Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Evangelism

Mark 16:15-16 "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'"
Matthew 28:19-20 "'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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"   
The original disciples were commanded by Jesus to go out and preach the Gospel. This was the first call for evangelism, and it continues for every generation of Christians. As believers, were are to go out into the world and share the Good News with all, in the hope of planting seeds so that God can call more of His people back and bless them with saving grace. This takes much courage because we will face much mocking from those around us, or worse, depending on the area in which you choose to share the Gospel. There are countries in which Christianity is considered illegal, with death being the punishment. But we must remember that fear of man should never be something to stand in our way. Instead, our focus needs to be on the lost and broken people on Earth who are in desperate need of a redeeming Savior. Matthew 9:37-38 should be the driving force behind everybody's desire to enter the mission field, whether at home, work, or in a foreign land: "Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" There are so many people who still know hardly anything about Jesus or have yet to accept Him into their hearts, and it is every Christian's job to bring the message of hope to all. It'll probably be much easier to reach those who have never heard the Gospel because they are eager to learn more and soak up the Son. But sharing with these people typically involves the most danger because people who know little about the Gospel tend to be those who live in countries where it is forbidden.
Evangelism is definitely no easy task. I have already mentioned some of the issues that people might face. In my opinion, though, the hardest people to reach are the rich, who love possessions, and those who were either raised in the church and claim to still be Christians, or those who go through the motions of being Christian, but do not have Jesus in their hearts. They are not open to rebuke. As C.S. Lewis stated, ‎"A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world - and might even be more difficult to save." These people feel that they are doing well by their own standards, and thus refuse to compare themselves to God's standards. They are much like the Pharisees who lived in the time of Jesus, who were merely hypocrites. This is why Jesus reminds us to not continuously butt heads with such individuals in Matthew 10:16 ~ "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Know when to walk away and move onto others in need of the Gospel. Remember that only God can open people's hearts to Jesus, so don't get discouraged or feel unworthy. You are merely following through with Jesus' command in the hopes that God will draw others close to Him and fill them with the Holy Spirit.
In conclusion, allow God to guide your steps into the mission field. Use His Word as a means of discernment to help determine your direction. Some might be called to evangelize at home, while others the jungle, desert, or arctic. One thing to remember, though, is to walk the narrow path of Jesus in order to be an example of a true believer to those around you each and everyday. Others should look to you and wonder what you have that they don't. Do not end up living like the people C.S. Lewis mentioned in this passage: "When Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world...Our careless lives set the outer world talking; and we give them grounds for talking in a way that throws doubt on the truth of Christianity itself."

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