I have been a church consultant for more than twenty years, and I have never seen a strong Great Commission church without a pastor burdened for his neighbors and the nations. Simply stated, a congregation-wide DNA of brokenness over lostness usually trickles down from the top. If your longing to get the gospel to the lost has waned, my goal here is to provide some simple suggestions to re-ignite that passion.
- Admit to God and to someone else where you are. Confession to God is the first step toward change, and accountability with others is a daily reminder of your renewed commitment.
- Ask someone to pray these texts for you: Ephesians 6:19-20 (that you will share the gospel boldly) and Colossians 4:3-4 (that God will open a door and help you speak the gospel clearly). If the apostle Paul needed folks to pray this way for him, surely pastors need this same support today.
- Do a Bible study on “grace.” Frankly, we often lose our passion for the Great Commission because we take grace for granted. Go back to the beginning of your spiritual journey, and let the Word magnify the grace of God again.
- Once a week, take a couple of hours to see your community with God’s eyes. Schedule time to be in your community. Drive around, praying as you go. If you see worship sites for other world faiths, grieve for those who worship false gods. Pray for the children and teens who attend schools you pass, knowing you may be the only person praying for them that day.
- At least once a week, walk the streets of your community and talk to people. Slow down, take a walk, speak with business leaders, ask for prayer concerns, and get to know the people you need to reach.
- At least once a week, take time to pray for an unreached people group around the world. I invite you to go to www.imb.org or www.joshuaproject.net, and learn about a people group. Hear about the spiritual blindness that keeps them in darkness. To be consistent with this task, calendar it each week.
- Everyday, make it a point to tell somebody something good about Jesus. What you say may be as simple as, “I’m having a good day because Jesus loves me,” or “May I tell you how God answered my prayer?” The point is this: if you speak a good word about Jesus every day (even to believers as a starting point), telling the gospel story will become more of your DNA.
Pastor, ask God to make Jesus your passion again. Pray and work so others know Him. Your church will not catch the fire of the Great Commission unless the flame first burns in you.
Posted on August 11, 2020
Dr. Chuck Lawless is a leading expert in spiritual consultation, discipleship and mentoring. As a former pastor, he understands the challenges ministry presents and works with Church Answers to provide advice and counsel for church leaders.
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14 Comments
Thank you Chuck,
I came across your page tonight because I am praying for my pastor who is dealing with some issues and seems to have lost track of his calling. Please keep him in prayer, and me as well as I pray about speaking with him in love.
It was great to get this teaching i whish to get more it has assisted me in my day to day Gods work
Great reminder article about our role in personal evangelism Chuck. Great sovereign timing of the Lord…. I opened my Bible up for our short Bible study tonight before Prayer time in Colossians 4 and had just posted it on our page when I looked at your article.
Jim
Dear beloved in Christ,
Thank you very much for the level of work you are doing in the kingdom of God.
I write to invite you to Buchanan City Grand Bassa County Liberia West Africa. Your invitation to Liberia is, to be our guest and to help us train our rural and urban Christian leaders in church management, counseling, leadership development, etc.
I look forward to hearing from you.
In Christ,
Rev. Murphy T. Jackson
Founder/Senior Pastor, Christ Celebration Church Liberia West Africa
00231777907059
Thank you. May our LORD help us.
The Bible doesn’t say anything about retirement as Pastors. Charles Stanely is a good example.
I found THE INVITATION New Testament from CSB. I ordered 25 and passed them out in no time. I ordered 50 more, and yesterday gave out the last one. I have reordered 100, and am looking forward to receiving them so that I can pass them out. I don’t wait for people to ask me for a New Testament. Instead I tell them that I have a gift for them, and hand them a New Testament. I have not been refused yet. Everyone so far has been very appreciative that I give them God’s Word. What I love about this NT is that it has the Romans Road underlined, and a commitment page in the back. I am also gluing my business card to the inside front cover. I do wish that the print was larger.
How can I have access or apply for Holy Bible for rural evangelism and what is cost to 30 copies for a start please u need assistance on this. Yours faithful in God’s vine-yard
Michael Olokor
Thanks for the encouraging word! Good suggestions!
Thanks, Russell.
I needed this article so much! Although I talk to my flock about the urgent need of evangelism, I’m not doing it myself. These are life changing approaches I will begin to apply to my own life, and also encourage my elders to read and begin to follow. Thank you for being an open channel to the wishing of the Father.
Thanks, Jim, for your honesty.
All spot on advices. Sounds like a combination of solid 12-Step Recovery and John Wesley’s treatises on Grace. Good synergy!
Thanks, Dr. Finnin.