Evangelism is an important part of the Christian life, but it’s an event. There’s a start and an end point. Evangelism without discipleship is futile. Giving someone an orange tree is multiplication, not giving them an orange. We are called to multiply.

Sharing the Gospel is not confined to evangelism or preaching on a stage. Our life should be sharing the Gospel – with and without words.

There are too many lazy Christian people who don’t want to work, so they feel it’s noble to quit their jobs to preach the gospel, only to become victims and beg people for money. Instead of the money going to people and places that can actually effect transformational change, we wind up donating our money to help people pay their bills, when they should be working and demonstrating Christ – not a spirit of poverty.

There are some called to that kind of lifestyle, and those people find the grace. They don’t have to beg for money – it just comes. Why? Because God called them to that. They didn’t do it because they were lazy and didn’t want to work.

It’s time Jesus followers look to Jesus as the model and pattern for our lives and stop living lifestyles that others live because they think it’s cool. God has called you. And I can promise you one thing – work is involved. It may be ministry work, but it doesn’t involve you doing nothing all day and riding other people’s coattails.

Jesus is our pattern. Not his disciples, not even Paul. Not Billy Graham or Benny Hinn. Not Smith Wigglesworth or Kathryn Kuhlman. JESUS! We read the book of Acts and the epistles and hang our every move on what the apostles said, without realizing they did what they did because of Jesus. Understanding the early church is important, but understanding Jesus even more.

Some are doing everything they read in the book of Acts and are becoming just like every other church inistitution. Why? Because they are hyper focused on only one or two aspects of the scripture. There’s so much more to life than we think. So much more.

If you think Jesus told you to leave your job and live out of your car, that’s cool. But I ask you one question. How effective are you at expanding the Kingdom of God if you can’t even afford to buy a piece of bread? We are called to be blessings. It’s one thing if you are starting your walk with Christ there. It’s another thing if you’ve developed a poverty stronghold and choose to limit your reach out of sheer laziness.

Work – it was part of God’s original design for humanity on Earth. We were never designed to sit around singing and preaching all day. Read Genesis. You’ll see.