In an impassioned call for Christian leaders to emulate Jesus’ model for ministry, renowned evangelist and church planter Rick Warren listed five things faithful believers must do to win the world for Christ — and it includes “one of the most overlooked verses in the Bible.”
Speaking to an in-person audience of over 900 international Christian leaders from 161 nations and over 5,000 Korean ministry leaders all gathered at SaRang Church on Monday night for the first day of the World Evangelical Alliance’s 14th General Assembly, Warren, who founded and led Saddleback Church in California for over 40 years, said the method he uses isn’t one from America or any other nation, it’s God’s method, which means “it's perfect.”
Having led the "only church in Christian history” to plant a church in 197 countries, Warren's work through the Finishing the Task coalition is aligned with the WEA’s mission to fulfill the Great Commission by 2033, the 2,000th anniversary of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The theme of this year’s general assembly is rooted in Ephesians 2:13–18 and reflects the WEA’s commitment to ensuring that every person hears and has the opportunity to respond to the Gospel within the next eight years.
Expressing his appreciation for his brothers and sisters at SaRang Church — which has over 60,000 members — for their devotion to sharing the Gospel worldwide, Warren said he knows of megachurches that “are not healthy” and have no interest in sharing the Good News on a global scale.
So why should the WEA and other like-minded individuals, pastors and ministry leaders take up Jesus’ model over the next eight years, he asked.
To answer that question, Warren pointed to “one of the most overlooked verses in the entire Bible” and Jesus’ own words.
“Probably most pastors in this room have never preached on this verse: John 12:49.” In the verse, Jesus says, “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”
Warren, who previously shared that in his over four decades of ministry he has baptized 54,000 new believers, listed the “five things that Jesus did in His ministry” that the global Body of Christ must take up to complete the task at hand.
Reiterating Jesus’ words in the book of John, Warren said that knowing “how to say it” is the “biblical foundation for finishing the task of the Great Commission.”
“If there was a better way to win the world, Jesus would've used it,” he added, lamenting that “Many of us in our churches only get half the blessing of Jesus because we adopt this message, but we do not adopt this method.”
Jesus' method can work anywhere, Warren said. “I've seen the Jesus model of ministry work in the desert, in very small villages and in giant megacities. It is transcultural,” he assured, summarizing the steps in the acronym PEACE: pass on the good news; equip disciples; alleviate suffering — preaching, teaching and healing; continually pray and lastly, establish new churches.
“If you want the blessing of God on your life, if you want the power of God in your life, if you want the anointing of God on your life, you must care about what Jesus cares about most. He wants His lost children found. And as long as there's one person that doesn't know Him, we are commanded to keep reaching out,” he declared, pointing to verses John 4:34, John 5:36 and John 6:38.
When Jesus was speaking with the 12 disciples and shared with them that He had set the example for them to follow, Warren said He “wasn’t just talking about washing their feet,” He was referring to everything He taught them for three-and-a-half years. “That's the model,” Warren insisted, pointing to John 13:17 and John 17.
“This is something most Christians don't understand. We don't get blessed for knowing the Bible. We get blessed for doing,” he declared. “The Bible says be doers of the Word. Almost every sermon, Jesus says, ‘Go and do likewise.’”
Jesus preached and healed, and the global Church has been following that model by preaching, teaching and healing through the building of churches, schools and hospitals, he added. “This is part of the model of Christ. This is why in every nation of the world, the first hospital and the first university were started by a Christian mission.”
Warren closed his 55-minute sermon on following the model of Jesus by challenging those gathered at the WEA GA to not only preach the message of Jesus, but to be mentored in how to follow the model of Jesus: “Do evangelism as He did; disciple as He did, and do ministry to the poor and the sick and the hurting. Pray like He did and build this church like He did.
“If we learn not just the message but the method of Jesus, we will win the world in the next eight years.”
On Wednesday night, Warren will share two additional models: how the first church in Jerusalem in the book of Acts carried out Jesus' mandate, and the third model of God’s Word as seen in the example of Paul.
