Trans-Africa Christian University

Student Names: Iago Mutumba Mizinga

Course: Evangelism and Church Planting

Lecturer: Rev Cabra Muzyamba

Assignment Number: Assignment # 1

Assignment : How the Zambian Church can rekindle the fires of Evangelism.
Due date: 20th December, 2019.

Research Paper Outline:

1. Introduction

2. How the Zambian Church can rekindle the fires of Evangelism.

3. Conclusion

Student’s Contact Details

Email: [email protected]
Mobile #: +260 977 448627

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1. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this assignment is to bring out suggestions how the Zambian Church can rekindle the
fires of Evangelism. In order to achieve the purpose of this assignment, the assignment has one section
with subpoints as suggestions under it. The last and final section is the conclusion in which the student
gives his the final views of the topic under discussion.

2. HOW THE ZAMBIAN CHURCH CAN REKINDLE THE FIRES OF EVANGELISM.

Zambia has a favourable climate to do evangelism as there prevails no boundaries politically or

otherwise. It is in tandem with the the declaration of a Christian nation..
How much of your congregation is here because they have come to faith, rather than some kind of
transfer from another church?”
“So what must be done to create a course correction?  How can we recalibrate church planting on a
trajectory where evangelism is front and centre? And how can we infuse church planting with a
vigorous, innovative and intentional evangelism” Hogg, 2018
 
2.1. Setting up of schools of ministry to train lay people and church leaders on biblical doctrine.

The times are changing yet the gospel has remained the same so there is need for adequate training and
coaching practices to raise up leaders who will do the work of evangelism. This can be achieved by
training.
Setting up of schools of ministry to train lay people and church leaders on biblical doctrine is one way to
rekindle the once vibrant passion the Zambian church had to do evengelsm. There are many challenges
out there unless Zambian church lay people and leaders are adequately trained they will be defeated by
the “churches of another gospel” mushrooming everywhere with false doctrine originating out of failure
to interpret scripture appropriately. So hence need for lay people and leaders to be adequately equipped
to counter the “doctrine of the other gospel”. This will motivate the Zambian church lay people and
church leaders to do evangelism because they will be equipped with the true doctrine which they can use
in the field. Plenty is the harvest but few are the workers (scripture)

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2.2 The pulpits (should preach the need to evangelize)

So many ministries have flung up increasing the likely hood of fake ones thereby discouraging genuine
men of God from preaching the true gospel fearing they will be labellaed as fake ones too. The pulpits
should preach the need to evangelize to the congregation. Many church members think that evangelism
is the role of the pastor and paid staff.

It should be about winning souls to the Lord Jesus for every believer. This awakening will once again
rekindle the passion for the Zambian church to be on a trajectory to evangelism because the pulpit has
influence and is a good platform for reaching out to many.

In most gospel calls today, there is little talk about sin; repentance; justification by faith; the Law;
Lordship; propitiation; loving Him more than all other loves; denying yourself, taking up your cross and
following Him, etc.
One might legitimately wonder in the absence of those things, what do people actually respond to when
we see public calls to follow the Lord Jesus Christ? No where in the gospels did the Lord ever invite
someone to simply accept Him and pray a sinners prayer. The gospel is not just an offer of salvation; the
gospel is a call to follow the Lord; a command to repent of our sin; and a compelling to be reconciled to
God

2.3. Conferences (to sensitize on need for evangelism)

2.4. Prayer (to loose the enemy’s hold on believers)

We are fully aware that our work here is not against flesh and blood, but against strongholds.
Eph 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places” NKJV. For many years the enemy has hindered progress and the preaching of the gospel in this
area. We believe God wants to bring life in a place called a ‘graveyard for church planting teams’.
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We need a revisit to intense prayers for believers who have been blinded by the enemy and has made
them feel content to sit in pews Sunday after Sunday to receive for themselves as oppossed to “go out
ye therefore” in line with the great commission of the Lord Jesus

2.5. Making disciples who will in turn disciple other disciples.

We need to align rekindling the passion to eveangelize in obedience to the great commission- making
disciples who will in turn disciple other disciples. As long as people are not discipled they will not see
the need to raise (evangelize) other disciples. The paasion will otherwise not be rekindled hence the
need disciples who will be equipped for ministry. Eph 4:12 puts it this way “ for the equipping of the
saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. NKJV

