Marks of Effective Evangelism - Compassion
All effective evangelists have a
heart for the lost. They have a passion
to see souls saved. The only way to grow
in your compassion for the lost is to spend time in prayer and the Word. If you
spent time in prayer and the Word, your desires will be conformed to God’s
desires. We want God’s heart for the lost. We want to pursue gladness and joy
in heaven by helping the lost come to Christ. Matthew 9:35-38,
And Jesus went
throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and
proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every
affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they
were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his
disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray
earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Jesus had compassion for the lost
sheep. They are helpless and hopeless
and He had compassion for them. Our compassion grows for the lost when we read
God’s Word and pray, then as our compassion grows we pray more earnestly to the
Lord to save the lost by sending more laborers into the field.
Why do we want our church to grow?
It is a question leaders have to wrestle with again and again. Do we want the
church to grow for our own fame or to be successful? Or do we want the church
to grow so more of the lost will be saved?
The more the church grows the more laborers should be sent out into the
harvest to reach the lost. One of the
greatest barometers of a healthy church is their sending capacity. We should be
more concerned with who are we sending to the harvest than who we are getting
to sit in the pews.
We will never be motivated to leave
the pews unless we have compassion. People who do not know Jesus are helpless
and hopeless and under God’s judgment. We have to grow in our compassion for
the lost.