The Lord Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luk 19:10) He said that His purpose of coming to this world was to seek and to save people who were lost. Who are the lost? They are called sinners, those who are separated from God. In His ministry, the Lord Jesus did not wait for sinners to come to Him, but He went around seeking sinners to save them.
The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’ (Mrk 16:15) The apostle Paul told Timothy to do the work of an evangelist (2 Tim 4:5). Every believer is told to do the work of evangelism, that is to go and find sinners, then preach the gospel to them so that they may believe in the Lord Jesus.
All of us have people who see us everyday or regularly, such as family members, colleagues, and friends. These people observe our lives. Therefore, the most effective way to do the work of evangelism to them is by practicing the words of the Lord Jesus, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mat 5:16) and the words of the apostle Peter, ‘Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Pet 2:12) These people will only listen to our words when they see that our conduct is honorable and they observe our good works even though they may speak against us as evildoers. We must be patient with them, praying and waiting for the day of visitation when their hearts are open and glorify God in heaven.
All of us have people whom we meet once or occasionally. These people do not know our lives. To do the work of evangelism to them we cannot rely on our honorable conduct or good works which they do not see. Therefore, the most effective way to do it is by practicing the words of the Lord Jesus, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mrk 16:17-18) and the words of the apostle Paul, “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” (1 Cor 4:20) These people will only listen to our words when they see the signs and wonders that we perform for them. We must be bold in faith, challenging them to believe after we display the power of God to them.