WHAT DOES EVANGELISTIC SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

Last week, we had so many testimonies from team members. So many lives were touched as our team faithfully proclaimed the law and the gospel and lovingly called folks to repentance and faith in the Lord. As we "debriefed" and prayed at the end of our time together, standing near the water on a grand summer evening, there was a sense among all of great satisfaction. We had, by God's grace, participated in the greatest mission of all--the mission of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many lives were impacted. Many sincerely listened to the truth that they so desperately need.


I am continually reminded, and I continually want to remind you of what SUCCESS is in this great mission. Unfortunately many are discouraged because of misunderstanding this point. Our success is in faithfully and lovingly declaring the truth of the gospel. As soon as a Christian takes on a result-oriented view of success in evangelism (i.e. "How many did we get to 'say the prayer' tonight?"), a misguided approach to evangelism sets in. Let the words of J.I. Packer speak to this issue: "But the way to tell whether in fact you are evangelizing is not to ask whether conversions are known to have resulted from your witness. It is to ask whether you are faithfully making known the gospel message."