There were no ‘Bibles’ in those days when Jesus sent seventy-two disciples to preach! Yet they were successful and miracles were recorded. There were no ‘social media’ in the era of Apostolic evangelism, yet their message spread like wildfire and their good works were confirmed by credible witnesses! How did they achieve that? Action, they say, speaks louder than words!
While truth is very powerful and can change the hearts of many, modern man is very skeptical of the truth and are even more skeptical of those who evangelise but do not live it out. For this reason Edgar Guest (a poet) wrote: “I would rather SEE a sermon than HEAR one. The best of all the preachers are those who live what they preach. To see good put into action is what everybody needs.”
Today, the Lord teaches us how to evangelise by ACTIONS rather than WORDS. If you wish to know this read slowly…
Luke 10:1-9
The Lord [Jesus] appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
1. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to Send labourers into His harvest.
Child of God, the work of evangelism is the work of God to liberate souls from strongholds of the devil and from worldliness, hence it requires prayers. Prayer is the first instruction Jesus gives his disciples before he sent them out. And the purpose of prayer is to prepare yourself and strengthen all those who take up the task of evangelism: Priests, Pastors, minsters, etc, against the wiles of the Devil. Never cease to pray! Infact, pray until something happens!
2. Evangelise to gain souls not wealth.
The task of evangelism is driven by love for souls- to liberate souls from perishing. It should not be money-driven. Hence Jesus instructs his ‘missionaries’ to “carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals.” Even though we are bound to connect with new persons, the task of evangelisation is not an opportunity for ‘socialising’. For this reason Jesus says: “salute no one on the road.” The work of evangelism is a call to repentance and conversion, while respecting the dignity and freedom of others. It is not a platform to denigrate others, hence Jesus says: “Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!”
3. Internalise the Word of God and Practice what you teach.
There were no ‘Bibles’ in those days when Jesus sent 72 disciples to preach. “The kingdom of God is very near to you” are the only words they were to memorise. Every other thing they have learnt from Jesus was to be put into practice: “eat what is set before you and cure those in it who are sick”. By this, Jesus insists that their ACTIONS among the people of God becomes the spoken WORDS of preaching! This is the most important part of evangelism, hence Pope Paul VI says: “the witness of life has become more than ever an essential condition for real effectiveness in preaching.” And he calls every preacher to ask himself or herself:
“Do you really believe what you are proclaiming? Do you live what you believe? Do you really preach what you live?” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 76)
It is only one who has internalised the Word of God knows how to respond to questions or doubts that may arise. It is only one who has internalised the Word of God can cause miraculous experiences of exorcism and faith-healing to happen.
4. A labourer deserves his wages.
This is a natural right and of Divine institution. Thus, whenever and wherever the gospel is preached effectively, ministers receive support from God’s people without force or coercion. They freely support the minister whom God uses to effect grace of conversion, liberation and healing. However, ministers should not insist on this right because elsewhere Jesus commanded “you received without payment, give without payment” (Matt 10:8). Unfortunately today, many ministers charge the people of God for consultation, prayers or counselling, and many faithful, ignorantly or for sake of gullibility, fall to such tricks.
5. Who should evangelise?
The task of evangelism is for all Christians and not for priests, bishops, or pastors alone for as the gospel says: The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs. These 72 were not the 12 Apostles. Hence, it is the task of all to support missionary activities by being active in two-fold giving: giving ourselves totally or giving our resources to support the work of evangelism.
TASK
You have just learned that effective evangelism is energised by prayer, driven by love to liberate souls from damnation, sustained by internalising and practising the Word of God and sustained by the generosity of God’s people. Since the task of evangelism is for all Christians and not for priests, bishops, or pastors alone, make it a point of duty to support the works of evangelisation because you will give account on the Last Day.
Pray now:
O Lord, help me to realise myself and my duty towards others especially to evangelise them by a worthy way of life. Take away every shame that causes me to hesitate when I should witness to your love and mercy as a Christian before others. Holy Spirit of God, assist me in my resolution to be a living witness of your love and presence in my life. AMEN.