Wherever we are and whatever we do, our core and end-result is to see disciples being raised in
the valley. Through evangelism we share the gospel. When people come to Christ, we believe it
is important to train (disciple) them and model to them how to live a life in accordance with
God’s will and how to share their faith with others. Through a true inward change there will be
an outward change in their personal lives, their families and their community. In this way we
hope to see many disciples in the islands and in the surrounding villages. (Anon, no date)

https://www.revalval.com/ministries/evangelism-and-discipleship/

2.6. Planting new churches

Church planting offers a platform that can rekindle fires of evangelism in that it generates a lot of
excitement to the disciples to go to new area to win souls to the Lord who will need to be members of
that church. “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under
heaven.”  Hogg (2018). He further observes as below.

Very few churches are externally focused on the harvest fields. Growing congregations, with
very few glorious exceptions, experience their growth through enfolding disaffected and
wandering sheep from other folds.  The intertwined issues of transfer growth and church as a
“private club” point to a widespread evangelistic passivity. Hogg, 2018

The platform that planting new churches offers to disciples to evangelize is important to rekindle the
once vibrant church in terms of evangelism.
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 It is time for the church to rekindle its evangelistic flame with intentionality and intensity.  For a
church planting movement to occur in Zambia, we will have to raise up and empower the church
to be the evangelical inferno it is meant to be as it is unleashed in sharing the Good News of
Christ Jesus! Hogg (2018)

3. CONCLUSION.

The Zambian church need to wake up from the slumber of our souls, loosen our tongues and proclaim
the cross of Christ without apology, without hesitation, and without fear intentionally. The climate in all
spheres is favorable enough for it enjoys great serene to be taken adavantage of. John 9:4 I must work
the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. NKJV. These
are the words of our Lord Jesus which the Zambian church need learn a leaf from.
The Zambian church need to come out from under the safety of its comfort zone and step away from the
ease of the carefully, crafted, cultivated world, and go “where Christ is not yet named” (Roms. 15:20).
Whether across the street or around the world; the Zambian church need to be faithful witnesses for
Christ Jesus our Lord (Acts 1:8)
This can be done by going back to the core of partly why the church exists in Zambia which is
embedded in the fareware message of the Lord Jesus known as the graet commission which will actually
demonstrate obedience by going out there to win souls to the Lord. Matt 28:19-20 Go therefore and
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age." NKJV

The response was highly informative for me. Here are the top fifteen responses listed in order of
frequency:
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 1. Christians have no sense of urgency to reach lost people.
2. Many Christians and church members do not befriend and spend time with lost persons.
3. Many Christians and church members are lazy and apathetic.
4. We are more known for what we are against than what we are for.
5. Our churches have an ineffective evangelistic strategy of “you come” rather than “we go.”
6. Many church members think that evangelism is the role of the pastor and paid staff.
7. Church membership today is more about getting my needs met rather than reaching the lost.
8. Church members are in a retreat mode as culture becomes more worldly and unbiblical.
9. Many church members don’t really believe that Christ is the only way of salvation.
10. Our churches are no longer houses of prayer equipped to reach the lost.
11. Churches have lost their focus on making disciples who will thus be equipped and motivated to
reach the lost.
12. Christians do not want to share the truth of the gospel for fear they will offend others. Political
correctness is too commonplace even among Christians.
13. Most churches have unregenerate members who have not received Christ themselves.
14. Some churches have theological systems that do not encourage evangelism.
15. Our churches have too many activities; they are too busy to do the things that really matter.

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REFERENCES

Camp S J (2014) Rekindling The Fires of Evangelism, https://crosschurch.net/rekindling-the-fires-of-

evangelism/ Acccessed on 25th Dec 2019

Hogg B (2018) Rekindling our Evangelistic Flame https://www.sendinstitute.org/rekindling-

evangelistic-flame/ Accessed on 24th Dec, 2019.

https://www.revalval.com/ministries/evangelism-and-discipleship/ Accessed on 25th Dec, 2019

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