|
|
Evangelism
The Bible teaches that the ministry of evangelism is not just for those
who are able to influence large crowds, and persuade them to believe. 2
Corinthians 11:6 says, "I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have
knowledge." As we learn God's Word, we are being trained for
evangelism. Most of us will have neither the ability nor the
opportunity to sway large
audiences, but God will still bring us opportunities to
evangelism.
Consider 2 Corinthians 4:13-18:
13 It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' Since we have
that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
That's what you're doing as you're teaching every day. You're just speaking what you believe.
14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead
will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
The power of Christianity is in the Resurrection.
15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to
overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though
outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by
day.
Do not lose heart, even as your body ages away.
17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Remember that our heavenly rewards will far outweigh our earthly
troubles.
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
What is seen is material. What is unseen and eternal, is by faith.
Romans 15:20-22 says:
20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was
not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. 21 Rather, as it is written:
'Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.'
We should keep preaching the gospel to those who have never heard it.
Hebrews 12:3 says:
3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Do not lose heart because of opposition. The Lord will fight for you. It's His battle, not yours.
Romans 10:13-15 says:
13 for, 'Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.' 14 How, then, can they call on
the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one
of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone
preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'
Your feet are beautiful, because of the good news of the gospel you
bring.
Mars Hill
Paul gives us a good example of evangelism at Mars Hill in Acts 17:16-34:
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
So, too, you and I are greatly distressed to see that our cities are
full of idols. In Paul's day, these idols were often explicit graven images, but today
our idols are more subtle. We idolize wealth and fame, the epitome of which
is probably the popular TV show "American Idol."
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing
Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be
there.
This is how we evangelize and preach--day by day, little by little,
person by person. We teach whoever God puts in our path. We accept the
opportunities that God gives us. We stick to God's program, not our
own. Learning Bible doctrine is a lifetime endeavor.
22 Paul then stood up in the
meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every
way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked
carefully at your objects of
worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN
GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim
to
you.
Some people are very religious, yet their Gods are unknown and impersonal.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of
heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
Our God is the one true God. The temples he lives in are our own bodies.
25 And He is not served by
human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men
life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every
nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he
determined the times set for them and the exact places where
they should live.
Wherever you live, it is by no accident that you live there. God has
positioned you where He wants you, to influence the people that He has chosen for
you to influence.
27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from
each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As
some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
We should have our very being in God.
29 Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or
stone--an image made by man's design and skill.
The Bible says that it is foolish to worship something we create. But to the lost, the gospel is foolish.
30 In the past God
overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to
repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with
justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
The power of Christianity is in the Resurrection.
32 When they heard about the
resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We
want to hear you again on this subject." 33 At that, Paul left the
Council. 34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed.
Do not be disheartened. Some will sneer, but some will want to hear
more. A few will believe. God's elect will believe. God be with you as you continue to evangelize and teach.
Owen Weber 2009 |
|