Evangelism Our greatest need in reaching the lost of Faisalabad, Pakistan is for visiting Christian Evangelists. Gospel Flame Ministries (GFM) would like to invite your Christian ministry to come to Faisalabad and help us spread the Word of God to all non-believers. Please, come and teach the hungry souls who have never heard the Word of God. I pray that Jesus touches you and provides you with the need to reach out to this area of Pakistan. We will pray that the Lord will bring you here as soon as possible. My hope is that you will save many hungry souls here in Pakistan so that they may receive the free gift of salvation. Pastor Mumtaz Mukhtar
The foundation of our evangelistic success lies in home visitation. This is clearly demonstrated in GFM's program in Pakistan. Daily house-to-house visitations are the essential means of soul-winning activity.
Home visitation, especially in newly opening areas, is a New Testament model. At Pentecost the believers met daily at the Temple and the Lord added to their number daily (Acts 2:42-47). Paul declared he taught "publicly, and from house to house" (Acts 20:20). Following this model brought good results. It has been said, "Teaching the Scriptures in families this is the work of an evangelist, and this work is to be united with preaching. If it is omitted, the preaching will be, to a great extent, a failure."
Visitation in Muslim homes for religious purposes is forbidden. Therefore in Pakistan, Gospel Flame Ministries targets the unreached, "neglected" and "lapsed" Christians of this area. We have become used to a visitation group consisting of five to eight persons, sometimes even more. In addition to you, the evangelist, there will normally be the local pastor, the interpreter, a church elder, and sometimes members of their extended families. All of these play a significant role in opening up contacts and making it easier for the people we visit to receive us and the Gospel message.
In visitation it is important to follow a prescribed pattern. We have adopted the following simple guidelines to use with our visiting Evangelists in order to make our visits positive, while we avoided mere socializing:
Show respect to all persons in the home: parents, women, children, etc.
Sit in a prominent position, where one can see and be seen by everyone.
Try to make sure the head of the family is present.
Listen to the head of the family and others. Ask questions that can be easily answered. Avoid talking about oneself.
Use the Bible. Read the text slowly and clearly. If someone who can read is present, ask them to do so. Don't embarrass anyone.
Explain the text positively.
Pray before leaving. Kneel if possible. Use short, direct prayers.
Keep a record of interested persons.
Have the interpreter, if one is used, keep the evangelist informed of what happened during the visit.
As we work in a culture not friendly to Christians and in which the extended family ties are strong and essential to survival, we have consciously decided not to disregard the family structure. Our entry is to approach the family head and opinion maker in an attempt to get them to take a stand for Christ and church membership. When this is successful the rest of the family becomes responsive. When the head is resistant we try to ensure that we will be allowed to study with those members of the family who show an interest and prepare them for baptism but without separating them from the family structure.
We attempt to make sure that the strong and vital family ties are not broken even when one or more of the family members is baptized and joins the church. Fortunately, in these campaigns we are not compelled to appeal to anyone to take a stand for Christ in a situation in which they would be ostracized from their family or the larger community. If this situation develops, it becomes necessary to find alternative places for these persons to live and work.
Many or the people in these areas of Pakistan are illiterate and have never heard of Jesus Christ, let alone read the Bible. That is why evangelism is so very important to our God given mission. Door to door visitation and establishing House Churches is the most effective way to reach the "unreached."
Basic beliefs
As a requirement for baptism each candidate is expected to believe and agree to the following five biblical teachings:
The absolute authority of the Holy Scriptures.
The deity of Jesus Christ.
The virgin birth, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.
In a salvation that is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The return of Jesus Christ for the purpose of judging the living and the dead.
Financial considerations for the visiting evangelist:
The campaigns and crusades, out of necessity, are run on a low budget. At meetings we do not normally use any slides, projectors, overhead transparencies, films, special music, or other audiovisual aids. The audience sits on mats on the floor. The only "prizes" for attendance are Bibles in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, given to those who attend the baptismal classes. Those who are baptized received a church hymnal. Those are the biggest single expense items on the budget. Per Diem, traveling expenses, and room and board for all workers were kept to a minimum. The average expenditure for each person baptized is less than $20. In financial terms we practice economic constraints not only because of the limited budget we have, but also because we want to demonstrate that good evangelistic results need not require a large financial outlay. The key factor is in preaching the Word of God powerfully, spiritually, and faithfully, coupled with giving meaningful pastoral care to those attending the meetings. The evangelist's use or misuse of funds becomes a model for the local workers and members. From the beginning, economy and openness are practiced.
We pray that God will touch your heart and that you will come to Faisalabad , Pakistan to work with us in saving the "Lost" and apostate, for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.