ONE TO ONE EVANGELISM CHAPTER 1

Chapter One:

What is One-to-One Evangelism?

One-to-one evangelism is where you as an individual preach, or tell someone the gospel of the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. It is where you share the gospel with another person and bring them to Christ.  Personal evangelism or witnessing are also terms used to describe one-to-one evangelism. We will be using these terms as we go through this manual. One‑to-one evangelism or personal evangelism was practised by Jesus and the Church in the book of Acts (John 3:3-8, 4:1, Acts 8:26‑39, 10:27-44, 19:24‑26).  One-to-one evangelism is a powerful way to bring many souls into the Kingdom of God.  In some of the bible examples we will look at, it brought a whole city out to meet Jesus (John 4:39), and it was the method used by God to introduce the Gospel into the continent of Africa (Acts 8:39).  As you share your faith, you are extending the Kingdom of God and aligning yourself with the mission of Jesus which was to seek and save that which is lost (Matt. 6:33, Luke 11:23, 19:10).  In this section of the manual, we will be looking at, One-to-One evangelism and church growth, One-to-One evangelism in the New Testament, and Spiritual principles of Evangelism.

One-to-One Evangelism and Church Growth

Many years ago a survey was done in the United States by the American Institute of Church Growth. It asked 14,000 people why they became Church members. The results were as follows:

Special Need: 1-2%

Walk-in: 2-3%

Pastor: 5-6%

Visitation: 1-2%

Sunday school: 4-5%

Evangelistic Crusade: 1/2 of 1%

Church Program: 2-3%

Friend/Relative: 75-90%

Note: One-to-one evangelism accounts for 75-90% of People joining the Local Church!

Few Christians realise the power in personal witnessing for Christ.  Yet from these statistics we can clearly see, that it is directly related to the growth of local churches.  Your church will grow when you witness for Jesus.  The growth of a local Church is directly related to personal witnessing of its members!  We are the Body of Christ and members in particular (1 Cor. 12:27).  You may not be called to minister in the Church, but you are certainly called to evangelise, and witness for Christ, and in this way you build up and expand your Church.  Every Christian has a role to play in the growth and expansion of their Church and the Kingdom of God in the area God has assigned them.

One-to-one Evangelism and the spiritual condition of the United Kingdom

The English Church Census was carried out by Christian Research on 8 May 2005.  Based on the Census findings it is now estimated that:

Of the 50,309,000 people living in England, 3,166,200 usually attend church on a Sunday; regular churchgoers therefore amount to 6.3% of the total population.  The largest section of regular churchgoers, 57%, live in towns or suburban areas, 24% in cities or estates, and 19% in rural areas.

 Note:    6.3% of our population attend Church: 93.7% do not attend Church on Sunday!

            Only 24% of the population of cities attend Churches even though cities have the highest concentration of people in them in one place. 76% of people in our cities do not attend Church!

            93.7% of our population are perishing!!

Religion in England and Wales Census 2011

In 2011 the English Census was done in the United Kingdom. When collating data about religions and religious beliefs in it reported some alarming facts when it comes to Christianity in Britain today. The following is a breakdown of its key finding regarding religion and religious belief.

Despite falling numbers Christianity remains the largest religion in England and Wales in 2011. Muslims are the next biggest religious group and have grown in the last decade. Meanwhile the proportion of the population who reported they have no religion has now reached a quarter of the population.

·   In the 2011 Census, Christianity was the largest religion, with 33.2 million people (59.3 per cent of the population). The second largest religious group were Muslims with 2.7 million people (4.8 per cent of the population).

·   , around a quarter of the population in England and Wales, reported they have no religion in 2011.

·   The religion question was the only voluntary question on the 2011 census and 7.2 per cent of people did not answer the question.

·   Between 2001 and 2011  there has been a decrease in people who identify as Christian (from 71.7 per cent to 59.3 per cent) and an increase in those reporting no religion (from 14.8 per cent to 25.1 per cent). There were increases in the other main religious group categories, with the number of Muslims increasing the most (from 3.0 per cent to 4.8 per cent).

·   In 2011, London was the most diverse region with the highest proportion of people identifying themselves as Muslim, Bhuddist, Hindu and Jewish. The North East and North West had the highest proportion of Christians and Wales had the highest proportion of people reporting no religion.

·   Knowsley was the local authority with the highest proportion of people reporting to be Christians at 80.9 per cent and Tower Hamlets had the highest proportion of Muslims at 34.5 per cent (over 7 times the England and Wales figure).  Norwich had the highest proportion of the population reporting no religion at 42.5 per cent.

