Blog
[ Created: 2010-06-05 10:58:53  Updated: 2023-01-20 09:29:05 Owner: rl ]
Title: Bringing the Gospel to the world    
     
     
     
     
 
    
 
     
     
     
     
 

 

Evangelism is the act of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.   
→ It means we teach them the Word regarding our Creator, our Saviour and our Lord.   
→ It means we tell them about separation from the Lord by sin.   
→ It means we tell them that the Lord wants to be in relationship with us so that we can experience eternal, abundant life.   
→ It means that we tell them that those who reject the love of the Lord Jesus Christ must be destroyed in the Lake Of Fire.   
→ It means that we tell them that those who receive Christ Jesus are born into His family and are made heirs of all He has.   

Evangelism is bringing the Gospel to people.   It is not the conversion of people.   
→ Evangelism is our work.   
→ Conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit.   

Accordingly, we should never feel a compulsion to convert anyone.   Our compulsion should be to obey Christ and share our testimony of Him with others.   

Evangelizing the world is the responsibility of every believer.   

The early church grew by one person at a time receiving Christ and then becoming a witness to the risen Lord.   

We are commanded to be witnesses of Christ Jesus.   

This means we go where the lost are.   If you think about it, that's exactly what our Lord did in being born as Jesus Christ - He humbled himself and became a man.   

But how do we maintain our sanctification when we go into the world?   

Remember it is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us through his Word which is Truth.   

Jesus didn't wake up in the morning thinking about hanging out with the boys (sinners) all day.   

The Scriptures tell us two cannot walk together except they be agreed .    There is always a tension between the carnal and spiritual .   

So, when sinners are sinning, holiness is Not welcome.   Likewise, when spiritual activities are going forward the carnal get scarce.   

But, what about neutral human activities - work, play...   Life?   

This is the crux of the Issue: does walking in the spirit imply disconnection with the carnal?   

It is the carnal mind that is against God, that produces death () .   

Spiritual mindedness produces life but the carnally minded (those we are trying to reach) are unable to grasp spiritual Truth - particularly when it comes out of left field.   

If we are to be effective in reaching the masses for Christ we must be able to bridge the kingdom of heaven and the physical world just as Jesus did.   

A monastic life is a selfish life.   It is the talent buried in the ground .   

If a person cannot manifest Christ (super)naturally in a carnal environment they are Not really Christians (converted) in their heart .   

The Gospel is the power of God .    If it is in our hearts it will manifest wherever we go, whatever we do and whatever we say.   It will produce fruit .   

To be happy, to have fun, to be excited, to enjoy life is of God .    To selfishly pursue these things is satanic .   

The Wisdom and discernment of God will enable a believer to identify those who are chasing life and minister to them.   But we must encounter them in order to intervene .   

Forgiveness
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: -
He was lifted up on the cross.

That whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. -
Faith In Christ results in the New Birth which is Eternal Life.

For the Lord so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. -
What world is John speaking of?     
The earth and all the people born into humanity.     

God is love and love is of God.     

The world was created by God and it is good.     We know that man chose rebellion against God and so humanity became evil.     But God loves the people of this world and so sent Christ Jesus into the world to redeem it and us.     

Love is what led Him to be born as a human, to suffer and die for us.     

The Gospel is heard and those who are hungry are lead by the Holy Spirit to believe and receive the Truth.     

The Truth sets us free from sin, from death and hell and brings us to Eternal Life.

For the Lord sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. -
Condemnation is of Satan.     He tempted Eve to cause her to fall into condemnation.     He is our accuser.     He hates humanity.     

But God loves us and desires for us to be saved - to experience eternal, abundant life.

He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of the Holy Spirit. -
The only criteria God has for us is that we Receive His Son.     The only Sin that will send a person to the Lake Of Fire is the Sin of not believing on Christ Jesus.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. -
Jesus has forgiven all sin.     But the sin of unbelief in that fact condemns the unbeliever to hell.     

Why is such a free and loving gift rejected by so many?     They are rebellious by nature and they love sin.     And that attitude makes them enemies of good.     

Those who allow evil to reign in their lives prefer the cover of darkness so they do not have to see the truth.     They also prefer others to be in darkness so those do not see the wickedness either.

