I am always struck by the picture of Jesus standing at the door of the church in Laodicea. What is he doing? He is knocking! This image from the book of Revelation was not given to the wonderful church of Philadelphia. No, it was given to the church of lukewarm, compromising, Spirit-ignoring believers. And what does this picture tell us? It tells us that the Laodiceans, in all their error, were not far from the real thing. All they had to do was turn, open the door and he would come in. Jesus had not left them. They had left him.
And so, in the Spirit of Christ knocking on the door in Laodicea, I would like to say to churches that have lost their zeal for evangelism, you are not far from the real thing. Let soul-winning return as a priority. The church of Jesus Christ is not a pleasure boat but a lifeboat. Entertainers are neither needed nor wanted. From the captain to the cook all hands are needed on deck for soul-saving. The church that does not save the lost is lost itself.
Our ministry, Christ for all Nations, has been instrumental in helping many a church rediscover its passion for soul-winning. We, the evangelists, bring our nets to town but we must borrow boats from the churches. Together we cast the nets and pull ashore a huge haul of fish. When we have finished our work, we hand the catch over to the local pastors and congregations. We evangelists clean and mend our nets and move on to the next fishing ground.
Excitement builds up when we announce an upcoming series of meetings in Africa. Every pastor knows that his church will benefit from five nights of gospel preaching. We recruit and train counsellors from these local churches and they have to pass a test before they can be part of the follow-up work. We are totally church based and church dependent. More than 50% of a Christ for all Nations campaign budget is channelled to equipping local congregations for the follow-up work. The fruit that remains is truly great and those churches find themselves ignited with a passion for the lost once again.
Yet Christ for all Nations cannot be the answer to the greater loss of focus that I see in many churches. What is the secret to keeping the evangelistic fire alive? First, I believe that we must cast ourselves in utter reliance on the Holy Spirit. Oh yes, many say that, but what does it really look like? I believe that when we really trust the Spirit, all our methods, programmes, denominational loyalties and long-held traditions become secondary. Let me go so far as to say, expendable. We depend fully on the fire of the Spirit. He is the only true soul-winner. He is the fire. We have the great privilege through 'the foolishness of preaching' of being stewards of his fire.
When I was a young missionary in Africa, I showed dutiful respect for my fathers in the work. They taught me what were considered to be the proper methods of mission work, tried and true, proven for longer than I had been alive. I could not lightly dismiss them. Yet it made my heart ache to see how few responded to the rigid picture that those fathers painted of our gracious Saviour. It was almost as if we handed the baby Jesus to the world wrapped in legal documents full of rules and regulations that obscured his very nature. I longed to see the vast multitudes of precious African people rejoicing in Christ but under such trappings I was not surprised that so few came to him.
God took a hammer and chisel and began working on me. Things did not shape up overnight. I learned lessons one at a time. New dimensions of the Holy Spirit opened up and each one left me absolutely astonished. Signs and wonders began to occur and things began to change. My autobiography, 'Living a Life of Fire', would need to be read to fully appreciate the sequence through which the Lord led me.
With each lesson I found myself opposed by those who clung to methods, programmes, denominational loyalties and long-held traditions. In each case there came a time to break free of them and to follow the Spirit in the pursuit of souls. It was emotionally wrenching to go through that process '“ and that is why many do not travel that road.
IT IS HARVEST-TIME!
I can but offer my testimony. I have seen over one million people recording decisions for Christ in a single meeting. I have seen 58 million embrace Jesus since 2000. On it goes. Multitudes are being healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. It is harvest time! The Book of Acts was not the peak performance of the power of God but the first sampling of the possibilities for his followers in the Holy Spirit. Trust him! Accept no substitutes.
As we have broken free of the tried and tested, we have seen whole countries shaken by the power of the gospel. If this can be the result of the things that God has shown me, my hope is that God will show you such things, too. May you receive that heart revelation of the matchless glory of his power, a power beyond anything yet seen. The potential of Pentecost has not been fully realised '“ there is much more to come.
God is the creator of evangelists. We are ordinary flesh-and-blood people. Angels could probably have done a far more efficient job but in the infinite wisdom of the Lord, he had no such plan. It is striking to consider that the angel who appeared to Cornelius in Acts 10 was not allowed to mention the name of Jesus to him or to explain the way of salvation. All that the angel could say was, 'Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon, who is called Peter.' That mighty seraph from heaven had to bow to Peter's higher privilege of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to Cornelius. We only can accept, with wonder and humility, the fact that it pleases God to call and to send people like you and me. We humans are privileged. There should be no reluctance on our part to do this work.
Carriers of the gospel change from one generation to the next but the gospel remains the same. Right now it is our turn. God has called us '“ each of us. The gospel still needs to be taken to the ends of the earth. I sometimes wonder if the millions I am reaping today were not meant to be divided among many others who turned away from his call.
MEN AND WOMEN PREACHING THE UNADULTERATED GOSPEL
I do not believe that it is God's plan to allow hell to be bigger than heaven. Although Scripture speaks in Matthew 7:13 about 'many' who are on their way to eternal destruction, they must be intercepted by men and women preaching the unadulterated gospel. Through his death on the cross, Jesus set up the mightiest roadblock of all time. It stands for all to see right in the middle of the road that leads to destruction. Anyone who wants to pass it by must deliberately decide to do so. As disciples of Jesus, you and I stand at the foot of the cross and call out to the people, 'Be reconciled to God!' (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Many people have heard the call to salvation '“ and still hear it today! Hebrews 2:10 reveals that provision has been made to bring 'many sons to glory' and Revelation 7:9 speaks of a successful conclusion to that idea. Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations. Those were not empty words!
Furthermore, there are no emergency arrangements found in Scripture in case the gospel fails. It won't! More people are being saved, healed, and baptised in the Holy Spirit today than ever before in the history of humankind. We are not called to take part in an uncertain war in which the outcome hangs in the balance. We are called to share the victory and the spoils. God's invincible secret is the cross of Christ, which frightens every demon in hell. My words are a welcome to join a conquering army, not a plea to support a hopeless and desperate resistance against overwhelming odds. Our Captain never lost a battle '“ and he never will.
And so, I urge you to be a part of this army. Make soul-winning again become a priority in our lives and in the church. I believe that the best is yet to come. The whole world will resound with the praises of our God and Saviour. In all nations and in every tongue, people will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.