1. An ideology which suggests we can just stay and pray while leaving the foot work up to God.

Prayer is definitely an essential ingredient, we cannot go it alone. But the New Testament pattern for evangelism is one that requires the co-operation of God and man. “How will they hear without a preacher?” That is why we’ve been commanded to “Go…” If the disciples had stayed in the upper room, there would have been no multiplication of souls in God’s kingdom and no church. Prayer is simply the preparation, a resource we draw on for strength and ability, our reliance on God’s power to assist us in the mission that He’s entrusted us with. Prayer is putting on our armor (our battle gear). Evangelism is going into the battle. Why put on our armor if we’re not going to go out and fight for the souls of men through the preaching of the gospel? The two must coincide for a resulting harvest of souls. Pray and Obey! No one is exempt from either. The great commission is a requirement for every disciple of Christ. Those who love God will demonstrate that love by obedience to His commandments… it will be a natural expression and desire to please Him if we Love Him. To worship Him with our lips while neglecting to obey and serve Him in our actions is hypocrisy. We can pray all we want for revival and to see the harvest but that has to somehow be accomplished through practical means… the Lord has given us a place in bringing in the lost. We can’t sit back and expect that just because we fast, pray, call down fire, do spiritual mapping and pull down strongholds, that God is just gonna do it all Himself. Paul summed up the foolishness and fate of the Christian who prays but does not obey when he said, "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel..." HOW WILL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER?

2. A lack of knowledge and courage.

A lack of courage is actually a byproduct of a lack of knowledge, wisdom, and the ability to convince sinners of their need for Christ. Most Christians simply are not equipped to witness. Because of their fear of being stifled, they refuse to make any further attempt at sharing their faith. Many have simply rejected the idea of confronting sinners with their need of Christ and are waiting for people to come to them… they will wait a long time before that ever happens. Besides, it’s not biblical to wait for them to come, we’ve been commanded to go to them. Courage is stepping out in spite of your fear…. Facing your fear head on.

3. In-house evangelism - Shifting the responsibility to Christian leaders.

Many Christians, out of convenience, suggest they are just not called to evangelism. They leave the task up to the “evangelist” or pastor and other “more gifted” people. One of the causes of this diversion is what we call “In house evangelism”… outreaches which merely require inviting a friend out to an event at church. People have grown dependant on the church to do the preaching and soul winning for them. As a result, Christians grow stagnant in their witnessing effectiveness and precision. There’s little incentive to learn how to communicate the gospel effectively because the full time leaders can do it for them. Many of us have become like a lazy student who’s teacher does everything for them. This has also created a dilemma whereby we’ve grown accustomed to “stay in” rather than “go out.” The consequence of this is detrimental to the vast sea of souls which would never darken the door of a church. In house evangelism definitely has its place but it can only reach a very small percentage of people over a very long period of time. If the average crowd at a common in-church evangelistic event comprises of 450 Christians and 50 unbelievers (and that’s a generous ratio), then you have 450 Christians and 50 sinners listening to one man preach the gospel. That’s great for those 50 people… but what if those 450 Christians spent the same amount of time going out into the streets to witness to 2 people each. That would be 900 people hearing the gospel in the same time frame. And better yet, we’ve reached people who likely would never attend any kind of religious event at any church. Good is the enemy to the best, and though in-house evangelism can be good, it has caused many Christians to shift their responsibility. The best way to reach the lost is to go where they are.

4. Rejection in past experience and a failure to see any fruit as a result of past efforts.

This comes from a misunderstanding of what our role in the great commission is. It is not our job to save anyone. Resultant fruit from witnessing is our hope but isn’t necessarily our motivation. Our motivation is faith, obedience, and concern for the lost. Our part in evangelism is to simply deliver the message. If the Christian is looking for immediate results (ie. A decision; people saying the sinners prayer), they will become discouraged quickly. All we should shoot for is to simply effect a conviction in the heart of our hearer in order that a seed will take root. There are 3 elements in evangelism: plowing, sowing, and reaping. Our job is to plow and sow. This is the biblical pattern Jesus laid out in scripture. The seed represents the gospel of grace. But no farmer would sow seed without first plowing the ground and tilling the soil. If we sow seed (the gospel) on hard ground (a proud heart), the seed will not take root. We have pinpointed the key to unlocking the sinners heart and producing good soil. This key is explained in our teaching and in Ray Comforts books, Revivals’ Golden Key and Hell’s Best Kept Secret. The key to dealing with rejection is addressed in the next point.

