Jesus Strategy In Winning Cities
JESUS STRATEGY TO WIN CITIES
Jesus was a perfect evangelist. He often used strategies to win entire cities. We find three of these examples in the gospels. His approach was unusual and unconventional. When He entered a city He would find the worst sinner, because he knew they had the most influence to reach other sinners. These sinners were usually up a tree like Zacchaeus. Luke 19:5-7 "When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, He has gone to be the guest of a sinner." The most amazing thing happened after his conversion. He repaid everyone 4-fold from whom he had stolen as a tax collector. This was probably almost everyone in the city. Imagine getting a check in the mail back for four times what was taken from you. He would have been featured on CNN news today! It influenced the entire city for Christ and featured Jesus ability to change an unlikely heart.
The second great story was about a woman. This woman was a man-eater! She had already chewed up 5 men and still had a hunger for more. Her hunger just could not be satisfied. It was for her that Jesus must needs go through Samaria. As he looked into her eyes by the well he saw a desperate woman. Literally He said, "today you will drink water and you will never thirst again". In other words He said, "I am the man you truly have been looking for"! She was amazed at His ability to prophetically speak over her life. But she was convinced that He truly was from God. She departed into the city and began telling all the men that an amazing man was at the well. They followed her to the well and were converted. In fact what followed was so amazing a response that Jesus and the disciples must stay in the city for two more days just to continue the harvest of souls that came to Jesus. John 4:39-42 "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." Here a whole city was evangelized by a unsavory woman.
The third story is most amazing of all. Here Jesus must needs go over the sea of Galilee. Not to visit a Synagogue and have a nice service, but to visit a man that society had cast out. Most of Jesus ministry was on the streets of the city! He was truly the greatest street evangelist of all time! This man had a problem. Called a Legion of demons! Man's way of dealing with such social outcasts is to chain them to a cave wall. Jesus way was to set them free forever. This man's conversion was so powerful that Jesus immediately put him into full time ministry! He didn't even go through Jesus discipleship program, even though he wanted to. Luke 8:38-39 "The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return home and tell how much God has done for you. So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him." One key conversion of a great sinner can bring a whole city to Jesus. I love studying the ministry style of Jesus. He helps break me of my religious mindsets and take me into creative evangelism that brings results. He does things that are totally unconventional like launch people into ministry immediately after their conversion. How different that seems from our approaches. He doesn't give them positions of authority but releases them to immediately share the great testimony of His saving power. We have seen great results in churches that allow a fresh touch of God's grace through personal testimonies of conversions that just happened. It keeps the fire of evangelism hot and glowing with God's grace and love.
The second great story was about a woman. This woman was a man-eater! She had already chewed up 5 men and still had a hunger for more. Her hunger just could not be satisfied. It was for her that Jesus must needs go through Samaria. As he looked into her eyes by the well he saw a desperate woman. Literally He said, "today you will drink water and you will never thirst again". In other words He said, "I am the man you truly have been looking for"! She was amazed at His ability to prophetically speak over her life. But she was convinced that He truly was from God. She departed into the city and began telling all the men that an amazing man was at the well. They followed her to the well and were converted. In fact what followed was so amazing a response that Jesus and the disciples must stay in the city for two more days just to continue the harvest of souls that came to Jesus. John 4:39-42 "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." Here a whole city was evangelized by a unsavory woman.
The third story is most amazing of all. Here Jesus must needs go over the sea of Galilee. Not to visit a Synagogue and have a nice service, but to visit a man that society had cast out. Most of Jesus ministry was on the streets of the city! He was truly the greatest street evangelist of all time! This man had a problem. Called a Legion of demons! Man's way of dealing with such social outcasts is to chain them to a cave wall. Jesus way was to set them free forever. This man's conversion was so powerful that Jesus immediately put him into full time ministry! He didn't even go through Jesus discipleship program, even though he wanted to. Luke 8:38-39 "The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return home and tell how much God has done for you. So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him." One key conversion of a great sinner can bring a whole city to Jesus. I love studying the ministry style of Jesus. He helps break me of my religious mindsets and take me into creative evangelism that brings results. He does things that are totally unconventional like launch people into ministry immediately after their conversion. How different that seems from our approaches. He doesn't give them positions of authority but releases them to immediately share the great testimony of His saving power. We have seen great results in churches that allow a fresh touch of God's grace through personal testimonies of conversions that just happened. It keeps the fire of evangelism hot and glowing with God's grace and love.