These findings are not good for Christians or the Church. Christianity is supposed to be the established Faith of this nation. Yet we see a slight increase in the other religions but Christianity is on the decline! The number of people professing the Christian Faith in 2011 has declined by 12%. Some have speculated that at this rate Christians could become the minority in the united Kingdom by 2018!  Note all the others religions are growing except us Christians. What is also significant is that there is a rise of people who profess no belief in God; a staggering 14.1 million people, nearly a quarter of the population! A major reason for this is the rise of a new militant atheism which is converting thousands of people all over the world, especially in the United Sates and the United Kingdom. The new Atheists led by Richard Dawkins , Daniel Dennet and sam Harris are on a crusade along with other atheists and secularists to free society of religion which they see as a evil.

However the real reason Christianity is losing the fight in the United States and the United Kingdom, is because Christians like ourselves are not evangelising. We are not preaching the Gospel; we are not telling people about Jesus. Jesus said we are the salt of the Earth, the light of the world-Matthew 5:13-16. If we fail to evangelise then the Satan will see to it that false religions and ideas take root in our nation. Jesus said that he came to save the world (John 3:16). We have a duty before God to save our society from its moral and spiritual decay and decadence. The only hope for our nation is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Only the Gospel can heal the heart and of man and society. Only the Gospel with its message of redemption through Christ can save Britain from its moral, spiritual and economic problems. Let us be faithful to preach this powerful message and see God transform our society before we lose it to the enemy!  America still remains a Christian Nation but Christianity is fast losing ground in the United Sates. Although there are mega Churches there, secular humanists and atheists are taking serious ground in politics and Education. It is estimated that 75% of born-again Christian youth, 3 out of 4 young people LOOSE THEIR FAITH after they leave home and go to college in America! One to One evangelism must therefore begin at home. We must make sure that our own families are strong Christians and can answer the objectionsst being levelled against their faith today by secular humanists, atheists and evolutionists.

One-to-one evangelism is a must! The Church can think it is making a big impact on society, when in reality, the opposite is the case. What these statistics tell us is that there is much work to be done to change our nation. No one evangelist or Church can change these statistics. It is the responsibility of every member of the Body of Christ to witness and help bring our nation back to God.

Many years ago this poster was used in World War 1 to recruit men to fight in the war:

 Britain was fighting a natural military war, and the country needed its men to get involved in the war to save the nation. We Christians are in a spiritual cosmic war, not over land but over the souls of men, women and children (Eph. 6:10-12).  So let this poster be applied to us with the slogan:

 JESUS NEEDS YOU TO EVANGELISE AND

SAVE BRITAIN!!

JESUS NEEDS YOU TO EVANGELISE AND

SAVE BRITAIN!!

Questions:

Is one-to-one evangelism important to your local Church? Why?

Is the Church having a great impact on the Nation? Why?

Can the individual believer make any difference to the growth of their Church? Why?

____________________________________________

In what way can you help to increase the number of people in your Church?

____________________________________________

One-to-One Evangelism in the New Testament

Evangelism has always been on the heart of God.  He longs for men and women to repent of their sins, and come to know him (Duet. 28:1-31).  He called and sent men to preach, warn and exhort people to turn from their wicked ways and come to him for forgiveness and cleansing (Psalms 103:3, Isaiah 1:18, Jonah 2:3-10, 4:11, Zech. 13:1).  A good example of an evangelist in the Old Testament is Jonah. When he obeyed God. The hole of the city of Nineveh was saved (Jonah 2:3-10).  Personal evangelism is not something new to God.  It is not something that was invented in our day.  God has this method to reach people throughout history.

One-to-one evangelism was an effective method of winning souls practised in the New Testament. Jesus, Paul, Peter and the Early Christians practised it with great results. Here are a few examples of one-to-one evangelism found in the New Testament:

Ø  Jesus and Nicodemus – (John 3:3-8)

Ø  Jesus and the Samaritan Woman – (John 4:7-42)

***Result***    The whole city came to hear and see Jesus – many were saved

Ø  Jesus sent out His twelve Apostles – (Matt. 10:1)

Ø  Jesus sent out seventy disciples to evangelise: Luke 10:1, 19

The Believers in the book of Acts practised one-to-one evangelism.  It is said of them in Acts 5:42:  “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

***Result*** Disciples greatly multiplied in Jerusalem – Acts 6:7 Church number multiplied: Acts 9:31 

Ø  Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch – (Acts-8:1-39)

***Result*** He heard the Word was saved and the Gospel was introduced to Africa

Ø  Peter and the Roman Centurion – (Acts 10:27-11)

***Result*** He and His household got saved. The gospel was released into the Gentile world

Ø  Paul before Felix and King Agrippa – (Acts: 24:25, 26:2-30)

***Result*** Gospel preached to state authorities and rulers of the Roman Empire

Paul had the opportunity to preach the gospel to the government of his day.  These government officials would have spoken to associates about Paul’s case and what he believed, and so the Word of God was being heard it the halls of the Roman Empire.

