“… have far more courage to speak the Word of God without fear.” Philippians 1:14b (NAS Bible)
"… I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Philemon 6 (NIV Bible)
“WON BY ONE” PLAN OF EVANGELISM
DEFINING THE PLAN: Every Christian should win one sinner within one year to the Lord Jesus Christ, and keep on doing so for his entire lifetime. It is personal evangelism, with reliance on God's Spirit motivating and empowering each person to tell their own story about being saved by Jesus. It is the process of multiplication. One Christian wins another, who also wins another. The first year, there would be 2 Christians, and by the 2nd year, only four, but by the 10th year there would be one thousand, and 1,000,000 (one million) Christians within twenty years! Look at this exciting chart:
Year 1 (1993)Christians: 1 + 1 new convert = 2 Christians
Year 2 " : 2 + 2 " " = 4
Year 3 4 + 4 = 8
Year 4 8 + 8 = 16
Year 5 16 + 16 = 32
Year 6 32 + 32 = 64
Year 7 64 + 64 = 128
Year 8 128 + 128 = 256 (round figures=250)
Year 9 256 + 256 = 512 (500)
Year 10 512 + 512 = 1024 (1000)
Year 15 16,000 + 16,000 = 32,000
Year 20 492,000 + 492,000 = 984,000 (1,000,000)
Year 25 16,000,000 + 16,000,000 = 16,000,000
Year 30 500,000,000 + 500,000,000 = 1,000,000,000(1 billion)
Year 33 4,000,000,000 + 4,000,000,000 = 8,000,000,000(8 billion)
This chart shows that (potentially) every Christian on earth, within their own generation, or approximately 33 years, has the ability to start a process that would enable every person on earth to accept the gospel. This is without expensive technology or thousands of new, fully supported, full time, evangelists/missionaries. In the 30 years prior to 1860(American Civil War), the new Restoration Movement grew rapidly until it was soon the sixth largest religious body in America. For a period of sixteen years there was an average of 50 additions per day - or 292,000 new Christians. This growth started with a few people who had no video, film shows, vehicles, Bible Colleges, loudspeakers or electronic instruments. What they did have was a fervent belief that they were God's instruments for reaching the lost. Their numbers grew in a rural America where 80% of the population farmed on a small scale. For the first time in many years, the gospel was preached as it had been in Acts 2:38, and ordinary folks responded in great numbers to the ancient good news by being immersed in rivers, streams, and lakes everywhere.
POPULATION GROWTH!
We must start the "Won by One" process in our congregations NOW, because the world's population is rapidly growing. In Ghana, there are approximately 17.2 million citizens, and the population growth rate is just under 3%. This means that approximately 500,000 new babies will be born this year, or 1430 daily, or 60 new Ghanaians born every hour! (Approximate figures) We need to reach 60 Ghanaians every hour for Christ just to keep up with the growth rate!
BENEVOLENCE/EVANGELISM?
As we define the task, we must distinguish between benevolence, education, and evangelism. Edification tasks and good works of service to humanity are no substitutes for evangelism - aggressive, “gung ho” ,"no surrender no retreat" type of evangelism - that sees every person as needing salvation to the uttermost. We must not have a "hands off" policy because of religious affiliations. We must press for everyone to have a personal, Biblically defined relationship with Jesus Christ, and to be an active member of a local Bible-believing/obeying, Christ-centered church. Anything else is unacceptable.
LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE
Furthermore, this plan must include all Christians, especially the leaders. We need leaders who lead us in saving sinners, and whose families set the tone in winning the lost by example. Talk is cheap, and leaders must not be armchair strategists but field commanders. I expect my own wife and Christian children to win one other this year. (To this end, the children have started a neighborhood library and Bible Club. They went around the neighborhood inviting children to come borrow books from the library, and to participate in the Bible club.) Evangelism, like charity, begins at home.
EVERY CHRISTIAN TO EVERY PERSON
Matthew 28:18-20 - "Great Commission" verse, Jesus commanding the apostles to go to all peoples(nations = "ethnos" in Greek = ethnic groups or tribes. They did just that,(Col.1:23b), and history records the results as the Roman Empire was Christianized by the time of Emperor Constantine(A.D 280-337).
Col.4:5-6; I Pet.3:15 - Every Christian should be ready to explain the hope of salvation that lies within him, and make the most of every opportunity to do so.
