Every baptized Christian is called to evangelize. We must all profess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Contrary to lazy beliefs, it is not the pastors job. We must tell those around us, especially our friends and family. We are all tasked with professing Christ, giving witness with our lives and our words. This is not an option. If we don’t profess Christ in front of men, Christ won’t profess us in front of His Father. That’s in the Word.
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. — Luke 9:26
God the Holy Spirit manifests the gifts to the Church in whatever way He pleases. The Spirit’s gifts reflect the diversity of imitating Christ in the Christian life. Not everyone is called to be apostles, prophets, teachers, healers, administrators, or interpreters of languages.
Matthew 9:37 says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”
Don’t live with the lie that you are not needed to share the gospel, because there are many that still need to hear the truth of Jesus, and you might be their only chance to hear the gospel. Ephesians 4 raises a challenge for pastors: Are we training our people to do evangelism? Are we setting an example for them in our own personal evangelism? Some people run from the idea of evangelism because they assume it means they must be obnoxious and pushy. There are many approaches to sharing the gospel. The only fixed method is the message: telling others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you are reading this and considering learning about Podcasting for Christ, it is most likely the urging of the Holy Spirit. I am planning a private course based on my knowledge of podcasting, presentation, preaching, and using technology to evangelize. I’ve been doing the unorthodox, “out of the box” type of ministry since I began in 2001. When the world shut down in 2020, the ministry I worked in grew. God set it all up to win.
When podcasting started in 2004-2005 it was only for geeks and the tech savvy. In 2020, kids are choosing to start social media businesses instead of traditional work it is so popular. With your podcast you could reach a global audience. You could win souls for Christ, save lives, raise awareness, money and help people outside your area. You could pre-record your shows and have them available regularly for your audience. You can focus the Message to a particular audience that doesn’t contradict or interfere with the ministry of your local church. You could actually help your branch of Zion through outreach. You can create a show at your convenience. You could reach a broader audience than your church does.
It is in the how that separates the successful and those that quit. You must know your ‘Why.” You must know best practices. Podcasting can be learned from watching old Youtube videos and from listening to current podcasters but Podcasting for Christ should be a purposed act on your part. It should be a Calling. There are a few good things that will come from that if you do. The best is that it is on Him not you. All you have to do is remain faithful to the end.
Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). We have been given no greater gift than the gospel, and we have no greater stewardship than to share that message of good news with others. Paul expresses it well in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “for the love of Christ controls us.”
Podcasting the best you can means with a reasonable investment of equipment. Knowledge of platforms your audiences are on, understanding the legal restrictions, being able to edit your audio, understanding microphone technique and what makes people like or not like a presentation. You should know yourself, your audience, and when its time to change, or quit the way you are doing something.
An expensive microphone and a computer doesn’t guarantee success, nor does trying to do everything on the cheap. You must be consistent, persistent, timely, respectful and have integrity. This isn’t for likes, fame or fortune, it is for the Kingdom of God.
Podcasting for Christ, is an online class I am considering putting together for a small number of students to share my experiences and successes with the Speak Life Church podcast and others I have done since 2007.
I gave a presentation to seven pastors in January of this year about what they could do with podcasting and using online resources to preach and grow their churches but none paid any attention to me. Then COVID happened in March and everyone had to do it in some way or another. I know how Noah felt for a minute. If you are interested, contact me here.