One-to-one evangelism is a powerful tool God can use to cause dramatic increase in His Kingdom. Your sharing the good news to someone can be the catalyst for others to hear the Gospel and get saved. The bible teaches us to despise not the day of small things (Zech. 4:10). God can use your testimony, to bring multitudes into His Kingdom!

Questions:

Is one-to-one evangelism a modern day method to win souls?

Give two NT examples of personal one-to-one evangelism, include the scriptures.

How to Begin One-to-One Evangelism:

Spiritual Principles of Evangelism

1. The Seed Principle:

“ And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; 27 and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. Mark 4:26-29

“ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Evangelism and harvest operates by spiritual principles and laws  of the Kingdom of God. If we want to see our famines and communities saved and our Churches grow then we need to understand these principles and laws. The first principle and law is the Seed principle. This simply states than any results we are seeking in our lives and churches begins as a seed. When we first got saved the seed of God, the Word of God was planted in us in the new birth (1 Peter 1:23). This seed when watered and grown leads to a full mature Christian life. In Evangelism and Church growth there are spiritual principles in the Word of God we need to understand if we want results. In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed into the ground. In Acts 1:8, Jesus gives the groups of people we are to begin to evangelise. He says:

and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Note the process of Evangelism:

                                                              i.      Judea

                                                           ii.      Samaria

                                                         iii.      Uttermost apart of the Earth

Note Jesus did not tell them first to go to the uttermost part of the earth to witness. They were to begin their witness where they were in their city of Jerusalem. Then after that they were to witness outside Jerusalem to other cities and in their nation. Finally after doing that they were to witness to the ends of the Earth. God instructs individuals and churches to begin at home with their evangelism. God gives you a small seed- group of people you re to witness to as an individual. As an individual it will be your immediate family. As a Church he gives you your immediate roads and streets around that church. THIS IS YOUR SEED OF EVANGLEISM. These are the people you must start with. As you are faithful to witness to these groups of people, God adds more power, anointing and gifting for you to reach 
the wider community and eventually evangelise the world.

Below we list the seed, the group of people God has called us as individual Christians to witness to.

The Seed of people God has given you to witness to as an individual:

There are three groups of people that God has placed within the sphere of your influence.  People you are in contact with who you can share the Gospel with.  These are family and relatives, friends and acquaintances and total strangers.  To develop confidence and skill in sharing your faith, begin with the people you know, your family and relatives and unbelieving friends.  Then move onto acquaintances, then total strangers.

Family and Relatives:

You start to share the gospel by talking to your unsaved family members.  It could be your mom, dad, aunt, uncle, nephew or cousins.  It could also include long lost family members or distant members.  You are the point of contact for God in your family and have a special responsibility to tell them about Jesus.

Friends – Friendship Evangelism:

Friendship evangelism is an excellent way of bringing souls to Christ.  It is easier to share the gospel with your friend who already knows you than it is with a total stranger.  You may have some non Christian friends in your place of work or through other social events and venues.  You may have developed a friendship with one of your neighbours for example.  As Christians we know we are not to love the world and participate in its ways (1 John).  However we can still befriend unbelievers with the aim of helping them and sharing our faith with them.  Jesus exampled this principle.  He befriended the social outcast Zacchaeus and the result was that He got saved (Luke 19:5-10).  Jesus fellowshipped and ministered to sinners (Mark 2:16, Luke 15:2).  He did not participate in their lifestyles, but He still reached out to them.  He said He came to call sinners to repentance (Matt 9:13).  Many times we forsake our non-Christian friends.  We need to understand that we can still maintain a friendship with them, and befriend them with the purpose of bringing them into the Kingdom.

John Finney’s survey “Finding Faith Today (Bible Society 1992)”, found that 39% of men and 40% of women who came to faith in Christ, came as a result of having a Christian friend who was there for them. Christian friends are important according to Finney’s report because they provide, “love, understanding, care and prayer.”

Acquaintance Evangelism:

Acquaintances are people we “know from a distance”.  We have contact with them, say hello, talk to them about the weather, but don’t really know them.  They include neighbours, people who come to fix our houses, plumbers, electricians etc, shop keepers, parents we meet when we take our children to school, etc.  The list can go on.  Sometimes we even have daily contact with such people.  This is a great opportunity to share the Gospel with them.  Because we already talk to them on a casual basis, it is easy to turn the conversation round to spiritual things.  The bible is clear that God will give us opportunities to share our faith and will create need in those people with whom we talk.

 Total Strangers – Cold Calling:

This is where we share our faith with total strangers. It is when we approach a complete stranger and share the Gospel Message with them for the first time.  It includes the following types of Evangelism:

©  Street Evangelism

©  Door to door Evangelism

©  Lifestyle Evangelism

©  Servant Evangelism

F Public venues for Evangelism: buses, shops, offices etc.