Acts 8:4 - All the Jewish Christians forced out of Israel by persecution "preached the Word wherever they went." Philip was able to evangelize the despised Samaritans and an African government official. (Ethiopian Minister of Finance)
Acts 11:19-21 - Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch received the gospel by the scattered Jewish Christians. Some, from Cyprus & Cyrene (Mediterranean Islands), gave the Good News to the Greeks also, and a great number believed.
From the few verses given above, we can see that the basic method of evangelism is each person simply sharing his story about why, how, and when he became a Christian with other people. What a person knows that makes him a Christian is enough to save another. Doctorate degrees and advanced knowledge of every doctrine isn't necessary. But every Christian must have enough knowledge to save himself. Jeremiah 31:34; III John 2:20f shows us this. Women and children can be just as involved in this plan. The "clergy - laity" mentality, the idea that only paid professionals who have received expensive, higher education are qualified and responsible to win souls, must stop. Furthermore, all debates on what color to paint the church building and such are rediculous in a world of lost millions.
IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN
Recruiting Recruiters: First, everyone who reads or hears this paper must make a commitment to do it. We must get every Christian leader to do this, and not only him, but as already stated, his entire Christian family. Next, we must get them to recruit everyone with whom they have influence. The leader must sit down with his co-leaders and young "Timothies" and motivate them. Then, every recruit must recruit other potential recruiters until the prospects are exhausted. Finally, a one year time period should be decided upon, and each recruit must be held responsible for recruiting at least one other recruiter within that time frame.
Motivating & Mobilizing Members: Each leader must get those they have recruited excited and active in pursuing the goal. The clear goal of each person winning one other in one year should constantly be held out. Each member should give 15 names to their recruiter,(who of course, has done likewise) of potential prospects. These can be from his "web" - those people with whom he has intimate relationships, all linked together and overlapping. Of these 15 prospects, the members should now choose the "hottest" 5 prospects, and begin trying to win them for Christ. The leader should write all these names down for the church’s prayer list. The overall list should include old classmates, friends, relatives, neighbors, fellow workers, and even casual contacts like the bread seller, watchman or shoeshine boy. If the list of 15 is exhausted before the year is over, or if hot new prospects turn up, then the new names can be added.
The members can invite their prospects to Evangelistic Home Studies, which are specially designed for evangelism, not edification as is the case for most church prayer and Bible studies. They should strive for a personal time with the prospect, sharing their story and explaining how much Jesus has done for them. They can also take a more skilled evangelist to meet the person at work or in the home. Tapes, pamphlets and other aids can be used, but are not essential, and are not good substitutes for the believer's own testimony. It is my belief that we must confess Christ as our Lord before all manner of men all our lives, at all manner of occasions, and not only before immersion or in assembly during testimony time. Several prospects can be cultivated simultaneously, and will often be won together. Acts has many such examples - Lydia's & the Phillipian jailer's households. In compound houses, and small farming villages, it is advantageous to contact many prospects at once. All the time, though, the goal posts of winning one in one year are always in sight for the whole church.
There must be persistence in this task. (It takes an average of 14 meaningful contacts with a prospect before they decide to become a Christian. That would be about one per month for an entire year.
WON BY ONE - TO WHAT?
We must pause a minute here and ask the question: "Is my church ready for growth?" Is the church friendly, and actually interested in the welfare of her members? Are you ready to sacrifice in order that new convert’s spiritual and physical needs are met? The church must be like a couple that carefully and lovingly prepares for a new baby. Some don't count the cost, and then shirk their responsibility. We must not be guilty of "spiritual abortions." It is easy to get pregnant, but it takes a long time to give birth and then raise a child up to maturity. I believe missionaries and evangelists must think of spending a minimum of 10 years in planting a church. The "hit & run" strategy of evangelism and church starting must stop. Everyone wants to immerse thousands, but what about "teaching them all things, whatever I have commanded you?" The spiritual life of the church is essential for this plan to work. New converts must be catered to so that they will not leave the church soon after immersion. The leaders must be trained and motivated through TEE(Theological Education by Extension), tapes, books, seminars and other means to shepherd the flock according to the teachings of the Bible.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
This paper has introduced the "Won by One" plan of evangelism. It is simple, cost-effective, and workable. The apostles discipled the nations in their generation. Paul wrote: "All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all of its truth....This is the gospel that you heard and that has been pro-claimed to every creature under heaven...I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world...And so you became a model to all believers… The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere…" (Col.1:6,23b;Rm.1:8;I Thess. 1:7-8) May this be said of those who claim to follow the same faith as those New Testament Christians. May God help us fulfill OUR task of evangelizing OUR generation.
