Up All Night Thinking About Evangelism

From Pure Church, by Thabiti Anyabwile

But there's still the "why" of my evangelistic duldrums. Why am I not doing more already?

I think I need to deepen my love for the Savior and the Good News of the Savior. I think I need to contemplate more deeply the majesty, person, and work of our Lord. I also need to think more deeply and pray more fervently about the perishing souls that surround me. I can't say I consistently view people the way Jesus views them. My valuation of their souls is too low. I think I lack urgency. I think I "trust in God's sovereignty" in the wrong way at times. I need to repent.

Two hours later, here's my initial plan:

• Meet the neighbors and schedule dinner with them in the first 30 days.
  
• Pray for opportunities and a ready mind.
  
• Find a new barber (a bro. needs a cut), preferrably one with decent skills but not a Christian.
  
• Phone the brother of a friend who lives on the island and is not a believer. Do lunch.
  
• Pray that the Lord would send laborers into the harvest and for friends on the field.
  
• Think through an initial strategy for training and encouraging others in evangelism.
  
• Adjust my reading plan to focus more intently on the Savior and the gospel (I'd welcome recommendations).
  
• Pick up those two biographies I've been neglecting (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd and To the Golden Shore).
  
• Pray, pray, pray for a fervent spirit and abiding love for the lost.

What am I missing?