A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original article appears below. Barry Luxon is the minister at St. Andrew’s, Galt, Ontario.
The church is a wonderful vehicle that the Lord has created. In the life of a congregation there are many exciting events that shape the Christian year. One weekend in March of 1992 St. Andrew’s, Galt, experienced the pouring out of God’s Spirit upon his people.
It was decided six months previous to this weekend that a prayer group would be formed to raise the question of an evangelism weekend. The “group” often consisted of one or two people consistently coming to a special place in the church set aside for this purpose. We encouraged our people to have morning and/or evening devotions with the intention of asking the Lord to strengthen St. Andrew’s in the power of prayer. Prayer is one of the important instruments of the Lord. We believed it was necessary to put prayer into practice. James 2:26 says “as the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
Out of our prayer meetings came a vision for an evangelism weekend. We have attended many workshops in our denomination concerning evangelism. We have heard much talk about the need for renewal. We were given a directive to pray, trust, and believe we could plan an evangelism weekend and do it.
We wrote down a number of names of known evangelists. We were directed to Rev. Bob Little the former Executive Director of The Renewal Fellowship. However, Bob directed us to the Dr. John Moore Evangelism Association. We contacted Bill Wright who coordinated all the details necessary for this weekend in March. We discovered that the last weekend in March was the only one left open in Dr. Moore’s schedule, and we considered this as a sign of our first answered prayer.
Many more prayers were answered as we raised each obstacle to the Lord. In an evangelism workshop in Asheville, North Carolina, last summer someone asked Dr. Billy Graham what was the most important vehicle to the prosperity of his ministry and he said, “prayer, prayer, prayer.” John 15:5 states about Jesus and the believer: “I am the vine you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
The last weekend in March, 1992 proved to be a glorious time in the Lord. There was commitment to Christ, rededication and restoration in the lives of our people and people who came into the church for the weekend. Sometimes we talk about evangelism or have a workshop on evangelism in the Presbyterian Church, but we often fail to evangelize. Sometimes, too, as pastors we do not use the gifts the Lord has given us in the body. Some are called specifically to be evangelists. The gift of evangelism given to Dr. Moore was used mightily by the Lord.
We are preparing for a mission and outreach weekend in November and another evangelism weekend next Spring. Christ’s work is not always shown in great emotional events. Sometimes he works quietly. But let us not deny the opportunity to be open to such an event for fear of being too emotional.
I will not pretend that there have not been negative repercussions of some consequence coming out of a weekend such as this. Some people find such a weekend frightening as well as confronting. They have expressed their reservations clearly. Others have been convicted by the Holy Spirit. Personal prayer and corporate prayer have increased. There is an awareness of the Lord’s presence and awesome power. The community has reacted both favourably and unfavourably within the church and outside of it. People are watching to see whether the events were lasting. They are examining the church.
It seems significant to me that the very roots of the Presbyterian Church start with the Christian mission of evangelism. Evangelism was a gift greatly welcomed in the days of John Knox, the early part of this century and in the life of Jonathan Goforth.
Matthew 28:18-20: “Then Jesus came to them and said ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age’.”
The Lord is present with the Presbyterian Church as he is with other branches of his church. Where Christ is preached and proclaimed, we can trust him to be with us in Spirit and truth. If we would encourage our churches to have an evangelism weekend, we would all benefit. Some are called to be pastors, preachers, and teachers with the directive to bring the good news.
We are all called to the work of evangels and the work of discipling.
But there are those like Dr. Moore who can benefit the church with the gift of evangelism.
We need all the encouragement we can muster to capture the enthusiasm as men, women and children who are the bearers of faith in Christ.
Methodology has found its place in the church today and it has its place, but it is nothing like the love of God poured out upon his people according to his will and in his time. When we trust in his work and his will rather than our own, we are all refreshed.
In Isaiah 44:3 the Lord speaks very clearly the message he wants us to expect: “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”