Purpose of Evangelism
The commission of evangelization is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Missions and evangelism are necessary simply because humanity has forgotten the purpose of its creation. God’s original purpose for mankind was to have a creation that would freely choose to worship him. It is almost unnecessary to reiterate that humanity in the general population has failed in this endeavor. Mankind had remained faithful to God’s purpose, the whole world would worship God, however, because of sin, a distant gap forms between God and his creation. Christ came to earth to fill this void by offering himself as the perfect sacrifice for man’s sin. “…I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world…” (John 12:47). However, in order for humanity to return to God, one must listen to the message of the cross and believe. This is the purpose of missions and evangelism.
With the completion of the Great Commission still looming in the future of the Church, it is necessary to recognize that there is much work to be done. However, before an individual or a local church body can capture an eagerness for missions efforts, they must recognize and understand the purpose of missions. This includes having an understanding of the what, why, who, where, when, and how of the Great Commission. Solomon writes: “A good understanding gives favor…” (Proverbs 13:15). In order to be effective in missions endeavors, we must have a good understanding of the impending missions work in the harvest fields. Christ’s Commission will take place in its entirety before his return to snatch away the saints.
Evangelism
What is evangelism?
Merriam-Webster, The Dictionary defines evangelism and missions as the act or an instance of sending. Furthermore, it is a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate their faith or carry out their humanitarian work, aimed at converting the un-purified or accelerating the Christian faith. Missions involve the spread of the true Gospel message, along with the work of the true spirit. The fundamental purpose of the missions can be summed up in one word, AI go. Strong’s Concordance suggests that the word to go in the Great Commission originated from the Greek word poreuomai meaning to go through by virtue of your departure. Each of these verbs implies an active association. The ministries of missionary companies and evangelism are not passive. It requires the dynamic participation of believers.
Interestingly, Merriam-Webster’s dictionary aos proposes the sense of travel to go or travel, but it also means to go against or act against a particular adversary. Evangelistic Ministry is simply one more element in the Church, the war against Satan aos, the forces of aos. We do not fight against man in our attempt to win the lost, but we try to recover sinful humanity from the expansion of the Kingdom of God. Missions and evangelism should not be seen as a strictly one land issue, for their struggle resides in the spiritual realm. Therefore, the Church cannot afford to rely on down-to-earth tactics when engaging in ministry.
Why evangelization?
The answer to the justification for why evangelism is necessary is simple. It is mandatory in order to fulfill Christ’s command. “And Jesus came near and spoke to them, saying, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ghost Spirit: teaching them to observe all things which I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:18-20). Before Christ’s ascension to Heaven, He instructed the disciples to begin the operations of the Ministry. During his earthly ministry of Christ he told his disciples that they were to be the salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16). In his absence, the Church was to be the Body of Christ. Through the Church and the ministry of the disciples, the world would recognize that Christ has brought salvation to the sinful population of lost souls.
The concept of missions is not unique to the New Testament and dispensation of grace. Throughout the history of the world, God has called a person or nation to be the icon of a holy and just lifestyle, as well as an example of God’s government. According to the law, Israel was formed as a people who were covenanted to God to carry out “…all that the Lord has spoken…” (Exodus 19:8). God serve your needs; God would be their king. They could reap the benefits of God’s grace because they followed him. However, most importantly, it would be the example of God’s sovereignty for the entire world. Likewise, today, the Church is to be the Israel of the New Testament. The Body of Christ is founded on the faith, practice, government, and discipline of the Word. She, with the full message of Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, is to be an example to the world of God’s autonomy.
What should you evangelize?
The Great Commission is silent on who should carry out the mission of the Church. Christ commanded “ye” to go! Every believer is expected to play his part in representing Christ to the world. Often missions are related to world missions. While global missions are often the primary focus of mission units, it is essential that community, county, and state missions should not be overlooked. It is not feasible to think that all believers can or should actively participate in missions abroad, however, everyone can and should understand the concept of missionary evangelism. Whether it is financial support, prayer support, or active local or global ministry, all believers have a place in the missions effort.
Where should we go?
He stated emphatically in the Great Commission, the Church is to take the gospel to all nations and peoples. “…God is no respecter of persons…” (Acts 10:34). The redemption of the cross is not limited to one social class, age group, ethnic group, or era of time. Ultimately, it is God’s perfect will that all mankind accept salvation and freely choose to worship him (1 Timothy 2:4), yet many choose to accept his permissive will, and will inherit eternal damnation. The Church, as the bearer of the Light, must not fail to minister to all people – both those who wish to hear the message and those who do not. It is not our place to determine who has and does not have the opportunity to hear the message, we simply have to carry the message.
When do we have to go?
This commission did not cease at the end of the age of the disciple. It is a commission that does not know the calendar. There is no better time to start evangelism than now. Daily, people find their eternal destiny while remaining in a lost condition. While it is your freedom of choice, love and compassion for souls should burn so brightly in the Body of Christ that we should tremble at the thought of a soul going to hell.
How should we go?
At the end of this reading, we should recognize the importance and need to be involved in ongoing missions and evangelistic outreach. The biblical foundation for missions has been laid before us. It is now our duty and responsibility to be zealous to aggressively engage in ministry missions. The Great Commission represents a spiritual encounter. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for the destruction of strongholds…” (2 Corinthians 10:4). Initially, human reasoning, knowledge, understanding, and opinion alone is sufficient in preparing for a battle in the spiritual realm. The ways of humanity is carnal and not spiritual. However, Christ commands us, as humans, to participate in this battle for souls. While the Church has a commission to be salt and light to the earth (Matthew 5:13-14), she cannot produce results of her own. There must be a preparation of the spiritual in order to achieve qualitative and quantitative results in the spiritual realm. Let us pray that God gives us a renewed impetus and inspiration for souls!
The information contained on this page is adapted from Becoming a Global Believer: Understanding Our Mission.