Personal Evangelism: Measuring Success
After considering this week's lessons, you might be thinking to yourself: "Stephen, I can't do this. I don't have any ability to talk to people about their souls and about the gospel." Let me say this clearly: you're wrong! Perhaps you don't currently have the ability or knowledge to sit down with someone and have an in-depth Bible study, but you can surely bring them to an elder or preacher who could. That's not too difficult, is it?

We need to remember that the word of God is powerful. It is what converts people, not our smooth talking or brilliant ideas. Remember Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes." The gospel is where the power is at. We just help deliver the message--that's all! I Corinthians 3:7 states - "Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase." Forget about your own inabilities. It is the word of God that does the job! You're bound to fail if you depend on your own abilities.

Anyone who tries to teach another person the gospel is a successful personal evangelist. Anyone who does their best to get a fellow human being to accept God's word and obey it is a success in God's eyes. "Stephen, do you mean that even if I don't convert anyone, but if I'm out sowing the seed, then I'm successful?" That's right. We don't measure success in evangelism by the number of conversions (or at least we shouldn't). We can't make anyone respond to the plan of salvation, but we must give them the opportunity to obey it. Yes, we want them to obey since that is the desired result, but we are successful if we faithfully teach the word to others in an effort to get them to respond to it. Don't ever forget that!

I know there is a lot more that could be said on this theme of personal evangelism, but for now we will close with this sobering thought. Pretend it's the Day of Judgment and let's just suppose that we're able to watch others as they stand before God in judgment. You quietly watch as one of your friends (or perhaps a family member) is sentenced to everlasting punishment in hell. He or she slowly turns and looks at you with tears of pain, anguish, and despair and says: "You never mentioned Him to me!" Christians, there is no excuse for us not to be trying to save those who are lost whom we have contact and influence with. We have the gospel, and they need it!

Wouldn't it be so much more wonderful to be stand before God's throne with countless others whom you've helped bring to Christ? You have that power because you have the gospel, and God commands you to use it! "He who wins souls is wise" (Prov. 11:30). Dear listeners, may we all be wise and do our part to reach some of the 6.7 billion souls that are presently on planet Earth.