With thousands of churches around the world preaching John 3:16 on Sunday, March 16, it can appear that all that needs to be done is the act of preaching. For some churches, that may be all they can do, but for many, there are plenty of other ways to prepare and participate for March 16. As the saying goes, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Therefore, we want to give you five ways you can prepare for this upcoming International Day of Evangelism.
Outreach
One of the first things you and your church can do to begin to prepare is through outreach. The purpose of preaching John 3:16 on 3/16 is so that the lost would hear the gospel and be saved. For that to happen, lost people need to be sitting in the church on this specific Sunday. Therefore, you need to spend the next four weeks encouraging church members to invite friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to service on Sunday, March 16. At Range Hills Baptist Church, where I pastor, we're calling March 16, "Friend Day." This is a very intentional Sunday encouraging our members to think of one specific friend to bring with them. Also, your church can plan for a specific, focused outreach within your community to invite people to church on this specific Sunday. Consider going to a local park, sidewalk evangelism or do door-to-door evangelism, printing flyers, or designing mailers. With just four weeks until the International Day of Evangelism, it's worthwhile to incorporate some kind of outreach to get people to come to church on Sunday, March 16.
Sunday School Curriculum
The second thing you and your church can do to begin preparing for March 16 is incorporating specific Sunday School curriculum for this special day. The major emphasis for the International Day of Evangelism is preaching John 3:16 in the cooperate worship service. However, you can also have each class teach John 3:16 during the Sunday School hour.
In next week's episode of the Text-Driven Podcast, we're going to chat about different options for Sunday School material, but you can start thinking about how you can do something different for Sunday School/Life Groups on Sunday, March 16. We would recommend beginning discussions with your various teachers and leaders—from nursery to senior adults—encouraging them to incorporate John 3:16 into their classrooms. We at Text-Driven Ministries desire to help you in this. Therefore, we will be releasing a free PDF lesson for you to use for Sunday, March 16.
Preaching
The third thing you and your church can do to begin preparing for March 16 is plan for the sermon. This comes from two directions—the pastor and the church member. For the pastor, you should begin preparing some thoughts on how you want to preach John 3:16. For some, you may want to preach the entire pericope, from John 3:1-21. Others, you may want to focus specifically on the one verse, John 3:16. Some may want to keep the normal length of the sermon, and others may want to keep the sermon on the shorter side due to many new guests.
For the church member, you need to begin preparing your heart for what you're going to hear that Sunday morning. You're going to hear the greatest message ever. The question is—will you hear it by yourself or with a lost friend or family member sitting beside you? Also, begin praying for your pastor, for the elimination of distractions and discouragement. Also, begin now saving for the next four weeks, to be available to treat your friend or guests to lunch after the worship service.
Invitation
The fourth thing you and your church can do to begin preparing for March 16 is to consider the invitation. Don’t let this be an afterthought. Whether you need to recruit and train counselors in decision-making or have members on standby to assist with prayer or helping to fill out contact cards for follow-up, begin preparing now for the harvest. Adrian Rogers once said if you pray for rain, you should carry an umbrella.
Note: For more information on how to give an effective invitation, listen to the forthcoming Text-Driven Podcast episode with Dr. Brad Whitt—set to be released on Monday, March 9.
Prayer
The fifth and final thing you and your church can do to begin preparing for March 16 is to pray. Sounds simple, right? There are thousands of churches across the world expecting great things on Sunday, March 16. Therefore, we should bathe this specific day in prayer. If possible, set aside dedicated time each Sunday, leading up to March 16, for prayer.
There is a famous story about William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. It is said that Booth received a telegram from two young soldiers in the Salvation Army about how no matter what they did, they could not stir up revival where they were serving. In hearing of this, Booth sent back a two-word response—try tears. Shortly after, the two soldiers wept and saw revival. As you prepare for the International Day of Evangelism, would you try tears?
Written by Klayton Carson
You can listen to the Text-Driven Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at www.textdriven.org/podcasts. New episodes are released every Monday, just in time for your morning commute.
