It’s been one year since my family and I stepped out by faith into evangelism. Living life on (and off) the road has been a unique adjustment, but I am incredibly grateful that God called me into this ministry! What a joy it is to share the greatest story ever told and watch Jesus transform the lives of countless people!

As I meditate on the past year of preaching the gospel at churches and college campuses, I am humbled by the lessons that God is teaching me. Here are a few of those lessons:

Make much of Jesus wherever you go.

In one year, I have found myself in a variety of places and situations: church revivals, camps, conferences, big churches, little churches, out on the street, and everything in between. I have learned that wherever there are people, there are souls in desperate need of Jesus.

As an evangelist, there is a temptation to preach the subjects that get the “Amens” from the crowd or subjects that “stirs the pot”; but God is teaching me that the greatest message I have to preach is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is HIS words and HIS gospel that have the power to change a destiny, not my personality or delivery.

Soulwinning is a lifestyle, not an event.

I believe a grave misconception about gospel work is that it is only for a set time of the week or for a select group of people. The reality is that gospel work is for everyone who has called on Jesus to be his Savior. I believe every Christian should be active in the work of the gospel where he is. Every Christian should be a witness!

Evangelism is not just itinerant ministry.

When most people think of an evangelist, they think of a guy who pops in and out of local churches, preaching meetings and filling pulpits. Their “success” is often measured by how full their schedule is or how large the crowds are that attend.

Although this is certainly a part of the evangelist’s life, I am learning it is not his identity. Being a true evangelist is a “gospel man” whose identity is grounded in God’s call on his life; not in the size of his platform or crowds. Whether I am preaching to hundreds or handfuls, God is showing me what it means to do ministry in His time, His way, and through His power alone.

God will supply our needs at just the right time.

At this point last year, I had NO meetings on the calendar for June. (Talk about feeling like a failure). To be honest, I didn’t “advertise” much about our transition, but I was certainly hoping to have something in the works. My spirit was hopeful, yet a little anxious.

As the Lord would have it, this would prove to be one of the most fruitful months of our ministry. Why? Because God placed it on my heart to start laying the foundation of prayer for our future ministry. Everyday, I woke up and asked the Lord,

“What do you want me to do for the gospel today?”

Sometimes it was a specific task making a call or going soulwinning, but for most of the days of June it was to simply go on a walk and pray. Pray for souls I will one day preach to; pray for wisdom and protection on the road; pray for my children to adjust well to this new life.

Some may think that was a total waste of time, but I believe it was the greatest investment that I could have made into our ministry because it taught me to depend on Jesus for each step and need. Since then, God has answered all those prayers and has provided for our needs every step along the way.

My prayer is that God will continue to etch these lessons into my heart and use our ministry for “the gospel’s sake…” (I Corinthians 9:23).