THE HOW AND WHY OF EVANGELISM

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

Colossians 1:28-29 NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus called all those who believe in Him to evangelize, to labor for the cause of sharing the good news of salvation through Him with others. Here’s what He said in what has been widely referred to as “The Great Commission”:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18-20

After Jesus spoke these words, no one was more fervent in bringing the Gospel to others than the Apostle Paul. If you doubt that, consider that the epistles written by Paul dominate the majority of the New Testament outside of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So if we want to turn to an expert on evangelism, we would have no better source than Paul.

As we finish studying from the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Colossae, we find him instructing the Colossian believers (as well as us today) on the why and how of evangelism. Look again at his words here:

So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me. Vv. 28-29 NLT

Why did Jesus call us to evangelize others and help them find salvation through Him?

Because only Jesus can justify a person, washing away their sins by His shed blood and presenting them before God was worthy of pardon and salvation. Jesus gave all, willing surrendering His life to bear the sin debt of mankind, so anyone who believes in Him could gain the riches of the kingdom of Heaven and share in Christ’s glory.

To not evangelize is to send a message to God that you don’t care about another’s eternal future. It says you’re okay to just sit and allow someone to walk the road to eternal damnation and torment in Hell. No one who is truly in Christ should ever have this mindset.

So, we evangelize to help others be saved through believing in Jesus and benefitting from His redeeming work on the cross but how does an evangelist get this Gospel work done, especially in a world that is becoming more and more hostile toward Christian beliefs and values?

Well again, no one could speak better to the subject of facing hostility for the cause of the Gospel than Paul. You may remember that he experienced persecution, beatings, and consistent threats on his life during his missionary journeys. And let’s not forget that he is writing this letter to the Colossians while imprisoned in Rome for bringing the good news of Jesus to others.

So what does Paul say about how he was able to persevere for the Gospel in the midst of great adversity?

We see that he didn’t relay on Himself but rather the God who he served, the God who developed and implemented the salvation plan for all creation.

Paul first relied on God’s wisdom.

So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us.

Paul knew the scriptures as well as anyone and that included the words of the Old Testament as he was a fervent Jew before converting to Christianity. He would have been aware of this command found in the third chapter of Proverbs:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Vv. 5-7a

Paul placed his full faith in the Lord as he brought the good news of Jesus to others. There were times in his journeys that he wanted to go somewhere but God directed otherwise. In those instances, Paul always deferred to the guidance of His Lord who kept him on straight paths.

Paul also refused to speak by way of his own wisdom but rather taught and warned others with the wisdom that God had provided him. In all his ways, Paul submitted to the Lord and so he wasn’t wise in his own eyes but rather trusted in the Lord with all his heart so to gain all the understanding he needed to carry out the will of the Father.

Carrying out this will wasn’t easy for the Apostle. His evangelism was a marathon for the cause of Christ ran on a course filled with peril lurking around every turn. The work wasn’t for the weak of heart and a person could never have endured by way of their own strength. Left to his own devices, Paul would never have been able to not just survive but thrive in the Gospel work he did but Paul wasn’t on his own. For the Lord Jesus gave the Apostle a “mighty power: that worked within him through all the hard work and struggles. It’s what Jesus meant when He said after He gave His Great Commission:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

Jesus didn’t send Paul out like a lamb to slaughter. Rather, He commissioned him and then walked alongside as the Apostle was obedient to the calling he received from His Savior.

Today, Jesus still walks alongside us, empowering us to go forth to do the work of His Father who instills His wisdom within us. Therefore, we should carry out The Great Commission with boldness and confidence, no matter the opposition, to ensure that every person will not perish but believe in Jesus and gain eternal life through the love God has for them.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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