5. Worship syndrome – Heavy appetite for worship and Christian entertainment.

The modern church has been inundated with a constant beckoning, urging them to feed their spirit; however, it seems more like we’ve developed an appetite for Christian events and feeding our Christian flesh. It’s a feeding frenzy that has caused us to become so spiritually fat we can’t get out the door of the church. Rather than being FIT for service, we have become FAT from so many services. Everything from Christian concerts to Christian television… Worship concerts, worship fest’s, worship marathon’s, prayer rallies, prayer summits, and 24/7 prayer famines. We have Christian festivals designed to get us so wrapped up in Christian stuff to the point that we’ve abandoned our chief mandate... to Go into all the world and preach..! We are like the fire fighter that sat in his truck listening to music while people are burning in the fire. William Booth painted a portrait of the church of the future… groups of happy people are seen worshipping and entertaining themselves on a huge platform that is surrounded by a dark sea of souls with the most horrific expressions on their faces while they are drowning into a deep dark abyss of despair. We are way off balance when it comes to the area of evangelism.

6. Love of Life resulting in lack of concern for the lost.

In Revelation 12:11 the overcoming Christian is described as those who “loved not their lives unto the death.” Their love for Christ and concern for others was greater than their own worry, enjoyment, and self-interest. A Christian will never overcome their fear of man until they first die to self. Many point to the “fear of man” as the thing that hinders them, but that is just a byproduct of a lack of love towards God and men. If we love people, our concern for their souls will outweigh our fear of offending them. A genuine concern for lost souls will inevitably result in a courage that causes us to disregard our fear of what might happen. If we truly love people, we will risk offending them for the sake of their soul and not be so concerned with their reaction. The New Testament disciples demonstrated ruthless courage because they cared not what the consequences were. Persecution was not the result of living a quiet peaceful Christian life, but the result of preaching it in public and calling men everywhere to repent. The souls of men were of greater importance than their own comfort and temporal human existence. By preaching the gospel and witnessing we risk offending people. That risk and the potential consequences are nothing in comparison to what sinners will face if they meet the wrath of God upon death. Many Christians today have simply fallen prey to this dilemma…. enjoying Life has become a priority over winning the lost. Their own happiness has overshadowed their concern for others and as a result they fear rejection, confrontation, or any potential “negative” reaction from people. Making friends with people is more convenient and comforting than to risk offending them with the gospel, but in the end are we really being a friend? A love for self and temporal happiness will quench all burning desire and efforts to see souls saved. The bible says that if we try to please men we will fear men and that fear will control us. So the fear of men comes from trying to please men, which is the result of a greater concern for self and a lack of demonstrating love for others. When it comes to evangelism, love is an action which must be demonstrated in spite of fear. When Christians understand that, it will thrust them into action!

Final Note: Some may ask, "Isn’t it the Holy Spirit’s job to convict of sin?
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty. What is the Holy Spirit’s role? To bring the knowledge of a holy and righteous God, which brings a conviction of sin and unrighteousness, which results in contrition and repentance. NOW, Where is the Holy Spirit? Where does He dwell? IN YOU and IN ME! So where you are, there the Holy Spirit is. And when you co-operate with Him, preach truth and righteousness, the Spirit works through you to bring light and life. That is the New Testament pattern for soul-winning… a co-operative willingness between the Church and the Spirit of God. How will they hear without a preacher? Who will Go, unless we are sent? If you are a child of God through Jesus Christ, you have His spirit living in you AND YOU HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED! You have been sent. And unless church obeys this command, the Holy Spirit has nothing to work with… God uses Men!