Unconventional Evangelism

Know this: it’s not always easy to bring people to Jesus.

Don’t expect a standing ovation in Hell when you bring your friends and family to Jesus. Expect and prepare for radical satanic opposition! You must be prepared for the difficulties, and be ready to overcome them. No half-hearted attempts will succeed. No "spiritual wimps" need apply!

There was a man who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus in Mark 9. "When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth" (verse 20 NIV). In the same way, the devil will throw a fit when we try to bring our friends to Jesus!

That man got his son to Jesus and Jesus delivered that boy. The takeaway truth for us is we must do all we can to get others to Jesus. The business of bringing others to Jesus is so important, that when it seems you can’t find a way, you can often make one! Seize the moment!

In Luke 5, we read about some friends of a paralyzed man who brought him to Jesus. Now it would have been great if they could just have come through a door. That is the normal way to enter a house, but the entrance was blocked.

There’s a popular Christian phrase of a "closed door" or an "open door" when it comes to life’s circumstances. We will say, "I tried to do this or that, but the Lord did not open the door!" This is a biblical phrase—Paul spoke of an open door to preach the gospel. Jesus said to the church of Philadelphia, "I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it" (Revelation 3:8 NKJV).

But sometimes we used the idea of a "closed door" as an excuse. So the door is not open? Did you try getting in through the roof? That’s what these men did! "They went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus" (Luke 5:19 NKJV).

If being conventional doesn’t succeed, try being original!

Harvest America is next weekend! Have you invited someone (in conventional or unconventional ways)? We at Harvest Ministries are praying that God will give you boldness to make those invitations. You never know who will say yes, and have their lives changed as a result. Ask God for an opportunity to invite someone today.