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Evangelism:  The Hope of the World

I used to live in Longview, WA, a city that had lots of problems. There seemed to be so many problems—drug abuse and dependence, alcoholism, broken homes and marriages, depression and mental illness, poverty, unemployment, homelessness, dying and dwindling churches—that it seemed like things would never change. Then, I invited evangelist Scott McNamara to preach at Emmanuel.

Scott invited us to turn to our neighbor and say, “You are the hope of the world.” I had always considered Jesus to be the hope of the world, but at that moment, I saw things in a whole new light. While Jesus is the ultimate hope of the world, unless we, as His followers, are about the business of telling others about Jesus, the world will never know that truth, or more accurately, the Truth.  

Jesus gave His Church a job to do. It is spelled out in the words of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When Jesus gave us those marching orders, He wanted us to understand He was sending us out in His power and authority—the greatest power and authority in heaven or on earth. He sends us out filled with His Spirit—equipped, empowered, and emboldened. And He wants us to know He is with us always to the very end of the age. That means He will give us the ability to do whatever He has called us to do. We lack nothing, so long as we trust and lean into Him.

But how do we tell people? Scott McNamara gave us a clue at Emmanuel. In fact, he brought us indisputable evidence in two young people who attended our services with him. The first piece of evidence was a young man named Tim. When Scott approached Tim to talk to him about Jesus three months earlier, Tim was a drug dealer—walking in a complete disregard of the Lord. Scott didn’t judge Tim. He didn’t lecture him or preach to him. He simply loved him and offered him the best thing he had to offer—the good news of Jesus Christ. Something Scott said resonated in Tim’s heart and he prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Tim told me when he received Jesus as Lord of his life, he did a complete 180. He gave up selling and using drugs, got a real job, and started attending New Believers’ Groups in Longview and Woodland. In his spare time, he also accompanied Scott, helping him to lead new believers to Jesus. Someone who had been a blight on society was now a light for Christ in our community because one man had cared enough to talk to him about Jesus.

The second piece of evidence Scott presented was a young woman named Lilly. Scott and Tim talked with Lilly about Jesus on June 24th. One year earlier, on June 29th, Lilly had been brutally raped and beaten in her own home. Prior to Scott’s visit, Lilly had been dreading the 29th. Even though it was her daughter’s birthday, she feared she would always remember June 29th as the anniversary of the rape and beating. Lilly had been drinking heavily for four years, a habit that had increased following her attack. But when Scott and Tim shared the good news of Jesus with Lilly, she was able to receive Him with joy as her Lord and Savior. Immediately, she felt different and was filled with a feeling of God’s love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Where there had once been fear and dread, she now had hope. On June 28th, Lilly was going to call Scott to ask him to help her stop drinking. But before she could do that, she felt the Lord telling her, “Don’t call Scott. I will help you quit drinking.” As of her visit to our church, she had been sober for 21 days, and her appearance and behavior had changed so drastically that her next-door neighbor came to Christ because of the changes she had seen in Lilly. A hopeless, broken alcoholic mom of four was suddenly a new person in Christ because a couple of believers had loved her enough to present the life-changing message of Jesus to her.

If we ever needed more of a reason to be faithful in evangelizing our community than simply obeying Jesus, this ought to provide it. Tim and Lilly were changed because someone cared enough to talk to them about Christ. But Scott did more than just lead them in the prayer of salvation. He also made sure they were discipled and encouraged by inviting them into New Believers’ groups. His work is twofold—to evangelize and to disciple.

In the weeks and months and years ahead, this needs to be Trinity’s chief focus—to tell nonbelievers about Jesus, and to disciple those, who will say, “Yes.” I believe if we will help grow God’s Kingdom in this way and will do it working in conjunction with other Christian churches in our area, we will see an amazing transformation in the Platte-Geddes area. And I believe we will see our church grow and thrive like never before.

It’s exciting to contemplate the changes God could bring to our area through evangelism and discipleship, but success requires a complete buy-in. There are people who will never be reached for Christ unless you tell them! Let’s quit keeping the Good News as our little secret and start sharing it with the lost and hungry world around us.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Dave