Christian Missionary UK

Why There Shouldn't Be Lone Rangers in Evangelism

2026-11-01T10:05:40.878-08:00

An alternative title could be: Why Good Partnerships are Essential in Gospel Work.

A friend of mine approached a well-known street evangelist (who keeps getting arrested and/or moved on by the police.) She asked questions about what he was doing, where he went to church and where he referred any interested people for follow-up. He basically replied that he wasn’t particularly concerned about these things as he was an evangelist and his job was just to share the Gospel…

I’ve seen this attitude before in people who often seem very zealous for God but, on closer acquaintance, aren’t even attending a church. A recent survey of those who attended one of the "Christian" nationalist rallies found that only one third of those marching went to church regularly.

A few years ago, I was in a bit of a muddle about whether to stay in a church where I disagreed with the theology just because they were doing a lot of outreach. The advice I was given was that I needed to prioritise my own spiritual walk even if that meant there would be less outreach opportunities. Looking back, that was good advice even though it was a little unpalatable at the time as I wanted to get on with the evangelism. God is more concerned about our faithfulness to Him than our ministry for Him.

Evangelism should always start in local churches and organisations that are facilitating evangelism should always work in partnership with local churches. It’s worth asking whether we are fit to witness to others if we aren’t being obedient to God ourselves.

Here are some reasons why we should always work with others in evangelism:

1. It’s Biblical- If anyone could have operated by Himself, it would have been Jesus, yet he chose 12 disciples and a further 72 others to work with. The disciples were sent out in twos and rarely worked alone. There were occasions when solo evangelism was necessary, but it wasn’t the norm.

2. It’s Easier- I’m sure that most of those who are forced to witness by themselves due to a lack of available partners wish that it wasn’t the case. It’s difficult enough to get motivated and encouraged when working with others, but when you’re by yourself, the temptation is always not to bother and when you do go, it’s hard going. We need others for encouragement, motivation and support.

3. Checks Pride- Naturally, we love to hear about our own success in witness, but are we as joyful when we hear about someone else’s fruit? When I hear of leaders who reject partnerships with like minded churches I wonder whether pride is at the root. Recently, I've seen Christian street preachers setting up virtually on top of other preachers and seemingly trying to compete for listeners no doubt greatly irritating passers by in the process. If our ultimate goal is the same; that people hear the Gospel, are saved and are added to Gospel preaching churches, surely we should be willing to partner with others that share that vision even if we or our churches don’t directly benefit. Are we working for God’s Kingdom or building our own castles here on Earth?

4. Gets Others Involved- There are always those that cannot go out on the streets or go door to door due to age, infirmity, lack of time or other reasons. There are some who find it virtually impossible to speak and share their faith. Yet, most can pray and many can give financially to support the work. We should all be involved in evangelism in one way or another. The church is like a body with each part having different roles and responsibilities, working together to get the job done. I’ve heard older people say that they can’t do much but they can pray. Yet, prayer is a vital part of the work and without it we won’t get very far.

5. Training Opportunities- If Paul had been a lone ranger, how would Timothy have learned how to share the Message? The role of an evangelist is not only to share the Gospel, but also to train others to do the same. If no one is trained, there will be no leaders among the younger generations and no men learning how to preach. An individual can only do so much with their gifts, time and money but if they train others they can greatly multiply the work and vastly increase the reach of the Gospel.

6. Inspires Others- Seeing a team of people from all different nationalities and backgrounds working in partnership with a common goal will inspire those outside the church as well as those already within the church who aren’t involved in evangelism. They might ask if they can join in as they realise that evangelism is not just the job of those who seem gifted for it. Everyone should be involved.

7. Reflects Diversity- The fact that people from diverse nations and backgrounds can work well together is attractive as it’s rarely seen in the world. It’s one of the reasons that ideally we shouldn’t have separate nationality churches. In Heaven we will be every tribe, tongue and nation all together worshipping God. We should start now and deal with language barriers as they arise.