Abundant Life
The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. -
The thief is Satan who is the inspiration for all the evil in the world.     
Whereas the 'I' is Jesus who offers us Eternal Life and Abundant Life.     

This verse is a powerful statement contrasting the nature of the enemy with the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ.     

Note that the enemy takes by force what is ours, while we must appropriate by faith what is ours in Christ Jesus.     
The appropriation is not a 'one and done' thing.     Rather, it is an ongoing process throughout our lives on this earth.     

Jesus has given us His life in giving us His Holy Spirit who is in every believer who has asked to be filled.     We aught to invoke His life into every aspect of our walk in the earth.

Eternal Life
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of the Lord is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. -
The sin that condemns to the Lake Of Fire is rejection of Jesus Christ.     
The gift of God is Eternal Life: remission of sins, regeneration and Spirit Baptism.     

We all know that there is physical death and spiritual death.     Adam and Eve did not physically die when they sinned.     However, they spiritually died immediately.     

When a person sins, whether believer or unbeliever, the result is an aspect of death.     Somethings shrinks or shrivels instead of growing when sin occurs.     

God gives us Eternal Life when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.     That gift is irrevokable.     However, if we let sin reign in our mortal bodies we will suffer the consequences of that sin which will destroy our physical lives, our testimonies and our walk with God.     

Instead of us living a victorious, productive life with treasure laid up in heaven, we will be saved as by fire.

Believer's responsibility
Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall say. -

And you shall speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. -

And you shall teach them ordinances and laws, and shall show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. -
Everyone needs Education.     But what kind of Education?     

It is interesting that God did not emphasize reading, writing and arithmetic.     Why?     Because these skills were obviously important and Society naturally gravitates toward this kind of Education.     

So, what Education did God put forward?     Spiritual Education which instructed people how to live a Productive life, in Peace and Unity.     Immorality, Sin, Wickedness all serve to destroy the Individual and so the Society in which they live.

Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: -
We are to teach all nations.     What do we teach?     The gospel of Jesus Christ.     Those who hear, believe, receive and do it will teach it as well.     This is how the Kingdom grows.     

When a person is baptized they should be baptized in the name of Jesus .      why?     Because Jesus is the name of God.     Jesus is the personification of God.     He is the express image of God.     What is God?     He is spirit.     He is the Holy Spirit who begot Jesus and who filled Jesus.     So, Jesus is the incarnation of the Holy Spirit who is God, so when we look for God we have to look at Jesus.     You cannot see the Holy Spirit.     You cannot see the Father who is the Holy Spirit.     You can only see the Son.     

The Holy Spirit fills the universe, so though He fills the Son, Christ Jesus, He is greater than the Son because He extends beyond the finite body of our Lord.     

The Trinity concept is perverse because it is polytheistic in nature.     

There is one God who is a Spirit (the Holy Spirit) who made Himself a body and called His name Jesus.

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.     Amen. -
He is saying make disciples of the believers and that He will never forsake us.     

'All things' means that what Jesus told the original disciples was not just for them but for all men for all time.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. -
Jesus is instructing His disciples about the source of the Word - the Holy Spirit.     Jesus spoke the Word Of God by the Holy Spirit.     When the Holy Spirit is in us, we can speak the Word Of God by that same Spirit.     

The Holy Spirit comforts us and teaches us and reminds us of the specific Word Of God to meet the situation at hand.     

No self confidence, no education, no intelligence can make up for the lack of the Holy Spirit.

And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. -
Such gall.     People who have no accomplishments except to parade around in pomp and circumstance, tell men Filled with the Power of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ to dry up and blow away.

Saying, Did not we straitly command you that you should not teach in this name?     and, behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. -
The Blood of Jesus was already on them.     The Disciples were just speaking the Truth.

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. -
The Gospel was fresh and exciting in those days.     Now we live in a Society which considers the Gospel passe.     We must find a way to reach the younger generation for Christ recognizing that their parents may never be converted.

And I, brothers, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of the Lord. -
Speech is for communication of truth so that there is understanding.     When it is used otherwise it is perversion.     

Paul's goal was to bring the Truth of the Gospel of Christ Jesus and so he was plain and straightforward.