Hill, senior pastor of Healing Streams Word and Worship Center, believes that although Christ’s followers are given instruction to be evangelists, many don’t share their faith out of fear and not knowing what to say.
His congregation can take part in a class to learn how to witness to others, yet he and his evangelism team use the Drive By Prayer Vigils as a prime opportunity to share the Gospel. After each homicide in Indianapolis, Hill invites the victim’s family, neighborhood and nearby houses of worship to take part in the prayer vigil located at the crime site.
Hill and his team pray for the victim’s family then invites all who participated in the vigil to come to Christ. He then directs those who have accepted Christ to connect with neighborhood churches to grow their faith.
“We’re about the kingdom, beyond our church. There’s enough people in Indianapolis to fill every church in the city,” said Hill. “Whenever there’s tragedy in your community, there’s this need for security and we know that God is the absolute security.”
While Hill and other Indianapolis preachers are strongly encouraging congregations to edify the body of Christ, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) has created a National Evangelism Initiative to do the same across the U.S.
NAMB is an agency of the Southern Baptist Convention whose responsibility is to send missionaries and chaplains throughout the U.S., its territories and Canada spreading the word of God. It also assists churches nationwide in their strategies to bring unbelievers to Christ.
Through the evangelism initiative, NAMB hopes to accomplish three main objectives: start more churches, effectively share Christ, and mobilize more missionaries.
“If not now then when? This is the moment when we’re living in a time when people are looking for direction and hope. There’s crisis everywhere, problems on every side and we believe Jesus is that way,” said Ken Ellis, team leader for People Group Interface Evangelism, NAMB.
NAMB also wanted to use the initiative, which will run through 2020, to not only unify Southern Baptist Convention members within evangelism but to also aid churches whose memberships and baptisms have either plateaued, decreased over the years and who didn’t have an evangelism strategy.
NAMB and Hill’s churchgoers at Healing Streams Word and Worship Center have taken a more organized and diplomatic approach to witnessing to unbelievers yet some believe Christ’s followers shouldn’t rely on their church or pastor to receive instruction on when to minister to the lost.
Hill recommends using strategies such as: receiving basic training; witnessing in twos (“We still live in a wicked world.”); praying that those who are being witnessed to will have their heart opened by the Holy Spirit to receive God’s word; and giving direction on the next step of finding a good church home and professing one’s faith through baptism whether one instantly chooses Christ or not.
“You can go further and share your faith with whoever you come in contact with sharing how God loves them has a purpose and a plan for their life,” said Ellis.
“When you share your faith it’s more than just giving them Scripture,” added Hill. “For the person witnessing, it will encourage their faith; for the other person, it connects them with God. If we ever really let loose, we could literally turn the world upside down.”
“Declare his glory among the nations, his wonderful works among all peoples.” (Psalm 96:3)
For more information, call NAMB at (770) 410-6000 or visit www.namb.net; call Pastor A. Thomas Hill at (317) 280-8077 or visit www.hswwc.com.
