OUTREACH: “Evangelizing Non-believers & Bridging to Believers”

One of the greatest needs in the development of the house church today is to reach out both to the non-believers and to the larger Body of Christ.  For too long we have been “introverted” in our relationships.  It is time we reach out to our neighborhoods and communities with the love and ministry of Christ.

BRIDGING TO BELIEVERS-“We should be an “apostolic” people being equipped to build His Church!”

The believers who “meet from house to house” today often remain reclusive and secluded.  Initially this is often caused by the way in which these believers came out of the “religious system”.  The experiences are mixed.  Some leave  angry, bitter, rebellious, hurt, wounded, kicked out, put out or left out. 

There are others who left in love, by conviction, or by revelation.  Regardless of the reasons they left, what is important is the response of these believers to those who “persecute” them  after they leave the “system”.  They must learn to respond as Christ taught: “Pray, love, say good and do good to those who persecute or despitefully use you.”

We must learn to separate the “religious system” from the people within the “system”.  God still has some of His people still in the “system”.  Some are even there by His purpose and design.  God is calling His people out and when they hear Him, they will come out.  Those of us who have left earlier need to maintain relationships and open communication with these believers so that when they do come out they will have someone in which to turn.  I call this “bridging” to the believers in the larger Body of Christ.

God is purifying His Church and making Her a Bride that is spotless and pure so that He can return for Her for the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.  So what we see happening today within the Body of Christ as a whole is the purging and cleansing and restoring of His Body to what He intended for Her to be.

Christ’s Body is much larger than just “house church”.  In fact God is not building a “house church” but rather His Church.  As God has always done in the past, He works with a “remnant people”.  Today some of the remnant is still in the “religious system” and some have already come out.  Therefore, we must in this interim time frame “bridge” to these believers by maintaining and keeping relationships open for future ministry.

When God looks down on any city/town, He sees His Church as One Body of believers.  They may be meeting in many different locations but are still one Body.  He sees His Church as a church of the city/town with elders of the city/town.  When believers live within a city/town, they are a part of the Church in that city/town.  In John 17, Jesus says that His Church is One and thus we must speak and walk out this revelation of our Lord in faith!

Some practical ways that we can walk out this revelation of our Lord is to touch life with people within the various denominational assemblies of the Church in each city/town. This can be done by going to these assemblies to touch life with those within them who are searching, hungering and seeking more of Jesus and/or by reaching out individually and privately during the week to those whom the Lord puts you in touch by His Spirit.  

This may mean a readjustment in the assembly meeting time of the house church.  Because the larger Body of Christ meets on Sunday mornings, there may be the need to meet at other times so that we are available to “bridge” to the remnant people within these assemblies.

We must realize that God does the adding to His Church.  People do not “join” His Church.  There is no way that we can convince people to come out nor to see the revelation of what Christ sees His Church to be today.  This can only come about by the Holy Spirit revealing this to them.  Thus we can pray for God’s remnant people and maintain relationships by “bridging” to them until there time comes to “connect” with His Body.

Some examples of what God is doing in developing His Church in our town might be encouraging: 1)Elders weekly prayer meetings. 2)Monthly Elders and wives Prayer Retreats. 3)Monthly gathering of all believers for prayer. 4)Gathering of all believers for praise and worship each 5^thSunday evening. 5)Writing letters requesting prayer for apostolic travels and reporting back the answers to these prayers. 6)Leading the Minister’s Alliance in our town.

EVANGELIZING NON-BELIEVERS-“We should be an “evangelist” gifted people being equipped to reach the lost!”

There are at least four evangelism/witnessing patterns and practices demonstrated in the Scriptures and the Early Church:  We must remember that Jesus reached out to the “poor” and “needy” more than He did to the rich and those who thought they had not need!  He also emphasized ministering to our “neighbors” meaning those nearest us.

1.      Public Evangelism-Temple preaching/teaching i.e. Jesus & apostles.

Synagogue preaching/teaching i.e. Jesus & apostles.

Open air preaching/teaching i.e. Jesus & Apostles.

Testimonies i.e. Woman at the well, blind man, jailer.

2.      Household Evangelism- Emphasis upon adults & families i.e. Lydia, Jailer, Cornelius.

Use of homes and meals/feasts to witness to the lost i.e. “Zacchaeus feasts”, Matthew/Levi.

Influence of Christian homes i.e. mosaics, wall carvings, decorations, furnishings, plaques, pictures, Bible, Christian books, anointing houses, etc.

Homes available for variety of ministries i.e. prayer, study, breaking of bread, preaching, teaching, discipling, healing, “house to house”, neighborhood  parties, etc.

3.      Relational Evangelism- Personal encounters i.e. Jesus & Nicodemus, woman at the well.

Personal contacts i.e. Peter & Cornelius, Ananias and Saul.

4.      Literary Evangelism- i.e. Written scripts, parchments, scrolls, letters, epistles, Gospel accounts, testimonies, books, booklets, tracts, leaflets, etc.