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LEADERSHIP LETTER ARCHIVES
A MONTHLY READING
FOR ALL ARC LEADERS
EVANGELISM
God has given the church the message of reconciliation in Christ, and has committed to us the proclamation of the message to the whole world. The word of the gospel is good news, an announcement of God's self-sacrificial redeeming love made visible in Christ, given for the forgiveness of our sins, and calling us to a redeemed life as God's people.
We embrace our responsibility to carry the good news to all men and women, seasoning all our words with grace, speaking clearly of our need for new life in Christ, and giving an account of our faith when necessary. Because we are but sojourners in this world, we refuse to bind the message of gospel to peculiar political, economic and cultural forms which will not endure. -- ARC Common Concerns
We had already done the altar call that evening; the conference was in the north of Brazil. A few people had already responded to the invitation to surrender to the Lord. The presence of God was so strong; you could almost hold it in your hands. The fear of the Lord was in everyone. It was one of those moments that we did not know whether to sing, cry, preach or simply just bow down. Some people just came to the Lord with tears running down their faces.
You may think this was a conference for evangelism, but it wasn’t. It was one of the many praise and worship conferences we do around Brazil. I was already preparing to close that night believing that God had come and done all that He wanted to do, when I looked over to my music team and saw something uncommon; a young man was literally grabbing and holding on to one of the guys. He was pleading to receive Jesus. With tears, that man interrupted the song, because he was desperate to give his life to Christ. I left that evening with the impact of that scene, someone begging to receive Jesus. Some months have gone by since that conference. I can’t remember what songs I ministered or what I preached that night, but I remember that scene, and I can recall the weight of the presence of God. We have received other testimonies of that evening. One thing I am sure of, my songs made no difference; it was the intense presence of God and that’s what makes a difference.
I have been in many meetings where we have spent days looking for the best method to winning the world. I do not want you to misunderstand. I like and use various methods, but I need to be honest with you; sometimes we have more expectations in new evangelism methods than in the power of the Holy Spirit. I have heard some say that there is no other way here; we must find a new method to reach the lost. Has the Holy Spirit lost his power to convince man of his sin? Or have we lost our ability to trust in the Holy Spirit and put our trust in our methods? I believe that God teaches us and helps us find methods to reach a certain people or culture. Yet I refuse to believe that there are cultures where the presence of God makes no difference. I know that the reality in Latin America is different from the U.S. and Europe, but I know that God was not taken by surprise by the difficulties in each culture.
Often we need to stop and think of the level of expectations we have in the Spirit of God. Someone said, “The prodigals return to the Father's house when the love of the Father returns to the Father's house.” Have people been coming into our services looking for the Father and finding only comfortable seats, coffee, donuts, smiles, etc.? They find that also at Wal-Mart. What does the world expect to see in us? What are our young people seeking? A club to play basketball and go out with their friends—or maybe they are pleading for something to transcend the mediocrity of our Sunday mornings? Brothers and sisters, I am convinced that we need more of God in our meetings and less of ourselves, if we want to reach the lost.
This is what has been on my heart lately. I have witnessed method after method being frustrated. Each day someone comes up with a new method that dominates the field of evangelism. Watching pastors jump from one method to another seeking for the perfect method, I have seen them frustrated because they commit to a new method with all their strength and then they get almost zero results. Maybe it is time to return to the Word’s simple principles. Or are we tired of the simplicity of the Word? Has the message of the cross lost its effect? Have we sweetened it up with the sweetener of complacency? I know one thing. The message of the cross has not lost its effect. Maybe we have lost our faith in its effect. It has been the answer to all generations and all cultures. Neither modernism, nor post-modernism, nor what will come after these can compromise the message of the cross.
My desire when you read this is for you to think: What is it that attracts the sinners? Is it the method or the intensity of God's presence? Is it possible that a comfortable building could be more attractive than the message of the cross announced in the midst of the tremendous presence of the Holy Spirit? I am sure that God is going to give us strategies and ideas to improve in our cities and nations, but let's not forget that the goal is not the method. But—more of you, God!
God bless you, Judson Oliveira
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