Authentic Evangelism – It’s what the whole of the Church has searched for a number of years. Why don’t we see people streaming in to church? Have we lost our edge? What are we missing?
Warning: This post is heavy, full of scripture, and may be slightly uncomfortable. God is still good, and His love endures forever. I’ve also removed verse numbers, just to make passages easier to read – Feel free to look them up if you like to have the numbers attached, too.
(Also, this article applies to your whole life, don’t worry, it’s not just about evangelism)
I think it’s been staring us in the face for so long, but we’ve had two different reactions:
1) Shy away – because it’s too scary, and walking on water with Jesus is terrifying – I’ve seen this all over, I still see it in my life, but it’s so much fun to jump out of the boat and walk with Jesus.
2) Deny that this is the call of Jesus, and cut it down to a small list of ‘Okay’ actions that the Christian should be doing.
Firstly, I want to say that I don’t want to dampen any of the current ‘evangelistic’ expressions which are in the church at the minute, some work amazingly well, some less so, some need to be shelved because they’ve gone past their life-cycle. I love the Church, the body of Christ is amazing, and I cannot get enough of it! Seeing us all united because we have hearts ablaze for the one who is jealous for us is amazing – It pushes well against post-modern culture when we all declare ‘We believe in God the Father Almighty….’ together. [See apostolic creed]
What I don’t like is the infighting, squabbling, and sneering which can be present between individual churches – That’s just not cool. We take small issues and raise them above the plight of the poor and needy, the brokenhearted and the crushed, the oppressed and the widowed. We sneer at other churches because they don’t exactly align with our interpretation of scripture, or view of God, and refuse to work together. THE PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH THAT YOU SNEER AT ALSO LOVE JESUS, AND ARE EQUALLY MADE IN HIS IMAGE.
Now, a quick look at what I believe to be authentic evangelism, which all churches can easily pursue, which transforms the world.
The Mission Statement
If ever you were to look for a mission statement, look to Luke 4: 17 -21: ‘The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”’
Jesus is here taking from Isaiah 61, which has a slightly longer passage attached – which is also of massive beauty. (I’ve just taken the first 3 verses, read it all! )
‘The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.’
Every teacher and preacher I’ve ever met, or read, has agreed that this is what Jesus is here to do, save, heal, restore, preach, teach, and generally blow the lid off of sin’s grip on the world.
What does it look like?
The actual image of what we, as Christians, are to do, is quite simple. It all starts here:
Imitate Christ
The scriptures are full of this:
1 Corinthians 11:1 ‘Imitate me (Paul) as I imitate Christ’
Ephesians 5:1 ‘Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.’
Romans 13: 13 -14 ‘Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.’
1 John 2:4-6 ‘If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.’
1 Peter 2:21 ‘For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.’
Galatians 2:20 ‘My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.’
1 Corinthians 4:14-16 ‘I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me.’
Galatians 3:27 ‘And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.’
2 Corinthians 3:18 ‘So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.’
I think you get the point – We’re to look like Jesus…but what does this look like?
What does this mean, then?
Well I hope this argument is now coming together, we’ve seen what Jesus is here to do, we’ve seen what we’re to do…put the two together and you see the full picture:
Do what Jesus did. Do what the Father is doing. (John 5:19)
This is all there is to it:
If Jesus does it, go and do it – you are to imitate Him in all that He is.
Does He heal the sick? Go and heal the sick.
Does He preach ‘Repent for the Kingdom is near/here’? Go and preach.
Does He set the captives free from demonic possession? Go and set the captives free.
Does He radically love all around Him? Go and radically love all around you.
Does He perform mighty signs and wonders? Go and perform mighty signs and wonders.
This is clearly seen by what Jesus says when He both sends out His disciples, and the 72.
Matthew 5:10-15 ‘These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.’
Mark 6: 7-13 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them,“Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
Luke 10: 1-12 ‘After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.’
Mark 16:14-18 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
How do I get involved?
There are two ways that I’ve found this to be incredibly easy:
1) Gaze at God Press in to Him, through worship and scripture. What you behold you become (2 Corinthians 3:18) and so more and more you will be transformed in to the image of Christ, and can’t help but do what He does.
2) Start doing what Jesus did Do you pray for healing? Have you ever intentionally sought God’s voice for words of prophecy or knowledge for people? Stepping out of the boat, at first, is so hard – but gets so much easier after taking the first steps. If you’re not okay with this, find people who are already doing this and go be with them. You’ll find that they have a wealth of experience of ministry, and are great to learn from.
At the end of the day, this is all we have to do, Gaze at God, and walk like Jesus because of this – it works, Jesus did it, and the body grows when the members are rising up to fill the destiny that God has set before them. This sort of lifestyle, the one which looks like Jesus, is attractive – The world starts to ‘want in’ simply because they are having an authentic encounter with the Lord God Almighty, when they meet you. Remember, it all goes like this:
Mark 12:30-31 ‘And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”’
It really is that simple. Don’t cut down what you do, because that’s not authentically living as Jesus – that’s trying to castrate the Divine Nature in to which you have been brought. You are now a participator of the Divine Nature of God Himself, (Romans 8:10-11 ) go join with God in giving the world the authentic encounter that it so it begging for. I’ll end with the believer’s prayer from Acts 4: 24-31
“O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
“In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.
And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.’
Go and be Jesus in the world. Love like you never have before.
(p.s. This also applies to all of life)
jamesgrist 
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