What About Evangelism?

Dear Brethren,

What about evangelism? (I)

Why do people evangelise? Obviously, most people would answer that without the gospel of Christ people would be eternally lost; So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Indeed, nothing is more valuable than salvation and nothing more crucial than evangelism, yet why aren’t people evangelising? Let us consider this most vital command given by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself to go ye therefore, and teach all nations (cf. Matthew 28:18-20).

The meaning of evangelism

Basically, evangelism is the presentation of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit so that people may come to put their trust in God through Him, accepting Him as their Saviour, be saved and to serve Him as their Lord. Fundamentally, it has to do with gospel-sharing. To help us to better understand the biblical definition of the word evangelism,” let us consider some of the Greek words related to gospel-sharing found in the New Testament.

a. The word euangelizo means “to preach glad tidings.” The word “evangelist” is derived from this word....and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8). An evangelist is one who spreads the good news of the kingdom of God. b. The word kerusso means “to herald or to preach.” And Jesus went about all Galilee.......and preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23). It signifies a herald, like the picture of a messenger going from village to village making known the decree of the king. c. The word didasko means “to teach.” And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues (Matthew 9:35). Jesus not only preached the truth but He also clarified and illustrated them. He was the master-teacher. d. The word martus means “witness.” Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). From this word “witness” we get the word “martyr.” A martyr is one who backs up his witness with his blood. A true witness will preach the Gospel, and will die for it if necessary. e. The word mathatas means disciple. Go ye therefore, and teach (disciple) all nations (Matthew 28:19). It means more than leading a man to become a Christian, it also includes instructing, to disciple and make him a student. As Christians, we are to preach glad tidings, to herald, teach, witness and instruct with the gospel of Christ. Is theology important in Evangelism?

The biblical definition for “theology” is the study of God; it is the study of God’s dealing with man whom He had created, but fallen into sin. John Calvin says, “The study of God and the study of man is true wisdom.” You cannot evangelise without having a proper understanding of theology. Evangelism and theology must complement each other and they are dependent upon each other. The heart of the Gospel involves theology. The purpose of theology is to help us explain our message. a. The Apostle Paul was a great evangelist and it was theology that formed the basis of his powerful message. b. John Calvin and Augustine were great theologians and they were also effective evangelists. c. Jonathon Edwards and George Whitefield were great theologians as well as missionaries with a fiery passion for evangelism. AL Peverall Jr, a retired pastor, aptly illustrated, “Theology is to evangelism what the skeleton is to the body. Remove the skeleton and the body becomes a helpless quivering mass of jelly-substance. By means of the skeleton, the body can stand erect and move. The great system of theological truths forms the skeleton which enables our evangelism to stand.” Our evangelism must not be drawn from a bag of clever tricks. We must never employ worldly activities, like using rock music, social dancing and other secular enticing programmes to draw the people into the church. We should instead build upon the foundation of God’s Word and put aside all tricks, traps and unbiblical techniques which will cheapen evangelism. Different types of evangelism There are different types of evangelism like gospel rallies, evangelistic meetings and outreaches, television and internet evangelism, evangelistic literature, tracts and personal evangelism. It is my conviction that personal evangelism is perhaps the most effective. A classic example can be found in John 1:40 when Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to the Lord Jesus Christ and later Philip followed the pattern of Andrew and reached out to Nathanael. One leads to another. Dear friend, our parents, siblings, relatives and friends are people whom we often meet and associate with. How tragic it would be if all of a sudden one of them dies without believing in the Lord Jesus Christ? We must be like Andrew, who has a heart for evangelism, to bring the lost to the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever type of evangelism we may employ, it must be based upon the principles of the Word of God. It is not wrong to use evangelistic techniques but we must make sure they are scriptural rather than just gimmicks. The essential elements of evangelism

Some people wonder what they should tell others during evangelism, while others stay away from evangelism because they are fearful, not knowing how to handle the responses. Yet others are very confident in communicating but they misrepresent the gospel message. They either miss out some essential elements of the gospel or they distort the truth of the gospel. Christians must avoid all these situations. If we study the Bible well enough, we would be equipped to present the gospel correctly and confidently. In evangelism, one must get these three elements right; the true Gospel, the true Messiah and the true method. a. The true Gospel – The true Gospel consists of the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ – His death, burial and resurrection – the complete payment of our sins, past, present and future (1 Cor.15:1-4). b. The true Messiah – It is important to have a right concept of the Person of Jesus Christ, He is the Son of God (Matt.16:15-16). c. The true Method – Salvation is by grace (Eph.2:8-9). Salvation is through faith (Rom.1:17). Salvation is in Christ (Acts 16:30-31). Basically, the aim of evangelism is to confront the world with the gospel of Christ that the people may make clear and definite decisions to accept Christ as Saviour and make them disciples of Christ. Through effective evangelism and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, it is our prayerful desire that the hearer would respond to the sharing of the gospel by acknowledging his sinfulness, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and coming before Him in confession and repentance. God willing, next week we will consider the power behind evangelism and the hindrances to evangelism. With love in Christ, Pastor Paul