“And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him” (Mark 2:14, 15).

Another worthy example was when John the Baptist brought his disciples to Christ. As you know, Christ and John were cousins. One of the Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, conducted his brother Simon to the Saviour. Andrew and Simon connected Philip with Jesus, and he did the same to Nathaniel (see John 1:35-50).

In the book of Acts we find Cornelius, the Roman centurion. He was a military leader who was faithful and fearful unto the Lord with all his house. He had a vision in which an angel of the Lord told him to send men to Joppa to bring forth the man named Peter. The Bible tells us that “the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends” (Acts 10:1-5, 24).

“This was the way the Christian church was established. Christ first selected a few persons and bade them follow him. Then they went in search of their relatives and acquaintances and brought them to Christ. This is the way we are to labor. A few souls brought out and fully established on the truth will, like the first disciples, be laborers for others.”2

Referring to Paul, we read that “the apostle’s efforts were not confined to public speaking; there were many who could not have been reached in that way. He spent much time in house-to-house labor, thus availing himself of the familiar intercourse of the home circle. He visited the sick and the sorrowing, comforted the afflicted, and lifted up the oppressed.”3

If we ask the members of our church how they heard of the present truth for the first time, we observe something interesting. It seems that around 60 to 75% of all the members will answer that his or her first contact with the Reform Movement Church was through a family, a friend, a relative, or a neighbor. Following are some approximate results achieved through various typical methods of missionary contact.

How does a person join the church?

Special needs 1-2%

Curiosity 2-3%

Pastor 5-6%

Visitation 1-2%

Christian schools 4-5%

Evangelistic programs 8-10%

Church programs 1-3%

Friends/relatives 60-75%

“The first missionary that Jesus sent to the region of Decapolis was the man out of whom he had cast the legion of devils. The man had begged to accompany Jesus constantly, but Jesus ‘suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee’ (Mark 5:19). This man bore in his own person the evidence that Jesus was the true Messiah. He related his own experience, telling how great things God had done for him, and thus the way was prepared for the message of truth from the lips of Jesus Himself.”4

Let us illustrate how Operation Oikos works. One example we can show is the Oikos of Roque Soria in action:

Roque Soria heard the Reform message in 1960.

He brought the message to his father Tomas and his mother Eleuteria and his four brothers: Gualberto, Porferio, Eustaquio, and Diosdado in the same year.

Gualberto shared the message with his father and mother-in-law and with his brother and sisters-in-law.

All the family of Roque, Gualberto, Diosdado, Porferio, and Eustaquio received the message.

Gualberto brought the message to some of his Adventist friends.

Finally, over the course of some three years, most of them had become members of our church by 1963. The first church was then erected in their neighborhood.

“Our work for Christ is to begin with the family, in the home. . . . There is no missionary field more important than this.”5

“Let it be your object to make those around you better, to elevate them, to point them to heaven and glory, and lead them to seek, above all earthly things, the eternal substance, the immortal inheritance, the riches which are imperishable.”6

Remember that often a person will join the church not only because of the doctrine we uphold but because of ties of friendship established between us and them. If you bring people to the church, they are also observing the relationships between the members. Thus the manner we treat our family, relatives, and friends who don’t know about Christ determines our potential to bring them to Christ. Every member has the ability to contact his or her friends. We call this evangelistic potential. Let us see how to utilize this enormous potential.

1. Each member must select five best friends or closest relatives who don’t yet know about Jesus (determine your Oikos).

2. Take the list of your Oikos and pray for these souls every day before engaging in your missionary contact with them.

3. The local missionary leader should give a seminar for all members on the art of contacting people.

4. Define the special day where the church will go out to contact their Oikos. Sabbath afternoon is the best time to do it, or during free time in the week.

5. During the Sabbath afternoon program, give everyone the chance to relate his or her work.

6. Introduce all the names of your Oikos to the local missionary department for visitation and Bible studies. You must be present at their Bible studies to give moral support.

7. Invite them to your house on special occasions.

8. Invite them to the church.

9. Invite them to be baptized as soon as they are ready.

10. Invite them to look for their Oikos, explaining how this principle works.

11. Do not leave your Oikos alone until these souls mature spiritually.

Every married couple has the evangelistic potential to contact the husband’s family, the wife’s family, their closest neighbors, their work companions, the children’s classmates and schoolmates, the husband’s friends and the wife’s friends who do not yet know about Christ.

If the person is single, then he or she has the potential to contact his or her family, relatives, close friends, work companions, and neighbors.

It is estimated that every member may know 50 or more persons. To calculate the EP of the church, we will take the average of 5 very open and nearest friends among the 50 persons known.

If your church has 20 members, multiplying by five special friends or relatives, the EP of your church will be 100 persons. The next time you launch your evangelistic program, utilize the powerful evangelistic potential of your church.

The methods should be implemented with fidelity, perseverance, and steadfast follow-up (see chalkboard).

“If the families around you are opposed to the truth, strive to lead them to yield to the claims of Christ. Work patiently, wisely, considerately, winning your way by the tender ministry of love. Present the truth in such a way that it will be seen in all its beauty, exerting an influence that can not be resisted. Thus the walls of prejudice will be broken down.”7

“Educate yourself to be able to appeal to families around the fireside. You can accomplish even more in this direction than by your pulpit labors alone. Watch for souls as one that must give an account. Give no occasion for unbelievers to charge you with remissness in this duty, by neglecting to appeal to them personally. Talk with them faithfully, and beseech them to yield to the truth. ‘For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savour of death unto death, and to the other the savour of life unto life.’ As the apostle views the magnitude of the work and the weighty responsibilities resting upon the minister, he exclaims: ‘And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 2:16, 17).”8