Former Harvard University chaplain, Elton Trueblood, said, “Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained people, but it is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”
In the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20), Jesus called His followers to go and make disciples of all nations. This command wasn’t given just for those present as He spoke it, but for all believers, even those who follow Him today.
Yet many followers of Christ do not share the gospel. They’ve delegated this responsibility to pastors, ministry leaders, or others they assume are more qualified. Somehow, they’ve convinced themselves Jesus’ command is not for them.
As ministry leaders, it’s our job to prepare them. So, how do we help those we serve know and believe this? We must embrace this mission because what we embrace is what we will embody. What we hold onto and take up is important to us; it’s what we’ll live out before those we serve.
Jesus Himself is our model in Luke 10. Here are three things Jesus embraced and embodied to create a culture of evangelism among His disciples.
- Embrace the Mission
If we’re going to create a culture of evangelism in our ministries, we must embrace the mission like Jesus did. In Luke 10:2, Jesus told the 72 disciples, “The harvest is abundant.” Jesus saw the need and embraced the mission. His mission was to seek and save the lost, and He told His disciples that many are waiting to hear the hope of the gospel.
We must embrace the mission because the harvest is plentiful. People around us are spiritually lost and need to be found. Our neighbors are dead in their sins, and they need to be made alive. Our community members seek hope and joy, and we have the answer. Our coworkers wander aimlessly, not knowing their purpose in life, and we have the privilege of being the ones who can tell them.
But Jesus also says, “The workers are few” (Luke 10:2b). There is no shortage of people who need to hear the gospel, but there is a shortage of people willing to share it. And so, we must be laser-focused on the mission to go and tell while encouraging others to do the same.
When we embrace the mission like Jesus did, the heart of our ministry areas will embody the mission. In other words, everything that we do will be about the mission. Whether it’s a Bible study, a large group gathering, a missions opportunity, or a community group, it becomes about the gospel. Unless we’re willing to share it repeatedly and keep it ingrained in our DNA, we will get sidetracked. We will gather for the purpose of knowing more, but the problem is that we have more knowledge than obedience in our lives. When we embrace the mission, everything we do will embody the mission.
There are a few reasons we lose sight of the mission:
- We only talk about Jesus within the walls of our safe places. We’ve convinced ourselves that relegating Him to our small group circles is enough, but there’s a world out there who needs to know Him.
- We wait for life to be good before we declare the glory of God. We believe the lie that “happy, perfect” lives show His worth best. But what if, in our lowest of lows, we were to vulnerably admit how badly we’re hurting? It’s in these seasons that we encounter a comfort and peace that doesn’t make sense apart from Jesus.
- We get bogged down in the tasks of our ministries and forget the why. We get lost in what we need to do, prepare, and execute next, and we lose sight of why we do it all in the first place. It’s important to give opportunities for believers to gather and build community with one another, but it’s essential to keep the gospel at the center of everything we do.
So, embracing the mission is the first step.
- Embrace a Plan
In Luke 10:2-9, when Jesus sent out the 72, He gave them specific instructions on where to go and what to do. He even tells them what to say. Jesus mapped out a plan for the 72. We must have a plan if we’re going to create a culture of evangelism in our ministries.
Because the context of our ministries is different, no two plans will be identical. So, what can we implement from Jesus’ example of sending out the 72 disciples on mission?
First, we must pray. Notice the first part of Jesus’ plan to the 72 disciples in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
Every plan should prioritize prayer. If we’re going to leverage our lives for the gospel and see people be changed by Jesus, it won’t be because of us. It will be because the power of the Holy Spirit is at work through us. We must be grounded in prayer.
- Pray for the lost corporately. When you gather, pray for lost people, pray for your community, and pray for opportunities to share the hope of the gospel.
- Pray for daily gospel conversations. Begin doing this using NAMB’s Women in the Mission of God 30-day Prayer Guide, a simple resource designed to help you pray for yourself and others.
- Pray for an urgency to go. In Luke 10:2, Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to pray for the people in the harvest field; He told them to ask God to send more workers to go into the field and gather the harvest. We need more women willing to go out with urgency.
- Pray for a burden for the lost. Burdens are those heavy things that rest on our shoulders, right? Burdens are the things that weigh us down. Burdens keep us up at night. Burdens have a way of driving us to our knees before the Lord, begging Him to intervene. What if we had such a burden for lost people that we begged God to intervene? What if we woke up at night, praying for our friends who don’t know Jesus?
- Pray for a passion to share the gospel. We talk about what we’re passionate about. God hears our prayers and will cause our hearts to beat for the truth of the gospel.
- Pray for lost people by name. When we pray for others by name, it becomes personal and specific. Pray for salvation and for the Holy Spirit to speak through you.
Next, we must identify the mission field.
Luke 10:1, Jesus sent 72 out into every town and place where He was about to go. He told them exactly where to go. Acts 1:8 says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Often, we think we must travel to another state or country to be on mission. But what about our Jerusalem?
We need to help ladies identify their mission field. Where does God have them on a Monday morning? Where does He have them on a Tuesday evening or a Wednesday afternoon? God has us somewhere and around someone on any given day of the week. That’s our mission field. Help your ladies identify their unique mission field.
Finally, prepare and train for gospel conversations.
In Luke 10:4-11, Jesus trains His disciples in what to say and how to respond to various situations in His name. We must do the same for the women we serve.
- Train them to speak the name of Jesus. Our kind acts or words fall short when the name of Jesus doesn’t accompany them. Others will appreciate the kindness, but speaking the name of Jesus in conversation is how gospel transformation takes place.
- Train them to share their testimonies. This is their life before Christ, how they met Him, and how their lives have changed now because of Him. Our witness is a powerful tool for others to glimpse the Savior.
- Train them with a gospel tool. Pick a tool, then schedule a date and time to train them with the tool. They need the opportunity to practice and get familiar with it. I recommend Three Circles.
- Train them with gospel conversation starters. Getting a spiritual conversation started is always the hardest part. They can ask people, “Do you have any spiritual beliefs? How can I pray for you? Do you attend church? Can I share my story with you?” Find more prompts here.
We must embrace a plan if we’re going to create a culture of evangelism.
- Embrace an Eternal Perspective
Luke 10:17, 20 says, “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’ … He said to them, ‘Don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’”
The disciples saw miracles take place on their mission. They were in awe, and Jesus told them not to get sidetracked with what they could do. As we leverage our lives for the gospel, we can expect to see God at work in the details. We will get excited about it, but we must remember that it’s not about us. When we see God at work, it’s about what the power of the Holy Spirit is doing through us. And it all begins with the fact that He was willing to save us and has added our names to the Book of Life.
From the overflow of our love for Jesus, who has transformed our lives, we will tell others about Him and see Him do incredible things. He’ll do far more than we can ever ask or imagine, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that our names are written in heaven.
We must never forget what Jesus has done in our lives. We must keep this eternal perspective. How we live and share the gospel with others impacts eternity, and how we train the women in our care also has great eternal significance.
As leaders, we want our ministries to become places where the women we serve live evangelistic lifestyles. I pray that as we create a culture of evangelism by embracing the mission of Jesus, a plan, and an eternal perspective, we will see ladies leveraging their life for the gospel and lives transformed by Jesus.
Adapted from a session of the National Women’s Evangelism Conference, March 2025. Find more resources for women’s evangelism at nambevangelism.com/women.