- John 21:15-17 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
In the Scriptures of today’s message, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me? Do you truly love Me? Do you really love Me?” As a reply, Peter said, “You know that I love You, Lord.” Upon Peter’s answer, the Lord said, “If you truly love Me, tend My sheep; feed My lambs. Evangelize, raise, and take care of lives; save the lives that belong to Me.” Jesus confirmed that Peter truly loved Jesus. Afterward, He entrusted the lives [of the people] who followed Him to Peter.
Lives are to be saved and cared for. ‘Salvation and caring’ means: to feed, to clothe, to [provide a place to] sleep, to love, to resolve [their] problems, to help, and to support [them] so that they will do what the Lord wants them to do. Only those who do this are people who [truly] love the Lord. In order for you to do evangelism—in other words, the work of saving lives—together with the Lord, first, you have to save your own life completely with the Lord. Do you have confidence that you have been truly and completely saved and that you will go to heaven? [We] must be wholesome and perfect. Check and ask, ‘Did I live [the day] completely with the Lord?’ ‘Did I live as [I] promised the Lord?’ You will be able to tell at what level your daily life is and how [high] your abilities reach. First, you must save your own life completely. Afterward, you can save other people’s lives completely as well with the Lord.
If you are having a hard time, you cannot evangelize, care for others, or do anything else. First, you must be saved. You first must be united with the Lord and know Him correctly. And if you are absolute, then save lives with the Lord, as He said, “Tend My sheep. Feed My lambs. Evangelize. Save them, take care of them, and raise them.” As for evangelism, without an exception, a person is evangelized through a witness because the Lord helps and works upon [both parties]. Witnesses who think that they are [evangelizing] alone are humanistic-minded believers. If they pray and discuss with the Lord at each step, [the Lord] inspires and says through their hearts, “Do it this way,” and works upon them. Anybody who has been saved has received the mission to preach the gospel and save their brothers and neighbors also. Anybody who loves the Lord has received the command and mission of the Lord, who tells them, “Save lives!”
I will tell you in detail how to evangelize.
- First, when you go out to evangelize, you must pray before going out. You have to tell the Lord that you are going out to evangelize and call on Him; discuss it with Him.
- Second, prepare what to say.
- Third, choose a target [group].
In this way, when you actually go out to the scene, your eyes will see, [you] will speak and evangelize, led by the inspiration and revelation the Lord gives and through the movement and grace from the Holy Spirit. When a person whom the Lord wants comes [to your sight], the Lord accompanies you while either inspiring you to speak to them or giving you realizations in your heart. When you see those whom the Lord is looking for, whom He has prepared, whom He has compassion on, whom He loves, and who love Him, the Lord stirs your heart, makes your heart go out to that person and leads [your] steps in their direction.
Whether the Lord already gave a revelation through a dream, if you hear their stories, you come to know that the Lord’s will is with them. Proceed, looking into their hearts and [considering God’s] will, instead of looking only at their appearance. During evangelism, the Holy Spirit and the Lord powerfully work in various ways.
The Lord evangelized you together with that person. So [you] are a life whom the Lord evangelized. The person who brought you is only an errand boy. If those who evangelize make those whom they evangelized follow them around more than following the Lord, it becomes a big problem. You should only teach about the Lord correctly and matchmake them with the Lord. Then your evangelism will be acknowledged as merit. If you don’t teach them to love the Lord first, have interest in the Lord, and unite with the Lord, they don’t take root even in three, four, or five years. Evangelize properly and teach about the Lord, properly too. If not, Satan takes them away on the day of tribulation.
When it comes to evangelism, you need to have the spirit of evangelism, but you [also] have to have the ability. You should have a sense of mission, receive the power of the Holy Spirit and become powerful. It’s not hard if you evangelize with the Lord. It will happen easily because the Lord works upon you.
Since all of you received tremendous grace through the truth and the Holy Spirit, I hope you will now evangelize and let the Lord see your effort to save lives. I bid you the peace of the Lord.