IF QUESTIONS ON THIS PAPER,WRITE: Jeff Hostetter, Box 278, Sunyani, GHANA.
REVIEW QUESTIONS ON "WON BY ONE"
1. According to Philemon 6,what will we gain if we
actively share our faith?
2. Can "sharing OUR faith" be done by someone else
for us? Will we get the benefit promised in
Phil. 6b if someone else shares our faith?
3. Why must we personally speak the Word of Christ
(Gospel) to others?
4. Why is there no place for spectators in
evangelizing the lost?
5. What are the spiritual benefits derived from
every church member being involved?
6. Define the plan of "Won by One' in one sentence.
7. What did the members of the Restoration
Movement have that propelled them to win 50
additions daily for 16 years, in America?
8. What is the "Acts 2:38 Gospel?"
9. List some scriptures that show every Christian
should reach every person?
10. What does the population growth in the world
tell us about the immediate need for the "Won
by One" process of addition.
11. How many additions do we need daily, in order
to just keep up with the population growth in
Ghana?
12. Distinguish and define the twofold
nature of the “task.”
13. What is the difference between a "field
commander' and an "armchair strategist"? Do
you think people are more motivated by one
than the other? Why? Give an example.
14. How much information does one need to bring
another to salvation in Christ?
15. Explain what is meant by each Christian
"telling his story."
16. What is the "clergy/laity" mentality?
17. Do we need “professional” paid preachers in
every local congregation?
18. Why is the "Won by One" plan cost-effective?
19. What is not necessary in order to win souls?
20. What are young "Timothies"?
21. What is the difference between recruiting
recruiters and recruiting recruits?
22. What is the first thing that all who read the
paper on "Won by One" do? Have you done so, and discussed it with your own family?
23. What is the "list of 15"? Have you made one
personally? What about for each member of you family? Church?
24. What is the list of "top hottest prospects"?
25. What is an EBS - Evangelistic Bible Study?
(Write or contact Jeff Hostetter for detailed
plans on how to organize and run such studies.)
26. Is there any command anywhere in the New
Testament to build temples for the Lord?
Should we focus on spending our money and
time on buildings or winning the lost?
27. What is no substitute for the church members
"telling their story"?
28. How many times(average)will a prospect be
meaningfully contacted before they accept Jesus as Lord and are baptized? What is a
"meaningful contact"?
29. What Biblical support is given for the
statement that the apostles completed the Great Commission in their generation? Do you
agree/disagree? Explain your answer.
30. If the Apostles completed it, then what work
is left for this generation to accomplish?
Will this every stop being true?
ANSWERS TO STUDY QUESTIONS ON THE "WON BY ONE" PLAN OF EVANGELISM
1. A full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
2. We will not benefit unless we personally share our faith. Only those involved can be blessed. It is not enough to hire an evangelist or wait for the missionary to share the gospel.
3. Expecting other people or things to fulfill our responsibility to tell our "story" about Jesus Christ in our lives is like substituting sweets for vegetables and meat. There is nothing wrong with using every means possible, but these things are merely icing on the cake. In short, no substitute can take the place of our own testimony.
4. No, because God wants each of us to be involved, and not have a passive attitude about evangelism, or be like spectators at a football match watching the players. Each Christian must get into the game and play his part. There is no victory apart from the whole body of Christ getting involved.
5. Since every member is involved, each member will be able to better understand their position in Christ as they constantly endeavor to explain it to others. "Use it or lose it." To keep our faith, we have to give it away! "Practice makes perfect." As they communicate and confess the gospel to others, their own hearts will be strengthened. We are also kept on our toes to "practice what we preach" so we will be successful winning others to Christ. Poor moral and social habits will be put away, and our prayers will be less selfish and "me" centered as we pray for the salvation of others. We will see all human beings as potential converts for Christ, and thus treat them more righteously and compassionately. The entire church will be more spiritual and in tune with God's will as it strives to reach out with the gospel to all men. There will be an outward focus towards others rather than a "fortress, survival" mentality.
