by Matthew Crouch
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel….” — Mark 16:15 (NKJV)
We’re excited to be partnering with Pastor Greg Laurie on Sunday, March 6th, for Harvest America at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. This is shaping up to be one of the most important evangelism outreach events for 2016, and it will be a perfect opportunity for you to share Jesus with your friends, family, and neighbors. I’ll tell you how below.
First let me share a little about the heart Greg and his wife Cathe have for equipping and encouraging others to get involved in personal evangelism. Laurie and I met up with Greg and Cathe last week at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium — home of the Dallas Cowboys — where they talked about why it’s important for every Christian to be involved in personal, relational evangelism, and how each of us can take that important step and begin sharing our faith in Christ.
Greg lays it all out in his new book Tell Someone: You Can Share the Good News. The bottom line, he said, is that most of us are super intimidated about the idea of sharing our faith with others. “We’re all uptight about evangelism,” said Greg. “It scares us.”
Then he offered an analogy that put sharing our faith into a different light. What if a doctor discovered a miracle cure for cancer — a pill that would make even the sickest individual completely well? Of course, that would be incredible. But think about if that doctor then said: “I’m really not comfortable telling others about this cure. I feel intimidated. What if they laugh at me? What if they don’t believe me?”
Our answer would naturally be that the doctor’s message is way more important that his comfort level. He simply has to tell others the good news that there is a miracle cure for cancer.
The same goes for you and me. We have the “miracle cure” for people who are lost in sin and on their way to an eternity separated from God. It is the Gospel, and Jesus has commissioned us to share it with everyone who will listen. “We are commanded by Christ as His followers to go into all the world, proclaim the Good News of Jesus, and to the best of our ability lead them to Christ,” said Greg.
For most of us, going into “all the world” means simply going into our own world — taking the opportunities God gives us to share in an engaging and relevant way the hope of Jesus. That may be to a friend or family member, a co-worker, a fellow student, or maybe the barista at your favorite coffee shop. The key for each of us is simply staying sensitive to the open doors God provides each day to share His love with others.
Greg’s wife Cathe recalled that her decision as a young woman to follow Christ happened because someone took the opportunity to walk up to her and her friends and share the Gospel with them. Here is Cathe’s simple, compelling testimony:
Sometimes the open doors are unmistakeable, such as the time God prompted Greg to share Jesus with a guy sitting in the bathroom stall next to his! Don’t miss this comical story:
Maybe you’re thinking that stepping up to someone and sharing your faith is a little further than you can go right now. And that’s okay. But you can still help position someone to come to Jesus. That’s what Harvest America on March 6th is all about. We’re expecting every one of the 80,000 seats at AT&T Stadium in Dallas to be filled as Christians in the area invite their friends, family, and others to come and hear some great music from Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Switchfoot, and MercyMe — along with a clear and compelling message of God’s love and grace from Pastor Greg Laurie.
The great news is that you don’t have to live in the Dallas area to participate in this awesome outreach. Harvest America will be streamed live from AT&T Stadium to thousands of host sites nationwide on March 6th (Click Here to find a location). Plus, TBN will be broadcasting the entire Harvest America event on March 6th at 7 p.m. Pacific. Why not take a friend or family member to a broadcast event in your area? Or prayerfully invite friends and family who need Jesus to your own home to watch this powerful presentation of the Gospel via TBN? You’ll actually be joining thousands of individuals and congregations around the nation who are doing the same thing.
I believe that this simple act of personal evangelism by individuals just like you across America will result in many thousands of people coming to faith in Christ. Check out this short note from Pastor Greg Laurie about personal evangelism and its importance to the upcoming Harvest America event. Your involvement is key!