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because we are busy, or even skilled, at doing something does not necessarily mean that we are getting anything accomplished. The question must always be asked: Is it worth doing? And does it get the job done? This is a question that should be posed continually in relation to the evangelistic activity of the church. Are our efforts to keep things going fulfilling the great commission of Christ?
Just as a building is constructed according to the plan for its use, so everything we do must have a purpose. Otherwise our activity can be lost in aimlessness and confusion.
We must remember that the witnesses who wrote the books not only saw the truth; they were changed by it.
the scriptural accounts of Jesus constitute our best, and only inerrant, textbook on Evangelism.
No one was excluded from his precious purpose. His love was universal. Make no mistake about it. He was “the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42). God wanted all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. To that end Jesus gave himself to provide a salvation from all sin for all men. In that he died for one, he died for all.
Not for one moment did Jesus lose sight of his goal.
There was nothing haphazard about his life— no wasted energy, not an idle word. He was on business for God (Luke 2:49). He lived, he died, and he rose again according to schedule. Like a general plotting his course of battle, the Son of God calculated to win. He could not afford to take a chance.
It all started by Jesus calling a few men to follow him. This revealed immediately the direction his evangelistic strategy would take. His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow.
The initial objective of Jesus’ plan was to enlist men who could bear witness to his life and carry on his work after he returned to the Father.
What is more revealing about these men is that at first they do not impress us as being key men. None of them occupied prominent places in the synagogue, nor did any of them belong to the Levitical priesthood. For the most part they were common laboring men, probably having no professional training
One might wonder how Jesus could ever use them. They were impulsive, temperamental, easily offended, and had all the prejudices of their environment.
Not the kind of group one would expect to win the world for Christ. Yet Jesus saw in these simple men the potential of leadership for the Kingdom. They were indeed “unlearned and ignorant” according to the world’s standard (Acts 4:13), but they were teachable.
These men were looking for someone to lead them in the way of salvation. Such men, pliable in the hands of the Master, could be molded into a new image—Jesus can use anyone who wants to be used.
One cannot transform a world except as individuals in the world are transformed, and individuals cannot be changed except as they are molded in the hands of the Master.
select a few helpers but also to keep the group small enough to be able to work effectively with them. Hence, as the company of followers around Jesus increased, it became necessary by the middle of his second year of ministry to narrow the select company to a more manageable number.
there is no record of the disciples complaining about the preeminence of the three, though they did murmur about other things, is proof that where preference is shown in the right spirit and for the right reason, offense need not arise.
the more concentrated the size of the group being taught, the greater the opportunity for effective instruction.
few people were actually converted during the ministry of Christ,
many of the multitudes believed in Christ in the sense that his divine ministry was acceptable,10 but comparatively few seemed to have grasped the meaning of the gospel. Perhaps his total number of devoted followers at the end of his earthly ministry numbered little more than the five hundred
his active ministry extended only over a period of three years, yet if at this point one were to measure the effectiveness of his evangelism by the number of his converts, Jesus doubtless would not be considered among the most productive mass evangelists of the church.
it not rather disappointing that one with all the powers of the universe at his command would live and die to save the world, yet in the end have only a few ragged disciples to show for his labors?
What good would it have been for his ultimate objective to arouse the masses to follow him if these people had no subsequent supervision
It had been demonstrated on numerous occasions that the crowd was an easy prey to false gods when left without proper care. The masses were like helpless sheep wandering aimlessly without a shepherd (Mark 6:34; Matt. 9:36; 14:14). They were willing to follow almost anyone who came along with some promise for their welfare,
Thus, before the world could ever be permanently helped, people would have to be raised up who could lead the multitudes in the things of God. Jesus was a realist. He fully realized the fickleness of depraved human nature as well as the satanic forces of this world
Though he did what he could to help the multitudes, he had to devote himself primarily to a few men, rather than the masses, so that the masses could at last be saved. This was the genius of his strategy.
it is scarcely comprehended in practice today. Most of the evangelistic efforts of the church begin with the multitudes under the assumption that the church is qualified to preserve what good is done. The result is our spectacular emphasis on numbers of converts, candidates for baptism, and more members for the church, with little or no genuine concern manifested toward the establishment of these souls in the love and power of God,
Surely if the pattern of Jesus at this point means anything at all, it teaches that the first duty of a church leadership is to see to it that a foundation is laid
It will mean raising up trained disciplers “for the work of ministering” with the pastor and church staff (Eph. 4:12).12 A few people so dedicated in time will shake the world for God. Victory is never won by the multitudes.
Some might object to this principle when practiced by the Christian worker on the ground that favoritism is shown toward a select group in the church.
However, the ultimate goal must be clear to the worker, and there can be no hint of selfish partiality displayed in relationships to all. Everything that is done with the few is for the salvation of the multitudes.
it is surely not without significance that the early leaders of communism, always alert to what works,
They are a modern-day example of what Jesus demonstrated so clearly in his day: that the multitudes can be won easily if they are just given leaders to follow.14
It is ironic when one stops to think about it. In an age when facilities for rapid communication of the gospel are available to the church as never before, there are actually more unevangelized people on the earth today than before
in appraising the tragic condition of affairs today, we must not become frantic in trying to reverse the trend overnight. Perhaps that has been our problem. In our concern to stem the tide, we have launched one crash program after another to reach the multitudes
This, of course, puts a priority on winning and training those already in responsible positions of leadership. But if we can’t begin at the top, then let us begin where we are and train a few of the lowly to become the great. And let us remember, too, that one does not have to have the prestige of the world to be greatly used in the Kingdom of God. Anyone who is willing to follow Christ can become a mighty influence on the world providing, of course, this person has the proper training.
It will be slow, tedious, painful, and probably unnoticed by people at first, but the end result will be glorious,
We must decide where we want our ministry to count—in the momentary applause of popular recognition or in the reproduction of our lives in a few chosen people who will carry on our work after we have gone.
Having called his men, Jesus made a practice of being with them. This was the essence of his training program—just letting his disciples follow him.
The natural informality of this teaching method of Jesus stood in striking contrast to the formal, almost scholastic procedures of the scribes. These religious teachers insisted on their disciples adhering strictly to certain rituals and formulas of knowledge which distinguished them from others; whereas Jesus asked only that his disciples follow him.
Knowledge was gained by association before it was understood by explanation.
This simple methodology was revealed from the beginning by the invitation that Jesus gave to the men he wanted to lead.
“come and see”
“Follow me” ( John
“Come ye after me,”
“Follow me”
By responding to this initial call, believers in effect enrolled themselves in the Master’s school where their understanding could be enlarged and their faith established.
Jesus made it clear that before these men were “to preach” or “to cast out devils” they were to be “with him.” In fact, this personal appointment to be in constant association with him was as much a part of their ordination commission as the authority to evangelize.
as the ministry of Christ lengthened into the second and third years he gave increasingly more time to the chosen disciples, not less.1
The time which Jesus invested in these few disciples was so much more by comparison to that given to others that it can only be regarded as a deliberate strategy. He actually spent more time with his disciples than with everybody else in the world put together.
other individually and collectively. Every member of the community of faith had a part to fulfill in this ministry. But this they could only do as they themselves were trained and inspired.