8. Safety and Accountability- It’s obvious that there is safety in numbers and there are situations where it isn’t safe to work alone. A lone evangelist invited into a lonely old person’s home is putting themselves at risk of allegations. Similarly, the temptations to laziness and time wasting lessen when we are letting others down if we give in to them.

9. Friendships, Networking and Learning- We meet like minded people when working with others. We might learn new techniques or be able to ask for advice when faced with difficult questions from non-believers. We can also have rough edges knocked off as we learn to compromise on secondary issues for the sake of the work. We should always be learning as nobody knows everything and our different personalities mean that there may be someone better suited to speak to an individual non-believer. Sharing successes and failures multiplies the joys and eases the burdens.

10. Keeps the Focus on the Gospel and Avoids Error- We are all prone to wander and most of us would acknowledge that it’s easier to do so when we are by ourselves. Working with others keeps our focus on the Gospel and if we do head down a rabbit hole, usually there will be someone to pull us back and remind us of our goal.

Should we partner with everyone?

This is a question that arises when discussing teamwork and the need to avoid operating by ourselves. The answer is obviously no because the Bible tells us to avoid unequal yokes. We should not join with those who aren’t believers. This sounds obvious but with multi-faith movements and other crazy things in the mix it needs to be said.

We also shouldn’t partner with those who are markedly different to us in theology if they are going to be focusing on things other than sharing the Gospel. An example might be healing on the streets or those who want to practice deliverance ministries or someone wanting to sell their own products or promote their own wayward church. There are many different circumstances that could mean that a partnership is unsuitable. We need wisdom in this area.

Let’s work together to share the Good News with as many people as possible believing that God is at work saving souls for eternity.

Will You Silence the Alarm or Heed the Warning?

2026-09-11T03:40:24.958-07:00

Earlier this week, I returned from an Open-Air Mission team event in Oxford. It was a short 2 day mission speaking to people attending St Giles Fair.

One of the preachers, based in London, began a talk that I don’t remember having heard before. He had the heading “Ignored Warnings” on the board. As people started to stop, he put up some pictures of the Titanic, a failed NASA mission and Grenfell Tower.

Then he asked people what happens when a fire alarm goes off in the middle of the night in a hotel. He suggested that everyone would come to their doors and look out into the corridor. If there didn’t seem to be any problem and the noise had stopped, people would go back to bed. The assumption is always that it’s a false alarm.

He explained each of the pictures and the warnings that had been ignored. With the Titanic it was the fact that there were icebergs, engineers had warned the 1986 NASA launch team about mechanical problems and with Grenfell Tower there was a campaign group warning about fire risks in the building.

In fact, with most accidents of this nature, there have been multiple warnings prior to the tragedy.

By this point, a small crowd had gathered and were listening intently. The preacher then placed the word JUDGEMENT on the board and explained that God is warning us of a coming judgement. He has sent prophets and messengers and they have recorded these warnings in the Bible.

At the judgement, people’s lives will be examined and each person will be found guilty because of sin. They will be sentenced to eternity in a horrible place called Hell.

He asked the listeners how people had survived the Titanic. Someone said they had clung on to pieces of wood. The preacher pointed out that whilst that was true it was only a temporary solution as those objects would sink or the person would die of hypothermia. Someone else then said that they were rescued by lifeboats.

The preacher explained that through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, He is the lifeboat, and can save us from the coming judgement.

By this point every person, including the team members, were gripped by this message. The preacher challenged people to respond by getting into the lifeboat and being rescued before it was too late.

With the help of God’s Holy Spirit, he conveyed a sense of solemnity and urgency that isn’t always present during these talks and encouraged people to be brave and step forward to take Gospels from his hand. After an initial pause, multiple people went forward and the team had conversations with them afterwards.

