Christ calls the believer to partner with Him in reaching this lost world. The church is the only institution that ministers to man’s deepest needs in this world while preparing them for the world to come. We are His witnesses commissioned to go into all the world and proclaim the message of full salvation. The church must prepare herself for the work of evangelism so as not to fail in this most important task.
Both revivalism and evangelism are necessary in order for the church to accomplish her God called mission. Often times there is a misplaced emphasis on evangelism without revival but both are vital in winning the lost to Christ. Revival is a fresh work of the Holy Spirit among believers, bringing about a renewed dedication of zeal for the task of evangelism. Revival is for the people of God; evangelism is for the world, or the unsaved. Revival is necessary in order to keep the vision of the evangelization of the world fresh in the hearts of the believer. Nothing dims more rapidly than a religious vision unless it is kept fresh by repeated returns to the place of vision.
The progress of the church throughout all ages has been due in large measure to those great awakenings called “revivals.” Such awakenings are not only necessary for growth and progress in the church but they are also essential in order for evangelism to flourish. Historian Arnold Toynbee, in an interview with an ABC television newsman said that our western civilization was one of only five civilizations left in the world today and now there are signs that the lights of our civilization are going out. He further stated that the western world cannot survive without a religious revival.
The church has been called to guard the flame but the flame is beginning to flicker. We need a fresh baptism of His purifying presence to empower the church for the task to which she has been called. Vital Christianity is the only alternative to the dilemma we face in this day of delusion. This modern chaos is simply the reflection of the unending struggle man has been facing since the fall in the garden of Eden. It is a battle between good and evil, truth and error, and satan and the Savior. The good news is that we, the church, are on the winning side because Jesus told John in Revelation 1:18, “I’m He that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death.” We are serving a risen and living Savior and now “we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37) We have been commissioned to go to a lost and dying world to proclaim this good news.
In order for revival to come and evangelism to flourish we must Proclaim the Word of God. Every revival worthy of the name begins in the restoration of the Word of God to the pulpit, and its fearless proclamation by those anointed of God to preach it. “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (I Cor. 21) We are told that Paul preached Christ to them. Christ is not only the messenger but He is the message. G. Campbell Morgan, in speaking of the ministry of the apostle Paul said, “The cross interpreted by the resurrection was the Gospel according to Paul.” When Christ is preached, one must preach concerning His cross and His resurrection. A return to God has always been accompanied by a return to the Word.
The Word of God, like Christ, is relevant for every generation and age. Jesus, who was the “Word made flesh,” is the eternal contemporary. It is still relevant and necessary to declare the “thou shalt nots” and the “thou shalts” of God’s law. There is the need for a positive message, but let us not forget that our positive message will lose its force when we discard the negatives. A. W. Tozer said, “For us to preach always positive to the neglect of the negative is like a man always inhaling without ever exhaling and that will prove to be fatal in the end.”
In order for revival to come and evangelism to flourish we must have a Passion for the Lost. We must possess the same burning passion that Jesus possessed. In Matthew 14:14, “He was moved with compassion toward them.” This compassion cannot be compelled; it is spontaneous from a heart made perfect in love. Phillip Brooks said, “Evangelism is one loving heart setting another heart aflame.”
Passion is love with a vision: Vision sees the need and knows what must be done but will fail without constraining love. Love, in turn, will stir to action but needs a vision to carry out its mission. Therefore a heart full of loving compassion will not only enlighten but will impel us in the great enterprise of evangelizing the lost.
Finally, for revival to come and for evangelism to flourish we must exercise Prayer as the essential force that moves the hand of God. E. M. Bounds said, “Prayer can do anything God can do.” Prayer is the language of the soul. It is in the prayer closet were the battle is either won or lost. In the study of the life of Christ we are made to see the importance of prayer. It was His daily routine to seek the face of His Father. During the times of crisis and when momentous decisions had to be made, we find Him seeking the Father’s will. We read in the Bible that “He withdrew alone to pray, He climbed the mountain to pray, He rose a great while before the breaking of day to pray, He continued all night in prayer, with strong crying and tears He prayed.” He prayed for His own, His disciples, and for a lost world. He taught prayer, He preached prayer, He exhorted to pray.
If Jesus needed to pray so much how can we expect to do any less. We must become intercessors and pray until our prayer touched by faith turns to praise. Let us pray until a spiritual awakening comes to revive a slumbering church and ignites the flame in the heart of people resulting in soul passion that will bring about the evangelization of the lost.
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