It is said that D.L. Moody once defined the Gospel/Christianity very simply in this way; One beggar telling another beggar where he found bread. In some ways, I like the simplicity of that definition. To be a beggar implies that one is outside of the norms of society, marginalized, broken, and in deep need with little hope in and of himself. A beggar has little by which he can meet his own needs. A beggar has needs, in this case, bread, that which sustains physical life, but it is another who provides for him. And finally, a beggar whose need has been supplied shares it with another in the same condition. He doesn’t keep all the bread to himself.

True evangelism is like that. We cannot point others to Jesus if we have not experienced a life-transforming encounter with the risen Saviour. When we come in need, in repentance, and with an open heart, we are cleansed, forgiven, and restored. Our need is met. Our first desire is that others like us, broken and in need, also come to know Jesus personally. We simply mirror to others what we have experienced. We may not have all the answers, and we don’t need to, we just point others to Jesus, the One who can meet all needs in all people.

One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42).

The three times that Andrew is mentioned in the Gospel of John he is bringing someone to meet Jesus (John 1:40-42, 6:8, 12:22). He doesn’t engage in a deep theological discussion trying to convince others of the fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament that prove Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. He doesn’t engage skeptics in an intellectual debate to debunk current cultural beliefs about religious matters. He merely acts out the words of Jesus in John 1:39; “Come and see”, and he says to his brother, “We have found the Messiah”!

The truth is, more people come to know Jesus personally through the invitation of a friend or family member than they do visiting a church, listening to a pastor’s message or following the blog of some Christian speaker. Don’t get me wrong, these are all valuable, but nothing can replace the personal relationship and invitation from someone we know, trust and in whom we see a transformation.

The danger for us is that we often, after some time, grow comfortable with our new faith. We slip into complacency. We gather as a tribe with those that look like us, talk like us, think and act like us.  We lose the sense of urgency to share the Gospel. Oh, we still pray for the “unsaved”, we might even have a personal prayer list, but we don’t actively search others out and bring them to Jesus. In a way, we become like the beggar who finds bread and gathers with a few others who also found bread and become content with just that. We fail to extend the invitation to others.

Pointing others to Jesus begins with us. It begins when we live out that transformation of our heart each day in a way that reflects Jesus to others before we say a word. The first words we ought to say are “We have found the Messiah, come and see!”

The invitation is still there, “come and see!”

Rev. Bill Allan
AGC President