Monday, 26 October 2009 18:22
Evangelize
The Body's Responsibility
"What?" you say, "Something more to do?" "I have enough to keep up with, leave evangelization for the professionals, the evangelists". "Leave it for the ones that are trained to do it." "I'm happy serving God in my own way, going to Church, sharing in a home group". "Besides I really wouldn't know what to say, or how to go about it."
What we have forgotten is that our responsibility to evangelize is not a suggestion it is a command, and a mandate that was given to the Church by the Lord Himself between the time of the resurrection and the ascension.
Listen the the words of Jesus, in what has become to be know as the Great Commission.
Mt 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
NLT
Jesus makes it pretty plain here, "I have been given all authority - therefore (because of this) GO!" And you can't get out of this one by saying simply, "Well Jesus was talking to His eleven disciples", because He certainly was by extension, talking to us as well. To those that heard Him what was it they were to do? They were to make disciples, not get people saved, to make disciples.
Discipleship implies additional responsibility
Not only are we to evangelize we are to do it in such a way that there is a follow through on our part. We are to help them with their initial initiation into their kingdom experience by seeing that they are baptized. Then were are to see that they are taught obedience t the commands of Christ. This course of action is accomplished all the while knowing that the Lord is present in the process. Moreover we have this confidence, he is not only an active participant now but will continue to be so until the process is complete. So not only is this a mandate that we are to carry out, we are assured that Jesus Christ, the Lord of all creation is fully involved in what we do.
What does it mean to evangelize?
The work evangelize, and also evangelist for that matter come from the word evangel., or The Evangel. That is the English word that is used to translate the Greek word that represents the Gospel. Therefore to evangelize is simply the telling of the "Good News" of the work of Christ on the cross, that our sins can be forgiven, and that we can have a relations
hip with the Father God who loves us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
We have a Mandate to...
- Tell of the work of Christ
- To make disciples from all Tribes and Tongues and...
- To teach them to obey the commands of Christ
- Resting assured that the Lord is fully involved in the process.