6. Every Christian should win one sinner to Christ every year, and help the ones he reaches to do the same also.
7. They had a fervent belief that they were God's instruments for saving the lost, and that they possessed the means(gospel) to do so. Christian writer Knofel Staton has said that Christians are God's audio/video display on earth for our non-Christian neighbors to see and know about Christ. We are His messengers, His arms, His legs, His mouth. Our good works and righteous lives along with telling our simple but sincere story can save sinners more effectively than high-tec, slick, expensive equipment subject to continue breakdowns.
We should not undersell our potential to fulfill the Great Commission.
8. It was the full gospel, as preached by the Apostles in Acts. It includes the necessity to hear and believe the truth about Jesus, repent from living in sin and for self, confessing before men our commitment to Christ as Lord, and immersion into water for the remission of sins and the reception of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is not the false promises of the "health, wealth, and success" preachers, nor the "Sinner's Prayer" of the faith-only evangelicals.
9. Acts 4:31b; Acts 8:4;9:42;11:19-21;12:24
10. We need constant additions to our churches just to keep up with the millions of new babies born every year.
11. 1440
12. The church has a two-fold task: To bring sinners to salvation in Christ by telling them the gospel and to then mature them into the image of Christ. Both must be completed without "robbing Peter to pay Paul". Neither should be neglected or over-emphasized to the exclusion of the other. Christian schools, camps, retreats, seminars, hymn books, prayer clinics, weddings, etc., all edify and help educate Christians. Too much of this, and the church will become very inwardly focused, and start dying spiritually. The church exists to bring glory to God, and this happens as it is grows in both numbers and maturity.
13. Great military leaders like Alexander the Great, who 2,300 years ago led his Macedonians to conquer all Asia Minor, the Middle East, Egypt and India in only 10 years, are "field commanders". They lead by example and by doing, not by just talking or writing books, or theoretical knowledge, like "armchair strategists". We need those who "walk the walk" and not just "talk the talk." People are more inspired by seeing active soul winners at work than merely hearing about how to do it.
14. The amount of information that brought us to salvation in Christ is enough to save another. What we know that saved us is enough for another. Faith is not caught(accidentally like a germ) but taught. Jeremiah 31:34 and Romans 10:9-13 plus many other passages clearly explain that we must believe, or think the right things about Jesus and be willing to act upon this understanding. If a person cannot explain why and how he became a Christian, then how can he be a Christian? Do we inherit faith like our racial ancestry?
15. This is the how, when, where and why we became a Christian, told in our own words with sincerity and clarity to a sinner.
16. Since the organization of the Roman Catholic church, there has been a false assumption of a succession of apostolic authority that's been handed down until today. Popes, bishops, priests are the "clergy" represent God to the ordinary people. They are the ones responsible for the right worship and doctrine in the church. This is a duplication of the Jews priestly caste(Levites) system and temple worship, that has been abolished in the New Covenant. (See the bk. of Hebrews) To a greater or lesser degree, most Protestants today still copy this model of organization. Thus many believe it is the job of the clergy to win souls and teach the gospel. "Laity" are on a lower level than clergy, and thus are believed not as responsible. Yet the N.T teaches the priesthood of all believers. (I Pet. 2:5) It is every Christians responsibility to win souls - "to bear fruit that will last." John 15:16b
17. No, every church must rely on local (unpaid) men that are either elders or "elders-in-training" that can lead the church and take care of normal church affairs. Circuit preachers/evangelists can visit work among several churches every month. (Three congregations is probably enough for any one man). This person should at least receive partial support from the churches, such as transport and foodstuffs. Using Jay Wilson’s training books: 1) Proof That the Bible is the Word of God, 2) God’s Plan of Salvation, 3) The Holy Spirit, 4) New Creation, 5) Christ’s Church, 6) The Lord’s Second Coming, and 7) Cleansing the Inside of the Cup, and Theological Education By Extension,(TEE - for which Robert Sheffler in Abidjan has produced excellent books), retreats, seminars, etc. this person should educate and equip the local leaders for their tasks. He should also motivate the churches to be faithful in sending men to the unreached tribes both within and without their own nation's boundaries.
