2 Timothy 4:5 NKJV
But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Acts 2:14, 36-38 NKJV
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

When the Holy Spirit came upon the people in the upper room in the Book of Acts, the immediate next event wasn’t a marriage enrichment seminar, a financial equipping breakfast, a singles meeting, or an in-depth study of Leviticus. It was evangelism. Peter stood up with the eleven, proclaimed the Gospel, and invited them to repent and obey God by becoming followers of Jesus.

Now, all the other things we do in church to feed and maintain the sheep already in the sheepfold are important, but they are not the foremost on the agenda of heaven. Again, as I said, I am ashamed to have been one of those pastors that used not to make altar calls. I missed out on God’s blessing all those years because I was trying to be a clever teacher.

If we want to see revival in our churches, cities and nations, evangelism must take center stage again. It should become agenda number one for every church. Think about it. There are now about eight billion people on the earth. Of these, probably only a billion have a real relationship with Jesus. Should we really be expending all our energies and budgets on the one billion, or in trying to reach the seven billion?

Is it any wonder that God seems to honor and lift up the names of ministers that focus on this area, like Billy Graham? Is it also any wonder that these people are the ones subject to the greatest media scrutiny, criticism and even opposition from within the church? Both God and the devil know what’s at stake here.

Whatever methods and strategy you choose to use, whether that’s one-on-one, house-to-house, special events, or outreaches, do the work of an evangelist.

Today’s devotional is taken from the book EMBRACING REVIVAL: How to Plant, Grow, and Multiply a Church into a Movement