The convert is a missionary immediately

If you read the title, “the convert is a missionary immediately”, then you probably know where I am going already. There is a basic flaw in our approach to evangelism, and it goes like this: once a person comes to Christ they need to leave their friends and ‘worldly’ influences, be built up in their faith for a time, then go back to those loved ones to share Christ with them.

The flaw is that they are leaving the mission field. The best person in the whole world to reach the new believers’ friends is...the new believer. Don’t take my word for it; here are God’s words:

Acts 8:26-40 is the story of the disciple Phillip and the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. In verse 26 we see “an angel of the Lord” (NIV) telling Phillip to go. As Phillip is on the way, Phillip runs into the Eunuch who consequently accepts Christ as his personal savior and is baptized. After Phillip baptized the man, “the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Phillip away.” Notice, there is no community for the eunuch to get plugged into, there is no follow up program implemented, and no direct discipleship. But rather, God puts Phillip in the right place to share with the Eunuch, and then God takes him away. Apparently God thought that having the Holy Spirit living in his soul, and some of the Old Testament was enough for this man.

In Mark 5:1-20 Jesus is visiting the region of the Gerasenes when he runs into a man who is possessed by a demon. In fact, this man was possessed by many demons and was so out of control that he had to live in caves outside of town. Jesus casts out the demons, and sets the man free. Immediately the former demoniac submits his life to Jesus and becomes a follower of Christ when… “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”(v.18-19) Apparently God (Jesus) thought that having the Holy Spirit was enough for this man to be a missionary to his family and community.

In John 9:1-41 Jesus heals a blind man and once he had received his sight he immediately went home and told his neighbors about what Jesus had done in his life. In John 4:1-42 Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman who immediately goes into town and brings back half of the town to meet Jesus. Acts 16:14-15 tells of Lydia coming to faith in Christ, and the next thing we know her whole household is being baptized.

This blog entry would go on and on if I mentioned every story in the Bible of a convert who was a missionary immediately.

The point is simply that our Biblical model and God-given directive is to: go where Christ is at work, and make disciples who make disciples. Follow-up and Bible study are great, but not necessary for a person to be a missionary to their friends and family immediately.

Is your movement in need of workers? Is the harvest plentiful, but the worker few on your campus? Do you find yourself asking the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field? (Luke 10:2)

The workers that we seek may very well be in the harvest.

“GO! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” (Luke 10:3)

-Ethan Wiekamp