Lessons on evangelism from Michael Green

“Excuse me. May I ask you a question? Is that man a preacher?” asked the nurse at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital.
“Yes. Why do you ask?” I said.
“Well, after a long day, when all visitors have left, he gets out of bed and goes from room to room. I think he is preaching and praying with people. Frankly, we cannot keep him in bed at night. We say, ‘Mr. Green, you must rest and get back into bed.’ He did just have a heart attack you know. He politely agrees but in no more than five minutes he is back up with the IV machine in tow going from room to room. We cannot keep him down.”
Michael Green (1930-2019) was a man on a mission, a passionate evangelist. Carrie Boren Headington gratefully received mentorship from him, and has outlined some of the lessons she learned.
Here are the headings.
- Pray without ceasing.
- Never miss an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus.
- Fear not and know your help comes from the Lord.
- Work with a team and raise up the next generation of evangelists.
- Stay in scripture, study, and give your best.
- Be quick to ask for forgiveness.
- Be a person of hope and see God’s vision for His Body, the Church.
- Love your spouse and partner in mission.
- Be humble and serve.
- Be a chameleon for Christ. (Be ready to share the gospel with all kinds of people in all kings of situations)
Carrie Headington recalls:
I remember asking him how I did on a talk after he had trained me for three years. He said, “My dear, I am no longer your teacher. Focusing too much on yourself will lead to two responses—despair or pride, and both take your eyes off Jesus. Stay focused on Jesus and the rest will fall into place.”