How to win Spaniards (or Americans) for Christ
The following letter was written in response to a question from a brother in Spain who had come there as a missionary to Spain. I was emphasizing the need to reach the many thousands of illiterate people who come to Spain from Moslem and former comunist countries who have not had any chance to hear the gospel. To My way of thinking they are in much greater need than the multitudes of unsaved Spaniards who have had every opportunity to hear (or even read) the gospel. Of course, any one who does not know Jesus as Savior and Lord is in desparate need, even if they refuse to admit it. But Our instruction is to be sure that "every creature" and "every nation" hears.
But the real problem in Spain (and in America) is apathy, and inaction. If we truly begin to carry the message of Christ to the rest of Spain (and America) - even to those who have heard and rejected - Then we will by default and of necesity be carrying it to the less privileged among us as well. The place to start is where we are. And the way to work is aggressively! As you read the following, think not of far away Spain, but of your own town and neighborhood. That is where you can make a difference.
You wanted to know how to reach Spaniards for Christ. I didn't really have a ready answer for you. But I've been thinking about it a lot since then. They need exactly what the rest of the world needs. Which is Jesus.
On a scale of spiritual need measuring from one to ten lets make some comparisons. Let's say that the individual who has had regular and consistent exposure to the gospel within the culture of his own home, and knows how to read the Bible, and it is available to him is a "1". And the individual who has never heard the Name of Jesus, doesn't know how to read, and has never seen a Bible, and lives in a culture that teaches him to reject Christians and all they stand for is a "10". Now on a scale like that the Spaniards come out about a two or three. Nearly all of them have heard the basic gospel message, albeit twisted round to make their religion, and good works count as credit with God. That's not good. In fact it's really bad. But the truth is that a few of them in spite of that have put their faith in Christ on the basis of what they have heard. Even if you count them as a "5", They still have no where near the gospel need of some other groups. Never the less their need is real. And so is the need of the church to be actively involved in trying to win them.
So what should be done?
Or perhaps first, What can be done? Real Christians are a small minority in Spain (and in the rest of the world also). But When Jesus gave the "Great Commission" The total number of Christians was very small in all the world. It appears in fact that there were only about 120 of them in the upper room at Pentecost. And He told them to "go into all the world". With His message, to "every creature". And "every nation (ethnic group)". So I doubt if he is going to accept an excuse like "The job was just too big!" It can be done, for He has said "lo I am with you always". "He doeth the work." "Is anything to hard for the Lord?"
So how do we approach it. What are the things that must be done to get from here to there. Well, first we must try and define the job. Jesus limited the core of that job to "Preach the gospel" True, he added that we should baptise, and that we should teach, but those two things are essential to the first. Why? Well, because the act of baptism in water is nothing else but an identification with and an illustration of; the death and resurrection of Christ. And because in that act he opened everything for us. In fact it may be truly said that the whole of Biblical teaching is nothing else but a progressive revelation of that great thing that Jesus did there at Calvary for us. On the one hand, there is nothing else to teach, and on the other hand that topic is completely inexhaustible. So you cannot preach the gospel or baptise without teaching, and you cannot help but teach if you are preaching the gospel.
The next thing that must be done is to multiply ourselves. The original command was not to an elite group among the 120, but to all of them. So today, we must do our best to make it clear that this is something every child of God should be involved in. How can we do that effectively? By the very same method! Nothing is quite so attractive as a life motivated by the love of God. And it is because of the love of God that we preach the gospel. Of course it is because of His command, but the real motivating factor is "The love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge, that if one (Christ) died for all, then were all dead (in Him), and that He died for all that they that live (in Him) might not live unto themselves but unto Him which died for them and rose again."
Barnabus means son of encouragement . And look what his encouragement did for the Apostle Paul! It's pretty plain that Paul also was an encourager. I think I know where he learned it!
So to get the people of God moving toward preaching the gospel, we need to get moving ourselves. That's the Biblical basis for "discipleship". "disciple" just means follower, or imitator, or learner.
So how do we get off dead center, and get started? What methods can we use, and what materials? Paul (and Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, etc.) used preaching. That was the principle method, and it was in accord with Jesus example. I view the writings of the New (and Old) testament as the word of God, but they also started out as a form of preaching. In our day we call it literature. In their day they had to write each piece out by hand, and if they wanted a duplicate they had to write it out too. We don't have to do that. Which means that even if I can't talk well to a Spaniard, I can give him a piece of literature, and by it still preach the gospel to him. Clearly that's not enough. Paul exclaimed "who is sufficient for these things". But of course the answer is "Jesus"
So first, (after, and in the middle of prayer), I'd lay hold of a good supply of literature. More than I could use. Way more. And then I'd look around and see where I could post myself or pass through to give it out. I'd give it with a smile, and a willingness to stop and talk about it to anyone, and I'd invite some of the brethren to come along with me. I'd do it in different places on different days and even different cities.
Another effective method of communication is music. You can sing the gospel. Some of the Youth in your group are really good at it. Invite them along. If you don't use an amplifier, or a microphone it's unlikely that anyone will object, and those who want to hear will come in a little closer so you can communicate more effectively with them. You don't need a microphone for preaching either. None of the apostles had one, and if you use one without special permits, you may find that there is a good deal of resistance. Not using one gives you a much more personal opportunity with the people. Clearly if you can get the appropriate permits, there are occasions when amplifiers are important, but I seldom use one.
Another effective way of communication is story telling. It was one of Jesus favourite ways, and many of the apostle and prophets used it too. There are many forms of story telling, and it is not just for Children. But it attracts the children, and children are very important to God. Furthermore, if you can attract the children, you will also attract the grownups. Just plain "park bench" storytelling is great, or story reading, or story acting. Just be sure that you have a story that makes the message of Jesus plain. Drama is good. Flip charts and videos are other forms of story telling. There all good. What we need to do is discipline ourselves to make use of all of these methods on a regular basis, and to include other Christians in what we do.
Another important method that all of the apostles and Jesus used was travel. Some people asked Him to hang around and be their King, but He answered that he had to visit the rest of the villages. When He sent out the 12, and later the 70, and then in the Great Commission, travel was a big part of what he instructed them to do. That way the word gets spread over a wider area, and more people get to hear it. That is the absolute necessity. Although He makes it clear that we should be fruitful, the command is to "go" and to "preach" until everyone has heard. If we do that we will certainly be fruitful, because it is the gospel that brings forth fruit. It's not our job to win them, but we will if we do our job.
And If you are aggressively involved in evangelising The Spaniards (remember the 2 and three on the list) You also be meeting some of the 8s 9s and 10s. When you do, make the effort to find out who they are, where they are from, and what language they speak. Then get them something that will help them also understand the gospel. In fact, to be obeying the Lord's command we must be keeping an especially sharp lookout for them. Otherwise, how will we even know if we are reaching even "every creature" within our reach?
© Dave & Ella McMullen, 2007
(Harvesting Harvesters)