marketplace evangelism2

Greater Rhode Island Baptist Temple is finishing up its goal of reaching every door in Johnston, Rhode Island this year. Every Saturday our church meets for door-to-door evangelism. I believe it works, and the Lord has blessed our efforts with church growth. For this, we are thankful.

Door-to-door evangelism, however, is just one of many ways that we seek to bring people to Christ. In addition, our church has had community outreaches this year such as oil changes for single mothers, evangelistic blood drives, a steak out for dads and sons, first responder appreciation Sunday, and what we call A Greater Christmas. In addition to these, we use card calls to follow up visitors who attend our services.

This all having been accomplished, one of the greatest avenues of witnessing is marketplace evangelism. Let me illustrate how this works by referencing a recent event in the life of our associate pastor, Thomas Krampert.

Pastor Tom, or PT as we call him, recently made a sacrificial commitment to increase his faith promise commitment so that people around the world could be saved. The Lord honored that commitment as He promised He would do (Philippians 4:19) by supplying the Kramperts cash for a brand new automobile – a car that they desperately needed.

As they were in the showroom shopping for their new car, they encountered several salesmen, and to each of them they gave a tract. Later, as PT was following up his initial visit with some questions over the phone, the salesman to whom he was talking said, “Wait! Before you go any further, I must tell you that I just sat down to read that pamphlet you have given me.” Tom encouraged him to read the tract .

When Tom was later back in the showroom, the salesmen remarked that this pamphlet was exactly what he needed. His life was a wreck, and the day that Pastor Tom handed him the tract was perhaps “the worst day of his life.” He needed to know that God loved him. The salesman has not yet accepted the Lord, but we are hot on his trail. Pastor Tom received his new car, and we are hopeful that this salesman will receive new life!

Every day that we are in the marketplace we are confronted with people who need the Lord.  It might be the person next to us in the plane, the motel clerk, the convenience store cashier, or the local car dealer. But business transactions are always two-fold. They are selling us a product, and we are distributing the Gospel. The words of Jesus come to mind: “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” While we are going about town doing our business, let us never forget to be about the Father’s business. Let us constantly labor not for the meat that perishes, but for the meat that endures to everlasting life.

No matter what your next business appointment may be, never forget that this is a divine appointment. Don’t regulate all of your soul-winning to the designated hour of your church’s organized program. Constantly share the news as you are going “for such a time as this.”