Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. - Acts 8:4
The early church suffered persecution for proclaiming Jesus
Christ had risen from the dead and was the Savior of the world. This led to
their being scattered throughout Israel. They fled for their safety from
Jerusalem. Then they huddled in homes with fear until the danger past. Not! The gospel
continued to be proclaimed with boldness. The question is: By whom? The
answer—by everyone!
The only way to impact a world with the radical message of Jesus
Christ is when every believer is committed to the cause. “Isn’t that the job of
the evangelist?” some may ask. Yes, evangelists should call people to turn to
Jesus Christ for salvation. But their job is much, much more! The evangelist is
to equip all Christ’s followers to evangelize, as we read in Ephesians 4:11: “And
He gave some as . . . evangelists . . . for the equipping of the saints for the
work of service.” Their job is to model, train, and inspire all the saints to
sincerely care enough about unbelievers so that they share Christ with them in
word and deed. They should inspire all the saints to live exemplary lives where
Jesus Christ is seen in their marriages, friendships, at work, and at home.
Evangelism is much
more than a message; it’s revealing Jesus Christ alive in us! In my opinion,
the evangelist has failed if he or she does all the evangelizing. Furthermore,
evangelism is much more than learning a gospel presentation and going out to
share it with others. It is developing a heart of compassion for those who
don’t know Christ yet, praying fervently for them to be saved, and sincerely
caring about them. The lost are not to be viewed as our projects! God, help all
of us today to have Your compassion for unbelievers.
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