Make disciples of all nations
18 November 2020
Key Verse: Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Imagine you have the secret of life in your grasp, you hold the answers to all life’s questions, ask yourself, ‘would you keep it secret?’ I would think not, you would be telling everyone, and you would not stop letting people know. Well good news, as Christians we do have that secret, only it is not a secret at all, but is a truth that is meant to be shared. We are called to share that truth, the good news of Jesus Christ. This is called evangelism and as a Christian you are an evangelist.
Evangelism comes from the Greek words euaggelion meaning a good message or gospel and euaggelizo meaning to declare, bring or preach this good news. It is delivering the message that Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God but that He also gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins. By dying at Calvary He ensured eternal life for anyone who believes and we are told “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” John 3:16 and again “Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6. Angels are mentioned in scripture more than 240 times from Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Mary, John in Revelation and many others. Throughout scripture we see that angels came to deliver a message, one of extraordinary good news, or that was life giving and changing and usually with eternal effects. While the word evangelism is not mentioned in scripture the theme of delivering the message is woven throughout the New Testament we see in all four gospels that evangelism is routed within them, in fact the writers are often referred to as ‘the evangelists’. Have you noticed that angel is tucked in the middle of evangelism?
Jesus had a message, which He came to earth to deliver to every one of us and we are tasked to deliver that message given by Jesus. He came that we might live, and He wants everyone to know that truth so that they can also be part of Gods kingdom. The key verses above give us this command with Jesus again in, Matthew 9:37-38, Luke 12:8 and Luke 19:10. In Mark 16:15 Jesus tells us to preach the gospel “to all creation”. Why? So that others will know and in believing receive eternal life, John 5:24 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
The effects of evangelism are clearly seen in the rest of the bible, we note that the apostles after Christ’s resurrection are filled with the Holy Spirit and scattered throughout the land, preaching the Word (Acts 8:4-25). In Acts 2 Peter preached boldly to the crowd and about 3000 people believed and were baptised. What use is it writing a letter if you do not post it? The message must be sent and delivered for it to be received. Other examples are when the Holy Spirit prompted Philip to speak to the Ethiopian official (Acts 8), also in Acts we see how Paul and Silas shared the Gospel with the jailer (Acts 16).
Jesus was clear in His commands, we are to love God, love others, repent of our sins and believe in Him. We are to spread this good news throughout the land, God’s salvation was never meant to be a secret. Jesus preached to thousands in the name of the Father, warning, teaching and healing them. He died for us paid the price for our sin, rose again, ascended to heaven and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Just before ascending to heaven He said “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8. This is not a suggestion but a command, “you will be my witness”, “You will spread my message”, “You will tell others, so they, too, can live as you do”.
As a Christian you become an evangelist, and should be ready as Peter urged “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15