F The Holy Spirit led Evangelism – the Lord will put people on your heart to share the Gospel to.

 Action Point:

The following page contains a drawing which shows the groups of people you are in contact with, your family and relatives, friends and acquaintances and total strangers.

* Fill in the circles with names of people you are in contact with.

    - The inner circle – list down your unsaved family and relatives

      - The outer circle – list down people you know, acquaintances neighbours you know who are not saved

      - In the outer space – list down strangers you come across regularly who are unsaved

Remember: these people represent the people God has given you the opportunity to share the Gospel with, your Seed.

*   Pray for these people on a daily basis and that God would:

-    Open a door of opportunity for you to share the Gospel with them (Col. 4:3)

    -   Give you boldness and courage to preach the Gospel to them (Acts 4:29).

* Do things which show that you care and are concerned about them:

-   Invite them into your home for a dinner or snack 

-   Visit them, especially in times of trial or sickness

      - Do things with them on a social level

When applied to the Church Evangelism the Seed principle is as follows:

                                                              i.            Judea-Your community and your City

                                                           ii.            Samaria-Your Borough, County, Country

                                                         iii.            Uttermost parts of the Earth

As a Church you need to get a map of your local area say a 3 mile radius from your Church. Divide it into North, South, East and West. Decide on a monthly basis which area of the community you are going to evangelise, streets, shops, roads etc. Pray militantly for souls in that area; break all satanic strongholds in the area. Set a day to go out and evangelise the area with tracts, door to door and street Evangelism. Do this for the 3 other areas of your community/city. Then seek the lord how to proceed. He may tell you to continue in an area for weeks/months.

Circles of Gospel Influence Diagram ©

    Unsaved Strangers and rest of the World

l.

Spiritual Principles of Evangelism

2. The Faith Principle:

“ And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 5:6

“ But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

“ who through faith subdued kingdoms...” Hebrews 11:33

Faith is vital in everything we do for God. Faith is a Law of the Kingdom of God (Romans 3:27). Without it we will not receive anything from God (James 1:6). When we do evangelism we must believe that God is with us and that souls will be saved. We must believe that our households will be saved (Acts 16:31). We must believe that God has given us the community, city, nation he has called us to reach for him (Joshua 1:3, Matthew 28:18-20. Hebrews 11:33). You cannot do evangelise and have results unless you believe God has given you the land and the people in your community (Hebrews 11:6). You also must have faith for yourself that you can win souls for God. Paul said to Timothy:”... endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist...” 2 Timothy 4:5. How we develop the faith to take our families and cities for Christ? By developing our faith in Evangelism and our ability to witness and do evangelism. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The only way therefore to really believe that you can take your city and family for Christ is by reading, meditating and confessing the scriptures on Evangelism. As you are faithful to do this, faith will come to you to do evangelism and see a harvest. In the realm of haling, if we need haling we know we must get the healing scriptures into our hearts, then faith will come and healing will follow) proverbs 4:20-22, Psalm 107:20). The same applies to evangelism. This is the Faith principle. Unfortunately many individuals and Churches go out with no expectation of seeing results. They have no faith so God is not obliged to give them a harvest (Hebrews 11:6, James 1:6-7). It is vitally important then that as individuals and as Churches, we develop faith for a harvest and faith to do evangelism. The following are evangelism scriptures that will develop faith in you for a harvest. You must in your Church teach and preach on Evangelism just as much as you do on Holiness, tithing and walking in love and forgiveness. Faith comes by hearing. If the congregation do not hear the word on Evangelism, there will be no faith in their hearts to do it and so there will be no harvest.
   

Personal Evangelism Scriptures 

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). To develop motivation and faith to do personal evangelism, we need to know and study the scriptures relating to it. Just as we study scriptures on healing, deliverance, protection, and holiness, we also need to know the scriptures on personal evangelism. Here are a selection of scriptures that will develop faith in you and a desire to evangelise to the Lost. Read, Meditate and confess them over your life:

1.  Matthew 4:19: And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

2.  Matthew 17:19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

3.  Mark 16:15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

4.  Matthew 9:38: Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

5.  Romans 1:14: I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

6.  2 Corinthians 10:33: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

7.  2 Corinthians 5:20: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

8.  Galatians 6:10: As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men

9.  Philippians 2:15: Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

10.    Colossians 4:3-6: With all praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak…Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

11. 1 Thessalonians 2:4: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

12. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2: Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.

13.    1 Timothy 2:4: For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

14.    Titus 2:10: Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

15.    1 Peter 3:15-16: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

16.    Jude 22-23: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Action Points:

* Read and Study these scriptures on Evangelism until they develop faith and motivation in your heart to evangelise.

* Read and meditate upon them before you go out to Evangelise.

* Do them.