I spoke to a girl who thought she was a Christian. When I asked if she was sure of Heaven she said that she wasn’t and that this was why she had gone forward to take the Gospel. She wanted to be sure and to avoid the judgement to come. We had a good conversation.

I don’t think any of those present will forget that warning of the judgement to come.

Afterwards, I realised that we all ignore warnings constantly about all manner of things:

we silence alarm clocks or put them on snooze
we remove batteries from the beeping fire alarm rather than replacing them immediately
we put pieces of tape over flashing lights on our car dashboard or just hope the light will go off
we fail to investigate burglar or car alarms when they are sounding
we drive past signs saying the road is closed or move the cones out of the way
we sack or demote whistle-blowers aiming to permanently silence them
we ignore red flags in relationships

I’ve twice heard and seen security vans with loud speakers shouting that they are being attacked and for the police to be called only for people to just carry on as normal.

Why do we do this when as a society we are supposedly more safety conscious and risk averse than ever before? Why do we do this when most people are afraid of dying?

I think it’s because we don’t really believe bad things will happen to us. We don’t really believe the warnings and we don’t want the inconvenience or cost of having to change the way we do things.

Even after the accident happens and the tragedy occurs, a few years down the line, have we not reverted back to the same patterns that caused the problem in the first place. We don’t seem to learn from our mistakes no matter how many times we are warned.

God’s warning of judgement is the most serious warning of all because it applies to all humanity and how we respond determines where we will spend eternity.

Don’t silence the alarm or put it on snooze as there’s no guarantee you will wake up. The wise thing to do is to heed the warnings in the Bible and to flee from the wrath to come.

Ask God to forgive you for the things you’ve done wrong in your life. Believe that Jesus died for you on the cross. Turn away from those wrong things (repent) and commit your life to Him.

Do it today, you might not have tomorrow.

10 Reasons People Will be Refused Entry to Heaven (and End Up in Hell....)

2026-09-03T08:55:00.115-07:00

A friend of mine who is associated with the Open-Air Mission has a short talk entitled "Are you sure you aren't going to Hell?" It's not a popular subject but if there are only two destinations after this life then surely we must make sure we're heading for the right place!

During evangelism, I speak to lots of people from all walks of life and the number one answer when I ask them whether they are sure they are going to get into Heaven is, "I hope so" or "hopefully." Sadly, professing Christians often say this too.

When I explain the Gospel to these people sometimes it's like a light goes on as they understand for the first time. Others walk away stating that they will continue trying their best. A few are offended by the suggestion that they are on the wrong path.

So, what are the things that will cause us to be turned away from Heaven on Judgement Day?

1. Unforgiven sin. If we stand before the God of the Universe on Judgement Day carrying the huge burden of the sins we have all committed during our lives, we can't really expect anything other than to be condemned. If we entered Heaven with our sin it would be spoiled. Remember that this is how the Garden of Eden was ruined in the first place. Adam and Eve were given a perfect life in a perfect Creation and would have lived forever with God but their rebellion led to destruction and death. God cannot have anything to do with sin because of His holiness and perfection.

2. Not believing in God (Atheism). Perhaps this is obvious but it's worth saying that a person who doesn't believe in or acknowledge God cannot enter Heaven. The Bible says that for someone to come to God they "must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11 vs 6) Part of this reward is eternal life in Heaven which is not for an unbeliever. There will be no Atheists on Judgement Day. The Bible actually says that there are none now, in Romans 1, it refers to Creation and evidences of God all around us leaving people without excuse if they deny Him.

3. Sitting on the fence (Agnosticism). A label that I'm hearing more and more frequently these days. There comes a time when we need to make up our minds and decide what we believe. We begin on the broad road that leads to destruction so really there is no sitting on the fence. We are either children of God or of the devil. We have either passed from darkness to light or we are still in darkness. This is why the Gospel message is urgent. If people fail to respond to Jesus before they die, there is no hope for them. There is no purgatory or crossing over from Hell to Heaven. If we die as Christians we go to Heaven, if not, it's Hell, forever. What a terrible thought.

