Urgency of sharing the Gospel: My reflection and summary



The urgency to share the Gospel is a reality in light of life’s unpredictability. God’s Word is clear; anyone who does not turn from sin to God through repentance and faith has no chance of ever being in His presence at the appointed time.

But because we do not know each person’s lifespan or the exact day of Jesus’ Second Coming, complacency has no room in the Great Commission.

These truths are behind DCF’s decision to hold a series on Evangelism in its General Assemblies throughout the semester. There is a longing for each member to actively share the Gospel to their friends and dormmates. This means living out one’s Christianity, being sensitive to Gospel openings brought by the Holy Spirit and boldly proclaiming the Good News to all creation.

This August, Kuya Caloy Novisteros kicked off the series with his challenge to evaluate one’s evangelism in light of Scripture. There is a need today to ensure that the message we preach and the methods we use adhere to the examples and teachings of the Bible.

The danger of the fast food culture is the unhealthy emphasis on increasing the number of “believers” in as short a time as possible. Using numbers as a measure for ministry success unwittingly attracts evangelists to “easy believism,” “decisionism” in evangelism, prosperity and man-centered gospels.

To safeguard our message and motives, Kuya Caloy gave six points which can guide us young ambassadors of the Good News.

1. We must have the right passion

If we are not truly concerned for the lost, we will never be effective evangelists. Paul has set the example. He went from town to town preaching salvation in Jesus because he loved his fellow Jews and even the Gentiles. Paul is so dedicated in his mission that he even wrote, “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel (1 Cor 9:16).”

The founder of the Overseas Missionaries Fellowship, Hudson Taylor, also exhibited this passion. His heart cried out for China and her people that he started the China Inland Mission despite the persecutions and challenges he had faced.

Both of these men’s passion for the lost comes from knowing and discovering God more and more. And if we lack such, pray that the Lord will give us the burden for the lost. Kuya Caloy said this is one prayer God truly answers.

2. We must have the right priority

In Acts 15:36, we read about Paul expressing his desire to go back and visit the churches that they have planted. He wanted to ensure that the young Christians there receive proper nourishment from the Word. His priority was to build up the believers that they may mature in faith by the Word of God.

3. Right Personnel

God doesn’t call the equipped. Instead, HE equips those whom He calls. One can never be prepared enough for ministry apart from the grace of God. And the key characteristics that one should possess include obedience, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and dependence on God.

Take Jesus’ Apostles for example. They were in various stages of unpreparedness from the most unqualified backgrounds, but God molded them to become His Gospel Messengers throughout the known world of their time.

4. Right precaution

We are not just preaching the Gospel in thin air but to people with different cultures and background. We need to be aware of these things to effectively convey the Message, preventing unpleasant incidents for the evangelists.

When Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra, for example, they healed a man lame from birth as a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, something they usually do with the Jews.

Sadly, however, their audience that time was mostly Gentiles who believed in Greek mythology. The healing and preaching sent the wrong message to the people that the two apostles were Hermes and Zeus who have come to visit them.

When we preach the Gospel, we have to be sensitive to our audience’s needs and backgrounds for us to know the best ways of presenting the Gospel.

5. We need the right presentation

Needless to say, salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. We do not smuggle in foreign teachings like health, wealth and prosperity promises just to entice people. We preach Jesus and not our churches or organizations.

We also do not put our faith in any method or strategy except on the power of God’s Word to convict people of sin, and the Holy Spirit in drawing them to God.

We can browse through the book of Acts to find examples of Gospel preaching by the Apostles. Most notable perhaps are Acts 2:14-41 and Acts 17:22-31. Learn from them.

6. They were in the right place

In Acts 16:7, we discover Paul’s overall director in his missionary journeys—the Holy Spirit. God was leading him to places where He wanted him to be, and he was sensitive enough to realize this.

God opens doors and closes windows. He prevents and allows. We just have to be discerning enough so that we can always keep step with the Spirit’s pace. Let us also pray for obedience that we may always yield to His desires.

These are but some principles to remember in evangelism. Ultimately, however, we rely on God who transforms people by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Next Next

2 comments:

  1. Unfortunately some in the U.S. have used "winning the lost" as a way of promoting themselves as more spiritual or raising money. This results in a perversion of the gospel. They are only concerned with the numbers they can claim. Satan uses it to turn many from the truth.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is so sad :( We also have the same problems here in the Philippines. Many only look at numbers without any concern for genuine change or regeneration. :o

    ReplyDelete