Perhaps there is no better model for learning how to do evangelism than considering the example of our Lord himself. If, as a church, we are to grow in evangelism, we need to learn to share Christ like Christ. In Luke 19:1-10 we see the familiar story of Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus. There’s a lot we can learn from both Zacchaeus and Jesus in this story, but notice how Luke concludes this short story in v. 10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The fact that Jesus deliberately made time for Zacchaeus, we are told, made others grumble since Jesus was “the guest of a man who is a sinner (v. 7). This short story is a powerful reminder that Jesus deliberately pursued people who seemed far from God. Jesus didn’t care if you were a tax collector or had any label given to you. His mission was to bring those far from God into a relationship with their heavenly Father. The truth we must all remember as related to evangelism is that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. Unfortunately, many Christians make far too many assumptions about others openness to the gospel, and we bypass important opportunities for ministry.
Learning from Jesus, let us grow in our desire to see others who are far from God be brought close. I want to encourage you to read Luke 19:1-10 and ask the Lord to reveal to you any people who you may have assumed would never become a Christian. My practical challenge to you this week is to pray for one person you’ve written off in your life that Salvation may come to their house. As we do so, let us live our lives in the same Spirit of Jesus who came to seek and save the lost.