4. Rejecting Jesus. I meet people who say that they believe in God but they aren't into Jesus. Some believe He was just a good man or a prophet. Others don't understand His significance at all. This despite the fact that our calendar is dated from His time on Earth. People who reject Jesus as both God and God's Son won't enter Heaven. They have rejected the only Person through Whom they can be saved. "Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me". (John 14 vs 6)

5. Trusting in good works/trying to earn salvation. As mentioned above, this is probably the biggest reason people will be refused entry to Heaven. One small sin (a lie, thinking a bad thought, not loving God fully all of the time) is enough to keep someone out of Heaven no matter what good things they have tried to do. The Bible says that all have sinned therefore all die. There are no scales on Judgement Day weighing up our good and our bad deeds. The standard to reach Heaven is perfection all of the time for our whole lives....clearly this isn't the way to get there as it's impossible for us who are born in sin.

6. Failing to repent. There are people who carry the Christian label but who don't see the need to repent. Repentance is a complete change of mind and direction. We should stop going our way and doing what we want to do and should instead go God's way and do what He wants us to do. This doesn't mean we will be able to obey Him perfectly, but our lives should change when we become Christians and we should be recognised by the way that we behave afterwards. A lack of repentance is usually to do with pride and a failure to accept that we are sinners in the first place. Jesus' instructions were clear; we must repent and believe to get to Heaven.

7. Choosing a sinful lifestyle/living for this life. Although similar to the previous point, this is more deliberate and isn't usually found in professing Christians. There are people who know what they are doing and choose the pleasures of this life over the life to come. They make a conscious choice to revel in sin and often the excesses of it. They aren't concerned about the consequences and their consciences become dull over time. This is not the same as a person who changes when they become a Christian (like the prodigal son,) this is someone who arrives at Judgement Day having chased after sin and worldly things their whole lives. They cannot enter Heaven.

8. Following a false religion/prophet. Many Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others are sincere in what they believe but they are on the wrong path. Their prophets and leaders are false as are the books that they follow. The Bible warns us to be on guard against these traps of the enemy. It also says that "even if an angel or anyone else proclaims something contrary to the Gospel that has been received, they should be under a curse" (Galatians 1 vs 8) How many people have been led astray by these false visions and appearances? People who are following a false religion cannot enter Heaven as they are still carrying their sin.

9. Refusing to be rescued. The Bible makes it clear that God desires all to come to repentance and be saved. It says that people are without excuse if they reject Him. It states that "all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved". There's an illustration of a drowning man waiting for God to save him. He rejects the various rescues that are attempted failing to recognise that God is behind them. Some people for reasons of their own won't accept the hand that God is holding out to them. These people won't reach Heaven as they have stubbornly refused to be helped into the lifeboat.

10. Doing nothing/feigning ignorance. Because we begin on the broad path heading for Hell, doing nothing just means that we continue on that path and reach the final destination. Exercising faith in Jesus is a conscious decision that takes us off the path to destruction and places us on the path to eternal life in Heaven. Likewise pretending there is no decision to be made or claiming ignorance about spiritual things doesn't give a person a free pass as God sees everything and He knows our hearts. He has put eternity in our hearts so we know that there is a life to come. We won't enter Heaven if we do nothing or claim to be ignorant.

It's been quite depressing writing this list but I do so in the hope that some reading this might recognise themselves within it and change course before it's too late.

As an aside, all the time you are still living and breathing it's never too late to change direction, no matter what you have done. God promises to forgive us and place us on a path to eternity in Heaven if we turn away from our sin (repent) and believe Jesus died for us on the cross. Then, we need to commit our lives to following Him as Saviour and Lord.

Let's make sure we won't be refused entry to Heaven on Judgement Day but will instead be welcomed in because of Jesus' perfect life, death and resurrection for us.