Even rich nations like the USA did not have one paid professional minister/s per church until the last few generations. Many churches started out as "national churches" with no separation of the church and state. (Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc.) Taxes paid to government by every citizen went to paying the clergyman's salary. It wasn't until Emperor Augustine converted that the clergy began getting paid this way. (And this was the real beginning of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, with its attendant ills.)
18. (First, refer answer no. 7). It is a fact that most people who have been Christians for over 2 years have few non-Christian prospects compared to new converts. People also are more natural and feel more free with a non-professional than with someone who is seen by them as a preacher or missionary. They are also more impressed by happy members, A study showed that they are twice as likely to again assemble with the church after a first meeting with the church when ordinary members visit their homes rather than leaders. One other thing needs to be mentioned. It is relatively easy to get many immersed, but then they need taught and encouraged. This can be done effectively when the whole church is involved. You can hardly find time to rear 10 babies at once, but you can handle one. We don't need to immerse them, and then hang them out to dry and forget about their pressing needs to grow. Each member can spend time with the one person he/she is winning to Christ, and help insure their survival from the nursery stage until they can also bear fruit. Needless to say, Won By One doesn't rely on expensive, imported equipment that local persons are hardly ready to handle or maintain and often breaks down.
19. They don't need advanced doctorate degrees or knowledge of every doctrine in the Bible.
20. Young "Timothies" boys that were converted while young and raised in the church. They are committed to serving Christ and want to preach the gospel. Like Timothy they help older evangelists in many ways, and eventually do the work of an evangelist themselves. So they could be seen as apprentice evangelists with local church sponsorship.
21. We are saved to serve. As soon as we baptize someone, we should ask him with whom he is going to share his good news. We often get new converts, but then they stop the addition process by failing to win another. We need to recruit those who will in turn recruit others.
22. You should make your list of 15 prospects for the year, and select the top, "hottest" prospects to start working on. You should help the others in your family and circle of influence to do the same. There must be a solemn commitment to at least try your best to do this.
23. This is a general list of prospects - friends, neighbors, acquaintances, school chums, etc. They are the ones you will be focusing on during the year. The saying, "Don't put all your eggs into one basket", applies here. If the first people are not interested, try the other on the list. You can contact several simultaneously, and hope at least one is successfully won to Christ. This list gives you a concrete goal, and can constantly be updated and rearranged, according to the Spirit's leading.
24. These are the five most likely prospects, and you will always focus on these most intently in your efforts to win one other. Pray and ask the Lord for discernment and wisdom to select these, and be open to add or subtract from this "hit" list when appropriate.
25. An EBS is an Evangelistic Bible Study that is specially designed to win the lost by its format. The emphasis is on home locations, when possible, and small groups of about 12 people, with maximum involvement the church members. Many churches have effectively used this method to grow quickly in numbers.
26. Ornate buildings designed to impress and be "temples" of worship should not subtract from funds to support evangelists and reach out and meet the needs of the poor and handicapped. People, not buildings should be emphasized. The church is people, not a structure. Africans should not try and copy Western structures where cold winter weather is a factor, and where the standard of living is high. (Per Capita in the USA is over $17,000; $25,000 in Switzerland. About $350 in Ghana.) Utility of purpose should overshadow aesthetics.(How beautiful it is.) Jesus was not impressed by the beautiful temple King Herod the Great built to placate the Jews. He said his true worshipers would worship in spirit and in truth.
27. Inviting sinners to visit the church’s service, pamphlets, crusades, TV & radio programs, giving out a New Testament, prayer, supporting an evangelist, etc. These things are good, but there is no substitute.
28. A "meaningful contact" is when you give the gospel in a variety of ways to a prospect. It can be over a tea time, at a party or funeral, wedding. It can be by inviting them to your house for lunch. Or to visit church assembly with you. In this time the person is confronted with the truth about Jesus as Lord, and can begin to understand the gospel message and how to respond to it. We must not force our message on someone, neither be so vague they don't have any real idea about what they are expected to believe or how to respond. Like agriculture, it takes clearing, plowing, planting, weeding, watering and time before the harvest.
29 & 30. Get lectures notes from Jeff Hostetter. We should be encouraged if the apostles were successful in reaching their generation with the gospel, because it means that we can also do the same. God gave a possible mission, not an impossible mission.