INTRODUCTION
When we think of the word evangelism, we often think of an evangelistic series or other outreach programs of the church. While these are important, Christ gave us a more comprehensive model of evangelism. His work was focused on people, not just programs. This same focus should characterize the work of every church member.
The book Ministry of Healing says, “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’”1 It’s hard to miss in this description of Christ’s method just how personal it is. The next paragraph emphasizes this point: “There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen.”
It’s true that Jesus followed a clear process, or steps, when making disciples. But the fundamental characteristic of Christ’s method is that it was personal.
I. CHRIST’S METHOD WAS PERSONAL
Have you ever met someone who took a deep interest in you? You’re having a conversation when they mention an important detail about your life, such as the names of your children or a situation you told them about. You feel surprised and touched. There is perhaps nothing more impactful than when someone takes a genuine interest in knowing you.
Jesus was the master of this. It was the secret to His effectiveness in reaching hearts.
Think of Nathanael, who was initially skeptical, until Jesus caught his attention by calling him “an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” (John 1:47).2 Nathanael’s response revealed his surprise. “How do You know me?” (v. 48). Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Because Jesus took notice of the personal details of Nathanael’s life, it persuaded him—not only of Christ’s divinity, but of His love.
Another one-on-one conversation was with a woman of Samaria (see John 4). Here Jesus spoke about lofty theological themes such as living water, worship, spirit, and truth. Yet at one point, He turned the conversation and addressed perhaps the greatest weakness in this woman’s life (read John 4:16–18). When she later told the townspeople about her encounter with Jesus, she didn’t mention the theology Jesus shared. Instead, she said, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did” (John 4:29). Jesus’ knowledge and interest in her personal life had touched her heart.
“The Lord desires that His word of grace shall be brought home to every soul. To a great degree this must be accomplished by personal labor. This was Christ’s method. His work was largely made up of personal interviews. He had a faithful regard for the one-soul audience.”3
II. CHRIST’S METHOD: STEP BY STEP
Having established that the foundation of Christ’s method was personal labor, let’s explore the process, or steps, that He followed to make disciples.
A. Christ Befriended People
As we learned in The Ministry of Healing, Jesus mingled with people, sympathized with them, and ministered to their needs. In other words, He intentionally befriended people. Jesus came to this earth to seek and save the lost (see Luke 19:10). He took the first step. He came to be “God with us” (Matt 1:23).
Jesus showed His interest in people by mingling with them, listening to them, and empathizing with their struggles. Acts 10:38 also tells us that He “went about doing good.” He noticed and met people’s needs (see Matt 9:35–36). Through each act of kindness, He was building relationships and gaining trust.
We too can win people’s confidence, but we can’t do it unless we take the initiative. We need to take a genuine interest in people, listen to them, pay attention to the details of their lives, and befriend them.
B. Christ Proclaimed the Truth
Jesus was never fully satisfied with addressing only temporal needs. He longed for the salvation of every soul. For this reason, after gaining people’s attention, He always shared eternal truth. “From Christ’s methods of labor we may learn many valuable lessons. . . . in various ways He sought to gain the attention of the multitude; and then He proclaimed to them the truths of the gospel.”4
Jesus not only befriended people, but He shared the gospel with them. While kindness and love are vital to our Christian witness, sharing the truth through spiritual invitations, literature, and Bible studies is at the heart of leading people to eternal salvation through faith in Christ.
C. Christ Trained His Disciples
Jesus boldly promised, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). He didn’t say “you will become” fishers of men, but “I will make you” fishers of men. Jesus took responsibility, as the Master disciple-maker, to train His disciples to win souls. “In all His work, He was training them for individual labor.”5 This is the third and final step of Christ’s method.
Jesus trained His disciples in three essential ways: (1) instruction, (2) observation, and (3) participation. In the same way, we should not only give instruction, but provide opportunities for newer members to observe those of greater experience and to participate in witnessing activities themselves (see Luke 9:1–2).
Unlike befriending and proclaiming, training occurs primarily after baptism. New members need experienced mentors who will help them establish good devotional habits, teach them to share their faith, and help them become integrated into the life and mission of the church.
Jesus befriended. Jesus proclaimed. And Jesus trained.
III. GLOBAL TOTAL MEMBER INVOLVEMENT
Global Total Member Involvement, or Global TMI, is an evangelistic initiative of our worldwide church that is based on Christ’s method and illustrated by the agricultural growth cycle (read Luke 8:11 and 10:2 for references to the “seed” and “harvest”; see also Matt 9:37–38; 1 Cor 3:6; 2 Cor 9:6).
The harvest cycle is a perfect illustration of Christ’s method, because making disciples like Jesus did requires the same patience and tender care as nurturing the growth of a plant. Preparing the soil of the heart requires befriending. Planting spiritual truth with literature or invitations, cultivating spiritual interest with Bible studies, and harvesting decisions to follow the truth are each components of proclaiming. Finally, preserving the harvest can only happen with nurture and training. In each disciple-making phase, Global TMI emphasizes the importance of combining personal labor, the heart of Christ’s method, with public programs and events for the best results.
CONCLUSION
Everyone can follow Christ’s method. It’s about coming close to people—befriending them, patiently guiding them into Bible truth, and being an ongoing friend and mentor. The Desire of Ages encourages that “whatever one’s calling in life, his first interest should be to win souls for Christ. He may not be able to speak to congregations, but he can work for individuals.”6
Will you commit to making disciples of Jesus?
1 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1905), 143.
2 All biblical quotations are from the NKJV.
3 Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1900), 229.
4 Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1946) 123.
5 Ellen G. White, Christian Service (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1925), 11.
6 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1898), 822.
James Howard is the director of the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department at the GC of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
