WIN THE WORLD: EACH ONE REACH ONE EACH YEAR
On a couple of occasions, I have had the privilege of sitting at length with Don Piper, author of the book 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN, a top tier New York Times bestseller. It describes his remarkable journey to heaven and back after a horrific auto accident took his life in 1989. Or so it seemed.
After experiencing a taste of eternity for one and one half hours, including streets of gold, incredible mansions, stunning communities and throngs of loved ones, Jesus said he was being sent back to earth. The reason? To remind the church of her mission: to seek and to save the lost. Which, by the way, was why Jesus said he came in Luke 19:10. The Lord was concerned that his church was so consumed with endeavors on the inside she had lost focus for reaching those on the outside. So Don Piper was given a mission to remind the church of her mission.
“Evangelism,” he reminded me, “is the only thing believers must do here that cannot be done there.” Why? It will be too late. The gospel must be preached and Jesus received in this life for one to enter heaven. And so from the early 90’s till today, Don Piper travels the world. With a sense of urgency he teaches God’s Word, and shares his incredible story to motivate believers and reach unbelievers. In 2015, it was featured in a major motion picture starring, ironically, mostly secular actors.
Jesus commissioned the church to go into all the world to preach the gospel, teach his Word, baptize new believers and make disciples. I believe this last charge should be every believer’s first priority. In John 14, Jesus said that those who loved him would keep his commandments and that he would send the Holy Spirit to make that possible.
He has called and empowered us to fulfill an incredible mission, not an impossible one. But how? Allow me to suggest a simple strategy. Don’t blink because here it is: every believer reaches one non-believer every year. It can be summarized in this one statement: “Each one reach one each year.” It may be corny but at least it is clear.
The inspiration came strongly to me while ministering in Yokohama, Japan in 2000. Japan remains one the world’s most unreachable countries. Christianity makes up only 1% of the population and the average size of church there is 15-30. The needle hasn’t moved for centuries let alone decades. I was about to speak to 150 at what is now Yokohama Every Nation Church while the late Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho, Pastor of the world’s largest Church was engaging a mass event of thousands nearby. I asked Pastor Scott Douma, “Man, who will end up coming to our church with that gathering happening?” He said calmly, “The right ones.” Or in other words, the ones God wanted. Spot on. It was quality over quantity, and with that, my sermon took flight. I was reminded that Jesus started with a chosen 12 and the gospel found wings. And while he had only 72 disciples and 500 followers after three and a half years, Christianity would become the world’s dominant faith in three and a half centuries.
Overly simplistic you say? Consider the math. If every believer in a church of 20 in Japan reached one person a year for 20 years and each new believer would do the same, that church would grow to 20,971,920 in two decades. That’s right - twenty million, nine hundred seventy-one thousand, nine hundred and twenty. That’s 17.5% of the country’s gradually decreasing populace of 120 million, nearly a cultural tipping point. And that’s through just ONE church. And if Japan’s 1.2 million believers nationwide did likewise, the gospel would saturate the entire country in less than seven years.
With a few exceptions, why hasn’t this happened for the most part in modern times? We tend to start with ourselves and our effort at the center. Instead, we must start with God first through prayer followed by simple obedience. Jesus tells us in John 6 that no one comes to him unless he is drawn by the Father. So first pray for the Holy Spirit to design divine appointments with those he is drawing to Jesus. Praying for God to use you to fulfill the Great Commission is his perfect will and one that he is sure to answer.
Gut check: Could you be falling short because of a tendency to pray only for personal needs, breakthroughs and blessings?
I recently returned from a ministry trip to Nagoya, Japan where we (Pearlside Church and the Every Nation Family of Churches) are establishing a congregation. I spoke about this to a similar sized gathering and a group of pastors recommending some practical strategy:
Build a friendship. Jesus was known as a “friend” of sinners and used relationships as a bridge to break down barriers. Demonstrate kindness, hospitality and generosity, a love language in any culture. Have meals together and pick up the tab. Ask them to share with you their story. Everyone has a need to unpack and process their lives. I have never had a person turn me down on this.
When they share a challenge or a need, offer to pray for them right there or at the end of the conversation. This opens a window for God to reveal himself either through his presence, power, peace or provision. This last point is super important. Missionaries in difficult nations often say praying first for the supernatural opens the door for the sharing of the gospel. I think this approach can work in every nation, closed or open and with anyone, tough or tender. At the very least, they will know you care, and they will know what you believe and who you believe in. That in itself is a God pleasing witness.
Stay in prayer, stay in touch and be consistent. Remember the Holy Spirit works in people’s hearts over time. And the seeds of gospel love need to be watered and cultivated regularly. There will be a reaping of what is sowed through prayer and personal touch if you faint not.
Invite them to your small group. While both have a place, prioritize relational over attractional and smaller over bigger. New people need an up close spiritual family. They can be impressed with the larger setting but need connection in the smaller space. I have made it a practice to invite people I am working on to small groups first. I walk them in. They tend to stick and attending the worship service happens more naturally over time because they already feel a part of the church.
Cultivate this culture in your fellowship. Do more with one, do less with many. Don’t let the lure of fast, big and shallow replace what is slower, smaller and deeper. Remember: discipleship is relationship, and relationships take time. Love cannot be rushed. Jesus did not say to accumulate attenders or attract crowds. His final words were to go and make disciples. And that means YOU GO, rather than they come.
In 2001 a man was in a near death drowning accident while diving. Riddled with cancer, he was given no hope of survival and his girlfriend was told to put all affairs in order while assembling the family. Our small group and others prayed for a miracle. Long story short, God revived him and removed all of the cancer without surgery stunning the doctors. It was really a resurrection because he was a breath away from death. A week later he was discharged and I visited him. He had spent 33 years in Federal Prison for dealing drugs to the world’s top tier entertainers. While unconscious he was encountered by Jesus, and told he would need to come to faith or die in his sins. Here’s the kicker: he said the Lord showed him I was supposed to lead him to salvation. We had no prior contact whatsoever. He lived for several more years before passing after impacting hundreds of lives with his gospel testimony.
Which begs the question: who is it that you are supposed to lead to Christ? Pray that God would show you and arrange a divine appointment for your divine assignment. But remember: while he may open possible doors we must choose to walk through them. Only then will we know for sure.
Pearlside Church which I founded over thirty years ago and transitioned to successors in August of 2022 is considered a large church that has tried to keep things simple and relational. It has planted other works. But the size is not what truly matters. In fact, God given size only means we are to send new leaders, give more people and money away, start new sites and plant new churches. It all works best when everyone focuses on “each one, reach one, each year.” We’re not there yet, but we aspire and continue to be a work in progress. One last thing: when you are faithful to one, God will lead you to more. But that’s a whole different blog.
