Wouldn’t it be great if everyone of accountable age in our county was a member of the church?! Wouldn’t it be great if every member of our fleshly family was a faithful member of the church?! Wouldn’t it be great if every accountable person in the whole world was a member of the church?!

Is that really our desire? Do we truly want people to be saved in this life and go to heaven to receive life eternal? Can we honestly say that it is our goal to help as many people as possible to become faithful followers of the Christ so they can be saved? If so, how much are we working to accomplish that goal? That is what we are supposed to do when we set any type of serious goal – work hard in order to achieve it, right?

Jesus told His apostles to preach the gospel to every person in "all the world" (Mark 16:15). We know that. He told them that He wanted repentance and remission of sins to be preached "among all nations" (Luke 24:47). We know that, too. Further, the New Testament plainly reveals that salvation is in the Christ (2 Timothy 2:10), and that those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ are still in sin and will be lost eternally (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

In view of the lost estate of those who are not in the Christ, and taking into account Jesus’ charge to preach the gospel to all people in order that they might be saved (Mark 16:15,16), I suggest that each of us ought to ask him/herself this sobering question: How much effort am I putting forth in order to "get the gospel out" to the lost in my own area?

Sometimes when congregations are searching for a new evangelist, they ask prospective preachers this question: "If you served as our preacher, what would you plan to do to help make this congregation grow?" My thought on that question is this: Hey, shouldn’t every member of the body of Christ ask him/herself that same question ("What do I plan to do to help the church grow")? We think so, seeing that the Lord wants all saints to be teachers! (Hebrews 5:12).

"But, what can I do to help teach the lost?" If that is what you are thinking to yourself, believe me, you are not alone. Many Christians sincerely desire to be involved in teaching the gospel to others, but feel like they are not up to the task. They may think that since they are not capable of standing before an audience and skillfully delivering a lesson, then they are of no value to the church when it comes to evangelism. Or, they may feel like knocking doors to spread the gospel is not what they are cut out for, so they cannot really be of any help in teaching the lost.

Hold on, now! God does not require each person to be able to skillfully deliver a public lesson, nor does He require every saint to go out and knock doors. Those are not requirements for salvation. So, please don’t get down on yourself if you feel that public speaking and door knocking are not your "ball of wax" or "cup of tea."

If you feel uncomfortable in the above two areas, that does NOT mean that there is nothing you can do to help spread the gospel of the Christ to those who are lost. There are a lot of things that members of the church can do in the realm of evangelism. We are going to list several of these below. As you go through this list, see which of these you might be able to take part in. I have no doubt that most Christians can do at least some of those things noted.

"What can I do to help teach the lost?" What about doing some of these --

Teach your own children or grandkids.

Give appropriate tracts to friends, family members, co-workers, & others.

Lay tracts out on the tables in hospital waiting rooms, at nursing homes, etc.

Be a good example before others, which might eventually lead them to obey and glorify God (Matthew 5:16).

Pray for those who teach and preach. Pray for their courage, as well as for open doors to teach (Colossians 4:3).

Encourage friends, co-workers, and family members to sign up for a Bible correspondence course.

Help grade and return Bible correspondence courses.

Invite folks to attend our Bible classes worship services, gospel meetings, etc.

Conduct private one-on-one studies.

Arrange private studies with friends or loved ones so that some other member of the church can teach them.

Tape a sign on the window of your vehicle or front door of the place where you live that advertises a Bible correspondence course or the church’s activities.

Give tapes of appropriate sermons to those you care about.

Ask people if they would like to watch Bible videos, such as the Jule Miller series, in the privacy of their home.

Knock doors to distribute tracts or invite people to services or special events.

Pass along appropriate bulletin articles to those who "need to hear that."

Volunteer to baby-sit for those parents that have younger children so they can go out to teach or make visits.

Visit those non-Christians who have attended our services. This is a great way to make them feel comfortable and to find out how interested they are.

Write a brief note or send a card to non-Christians who have attended our services. This personal touch is a great way of letting them know that we are interested in them.

Encourage people to watch sound TV programs or listen to sound radio programs.

Visit, write, or call erring members of the church. Remember, if they are unfaithful, they are just as lost as those who are outside of the Christ.

No doubt, there are a number of other things that we could add to this list of "possible ways to help teach the lost." I am confident that in this list of 20 items, there are some activities in which most, if not all, of us could engage on a regular basis, if we will just put our mind to it!

If we will all pitch in and work together, we can be a powerful force in getting the gospel to lost people. God wants all men to be saved, and so do we, don’t we? The efforts of each one of us in the realm of evangelism are greatly needed. Let us all determine to do more and to work harder in order that more people might have the chance to hear Jesus’ saving gospel! Let us work for Him with these great thoughts in mind: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might … And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:23).

-- Roger D. Campbell