Many missional churches evangelize by inviting people to “accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour” (2 Peter 3:18). They understand evangelization as a proclamation of the Gospel that calls for a response to Christ who urges us to repentance, conversion and discipleship. Those who are evangelized are lead to make a choice, to make an informed decision to receive salvation: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in”. (Revelation 3:20)
The expression “accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour” may seem strange at first because it is mostly used in evangelical circles. But in fact, it is at the heart of the tradition and teaching of the Catholic Church. Pope Paul VI once said that those who have been evangelized are “those who by faith have acknowledged and accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord”. (EN #77)
To evangelize is to invite to the confession of salvation in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19 and Romans 10:9-10). It is to arouse a response of faith and true conversion in non-believers and those who live in religious indifference (GDC #29). Jesus becomes our Saviour when we ask him to forgive our sins; Jesus becomes our Lord when we surrender to him so that we may, with him and by him, order our lives to his service and to the service of his Kingdom.
In this perspective, evangelization is practiced with a clear intention: that the listeners welcome Jesus in their hearts by reciting a prayer similar to this one: Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You for forgiving me my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen. This prayer is called the Sinner’s Prayer. At the end of a homily, teaching or personal testimony, the minister or the evangelizer invites those who wish to do so, to repeat it after him.
When prayed sincerely, it testifies to the initial conversion and shows that the missionary proclamation has reached its goal: “that non-Christians, when the Holy Spirit opens their heart (cf. Acts 16:14), may believe and be freely converted to the Lord, that they may cleave sincerely to Him” (Ad Gentes #13). It is the response to the Father who has communicated faith in Christ through his Word and the action of the Holy Spirit. The new convert can then enter into a personal relationship with God in Christ “already sharing through faith in the mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection”. (Ad Gentes #13)
Let us not hesitate to adopt this way of evangelizing. By giving people the opportunity to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour through the sinner’s prayer, we help them express their faith and their desire to be saved and receive the grace of salvation (Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32). Indeed, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”. (Romans 10:13)
Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work
Other articles:
- Pope Francis on Evangelization
- Revitalizing the Rural Parish for Mission
- Factors Leading to Christian Conversion
- Evangelizing Through Random Acts of Kindness
- Questions To Start Spiritual Conversations
- Three Feet From Gold
- Spreading the Gospel One Act at a Time
- Gather, Witness and Invite
- Prayer to Receive the Spiritual Gifts of The Holy Spirit
- The Language of Evangelization
- Key Factors for Parish Growth According to Rich Birch
- How to defeat Satan?
- Bringing Love, Hope and Healing Through the Gospel
- Love: Our Fundamental Vocation
- Touched by the Master
- A Man, a Dog, and the Ultimate Love
- The essence of evangelization: Loving God and our neighbours
- Loving Our Enemies and Reconciling with Others
- A Powerful Prayer for Healing: You Are The LORD Who Heals Me
- Living a Life of Love: Mother Teresa’s Legacy
- Living a Life of Love: Lessons from the New Testament
- In The Shadows Of Darkness, A Powerful Force Is At Work
- 19 Pastoral Orientations for Parish Renewal and Growth
- The Missionary Renewal of Catechesis
- Characteristics of missionary parishes
- Powerful healing prayer attributed to St. Padre Pio
- We are called to share our faith with others
- Should we seek to grow the Church?
- Find a Need and Fill It – Revealing God’s Heart in the Community
- 15 Habits to Evangelize on a Daily Basis
- The Church’s Mission
- Three Barriers to Building An Invitational Culture In Your Parish
- The Relational Evangelizer
- Doing Church at Home
- The Blind Girl
- A Group of Frogs
- The Elephant Rope
- A Shared Faith is a Growing Faith
- In The Shoes Of The Unchurched
- Parish Evangelizing Cells
- Six Unique Features of Missional Parishes
- Steps Towards Becoming A Missional Parish
- What Is Evangelization, And How Should It Be Carried Out?
- Discussion And Self-Assessment Questions For Parish Evangelization
- A Missional Church Is A Church That Prays
- The Jesus Prayer: A Method To Pray At All Times
- What can help children raised Catholic continue practicing the faith as adults?
- An Example of a Missionary Parish: Phoenix First Assembly of God
- Satan’s Tactics
- Learning to Be a Missionary
- When we cry out to God, he answers
- Presence and Proclamation
- Saving those who are lost
- Saint-Nazaire Parish: The story of a missionary transformation
- Small Groups and Evangelization
- Evangelizing By Inviting People To Receive Jesus As Lord And Saviour
- You Will Receive Power…
- Have You Heard About the Law of Three Hearings and Seven Touches?
- Three Habits of a Fruitful Christian Life
